Tradition and Innovation - Where Does Coffee Fit in the Equation?

There are a lot of different kinds of coffee lovers in this world - the "purists," who like everything to be made traditionally and properly, with nothing added to the cup other than milk, espresso, and the every once in a while shake of chocolate powder on a cappuccino. There are those who are innovation focused, always on the hunt for new ideas, asking the question "how can we improve the old ways of doing coffee for the consumers that are enjoying it today?" Then there are those who just like the taste of coffee, who enjoy it for the convenience factor and use it in a more utilitarian fashion, drinking maybe a simple iced vanilla latte, or a flat white because it's the first one they saw on the menu.

Something that we here at the Meeting Place Cafe love so much about coffee and cafe culture is that, seemingly, there is such a wonderful balance between all three: tradition, innovation, and convenience/consumer appeal. You see cafes all around the world that have the convenience factor down, and they're thriving because it appeals so well to the customers they're attempting to attract. You see cafes that use traditionalism to reel in their target audience, making each cappuccino exactly how they would in a cafe in Italy in 1902, or a flat white exactly how it is meant to be prepared, using precision and skilled hands to provide for their customers a delicious cup of coffee. Those who are seeking innovation in their cafes are the ones that come up with all those crazy, but somehow intriguing ideas, that pull you into their cafe because you just HAVE to try that one. They use creativity and "out of the box" ideas to pull in those people who love adventure and always pick something new. No one way of preparing coffee is necessarily better than the other, and you don't have to sacrifice quality to obtain convenience. tradition OR innovation. Each way of making coffees is simply meant for different audiences who want different things

There's the beautiful thing about cafe culture - you can get it all at once, or choose one of them, and all around the world, there is a coffee lover out there who understands you and wants to give you what you're looking for. In an ideal world, there is no judgment in this culture, because everybody has a different way of enjoying their coffee, and everyone has different priorities in their lives, and that's really what it's all about; enjoying coffee. So whether you prefer a 6 ounce latte with exactly the right amount of foam, a vanilla caramel iced latte with whipped cream to give you that extra zing, or trying out a rainbow latte where the cup is an avocado, please do us a favor, enjoy it!