Tuesday, September 07, 2004


new york city coffee meetup disappointment

among my many coffee activities is the new york city coffee meetup group. i have to say, i find the situation a tad frustrating.

for example, after several months of there not being enough people r.s.v.p.'ing to meet, we finally get an email saying the meetup is on. the place: 88 orchard st., one of the many indifferent coffee shops here.

but hey, i always try to have a positive attitude: maybe the owner will be interested in the scaa! maybe there'll be a new barista trained in a previous job who can pour great latte art. . . there's always hope, right?

no. the meetup.com people had apparently failed to inform 88 orchard we were coming, so they closed early. i got there to set up the meetup just as they were locking the door.

i begged an audience with the owner, a bored woman who laid out her non-devotion to coffee right on the line: "basically," she said, "i just focus on making money."

no words make my blood boil more than these. of course she has to turn a profit to stay open, but if coffee's just a cash-cow to her, why not sell brassieres? or liquor? or mercedes?

i could not detect any passion for coffee under her exterior nor any dedication to the concept of coffee as a fine beverage.

in a fit of something -- maybe that yoga is paying off -- i managed not to lose my temper and begged her to stay open until at least 7:15pm, just to see how many/if any showed up.

she declined. thus i had the pleasure of racing home in cab to quickly send an email apologizing to all nyc coffee meetup members for the situation.

that wasn't the kind of coffee party i was hoping for! and of course, i'll be italy for the october meeting, alas.

but i swear on my saeco 2002 burr grinder that this group will be working smoothly by november! and i pray the group votes to meet elsewhere. . .but if not, i will persist!

all coffee shop owners must know that we coffee lovers care deeply about the product and will never settle for an inferior beverage!

posted by fortune | 9:21 AM | top | link to this | email this: | | | 0 comments