Medium / City Roasts - Generally, light brown, but not tan. Allows for subtle flavors and complexities.
Dark / Starbucks Roast - Dark brown, oily, for stronger, more distinctive flavor and aroma.
Espresso Roast - Very dark; Roasted for purpose of fine grinding and espresso brewing.
French Roast - Darker than espresso, this roast adds characteristic smokey flavor.

Global Regions

East Africa and Arabia - Includes Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, & Zimbabwe.
Indonesia and the Pacific - Includes Java, Papua New Guinea, Sulawesi, & Sumatra.
The Americas - Includes Colombia, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, & Hawaii.

Types of Beans

Arabica Coffee - Universally accepted as superior in quality and flavor.
Robusta Coffee - A cheaper, lower grade bean with more caffeine and less flavor.
Organic Coffee - Either type, but grown using only "natural" fertilizers/insecticides/herbicides.

Descriptive Terminology

Body - The weight and consistency of the coffee, i.e. Light, Medium, Full.
Acidity - The liveliness or distinctiveness of the coffee.
Aroma - The smell.
Flavor - The taste.

Processing

Dry Processing - Beans are removed after drying, resulting in less acidity and more body.
Wet Processing - Beans are removed fresh, husks are soaked off. This is the usual method used.
Swiss Water Decaffination - A "natural" process of decaffination, accused of weakening flavor.
Direct Contact Decaffination - Uses methylene chloride to remove caffeine, the usual method.

Why I Love Starbucks!

Starbucks coffee shops may not be the best in existence, but they enjoy many distinct advantages over other coffee houses, and are certainly without peer as a national chain. Below are some very good reasons that I recommend, and more importantly, patronize Starbucks.

Consistency of roast – Since Starbucks roasts all varieties of coffee themselves, to the same consistent Starbucks roast, varieties of coffee can be thus compared without the roast being another variable. Of course, some prefer a lighter roast and will not find it at Starbucks - to each his own.

Consistency of quality – Having personally had coffees and lattes in Starbucks in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, San Antonio, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, etc., and having perused many other coffee shops as well, I must affirm a consistency of quality which is wonderfully reliable. I always know what I'm getting, and I'm never surprised. Also, I have discovered, through trial in error, the need to stay with Starbucks when purchasing whole bean varieties.

Availability of varieties – Not so unique in this category, they are certainly premium class, typically offering several varieties, both whole bean, ground, with a pair of coffees served up du jour. To facilitate investigators like myself, they offer variety labels - collectable stickers, and have various books like "Starbucks Passion for Coffee" with detailed descriptions of varieties, processes, and accompanying recipes.

Prices are not high – Starbucks is always reasonable or even low in their prices, whether in house coffees and pastries, beans, coffee mugs, or equipment. They do not offer low price, low grade products, but fine quality at good prices.

They are readily available to me. As a national chain, and a very popular one, I can almost always find a Starbucks in any metropolitan area, as well as many airports, and they provide service to conferences, etc.

They have really cool mugs. (of which I have several)

The are often nestled into some corner of a Barnes & Noble's - a particularly browsable bookstore, which encourages further self indulgences...

Particular Coffee Varieties

The Following are varieties which I have personally evaluated, with the corresponding quoted descriptions from Starbucks' book, "Starbucks Passion for Coffee".

"LIVELY EXPERIENCES - BRIGHT, MILD, and WELCOMING"

Kona – "Smooth, gentle, and mild."

What I tried was not from Starbucks, and lighter roast – I was surprised that this famous variety was indeed very good. It reminded me of the Ethiopia Sidamo, which I hated, but it was so mild, that I enjoyed the variations that were so bitter in the Ethiopia Sidamo. I would describe it as surprisingly dry, but also very smooth and enjoyable.

Ethiopia Sidamo – "Sweet flavor and floral aroma."

Yuk!! Absolutely nasty, tried three times and even tried making a Latte from it. Threw it out.

"RICH TRADITIONS - DEEP, COMPLEX, and SATISFYING"

Guatemala Antigua – "Complex and refined, with hints of cocoa and spice."

