Romancing coffee.

Do you remember when wine was the beverage of romance? Learning about wine used to start in literature classes where the wine was paired with a loaf of bread and the presence of the loved one. I was standing in line behind three young women who might have been college students. We were all waiting for coffee or its latte and cappuccino cousins at a Starbucks that stands adjacent to the produce department in a Harris Teeter in Charleston, South Carolina. (The placement of Starbucks next to produce is intriguing--do supermarket operators think the fresh coffee will make the produce look fresher?) One of the young women said, "Brazil sounds really good." Another said, "Costa Rica sounds better." I assumed they were talking about their honeymoons or spring breaks until I got to the counter and saw the two signs describing today's coffees:

Brazil Ipanema Bourbon[TM] Nutty and soft with subtle cocoa notes and a pleasingly mild complexity.

Costa Rica Tarazu[TM] Created with dedication to sustainability. Refined and bright.

The supermarkets which are leasing space to Starbucks might take merchandising lessons from them while they are there.