After years of convincing the nation's coffee drinkers that dark-roasted brews are the classiest thing to fill a mug or takeout cup, Starbucks, Peet's, and a new wave of high-end chains are rolling out the exact opposite: light-roasted coffee, according to The Wall Street Journal. For the full story, click here.
Editor’s Insight: It’s not hard to envision that in the near future, coffee tastes will be as diverse as cold beverage refreshments. Just as the cold beverage market dominated by a handful of products is now a distant memory, the “black,” “regular,” and “decaf” days are long gone for the coffee market.
What’s interesting about today’s vibrant coffee market is that the Internet is playing a big marketing role. Several coffee Websites invite coffee drinkers to fill out a series of questions before directing them to a host of offerings. Coffee service operators must realize that coffee is more than a refreshment today; it is a culture. Coffee service operators must use all the tools they have to help customers experience this culture. 02-01-12 By Elliot Maras
