Tuesday, June 10, 2003


starbucks does good

and today finds a great story about starbucks working with mexican coffee farmers to educate them about that characteristics will help their coffee sell for good prices. it's a joint project with oxfam and the ford foundation.

"most small-scale producers don't have access to any training on what their coffee ought to taste like," sez a ford foundation official.

this brings me to ponder the taste of coffee. for example, many long-time coffee pros -- real experts -- love very bright coffees, snappy, brisk (all terms to discuss the tingling-orange-juice quality of coffee misleadingly known as acid) coffees from central america. recent cupping competition winners in panama and such seem to have gone to brighter coffees.

in fact one judge in panama actually thought the winning coffee a tad too bright even for his taste. or perhaps the experts where looking at these coffees for blending purposes?

this interests me because the more consumer coffee lovers i talk to, the more people tell me their tastes have changed. they themselves are turning away from brightness towards body and sweetness. i'm wondering if this is a west coast/east coast divide, or if intense coffee conoisseurs are noting a trend.

this might make sense when i hear so many people complain that even fresh, properly roasted, well-brewed coffees seem too sour or acid too them. i'm wondering also if this is the real secret behind the popularity of the very darkly roasted coffees -- that the upscale coffee drinking public either has adapted to the dark roast, which mutes brightness -- or if there's been a more subtle taste change among americans generally?

i wonder. . . .

posted by fortune | 9:47 AM | top | link to this | email this: | | | 0 comments