Comments on: How the French Ruined Coffee

By: TheShot

TheShot — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 05:13:03 +0000

I’ve had the coffee in Paris may a time since 1995. And in the half-dozen visits over the years since then, I’ve reliably found the typical café noir in Paris to taste of wet coal.

In many ways, the coffee there reminds me of the coffee in New York City. With such an urban cultural and population concentration, you’d expect the local economy to support a lot of great cafés. And you do have your Café Verlet and your Café Amazone — just as you have your Ninth Street Espresso and your Gimme! Coffee.

But those are merely exceptions to the rule. The rest is, well, dreadful. It’s embarrassing when a typical Starbucks betters most of what you can find in town. (That goes for both Paris and New York City.)

By: Monique

Monique — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 19:06:18 +0000

I found this site by searching “Coffee in Paris” because I have only had the most excellent coffee there. This goes back to 1976. I have never had the swill referred to
at this site. The coffee in France that I have had is MUCH better than any I’ve ever had anywhere. I would love to know how they make it and with what.
I can’t imagine where all the naysayers here have gotten coffee - McDonald’s?

By: Espresso News and Reviews - TheShot.coffeeratings.com » How to order coffee in Spain

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 07:33:56 +0000

[...] at 11:33 pm | Tagged as: Foreign Brew Pim, of local Chez Pim fame, and I go waaay back. In fact, my very first blog post here cited her contrarian-but-oh-so-correct view that berets, croissants, and François Truffaut be [...]

By: TheShot.coffeeratings.com » Coffee culture: a global phenomenon?

TheShot.coffeeratings.com » Coffee culture: a global phenomenon? — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 19:20:04 +0000

[...] Americans prefer straight-up coffee, Moroccans prefer lattes, cappuccino is king in Australia, the French prefer espresso (too bad it sucks there), and the mocha is big in Singapore and Hong Kong. [...]

By: TheShot.coffeeratings.com » The Expansion of Coffee Bars is Expected to Change the way French People Traditionally Drink their Coffee

Tue, 15 Aug 2006 00:55:46 +0000

[...] Those crazy French love their coffee, even if it isn’t very good coffee. A market research press release on Business Wire today announced a study of French coffee consumer habits: The Expansion of Coffee Bars is Expected to Change the way French People Traditionally Drink their Coffee. [...]

By: TheShot.coffeeratings.com » Illycaffè introduces Espressamente cafés around the world

Sat, 29 Jul 2006 02:06:15 +0000

[...] Espressawhat?, you might ask? Meaning “clearly” or “expressly” in Italian, these cafés are cropping up in Europe (and France, in particular, which could use some decent coffee), Asia, and some temporary locations in New York City. Illycaffè is being a bit cagey about the very un-European U.S. market, however, and suggested they will plan an arrival only after “careful study.” [...]

By: TheShot.coffeeratings.com » A Eurocentric quest for espresso in Toronto

TheShot.coffeeratings.com » A Eurocentric quest for espresso in Toronto — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 18:14:41 +0000

[...] Her visitor found the espresso more acceptable at La Maquette (a French restaurant no less) and particularly excellent at the new and upcoming Mercury Organic Espresso Bar. She also found Jetfuel Coffee to be quite average, Balzac’s Coffee to be a bit better, and gave very high marks for the restaurant espresso at Bar Mercurio. [...]