But today on the public radio station I listened to an interview with a couple craft coffee makers. They are hoping that the next big thing is going to be an explosion of interest in small batch coffee roasters. Here's the link.
I'll tell you what, I am ready to buy in. I'd much rather have a really good cup of coffee than a glass of beer.
The interviewer was asking whether people are willing to pay for an $11 cup of coffee, which is apparently the top price at a local coffee shop. The couple being interviewed justified it by describing the process of growing the beans (takes three years), paying a fair price to farmers, selecting the beans, roasting them in small batches, grinding them by hand, and finally brewing by hand using the pour over method with a special kettle and brewing pot like the Chemex. Complex - perhaps more so than that $20 glass of wine we accidentally bought when out with friends last fall.
Plus, I really love coffee. A really bad coffee, like burnt-out gas station brew, for example, can ruin your day. A really good cup provides not only the immediate pleasure while it's being consumed, but hours of uplifting energy! For a while in Virginia, I bought coffee beans from a little local roaster that brewed coffee for restaurants. It wasn't noticeably better than Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts (my favorite grocery store brand), but I liked the little shop owned by a Greek guy with lots of tchotchkes and autographed pictures in the buying room. Their specialty wasn't really fine beans or special roasts, but added flavors. It was workhorse coffee, not hipster cafe. Ventura had a little specialty roaster, also, but I didn't think it was good enough to justify the $18/lb price. I didn't try all their roasts, though. I have to admit, I keep going to Starbucks because it's consistently good, while some cafe coffees just miss the mark - too weak, too bitter, too cold, too hot. It's a tricky thing to get coffee just right.
I have thought about giving up coffee for Lent - it would really require heroic sacrifice for me, and I'm not quite there yet. My excuse is the baby, who still wakes at night occasionally. And my weakness of will. As a compromise, this year for Lent I am drinking bad coffee - whatever is cheapest at the commissary. Well, actually the giant can of Maxwell House is cheaper than Folgers, but Folgers does taste just a little better. I really am weak.
When Easter arrives, I think my husband (who did give up coffee) and I will have to celebrate by visiting one of these craft coffee roasters for a cup of fresh brew.
