Coffee

[Roger_P]

I used to live about 200m from the Bettys bakery / Taylors coffee factory site in Harrogate.

When the wind was in the right direction, the smell of fresh roasdting coffee beans and baking bread was fantastic.

Starbeck???

Bettys is a very nice institution, but you sometimes wonder where you get their prices from? Although, come rain or shine they are still queueing out the door for a cup of tea and a slice of cake!

 

[theboy]

Illy is good stuff, I have had to cut down recently though to two or three double shots a day, it was making my stomach go a bit, er, wrong. You need to treat coffee with care though, look after it, dont do the Starbucks thing of diluting one or two shots of coffee with 2 and a half litres of milk, a cappuccino should be 2 shots of coffee, the same amount of hot milk, and then topped up with frothy milk, not the nasty weak way most places do it.

Having a 2 grand coffee machine at work has its advantages for those of us who enjoy a nice coffee (not that I would ever use it for personal use of course!)

 

[doctor-bond]

Everyday at home: Lavazza (red, or gold when its on offer through a stove top espresso machine.)

Special at home: home roast green Yemeni beans [internet]. Superb.

Everyday at work: AMT cappuccino with an extra shot.

Special at work: Monmouth coffe co @ Borough Mkt: proper cappuccino with not too much milk. Never bettered, and superb with a slice of banana bread from the bakers over the way.

 

[shovelon]

At the risk of sound ultra liberal and hoity, on the drive in I treat myself to a Starbucks Sumatra with a dash of half and half.

For the rest of the week I cherish my instant NesCafe Classico, with a dash of 1% and a stevia single.

Tip o' the day - Nescafe classico instant is recommended by sauciers to darken and texture gravies, curries, whatever. Learned that by my Socialist/liberal inlaws. Almost made me give it up. :roll:

 

[dbmtb]

You shouldn't have started this thread.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_roasting_coffee
http://www.homeroasters.org/why.htm

I haven't bought roasted beans for a couple of years now. I roast a new batch every five days or so in one of these...
http://coffeegeek.com/proreviews/firstlook/iroast2

Swear by a couple of espresso blends from local suppliers in copenhagen.

But otherwise in the french press, very fond of Kenya Estate A+++ and Ethiopia Wild Grown Bonga forest.

 

[drystonepaul]

It's hard to get a decent cup of coffee in this country. I used to work as a Barista and got some decent training but the majority of coffee houses employ staff and either don't or don't know how to train them to make a decent coffee. The majority of espresso machines are badly maintained and badly set up and end up scorching the grind or extracting for too little or too much time. And don't get me started on some people's interpretation of steamed milk!
And Starbucks has to be the worst offender.

If your making your own then get a caffetiere and something like Costa Rican Terrazu or Kenyan AA beans. Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge and grind them as needed.
Once it's poured you need to leave it in the cup for a few minutes before drinking for the best flavour.

Oh and it has to be black...

 

[mrw_y2k]

Illy espresso cooked up in my Bugatti (Vulcano, that is... )

 

[grahame]

I used to live about 200m from the Bettys bakery / Taylors coffee factory site in Harrogate.

When the wind was in the right direction, the smell of fresh roasdting coffee beans and baking bread was fantastic.

Starbeck???

Bettys is a very nice institution, but you sometimes wonder where you get their prices from? Although, come rain or shine they are still queueing out the door for a cup of tea and a slice of cake!

Starbeck? Aye (or as we used to jokingly say "St. Arbey") - the "new" estate beside Morrisons.

They make their prices up to gain the4 maximum profit - that people are still queueing out the door means they still have some room to raise them higher...

Ah, tourists. The lifeblood of Hairygate.

 

[legrandefromage]

Cant remember the brand but it was 'lazy sunday'.

We've just run out after the last foil packet was opened - 'best before August 2003'

They sponsered one of the book fares at Houghton Mill. I was given a box load. My mate still has loads left.

 

[P20]

You shouldn't have started this thread.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_roasting_coffee
http://www.homeroasters.org/why.htm

I haven't bought roasted beans for a couple of years now. I roast a new batch every five days or so in one of these...
http://coffeegeek.com/proreviews/firstlook/iroast2

Swear by a couple of espresso blends from local suppliers in copenhagen.

But otherwise in the french press, very fond of Kenya Estate A+++ and Ethiopia Wild Grown Bonga forest.

Now there's some reading