Slashdot Mirror
Wake Up and Smell the Nauseating Coffee
jacobjyu writes "The NY Times is running a story about a coffee roasting plant being accused of polluting the air. The city inspector claims the smells are making people sick, however the plant owner retorts, 'This is not a smell that makes people sick ... This is one of those sweet smells like cut flowers, like fresh-baked bread, that's part and parcel of life in every city across the world.' Whatever the case, some people are claiming plastic-smelling fumes coming from the stacks: my only question is what the heck are they putting in this coffee??"
Operator, give me the number for 911!
I read this article in its hard-copy form earlier today. The simple thing is that exposure to anything for long enough will make you sick of it. I'm sure many /. readers have a game they love, but if they played it 24 hours a day and had to play the same level over and over, I think they would be sick of it too. Here, the people are just smelling coffee for hours on end, and while that may a pleasant or at least tolerable smell to you or I, to someone who deals with it for hours on end, it is a very different situation. As the article says, they even get these against Krispy Kreme donuts--and who doesn't love those?
Remember, there were no nuclear weapons before women were allowed to vote.
The administrative code under which Gillies was cited specifies that "no person shall cause or permit the emission of air contaminant, including odorous air contaminant . . . if the air contaminant . . . may cause detriment to the health, safety, welfare or comfort of any person."
... uh ... why is this a /. story? Are we supposed to think the critical supply of roasted coffee beans is imperiled here?
That's a pretty darn broad regulation once you throw "or comfort" in at the end. The stadard boilerplate formula is "health/safety/welfare" which are considerably less subjective. Badly-worded rule right there.
As for the smell, and to be technical no one has the right to force anyone else to smell anything in particular, it's technically a nuisance and could range from baking bread to sticking offal. Usually we keep conflicts down by zoning where things like pig farming can take place.
Now, I have no trouble regulating it if the coffee really smells like "burning plastic" or even vanilla hazelnut. (Between the two I'd pick the plastic, and that's because I like coffee.) Interesting Q: How do you try this in court? Take air samples and blow them in jurors' faces? I think you'd have to have a field trip.
Anyway
I remember a few years back when there was a big roasting facility (Hills Bros. ??) at the San Francisco end of the Bay Bridge. The smell was quite strong (and not as pleasant as the smell of a brewing cup). Other than being annoying to some, I have no idea about the health effects of coffee-roasting byproducts.
A number of bakeries were required by the Bay Area air folks to add pollution controls. Everyone likes the smell of baking bread but baking drives off the alcohol created by the yeast and the quantity of alcohol being released into the air was really surprising.
Still, I'd rather go after bad-smelling pollution first - I'm willing to take the risk from bread baking and fireplaces as they bring me sufficient pleasure.
~~~~~~~
"You are not remembered for doing what is expected of you." - Atul Chitnis
Those people in the article should try living in a paper mill town sometime. Yech!
Healthcare article at Kuro5hin
There is a Folger's plant near my home town and I used to drive by there on my way to work at 6:30 in the morning. I have to say that the smell often reminded me of puke.
Ouch! The truth hurts!
Actually, the smell of roasting coffee is quite bitter. For example, if you put vodka in your penne and salmon, the particles that are vaporized is far different than the eventual flavor left in the sauce. The kitchen smells like a russian cabinet meeting, but the sauce is more balanced.
With coffee, it's far more extreme, since you're actually roasting away the impurities. It's not unlike plastic, but far more organic smelling, if that makes sense.
Personally it doesn't bother me, but I wouldn't want blowing through my house all day...
I used to hang out at the Palo Alto Roasting Company because I had some friends who preferred it over Cafe Verona. They roast their own coffee right there in the store. When the roaster is going, the smell really is overpowering.
It's not a nice pleasant thing. And this is a died-in-the-wool coffee addict talking here. I wouldn't be surprised if this stuff is harmful - they should run the smoke through some kind of scrubber or vent it somewhere where nobody will smell it. I doubt that the smoke has any environmental toxins in it, but breathing it is probably not good for your lungs.
There are several roasting plants near my place, One of which frequently does waft over my house if the wind is blowing the right way.
I can't say I mind much, but there is a difference between the smell of roasted coffee and the smell of a roasting plant at work.
Very strangely, one roaster is kitty-corner from a crematorium. It may or may not surprise you that burned Seattleites smell a lot like roasted coffee.
I grew up in a country town, right next to a large coffee factory. Loved the smell, the aroma kinda reminds me of home. And look at me, I grew up fine....
(Takes money..)
** HELP - DON'T LET THEM SUFFER TOO! **
Ladies, form queue here -->
However, anyone who has every roasted coffee knows, that roasting coffee produces very strong unpleasant odors.
Buying green coffee beans is great because they have a shelf life of several years. Once you roast a been, the whole freshness thing comes into play, and the shelf life is only a few weeks before the coffee goes stale.
Roasting your own coffee is not for the feignt of heart and should be done in a well ventalated area (not your kitchen). Outdoor ovens are perfect.
Someone you trust is one of us.
My wife used to work for a coffee packaging company. Some of their packaging couldn't be used with coffee that had artificial flavorings added because the flavorings would melt the plastic.
include $sig;
1;
where they make coffee with dirt in it ;)
The guys in the office have been wondering that for weeks . . .
Really. There is no stinky coffee plant.
It's just that the area has finally reached Starbucks Overload.
"'This is not a smell that makes people sick ... This is one of those sweet smells like cut flowers, like fresh-baked bread, that's part and parcel of life in every city across the world.'"
Oh right, like the smell of a monkey's butt, right? Drink up - drink ass!
--"The perfect example of the man of action is the suicide." - William Carlos Williams
... my own experience. Ahh, the smell of burning cow entrails! It's enough to make one go veg.
Hmm did the plant owner continue to say it's exactly like the sweet smell of money? ;).
We have a coffee factory here in my city (Utrecht, the Netherlands), and when the wind is right, wherever you go, you will smell burnt toast (that's what it reminds me of, at any rate). It's disgusting, but it's not overpowering.
I wonder where they get the burnt plastic smell from in the other place?
Cheers,
CvD.
The Official Steve Ballmer Webpage