No funeral for La Marzocco

Last night I noticed something strangely different about the Starbucks I frequent at Sycamore & University. La Marzocco was finally gone.

Talks of the machine's removal surfaced more than a year ago, and like magic, it disappeared. It was replaced by a cold and unfriendly box. In the words of one of my favorite baristas, "It's soulless, with nothing but metal innards."

La Marzocco was a tool for creating fine espresso. Rookie baristas could not wait for the new box's arrival; veterans like this one, who dons a black apron, dreaded the day. The new box is not a tool, but a crude attempt at automation and a blow to quality. I'm not necessarily one to talk, as I have never used the machine. But I know of its product.

She drew an interesting comparison for the new box.

"It reminded me of this show on cemetaries and cremations," she said. She went on to describe the grand architecture of the world's oldest crematoriums. "Then I saw our modern creamtorium. It looked like our machine, complete with push buttons."

Her theory: "Let's make cremation more personal."

She proposes a DIY cremation kit for home use. "I'd like to be cremated with a couple pounds of French Roast."

Coming soon

From the not too distant, Martian future...

[Via Robert Scoble.]

Cappuccino vendetta

People often complain about the price of coffee drinks - but this Italian man took one coffee shop to court and won. He got back the extra cash he should not have been charged, deemed 30 U.S. cents, approximately.

Italian Wins Lawsuit Over Coffee Price

Why can't we do this in America?

You took the words right out of my mouth

An excerpt of an e-mail message from one reader:

Your comment card to *$$'s was excellent. I doubt I could've said it better. I get so sick and tired of the cheapening of a LOT of traditional stuff, all in the name of the almighty dollar. Corporate America is going way over the edge. We could start up some wicked political debates on the topic, but that might draw attention away from good coffee. So we wind up choking down all the media and economic chunder that might make Wal Mart stock go up a quarter of a point, and by the time we reach the holidays we all so dearly loved as children, we're ready to snap and do things that most innocent people will find disturbing. But that's the price we pay for having above average intelligence!

- Michael Hamm

Starbucks Christmas Company

Tonight I filled out a customer comment card at Starbucks:

Year after year, I'm disgusted to find Starbucks Coffee join the rest of Corporate America and shove Christmas down our throats a month too early. I could not believe one store was adorned with Christmas trees and festive, red cups as early as Nov. 3. It was depressing. The holiday season is already a commercialized mess. Consumers are told when to celebrate, how to celebrate, and what to buy to celebrate it correctly.

So I am disappointed to see Starbucks, a company with products and employees I respect, jump on this bandwagon. It looks childish. It cheapens the holiday for me. It apears to be the doings of an immature, infant corporation.

I'm sure Starbucks execs would disagree with the previous sentence. "Marketing" Christmas early maximizes the opportunity to capitalize on it, and it brings in more money fast. But it also decreases my (and others') respect for the company, which will hurt sales in the long run. Even though I'm a regular patron, I have discovered a sub-concious change in my desire to visit. I tend to go less often to distance myself from the sadness of this exploitation. Many patrons AND baristas alike echo my sentiments.

Mocha Mania, Manteca, CA

A local coffee joint I had never been to, "Mocha Mania" is a place whose financial health I've worried about in passing. I can't remember ever seeing more than two cars out front, and that can't be a good sign.

I dropped by, and discovered bit by bit that my concerns were unwarranted. First, had my brain been switched to the "ON" position, I would have realized that any decent coffee establishment's Happy Hour would likely be the eye-opening early morning. Since my early morning route doesn't take me past Mocha Mania, I never see it in prime time.

Upon my entry, I found the place nearly empty - still and quiet. The vacuous silence made the already roomy place seem bigger than it really was. The inside was richly colored - the carpet is a deep, blood red. The walls are red too, from the floor up to about knee-level, and blue from there to the ceiling.

With no competition from other patrons, I stepped right up to the to the counter. Never having been there before, I realized it's a little comforting to have a line to stand in. It's reassuring to stand with the herd - newbies know where to wait, and gives you time to consider your order, while surveying the menus on the wall and products crowding the counter.

Me, I just stood under the big sign that said "SERVICE." How could that miss? The kid with the T-shirt, long red hair and sleepy demeanor looked like he could use a belt of what I was about to procure. I came clean: "I've never been here before - what's good?" Clearly, he wasn't prepared for that kind of honesty/idiocy. His eyes lost focus for a moment, apparently trying to find the words to explain that everything's good, or put forth a suggestion without implicating that everything else, by omittance, was not good.

I put him at ease by ordering what a more seasoned veteran had recommended to my simple palate. "How 'bout a Vanilla Latté, and one o' them biscotti?" He nodded and grunted his approval of a fine choice, as well as the appreciation of escape from responsibility my self-originating order allowed him. "Those're good," he mermbled, scribbling in his pad. Like a well-meaning simpleton, I stood waiting by the same counter at which I ordered, and tucked away my change. As I contemplated how stereotypically West Coast and effeminate it sounded to order a "Vanilla Latté," Carrot Top's pit crew swung into action, grinding, pouring and mixing my order.

