Author: The Great Java

Not really.

I get an average of five election phone calls a day and over half a dozen letters in the mail (nice big color ones). Most all of them are negative, but I’ve learned a new trick to figure out what people are for based on the bashing. One fiscal conservative I plan to vote for is accused of wanting “guns in schools”. I’m guessing that means he supports our current state law, not that he wants tweens packing heat at the local middle school. The same guy is labeled as a puppy hater. A puppy hater? Well there is a big fight over a new law to stop puppy mills (I guess all the ones we have aren’t enough yet). Because of the two party system my options get pretty narrow after the primaries. I’m sure people in politics would tell me this is all part of the process of our democracy. Just like the founding fathers imagined it right? … well we aren’t supposed to talk about them anymore.

The way I see it the majority of people representing us are part of a political system we don’t really understand  and it’s broken. I’m biased, but I think we have the best form of government on the planet.  Maybe you look around the world with romantic notions about Venezuela, Iran, or Sweden but I don’t.  In some sense though I feel like our government is held hostage. I see a two-party system controlled by big companies, unions, and special interest groups. The people they control build huge election war chests and continue to “serve us” election after election. As our government has become more centralized and powerful so have the forces that seek to influence it. When I look at a number of our “representatives” I see a lot of millionaires, many that got that way while in office [hmmmm]. I see men and woman that started out trying to make a difference and became a part of a dysfunctional machine.  President Obama is an example of this. I don’t agree with his “progressive” philosophies but I do think he was interested in a more open, transparent government. He figured out quickly that the political machines didn’t see it his way. Before long his idealism was lost and he was operating just like the ones before him.

Tomorrow you probably have two imperfect choices.  One of them is likely to be a progressive. This person wants us to continue the path of growing the government and it’s role in our lives. Maybe it makes sense to have the Social Security Administration take and manage your 401k? Maybe all student loans should go through the government. Maybe the government should decide what light bulbs people should buy, what night they trick-or-treat, and what 3 types of healthcare insurance should be allowed for sale (but you must buy it).  Generally they support higher taxes to pay for their programs (nothing is free) and more deficit spending if required. Progressives want everything to be “fair” and generally equal for everyone. The other option you have is some sort of conservative. They might have a label like libertarian, tea-party, or neo-con. They are pretty pessimistic about the role of government and think we need to take a step back and have a smaller, leaner government. Some of them want very little government at all. Regardless of the size of our federal government, all of them want  it operate generally within its means (without new taxes). That sounds good, but most of them aren’t ready to make the needed cuts to achieve their goals. Their view is that everyone should have a fair and equal opportunities for success but everything isn’t going to be fair or equal in the end.

The options tomorrow might not all be great, but they are clear. We can keep moving toward the government as the centerpiece of our American existence or vote to take a step back.  If you think your government is doing a great job, vote for more of the same. If you think our government is growing out of control, vote for a change.

Comments closed, this is a soapbox entry.

In an earlier entry I looked at Thousand Hills coffee.  It didn’t quite make the cut for me (or several of my co-workers).  Recently I was gifted a second bag (Thanks Therian!).  This bag was the Vooba Vooba Espresso blend.

This blend is made with both Nicaraguan and Rwandan beans, not the traditional choice for an espresso blend.  I changed the grind a few times to try and dial in the perfect shot and got a decent pour with some crema.  The flavor was a bit sharp and maybe a bit acidic.  Overall it made a decent espresso drink (my favorite is a strong Americano). I’d probably stick with a more traditional blend that had a higher crema production and a more well-balanced cup.  It was bold enough to work well in any milk-based drink.

I meant to try it just as a brewed coffee and forgot!  Now I’m wondering if every coffee they make uses Rwandan beans!

Instant coffee is typically freeze dried crystals of a prepared coffee that can be added to hot water to make a quick coffee drink. I guess the ultimate goal is making a coffee drink that’s not fresh brewed coffee that still tastes like fresh brewed coffee. Via is Starbucks answer to your father’s Sanka instant crystals. Via has a new form of instant mixed with some very finely ground coffee (they call it micro-grounded).

My bottom line: Via tastes like correctly brewed stale coffee with a bitter finish.

When I first opened the package I noticed a strong bitter smell.  I got some of the Via on my fingers and smelled it for a while.  The smell reminded me of the bitter coffee oils from a dirty espresso machine.  I dumped the Via into my cup of hot filtered water and noticed the Via didn’t want to easily come out of the packet.  Maybe steam had condensed inside the packet or it was static – I don’t know. I tried the two varieties of Via I found and drank 3 cups of Via for my test (not all at once!)

My first thought was, “WOW”.  Instant coffee is disgusting.  Via isn’t disgusting.  Right off the bat I give Starbucks my award for best instant (I haven’t tried many).  As I drank I noticed a pretty obvious bitter finish that bordered on “bad aftertaste”.  I drank the cup and thought, “this almost tastes like brewed coffee”.  After the second cup I decided it did taste like brewed coffee, just stale coffee.  I’ll confess I’ve had WORSE coffee in many local coffee shops.  I would attribute that to the fact many shops leave coffee sit too long or brew it improperly.

Via is expensive. It comes in small single serve packets that cost about $1 per prepared up. That’s about 10-12 times the cost of most instant coffee.  Unless you are nowhere near a kitchen to use a pourover, and there are no coffee shops nearby, I can’t see Via being a great option.

Try it, you may like it.  It’s expensive and not as good as properly brewed coffee.