Stumptown in NY Times, Screw Caps Fool Consumers

Glowing article on Stumptown Coffee in the NY Times food section this week. Titled To Burundi and Beyond for Coffee’s Holy Grail, the article talks about Duane Sorenson’s pursuit of the perfect bean:

But Mr. Sorenson and a few like-minded coffee hunters around the country will go almost anywhere, do almost anything and pay almost any price in pursuit of the perfect cup of coffee.

…Mr. Sorenson said he sees paying high prices for beans and treating his growers as partners as the only way to get the quality he wants. “It’s not charity,” he said. “Our producers invest back into their workers, coffee shrubs, equipment and land. We know this is happening because of all the time we spend with them throughout the year, on their farms and in their homes.”

But it’s not a point he feels the need to argue stridently, because the proof — for anyone to taste — is in the cup.

Worth the read, here’s a link

So, ahem… how’s this for a title: “Effects of Wine Bottle Closure Type on Consumer Purchase Intent and Price Expectation”. The Oregon State University Food Innovation Center did a study comparing consumer perceptions on the difference between natural cork, synthetic cork, and screwcaps.

…participants tasted and rated the wines twice: once when the closure information was not known and a second time when the closure information was revealed.

It turns out consumers don’t like anything but regular corks, but in the blind taste tests, they couldn’t tell the difference. They also expect to pay “significantly less for a bottle with a screwcap”. I had a bottle of Andrew Rich vineyards wine the other day which has a screw top. I’m embarrassed to say it, but found it very convenient. When you are laying on the sofa, drinking the last dregs out of the bottle, it’s nice to be able to screw the top back on so the dog doesn’t knock it all over the floor. Pretty, I know.

If you are a member, you can read the article over at the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture. No? Here’s a link to the abstract.