Espresso Enthusiasts

[Scepticalscribe]

You added sugar ?

Just teasing. I do espresso before running or cycling, but when I go to the gym, I'll sometimes have espresso with brown sugar to get an extra boost.

To Starbuck's espresso? Absolutely. Yes, I added sugar. Brown sugar, and lots of it.

That early in the morning, I want to be awakened, and I want energy.

And no, gyms, no gyms whatsoever - the forum software thought I wished to write 'guns' - or 'hymns';- hm, or running or cycling - but, if I am in a hurry, that is, a mental hurry - organising stuff to talk about or write about in my head - the kind of mental hurry that also requires my physical presence as in needing to be somewhere by sometime: That means facing impossible deadlines, lectures, briefings, meetings, trains, buses, planes,.....well, breakfast is hassle.

Actually, in such circumstances, breakfast is often liquid - juice and coffee. Maybe kefir if I can lay hands on some.

 

[arkitect]

I accept my pleb status in this forum (and I don't care )

Sign me up for pleb status as well.

And just to confirm how déclassé I really am… here's a pic to prove.

Waitrose Gold Blend Instant (yes, calm down!) a splash of cream… does me fine.

If I need "fine" coffee I go out. Luckily Bath has a few reasonable places. Cafe Society, Colonna & Small's etc… in a pinch I prefer Caffe Nero over Starbucks. Comfier seats.

I just never "get" coffee… a bit like angels on a head of a pin methinks.

Same with wine. I have friends who can ooh and aahh… and I'm sitting there thinking:" Plums? Cherries?" Ooookay. Old sock more like. Which is curious as a part of my income is derived from the wine industry.

But with that said, I admire the enjoyment and enthusiasm you all find. So I will lift my mug and drink your good health and long may you enjoy your chosen elixir.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

@arkitect Fortunately for us, my friend, this thread is called Espresso Enthusiasts, not connoisseurs.

I'm content not being a connoisseur. Passions for coffee and wine can become very expensive and time consuming. When I read what @Shrink (and others) do to prepare each shot of espresso I am bewildered. It sounds to me like a 10 minute effort, for a 40-80ml drink that will be consumed in 60-90 seconds, with 5 minutes of cleaning up to follow. I admire their passion, but I have other priorities at the moment.

Mrs Kenobi and I went to a wine tasting session on Monday night. There wasn't much discussion of tasting notes for each wine, but there was a talk on the history of each wine and the region. As we tried each one (on our table) we gave each one a score out of 10. After the tasting was complete we were told the prices. I proved once again that I am a cheap date, with the exception of one wine. It was a cabernet sauvignon. Normally I don't like cabernet sauvignons, they are cheap 'filler' grapes used to bulk out bottles, in my view. But this one was quite different. It was marvellous. It was also £45 per bottle + VAT. That's a little pricey for 1 bottle, to my mind. For special occasions I might consider it. But ultimately it is about what you like. And I am quite happy being satisfied with affordable wines.

And as for coffee: I like Starbucks. I like Nespresso. It makes me happy.

Enjoy your Gold Blend, my friend.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Sign me up for pleb status as well.

And just to confirm how déclassé I really am… here's a pic to prove.

Waitrose Gold Blend Instant (yes, calm down!) a splash of cream… does me fine.
View attachment 672917
If I need "fine" coffee I go out. Luckily Bath has a few reasonable places. Cafe Society, Colonna & Small's etc… in a pinch I prefer Caffe Nero over Starbucks. Comfier seats.

I just never "get" coffee… a bit like angels on a head of a pin methinks.

Same with wine. I have friends who can ooh and aahh… and I'm sitting there thinking:" Plums? Cherries?" Ooookay. Old sock more like. Which is curious as a part of my income is derived from the wine industry.

But with that said, I admire the enjoyment and enthusiasm you all find. So I will lift my mug and drink your good health and long may you enjoy your chosen elixir.

Even as a kid, I couldn't stand instant coffee.

