Tag Archive 'coffee_sizes'

Intelligentsia’s Bonfire of the Venti’s

Posted by TheShot on 09 Jul 2008 | Tagged as: Consumer Trends, Foreign Brew, Local Brew, Quality Issues

Today’s Chicago Tribune reported on Intelligentia’s plans to phase out the 20-ounce, venti-sized coffee beverage: Small. Medium. Gone. — chicagotribune.com. “Drinking our coffee is not like drinking jug wine,” the article quotes Intelligentsia founder and CEO, Doug Zell. Mr. Zell also goes on to compare the venti experience to “a watered-down, Big Gulpish version.”
We’ve been [...]

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I Hate New York (coffee): Brew ha ha in city that falls short on espresso

Posted by TheShot on 11 Sep 2007 | Tagged as: Consumer Trends, Foreign Brew, Quality Issues, Restaurant Coffee

Today’s The Sydney Morning Herald ponders how Australia’s Italian immigrants could bring a culture of appreciation for some of the best espresso in the world, and yet New York City — no stranger to Italian immigrants — is such a puzzling espresso wasteland: Brew ha ha in city that falls short on espresso - Opinion [...]

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Where’s the coffee?

Posted by TheShot on 19 Aug 2007 | Tagged as: Add Milk, Consumer Trends

Back in the 1980s, Wendy’s fast food restaurants sponsored a highly successful advertising campaign featuring a diminutive elderly Jewish woman (Clara Peller, she quickly became a cultural icon from these spots). When presented with the hamburgers of Wendy’s competitors, she famously asked, “Where’s the beef?!”
These days, it seems like we need a similar campaign for [...]

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Anytime an espresso is this big, someone behind the counter doesn’t have a clue

Posted by TheShot on 01 Aug 2007 | Tagged as: Consumer Trends, Quality Issues

We at TheShot may peruse the Internet for headlines, but that doesn’t mean we’ve given up on the printed word. So we took notice of our citation in the latest issue of a local neighborhood paper, Glen Park News: Glen Park News - Summer 2007 [2.9 MB PDF file, page 17]. Although we appreciate the [...]

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Espresso done right is intense — a full-bodied, stop-time moment to savor

Posted by TheShot on 11 Jan 2007 | Tagged as: Beans, Machine, Quality Issues, Restaurant Coffee, Robusta

Tomorrow’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution nails it with this article headline: Espresso done right is intense — a full-bodied, stop-time moment to savor | ajc.com. Somewhat surprisingly, what follows the headline isn’t half bad either.
The author, John Kessler, goes on to note how rare a decent espresso is in this country — and in fancy restaurants in [...]

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Toronto Espresso Hunt or: How I Learned To Hate Overextraction

Posted by TheShot on 14 Feb 2006 | Tagged as: Barista, Foreign Brew, Machine, Quality Issues

Yesterday I came across a Toronto area blogger, StDan, who has picked up his own cause for finding some of the best espresso served in his fine city of Toronto: Espresso Hunt: Little Italy. Naturally, even at this early stage, he noted the following (familiar) problem: “most places put too much in it”.
Yes, the infamous [...]

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Moka pot recommendations

Posted by TheShot on 17 Jan 2006 | Tagged as: Home Brew, Machine

Until I create something of a “mailbag” section on this site, I’ll post some of the more interesting questions, and my replies, here.

At 03:52 PM 1/16/2006 -0600, _ _ wrote:
>Greg,
>
>I’ve really enjoyed your site. I was wondering if you had a recommendation
>for a good Moka stovetop maker. In addition, do have a recommendation [...]

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That’s no baptism font, that’s my coffee

Posted by TheShot on 07 Jan 2006 | Tagged as: Café Society

The Sioux Falls, IA news site, Keloland.com, reports on heartland America’s trend of coffee houses as ministries: Christian Coffee Houses.
One can only hope that divine inspiration improves the chances of a proper crema on a shot of espresso, because most secular professionals sure can’t get it right. “Can I have a grande, half-Solomon, four-pump Ecclesiastes [...]

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Starbucks Economics - Solving the mystery of the elusive “short” cappuccino

Posted by TheShot on 07 Jan 2006 | Tagged as: Add Milk, Quality Issues, Starbucks

Yesterday, Tim Harford posted an excellent article for Slate: Starbucks Economics - Solving the mystery of the elusive “short” cappuccino.
Many may not know this, but Starbucks offers a short cappuccino that can be readily ordered at just about any of their forty zillion locations. However, you’ll never find it on the menu. And the dirty [...]

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Coffee shortage brews trouble in Venezuela

Posted by TheShot on 05 Jan 2006 | Tagged as: Beans, Fair Trade, Foreign Brew

According to the Associated Press, the National Guard in Venezuela seized some 330 tons of coffee beans that were being held back by growers in protest of government price controls.
Venezuela is something of an exception among Central and South American coffee growing nations: the locals actually drink the stuff. President Hugo Chavez imposed a price [...]

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