So Noma is now doing high quality coffee service.
For many in the coffee world, this is huge (and long waited for) news. In case you've been living under a rock - coffee in high end restaurants sucks. Everyone in coffee has bitched about this for... well... for as long as I've been in coffee at least. And (again in case you've been cut off from society for years) Noma is generally considered the 'best restaurant in the world' by many.
So this is great, right?
You'd think so. But no.
After Oliver Strand penned a well thought-out analysis of both the Noma news and the (related) news that 30% of all Michelin-starred restaurants use Nespresso pods, Kevin Knox responded with his rebuttal. And the shouting began.
Rather than wading into the whole sour coffee vs burnt coffee debate; and rather than diving into the different dining behaviors in the US and Europe; and staying well away from getting bogged down in the difference between Scandinavian and American coffee preferences; and avoiding the whole difference between a restaurant that is purely a business and a restaurant that is also an artistic statement (like Noma); I'm simply going to get to the heart of the matter.
1 - Noma is one of the best restaurants in the world, and Rene Redzepi is one of the greatest chefs in the world.
2 - Noma is a representation of Rene Redzepi's beliefs, palate, vision and when it comes right down to it, his ego and identity.
I have a hard time seeing anyone disagreeing with either of the two statements above.
So given this - why the fuck would Rene Redzepi choose to serve something (in this case coffee) that doesn't taste good to him?
Given what Redzepi has accomplished and created... shouldn't we give him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to what he serves?
He's earned at least that much.
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