Reuters (via Forbes ) September 2, 2008 NICARAGUA - By Brian Harris MANAGUA (Reuters) - Consumers pinched by a slowing U.S. economy are cutting back on expensive espresso drinks and choosing to drink brewed drip coffee to save money, the head of a U.S. specialty coffee group said Tuesday. "In the middle range, the consumer is shifting away from espresso to drip products," Ric Reinhart, director of the Specialty Coffee Association of America, told Reuters at a regional coffee conference in Nicaragua . In recent years, high-end coffee shops like Starbucks (nasdaq: SBUX - news - people ) have exploded in popularity, selling pricey lattes at between $3 and $5 a drink. But even the Seattle-based chain is planning to use more special deals and discounts to perk up its flagging U.S. coffee sales. Hurt by the economic downturn, Starbucks has closed 600 poorly performing stores and cut jobs across the country. The shift away from fanc...