I’m writing as an outsider to what we would call here in the Mid-West the whole ‘West Coast coffee scene.’ So maybe my question will seem silly to those of you who are more immersed in that culture and are working with more baseline information.

In Chicago, coffee shops that actually source, roast, and serve their own beans are greatly in the minority. In fact, off the top of my head there are fewer than ten of us. There are shops that take great care in their coffee preparation that do not roast their own beans, but it seems that the division in terms of coffee quality and care breaks more along the line of in-house roasting than anywhere else. I’m wondering how that fits into what you’re describing as the difference between Portland and Seattle. Your description of Seattle’s quantity-focused mode of production sounds a lot like what we experience in most coffee shops out here. But most of our coffee shops have little to no relationship to the roasting process. Do you see that divide out West as well? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on this question.

Thanks for the great article.

When I was hurt in that motorcar accident my life would be changed for all time. Unfortunately that driver had no car insurance and I was going to be in pain for ever.

This was not time for me to start and guess what to do. I had to find a good attorney to help me get what I needed. After all, my family was counting on me.

How awful was it? I has bedridden for 5 months, I had to have constant care and my medical bills went through the roof!

Luckily, I found a good referral site to help me.

I will post more later this week to tell you more about what I have been going through.

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