Coffee break!

It’s a red-letter week for coffee lovers. Starbucks is going to introduce a new product called Via. It’s a powdered version of their coffee that is identical to its fresh-brewed product, or at least very difficult to differentiate, according to supposed aficionados. Whether it will be sold in supermarkets is not yet known; first it will be available at its stores only. Click for a look at a four-minute taste test by the folks at Advertising Age.

The next big news is that Nescafe is going to make its coffee in a jar better by using more Arabica beans. Almost all instant coffee is made from the cheaper Robusta beans, which give the brew a bitter taste. The two videos below are, first, the 30-second commercial shown in Britain, and second the making of that commercial. Over a ton of hand-selected beans were used. Notice the use of an Apple MacBook Pro in making the spot. That’s what made it possible after all.





Thanks to Advertising Age for the lead!

Get the joke?

So far, only one person has gotten the joke. My post of January 23, “What were they smoking?” implies the question, What is the significance of the logo of the farmer and his donkey? Of course the person who got it is a genius (my daughter). Anybody else? I’m anxiously waiting. By the way, coffee isn't really significant in the farmer’s occupation, I just plagiarized and modified the logo of Juan Valdez, the representative for Columbian Coffee for what—30 years? So the question is why would my logo of a farmer stroking his donkey with bath tissue better represent the product than a gray-haired lady clad in ermine with a crown on her noggin? Click on the Comments link and give me your best.