As an undergrad, (and that is some years ago) I was one of only two people I knew at university (the other was a gay man, we were both writers on the best of the student magazines) who used to serve real coffee in pots when friends came calling.

So, I will never not drink 'real' coffee, and will always refuse instant - I'll take mineral water instead if that is all on offer.

Mind you, I don't 'get' "decaff" either - I like the caffeine, and I like the taste.

For years, I loathed tea, but in Asia - as with coffee - I found that if you drink the good stuff, that can actually be quite nice.

@arkitect Fortunately for us, my friend, this thread is called Espresso Enthusiasts, not connoisseurs.

I'm content not being a connoisseur. Passions for coffee and wine can become very expensive and time consuming. When I read what @Shrink (and others) do to prepare each shot of espresso I am bewildered. It sounds to me like a 10 minute effort, for a 40-80ml drink that will be consumed in 60-90 seconds, with 5 minutes of cleaning up to follow. I admire their passion, but I have other priorities at the moment.

Mrs Kenobi and I went to a wine tasting session on Monday night. There wasn't much discussion of tasting notes for each wine, but there was a talk on the history of each wine and the region. As we tried each one (on our table) we gave each one a score out of 10. After the tasting was complete we were told the prices. I proved once again that I am a cheap date, with the exception of one wine. It was a cabernet sauvignon. Normally I don't like cabernet sauvignons, they are cheap 'filler' grapes used to bulk out bottles, in my view. But this one was quite different. It was marvellous. It was also £45 per bottle + VAT. That's a little pricey for 1 bottle, to my mind. For special occasions I might consider it. But ultimately it is about what you like. And I am quite happy being satisfied with affordable wines.

And as for coffee: I like Starbucks. I like Nespresso. It makes me happy.

Enjoy your Gold Blend, my friend.

Sorry, guys.

Most - not all - cheap wines - are pretty poor.

My palate is ruined, because my taste buds seem to know the difference. I'm that person at the tasting that tends to know the difference between exceedingly good (which often, though not always, equates to rather pricey), and mediocre. Sometimes, you will come across a undiscovered gem that is pretty reasonably priced.

Re Cabernet Sauvignon, if it is made to work, and grown carefully (with an emphasis on quality not yield) it can make some very good wines.

Besides, it is brilliant as a blend (not as a bulk) with sharper, tannic, temperamental - basically high maintenance - grapes. It mellows and tempers them, giving the wine a soft, luscious body, while allowing their barbed character to come through sufficiently to give the wine a particular profile on the palate.

 

[arkitect]

Edit.
Oh, never mind.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Edit.
Oh, never mind.

What were you about to say?

By my right hand sits a mug (Le Creuset, burnt volcanic orange) with freshly made Ethiopian coffee. Hot and quite lovely.
[doublepost=1479383797][/doublepost]I need more coffee.

Time, then, to make another cup.....

 

[mobilehaathi]

Ah, well it really doesn't take so long to pull a shot or brew a fresh cup, but I certainly appreciate the lack of desire to get too involved preparing something in the wee hours of the morning.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Ah, well it really doesn't take so long to pull a shot or brew a fresh cup, but I certainly appreciate the lack of desire to get too involved preparing something in the wee hours of the morning.

Not just lack of desire, but lack of available mental bandwidth (to use a tech forum appropriate metaphor).

When responsible for organising the lives of others (which is not something I would ever have chosen to do as a career, or profession - this is not my default setting), and also responsible for getting myself out properly prepared (which only happens after everything else has been attended to) - is everything I need in my briefcase? (MBA, iPod, headphones, chargers, pens, notebooks), plus everything necessary in an overnight bag, plus making sure that I have everything I need from a sartorial perspective - business casual - i.e. smart jacket, or pantsuit - plus taxi, wallet, spare glasses, - I do not have the time to spend endless ages making coffee.

Coffee prepared with a Hario dripper is as far as I am prepared (or able) to go on the mornings I have to dash out early.

