An Old Friend Saves Thanksgiving

My wife and I left for Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania at 4:30 yesterday afternoon. Like the other 10 million drivers who decided they would take 95 north from the Baltimore area to Philadelphia, we quickly realized this would be one of those painful East Coast trips. There are simply too many people, too many cars and too few roads on this side of the country. The red lights stretched for as far as the eye could see.

What is a family to do but soldier on? Then it happened, my three year old, Tiny Roast, innocently declared, "my throat hurts." Then he frantically blurted, "I think I am going to throw up." Four upchucks later, his job was complete. The lights ran on as far as the eye could see and our car was beginning to smell rather pungent. So we pulled into the parking lot of a Weis Market and bought two rolls of paper towels, two gallons of water and garbage bags.  We washed the child, the seat and everything else the best we could and then wrapped the seat in black heavy-duty garbage bags for the remainder of the trip (it didn't look very comfortable).

We were now more tired than ever. In two hours we really hadn't made very good progress. Ms. Darkroasted and I both needed a pick-me up and we knew we could find one at the Chesapeake House Service Area only a few miles ahead.

As you can see, we were not alone. Fifteen minutes later, we drove down the road with a tall caramel macchiato and a venti cappuccino in tow. This old friend perked us up instantly (side note: if you hold a cup of Starbucks under your nose you can barely smell your child's vomit in the backseat.) Our sweet little son finally fell asleep and there was peace in the car again. Coffee coincidence...No such thing.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

McDonalds Coffee? I Think Not

These pictures are a snapshot of coffee from McDonald's in the old days and the premium roast brew that you can purchase fast-food style today. Can you see the difference between the two?

That's right, they put a semi-fancy cup on one. I love McDonalds, or Old McDonalds as my son calls it. You want good fries? It's the place to go. Care for a heart-attack burger with a mystery sauce that I am pretty sure is Thousand Island dressing? This is the spot. This is where my love ends and my disdain is ever growing for a coffee abomination that should not continue.

Calling this fast-food icon a destination spot for good coffee is like me suggesting H&R Block is a great place to get your tires rotated.

In a recent article, the new CEO of Starbucks Howard Shultz said, "McDonald's made us better." See story here. Howard, you have to stop it. You cannot compare your beloved chain with McDonald's. It cheapens us all. Just calling coffee a premium roast and putting it in a McCafe doesn't make it good. Unfortunately, the masses don't necessarily agree with me.

A recent Chicago Tribune story reports:

"Year to date through October, McDonald's overall U.S. coffee sales are up 28 percent over the same time a year ago, and more than 90 percent of that gain stems from McCafe drinks, Thompson said. Those drinks include all hot and iced espresso-based beverages, as well as hot chocolate."


Come on America, this is not premium. Please stop the madness and make it all go back to the way it used to be where coffee didn't come with a side of fries -- unless you were really desperate. 


What's your opinion? Drop me a comment. 

Roasted in D.C. -- Barack Obama Dips Below 50%

This week's choice for roasted in D.C. is this top guy himself:

I continue to be amazed that there is simply no person bigger than the system in Washington D.C.  Barack Obama came into office with nearly 70% approval ratings and an aggressive agenda he was determined to accomplish. Even if you don't agree with his agenda, it seemed he had the political juice to get some of it done. This week's Gallup Poll revelation that his numbers have now dipped below 50 percent is proof that that everyone is vulnerable to the Washington system no matter how great an orator and leader.

The healthcare debate, the economy and a Democratic-controlled congress that doesn't exactly follow his lead all the time have all contributed to this fall from public favor. The Politico has a great article this week about the President's public image challenge and its influencing factors. Check out that article here.

Now some of my more liberal friends would suggest that poor Mr. Obama is suffering from the economy that George Bush gave him. These people would also suggest that the economy was booming when Bush took over all because of a certain former president named Clinton.

I have two things to say to all of this. First, no one man, not even the president, can so affect financial markets as to cause them to rise or fall this significantly. Our own greed got us here. So enough with the Bush-bashing on this one. Bushy had other issues, but this simply is not his fault. Unfortunately for Obama, everyone thought of him as the chosen one who could fix any problem. Guess what, no one can single handedly fix a problem this big.

Second, Obama is also suffering because he didn't learn from the past. When the Clinton's, who were wildly popular as well, took on healthcare it turned into a rotten egg they would not soon forget. Maybe the Senate will take some positive action on this healthcare bill today. Who knows, they may even eventually pass Obama's bill. But the political cost has been heavy and the poll numbers show it.

Obama's got an uphill climb and he continues to find the D.C. machine beating him down. That's why he is my choice for this week's Roasted in D.C.  

