As we discussed in our most recent HONOR 401 class, Thomas Jefferson is a surprising character. Jon Meacham’s Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power does a good job in revealing these aspects to a public that may not know the intricacies of the life of the Third President of the United States. Jefferson is attributed with being many wonderful – and not-so-wonderful – things. One such things is a forecaster. In fact, his excuse for not taking any decisive action on the slavery question is “The march of events has not been such as to render its completion practicable within the limits of time allotted to me; and I leave its accomplishment as the work of another generation” (478). Irrespective of whatever side you are on – either that of Jefferson as a coward for not taking action or that of him biding his time well – the president was right.

Thomas Jefferson was also right in forecasting the trend of coffee. Is it true that the coffee bean “is become the favorite beverage of the civilized world” (471)? Ask any student or professor at Penn State and the unequivocal answer is “Yes.” If you were to ask that same eighteen year old or eighty year old where the hot-spot for ordering a cup of coffee (or two… or three) is, I am willing to bet that the answer of the overwhelming majority is Starbucks. The coffee company presents to each and every coffee drinker the possibility to order a coffee-bean drink however he or she likes it – cold or hot; caffeinated or decaf; with or without milk; plant-based or dairy-based milk. The possibilities are endless!

Especially after spending a week near Pike Place Market in Seattle (Washington), questions popped into my head regarding the origin story of Starbucks. Ironically, last semester I heard about it in the country who is best known for its coffee – Italy. “How I Built This with Guy Raz” is my all-time favorite podcast series on NPR. One episode features Howard Schultz who nurtured Starbucks in its growth. All of those aforementioned questions were answered in 49 minutes and 18 seconds. And in less than an hour, the interview conducted by Guy Raz served me as the book written by Jon Meacham had – as a revelation of facts.

Howard Schultz spent time in Milan, Italy to better understand the spirit of coffee-drinking. Schultz concluded that this “spirit” is plural – coffee-drinking brings together human spirits as a community. I question, though, if Schultz understood the true spirit of coffee-drinking. Last semester, I ordered a cappuccino on a daily basis from Caffe Doria in Rome, Italy. On one occasion, I added two packets of sugar to my caffeinated hot bevarage… Not realizing that the barista was staring me down. He may have known as soon as I walked through the door that I am not a Roman. He suggested to “do as the Romans do” and drink an espresso without any sugar.

The barista at Caffe Doria encouraged me to drink an espresso black to taste the coffee bean (and not-so-subtlety added that his coffee beans were the best in La città eterna). Prior to leaving Rome, I took his suggestion and was impressed by the taste of coffee on its own. Howard Schultz may have seen the big picture of coffee-drinking but may have missed its not-so-minor details. La dolce vita is simple without any additives or preservatives. Hence, I would encourage coffee-drinkers to return to the geographical roots of civilization (e.g. the Ancient Roman Empire) prior to ordering a Frappuccino at Starbucks.