Those with house elves, servile spouses, Nubian slaves, adoring acolytes, don't face these problems.

In truth, in the days, when I wasn't responsible for the lives of others, getting myself out in one piece was far less of a problem.

These days, I am sometimes tempted to forget my phone - and, when I head into the city for an hour or so, I very often do.

 

[mobilehaathi]

Hehe, I still think the complexity and length of the process is being a bit exaggerated.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Hehe, I still think the complexity and length of the process is being a bit exaggerated.

No, it's not.

And mornings - especially winter mornings. Cold, wet, miserable, dark, sleeting.

Good grief - summoning up the willpower to leave a bed on such a morning, - makes one think longingly of hibernation. And March.

It is at a stage where attending briefings with stunned and almost apocalyptic visions of the future, or working in war zones, is a lot less stressful - actually, it is a release, a break, a holiday - I am bursting with irrepressible good humour when abroad, or attending seminars about possible dystopian universes - than being responsible for - as women so often are - the lives of others.

A Hario dripper for my coffee is about the best I can manage when scrambling in the morning.

As for making coffee in my French Press coffee pot: Guests, and plenty of (hassle free - multi-tasking is not my forte, either) time, are core requirements for that.

And these are the easy ways of making coffee.

In Kabul, yes, I made French Press coffee quite frequently.

But never early in the morning. It was either a late morning, or a late afternoon event, one for a day when I had at least an hour to spare, and wished to chat with, and treat colleagues.

 

[mobilehaathi]

The roasting, yes, that's fairly time consuming. But the rest of it...eh, doesn't seem to take much more time then when I visit people with drip machines. The espresso machine requires a bit of maintenance, but who would do that in the morning before heading out for the day? Pulling a shot actually goes far faster than doing a pour over, anyway.

Well, I'm hardly the sort of fellow who insists on people agreeing with me.

Looks like the batteries ejected their innards all over my scale. I'll have to replace it, damn. I was going to work at home today and roast another batch around lunchtime.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

The roasting, yes, that's fairly time consuming. But the rest of it...eh, doesn't seem to take much more time then when I visit people with drip machines. The espresso machine requires a bit of maintenance, but who would do that in the morning before heading out for the day? Pulling a shot actually goes far faster than doing a pour over, anyway.

Well, I'm hardly the sort of fellow who insists on people agreeing with me.

Looks like the batteries ejected their innards all over my scale. I'll have to replace it, damn. I was going to work at home today and roast another batch around lunchtime.

Yes, but I don't actually have an espresso machine (though that may change in the future).

In the morning, I don't want to have to do anything that requires thinking, or decisions, especially if I have to focus on something else. Instead, I want to be able to operate on automatic pilot.

Best of all are hotels, where everything is handed to you (and I love staying in a good hotel); unfortunately - and yes, even in the morning my grouchy palate can tell the difference - very often, their coffee is absolutely, eminently forgettably, atrocious.

 

[mobilehaathi]

Ah, well, I've also never been particularly comfortable with people serving me either.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Ah, well, I've also never been particularly comfortable with people serving me either.

Ah, well, yes.

Mind you, many mornings, I dash out with simply mineral water, and wait until I arrive at the train station for a shot of coffee; sometimes - and sometimes, and this happens, too - the coffee shop in the train station has been closed.

 

[S.B.G]

Someone used the "i" word again...

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Someone used the "i" word again...

Yes.

I noticed.

And - not only that - but it seems that they failed to see the word "enthusiasts" in the thread title, a word, which, I would have thought, might have suggested to anyone contemplating dropping to take a look around, that here dwell those who take their coffee very, very, very seriously indeed, who are, shall we say, somewhat "enthusiastic" about coffee, espresso and related matters.

 

[mobilehaathi]

Yes.

I noticed.

And - not only that - but it seems that they failed to see the word "enthusiasts" in the thread title, a word, which, I would have thought, might have suggested to anyone contemplating dropping to take a look around, that here dwell those who take their coffee very, very, very seriously indeed, who are, shall we say, somewhat "enthusiastic" about coffee, espresso and related matters.

