Donating Coffee to WTC Effort (Starbucks)

Member Name: cbpotts

Product:	Starbucks
Date:	11/07/01 (91 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It's a wonderful way to wake up in the morning

Disadvantages: I haven't found one yet.

I'm going to leave the majority of the original op up here, but I wanted to bring this to the top of the list because I heard this morning that Starbucks is providing free coffee to all the workers at the World Trade Center site.

They need to be commended and thanks for their immediate willingness and generosity to provide what's so sorely needed. Workers are pulling 12 hours shifts and I'm sure drinking coffee in massive amounts. Starbucks is going above and beyond the call to provide their coffee to these people.

Thanks Starbucks.

The sun had just begun peeking through the window blinds when I woke up this morning. I dislike the annoying squawk of most alarms so I have one that turns on the radio. I can tell I'm getting older because instead of classic rock like I used to listen to, it's a news program that gives me the weather and traffic as well as top news headlines.

I love mornings, when they begin at a decent hour that is. Of course, the only way to get a good morning started is with a cup of coffee. I like coffee. Ok, I'm getting nudged by my husband. I LOVE coffee. I can only drink it in the morning because it keeps me awake at night, but every morning I have to have two...ouch.....ok, three cups.

Making a good cup of coffee is an art, which is why it's impossible to get such a thing in a gas station or McDonalds. It begins with the filter. The first step is to be awake enough to separate one filter from the others if using the paper variety. I know coffee purists insist that gold filters allow more of the natural oils of the coffee to flow through, but the last thing I need is more oil in my diet so I use paper (unbleached if found).

Next comes grinding the coffee. The only kind of coffee we keep at our house is Starbuck's French Roast. The bean is so dark it's almost black and it has glossy sheen (there's that oil again). It has an amazingly rich and ful
l aroma which makes smelling the beans as they grind as enjoyable as drinking the coffee.

Always start with the whole bean each time you make a pot. Keeping the beans whole will keep them fresher longer. Also, while many people refrigerate their beans, that is not recommended as it dries out the oils and can damage the coffee if it's taken out often (like with beer, coffee doesn't like being heated and cooled repeatedly). I use a drip coffee pot and since it works quickly, I grind the beans very finely. A good rule of thumb is that the faster the brew, the finer the grind.

Third is the water. Use the purist water you have. If you use a filter, use that water for the coffee since it will affect the taste of the bean. I've heard that cold water is best, but haven't found anything to substantiate that fact. Turn the coffee pot on and enjoy the aroma as the water pours through the beans and filter into the carafe.

As I said in the title, I like my coffee black and strong, no sugar. I think that is one of the reasons that I have to use Starbucks. I don't use anything to hide the taste of the coffee so it needs to be the highest quality I can buy and Starbucks provides that. Yes, it's a bit more expensive, but in the long run, a bag lasts a long time and gives me many cups and mornings of enjoyment.

There were days before Starbucks, that's true. I remember Folgers, Hills Brothers, all those commercials on television that made you cry. But those days are gone. Now that we have French Roast, Yukon, Sumatra and all the others that Starbucks, coffee by the can just isn't the same.

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