General – Coffee Curmudgeon

The Coffee Curmudgeon Goes Live?

Hello Reader - After ten+ years the Coffee Curmudgeon is going live and will try not to hide in as much obscurity. From now on I plan to mention the Coffee Curmudgeon at least once a month (if only to…

Who? Us.

During a recent visit to Portland (20-23 April’23) for the 2023 SCA Expo, a barista, fifty or so years younger than me, asked what was the last thing that surprised me in the world of Specialty Coffee — that’s how…

Good Coffee vs Great Coffee

“Coffee drinkers in the U.S. don’t know how much work it is to produce our coffee — how much more work it takes to grow a great coffee, if they did they’d want to pay more for our coffee, they’d…

A: Possibly A Bottle, A Cork and A Label for Coffee Q: What is Blockchain?

Blockchain is a technology in search of work, or more work, and it will get it because it aids people in archiving and managing data. It does so while protecting that data and people seem to especially like that part.…

Who? You.

There has been an ongoing conversation regarding the U.S.A.’s pending candidacy for Failed State Status. I am sure that this goes back further than 2006, when Noam Chomsky wrote a 240 page indictment in the shape of a book, nominating…

Who’s In Charge?

After my last post the world seems to have reversed in its orbit. This is what it’s like to live in a time when no one is in charge and everyone else is to blame (except the ones that are supposed…

Many (Most?) SCAA Past Presidents Support SCAA/SCAE Unification

It has been some time since I have posted anything here. I have "thought I should" many, many times. I am now moved to say something when, ironically, I feel my voice, un-voiced for so long, was being misappropriated. Some…

Might Specialty Coffee Finally Be Cut Adrift from its Market Moorings?

There’s a lot going on in the world of coffee but the headline right now is this: The internationally traded prices for coffee have fallen dramatically over the past few months while at the same time, the outlook for the…

The Aroma of Coffee and the Memory of it…

Has Coffee Ever Lived up to it's Promise? Has the taste of coffee ever lived up to the seducing aroma of its first whiff? For me it has not. From the time I was allowed coffee as a child, I…

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The CoffeeCurmudgeon wants to stimulate thoughtful conversation among consumers and members of the coffee industry. In an effort to start that conversation, the Coffee Curmudgeon will, at times, take on the role of devil’s advocate or put forth a contrarian point of view in the hope of engendering constructive dialog. With any luck, that interchange will occur over a great cup of coffee. (Whether or not it is person-to-person or keyboard-to-keyboard.) The Coffee Curmudgeon is where you'll find an intentionally provocative look at coffee by someone who has been working with and writing about the stuff for over thirty years. Topics are divided into those addressed to the coffee drinker and to those who work with coffee. (But you are allowed to read both!) Some future topics may cover... Is espresso bad for coffee? Do chefs hate coffee? Is Fair Trade fair? The language of coffee... The limits of cupping... WHAT DO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT?