Way back some many years ago, a coffee processor burnt a very large batch of beans. Badly burnt

"Somebody" got a really cheap price on them, since the processor couldn't sell them through normal channels.

"Somebody" got the inspirations that "If we give it a fancy name and sell it for an exorbitantly high price, them yuppies in Seattle will be proud to buy it, 'specially if we funk it up with lots of yuppie flavors and spices and odd combinations."

"And we might even sell overpriced donuts."

Starbucks was born.

"Steam brewed" coffee was popular in gold rush towns in the 1860s at least, and several "back east" fancy restaurants now (or last time I was there) feature the original machines. Elaborate, beautiful, fascinating devices. Completely misused in most cases, since current regs won't allow real steam pressure (something about killing off the customers) so, like Starbucks, they now use "pretend steam" that condenses to hot(???) water when it's turned loose on the grounds. Not the original stuff, but then the original wasn't something you'd want a lot of maybe.

Most of the brews used make a pretense of "stronger than usual" by actually using beans "more burnt than usual," since it convinces the gullible that it's "something different" and therefor worth more money. This is akin to the "michelob" with the "import taste," specially brewed to taste like beer that "came over from far away" and is brewed to taste like STALE Lager . But people pay heaps more for it.

But then, maybe I'm a bit of a cynic. I'm old enough to be entitled.

John