The Duplex by Glenn McCoy for February 28, 2010

Starbucks has turned coffee into a carnival.

What are you doing there, Eno? Shouldn’t you be at the beer store?

Maybe he’s trying to sober up.

Maybe they have a new flavor, Beer a’ late!

Ha, I’ve been behind that guy and thought the same thing as Eno, but only thought it.

can i have a small coffee, while i wait for my large coffe. even if you’re a sot, you can never have too much coffee.

Black. Extra sugar. Bet you can’t do THAT Starbucks!

Attaboy, Eno!

It was a shame that coffee went from being a caffeine surge to a dessert.

Do people order coffees like that because the taste really makes any difference, or is it the show and the ego boost that they go for?

My daughter worked at several coffee shops in California and this is normal… sad to say.

I confess that I had a cappuccino at church today. But, to me, that’s not coffee. The Eight O’Clock (whole bean) French roast (black) in my cup now, now that’s coffee.

I’m out of Don Pablo.

If what you want is a cuppa joe, there are places other than Starbucks to get it quicker and cheaper (and stronger). Yes, even in California.

That being said, every winter I wait anxiously for the gingerbread lattes to appear on the board. Double shot of espresso, no foam. The rest of the year I just go for the House Blend. What bugs me is places where they ONLY pull espresso, and if you want anything resembling good ol’ drip you have to order an “Americano”, which is just espresso with water added. I ran into that a lot in London, but there are places here that do it too.

In Australia, you order your coffee either as a Long Black or a Flat White. A Flat White is just a Long Black with milk or cream. But it’s a standardized mix (too light for me), and self-serve cream is rare…

I thought it has to meet EPA standards in CA?!

That’s a given. Of course, I wouldn’t want to drink any coffee that doesn’t meet EPA standards…

It’s true that California in general and the Bay Area in particular is partly to blame for the proliferation of Starbucks. The Seattle guys who started the Green Hydra learned their roasting techniques from and patterned their business after Peet’s Coffee, and Peet’s started up in Berkeley. I know a lot of people who still refuse to go into Starbucks if there’s a Peet’s nearby (and very often there’ll be one of each on the same block). Personally, I prefer independents, when possible.

Still, not all coffee snobs like frou-frou drinks. We can be equally serious about good ol’ Java, and if you serve bad coffee in SF word gets around. It’s not a reputation you want to have; we’re a highly-caffeinated city.

The blend I have at home at the moment is about two parts Columbian to one part French Roast, with just a smattering of Hazelnut and Irish Cream thrown in. Not so much of the sweet stuff that I can really taste it, but it smells so good…

You can order regular coffee at Starbuck’s-just ask for brewed coffee. I personally only order that, to tell you the truth-the fancy drinks just don’t float my boat…