Mmmm coffee
Jan 15, 2008 at 4:39
Tom Cameron

Ok, so, I'm on a big coffee kick lately. It may be due to the fact that I'm having trouble getting consistent sleep these days, or maybe it's just the coffee season. Either way, I wanted to write a little something here about it.

Starbucks Coffee is just the worst. I know, I know. They've done a bit to teach the average citizen that there's much more to coffee than Sanka and Maxwell House. But, they've done it in the very mass-produced, one-size-fits-all way they tried to fight against.

An example of this would be someone drinking Starbucks coffee. They sip, sigh, and comment, "That's a great cup of coffee. Nice and strong." What they don't understand is that BITTER and BURNT flavor does not denote strength in coffee. In fact, coffee is better the less you fuss with it. Roasting of the coffee beans is the key, and I have here some examples of Starbucks major roasts.

Light Roast:

Medium Roast:

Dark Roast:

You'll notice that the roasts start at almost black, and just get darker. Roasting coffee works just like baking in your oven (in fact, you can roast coffee there too)- there is a point where it's just right. In other words, if you over cook you roast it will taste like charcoal. Over roast your coffee, and the same thing will come through.

More importantly, here in the US we feed on caffeine. We need it to sustain our very lives. Cut off our supply of caffeine, and you cut off America's head. But, the darker you roast your coffee, the less caffeine it contains. So, not only do you lose the more subtle flavors, but you lose the very kick that coffee is known for.

 

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