I'm pretty sure enthusiasm doesn't require good taste. And recognized, in a way, here:

this thread is called Espresso Enthusiasts, not connoisseurs.

At any rate, I wouldn't stop anyone from drinking what they desire. There is the occasional annoying behavior where someone takes personal offense when I decline an offer of something I know I won't like, but....well you can't please everyone, eh?

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I'm pretty sure enthusiasm doesn't require good taste. And recognized, in a way, here:



At any rate, I wouldn't stop anyone from drinking what they desire. There is the occasional annoying behavior where someone takes personal offense when I decline an offer of something I know I won't like, but....well you can't please everyone, eh?

Oh, yes; amen to that.

Indeed, on Tuesday, to that question (that which asked what I liked in Starbuck's) I will add any of those strange drinks & flavours I saw in the Starbuck's menu; they do not attract my attention.

Anyway, my eye wandered to where I could see and read the magic word espresso - and I then asked about macchiato, - whereupon I lingered no longer at the counter.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Someone used the "i" word again...

I thought you might spot that! At least it wasn't me this time!

Ban them, ban them for life!

Only joking @arkitect but they do get a bit feisty on here when you use the 'i' word!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I thought you might spot that! At least it wasn't me this time!

Ban them, ban them for life!

Only joking @arkitect but they do get a bit feisty on here when you use the 'i' word!

More than "feisty" @Apple fanboy, more than feisty.

We twitch, - this response is entirely involuntary - when the "i" word is used on this thread.

 

[Apple fanboy]

More than "feisty" @Apple fanboy, more than feisty.

We twitch, - this response is entirely involuntary - when the "i" word is used on this thread.

The twitching is probably due to all the caffeine!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

The twitching is probably due to all the caffeine!

Ah, um, no. Not the caffeine.

That serves to awaken me, and reintroduce me to humanity. Benignly.

Even as a student - when ten cups a day (of various forms of coffee, some sane, some the horrors offered by the student cafeteria) - was my normal intake, my hands didn't twitch. And neither my temples, nor cheek bones twitched, either...

The twitching process is akin to an involuntary facial spasm, a stern case of fingers locked, and lips bitten.

 

[arkitect]

I thought you might spot that! At least it wasn't me this time!

Ban them, ban them for life!

Only joking @arkitect but they do get a bit feisty on here when you use the 'i' word!

Actually, feisty is one word for it. Others may even say… a complete lack of humour

Yes.
I noticed.

And - not only that - but it seems that they failed to see the word "enthusiasts" in the thread title, a word, which, I would have thought, might have suggested to anyone contemplating dropping to take a look around, that here dwell those who take their coffee very, very, very seriously indeed, who are, shall we say, somewhat "enthusiastic" about coffee, espresso and related matters.

Good grief! Excuse me for offending your sensibilities.
It was a post written in good humour… pretty much a gentle dig at your descriptions of coffee (dare I call it that?) freshly flown in from the south western slopes of the highest Andean peaks in Peru, purest water drawn from Puerto Williams, temperature not a degree less than 93.25°C, presented (or would it be curated?) in a Volcano Le Creuset Mug on a Castilian leather coaster, placed on an 18th century table, resting on a 12th century Ottoman rug, lying on timbers from HMS Victory on foundations reaching back to Roman times…
Obviously you just chose not see that side of it and to progress straight to offended and for that I now feel compelled to apologise.

There are many things to be offended about these days, coffee is not one of them.

Edit: Just in case the red mist prevented you from reading the end of my original post.
"But with that said, I admire the enjoyment and enthusiasm you all find. So I will lift my mug and drink your good health and long may you enjoy your chosen elixir."

 

[decafjava]

All in good humour everyone!
http://www.ichillapp.com/info.html

 

[arkitect]

All in good humour everyone!
http://www.ichillapp.com/info.html

I would hope.