I saw a slick ad on TV last week. It was clearly about coffee, and invoked quality and international-ness, so it got my attention. Then the massive letdown – it was…McDonald’s? My mute button mercifully did its duty.
A disturbing vision came to mind – a very sleepy person stumbles into a “restaurant” with its slick, soulless corporate decor. She goes to the counter, and orders a coffee from the depressed person who must keep this job because of the terrible economy. The employee slightly nods and pushes a button. Thirty feet away a pouch of freeze-dried powder empties into a pre-heated metal vessel, water is injected, and within seconds the mixture is brought to a boil. A bell goes off, a plug opens, and the boiled mixture drains down a tube, finally empting into the paper cup the employee has attached to the end of the pipe. The customer leaves with the cup of coffee, considering it a victory because she has beaten Starbucks’ price by 20 cents, and looks forward to beginning to wake up sometime later.
Fortunately, places to get a good cup of fresh-brewed coffee are becoming more plentiful in Syracuse. With Cafe Kubal, Sugar Pearl, Kind Coffee, Federal Espresso, and a number of other good cafes now available, why would people would still buy the corporate swill? For those to whom morning coffee is simply medicinal and not to be noticed, it’s a moot point.
There are some who are in a tremendous hurry but still like good-tasting coffee. Starbucks made note of this and offered a compromise solution that’s pretty good. But it’s still not as good as freshly roasted and brewed local coffee. Also worth noting: locally roasted and brewed coffee is not only delicious, but is also competitively priced, often costing the same or only slightly more than the poorer quality famous stuff.
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