The line stretches almost to the door. People push and shove to move one step closer, jostling for their turn. Fanatics crowd the room, trying to brighten their morning with their daily dose of caffeine.
Coffee connoisseurs come in all shapes and sizes, all backgrounds and cultures and all brews and roasts. They may prefer to grind their own coffee beans or they may buy specially made drinks at one of the many worldwide coffee houses. The one thing they have in common is a fascination for the dark brew known to the nations as coffee.
The coffee bean familiar to the public is a member of the Rubiacea family. The plant originated in Ethiopia and was spread throughout the world by traders, eventually making its way to the New World. The current “coffee phenomenon” sweeping the nation today began in Seattle in the early ?70s with two small companies known as Seattle’s Best and Starbucks.
Starbucks opened its doors in Seattle’s Pike Place Market in 1971. They grew from that one store to 17 by 1987 and then exploded to over 1,000 locations by 1996. From there, the Starbucks franchise had continued to grow into the worldwide market it is today with a current total of 8,337 stores.
“My favorite coffee drink is a mocha frappachino from Starbucks,” Erin Elmore, ’06, said. “I got hooked on coffee in Mrs. [Molly] Sargent’s peer counseling class and now I usually drink it four times a week. It’s addicting!”
Elmore is not alone in her thoughts about coffee. Other Americans have similar feelings regarding coffee.
“I love everything about coffee,” Taryn Brown, ’08, said. “I especially love getting hyper. I drink as much as I can.”
While some people believe that coffee only comes in the fancy drink options available in stores, others stick to classic home brewing methods. The key to home brewing is ensuring that the coffee is fresh, the proper grind is used for the chosen brewing method, and the proper proportion of water to coffee is used.
“I like the flavor of the coffee that I brew,” Sargent said. “But I only drink it with cream, half and half or milk. My favorite brand of coffee is Seattle’s Best. I buy their whole bean variety in stores.”
Seattle’s Best began by roasting coffee beans in an old peanut roaster and were pleased with the coffee they turned out. When a local restaurant held a taste-off, their coffee won and was crowned “the best cup of coffee in Seattle.” In honor of this victory, they officially changed the name of their company to Seattle’s Best.
“My coffee obsession began when I had a mocha drink about ten years ago and loved it,” Sargent said. “Before that I hated coffee because is was served straight -black- and tasted to me like cigarette smoke smells.”
Sargent is not the only person who began their coffee history by buying specialty drinks. Some students also prefer the taste of flavored coffee to regular black coffee.
“I buy coffee drinks in stores because the art of brewing coffee evades me,” Victor Cabias, ’05, said. “My favorite coffee drink is a blended caramel latte using double strength coffee and four shots of espresso with whipped cream in a venti cup.
“I’d have to say Stacey Belmont gave me my first influential words about coffee, being addicted to coffee I think it was her obligation to spread the word. And I, liking free energy, said ?okay.’ I guess it’s not exactly free at $5 a drink, but it’s worth it.”
Coffee addictions can be expensive. Coffee retailers like Caffe e Via, Starbucks and Seattle’s Best strive to bring the world the finest blends available, and prices often reflect their goals of being the best. Starbucks even claims that they “bring you the top 1% of the world’s coffee.”
The coffee market is expanding at an alarming rate; Starbucks alone has opened in over 1,000 new locations every year since 2000 and shows no intentions of slowing down.
So whether they are the type who prefers home brewing or one of the many Americans who has a taste for coffee diluted by syrup and steamed milk, there are plenty of options available for obtaining the ideal drink to suit any particular taste.
For more information on the companies mentioned above go to www.seattlesbest.com, www.starbucks.com or www.caffeevia.com.” “Brianna Stobbe, Photographer” “Coffee houses are beginning to spring up in neighborhoods and senior Danae Cook patronizes the Starbucks at Willow and Nees. She likes to order a strawberries & cream frappachino tuxedo-style.” “” “” “Seattles Best
