One of the local TV stations had a story last week that began with a misleading teaser that "your coffee" was going to be more expensive. The story wasn't even about the coffee I drink, but was about a change in the pricing structure for a large chain of coffee stores selling already overpriced coffee. I don't think the story was even newsworthy. Of course the chain that got its name mentioned on television was able to get a few more plugs through the day as if they were where anybody who is anybody gets coffee. I guess branding is important if you want people pay premium prices for mediocre products just for the status.
My coffee matters too much to me to waste money on being able to show off a corporate logo on a cup. So if you come to my neck of the woods, I'll tell you where you can get good coffee at decent prices.
The Donut Connection at the corner of Riverview Plaza and Tarentum Bridge Road in New Kensington is a place I can go that isn't even out of my way. Their coffee brand "The World's Best Coffee" may amusingly overstate the case, but it is reliably good coffee at a decent price.
My new job is going to be next door to the McDonald's in Natrona Heights. Don't get on me about their fast food, that I probably will only eat occasionally, but McDonald's does know how to make good coffee at an affordable price.
This morning on my way out to Apollo, I stopped at the T.J. Bean Coffee Company in Allegheny Township. (When I first learned about this place, I had a hard time finding them with online maps. They are at the corner of Hyde Park Road and 56, on the south side of the intersection, and across from the McDonalds.) It's out of my way most of the time, but worth a stop when I am near it.
I pay the regular prices for my coffee at each of these places. My mentioning of these establishments on my blog is not compensated by any gifts, rebates, or kickbacks from the stores. (I wonder why the local TV station did not include this kind of disclaimer at the end of their 'story' about big corporate coffee.)
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