I remember getting a cappuccino from a train station vending machine in Italy and saying, "Hey, this isn't too bad! Much better than Starbucks!" Problem is th

I remember getting a cappuccino from a train station vending machine in Italy and saying, "Hey, this isn't too bad! Much better than Starbucks!" Problem is that, I would say the majority of, small coffee shops in the US makes horrible espresso. Coffee isn't a craft to your average American no matter they claim, and they'll drink any swill. It's a way to get caffeine in you. Dark roast is the best selling roast. If I go to a small coffee shop and they ask me what I mean when I order a doppio, that's when I start looking across the street for a Starbucks. At least Starbucks baristas are trained on what doppios are, and I'll get a consistently bad one. There's a very good chance that small mom and pop one will make me cigarette ash juice if they don't know what a doppio is. I'll take bad espresso over ash juice any day.