Are you a coffee snob?
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God, but I miss bomboloni breakfasts!
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
And I elephanting need to stop those before I become an elephanting pachyderm myself. Starbucks pastries are very good (but expensive) - I'm hooked on cinnamon buns.
* CALL APOGEE, SAY AARDWOLF * GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X * Never pay more than 20 bucks for a computer game. * I'm a puny punmaker.
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I go straight for the "caramel latte" or "mocha". Espresso in the UK (the only place I visited enough to feel at ease when I'm there) is usually terrible so there's no point in taking it therefore I go straight for the "exotic" stuff. And latte macchiato actually exists now in Italy, it's a large glass of warm milk with just a tint of coffee in it - basically what in Starbucks passes for regular coffee. It's one of the least ordered things but it does exist.
* CALL APOGEE, SAY AARDWOLF * GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X * Never pay more than 20 bucks for a computer game. * I'm a puny punmaker.
den2k88 wrote:
Espresso in the UK (the only place I visited enough to feel at ease when I'm there) is usually terrible so there's no point in taking it
You've got that right. One of the items on my "plus" list for not living in the UK is the espresso.
den2k88 wrote:
it's a large glass of warm milk with just a tint of coffee in it
So it's a macchiato rovescio? At least that makes more sense -- "milky coffee tainted with milk" doesn't.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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My coworkers were complaining because we ran out of Starbucks coffee and are now drinking Folgers. I can't taste much of a difference between the two and its free! Personally I would rather be hooked on the cheap stuff anyway!
Hogan
Go find an empty Starbucks coffee container and dump the Folgers coffee in it.
Bryian Tan
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Go find an empty Starbucks coffee container and dump the Folgers coffee in it.
Bryian Tan
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den2k88 wrote:
Espresso in the UK (the only place I visited enough to feel at ease when I'm there) is usually terrible so there's no point in taking it
You've got that right. One of the items on my "plus" list for not living in the UK is the espresso.
den2k88 wrote:
it's a large glass of warm milk with just a tint of coffee in it
So it's a macchiato rovescio? At least that makes more sense -- "milky coffee tainted with milk" doesn't.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
Mark_Wallace wrote:
So it's a macchiato rovescio?
More like an oversixed cappuccino with an undersized espresso as the coffee base. Usually it's only referred as "latte", so if you actually wish to drink simple plain milk you should specify "latte bianco" else they will drop coffee in (and my girlfriend hates it since she doesn't drink coffee). When someone says that he/she doesn't drink coffee it's looked strangely upon, like some sort of disease, even worst that beeing a teetotaler! My girlfirend doesn't like alcohol nor coffee and she's basically considered a freak :D BTW, I took an espresso at Radisson hotel in London, all extra-luxury and 4£ for a coffee. It tasted like s**t. Worst experience ever. I needed to stay awake for other 14 hours and it was 9:30 pm, so I coughed the dough anyway. Never again.
* CALL APOGEE, SAY AARDWOLF * GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X * Never pay more than 20 bucks for a computer game. * I'm a puny punmaker.
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My coworkers were complaining because we ran out of Starbucks coffee and are now drinking Folgers. I can't taste much of a difference between the two and its free! Personally I would rather be hooked on the cheap stuff anyway!
Hogan
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I do enjoy coffee but not really a coffee snob. I always find the people who are coffee snobs are also the people who, when discussing steak, can't have it anything but rare\blue and can't simply say "I like it rare" but instead have to have a soliloquy of analogy; "If the stake has been more than pushed passed a candle on a roller-skate then I'm sending it back...there is no point in eating any steak that couldn't be revived by a good vet. You've ruined it unless it's only been heated by a 40W lightbulb swung from a cat's tail....." "I'll have mine medium, thanks."
I get soliloquist only when the coffee is burned - that is usually fault of the person who made it (even if some coffees are toasted too much at the source) or when it's too acid. And it happens way too often, even in Italy (where everyone and their dog will claim there is no better coffee. Bulls*.)
* CALL APOGEE, SAY AARDWOLF * GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X * Never pay more than 20 bucks for a computer game. * I'm a puny punmaker.
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snorkie wrote:
Starbucks coffee
Oxymoron ;P I kind of like Starbucks, unlike most of italians, but I can usually spot the differences between coffees. Starbucks has the advantage of using ludicrous amount of milk and sweet creams so that every fallacy in the coffee is drown - in fact it doesn't even need to be sugared to be drank comfortably. With real espresso or moka coffee you end up feeling the differences much more markedly, even between different bars that use the same coffee (temperature, grounduing and set pressure of the machine change a lot).
