Closing Statement

We white guys have had a good long run of it, and to be honest we kind of made of mess of things.

It's time to give someone else a chance to run this shit.

Now let's not destroy civilization on our way out, mkay?

Is espresso getting worse?

I was recently inspired by a conversation I had with some long-time coffee professionals to do a quick and dirty survey of current and former coffee pros.

This was a very simple survey as it asked two questions only.

First: "How long ago did you drink the best espresso of your life?"
Second: "Share your thoughts on espresso."

The results were rather startling (for me).

The average answer for how long ago the best espresso had been turns out to be a little over 5 years. That's right... I said years.
And while there were answers that were measured in months, there were also ones answered in decades.

Also, there was an interesting correlation in the responses as well.
For respondents who answered less than a year, the vast majority indicated that they either don't drink espresso frequently or don't "like" espresso (most commonly expressed as "I'm just not into espresso anymore").

Obviously I have some conclusions, but as they're speculation based on a highly unscientific collection of data, I'll keep them to myself with one exception.

I believe that the answers to the second question answer the Why presented by the answers to the first.

Oh... and as espresso represents a majority of top line revenues for almost every single coffee business... Y'all need to fix this shit, yeah?

Freaks in the Wilderness

I grew up in a tiny rural town. I grew up without TV.
My exposure to the world was limited and constrained at best.

I knew from a young age that I was different - that I was not like the others.
This was terrifying.

But I grew up with music all around me. I grew up with the sounds, the songs, the words and the melodies around me every day. I grew up with Dylan and Marley and Bach and Coltrane and the Beatles and Aretha.

And I grew up with Bowie. The Thin White Duke. Ziggy Stardust.
I grew up with his words, his music and perhaps most of all his persona(s).

It was because of Bowie that I learned I could be me - the freak and the oddity - with pride.
It was through him that I learned that you could change - could reinvent yourself.

David Bowie allowed me the space and the play to be me.
He changed my life.

This is my thanks.
This is my expression of sorrow and loss.
This is my embrace and my love.

RIP to the man who taught me that "weirdo" is just another way to say "one of a kind."