Good. Very strong and satisfying with a bitter aftertaste.

Colombia Narino Supremo - "Unusually full-bodied, with a walnut flavor."

Definitely very full-bodied, Very Good! The best Colombian I've ever had, I liked it better than all the other coffees I've tried to date, except for the Sumatra.

Papua New Guinea - "Rich, harmoniously pungent and tangy, with medium body."

Good, Reminded me of Colombian without the aftertaste.

Kenya - "Bright, rich and sweet, with a hint of black currant."

Good, but inadequate body, distinctivly light and sweet, reminded me of blackberry tea.

"BOLD EXPRESSIONS - DIVERSE, DISTINCTIVE, AND INTRIGUING"

Arabian Mocha Sanani - "Wild, pungent and winy, exotically spicy and sweet."

Dry and Wild, but mild. Similar in type to the Ethiopia Sidamo, but mild enough to be enjoyed. Not as dry as the Kona, but sweeter.

Sumatra - "Full-bodied, syrupy, deep and earthy."

Incredibly Good! This is my favorite variety. It is the epitome of full-bodied, and is like a darker, deeper Colombian!

Sulawesi - "Smooth and buttery, with well-rounded flavor and rich aroma."

Another great coffee, the ultimate coffee for a restaurant. It is mild, smooth, and tasty. Oh, yes, there actually is a "buttery" aftertaste.

"OTHER COFFEES"

Not described in my "Starbucks Passion for Coffee" book:

Espresso – Starbucks espresso beans are very, very smooth. Have more body and less acidity than some espressos I've had served, and have a caramelly hint about them which seems unique to Starbucks. The decaff, tastes side-by-side, in-the-shot-glasses identical to the regular. I keep both at home, reserving the decaff for guests.

Jamacian Blue Mountain – Finally tried the "World's best/most expensive coffee". Like the Kona, I was surprised to discover that JBM lived up to its reputation. The JBM I tried was ground coffee from the "Coffee Beanery". The smell immediatly hit my chocolate button and reminded me of my dad's pipe. The coffee was extremely robust, with a strong (hinting at smokey) flavor filling the mouth. I loved the coffee. There is a forced aftertaste which may bother some, but as strong as the aftertaste was, it was without any bitter edge.

Brazil Ipanema Bourbon – Characteristically South American in taste, but dryer, and with a lighter body, like Sulawesi. It is good, with a subtle hint of cocoa.

Starbuck's Fair Trade Certified – This is South American Coffee purchased under some special program, but it was very nondescript, ordinary coffee with a dry, musty aftertaste. Reminded me of my cheap daily coffee, Folger's Special.

My Favorite Espresso/Cappuccino Recipes

I have a very nice cappuccino machine, which I've had for 4-5 years now, and I have put many miles on it. Below are the recipes I actually use. Mostly, I enjoy a plain cappuccino or shot of espresso - with choc if we have it!

Straight shot - 2 double pulls of espresso in a cup. - Yeah!

Choc Shoc - As above, but prepare the espresso cup with a puddle of Hershey's syrup.

Plain cappuccino - is made with 2 double pulls of espresso and about 6oz of 2% milk.

Vanilla - Add vanilla and sugar to the milk, sprinkle with cinnamon.

Chocolate - Add chocolate syrup, and optionally, peppermint, sprinkle with chocolate powder or cinnamon.

Carmello - Add about 1 T carmel to milk, dribble some on the top.

Coffee and Mocha Frappe - Starbuck's recipe right out of the book (copyrighted).

Brownies - Have with.

COFFEE

Coffee is made of tall wooden ships,
Rainforests, fires, and long taught tales,
Coffee is made of mountain earth,
And a thousand years of deep, slow thoughts.

A cup of warm encouragement,
A hold on the pressing time,
A link to the love of home,
A stability for the mind.

'Tis hot, 'tis deep, 'tis black.
Kings, captains, men.
Most precious, yet most freely given.
Most shared, with few words spoken.

DJS May '97