Coffee

02020-02-18 | Uncategorized | 4 comments

While drinking coffee at a Peet’s in the Phoenix airport yesterday afternoon I looked up who owns the large coffee chains… Starbucks is Starbucks. Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is owned by a fast food company from the Philippines. Peet’s belongs to a family-owned German company that admitted last year that their owners were supporters of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. Historical research revealed that the company used 175 forced laborers and employed a foreman who was known for his cruel treatment from 1943 onwards. A little deeper down the rabbit hole we find that Stumptown and Intelligentsia are both subsidiaries of Peet’s. Blue Bottle is now owned by Nestle, which already owns most of the water sources in America.

In other words… whenever possible I will continue to seek out the small indie coffeeshops…

4 Comments

  1. JaneParhamKatz

    OMG! Well, we’ve been admirers of Starbucks Howard Schultz’s life story and, other than Katz Coffee which we recently discovered in our San Antonio hotel (: ), we brew chiefly Starbucks. Peet’s! Who knew they were Hitler fans! I’ve been hooked into the Netflix series BLACKLIST the last few days. Plus watching current news, which seems a continuation of BLACKLIST’s criminal activity. I fear my views of government, society, and all but Mother, music, art, and my own private fantasies have been traveling on shifting sand. I have been too trusting. I admire you for delving into the truth.

    Reply
  2. MTCallahan

    Since Stumptown was sold, it hasn’t had the same feel. Fortunately there are plenty of other options in Bridge City. Caffe Vita when you’re in town. At home, I buy beans from a local roaster that does a great job.

    Reply
    • ottmar

      Caffe Vita rocks.

      Locally the best coffee is to be found at Iconic and Betterday. The former roasts their own beans, the latter uses Stumptown. I am partial to the unassuming vibe at Betterday, but both make excellent coffee. I have never been to a Starbucks in Santa Fe.

      Reply
  3. Rusty Knorr

    Ottmar, with your current skill with bread baking the next step is roasting your own coffee at home! I have started buying green Ethiopian beans and roasting on the stove in a cast iron skillet. It’s really quite easy, and the experimentation with roast is very satisfying when you get it dialed in. There are inexpensive home roasters, and some even have good luck using a air popcorn popper, but I enjoy the manual method. Give it a try!

    Reply

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