TDS/TCR (coffeecoffeecoffeecoffeecoffee)

Philip K. Dicks

Hey, 2 – 1 over Ghana

The real news below.

This week’s guests-

The Daily Show

• Monday 6/16: Howard Schultz
• Tuesday 6/17: Daniel Schulman
• Wednesday 6/18: Kevin Hart
• Thursday 6/19: Jennifer Esposito

The Colbert Report

• Monday 6/16: Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Tuesday 6/17: David Boies & Theodore B. Olson
• Wednesday 6/18: Katty Kay & Claire Shipman
• Thursday 6/19: Jay Carney

Howard Schultz is the CEO of Starbucks and while I could go on a riff about how overpriced a $10 cup of coffee is (as well as over roasted and bitter and generally nasty tasting unless you junk it up with cream and sugar)…

Ok, I guess I am going to go there then.  There are distinct regional differences in what a “regular” cup of coffee is.  In the Mid-West it means black, no nothing, and while you might think this makes for terrible coffee the fact is it’s not brewed as strong or roasted as long as it generally is in the North-East where “regular” means milk or cream which dilutes it somewhat.  That said, Dunkin’ Donuts (based in Rhode Island) turns out a surprisingly good cup for not a lot and has my endorsement.

When brewing for myself I use 100% Columbian, medium roast, and only half as much as the recommended measure.  Melitta drip method using boilng (not just hot) water.

Now what makes coffee taste like sludge is oxidation and heat, so while Mr. Coffee type makers are ok for the brew you have to remember to turn them off.  Yes it gets cold, but that’s what microwaves are for.  Best of all is to put it in a Thermos which keeps it warm and lessens your air exposure.  Brewed coffee kept that way still tastes fresh after 12 hours.

There was a time when I’d drink two pots a day, but I find that now it makes me nervous and jittery.  Don’t tell me about de-caf 1) it doesn’t taste like coffee 2) what’s the point?

My Aunt likes French Roast (very dark, double measure) and when I visit I end up drinking more than I should which lasts for about 3 days and then I’m done for the month.  Back when I had a serious habit I used like ‘Red Eye’ which is coffee with a shot or two of espresso.  My first girlfriend liked Turkish which is about a 50-50 mix of coffee and sugar, you bring it to a frothy boil 3 times and then drink it grounds and all.  I only pretended to like it to impress her- yuck.  If you find one of those enamelware pots at a garage sale your best bet is to plant flowers in it, but Dad’s mom used to produce something passable by tossing in an egg, cracked but toss in the shell too.  It settles the grounds to the bottom of the pot.

Anyway I imagine Howard (the 354th richest person in the U.S.) will be talking about Starbucks’ new tuition assistance program with Arizona State University.

Ta-Nehisi Coates is best known for his call for reparations for slavery.