A Peet’s Story

Back before the ’seven day war’ in the Mideast, I shopped at Peet’s in Berkeley, CA. He always had good stuff, and the prices were affordable. I recall my like for his mocha java [presumably a blend of mocha coffee and java coffee - not coffee with chocolate flavor]. One day, I bought an bag of whole beans which was put inside another bag, stuffed into my backpack, and then bicycled home. I put the backpack down inside my room and within a minute the whole room smelled of that wonderful coffee. It tasted like heaven, and lifted my spirits the same way.

After the war, that was not available - and I went on to other enjoyable varieties. Moved away and satisfied myself in the last 10 years with Trader Joe’s French Roast, when I do coffee, which I have stopped mostly in last three years - too hard on the liver.

A few years ago, I started seeing Peet’s in my San Diego area. Naturally, I assumed Mr. Peet was no longer overseeing the purchasing and roasting of coffees, but what the hey, give it a chance. I sat down and had an espresso and it was not very good - lackluster, off-flavor, spoiled. Well, maybe once is bad luck, but I did not go back for fresh or packaged coffee.

Just the other day somebody brought in ground French Roast from Peet’s, so I figured that would be worth trying as a data point. At the usual indecent strength I brew coffee [heaping tablespoon for 6 oz water], it was fresh and clean, but very thin in flavor and aroma.

I think Gresham’s law applies [the bad swamps out the good when demand is high]. Also I read coffee and chocolate plants have become selected, cloned, grown in unnatural ways, forced to grow with fertilizer and pesticide, so we have things a shade of its previous self, and fungus etc. attacking what is left. ‘Course that has happened to much of our food.

Chocolate does not taste as it did decades or years ago, and not all because I am becoming older. Again, I recall in the mid 70’s when recycling just started to be a fad, people left all sorts of things at recycling centers to be “recycled.” One item I stumbled upon was a 25 pound [yes, pound] sack of Ghirardelli’s cocoa. I figured it was meant for me, so I “recycled” it. For over 10 years, I’ve taken from that unrefrigerated sack to make hot cocoa, etc. - and the flavor and aroma, though lessening with time, exceeded what I can find today.