We’ve been receiving a fair amount of feedback that customers are frustrated tying to find a bold, strong brew at Starbucks since the introduction of the milder Pike Place Roast as the everyday coffee. We wrote about the introduction of Pike Place Roast last month.

My expectation when Starbucks first announced Pike Place Roast was that the classic bold, strong brew that customers have identified with Starbucks for years would still be available. Pike Place Roast seemed like a reasonable addition to the everyday drip offering. A milder coffee that would appeal to a segment of the market looking for something with a little less edge. And the strong, bold offering would remain available for the millions of loyal Starbucks customers that would like to see that continue.

We’ve been receiving consistent feedback at the Gourmet Coffee Zone that customers are having a hard time finding Starbucks stores that still serve the stronger coffee. So I visited a Starbucks today to check it out. Sure enough, it’s pretty much only Pike Place Roast. This is a mistake and will drive away loyal Starbucks customers looking for the strong daily coffee fix to which they’ve been accustomed.

Admittedly, the store we visited here in Southern California was certainly busy enough. Business didn’t seem to be suffering with the Pike Place Roast front and center. However, as is usually the case, most of the customers were walking out the door with the standard coffee milk shake fare.

We did noticed the “French Press” option, something we haven’t tried yet at Starbucks. On the menu, below the Pike Place Roast was something called “Share a Coffee” (or something similar). Your choice of any of the Starbucks whole bean coffees prepared in a French press for $3.50.

The coffee press is a Bodum 8-cup model designed for Starbucks, I believe the same model sold in the stores. So roughly two “talls” or about 24 ounces worth of coffee prepared fresh for you while you wait.

It must not be a commonly ordered item. The girl taking care of us seemed a bit flustered, and we had to point to the description on the menu behind her. And when we asked which whole bean coffees we could choose from, she explained “only the French Roast and the Italian Roast”. And I’m reminded I’m in a Starbucks. OK, let’s give it a shot, and we ordered the “French Roast”.

The “French press” takes about 5 minutes to prepare. I noticed they used a timer, which is probably a good idea. In the busy store, with the line practically out the door, it would be easy to lose track of the brewing time with the coffee press. As we watched from our table, the timer went off, and she rushed over to push the plunger. We stepped up to the counter and she handed us the French press along with two nice big ceramic coffee mugs.

We poured our own cups at the table. Unfortunately, it was downhill from there. The aroma in the cup was flat, with the Starbucks burnt roast mostly prominent. The brew was just a tad over-extracted, so it was pushing a little too much bitterness.

It was a nice touch, and could work if done right. We might have enjoyed the Guatemala Antiqua, Sulawesi or Sumatra prepared in the press if the beans were available. As mentioned, the menu did indicate “any of the whole bean coffees”. And I think the stores generally honor this policy.

If you’re not in a hurry, and have the time to wait for a French press preparation, this might be an option if you’re looking for that stronger brew at Starbucks.

But the days of the quick and convenient strong and bold daily drip appear to be gone!

As a lover of great food, the epicurean dining experience at a fine restaurant is one of life’s magnificent pleasures.

In the spirit of great gourmet food, a complete fine dining experience should embrace all aspects of the meal. This includes the skillful selection and preparation of the food, the use of the freshest premium ingredients, the combination of familiar and new flavors that delight the senses, the pairing of great wine that compliments the food, the arrangement of food courses that guide the palette through the meal from beginning to end, a desert course if you’re up for it that finishes a superb meal with a sweet celebration, and perhaps an after dinner drink or liqueur, and ….

So, at the finest gourmet restaurants, what’s up with the coffee?

So much care and attention is focused on all aspects of the food and wine. At the culmination of a fabulous meal, there’s so much opportunity to introduce a truly gourmet coffee experience, but most of the time, it just doesn’t happen.

Let’s start with the espresso drinks. Preparing truly world class espresso, and the associated popular cappuccino and latte drinks is an art. At most fine restaurants, you typically won’t find a skilled and passionate barista at the espresso station. More often, I find restaurants opt for a super automatic espresso machine, maybe include a proper quality grinder with the setup (usually not), train the help to push the buttons, and turn out pretty average espresso results.

