Have you heard? Coffee comes of age in U.S.

Jan Falstad
HAVE YOU HEARD?

Gone are the days of coffee being the bitter black stuff thickening in the bottom of an ancient pot plopped next to the greasy magazines in a gas station.

Americans are catching up to the Europeans and Asians in appreciating the finer points of coffee. Kiosks and espresso machines dot even small towns across Montana now and people seem willing to plop down just south of $3 for a cup.

While coffee connoisseurs face a baffling number of choices just to order a cup of java today, competition among all the coffee shops is stiff indeed.

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