Two K-oncerns

Two things of note.

1. Open letter to ShopRite of Chester, NJ.

Dear Manager of ShopRite, I have gone to lengths to expose the environmental nightmare which is the K-Cup, i.e. cups made and manufactured for the Keurig Coffee Machines.  Like countless generations of humans before me, I believe that the simple act of adding water to freshly ground coffee beans trumps the convenience of making a quick cup of coffee.  I’ve said this all before; not only is traditional brewing better tasting, it’s also far more environmentally friendly as you can always use a washable filter, and there’s no real garbage to speak of as the grounds have multiple household uses.  Insert diatribe about thousands of K-Cups reaching landfills and how they’re, generally, not able to be recycled easily.

To put a finer point on it, I prefer to grind my own coffee, or at least, have it ground shortly after the purchase of the beans.  Not having a grinder in my office necessitates that I use the machine frequently found in supermarkets, and absent that, I ask my local Barista at Starbucks to do a fresh-ground pound for me when I’m buying more. 

So, imagine my dismay as I learn that, not only is half the coffee aisle filled with boxes of K-Cups (which is mostly air in a box), but, of the “traditional” coffee, only one brand, The Organic Coffee Co., offers “whole-bean” coffee.  Every other bag of coffee is clearly marked “ground.”  This is problematic in two ways as we know that freshly ground coffee tastes better, and that pre-ground coffee is generally too finely ground to work well in french press units.  Still, the OCC is still really decent coffee (and speaks to my leftist coffee leanings), and when I brought it to the customer service counter asking where the grinder is, I was horrified to learn that the ShopRite in Chester, NJ does not have one.  Even the gentleman re-stocking the coffee shelves indicated that there used to be one, but it’s gone. 

I’ve never been to a supermarket without a coffee grinder before, and, as it turns out, ShopRite does have one, way back in the store, where freshly brewed coffee is served by the cup to supermarket patrons.  The irony is that, the grinder is used to make superior coffee for guests, but not known about/made available to patrons.  I don’t know why ShopRite has taken the position of not offering whole bean coffee as a rule, but I will say this…that the oversight clearly makes this market less super.

2. What the fuck is this!?!?!?!