Occasionally, I run into a restaurant that pulls an exquisite double espresso, but my experience at most restaurants is usually a disappointment. I’m actually OK with this. Mastering great espresso is difficult, and most restaurants are not going to invest in the baristas, the training and the equipment to pull it off. I understand this and I can live with it.

But the cup of coffee is another story entirely.

Let’s focus on the drink side of the gourmet dining experience for a moment. Fine dining establishments take great pride in their wine lists. And invest lavishly in the wine cellar. They hire a sommelier to coordinate and attend to all aspects of the wine experience.

Imagine that? A dedicated wine professional and connoisseur to insure that the wine experience meets or exceeds every discerning expectation.

When I’m presented with the desert menu, I often see many choices and opportunities for continuing the gourmet experience on the beverage side. There are wine pairings that enhance the desert and pastry offerings. And on the sweeter side, the Sauternes, the Late Harvests, the Dolces, and even the Ports can pair nicely

Or perhaps the after dinner drink is the dessert. The Ports, the Brandies, the Cognac, and even the Single-malts abound. Many choices with full descriptions on the desert menu. And if the menu doesn’t spell it out, the waiter can usually speak to the full after dinner beverage offerings.

So, why not the coffee?

All of the coffee opportunity in the world, and it usually nets out to “coffee” or “decaf”. The coffee is usually a dark French roast. Which is fine, but that’s the roast. There’s so much more opportunity than a dark roast blend of some kind.

Is there any indication of the coffee itself? Ever try and inquire where the coffee beans are from? Or who the roaster is? Huh? Sorry, didn’t mean to catch you off guard. Just curious.

A waiter at the top of his/her game will make sure I hear about the “fresh black truffles we just got in from Northern Italy yesterday”. Or a full rundown on the Quilcene, Malpeque or Kumamoto oysters on the half shell.

As for the coffee? Ummm, it’s really “good” coffee. “From some artisan roaster, I think”. “Hold on, let me find out for you”. Actually, I’d be impressed if I actually got that much information.

The most attention to the coffee detail is typically “let me make sure there’s a fresh pot brewing”. Of what? Oh yeah, a fresh pot of “coffee”. And what coffee would that be? At least you weren’t going to bring me coffee that’s been sitting there for an hour. You weren’t going to do that, were you?

Here’s what I’m after.

There’s a wonderful range of single origins out there, full of dimension, ready to offer a satisfying taste, flavor and aroma experience at the finish of a fine gourmet meal. As I ponder over a desert menu, I would love to compliment my selection with a choice of single origin coffee pairings.

If I see a tempting cheese cake, I’m fine with the dark French roast (whatever that coffee might be). With an apple or pear tartin, perhaps a dark roast Haitian. Or maybe I’m in the mood for a soft-ripened cheese course, a medium roast Indonesian Java would be a nice compliment. A fresh fruit or berry tart, try a medium roast Kenyan.

Tell me about your coffee selections, and include the single origins. Mix it up, and tempt me with a few surprises. I think I would actually fall out of my chair if I saw a menu selection of single origin offerings from Paradise Roasters , Counter Culture Coffee, or Intelligentsia. To be fair, I know there are a few enlightened fine dining establishments out there that serve and care about great coffee. But we’re talking about far and few between.

Or, better yet, publish a simple coffee insert for the desert menu, and feature two or three outstanding single origins each week. Or put up a coffee selection chalk board. Even more charming. Imagine running across a description like “featuring a Guatemala Huehuetenango – San Vicente Estate Bourbon from Paradise Roasters this week …. a classic Huehuetenango, caramel-like cup, notes of citrus, chocolate, brown sugar, with a tropical wisp of passion fruit and guava”.

Now, go ahead and pair that up with something chocolate, maybe a decadent chocolate souffle. Oh baby, now we’re talkin’ …

And if the fine restaurants aren’t sure there’s a consumer demand for this level of coffee indulgence, then show some epicurean leadership. Fine food, wine, and yes – coffee, are all part of the adventure. We want to learn and experience and expand our culinary horizons. That’s why we show up. Go ahead, dazzle us with a special coffee or food/coffee combination that we’ve yet to experience.

