'Craft' coffee is becoming the province of chin-stroking joy thieves

theguardian.com

4 points·jen729w··4 comments

Yeah, I get it. I can taste the difference between a Pilsner, a Hefeweizen and a Guinness. But any more more distinctness than that starts to blur.

In coffee, I know that I like the Arabian Mocha Java (smooth) better than Costa Rica (acidic), French Roast is an occasional choice if I really need a pop, and I actually can't stand the strange flavor of New Guinea.

So I've really admired the connoisseur notes on Philz blackboard menu, but fuck if I can tell 'earthy' from 'charcoal' from 'clove':

https://fitnessissweet.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/img_2784....

Reminds me of the time I was in a fairly fancy restaurant with my mate, who is the wine connoisseur of the group.

After a lengthy - and I'm talking ten minutes - to-and-fro with the sommelier, he uttered the phrase "something with that whole autumn leaf carry-on", the sommelier finally got it "aha!", and we got the wine. Suffice to say the rest of the table hasn't let him forget that one. (Hi, Alex!)

I love this bit:

"Not for the first time, the “craft” movement is slowly and earnestly sucking the joy out of something that isn’t half as complicated or important as some people think it is."

Indeed.

The way that breeders have utterly messed up the genetics of "show" animals has a lot of similarities, I think.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com