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Espresso Enthusiasts
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I am not much of a fan of cakes, - I rarely eat them, and they have to be superlative to even begin to tempt me - and my experience of the cakes available in the former Warsaw Pact countries did not alter my mind on that topic.
Sacher torte, those amazing French fruit tarts (apricot especially), but also strawberry, apple, - those I love, and I will even reserve a place on my plate for the classic, highly alcoholic Black Forest Gateau.
@JamesMike's & AFB's discussion on lemon drizzle cakes would also spark my interest - anything citrus - even slices of lemon on a plate or in a drink - will attract my attention and stimulate my taste buds.
Each to their own - anything with lemon will meet with my (initial) approval.
Well, then, no, I have never come across it; but, then, in Poland, I never tried dessert.
Anyway, some chamomile tea before bed.
When we were children, my late grandmother would routinely make a gelatin of vegetable juices as a bouillon of sorts. Very good concentrated flavor. Very labor intensive. I tricked my younger brother into consuming beet and carrot juice gelatin and told him it was pomegranate. That would make the beginning of a long period where I took joy in pranking him. Good times.
Back to desserts, there are some I can eat day in and day out. I really love country style quark desserts. Those were the highlights of travel to east Europe. Felt healthier than the other options. Russia and Russia influenced areas after the fall afforded me incredibly delicious sweets. But some of the best were faintly sweet and almost savory. There was a sweet bread flavored with crushed caraway and anise I fell in love with.
The issue arises from the first time I tried them. They're mostly an American dessert, I think. I tried it sometime in my 20s thinking it was a thickened custard bar. As a young boy, I loved custard tarts. Home made or bakery bought. Often eating them in quick succession. Imagine the look of sheer disappointment and disgust the first time I had a lemon square. On the other hand, I like lemon curd a lot... My first experience with lemon squares left me wondering if they had gone off.
When we were children, my late grandmother would routinely make a gelatin of vegetable juices as a bouillon of sorts. Very good concentrated flavor. Very labor intensive. I tricked my younger brother into consuming beet and carrot juice gelatin and told him it was pomegranate. That would make the beginning of a long period where I took joy in pranking him. Good times.
Back to desserts, there are some I can eat day in and day out. I really love country style quark desserts. Those were the highlights of travel to east Europe. Felt healthier than the other options. Russia and Russia influenced areas after the fall afforded me incredibly delicious sweets. But some of the best were faintly sweet and almost savory. There was a sweet bread flavored with crushed caraway and anise I fell in love with.
Must say that "a gelatine of vegetable juices as a bouillon" sounds wonderful - I'd eat that in generous quantities.
And will also add that freshly squeezed pomegranate juice is sublime.
Back on topic, I haven't had a coffee today or yesterday.........yesterday, I was not 100%, and today, well, I am allowing myself some recovery time. This means that I would expect to have normal coffee service restored by tomorrow.
Just about to leave the office for a well earned long weekend. First stop, Crosby Coffee for some fresh beans. I'll report back later 
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I await your tasting notes for the second bag.
Currently some drip using our stainless steel filter. Need to some equipment cleaning. Coffee is from Sumatra at a medium roast. Very delicious cup. The use of a stainless steel or gold tone filter allows the coffee to brew much like French Press but not quite the same. The result is a very strong coffee with delicious oils, but also sediment.
I also feel good for not wasting paper or drinking paper tasting coffee.
Currently some drip using our stainless steel filter. Need to some equipment cleaning. Coffee is from Sumatra at a medium roast. Very delicious cup. The use of a stainless steel or gold tone filter allows the coffee to brew much like French Press but not quite the same. The result is a very strong coffee with delicious oils, but also sediment.
I also feel good for not wasting paper or drinking paper tasting coffee.
You taste paper when you use a paper filter? I can't say I've had this problem.
Yeah, with the bleached paper filters. The unbleached is difficult to taste unless you go way light, such as a cinnamon roast. I can't say I taste it bleached or otherwise with an aeropress. I suspect the internal steaming of a drip machine causes the paper to cook into the coffee, whereas with an aeropress that isn't an issue. I want to say the internal temperature gets high enough to destroy the essential oils in the coffee leaving a weird taste. The great thing about a stainless steel filter is the coffee isn't affected by high heat steam or sitting in a paper liner.
The only drawback is you need to wash the filter well after each use to get the oil residue off. It's a decent trade off for a delicious cup of drip. I'm not a fan of our current drip machine. I'm looking for another one I can hopefully snag for a bit cheap during the holidays. I'm open to suggestions.
