February 16th, 2023

The Coffee Corner

Berkeley High School has a problem regarding the roasted and boiled fruit of the Coffea plant I am of course referring to the beverage called coffee. With its origins said to be rooted in Ethiopia the drink has become central to cultures and histories around the world. Though there are countless ways to brew it the most commonly made in coffee shops is espresso (no not expresso). The problem I am alluding to is not that of the rampant caffeine addiction among teenagers but it is in fact the consistent consumption of poorly roasted brewed and prepared coffee. The key culprit to this wave of garbage is the international chain Starbucks. Yes it may be shocking to hear. In addition to ethical concerns such as the deliberate not purchasing of fair trade beans Starbucks sells very bad tasting coffee. If you think about it it's pretty obvious how could a multinational chain keep the same attention to detail as a local specialty coffee shop? The answer is that they can't. Starbucks drinks usually consist of exceedingly sugary beverages that cover up the taste of the espresso underneath in this case that's a good thing because of how abysmally foul their espresso is due primarily to overroasting. And you might also say "I don't like the taste of coffee I just like the drinks and the caffeine" and I would then tell you that you're wrong. The flavors and syrups at specialty coffee shops are objectively better than those of Starbucks flavors like lavender rose and red velvet are just a few that are common at 3d wave coffee shops. You might also say "it's just so much cheaper" this is marginally true though the price difference usually lies around $1-$2 so is it really worth it? No.