After being patiently directed to the "pick up your order here, doofus" area of the counter, I departed to a little table with my latté and biscotti. I sat down with my book, dipped the biscotti, and took a nibble. Either this is the best biscotti I've ever had, or the Vanilla Latté I soaked it in is terrific! I sipped a sip, and discovered that this drink was great, froo-froo name notwithstanding. Halfway through my drink, I got up and explored Mocha Mania, and discovered a few more reasons that I needn't worry about their customer base.

* They had a great little kiddie corner (tucked away, you know, in the corner) - a thoughtful appropriation of space with magazines and toys for young, family-oriented caffeine junkies.

* Two, they have a decidedly religious mode to the place, but you have to look closely to find it. Their several freestanding shelves of knick-knacks, mugs and a few books all had a common theme - God, the Lord, and more God. Which is fine, and I'm all for a positive message, but I was hoping for more variety in the browsable items. Clearly, this is comfortable to a specific demographic, as I heard a few stray Praises from the folks at the next table. This theme didn't hurt their business, and probably helped bring in the faithful.

* Third, they have a drive-thru. This was a surprise. The drive-thru "lane" isn't marked, and no one was driving thru when I entered. Also, the pick up window is off to the side, hidden entirely from a frontal view. The drive-thru helped explain why their indoor line was never more than about 6-people deep - lots of customers never came in.

Once the clock hit seven and the sun was fully up, the place really started jumping. The line at the counter never dropped below 4 people while I was there, and the grinding and mixing and other machinations really generated quite an unpleasant racket. You can't begrudge them the business they absorb during a busy run, but it was pretty damn noisy, even at the far end of the joint.
If you're looking for a peaceful read of the morning paper, nursing a hangover, or just desire a quiet corner, try to get in & out before 7am.

With my latté gone, and having made many patrons uncomfortable with my nervous meandering, my work here was done. My curiosity was satisfied - this is a busy little place with a nice atmosphere, and I doubt I'll see closed doors here anytime soon. Plus, they've picked up one more customer.

Hey Buddy, Can you Spare a Dime?

While born less than 45 years ago, I remember when the total cost of a cup of Joe was one thin dime. Now the luxury tax alone is that much and the cost of the fashionable liquid is $5. People who pay this much for coffee are typically single and want some company. It is a cheap way to people watch or "people meet" if you will.

I say legalize other substances and tax the hell out of them. We would all be alot happier and the coffeehouses would have another profit segment rather than a distasteful tax. How ever this thing gets hashed out, I believe people are already paying plenty for the right to mingle. It is tough to make a buck in the coffee house business. If there were anything lude or lacivious about drinking milk in coffee, then, maybe we should consider taxing it as a sin. Since when is milk a luxury? It has long been a staple good for the masses.

And by the way, you young whupersnappers should give the regular grind of coffee a try...no milk, no tax...Just a ten cent cup of Joe.

Got Tax?

The Latte Tax

Andrew asked me to write a little bit about Initiative 77, a proposed tax on espresso beverages here in Seattle.

The intent of the tax is to raise money for preschool and day-care programs (including pay raises for workers in those fields), by administering a 10 cent tax on "espresso drinks", which is justified by the portrayal of such beverages as a "luxury".

While I generally find myself supporting pretty much any form of social program, this Initiative does not sit well with me. Perhaps it's just because I already pay so durn much for my coffee. But I do think it might be because the authors of the Initiative are attempting to capitalize on a cultural phenomenon.

There are six coffee shops within a 6 block radius from my apartment, and at any given moment, they are all full of people. At the Starbucks, people sit with their laptops, hoping the pretense of work will make them invisible to the people they are staring at. Across the street, the neo hippies sip their organic shade grown out of home-y (and environmentally friendly) ceramic mugs, posturing to make sure everyone knows how hip they are, and how little they care. Around the corner, the barista is polling a patron who stopped in with her dog on the proper spelling of zucchini. On the surface, the proliferation of coffee shops must seem excessive, if not slightly ridiculous. But to see that they are all finding success suggests to me that they are not offering a service attainable only by those with wealth, but rather a service attainable by the masses.

As far as I'm concerned, the "luxury" for Americans does not lie in the contents of the cup, but in the coffee shop experience itself.. In a society that is perpetually in a rush to get somewhere, there is no bigger luxury than indulging in a few minutes, maybe even an hour to sit and enjoy whatever concoction the barista has whipped up for you. This "luxury" is one that is accessible to everyone. Even in the Central Distract of Seattle, a neighborhood of traditionally high percentages of racial minorities, and lower incomes, there is not only a Starbucks, but a family-owned coffeehouse.

By levying a tax on espresso as a luxury item, the Initiative effectively seeks to alter this cultural movement, take the coffee cups out of the hands of the majority of the public, and place them in the hands of those with money. Maybe I'm extrapolating a little to far...but you can't help but question the potential long term outcomes of a tax on a product, when the money is going towards an entirely unrelated cause, and when the tax itself would be so subjectively administered (ie...would I be taxed if I wanted tea with steamed milk? How would business who's main product is not coffee keep track of this tax money?).

