I was reading an old coffee guide from Seattle and saw a number that really got me.

It said that in 1990, the US only had about 500 specialty coffee shops total. Now there are over 35,000. I found it in a used book store, a beat up copy of 'The Coffee Companion' from 1994. It just makes you think about how different it was to find a good cup back then. Does anyone else have a favorite old book or article that shows how much things have changed?

2 comments

2 Comments

roberts.aaron15d ago

Remember reading that same stat years ago and it always leaves out the big part. Those 500 shops were just the ones that called themselves specialty. The real number was probably a lot lower for what we'd actually consider a good cup now. The quality bar was just so different back then, even in a place that said "espresso" on the sign. Makes that jump to 35,000 even more crazy when you think about it.

joseph45515d ago

Man I used to complain about too many coffee shops on every corner. That number puts it in a whole new light. Finding a decent espresso must have been a real hunt back then. Makes me appreciate my local spot a lot more now.