After that third sip
Coffee, wines, local craft beers
It all tastes the same?
I had a great cup of coffee yesterday.
A latte, or caffè e latte in the original Italian.
It was in a bar slash brewery slash coffee house / reading room / restaurant.
The name of the place is the Bold Monk Brewery.
On their website, they state:
“To the mindful, to the curious
to the brilliantly flawed.
To those seeking comfort, respite,
splendor, and sustenance…
The Bold Monk welcomes you.”
I am not sure what it means either or what type of business they want to be.
But Leslie and I just wanted coffee.
The sign outside listed coffee and the hostess said of course we could get coffee and directed us to the bar.
The bartender said of course we could get coffee and handed us a menu that listed:
Today’s Roast
Cappuccino
Latte
I got a latte and my wife got a cappuccino.
It took a bit.
The coffee’s were delivered in china mugs on small wooden platters.
Mine came with a small ‘side’ cup of sugar.
But I digress.
I had three (okay, maybe five and I can’t remember the other two) but there were no options like offered at Starbucks.
None of the life changing options listed by Tom Hanks in ‘You’ve Got Mail’ when his character explained why Starbucks is a success.
Say the Hank’s Tom Fox guy, “The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don’t know what the hell they’re doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall. Decaf. Cappuccino.”
Here is my point.
What I have noticed, for myself, is that with all the self selection, I can get ‘my cup of coffee’ but, after the third sip, it all tastes the same.
Not saying it doesn’t taste different from my morning coffee at home but that it taste’s the same as any other boutique coffee.
All those choices.
End up the same cup of coffee.
I got to think about the many times I have wondered what wine to get or to order with a meal.
Red with meat.
White with fish or chicken.
Chianti with Italian.
Those basics are good to know and seem to work but go beyond that.
Just visiting Kroger’s Wine Aisle and I am bewildered.
To me.
For myself.
Can any of these reds really taste that different.
Why do so many restaurant reviews often sing the glories of the locally produced vin ordinaire that was served with the meal in some out of the place in Chicago or Quebec or Bouches-du-Rhône.
I can get a bottle of wine at my local grocery store from almost anywhere in the world.
And after the third sip, it all tastes the same.
All those choices.
End up with the same glass of wine.
Sitting at the bar last night, sipping my coffee, I noticed that (beyond the brewery smell) the Bold Monk had a large of number of local craft beer on tap.
The clear pipes for the taps went straight up to the overhead beer vault where the beer was poured out by gravity.
I enjoy the craft brewery rage.
I like a nice local brew from time to time.
All these choices.
After the third sip, it all tastes the same.
End up with a glass of beer.
A good glass of beer, no doubt.
But.
I was glad that the Bold Monk took the options away from me.
I was served a very good cup of coffee.
I enjoyed it very much.
After the third sip, it tasted the same.
Tasted the same to the bottom of the cup.
Good to the last drop.