The opposition to the Initiative (JOLT) stresses that the tax aims to help the community, although it targets a very specific population (they encourage a general tax for services that would benefit the general public). I guess I'm more concerned that the tax aims to help the community, by stratifying it.

I'd definitely like to hear some thoughts on this.

Allow myself to introduce... myself.

I come to coffee shops to meet people. Sure, the coffee is great, but the people make it all worthwhile. It's because of the people that I started this log in the first place.

Every time I go out, it's an unofficial goal to get to know at least one person or party.

Strangely enough, I am very introverted when I visit my favorite hangouts (unless I'm with company). I seek out a seat and start with some photo work on my notebook right away. Surpisingly, the people come to me. People introduce themselves for a variety of reasons. Sometimes there's no reason. Usually people break the ice with a question about my camera or my laptop. It's typically either "Are you on a wireless connection?" or "Is that a video camera or still?" or "Wow, sexy, want to get it on?" And my answer is always, "Yes / Still / Hi, I'm Andrew."

Maybe that's why I'm introverted? I think I am in a comfort zone where the people will come to me and I don't have to do any work. I wonder how many people I would meet if I schmoozed my way around the establishment...

Ha. Come to think of it, no one has said hello to me tonight. I should probably get off my ass.

Coffee Confusion

I just ordered from Java City, and I leave feeling thoroughly confused.

"Short" drinks are equivalent to the Starbucks "Tall" drinks (12 ounces), "Tall" is the equivalent of "Grande", and "Grande" is the equivalent of "Venti", which I know is copyrighted by SBUX.

I ordered an iced short white mocha, and I was told they don't "do" short iced drinks. Iced drinks only come in the 20-ounce variety. So just like I like my ladies I ordered it short and hot, and the barista rung me up. I was impressed with the price. The 12-ounce white mocha was only $2.50 - pocket change in comparison to Starbucks. Java City's largest size for white mocha runs you $3.00 - still 25 cents cheaper than the smallest size at Starbucks. How refreshing.

A few minutes later a barista shouted, "Grande iced white mocha!" I was the only one around, and he handed it to me.

"But I thought I..." Thoroughly confused indeed. And this white mocha is entirely too sweet.

Starbucks Wireless Party

Tonight at my work, a Starbucks Coffee Shop in Encinitas, something very cool, yet at the same time very frightening occured. At about 8:15 there were six tables inside the store, and one outside occupied by paying customers accessing the T-Mobile Wireless Network on their lap tops. It was definitely a sight to behold. It was cool to see that many people accessing the overpriced service, but at the same time I was wondering if this display of extreme yuppiness was going on at Miracles Cafe in Cardiff, and which store was better off for it. Oh well, I embrace Starbucks culture, corporatism and all. Not because its trendy, but because all of your white mochas put dollars in my checking account. So eat (scones) drink (lattes) and be merry (until 9:00pm) for tomorrow we die!

Starbucks Open Late

Fellow San Diegans, I'm sure this will interest you.

I was at the Drive-Thru Starbucks in San Marcos, near the Home Depot, and I noticed that location is open to 11 p.m. That's the latest one in North County! I'm just dumbfounded as to why that funky location, in the middle of an industrial area, gets all the hours. Why not Sycamore or Carlsbad Blvd? It's a step.

It's also the second Drive-Thru in town. An excellent idea has been implemented very well. I hope to see more of those around, too.

M3's Secret Menu

Yesterday I drank the best blended beverage ever at M3 Espresso Cafe. It was a specialty blended Italian soda. Imagine the most refreshing, un-syrupy Slurpee in the world. Mine was Mandarin orange flavored. The kiwi and lime combination is also phenomenal.

What else isn't on the main menu? The Protein Latte is served in lettuce leaves, an apparent omage to the lesser-known Protein Burger at Inn-N-Out. The owner does not want to divulge the details of the Captain's Espresso or the Korean Mocha, but they are available on special order.

Have you been to M3 yet? Why not? I hope you're not stuck in your Starbucks comfort zone. Check out their Web site (www.m3cafe.com) for some of the details. I'm working with the business to get their presence online. We're shooting for a live DJ webcast at the end of this month.

Welcome to The Coffee Log

I'm Andrew Phelps. Welcome to The Coffee Log, my place to share some great coffee experiences with you. I live in San Diego, and I love to experience some of the great cafés scattered around town. As I travel and discover new places all around the world, I will put my memories here.

Are you a coffeehouse connoisseur? An espresso enthusiast? Why not become involved? The Coffee Log is an experimental weblog where you're invited to participate. Share your own memories! Everything from corporate giant to hole in the wall is welcome here. E-mail me if you're interested.

What to look out for: café-inspired artwork, a public moblog, and some good discussion. Why not come back? It's new, it's free, and it's coffee.