Friday, September 11, 2009

The Myth of the Magic Bean

(Originally posted 2008.10.09)

One of my clients has an office that provides free Peets coffee. They buy one pound at a time, whole bean, and store it in the freezer. When coffee is to be made, you grind the beans in the grinder, put the grounds in the maker, add water and electricity to the machine, and voilĂ , we have coffee!


What drives me crazy, is they steadfastly refuse to clean out the grinder. They like to leave the "dust" of the former beans from one grind to another. So what's the problem, eh?

What happens to butter when you leave it out at room temperature? It goes rancid. What happens to vegetable oils when you leave them out at room temperature? They go rancid. Any edible oil will go rancid when left in the open at room temperature. Except the magic coffee beans. These must be the same type of famous beans that Jack traded for his mother's cow (according to the fairy tale). Apparently the oil in coffee beans never goes rancid (in some peoples minds). So, when I grind the beans, social sabatouer that I am, I clean the coffee grinder! Hah! Take that you addled regenerates!

Now, in my defense, my #1 child works part time at the original Peets store in Beserkeley when home from college. The original Peets store, the progenitor of the gourmet coffee craze. Guess what? Peets cleans all their equipment, every single day. I'm guessing they have a far better appreciation for the true attributes of the "magic bean".

If it's good enough for Peets, it's good enough for me...

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