And the preparation doesn’t have to be overly complicated, or require a world class barista to get it right. Bring the single-origin to the table in a French press. A little ritual around the cup and the French press will thoroughly delight me and make me feel special. And impress me that your fine restaurant appreciates the coffee dimension. I’ll be thrilled to discover that you share the coffee passion too!

Admittedly, there’s some technique and technicality around insuring a proper and consistent extraction. So be sure to get the grind right for a French press. And if watching over the optimal steep time is a challenge with too many busy tables to attend to, bring me a small digital timer, set it next to the coffee press, and tell me to push the plunger when the four minutes on the timer expires. It’s perfectly reasonable to allow me to participate in the coffee ritual. In fact, I’ll enjoy it!

Hey, if your truly wonderful fine dining establishment is already on-board with the full coffee experience, please sound off. Leave us a comment below. I’ll be sure to come by and visit next time I’m in town. And I bet our readers at the Gourmet Coffee Zone will show up as well.

Give us the full culinary experience. And please don’t forget to pay some attention to the coffee!

I ran across this interesting post on “The Coffee Shop” today about the benefits of using decaffeinated coffee. I learned something new that I wasn’t aware of … scientists have discovered a “naturally decaffeinated” species of coffee plant growing in Brazil. An amazing discovery.

For many coffee lovers, the stimulant effects of caffeine are intolerable. The only viable solution, other than avoiding coffee entirely, is decaffeinated coffee. Fortunately, there are many excellent varieties of premium coffees available in decaffeinated form. For the most part, the decaf versions are quite good, and taste very similar to their caffeinated counterparts.

However, a bit bothersome to some folks, the decaffeination process involves various chemical processes that generate concern. I get questions from readers all the time concerning the safety of decaffeinated coffee. Again, the good news is the current commercial decaffeination methods are quite safe, and are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). To be accurate, the Swiss Water method does not actually expose the coffee beans to any chemicals, and is the only decaf process that is certified organic.

Nonetheless, a species of coffee that actually produces naturally decaffeinated coffee beans is remarkable, and will likely open up new markets for coffee lovers and consumers looking for a natural decaf solution.

Scientists in Brazil made this discovery in 2004, so this may not be immediately ground breaking news. See this article Natural Decaf Coffee Discovered by Brazilian Scientists. The article points out that the discovery is a species of “Coffea Arabica“, the most widely grown coffee around the world, which significantly raises the possibility for cross breeding the decaf characteristics of the newly discovered coffee plant.

For many, the mention of the term barista conjures up a familiar image of that person behind the counter at a Starbucks who prepares the various espresso drinks including lattes, cappuccinos, macchiatos, and such.

And there are some who have a problem classifying the folks at Starbucks as baristas, reserving the distinction of barista for a more skillful and prestigious calling.

In the general and literal sense, a barista is someone who has achieved some level of skill in the preparation of espresso drinks. The operative qualifier is “some level” of skill. And in fairness to the hard working folks at Starbucks, I think it’s more than reasonable to refer to the partners behind the counter as baristas (see Starbucks Barista Bashing). And if you’re interested in the most literal definition of the term barista (plural), the word derives from the Italian baristi (masculine) and bariste (feminine) meaning bartender.

But for those of us that pursue a passion for a more extreme coffee experience, the notion of a barista takes on a broader meaning and more honorable distinction.

For me, I’m humbled and inspired by the barista professional who is highly trained and practiced in the skill of espresso and coffee preparation. To achieve barista greatness requires a depth of knowledge, technique and skill that covers many aspects of coffee preparation including coffee beans and origins, espresso equipment, grinding beans, blending beans, developing a sophisticated tasting palette for coffee, coffee roast levels, latte art, and more.

In the same sense that we recognize and acknowledge great chefs in the creative and artistic achievement of extraordinary food preparation, a barista at the top of the game is worthy of outstanding and uncommon achievement.

