{"id":856,"date":"2013-10-23T02:09:11","date_gmt":"2013-10-23T00:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fascinating-america.com\/blog\/?p=856"},"modified":"2015-04-27T19:07:50","modified_gmt":"2015-04-27T17:07:50","slug":"the-ultimate-coffee-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/fascinating-america.com\/blog\/the-ultimate-coffee-story\/","title":{"rendered":"The ultimate coffee story"},"content":{"rendered":"

What do you think of when you are drinking a cup of coffee? Let me guess. Chances are<\/span> you are just thinking of waking up.<\/p>\n

All right; maybe you’re thinking about how hot the beverage<\/span> is, like the woman<\/a> who famously sued<\/span> McDonald’s in the 1990s. Or possibly you spare a thought for<\/span> its strength, aroma and flavor. But more than that? Really?<\/p>\n

This sort of thing presents a challenge to any marketing department. How do you sell people on<\/span> something that is already part of their everyday lives? This is where creative writing can make a difference.<\/p>\n

This description from a package of Starbucks coffee is a real gem<\/span>:<\/p>\n

\n

Like the tiger indigenous to<\/span> Sumatra, this coffee is big, bold<\/span> and captivating<\/span>. No other coffee has its distinctive earthy<\/span> aroma and lingering<\/span> low notes. The heavy, full body and concentrated herbal spice flavors<\/span> are the hallmarks<\/span> of a great Sumatran coffee and a favorite of our most seasoned<\/span> roasters<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

If you’re not wrestling<\/span> a tiger at breakfast, you’re missing out<\/span>! Or are you? Starbucks’ competitor, Tully’s, argues the opposite.<\/p>\n

\n

Some professionals need to approach their jobs slowly and with a great deal of care \u2014 like tightrope walkers<\/span>, or brain surgeons<\/span>, or tattoo artists.
\nThe same holds true<\/span> for creating great coffee. It takes a lot of patience, which is why we roast our coffee beans to gently coax out<\/span> the complex flavors and aromas. We take our time in roasting and in training each master roaster in our artisanal<\/span> approach.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

At least four different companies, I’ve learned, are not only in a price war with each other, but in a war for the very soul of the American coffee drinker. They promise to take him or her on a journey and offer a new perspective.<\/p>\n

Gevalia writes…<\/p>\n

\n

In 1853, an incredible journey started in the small port town of Gaevle, Sweden. That’s when our founder, a true coffee-lover, began an unwavering<\/span> pursuit of<\/span> coffee perfection. For over 150 years, [we have] built on that passion. … A coffee that tastes so good, it is served at the royal court of Sweden.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

…while Green Mountain Coffee suggests:<\/p>\n

\n

A great tasting cup of coffee can give you a whole new perspective. It’s a moment to pause, reflect, and reprioritize<\/span>.
\nSpellbinding<\/span> complexity. Deep, dark, and intense. … Ideal with milk, its intensity is balanced by a complex and subtle<\/span> sweetness.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Tully’s sets the stage<\/span>…<\/p>\n

\n

A smoky, decadent tale. … French Roast is the ultimate coffee story, as written in a Parisian caf\u00e9: powerful and intense, with a bittersweet end.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

…but Starbucks really takes it to a new level:<\/p>\n

\n

Intense and Smoky
\nIt’s our darkest and boldest and not for the faint of heart<\/span>. We start with high-quality<\/span> beans, which can withstand<\/span> the intense fires<\/span> that make French Roast what it is, and we roast them to their edge<\/span>. The result is a delectably<\/span> smoky cup, intense and uncompromising<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Green Mountain raises the question of whether we’re drinking coffee here, or wine…<\/p>\n

\n

Our Colombian Fair Trade Select is a sunny, warm cup resplendent<\/span> with ripe fruit notes. Look for lime<\/span>-citrus brightness<\/span> and flavors of green apples and sun-plumped<\/span> raisins<\/span>. The finish<\/span> shimmers with sweet notes of grapes<\/span> and walnut. A beautifully balanced way to smooth out<\/span> your day.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

…as does Tully’s:<\/p>\n

\n

Robust and intense, with a lingering finish. … Slow roasting at low temperatures allows this coffee’s complexity to be unwrapped<\/span> with each sip<\/span>.
\nA malty<\/span> sweetness plays with smoky elements that develop into a full-bodied<\/span> cup. Creamy and rich in the mouthfeel<\/span>, the finish is long and pleasantly dry.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The best thing about these descriptions is that my dad has been collecting them and sending them to me as he tries different kinds of coffee. The promotional write-up<\/span> is often accompanied by his personal appraisal<\/span>: “Mike, to me this coffee tasted burnt, but it was still good”; “This sounds like a commercial for a fine wine”; “I like the way they word<\/span> things in these coffee ads<\/span>. It is kind of like poetry.”<\/p>\n

It is. Just like the coffee that’s being marketed, the craftsmanship<\/span> that goes into the marketers’ descriptions is refreshing and eye-opening.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What do you think of when you are drinking a cup of coffee? Let me guess. Chances are you are just thinking of waking up. All right; maybe you’re thinking about how hot the beverage is, like the woman who famously sued McDonald’s in the 1990s. Or possibly you spare a thought for its strength, aroma and flavor. But more … >><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[190],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/fascinating-america.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/fascinating-america.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/fascinating-america.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fascinating-america.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fascinating-america.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=856"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/fascinating-america.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1584,"href":"http:\/\/fascinating-america.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856\/revisions\/1584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/fascinating-america.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fascinating-america.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fascinating-america.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}