Step aside, Seattle, and let me tell you about the role that Pinellas County, Florida, plays in enjoying coffee:

Terry Davis, of Ambex in Clearwater, is the third largest builder of coffee roasters in the US - machines that cost from $3,500 to $150,000. Whether it's St Petersburg, Oregon, or China - you're likely to find one of Terry's coffee roasters.

There are then about two dozen small coffee roasters in Tampa Bay, including Kahwa.

Then there's the matter of coffee filters. Enter Melitta cone filters. Melitta has been here in Pinellas County for 15 years.

You like flavorings in your cup or in the beans?  Monin's Flavors, in France since 1912, is also in Clearwater, with labs and tastings. The bottles of flavorings you see on the shelves in your local coffee shops, and that you smell in the beans, may well come from Pinellas County, Florida.

It's worth reading the entire coffee article and seeing the photos that were published this morning in Bay, a bi-monthly magazine published by the St Petersburg Times. To go directly to the article, after you've clicked to Bay, go to Page 49.