In fact, it may come as a surprise to some that there are baristas that actually achieve celebrity for their talents and accomplishments.

With the level of skill, training and creativity necessary to achieve barista greatness, it’s no surprise that this is a highly competitive domain. In fact, there are barista contests and championships at many levels including regional, national and of course, the ultimate distinction of world barista champion.

To get a sense of what these baristas are about, let’s explore the world of the barista for a moment.

James Hoffmann, of the UK, is the current reigning World Barista Champion. Have a look at the following interview by Sarah Allen of Barista Magazine conducted at the last Nordic Barista Cup. As with many people who are really good at what they do, James Hoffmann exhibits a humility that underplays his achievements.

James Hoffmann, current 2007 World Barista Champion, interviewed by Sarah Allen of Barista Magazine at the 2007 Nordic Barista Cup.

Here’s a fun barista documentary. A behind-the-scenes look at a recent barista competition in the Northwest US. Interviews with Kyle Larson of Stumptown Roasters, Dan and Kyle, a couple of baristas from Victrola Coffee Roasters in Seattle, and Jen Prince of Zoka Roasters in Seattle (now that’s the kind of passion I’m talking about).

Incidentally, the note on Youtube says the producers of this documentary would be interested in some small-time investors to help finish the film. With over 20,000 views on Youtube, maybe they have a hit in its current unfinished state … see, this stuff actually does create a little buzz, and it’s not just the caffeine.

Behind the scenes look at the world of the barista – short documentary.

And of course, we can’t forget the Latte Art

I’ve always been fascinated by the special talents of the barista who can produce Latte art, those marvelous patterns out of swirls a-top the milk foam in a latte.

Now, we were always taught not to play with our food, or blow bubbles in our milk, but latte art takes it to another level. Think of this as the creative and artistic expression when the dessert chef arranges an attractive display on your plate out of chocolate swirls and such (and that’s playing with your food in my book).

Latte art talent also involves the one-handed approach without a lot of fuss and and re-attempts to push the pattern into submission. Hey, these guys make it look easy, but it’s harder than it looks ….

A barista from Greece demonstrates Latte Art – The Classic Rosetta

And here’s a latte art twist that adds a dimension to the design with a little chocolate sauce. Now some barista purists will argue that adding the chocolate sauce and arranging the swirl patterns with the aid of a pointed tool is a little bit of cheating. But give me a break – this very creative and impressive to say the least. Notice the use of the milk thermometer as a drawing stylus in this artistic application.

Antonios Argiropoulos demonstrates his version of Latte Art

So visit a espresso cafe in your area, or better yet, see if you can track down a barista competition. It’s great fun, and the coffee can truly be amazing.

You can definitely classify me as a coffee geek today. I’m not sure when it happened.

As a teenager I didn’t even drink coffee. And trust me, that was many, many years ago. At the time, I may have been mildly aware of the negative message from the medical community maligning daily coffee drinking. Of course, as a teenager, I don’t think I was particularly influenced by the medical community and the doctors, based on the other substances I was willing to put in my body.

No, back then it was more that I just didn’t care for the taste of coffee all that much. I do recall at about the age of sixteen or so, in our family household, we were just transitioning off of the electric percolator to a Mr. Coffee drip machine. OK, now I’m really dating myself. Does anyone even have a percolator anymore? Even with the drip coffee maker, I do remember we were still brewing mostly Yuban, and occasionally Folgers and Maxwell House ground coffee in a can. Maybe the Yuban coffee just wasn’t doing anything for me back then.

Remember Yuban with the Juan Valdez TV commercials? Had to be 100% Colombian grown coffee if Juan Valdez showed up in your bedroom with his burro (somehow, that doesn’t sound right). I seem to recall someone telling me Juan Valdez was actually from Puerto Rico, not Colombia. But hey, Americans won’t be able to tell the difference. Come on, its a marketing campaign.

Juan Valdez – 100% Colombian Coffee

Now, many years later, I’m an incorrigible coffee geek, a veritable coffee fanatic. I’m not sure when and how it happened exactly. And don’t worry, I’ll only bore you with a few of the tedious details of my life, step by step.

