Coffee time

[Brent in Az]

Dude, she was flirting with you

LOL...If that was the case, I should have pulled down my face covering, and shown her that I was old enough to be her Daddy.

 

[fourfive8]

Good coffee?... well you’ll know it when you taste it... if you are a true coffeeholic. Even in countries that grow and produce some of the best coffees in the world, many times if you simply request coffee, the server will automatically bring some form of instant... like 3in1 Usually in Africa and many other places, asking for filter coffee conveys the correct idea.

Been a coffeeholic for at least 65 years but wasn’t until the last 15-20 years that I’ve been exposed to really good coffee prepared the right way for my taste. Has to be fairly strong but without bitter bite. Not too hot but not luke warm either. Can’t do odd flavors or odd “non coffee” slants like French roast or chicory or hazelnut, etc. Just serve mine plenty warm but not too hot to the touch and black- no cream or sugar. Once in a while I like a double shot of espresso in small cup with dab of heavy cream on top- almost like a dessert after a meal. As posted earlier and after searching my memory banks again, I’ll still rank the best I’ve had as a few of the nondescript local types from Zambia and Zimbabwe. Some of the lndonesia/Sumatra coffees are very good but for some reason seem to be inconsistent?
Sip up!

 

[IvW]

I think I will stay away from sh.t produced coffee thx....

 

[Adrian]

Let's be honest, you taste anything that has come out of the arse of an animal and it's going to taste like shit.

I love coffee but one thing that annoys me is when I order a black coffee and some kid, with layers of foundation to cover her spots, weird eyebrows and funny pouting lips says:

"Do you mean an Americano?"

"Er.. no love, I meant a black coffee, coffee without milk."

"Yes, an Americano."

"No, a BLACK coffee."

"We call it an Americano."

"I call it a black coffee. I have always called it a black coffee. Coffee without milk is a black coffee and has been for generations. Your generation have been brainwashed into calling it an Americano and are scared of the word 'black'."

I am usually left to order coffee by myself..........

 

[Justbryan]

"I call it a black coffee. I have always called it a black coffee. Coffee without milk is a black coffee and has been for generations. Your generation have been brainwashed into calling it an Americano and are scared of the word 'black'."

There is a difference in "black coffee" and "Americano". Usually when people order black coffee it is not espresso (fine ground) but coarse ground brewed or percolated coffee. An Americano is espresso shots with hot water added. This is a european adaptation to be similar to black coffee in America. If the coffee is from a barista then it is not really "black coffee."

Starbucks and other european style coffee establishments don't really serve "black coffee." So, order your black coffee but not at Starbucks. And they do not taste the same. I hate Americanos, taste like arse coffee to me.

 

[Spooksar]

I love a great cup or two of dark black coffee in the morning especially while watching the sun rise where ever I may be. One of the best coffees I've had was in Costa Rica in the back room of some roadside curio shop, small batch, hand ground local peabean coffee beans done in a french press, it was absolutely amazing. There is also an outfit here in northern Alberta that makes a great smoke roasted coffee that is pretty good.

Yes Old Smokes coffee is very good

 

[WAB]

There is a difference in "black coffee" and "Americano". Usually when people order black coffee it is not espresso (fine ground) but coarse ground brewed or percolated coffee. An Americano is espresso shots with hot water added. This is a european adaptation to be similar to black coffee in America. If the coffee is from a barista then it is not really "black coffee."

Starbucks and other european style coffee establishments don't really serve "black coffee." So, order your black coffee but not at Starbucks. And they do not taste the same. I hate Americanos, taste like arse coffee to me.

Starbucks does make black coffee, they call it brew, and like all of their drinks, it is not very good!

 

[Wheels]

I thought it would be neat to grow my own coffee. I bought a few varieties of Arabica plants from some friends and one variety of Robusta. The Robusta plants died. The Arabica that would grow in our soil, at our altitude and latitude were all very mild flavored. It was neat to say that I grew this coffee, even though it wasn't a coffee I cared that much for. Friends probably didn't care much for it either. They were just too polite to say anything.

As a hobby, the guys didn't maintain the plants well when I was away and eventually they died.

