To Brew or Not to Brew.. that is the question!

[Ishbel]

The OP lives in England.

 

[urmaniac13]

Don't be so sure they don't have a Starbucks in NE England, either. There are 3 or 4 in Edinburgh... The company's plan for world domination continues apace.... It is their proud aim to be able to stand at the doorway of any branch and be able to see the NEXT starbucks from that reccy point

Well I can rest assured pretty much they will never dominate Italy... Italians love their coffees and they would never accept that stuff I am fairly sure!
Probably the same goes with France and their people too

 

[Ishbel]

GOOD!!!!!

I tend to use our local, third generation (in some cases) Italian cafes for takeaway coffee. Much, much better than that over-sweetened, flavoured stuff.

Mind you, we can't blame it all on Starbucks... we now have our own chains such as Costa and others, doing almost the same products as Starbucks

 

[Chef_Jen]

Well firstly no to sysco.. ive used them for years back in canada...

I buy a very nice coffee here.. and i would NEVER put starbucks onmy window firstly id have to pay them secondly its not something id be proud of. I live in a smalllllll village and local produce etc is a big thing. I dont think any one would appreciate on the estates oldest house some advertisment for starbucks!

I have some flavoured coffess columbian Kenco etc. The quality of the coffee is nice. I think this guy just didnt wanna press the plunger down which is my favourite part lol

When i was in italy i brought home some nice beans and my friends in naples send them to me when i need them

 

[Gretchen]

I think flavored coffees are nasty. I particularly dislike them for breakfast. I love coffee very strong and black. I love espresso. That said, Starbucks often makes their robust roasts such that they taste burnt. That is not a good thing in coffee.
If the original poster wants a quality coffee that is lucious I recommend Cafe Britt from Costa Rica. It is organically grown and the absolute smoothest coffee (read--not acid) I have ever had. Online availability.

 

[rdcast]

Well I can rest assured pretty much they will never dominate Italy... Italians love their coffees and they would never accept that stuff I am fairly sure!
Probably the same goes with France and their people too

Well, the US loves their coffee as well, so don't be a snob. And that "stuff " you speak of is just the best the planet has to offer, so yea, deal with it! And Fance isn't even worth mentioning anymore.

And for anyone who thinks black coffee is the connoisseurs choice needs their head examined. I've heard this and from my sister all my life and it's unadulterated nonsense!​

 

[urmaniac13]

Well, the US loves their coffee as well, so don't be a snob. And that "stuff " you speak of is just the best the planet has to offer, so yea, deal with it! And Fance isn't even worth mentioning anymore.

​

Excuse me if I appeared to you as being a snob, I just wanted to express the passion the Italian people have for coffees.

As for what is the best on the planet, it depends on the opinion of the individual, maybe to you it is the Starbucks products, if so, that is accepted, however the same point of view may not apply to the whole population of the planet earth.

 

[rdcast]

Excuse me if I appeared to you as being a snob, I just wanted to express the passion the Italian people have for coffees.

As for what is the best on the planet, it depends on the opinion of the individual, maybe to you it is the Starbucks products, if so, that is accepted, however the same point of view may not apply to the whole population of the planet earth.

If it's good then the US has it. For instance, pizza used to belong to Italy but now we own it, French fries are now freedom fries and we bought Chicken Kiev during the chernobyl disaster.

I only call people snobs to see what they're like and I like you.
Italian and French cuisine are among my most favorites. The world owes a debt of gratitude to them both.

And congratulations on th world cup by a head butt.

 

[Ishbel]

Well, the US loves their coffee as well, so don't be a snob. And that "stuff " you speak of is just the best the planet has to offer, so yea, deal with it! And Fance isn't even worth mentioning anymore.

​

And for anyone who thinks black coffee is the connoisseurs choice needs their head examined. I've heard this and from my sister all my life and it's unadulterated nonsense!​

Politeness costs nothing. As for your comments re France and Italy. Have you visited EITHER place?

 

[GB]

OK everyone. This thread has seriously strayed from the original topic. What do you say we all agree to disagree and get back on topic?

Thank you!

 

[rdcast]

Politeness costs nothing. As for your comments re France and Italy. Have you visited EITHER place?

I knew I would pay for that, but I'm not very politically correct, in fact I'm often quite stupid.

