Cricketscoffee Blog

  California is on the brink of blowing away in the wind due to the water shortage, bringing on a huge onslaught regulations being passed that restrict personal and business water use.  Ethos, Starbucks bottled water brand has it's water plant in Merced California but recovers its water from nearby Baxter California. Both of witch are in the extreme drought areas of the state.   Ethos does not have to pay for the groundwater it pumps. It is a private source and does not come from any municipal source.  Some California's are getting a little irritated at possibly getting a hefty fine for flushing the toilet one to many times. Only to watch millions of bottles of Californian water being bottled and ship all over the country.     

  Starbucks now offers wine after 4 p.m. at three Portland-area coffee shops and is applying with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission for additional licenses to serve alcohol at nine others across Oregon.   It's part of Starbucks rollout of the "Starbucks Evenings" brand in a select few metro areas across the United States. In addition to wine, participating locations also offer a new dessert menu.   Wine is already available at the Starbucks locations in the Pearl District (1031 N.W. Couch St.), downtown Portland (614 S.W. 11th Ave.) and Bethany Village (4708 N.W. Bethany Blvd.), and the company has applied for liquor licenses at several more Oregon locations. Will your local Starbucks be next? Stay tuned.  

Baristas, The steady march of technology is after your job.Researchers at Cornell University have conceived of and built a mechanical device (a robot) that can make a great espresso and steams milk to perfection.  This is not all. this Rosie the robot can learn how to operate nearly any piece of equipment a baristas uses. Including new espresso machines.   The Magazine Gizmag says that the robot barista has at it's disposal a deep learning algorithm along with 3D cameras to analyze how to operate a piece of equipment. With only a few try's, the task at hand is learned and you job security gets a little smaller. This Android Barista has already mastered how to operate several different types of espresso machines. No word if Rosie takes tips.