Now when I visit Tanzania I will have a friend bring me 5 kilos of roasted beans to return home with. The coffee is milder than I prefer but better than I produced. There is something special about drinking coffee a friend grew, even if it doesn't appeal to the palate the way other coffee does.

 

[Wheels]

A number of countries in Africa produce good coffee.

When ordering coffee it is often good to request the local coffee. Restaurants/cafes think they are doing you a favor by bringing Nescafe instant coffee, even in locations coffee plants are visible from the restaurant.

 

[Tra3]

In the last few years I’ve tried pan roasting green coffee beans. They are more available now at different coffee shops or even the grocery store. It takes a while to pan roast (think sautéed) and one has to be careful not to burn the beans. It makes for a good experiment to pull small amounts out of the pan at different levels of brown and then do a taste test. I agree it is harder to make a good medium/light roast.

From roasting my own I primarily learned that it is best to let an expert do it. But it was absolutely worth it to learn about the process.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

I have just discovered a new Zim brand, 'Bhinzi', from the Honde Valley. They give 10% of turnover to the Save Valley Conservancy, so the heart is in the right place. It is a darker roast, but not too dark. Flavour has a lot of Cuban cigar, with an after taste of caramel popcorn. Well after is dry kudu biltong. I make that the 7th commercial coffee brand locally and they all seem a little different.

 

[Ray B]

i avoid Starbucks like the plague, which since I've only been a somewhat regular coffee drinker for about a year, it has been easy. About a year ago we got a Keurig coffee machine and have gone through a few of the variety boxes. Of the flavors I find I prefer Caribou, though I don't know where it's from and Pacific dark- which may be from Hawaii. If I feel energetic I have a bag of Kirkland beans of Colombia which I use a high speed blade to "grind" the beans. It makes for a dark cup of coffee and since I'm not a professional coffee drinker it suits me.

 

[mark-hunter]

I have all fancy coffee machines at home (for purpose of collecting dust, or quick coffee for guests)

But - this is how I make coffee every morning. Photo attached below.
Pot of water, 2 spoons of sugar, when water is boiling, adding 4 spoons of fresh grinned coffee.
Stir with spoon, put back on heater.
Make it three consecutive times to boil again, moving from heater (or flame) each time when is about to overflow.
I drink hot, with few drops of milk.

Although commonly known as "Turkish coffee", this above, it is not.

Turkish coffee is made without sugar, in identical coffee pot, served in small mugs without sugar.
Sugar is served separately in cubes.
No milk.
It may be consumed by dipping the cubes in coffee, and consume coffee soaked sugar as it is. The point is slow enjoying the taste enriched with sugar flavor.. Photo from internet

 

[CBH Australia]

Well I start every morning with a cup of instant. Generally a premium brand the cheapest stuff tastes like dishwater. In Australia Moccona is decent and some others too.
I enjoy a flat white as a treat or when I travel.
I'm happy to try the others as a treat.
The poop coffee, I had only heard of the Cat one! Googled that to find Civet coffee bit now elephants and other animals are exploited for turds and profits.
I would try them but I doubt I would see the value at those prices.
But Coffee is important and Kevin starts the most interesting threads.

 

[Tra3]

@Kevin Peacocke how do you prepare it? French press, drip, stovetop espresso?
@mark-hunter do you use an ultra fine grind? (Practically dust) do you make it in the same bronze jar? (Beautiful set by the way).

 

[mark-hunter]

@Tra3
Good question!
As fine coffee grind as possible should be used.

The grinder, hand made as well.
In the old day, the coffee was grinned by hand grinder, bronze. Just before making coffee, to have maximum flavor.

(Remember: even in good restaurants even salt and pepper are served with small grinder to improve the flavor with spice fresh grind)

And It should be grinned by hand. So coffee grinding, and than coffee making should complete, a full almost religious ritual. next photo, from internet.

My Bronze Jar is the same as on the photo. (photo from internet)

I have also modern stainless jars, which I never use... for me...

Properly served it will be on lower wooden chairs and table. (next photo, also from internet)

The background story:
The same bronze jar that I use is actually souvenir from Baščaršija square in the city of Sarajevo, Bosnia.
I was there, visiting as tourist with family few years ago. Since then, unless I have urgent need for guests at home, I never use any modern coffee set.

