How to be a coffee snob

A cup of joe doesn't need to be a simple caffeine delivery device - it can be a work of art
BY SAM MCDONALD

Coffee - not gasoline - drives the American economy.

C'mon. People could theoretically walk, bike, skateboard or Segway to work. But we challenge you to find an office or shop that hums along efficiently without the productivity-prodding effects of hot java.

Of course, not everyone actually enjoys that cup of high-octane brew. Bad coffee remains a plague of corporate cubical mazes and Jiffy Lube waiting rooms alike.Starbucks - the Seattle-based coffee franchise king - may have injected phrases like "Mint Chocolate Chip Frappuccino" and "Caramel Macchiato" into the national vocabulary, but they've yet to exterminate burned, bitter, watery, bad coffee.Here's our solution. Soak up this primer on the nation's favorite non-fizzy beverage, then go forth and amaze your taste buds (and friends) with the magical properties of a wet-processed Papua New Guinea, a Costa Rica Tarrazu or a fruity, spicy Yemen Mocha.In other words, become a coffee snob.

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