You wake up to the smell of coffee brewing–but can you tell if it is gourmet coffee?
Gourmet coffees, which like fine wine were once a symbol of prestige, are now sold everywhere–fine coffee houses, grocery stores and retail discounts stores. Franchises have been built around the sale of gourmet coffee in the past 20 years and many will allow you to order your cup of gourmet coffee through a drive-thru window.
What caused the increase in popularity of gourmet coffees? Did everyone just decide they need a dash of mint, a hint of vanilla or an ounce of caramel? It is unlikely that the rise in gourmet coffee sales was due only to a change in our taste in coffee.
Marketing and a good product is most likely the reason for the increase in gourmet coffee sales in the past 20 years. It is fashionable to walk around with a coffee cup sipping on the latest gourmet coffee sold at the trendy coffee house.
Many people are introduced to gourmet coffees when they receive a gift set at Christmas or for a special occasion. These gift sets may included a variety of flavored gourmet coffees such as almond, chocolate and Irish cream. The gourmet coffee is...