Hmm, interesting. Indeed, when I do pour over I use unbleached filters (or occasionally a metal one probably like yours). I keep my water temperature at 208F---any higher would burn the coffee. Unfortunately I don't use drip machines, so I can't offer advice there.
Metal filter for a pour over? Link? I've tried preheating 208 water from the kettle into the drip machine as an experiment. Woefully disgusting.
Though I do drink darker roasts. That might have added to the nastiness.
Time to eat the last lava chocolate cake with my Kenyan coffee.
Yes, @Dave Meadows - I await your tasting notes with interest.
Agreed.
But I use unbleached, organic filter paper; it costs a bit more but I like the environmental trade off and the quality.
Beside, unless I am travelling (when I use plastic filter drippers - they are indestructible), I normally use porcelain, or copper drippers, and they are wonderful.
I have a lovely wooden handmade Japanese dripper which I have yet to use, but look forward to trying it at some stage.
Enjoy both lava cake and Kenyan coffee.
[doublepost=1503040959][/doublepost]
Sacher torte? With dark beer? Yum. You have me persuaded.......
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Another moka. I broke out one of the big guns tonight. I'm going to savor if not die from the 18 oz of piping hot coffee awaiting for me in my thermos. Delicious.
@Zenithal Interesting you mention Russian style in tea and desserts. I made a return trip to Kyrgyzstan last week after my first trip out in 2016. I actually ate very few sweets except an offered square or two of Swiss chocolates I had brought out as gifts for my hosts and colleagues. I did try cakes last year made with tvorog a kind of cottage cheese and found them light and very tasty.
As to tea, it was almost universally very good to excellent. Coffee still very variable. What surprised me is the growing number of places to get very good coffee (even pretty authentic espresso). An excellent example is at the Orion Hotel if anyone ever goes. There was even a small truck offering espresso as well.
Avoid coffee (and pay attention to the restaurants) outside Bishkek, as in around Issy Kul lake. Stick to the excellent tea and if you know some locals some very nice simple restaurants can be found - oh and watch the sun at 1400 metres you can get burnt easily...
As to tea, it was almost universally very good to excellent. Coffee still very variable. What surprised me is the growing number of places to get very good coffee (even pretty authentic espresso). An excellent example is at the Orion Hotel if anyone ever goes. There was even a small truck offering espresso as well.
Avoid coffee (and pay attention to the restaurants) outside Bishkek, as in around Issy Kul lake. Stick to the excellent tea and if you know some locals some very nice simple restaurants can be found - oh and watch the sun at 1400 metres you can get burnt easily...
Yeah, it's a mealy type of cheese spread. They eat it plain with salt, fruit or on black bread. It was a bit too bland for my tastes. It's a cross between quark and cottage cheese, albeit finer curd. To use it in pastry, you have to squeeze the water out of it. If done right, the texture is more or less similar to what the Scandies end up with their sweet cheese pastries.
It's widely available here in the Russian markets. I've bought it before but for other uses.
It's widely available here in the Russian markets. I've bought it before but for other uses.
What kind of sick bastard do you work for?
The American Thermos brand offers quite a few choices. Zojorushi makes a fine line of thermoses, too. If I may make a suggestion, I would recommend avoiding powder coated thermoses, as the paint does flake off over time. Polished or sandblasted metal is much nicer.
[doublepost=1503044788][/doublepost]RE: Bialettis and all Mokas. Some larger models use a small fold at the bottom of the capture chamber to hold sediment that passes through the plates. Keep note of this when you disassemble the unit and try not to flip the top portion upside down.
Take it from me, someone who did it twice last week and spent a half hour cleaning coffee off the floor and everywhere, cursing under my breath.
I have worked in Kyrgyzstan, spending months there at a time.
Actually, I spent some time there in 2005 (after a revolution), and 2011 (after another revolution), and agree completely about the tea; it was uniformly excellent. Oddly, in 2005, I was sent to the Naryn region to keep an eye on the elections (it is not far from Lake Issy Kul - which is home to some of the most spectacular scenery I have had the privilege of laying eyes on in my entire life) and I recall excellent beer, widely available vodka, superlative tea, and yes, fairly indifferent coffee.
But, yes, coffee had improved considerably by 2011 - there were some excellent coffee shops in Bishkek, and the other cities, Jalalabad and Osh, could also boast some decent coffee shops.