My Dear Ms. Large,
You are clearly snuggled up with the venti-size cup producers. How ... disappointing.

I just wish the use of silly terms like "venti" would go away. What's wrong with small, medium, and large?

Silly boy. Don't you mean large, extra-large, and super? EL

I'm with Hal. I swear, if either Obama or McCain would commit to passing legislation requiring and standardizing the use of "small," "medium," "large" and "extra-large" as the descriptive terms used in the sale of beverages, he would get my vote.

He could figure out an Iraq exit strategy, the tax code, family values and the inalienable right to keep and bear arms later.

I applaud Intelligentsia's efforts. While their word choice maybe be inappropriate , they are attempting market differentiation. This is similar to what Starbucks did when charging unheard of prices for coffee in the 90's. They are essentially telling the market, "hey try us, we are different. We do not treat coffee as a commodity but our coffee is a culinary experience."

This is an easier sell for the espresso based drinks. A 20-oz cappuccino? Doesn't exist. I'll go as far as saying it SHOULDN'T exists. Regardless, someone was successful at marketing "venti" cappuccino's and people seem to like them. All the better. I see nothing wrong with a company that says, our espresso is better when not diluted by up to 10 parts milk.

/ rant over

Does anyone know which cafe's in town serve Intelligentsia?

Don't you mean large, extra-large, and super?

Oh, don't even get me started on that one. I feel a gigantic rant coming on. Fortunately, the ship will be leaving port shortly and I'll lose internet access until tomorrow.

Here's a concept: label in imperial or metric capacity.

As one who got into the coffee thing in a big bad way to the tune of at least $20 a week - (ok, it's not crack and no, it wasn't going to make me lose the house, the car, etc); I can say I agree with applauding the efforts of anyone who tries to "normalize" portion sizes. A 1960s cup of coffee was probably 4 oz, the fact that I needed 20 oz a day is so way over the top. Maybe it's the start of a movement in all of food to minimize and appreciate ... oooh yeah...nouvelle cuisine...

Intellegentsia is one of the major artisinal, ethical coffee roasters in the US. They visit coffee farmers and co-ops, and try to help them product better quality beans that Intellegentsia (and some others, not Starbucks) will cheerfully pay a premium for.

I won a pound of their roasted coffee every week for a year a few years back. My home roasted coffee is often better, but theirs was consistant (mine isn't) and quite good.

I think he's got a good point. A 20 oz. is a drug delivery system. You might as well be drinking Diet Coke for all the pleasure you'll get out of it. Their coffee is good enough to be savored and lingeringly enjoyed.

I'm with Hal and Bucky. Why not have a sizing that is in English, not these trendy sizes that borrow from other languages. For those of us who rarely frequent coffee shops, these names and such are rather a deterrent anyway. And for all the extra stuff they put in coffee, who needs a 400-calorie eye-opener anyway?
I just buy a decent grind at the store and let Mr. Coffee make my java.

Anchors Aweigh Hal!

RtSO,
You have a point there. Make everyone order their coffee in milliliters or cc even.

I'll have a 350 ml expresso please?

I've had a recently-recurring nightmare. I drive up to my Diamond Shamrock to get gas and the voice from the the speaker and asks, "Do you want a grande or a venti?"

I just grinded up an almost full pot of coffee ("fair trade" to keep you do-gooders off my back) just for myself. Let's face it, we are an overindulgent society and I have no problem with it. Drank too much beer last night also (Sierra Nevada pale ale), so there. And I purposely never order a venti -- I ask for the biggest coffee they have, no room for cream. It's my form of protest.

Hey, nice plug for Intelligensia! I have their coffee delivered to me every couple of weeks (I moved here from Chicago and can't do without it) and it's nice to hear positive things about them.

Skin,
Good choice of beer.

A guy in my office here drinks at least a whole 12-cup pot every day.

oh, enough with the Italian or even the metric system, let's go old school. I'm talking Ye Olde English measurement, so I can go in and order coffee by the bushel, hogshead or mouthful.

For any snooty coffee lovers out there, who also like good wine and food, there will be a coffee presentation at Baltimore Chefs and Wine Experience this weekend:
http://www.chefsandwine.org/

I'm a tea person, so I can't quite connect to this topic, but I do have a question for you javaheads. Has anybody tried that cat poop coffee? You know what I'm talking about, where some jungle cat eats the raw beans and then some unfortunate laborer picks them out of his feces, then someone sells it to us for $300 a pound. I'm stilll waiting for a D@L tasting report on slow melt popsicles. I hereby issue the kopi luwak taste challenge. The winner gets bragging rights and a bottle of Scope.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_Luwak

I have a theory: Every really, really bad idea most likely started out with somebody saying, "Hey! I have a great idea!!"

Example: some dude was walking through the jungle and he stepped in civet cat feces..."Hey!" he said. "I have a great idea!"

Didn't the coffee place around 28th and Sisson have a special tasting of the cat poop coffee?

That's what happens in a world without Starbucks - people eat cat crap coffee.

Cat Crap Coffee...perhaps the cat has some type of unique filtration system that yields the absolute perfect bean for brewing the ultimate in java-ness?

I'll pass, thank you very much.

You know, the headline really is true, after reading about Cat Crap Coffee. Yes, if that is offered, I. Will. Drink. Less. Coffee.
Amen.

Steering carefully away from the civit cat sub-topic, does anyone know of an authoritative list of the 600 Starbucks that are to be closed? I just heard yesterday from another Starbucks that the Belvedere Square Starbucks is on the list, which I find hard to fathom, as it is always busy when I drop in after a workout.

Dahlink -- Starbucks will only release closing lists on a month-by-month basis on their website. Only ca. 100 stores have been ID'd on the website so far, and the only Maryland location listed so far is in Bowie. (The current list can be accessed at this link.) Stay tuned, I guess.

Thanks, hmpstd. I guess there is still a chance that if I order enough lattes we can keep Belvedere Square open.

I've been on the road the last couple days. I'm not normally a huge fan of Starbucks, but they are America's wi-fi hotspot. Closing 600 of them could have a devastating effect on electronic communication in America.

Dahlink -- sorry to report that the Belvedere Square Starbucks is going to be closed, as per WBAL Radio this morning. Starbucks has now posted the full list of store closures on their website. Maryland closures also include Harborplace (Light Street Pavilion), Annapolis (2 Park Place -- wasn't that just opened in the last year or so?), and Pikesville (1433 Reisterstown Road), as well as locations in Bowie, College Park, Easton, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Glenn Dale, Waldorf, and Wheaton.

Oh, dang--thanks for this sad news, hmpstd.

Speaking of Starbucks, I just came across this story on the Sun's website.

I've heard of "Bad Cop, No Donut", but now "Bad Cop, No Coffee", too?