Our coffee curmudgeon remembers when everyone in the speciality business had the same goal. But now, what does winning really mean? No one seems to know
Everybody loves to win. A good, big, triumphant win is supremely satisfying, whether it’s at sport, cards, commerce, the lottery or just an argument. And speciality coffee has had more than its fair share of wins.
In the early days, winning had a specific definition and it motivated much of the industry. We wanted to grow speciality by stealing customers from the high street. Many quality coffee aficionados previously frequented one of the ubiquitous coffee retailers – green mermaid, black or coastal – before a zealous barista or friend proselytised about this new wave of coffee, suggesting that they reduced the cup size, embraced the acidity and went in search of flavour. If your experience is similar to mine, once you tasted the difference there was no going back.
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Esta historia es de la edición Issue 36 de Caffeine.
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