Rant: Third wave coffee shops are killing the classic diner cup of joe

Went to a local spot in Portland last week called 'Bean Theory'. Barista gave me a lecture for asking for cream in my pour-over. Isn't coffee supposed to be about what people enjoy, not some purity test? Which side are you on - the ritual snobs or the 'drink it how you like it' crowd?

3 comments

3 Comments

lewis.finley17d ago

@quinna89 nailed it honestly. The barista was just having a bad day, probably hasn't had his own pour-over yet. I'm team 'drink it how you like it' even if that means I'm the guy putting cream in a $7 cup of coffee while the barista judges me silently.

quinna8917d ago

Is it really that deep though? Like, the barista gave you a lecture, and that's annoying sure, but is this an actual war between coffee shops and diners? Places like Bean Theory are chasing a specific vibe, and diners are doing their own thing too. Most people just want a hot cup of caffeine without the attitude, whether it's from a paper filter or a percolator. Seems like the real problem is one rude employee, not the downfall of classic diner coffee. Maybe just skip that spot next time and hit up a Denny's instead.

paige33117d ago

A small correction on the coffee part. Diner coffee is almost never percolated anymore, not since the 70s really. Most of them use a standard Bunn drip machine or something similar, just with a generic pre-ground blend. The real difference is that diners let the pot sit on the burner until it gets that scorched, bitter taste people associate with diner coffee. Bean Theory and places like that are pulling individual shots and pouring them right then. So it's not paper filter versus percolator, it's stale warm pot versus fresh cup. That's the real gap.