The alarm clock strikes six with alarming accuracy. Eyes still sheepish with that early morning haze and minds leaving that dream state, make the habitual morning shuffle. Work for many is an hour or two away. what lies between waking and work is the custom chosen by a large percentage of Americans, drinking that first cup of coffee.

The act of drinking coffee is almost ritualistic and to some, second nature. Our society has developed entire customs and corporations based on this simple bean beverage.

Unlike many other mornings, the sky is lightening with a hue that signals the sun will not be long in rising. Summer has arrived!

In American culture, this is a season for drinking coffee. It may seem surprising, but the cities are filled with coffee drinkers heading off to their favorite coffee stop. Providers of this wake up nectar are as varied as the people who drink coffee. Many shops have outdoor seating areas with tables, chairs and some provide shaded umbrellas above the tables. This is a favorite scene in the summertime- people sitting in the sunshine enjoying their favorite beverage - coffee!

Many wake up with the sound of an alarm clock and wish to just roll over in bed to sleep a little while longer. However, thoughts of the aromatic essence of one's favorite coffee is a strong motivation to get out of bed. Visions of hot steaming coffee topped with whipped cream and cinnamon helps me forget my alarm clock blues. I dress quickly and head for Starbucks.

A little time has gone by since I started this hub. Recently, I visited a Starbucks in Ukiah, California to find the team hustling around at 9pm preparing posters and signs and displays. The store was filled with product and large five pound bags of coffee. My curiosity being amped, I asked "What's up at Starbuck's?"

The answer revealed a new product and a new strategy for serving coffee. The original owner from the early days in the seventies re-purchased the company. He was concerned about the new age image of Starbucks, which was originally all about the coffee. Now the stores around America were more into merchandizing cute cups and coffee machines and all sorts of collectibles. To the founder of Starbucks, this seemed a hair raising affair. He took action, and bought back the company. Smart business move, I say.

Now instead of green labels on the cups, you will find brown, the color coffee should be. And to compliment the transition, the new Starbucks emerges with a new concept and product: "Pike Place Coffee". It is fresh ground and fresh brewed every day. The roast is medium with a rich taste that really packs a whollup! I'm hooked, maybe for life.

Thanks to Pike Place Coffee, I no longer need the four shot Americano just to get a taste that resembles coffee. Now I get it in a regular cup. Wow! A few sips and I'm ready to rock my day into action. If you like strong coffee, American style, give this one a try.

By the way, Starbucks did not even pay me to write this little plug for them. I really love this new coffee and wanted to share my delight with the world.

America loves its coffee in so many ways. Let's count how many.

1. Most folks make that morning rush for coffee, so it is probably an all time American favorite custom.

2. Third shift brings a twist for night owls. To be perky on the job, the shift to drinking it all night is not as popular, but folks do it. I have!

3. Writers are a unique group of people, as some of you who write on hubs will attest. A large percentage of writers like the comfort of that cup of coffee sitting within reach, if for nothing more than inspiration. Warm or cold, sipping the bean brew and thinking just seem to go hand in hand.

I read somewhere that women who drink coffee can think better because of a reaction with the hormones in the body that govern the brain function. That's a research project for a hub in itself. We can do it on the java cyber hubway!

4. Students drink coffee day or night, rain or shine. Neither snow nor sleet nor dark of night will stand in the way of a student cramming for those college exam finals. Coffee shops set special hours around these times, just for students. Entrpreneurs, be aware of a brewing opportunity!

5. In the past in American, colonists and pioneers brewed coffee by boiling the beans in a kettle over the fireplace, or an open fire. It was heated in kettles and coffee pots of all styles.

6.For that famous cowboy coffee, the grounds were thrown into a large pot when the water boiled. The pot was then removed from the fire, a lid placed upon the pot, and the countdown began. Within five minutes or so, presto! the grounds settled to the bottom of the pot. The anxious cowpolks were served in their old tin cups by using a ladle dipped in the often large cooking pot. Today, we call this camp coffee in America. I drink this kind of coffee at rainbow gatherings. Look for a camp called Montana Mud and they'll serve you the best cowboy coffee.

7. Modernists have become softies. Today, the cowboy coffee has turned into an elegant preparation using a french press. The same concept applies but it eliminates the big kettle, the open fire, the boiling grounds, the ladle, and oh yeah, the cowboys! Wait a minute! Some modern cowboys have been caught secretly using a french press. Don't let that secret slip around the bunkhouse!

8. Coffee goes with meals. Coffee is best first thing in the morning, in my opinion. It's soothing late at night just before bed. It helps me sleep. Now, I am speaking in the first person on my experience believing that I do not stand alone on the sharing of these customary ways to enjoy a good cup of joe! Hey, names will be my next topic. How many ways do we love thee and how many ways do we call its name? This is getting to be fun.

A little time has gone by since I started this hub. Recently, I visited a Starbucks in Ukiah, 

California to find the team hustling  around at 9pm preparing posters and signs and displays. 

The store was filled with product and large five pound bags of coffee. My curiosity being amped, 

I asked "What's up at Starbuck's?"

The answer revealed a new product and a new strategy for serving coffee. The original owner 

from the early days in the seventies re-purchased the company. He was concerned about the new

age image of Starbucks, which was originally all about the coffee. Now the stores around America 

were more into merchandizing cute cups and coffee machines and all sorts of collectibles. To 

the founder of Starbucks, this seemed a hair raising affair. He took action, and bought back 

the company. 

Smart business move, I say.

Now instead of green labels on the cups, you will find brown, the color coffee should be. And to 

compliment the transition, the new Starbucks emerges with a new concept and product: "Pike Place 

Coffee". It is fresh ground and fresh brewed every day. The roast is medium with a rich taste 

that really packs a whollup! I'm hooked, maybe for life.

Thanks to Pike Place Coffee, I no longer need the four shot Americano just to get a taste that

 resembles coffee. Now I get it in a regular cup. Wow! A few sips and I'm ready to rock my day 

into action. If you like strong coffee, American style, give this one a try. 

By the way, Starbucks did not even pay me to write this little plug for them. 

I really love this new coffee and wanted to share my delight with the world.

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