Genius Barista

Tech investors think they’ve found the Apple of coffee.

Do you remember when Starbucks was cool? It opened in Seattle in the 1970s as a local specialty roaster, a trendy alternative to the prevailing generic swill. Then former employee Howard Schultz bought it in 1987, and with help from investors, embarked on an ambitious national expansion. Starbucks conquered the country, then the world, and turned coffee in America from a commodity into an obsession.

Read the full article, " Genius Barista", by Will Oremus on Slate.com