Are you a coffee snob?

I used to go to Dunkin and Starbucks for coffee pretty often and get the sweetest thing on the menu but then I started trying local coffee shops, especially while on vacation and slowly over time I realized the others were essentially ice cream and now I appreciate what real coffee is. What about you??

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ArishMell · 70-79, M

I am not a "coffee snob" but neither do I want to be short-changed by paying a lot of money for a load of froth, choolate powder and opaque porcelain hiding the cup being barely half full of the beverage.

Nor am I taken in by pseudo-Italian names and the general "It is American so must be sophisticated or fashionable" argument. Note the "or": the two adjectives are not synonyms!

Plain coffee is not even "American", "~o" or not. Coffee drinking predates the USA by centuries.

So chains like the Mactuckycostalottabucks shower, do not attract me. I use independent cafes instead and have about four favourites in my nearest town - though probably drink more tea than coffee.

("Costa", or "Costalotta" as I call it from motorway services experience, was originally British. It started in London but when it expanded, Macdonalds bought it. Its products are probably no worse than any other major chain's, but no better either.)

JimboSaturn · 56-60, M

@ArishMell Coffee shops in Canada are changing the name from Americana to Canadiana lol

BrandNewMan · M

@JimboSaturn Lol .. I see the butthurtedness continues. ;-)

JimboSaturn · 56-60, M

@BrandNewMan Yep we are deeply offended as you would be if someone threatened and insulted your country.

BrandNewMan · M

@JimboSaturn I get it .. but also find it a bit overblown

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BrandNewMan · M

@JimboSaturn Tariffs will have an impact here too .. but may level the trade playing field as well.
If that brings mfg and better jobs back here that left over being at competitive disadvantage, it might improve things here and be more fair overall. Sorry Canada is caught in it to an extent. That said, where that has been imbalanced in favor of other countries at our expense for years .. it might be a bit of karma coming around.

JimboSaturn · 56-60, M

@BrandNewMan That is debatable. Cheap Canadian resources have been fueling the very strong American economy for years. Trade is good for everyone, it's been working well since NAFTA in the 80's both countries are benefiting. There is not great imbalance like Trump says. He just thinks tariffs will make the US rich. I understand the point of bringing manufacturing back to the US, that makes sense, but can the US make it cheap enough for Americans? And that of course will take time to readjust, maybe the US government can subsidize the industries in the meantime?

Anyway as an advocate of a free market economy, I see tariffs as a bad thing that causes markets to be inefficient.

I think Trump, not Americans, like to blame the rest of the world for any trouble.

BrandNewMan · M

@JimboSaturn I would generally like to see no tariffs, or reciprocal where they exist on US goods, though some tariffs are needed when labor costs vary greatly between the countries. Anyone at issue w reasonable balance is trying to take unfair advantage .. period.

JimboSaturn · 56-60, M

@BrandNewMan Agreed.