So now I must apologize Will you forgive me urmaniac13 and Ishbel ?

Yes GB, but first I must make amends. I have hurt the sensibilities of others for which I am sorry. Besides, this thread has long since been exhausted I would hope.
*pours another cup of Maxwell House and adds hazelnut cream and Splenda*
Please don't be mad at me cause if you're mad at me now you will hate me later, lol

All the best,
Robert

 

[Harborwitch]

Sorry to come into this so late. Jen I'm sure Mr.Koffee more than likely had never seen a French Press coffee maker. We used to have one on the boat that we loved, it was an insulated press and kept the coffee hot for a long time.

The grounds might have been too finely ground - French Press needs a coarser grind. A burr grinder will make all the difference in the world, we were surprised at how much better the coffee tastes when ground in a burr grinder. We wemt through several before we found one that we absolutely love, it's manufactured by Solis.

Bob and I are coffee idiots. GB we agree, Starbucks coffee tastes burnt. We got so tired of trying to find decent beans that we got a roaster and started buying green beans and roasting them to our taste. Some coffees taste better at a lighter roast, some taste better at a darker roast. It has been a wonderful experience. Papua New Guinea is wonderful coffee. Lately we've been hooked on a coffee from Zambia that is everything coffee should be.

A side benefit of this is that we seldom pay more that $5.00 a pound for green beans. Although I did order some beans this time that were 15.60 a pound and there was a two pound limit.

We donated our Cuisinart coffee maker to the office. It just does not get the water hot enough to make a good cup of coffee. We reverted to our Chemex, and we bought an insulated carafe to hold the coffee - of course we don't make a full 12 cup pot, just what we'll drink in a short period of time.

 

[pdswife]

Mean people suck.. ...

( and... lol... I love starbucks, I have too... I live in Seattle. It's the LAW)

 

[karadekoolaid]

Well I'll just weigh in with another thought.
When I was young, I swore by Maxwell House.
THEN I discovered Gold Blend.
THEN I discovered real Colombian Coffee...mmmm
THEN I went to Italy and to Greece and tasted two cups of coffee which will stick in my mind until the day I die...
THEN I married a Venezuelan and the coffee here is way, way, way superior to..., well, Maxwell House.Or Starbucks. Or Colombian. Or Italian.

That's it. That's the definitive answer!

( Just a minute. Many of the coffee companies here are Italian. Whoops...)

 

[buckytom]

ok, more evidence that no matter where italians go, they bring a passion and expertise to their food and drink that betters us all.

i am not a coffee drinker, but dw is. she must drink 8 or 10 cups a day. even tho we can get quality coffee from anywhere in the world, she prefers dunkin donuts blend. i've bought her everything from blue mountain, to kenyan aa, to kona and beyond. but she still likes ol' drunken donuts.

anyone ever try kopi luwak? a coffee from indonesia, it is "processed" by small marsupials that do not actually digest the beans. enzymes in their stomachs aid in slight fermentation of the beans, which in turns flavors them.

as far as the rude guest, well, everyone has a bad day now and then. judge not, lest ye be judged.

 

[Harborwitch]

Clive I just checked SweetMarias website - there are no green beans from your neck of the woods Hmmmmmmmm. Bummer. Right now I'm enjoying a wonderful Sumatra Iskandar. Yummmy stuff it is. Our next roast is going to be a Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Gesha. @ 15.60 a pound it's the most we've paid for green beans - but the description had us drooling before the maillady had delivered it.

 

[kitchenelf]

Chef Jen - I think it's VERY classy to serve it the way you did. I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this but did the guy let his coffee steep long enough? One place I go to has little 3-minute hour glasses they set down beside each FP.

 

[karadekoolaid]

Clive I just checked SweetMarias website - there are no green beans from your neck of the woods

Ah, there's a small drawback - little, if any, Venezuelan coffee is exported.

Never mind. Next time I'm in the States, I'm going to pile a pallet 10 mts high with the stuff and GIVE it away!!

 

[expatgirl]

You mean there is none of that green stuff for you to garnish?????

 

[expatgirl]

ingnore this post--it was meant for somewhere else--how it got here I don't know except that my fingers have a tendency to drag on the keys (my biggest problem) but Toto and I apologize---computer idiot in the land of OZ--ha!!!