Nick writes:

I needed a day to recover, but I can now report: the quest is over. I didn't make it out of the first round.

I have one big excuse for my failure, but you'll have to hear it from me first-hand if you wanna hear about it. Let's just say, I wasn't really given a real opportunity to produce my best.

I'm nonetheless super-glad that I made it out here... I got to meet and actually get to know some of the "names" that I've seen out there in the competitive-espresso world... I had an opportunity to compete in a national competition in the culinary art that I love... and I got to see some old friends here in Atlanta.

All in all, great trip. See y'all back at the shop on Tuesday!

Nick writes...

So Day 1 at the Barista Competition is almost over. Nothing much to report, except that I think my chances at taking it all still looks good. :-P

Nick writes:

washingtonpost.com - Cicada Q & A - great info on our coming visitors!

FYI to all... I (Nick) am competing in the United States Barista Championships this coming weekend in Atlanta. The winner moves on to represent the United States at the World Barista Championships in Trieste, Italy.

Wish me luck!!!

ryan asks, "did this seem like a good idea?"

the Articles of Confederation, ratified by the newly named "United States of America" in March 1781, includes the following passage:

Article XI. Canada acceding to this confederation, and adjoining in the measures of the United States, shall be admitted into, and entitled to all the advantages of this Union; but no other colony shall be admitted into the same, unless such admission be agreed to by nine States.

now maybe this seemed like a great idea at the time, but i think we've wised up in the past couple of hundred years. or maybe Canada was smart enough to realize that the USA is already too big and crazy and that they would just make things more confusing.

but my main beef with such a proposal is this: where else would eighteen-year-old kids in the northern border states go to drink?

Ryan writes:

a sample of real life

after filling space with juvenile movie reviews and sappy seventh-grade-ish love poetry, i figured i'd throw in a paragraph of a paper i submitted last night comparing elements of the political philosophies of Aristotle and Hobbes. as many of ya'll don't know, i am a student at the Graduate Institute at St. John's College in Annapolis. here is a tasty morsel of my spring semester:

The first point at which they differ is in the basic understanding of the end, or purpose, of man. While Aristotle sees the end of man as happiness, which is only attained through living a life of virtue, Hobbes believes that man's foremost concern is his own preservation and safety. Aristotle asserts that happiness is the private end of man, brought about by action in accordance with virtue or excellence. In addition, he believes that life in community is foundational to human existence, with his declaration that "man is by nature a social and political being." The life of happiness, then, can only be attained through living the life of virtue within the presence of others. The basic end of an individual man requires the presence of other individuals. As Aristotle states in his Politics: "The state is both natural and prior to the individual."

this was my first paper as a graduate student, and, since i haven't had it scored yet, it may have proved to be rubbish. we'll see. feel free to tell me if, indeed, it is crap. -peace.

Nick writes:

Starbucks Press Release

Here's the link to the press release as promised.

Nick writes:

The rumors have been floating around, and now we can announce it formally... Starbucks Coffee is purchasing Murky Coffee, LLC. If all of the legal stuff works out (and we have no reason to think that it won't), on June 1, 2004, the deal will be done.

What does this mean?

Starbucks is trying a new concept of a more "down-to-earth" neighborhood coffeeshop, recognizing that their traditional shops that have made them famous have also given them a mixed reputation in neighborhoods like Eastern Market. With this joint partnership, Starbucks will be able to offer customers their world-famous dark-roast coffee and espresso drinks, but in a more neighborhood-friendly, less "chain-y" package.

They're trying this in various major markets around the country, and Murky Coffee has the honor of being the first in the U.S. In subsequent months, the new Starbucks "Neighbor-Shop" concept will be rolled out in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston, to name a few.

Our agreement allows us to make this announcement known to our customers first, with the press release coming from Starbucks (SBUX) Corporation on Friday.

Stay tuned here on murkycoffee.com for more updates to this exciting development!

Thanks for all of your support over the years, and we hope to continue to bring you more of the "best damn coffee there is." Thanks!

Nick Cho
President, Murky Coffee, LLC

-------------
addendum, October 24, 2004: for those of you out there who have been told by someone that this post proves that we're owned by Starbucks now and that therefore Starbucks will own Common Grounds... please look at the date that this post was originally written. Or, look at the April 2nd post. Shame on you.