But quickly, I think it happened something like this …

• Discovered the value of caffeine to survive the late night “finish the paper” cram sessions in college.

• I admit, Starbucks had some influence along the way.

• Purchased a blade grinder, started grinding my own beans. Switched to whole beans. It just felt right.

• And then I discovered espresso. I’m pretty sure it was one of the local Italian restaurants. A double espresso with desert. Hey, this stuff is pretty good!

• For years, it had to be dark French roast beans. Didn’t pay much attention to the coffee origin. Just had to be a dark roast. Then I discovered there are some other options, at least thirty different coffee origins from around the world. Wow, there are some different tasting coffees out there.

• Someone gave me a French press. Now there’s a great way to brew coffee and get a full extraction. I’m starting to pay more attention to the coffee ritual and the experience, and I’m getting pulled in. It’s not just a cup of coffee anymore.

• Don’t ask me when I started adding words like “extraction” to my coffee vocabulary. But I think these may be some of the telltale indicators of coffee geek-hood.

• I suppose another coffee geek “right of passage” occurs the moment you decide you have to have an espresso machine at home. After all, wouldn’t it be great to crank out great espresso shots anytime you want. Then you find out it’s “pulling shots” not cranking out shots. More coffee geek vocabulary.

• So now one of the clear dividing line emerges. Is it going to be a manual or piston style machine, a semi-automatic, or a super-automatic fully computerized, one-button espresso machine? Let’s see, anything computerized is pretty geeky, but what would a real barista choose? I’m afraid if you go for the fully computerized, super-automatic, push the easy button espresso machine, you’re probably not a true coffee geek. You may have the bucks, but come on, you didn’t think you can just buy your way into geek-hood?

• When you do a little soul searching, and you find out you somehow identify with that barista inside, and you decide that there must be honor and valor in mastering the full technique and artistry of espresso coffee preparation, you’re probably a coffee geek.

• And then it seems, you’re past the point of no return. This espresso thing’s a bit harder than it looks. So you study, and you learn, and you practice. And at least several hundred shots later, and an expensive burr grinder so you can finally get the grind right, you’re pulling pretty respectable shots.

• You’ve arrived! There is no denying, you are a full-fledged coffee geek. And proud of it!

Now let me clarify something. Please don’t confuse a coffee geek with a coffee snob. I can’t speak for all coffee geeks, but I would never think I’m better than somebody just because I love everything about coffee. In fact, I think a coffee geek is much more of a coffee evangelist than a snob. You know, an obsession. Can’t stop talking about coffee, and has the desire to share with anyone who will listen.

For the many folks out there that don’t share the calling, I get it. Coffee is no big deal. Any regular cup of coffee in the morning is just fine.

But for a coffee geek like me, there’s a richer and more rewarding coffee experience out there, and I’m going to make it happen.

OK, I don’t expect this to make sense to everyone.

But if it does, maybe you’re a little bit of a coffee geek too?

If you are a little bit crazy with passion about coffee, we hope you’ll join us here at the Gourmet Coffee Zone. We’re building a community of coffee enthusiasts with a focus and objective aimed at expanding and enhancing the coffee experience.

We love to talk about “all things coffee”. And we hope you’ll help us with your coffee experiences, opinions and knowledge. No snobs here, but maybe a few coffee fanatics.

The more we explore the world of coffee, the more depth we seem to find. In addition to the pure enjoyment of great coffee, the vast range of coffee subjects keeps this so interesting and always has us coming back for more!

Whether it’s about tasting coffee origins, comparing notes on the latest coffee bean harvest, talking about premium coffee roasters, chasing that elusive perfect shot of espresso, talking about some new amazing coffee gear, sharing coffee techniques and tutorials, delving into hundreds of years of fascinating coffee history, or gossiping about our favorite coffee houses …. there is an endless supply of great coffee subjects to discuss and explore.

We hope you’ll join us and help us build a great community here at the Gourmet Coffee Zone.

To your coffee enjoyment!

Mark Harris
Gourmet Coffee Zone – Website
Gourmet Coffee Zone – Daily Blog