There is no going back

Be Warned
Once you start down the road that leads to better tasting coffee, there is no going back.

Sometimes we end up there by accident or convenience... the ubiquitous familiar crummy coffee is not to be found when you need it, and you are forced to buy at a new place. Maybe you meet somebody at their favourite coffee shop and the brew is delicious. Or it could be that a friend offers you fresh coffee they roasted at home. However it starts, once you get a taste for excellent coffee it is very hard to return to your ignorance and imbibe the turbid slurry that you once did.

In the beginning
My coffee rebirth occurred in Italy in the early '90s. I visited a friend doing a year of art school in Florence. The first morning I was there he told me he had something wonderful to show me before breakfast. We got dressed and went downstairs to the cafe on the street beside his apartment. The aroma of coffee as we entered the shop hinted of the nature of his promise to me. The barista was dressed very well in an expensive looking shirt and tie. His shirt was pressed, hair quaffed, and he sported a very short beard. The decor and fixtures were very modern, but with a hint of art deco in the angular lines of the chromed fixtures and chair-backs. My companion ordered for us, "due caffe latte, por favor". I was impressed with his command of this new language.

Our drinks arrived in elegantly curved glasses with handles, and were placed on napkins in saucers. We took them to the bar by the shop front window, and perched on stools with a view of the ancient paved street. I took a tentative sip of that perfectly warm and rich beverage, and then gulped it down. It was incredible! A perfect balance I had never experienced before. The nutty mocha of the coffee blended with the deliciously creamy sweetness of the milk. No flavour too strong or out front, both perfectly combined to compliment each other and satisfy the palette. Wow, I can still remember that taste now, twenty years later.

It remains the benchmark upon which I judge all coffee experiences.

Know your Power
Knowledge is power - The coffee Bosses know this, and that is why they work so hard to keep us down in the dirt. Evidence the ad campaigns touting "fresh" coffee, and "delicious blends". Ha! what lies they tell us! Every time I see those proclamations I am amazed by the incredible power marketing can have over quality. Their days are numbered though, for as we the coffee drinking masses come to realize the lies that have been told, the force of the revolt will be awesome.