* CALL APOGEE, SAY AARDWOLF * GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X * Never pay more than 20 bucks for a computer game. * I'm a puny punmaker.
den2k88 wrote:
Starbucks has the advantage of using ludicrous amount of milk and sweet creams so that every fallacy in the coffee is drown - in fact it doesn't even need to be sugared to be drank comfortably.
I don't know what's up with British coffee - it always tastes bitter to me. When I go to France, their coffee always tastes so much better - like you say, it's enjoyable even without milk or sugar. Have you come across any coffee in the UK that's anything close to good (like in France)?
Ah, I see you have the machine that goes ping. This is my favorite. You see we lease it back from the company we sold it to and that way it comes under the monthly current budget and not the capital account.
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My coworkers were complaining because we ran out of Starbucks coffee and are now drinking Folgers. I can't taste much of a difference between the two and its free! Personally I would rather be hooked on the cheap stuff anyway!
Hogan
US coffee isnt coffee, it is unpleasantly roasted. Try any southern european coffee (espresso), or Turkish, if you want to taste simply great coffee.
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den2k88 wrote:
Starbucks has the advantage of using ludicrous amount of milk and sweet creams so that every fallacy in the coffee is drown - in fact it doesn't even need to be sugared to be drank comfortably.
I don't know what's up with British coffee - it always tastes bitter to me. When I go to France, their coffee always tastes so much better - like you say, it's enjoyable even without milk or sugar. Have you come across any coffee in the UK that's anything close to good (like in France)?
Ah, I see you have the machine that goes ping. This is my favorite. You see we lease it back from the company we sold it to and that way it comes under the monthly current budget and not the capital account.
Brent Jenkins wrote:
Have you come across any coffee in the UK that's anything close to good (like in France)?
In central London there is Waterstones, an enormous bookshop. It has both a cafè and a restaurant... the cafè makes a passable espresso (but I only took it twice in several years). In the UK I usually binge on Starbucks given that it's an "exotic" experience for people who don't have that shop chain - in fact they're usually chock full of italians :D I was to try "Cafè Nero" but the pastries weren't interesting so I got out and sought a Starbucks. Cafè Costa is good but I only took a cappuccino once and that's very hard to elephant up - it takes an unusual amount of talent to make a bad cappuccino.
* CALL APOGEE, SAY AARDWOLF * GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X * Never pay more than 20 bucks for a computer game. * I'm a puny punmaker.
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US coffee isnt coffee, it is unpleasantly roasted. Try any southern european coffee (espresso), or Turkish, if you want to taste simply great coffee.
Agreed. A good Turkish coffee after lunch really hits the spot!
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack. --Winston Churchill
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Agreed. A good Turkish coffee after lunch really hits the spot!
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack. --Winston Churchill
Havent had one in a while, but they are damned good. :)
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My coworkers were complaining because we ran out of Starbucks coffee and are now drinking Folgers. I can't taste much of a difference between the two and its free! Personally I would rather be hooked on the cheap stuff anyway!
Hogan
My favorite has a bit of a long name, "the one that's on sale".
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment "Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst "I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
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My coworkers were complaining because we ran out of Starbucks coffee and are now drinking Folgers. I can't taste much of a difference between the two and its free! Personally I would rather be hooked on the cheap stuff anyway!
Hogan
As I am wont to say, going to Starbucks for coffee is akin to going to prison for sex. You'll get what you ask for but not what you want!
veni bibi saltavi
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My coworkers were complaining because we ran out of Starbucks coffee and are now drinking Folgers. I can't taste much of a difference between the two and its free! Personally I would rather be hooked on the cheap stuff anyway!
Hogan
To reply to your question, yes I am a coffee snob [passim]. I have a portable espresso machine on my desk and I can have as much real coffee as I want. :java:
veni bibi saltavi
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While the snobs would be able to tell the difference, it would be entertaining to hear them complain, or enlightening if they didn't!
Hogan
That would be a good case study. :-D
Bryian Tan
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Brent Jenkins wrote:
Have you come across any coffee in the UK that's anything close to good (like in France)?
In central London there is Waterstones, an enormous bookshop. It has both a cafè and a restaurant... the cafè makes a passable espresso (but I only took it twice in several years). In the UK I usually binge on Starbucks given that it's an "exotic" experience for people who don't have that shop chain - in fact they're usually chock full of italians :D I was to try "Cafè Nero" but the pastries weren't interesting so I got out and sought a Starbucks. Cafè Costa is good but I only took a cappuccino once and that's very hard to elephant up - it takes an unusual amount of talent to make a bad cappuccino.
