George Howell is the mind behind the beverage that helped Starbucks rise into the stratosphere — the Frappuccino.
And he hates what American coffee culture has become.
Janelle Nanos has written a big profile of Coffee Connection founder George Howell at Boston Magazine, and it reveals some interesting things about the legendary coffee genius.
Howell, a world-renowned coffee expert, thinks that coffee has been hijacked by "latte elitists" who don't appreciate the value of a pure, simple coffee.
"These coffee snobs instead push fussy coffee-based beverages with complicated combinations of milk, sugar, and foam, Italian-sounding names, and high profit margins," explained Nanos.
"With the Frappuccino, Howell may have set off the nation’s addiction to what are essentially coffee milkshakes, but he’s every bit the purist, disdainful of the espresso and 'latte art' crazes."
Howell, who sold his Coffee Connection chain (and the rights to the Frappuccino name) to Starbucks in 1994 doesn't go so far as to explicitly say that he regrets ever creating the drink, but he does admit that the Frap wasn't his "life goal."
Read Nanos' full story at Boston Magazine >
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