Starbucks

Regardless of how you feel about Starbucks, it's pretty hard to avoid. And for someone just taking their first steps in the world of coffee shops in Midwestern Ohio, you can do much worse than them.

Starbucks has done a lot of good for the industry, I believe. They made the whole cafe culture cool, hip, and mainstream. They brought coffee shops to places that normally would never had heard of them...and while they've done some bad stuff by virture of being big and corporate, I think you can't discount the benefits either.

It was at a Starbucks in that I first got the feeling of community from a coffee shop. Joe and I knew a son of a friend there, and from that aquaintance came introductions to the rest of the staff. We became "regulars," with all the bantering and discounts that entails. It was a good time, since the set up and furniture was all conducive to sitting down for a spell.

[We found out later the only reason the discounts and zany antics (one of the barristas once poured a shot of espresso for Joe for almost three minutes; we expected the machine to shut down in protest) was because of a certain lack in management at this location. Once the new manager came in, things became less interesting more professional and more expensive regular priced.]

I also discovered I didn't really like Starbucks coffee. It's either far too dark, or far too burnt--depending on your take. Their espresso beverages are yummy as all get out...I still love a Starbucks white mocha, and who can resist a coffee frappacino?? But they're pricey, and loaded with calories that you really can't consume all night long.

The take away? Starbucks has done some good things for the coffee industry. I like the community you can get (at least, could get...and in some locations, it IS coming back like their plan states) and the coffee house atmosphere, including comfy furniture. However, I'm not that crazy about the near-cookie cutter feel, the prices, or even the coffee.

Enter the Coffee Shop

One of the clearest and fondest memories I have of my high school days revolves around Dunkin Donuts. I had a car of my own, money in my pocket, and now had the chance to stop at yummy food places when I went out.

One of the first stops I made was Dunkin Donuts. I had tried their coffee before, on trips to Massachusetts to visit family. I had vague memories that it was good stuff, but to be honest it'd been a while. I'd become accustomed to...lesser brews, shall we say.

I became hooked after my first stop, and I had a bad habit of showing up late to my weekly volunteer gig because I couldn't help but go out of my way to the nearest Dunkin Donuts. It was magical. I craved it. The smoothest, sweetest blend ever.

About this time Joe arrived on the scene. We met and stuck up a friendship based primarily on two things: Mutual like for Billy Joel and love for coffee. It was with Joe I discovered the pleasure of just "getting a cup of coffee," as well as White Castle coffee (Darker than DD, but just as smooth and with a touch of mocha to it).

Dunkin Donuts is a nice place to sit, eat something sweet, and drink some fine java. But it's not very comfy, the chairs are NOT for lounging, and the whole atmosphere is geared (quite correctly) towards commuter breakfast people: get in, get out, get to work. White Castle? It's a fast food burger joint. Again, fabulous coffee...but not some place you can sit and relax. And neither of these places is really conducive to creating a rapport with the staff (food service turnover being what it is).

Of course, one really can't explore the joys of coffee in American society without at least TRYING Starbucks...

Java at Home

However you first took to your first cup ("This jet fuel is the best thing ever!" or "I need a cow and a sugar cane plantation, stat!"), you prolly didn't lose interest. Life became about finding more. Always more.

I was both fortunate and unfortunate in this respect. Unfortunate in the sense my parents didn't drink coffee in the home, but fortunate in that they bought a french press for tea around the same time I discovered coffee. A grinder for spices was also a recent purchase, and both press and grinder were commandeered to create caffeinated goodness.

And so what could have died as puppy love, a forgotten fling with an occaisonal cup, was cementing into a truly dedicated relationship. I became facinated with the brewing and drinking of coffee. Wondering how to make each cup tastier than the last. I experimented with different amounts and fineness of grinds. Different flavors. Different water temperatures. I even convinced myself at one point the size of mug affected the enjoyment of my coffee (to this day, I don't really own "standard" coffee mugs).

Then, one day, one of us dropped the french press while cleaning it. Not working yet, I had no funds to replace it or find another method of brewing (my mother was already concerned about the effects of caffeine on her children and was rather coy about buying a replacement press). My coffee sources dried up to the "interesting" brew at the museum I volunteered at, and occaisonally at a restaurant.

It wasn't until my first job at a summer camp that my passion for coffee would be rekindled...and soon on the heels of that would come regular employment, a driver's license, and companionship...all three would change the face of coffee for me forever.