* CALL APOGEE, SAY AARDWOLF * GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X * Never pay more than 20 bucks for a computer game. * I'm a puny punmaker.
Thanks for the info.. to be honest I haven't found any UK outlet that comes close to any run-of-the-mill cafe in France. I've recently bought a Tassimo machine which has one or two drinkable capsules (yes, I know!) but it's still not what I'm looking for. I might try another brand, but then it's on to grinding and mixing beans which seems a whole load of hassle I'd hoped to avoid.. :(
Ah, I see you have the machine that goes ping. This is my favorite. You see we lease it back from the company we sold it to and that way it comes under the monthly current budget and not the capital account.
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My coworkers were complaining because we ran out of Starbucks coffee and are now drinking Folgers. I can't taste much of a difference between the two and its free! Personally I would rather be hooked on the cheap stuff anyway!
Hogan
Bottom line - if you wish to skip the read: Coffee Snob works both ways: making Starbucks the whipping boy is as snobby as worshiping the bag it comes in.
Bashing Starbucks is often PC for the right-wing - possibly because they see Starbucks as a left-wing enclave. Then main difference, in the store, is that Starbucks puts much more coffee in their coffee. I'm no coffee gourmet but there is a difference in coffees. I prefer "Latin roast" to standard "American roast", the former is a darker roast. Other people don't like the acidity that increases with the darker roasting. A lot of time it's just what they're used to, or getting on the band-wagon with those around them. They actually do Folgers where I am, now. I donated a bag of Cafe Caribe, which actually cost less, and everyone loved it. Still, it's back to Foglers because they bought a lot. Starbucks (or any other coffee), if brewed out-of-the-store, will be better or worse more on your technique then the coffee, itself. I was quite OK with the Folgers when they finally put in enough coffee so it didn't taste watery. None-the-less, there are serious taste differences in coffee. For a Starbucks type, for example, I like the "Sumatra" type - but there are others types because other people like others better. Some I don't like at all. As I said - I am no coffee - and am glad of it, so I can be content with anything that's strong enough (and not made from rancid beans). If the coffee's a bit unsavory - there are extremes in all things, I can drop some Star Anise into the pot and it will soon be rich and mellow. The Star Anise is reusable, too, for quite a few pots of coffee (works better after the first). So - really - my coffee taste is rich and mellow. I don't need to put a brand name on that to love it or hate it. That would be a real waste.
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010
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Thanks for the info.. to be honest I haven't found any UK outlet that comes close to any run-of-the-mill cafe in France. I've recently bought a Tassimo machine which has one or two drinkable capsules (yes, I know!) but it's still not what I'm looking for. I might try another brand, but then it's on to grinding and mixing beans which seems a whole load of hassle I'd hoped to avoid.. :(
Ah, I see you have the machine that goes ping. This is my favorite. You see we lease it back from the company we sold it to and that way it comes under the monthly current budget and not the capital account.
If you can find Lavazza coffee (I saw it sold in several markets, but outside of central London) and a decent moka you can rest assured of a good coffee. It's a bit costly Lavazza in the UK (2.75 3.85£/250gr pack, almost double what we pay here) but in line with the prices of food with respect to ours. I use capsules too (Nespresso), for when I forgot or couldn't prepare the moka coffee. I shave the wake-car time pretty badly so I don't have more than a couple of minutes to spare. I like only a few of them but in the morning it's survival - real survival, I wouldn't dream of driving while not a 100% efficiency.
* CALL APOGEE, SAY AARDWOLF * GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X * Never pay more than 20 bucks for a computer game. * I'm a puny punmaker.
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If you can find Lavazza coffee (I saw it sold in several markets, but outside of central London) and a decent moka you can rest assured of a good coffee. It's a bit costly Lavazza in the UK (2.75 3.85£/250gr pack, almost double what we pay here) but in line with the prices of food with respect to ours. I use capsules too (Nespresso), for when I forgot or couldn't prepare the moka coffee. I shave the wake-car time pretty badly so I don't have more than a couple of minutes to spare. I like only a few of them but in the morning it's survival - real survival, I wouldn't dream of driving while not a 100% efficiency.
* CALL APOGEE, SAY AARDWOLF * GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X * Never pay more than 20 bucks for a computer game. * I'm a puny punmaker.
I bought a bean to cup machine and buy the Lavazza beans from Costco. Coffee is fantastic.