It smells like coffee, it looks like coffee, it’s in a coffee mug therefore it must be good coffee. That was my assumption today when I had the most beautiful cup of coffee from a well known shop in Westport. The atmosphere was very eclectic and the customers were derived from a diverse group of the core population throughout Kansas City. Usually I’m a cream and sugar guy, but today I thought that I would give it the good ole cuppers try to abstain from the norm. My initial concern was “would I get heartburn from this brew?” Surely not I thought, and then I began the cupping process. Boy was I wrong about 30 minutes after the sipping the heartburn appeared. The real question is “why all the heartburn?” This scenario takes place in most of my visits to various shops in the area. The main difference is that it doesn’t happen when I fix coffee at home. Now I’m not just promoting my own brew, but I’m wondering why my coffee is different than others. Some articles say it’s the caffeine, but I would disagree. I think it’s simply a combination of over roasting, over sitting and over brewing. My coffee has plenty of caffeine, and I know that a moderate city roast and even a cinnamon roasts at home do not afford the same discomfort of the corner coffee shop. I don’t think that I’m the only one, as it seems that the modern day coffee shop thinks this is the norm, and thinks that this is the way of the future. My opinion is that the best coffee can be gulped instead of having to cautiously drink it like drinking a bottle of tobacco sauce from Southern Louisiana. (A special thanks to my high school friend who went out of his way to pay for my cup. This blog in no way discounts your graciousness.)
Actual picture of today's cup 