Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/04/17
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Starbucks coffee is centrally processed at a single factory, vacuum packed, and then ground shipped all across the country. I doubt Starbucks in Englad/Japan have their own coffee roasters. This means that the coffee is already stale by the time it arrives at your local store. Roasted coffee only keeps for about a week, even with vacuum packing. Most of the "barristras" in Starbucks over pull the espresso. This is because Americans want a triple shot of espresso in their double lattes. But this has the efffect of making the espresso bitter and without a good crema. If you want to judge a coffee shop, ask for a shot of espresso. It should be sweet enough to drink straight. If it needs milk+sugar to dilute, then it's too bitter because of stale beans or over-pulling. The problem with roasting your own beans means that you can't ever drink coffee out. Just like shooting with our favorite cameras means it's painful to watch "professional" photographers at work at our friends' weddings. Karen -- Karen Nakamura http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/