The Perfect Coffee Maker

This is my new toy:

I realize that for many people this may not be the most exciting thing to hit the market. But for someone who is willing to spend his time writing a blog that is primarily about coffee, this is manufacturing perfection.

It is Nespresso's Citiz espresso maker, a slimline unit that utilizes pods to crank out out between 1.5 and 1.85 ounce shots of cremalicious espresso. The quality is top notch and the price point per shot is somewhere around $0.50 a pull.

I realize that some purists would find this type of machine an afront to the coffee process. I too spent years carefully grinding my coffee and seeking the perfect froth. Unfortunately, I just don't have time to do this all the time and I still want good coffee. This machine delivers both good coffee and efficient preparation. Even espresso purists agree that Nespresso's line of pod-based coffee makers hit the mark (see this review by Top 100 Espresso Makers blog).

Along with the quality of the coffee, I was also more than pleasantly surprised by the frothing carafe that you buy with the base espresso machine.

At the touch of a button you can froth milk either cold or hot and the whole process is nearly silent. Gone is the time spent sitting over a steaming pipe that makes so much noise you can't even speak with anyone around you. And the quality of the froth? Take a look for yourself. I took this shot from my kitchen this morning.

The entire package is an excellent alternative for home baristas who want all the taste of quality coffee but don't have the time to whip it up the old fashioned way. Don't take my word for it, crawl over to your local Sur La Table or Williams-Sonoma  for a taste test or test drive of this machine. You will not be disappointed.

The search for a Starbucks in rural America

(A businessman's lament)

This morning I had the great pleasure of driving up the Delmarva Peninsula from Annapolis to Newark, Delaware for a meeting with a client. The bucolic rolling landscape was perfect as I cruised along with my Nespresso cappuccino in one hand and George Winston on the stereo.

That was this morning. This afternoon on my return, there was no Nespresso from home. So I had to find my afternoon coffee. Bucolic + Winston - Coffee = esta no bueno.

So there I was, vainly searching for a Starbucks in a land devoid of this heavenly pleasure. I frantically scanned strip mall signs much like the one below. I am sure you have been there. You look from sign to sign and everything that is green raises your spirits only to have them dashed again.



Alas, the Glendale Plaza had no Bucks and I feared that the company's slashing of more than 600 stores made it a virtual guarantee that there would be no grande cap for the way home.

As I began to work my way back to the highway, an image appeared before me as if it was a mirage in a dry barren desert. My car then willed itself to a place of sanctuary. I was here.



And even better it had a drive-thru:



The equation was complete again. Bucolic + Winston + Starbucks = tranquilidad

It's the little things in life we should all enjoy. Like an unexpected Starbucks...with a drive-thru.

Roasted in D.C.

Each weekend, I will be posting a write-up called "Roasted in D.C." While coffee is the main focus of my posts, I love politics as well. So why not take a little space to highlight a politician who got a little burnt recently? This week's victim -- RNC Chairman Michael Steele.

In an interview last weekend on a program called Washington Watch, Steele agreed with a statement by the host who said, "white Republicans are scared of black folks." Steele's response to this statement was:

"You're absolutely right. I mean I've been in the room and they've been scared of me and I'm like, 'I'm on your side,' so I can imagine going out there talking to someone like you," he said, referring to the host's liberal credentials.

I personally had a chance to meet Mr. Steele at a fundraiser when he was running for the U.S. Senate against Ben Cardin. I found him charming and well spoken. Yes, he was the only African American in the room. And we weren't scared.

I guess even smart men, sometimes just say the wrong things. And for that, Steele is my choice for "Roasted in D.C."

If you want to watch it for yourself, here you go.

The VIA Challenge

I don't know how most people feel about Starbucks attempt to push instant coffee through its Via brand, but I am going to have to give it a lukewarm response.

I am an avid Starbucks devotee and probably always will be. The reason I love their coffee is because it is always bold (some would say burnt). I go there for this strong taste. So when you suggest instant coffee can give me the same taste I am instantly suspicious.

Instant coffee brings up images of what my non-coffee drinking parents kept around the house when we were kids for those who would come over and need a caffeine fix. It looked a lot like this:

I shutter every time I see this image. So this image is what I carried into my "Via Challenge". Needless to say, they were behind the ball from the get go. So I took their Pepsiesque challenge. At first I wasn't sure of the difference, but then I sensed something that deeply disturbed me, it was the watered down coffee taste I feared from the start.

Starbucks does so many things well. I am not calling Via a tragedy, but I just don't see how this fits the Starbucks business model of a high-end coffee experience with top quality coffee that you can't always get at home.

What do you think? Did you take the challenge?