I think the first time I really had a coffee I enjoyed was in the mid-1990’s, from a chain store that many dislike for their tendency to creep over storefronts like a ubiquitous green fungus – and for having coffee that sometimes tastes burnt. I agree that it wasn’t always great, but it was better than most, and sometimes it was only a hit of burnt that added to richness of the blend. The chain brought decent take-out coffee to the unwashed masses.  And I became a fan.

The burnt taste has improved over the years (pretty much gone now, as far as I can tell), and there are less of their stores around. These are two good things, as I like their coffee, and I also like independent coffee shops (or is it “coffeeshops” – grammar nerds chime in). I’ve been enjoying this coffee renaissance, having heard coffee tales from prominent artists of various stripes who I enjoy the work of, detailing their preparation methods, traveling coffee setups (!), and even some selling their own packaged coffee. As a result, I now have my own bean grinders at home.

I think one of the milestones in the history of this coffee shop chain was when I saw the ground floor of a large building, which used to house the best Goth club in the world ever, (my upcoming doc on Goth, which has been a looong time in the making will contain something on this place, honest – there are preview clips on my Youtube channel) close after a great run, only to be replaced by an outlet of the coffee chain. Yes, I went in there for pumpkin-flavoured drinks in the fall…and some nostalgia…

A few years later, the coffee shop closed!

Gone…both places I had grown fond of.

-DS

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Copyright 2021 by David Sloma.

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This short piece of writing brought to you by coffee.