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Permalink Reply by Joona Suominen on December 1, 2010 at 3:26pm

no probs ronette.

As with most confronting things we encounter on our lives, it takes guts trying to understand your opponent because at the same time we might be risking the things that are sacred for us. If we're certain enough on our values and ourselves, there's one hell of a chance to learn something new.

Now we all know what's the mindset that some of the people are approaching us with. It's our turn to use this new knowledge to give material for a new article.

There's nothing personal, no one here is evil, ignorant or anything. There's just two kinds of people. It might be hard to accept but that's just the way it is.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Ayers on December 1, 2010 at 4:05pm

"It seems like you are frustrated and angry." Really? Why? I just think the article is a waste of time. Am I not allowed to voice my opinion upon pointless writing?

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Permalink Reply by Mike McGinness on December 1, 2010 at 6:31pm

Did nobody notice the author's tagline, he intended to cause a ruckus: De Gustibus is an occasional forum for opinion, argument or provocation in reflections on food or drink.
What he said in the sixth paragraph solidified the value of his opinions about coffee for me:
"But for me coffee was first and foremost a caffeine delivery system. It was medicine, just as food, stripped of its pretensions, is fuel. Expeditiousness mattered. "

You want fast, take a pill... coffee is first and foremost about taste to me... Life's Too Short to Drink Bad Coffee is not an idle saying in my World.

Now oft expeditiousness matters in my world too. Hence my Bricoletta is on a timer so it's fully heated before I get up. I can grind and pull for an Americano before my eyes can even fully focus... About 2 minutes to an excellent cup of coffee. Tomorrow morning it will be Esmeralda Gesha! Yeah, taste matters.

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Permalink Reply by Marshall Fuss on December 1, 2010 at 8:47pm

We all have to appreciate that there are dozens (hundreds?) of objects of human obsession, and that mere mortals only have the time and interest to pursue a few, if they are lucky. You just have to scan the Web to realize how many things you eat, drink, wear and use that have entire forums devoted to them. Just a few I have encountered: knives, cars, guns, perfume, cheese, mushrooms, wine (of course), shoes, chocolate … the list is endless, really.

Then consider that the unenlightened philistine who refuses to spend ten minutes making his morning coffee might laugh himself silly at your refusal to spend 20 minutes every week sharpening your knives on a whetstone, not to mention your choice of wine (he certainly might laugh at mine).

I actually sympathize with the author. I bought a Mahlkonig ProM two months ago, partly because I could use it for both espresso and drip. But, each morning, when I stagger from bed to my grinder and espresso machine and think about boiling some water and carefully making some drip, I also think about having an espresso in my hand in 45 seconds. The espresso always wins.

I go to coffee bars for my drip.

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Permalink Reply by Fred Edge on December 12, 2010 at 7:06pm

I'd just like to point out that Frank Bruni, the author of the essay that has been the subject of rabid attacks in this thread, including assertions that he is an incompetent writer, is the principal restaurant critic for the New York Times and the author of a well-received memoir, published earlier this year, entitled Born Round: A Story of Family, Food and a Ferocious Appetite.

It's hard for me to understand how anyone, at least anyone who doesn't take himself or herself way too seriously, could fail to appreciate that this essay is deliberately provocative, not to mention refreshing and amusing. And it isn't just about coffee, there are wry, questioning comments about some restauranteurs that Mr. Bruni happens to hold in very high regard. His friend who owns Joe Coffee in New York almost certainly chuckled when he read this piece. The question is why a lot if people here not only didn't, but come off as so remarkably defensive. For that matter, it's hard to understand how so many people in the food business could apparently have no idea who Mr. Bruni is. Some of you might find it helpful to acquire broader knowledge of who is who in the food world, not to mention a sense of humour.

Cheers

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