Tag Archives: coffee

Dumb Starbucks is Dumb, but Illustrates a Good Point

The Coffee Experience, , , , ,
Screen Shot 2014-02-11 at 6.45.12 PM
An instagram photo @tonx tweeted while in line

Last week the media was abuzz about a new coffee shop in LA. While the coffee itself was nothing too special, the name was provocative to say the least. “Dumb Starbucks” had a near-identical menu to the coffee giant, with one exception: the word dumb preceded every drink. And while I imagine it was silly to order a Dumb Grande Dumb Latte, I couldn’t help but chuckle. How was this legal? According to a well written FAQ available in the Dumb Store, the shop falls under a “parody art” loophole in the law. By their own claim, Dumb Starbucks isn’t a coffee shop; instead, it is a parody art gallery where the art in question is the coffee being sold.

Starbucks eventually responded, saying: “We are evaluating next steps and while we appreciate the humor, they cannot use our name, which is a protected trademark.” And, as expected, Dumb Starbucks got shut down yesterday by the LA County department of health services.

As it turns out, this was all an elaborate prank from Comedy Central’s Nathan Fielder to promote his upcoming new show, Nathan For You. While this initial stage of the joke is complete, he plans to take Dumb Starbucks to Brooklyn next. I’m hoping I can make it down there and get some live coverage of the shenanigans whenever they end up unfolding.

The attraction generated a host of media coverage, everywhere from USA Today to The Verge. A name well known to the specialty coffee community threw in his two cents as well: tonx co-founder Tony Konecny. He actually got eyes-on the store and shot the instagram photo above before tweeting:

 

 

In my view, Dumb Starbucks is pretty dumb. But they illustrate a great point: people enjoy making fun of anything too ubiquitous or too large. Perhaps the tide is turning for Starbucks and other similar coffee giants. And man, what I would give to have tonx beans available at your corner cafe.

Stay tuned for more coverage down the road.

The Coffee Guy

Related posts:

Quick Survey: Starbucks Starbucks Drive ThruStarbucks is getting its Mojo Back Valentines Day Coffee Deals 2014

Coffee: The Greatest Addiction Ever, or Just a Necessity?

The Coffee Experience, , ,

What is coffee to you? Your morning injection of energy? Your passion? Your addiction? Regardless, coffee is incredibly ingrained in our society today, and it’s probably not going anywhere. In this video titled ‘Coffee: The Greatest Addiction Ever’ it’s spelled out just how pervasive and important coffee is in our daily lives.

With crazy facts like “in terms of coffee, for every kilogram of mass you have, you’ll need to drink a latte to have a visit from the grim reaper” this video is as informative as it is funny.

Let’s not forget one of the most important parts about coffee, though: the taste. Contrary to what some big-business coffee companies would have you believe, stale ash is not the default taste profile of any coffee. And frankly, if that’s what you’re settling for, you’re missing out. Come to the dark side of specialty coffee and enjoy the best of both worlds: delicious coffee, and an awesome caffeine rush.

The Coffee Guy

Related posts:

Colin Harmon’s Story and 3FE 5 Things that make good coffee shops great ...right meow5 Ways to Make Your Cup of Coffee Better…right now.
...right meow

5 Ways to Make Your Cup of Coffee Better…right now.

The Coffee Experience, , , , , , ,

Here at BoiseCoffee, we understand that you might not have the cash on hand to invest in a brand new coffee brewer, and even if you did, it wouldn’t do you any good right now. I mean right now – this very second. This list is to help you perfect your current routine by giving you 5 helpful tips and tricks to improve the cup of coffee made with whatever gear you currently have. Unless it’s a Keurig. Then you get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit. #killthekcup

...right meowHere are 5 Ways to Make Your Cup of Coffee Better…right meow.

  1. Get your water to the right temperature. Many off-the-shelf drip brewers don’t heat water to at least 190 degrees F, the minimum needed temperature to properly extract coffee.
  2. Use the right grind size. No matter what grinder you already own, you can affect how large or small your grind size is. Burr grinders will grind coffee more evenly, making for a truer taste. Blade grinders produce lots of “fines” (coffee dust) that will turn your cup bitter. Still, if you’re using a blade grinder to coarsely grind your coffee for a drip brewing technique, it’s adding insult to injury. Here’s a good list of what grind size to use.
  3. Preheat your mug. While this might not seem like a big deal, temperature differences greatly affect the taste of coffee. While your coffee is brewing, use some hot water to preheat the inside of your favorite mug. Plus, it does double duty as a rinse.
  4. Keep your beans fresh. If you’re using pre-ground coffee, these same tips apply, but please realize your coffee will naturally go stale much faster. The best place to store coffee beans is in a sealed, airtight container that is kept in a cool place out of direct sunlight. Avoid the refrigerator or freezer, as foreign odors and precipitation can slip into your beans.
  5. Try something new. Do you normally take two packets of sugar and some cream? Black coffee isn’t palatable to a lot of people because of negative preconceived notions or memories from childhood. Try looking past that and opening your horizons to the true taste of whatever coffee you purchased. Cream and sugar do a good job of masking many of the flavors that make quality coffees unique.

I hope tomorrow’s cup is better than today’s!

The Coffee Guy

Related posts:

BoiseCoffee’s Aeropress Brew Method The definitive guide to ordering coffee Kill the Keurig