FYI Baščaršija (Cyrillic script: Башчаршија; pronounced [baʃ.tʃǎr.ʃi.ja])

Baščaršija - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

There are small shops in the square where they make these traditional Turkish jars just as on the photo.
This is local tradition for centuries since Ottoman times. In local coffee shops the coffee is served exactly the same way it was served hundreds years ago. (with sugar cubes separate, and few sweets.

Most probably most known historic event in Sarajevo is assassination of archduke Ferdinand, which triggered the first world war.

The city of Sarajevo in Bosnia is rich in history, but also today is modern multicultural town, worth visiting. Rebuilt after the recent war, with many museums, local attractions, of which Bascarsia square is the first to see.

Anyway, back to coffee.
Visiting the city is worthy, and souvenirs recommended are coffee set and hand coffee grinder hand made of bronze.

 

[Red Leg]

I should start with the worst coffee in the world. It is typically found in two places.

Most of us are introduced to the first early in our military careers. It is the pot of sludge steaming for hours and hours somewhere in the staff duty officer's post on every US military installation on the planet. Every night young Lieutenants and their equally miserable staff duty NCO count the minutes and hours almost hoping the phone will ring bringing news of some catastrophe. Only the "coffee" keeps them going.

But the worst is that found in an operations center in the field. There a generator provides uncertain heating to a silver two or three gallon pot with a black plastic spigot on the front. It percolates for days and at any given time, someone has a MRE packet heating pressed on top of the grounds. Somewhere around three in the morning a mysterious sweaty condensation typically breaks out on the surface of the urn. Truly nasty stuff.

Here in Texas, a lot of folks still make cowboy coffee. An enameled pot is used that is never ever washed. It gradually develops a thick coat of coffee residue. The grounds are dumped directly into the water and everything brought to a roaring boil before being allowed to settle. The last couple of cups need to be filtered between the teeth.

I am a fan of French roasts, and have never really been disappointed in France or where French culture prevails.

I truly hate the light cardamom flavored coffee of the Arab Peninsula. In part, it is because I was typically sipping the stuff while engaged in some endless meeting trying to pin down a counterpart who found things like a schedule or commitment culturally repellent.

We love Italy, but cafe Americano is a miserable excuse for a cup of rich black coffee. It is honest however, and tastes exactly like what it is - diluted expresso.

Spain has wonderful coffee.

Some of the best, and some of the best coffee shops in which to drink it are found in Germany and particularly, Austria.

I agree with the other observations about Brazil. But, they are, after all, victims of Portuguese rather than the beneficiaries of Spanish cultural influence. As noted above, Spain has wonderful coffee and so does everywhere else I have been south of the Rio Grand that wasn't called Brazil.

No one seems to have mentioned the UK. In my experience, the coffee I have been served in the UK matched perfectly the general world renowned quality of English cuisine as a whole.

 

[sgt_zim]

it was on a business trip to Quito, Ecuador 20+ years ago where I learned what good coffee tasted like, actually started drinking black coffee on that trip. Don't even remember the flavor profile anymore, just remember that it was absolutely butter-smooth.

 

[sgt_zim]

Here in Texas, a lot of folks still make cowboy coffee. An enameled pot is used that is never ever washed. It gradually develops a thick coat of coffee residue. The grounds are dumped directly into the water and everything brought to a roaring boil before being allowed to settle. The last couple of cups need to be filtered between the teeth.

I have an 8-cup enamel pot, and just ordered this week a 20-cup pot.

You can use any coffee you like, but start with 1/4 cup of ground coffee per quart of water. get a rolling boil going for 4 minutes, then turn the heat down, use a little bit of cold water in the spout and around the edges to settle the grounds.

 

[Red Leg]

I have an 8-cup enamel pot, and just ordered this week a 20-cup pot.

You can use any coffee you like, but start with 1/4 cup of ground coffee per quart of water. get a rolling boil going for 4 minutes, then turn the heat down, use a little bit of cold water in the spout and around the edges to settle the grounds.

Exactly!