I recently picked up "It's Not About the Coffee: Leadership Principles from a Life at Starbucks".

As you might know, I am a bit of coffee coin-a-sewer, owning a $2000 espresso machine and such. You might also remember the only popular blog post I've ever written - the one about the Starbucks logo. I was always very interested in everything Starbucks. The reason? Well, I really could not understand how a company with coffee that is so bad could be so popular.  I mean, have you tasted the stuff?

"It's Not About the Coffee" - wow, I thought, this should clear some things up. Because, I for sure know that it's not about the coffee. I've had good coffee. It just can't be about the coffee. 

The first sentence of the book (int the A Note to Readers) reads: "Although this book is titled It's Not About the Coffee,  of course it is about the coffee--it's about the people and the coffee." Leadership lesson number one: start out with a lie, then weasel out. 

Cloying, sacchariney  corporate doublespeak only got worse on the following several pages, I am not even sure I can get through the book at all.  There might be some interesting Starbucks anecdotes further down, so I'll keep trying. Meanwhile I get a weird feeling about Howard Behar - the same I used to get about Soviet Politburo members: I could not understand if they believed themselves in the ideals that they extolled. 

Ok, I read a couple of more pages, and was instantly rewarded by learning this interesting, although disturbing fact: besides the coffee passport, which I knew about, there's a piece of corporate propaganda known as the "Green Apron Book."  Almost like Chairman Mao's "Little Red Book". Neat.

All of this reminded me a story that I've read somewhere about a North Korean student at a Moscow university that used to carry around with him a little portrait of the Great Leader, Kim Il-sung. He would meditate, looking at the picture for hours, and even used it instead of a mirror while shaving. When asked - how could he shave without a mirror, he said - this is better than a mirror.

I guess, if you can make people shave in front of a portrait, you can make them believe that Starbucks coffee is tasty. There are ways...

Slowly, but steadily I am getting a little better at latte art. Once I'll figure it out completely, I'll make a couple of videos and write a how-to article. Meanwhile, head over to youtube and look at some of the videos that they have of rosetta pours. Neat, eh?

Recently I jumped into my minivan and took a road trip on the BQE to visit Cafe Grumpy in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. It used to be impossible to find a decent espresso in all of Manhattan, but now even Brooklyn boasts several world class cafes, of which Cafe Grumpy is one.

Located in a handsome three story circa 1890s Renaissance Revival (correct me if I am wrong) building, Cafe Grumpy takes up the whole first floor. Notice a movie prop truck - apparently "The Brave One" starring Jodie Foster is being shot in the surrounding streets.

Greenpoint is a formerly bad/industrial neighborhood that is being gentrified like crazy. Notice a fresh crop of condos in the background. I bet having Cafe Grumpy across the street is a strong selling point - it's probably enough for a bloodsuckerRealtor^TM to take the clients for a cup of coffee to seal the deal.

Inside you find a typical Victorian interior of a high end cafe: pressed plaster ceilings, exposed brick and plastered walls, hardwood floors, schoolhouse lights, and mac-toting hipsters.

The big selling point is not food.

It's the combination of the best espresso machine money can buy (Synesso Cyncra),

freshly delivered coffee roasted by some of the best roasters (Counter Culture in this case) and highly trained staff.

As I was enjoying an impeccable espresso and a latte with a perfect textured milk rosetta (made from two different types of beans), fresh beans arrived. I bought 3 half pound bags of Counter Culture-roasted goodness.

There's also an art gallery in the back, but I am not particularly into the local arts scene.

Cafe Grumpy is holding a "Coffee Nerd Fest" on Wednesday, September 6th, at 7:30 pm. There will be a cupping (sounds dirty, but it's actually a technical term for coffee tasting) and beer. And maybe they'll let me pull a shot or two on that Cyncra.

They are located at 193 Meserole Ave, Brooklyn, NY. They have a website and a blog.