We'll find out Oct. 24 during Boston's first barista competition - in Dorchester.

The Globe (and BBC and Advertising Age, and many more) report the resignation (news release here) of Dunkin's president and chief brand officer, William Kussell. The Globe's short article isn't enough to tell the hole story, but it sounds as if CEO Nigel Travis, who was brought in about a year ago, decided there were several grounds for Kussell's departure:

Megan Johnson reports that whenever she goes there, there is always this older guy at the corner, sitting in a Mercedes convertible just reading. Hermoves takes his picture.

David suggests the Atomic Bean Cafe.

Shane Curcuru gets coffee at the Kendall Square Au Bon Pain, promptly remembers why he stopped going there, including:

... ABP cups have a far higher failure rate than other local shops - more often than not while driving or walking to work, I get a steady stream of drips down the seam side of the cup, from right under the edge of the lid. Either the seams are too uneven, or the plastic lids are too inflexible. It's disappointing, and today I forgot to wrap a napkin around the edge of the cup, and so got dripped today. ...

On WBUR's Public Radio Kitchen, Susan McGrory notes the full-frontal assault launched in another Dunkin' Donuts hotbed - Manhattan - by Canadian donut powerhouse Tim Hortons.

Could it happen here? The Canadians are a lot closer than you might think. Take a look at the map below, which shows Tim Hortons outlets in the Providence area. There are even a few just over the border. Unlike Krispy Kreme, Tim Hortons seems a more worthy matchup for our Dunk's - they have a similar menu. If they did try to move into DD's ancestral homeland, though, who would get hurt more? Dunkin' Donuts or Honey Dew Donuts?

Nathanael reports it's at the In House Cafe in Allston.

Natural Bean is no more, Liza reports:

... I don't know how, why, and when this all transpired, but I was devastated. The tragedy was first of three that day, and while MJ's death put up a good fight (Farrah's not so much), the termination of Natural Bean affected me more deeply than I ever could have anticipated. So there I stood, crestfallen, forcing my feet to turn in the direction of Starbucks, cursing The Man all the while. As I sat at my desk painstakingly taking mouthfuls of my mouthful-of-a-coffee-to-pronounce caramel macchiato from Starbucks, I wondered why the good things in life never last. RIP Michael. RIP Farah. RIP Natural Bean.

Via MenuPages Boston.

Georgy explains why she's trying to quit her caffeine habit and how it's going:

... So, two weeks in, I don't feel more or less tired, really. I've been trying to eat healthier and get more exercise on top of dropping the coffee, so it's hard to discern the health effects. The biggest challenge in giving up coffee has been feeling like I'm depriving myself of a morning treat. I realized how much I'd been depending on coffee as a sort of reward. "You had to get up early this morning, and it's cloudy out! You deserve a coffee." It didn't take much. But I guess if that's the worst part of giving up coffee, it's not so bad. I shouldn't have to give myself a special reward just for getting out the door in the morning. ...

Tammy loathes the lids Starbucks now slaps on its cold coffee drinks, because they wind up crushing the straws you put through them:

... I hate it. Especially since I get a Caramel Macchiato… and one of my favorite things about this drink, is that the caramel settles at the bottom of the cup and then gets sucked up through the straw. However, when the straw collapes like this, the caramel gets stuck on the other side of the crease! ...

With shocking photos of a straw being crushed.