Blind taste test shows extent of coffee cover-up

The Bakersfield Californian
Wednesday January 01, 2003, 07:40:09 PM

I have a new parlor game. Guess That Coffee. You can be wrong, too. We spent time over the weekend in Redondo Beach with my cousin Bea and her husband, Ron. The South Bay is still livable and after a rainstorm, when you can see all the way to Malibu, it's spectacular.

Ron's a Starbucks man. "I can pick it out in a blind tasting," he said. Now, Ron does lots of things well -- tax returns, surfing, making killer car deals -- but tasting things blind can make veterans look like rookies. I told him there have been wine tastings where blindfolded people couldn't distinguish red from white.

"I'll bet you a buck you couldn't pick out the Starbucks from the coffee at Chevron," I said, and the bet was on.

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