Thursday, September 06, 2001


got some marketing mail today from peet's coffee; they announced that they're adding new coffees to their line. . .

i used to love peet's and spent literally 15 years mail-ordering my coffee from them, especially when i lived in falls church, va. their sulawesi-kalosi in a big french press was my breakfast staple for untold eons. when i was on my honeymoon in san francisco, i made a great effort to have a cup of coffee at every single peet's location. ditto on a trip to la-la land with mr. right. every saturday i began my morning with an espresso made from the major, as long-timers call their major dickason's blend.

but! but! a couple of years ago, i began to notice a decline in quality. just about the time they began their big expansion push. i wrote to them asking them when they were coming east -- only to receive what has to be called a snooty reply from their webmaster that "peet's wasn't vying for every street corner." of course now they're widely spread in california and in boston, too. but not here in new york!

later, i got their marketing email about their IPO. by that time, i was very disappointed in their coffee, and had turned to other sources. and i won't be back, i'm afraid. but i remember when i had my first cup of peet's, while flying a kite in berkeley. . .and then it was served in a very nice old restaurant on canyon road, when i was living in santa fe. it was a beautiful restaurant, called the haven. (not to be confused with the horseman's haven! no way!) run by various owners at different times, but best when run by friends of baker roshi. that's when i used to linger by the fireplace and nurture long doppios as the snow fell silently among the farolitas (sometimes called luminarias). . .and think about the talks i had with zenshin philip whalen, one of the loveliest people on the planet.

then i had to leave santa fe, baker roshi went to colorado, and philip whalen returned to san francisco : things change. but i think of peet's with pastel fondness...

posted by fortune | 11:37 AM | top | link to this | email this: | | | 0 comments