BS: Coffee addicts

Subject: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Emma B
Date: 24 Jul 09 - 08:03 AM

I've noticed threads about booze, chocolate, cheese and tea but …….

Whats's your favourite coffee?

I've just finished a cup from Machu Picchu (the ancient Inca capital) in Peru.

The packet says it is 'full bodied with a nutty flavour and dark chocolate overtones' but I think it's just delicious !

In addition it's marketed under the Café Direct trade mark which was one of the pioneers of Fairtrade produce.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Rasener
Date: 24 Jul 09 - 08:20 AM

For me its the Italian fresh ground coffee from Tesco's. It is a rich full bodied Italian style coffee for those who like stronger all day drinking coffee.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Bobert
Date: 24 Jul 09 - 08:56 AM

First of all, coffee is not a drug, it is a vitamin... Now that we got that straight I like Guatemanian ground extra fine... We have to go to Harrisonburg, Va. to get it but it's worth the trip... Just having my 2nd cup of the day...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: jeddy
Date: 24 Jul 09 - 08:59 AM

i am a simple girl with simple tastes. it has to be nascafe decaff for me.

jade x x x x x

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: A Wandering Minstrel
Date: 24 Jul 09 - 09:01 AM

I can thouroughly recommend Huehuetenango although I can't say it :)

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 24 Jul 09 - 09:22 AM

ASDA's extra special Cuban Havana Roast, which is, alas, no more! Likewise Taylor's Cuban Havana and - all Cuban Havana! Gone from the shelves! And no explanation why either...

I'm making do with ASDA's extra special Brazilian (the one with the drummer in the yellow shirt) but I'm open to suggestions. There is, of course, always http://www.cubascoffee.com/ though the postage seems a tad excessive.

As for method, I make it in a small Bodum cafetierre (from TK Maxx, natch); a single heaped scoop. In the cup, a spoonful of Billington's unrefined cane sugar crystals covered with a dribble of semi-skimmed. I pour, but don't stir. This can last me up to two hours, from hot to cold, throughout my working morning. One pot per day, otherwise I'm away with the fairies; as it is that last dribble can be pretty fierce!

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 24 Jul 09 - 10:20 AM

Taylors Italian or Tescos Italian.

Dave H

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Bill D
Date: 25 Jul 09 - 11:57 AM

I'm with Bobert....if I could afford it, for everyday it would be Guatamala Antigua. (I often 'make do' with plain Colombian or Bolivian.) (I tasted what I was told was Jamaican Blue Mountain once...nice, but not at $40 a lb.)
But for flavor treats and unusual tastes, maybe Ethopian Harrar or Pinôn coffee from New Mexico. Lots of choices when you live in a major urban area.

(Even wider choices in tea)

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: robomatic
Date: 25 Jul 09 - 12:14 PM

Well, Anchorage is the most caffeinated State in the Union, someone did a survey of espresso bars and found our ratio exceeded Seattle's. There's a reason for it, many folks go the espresso route to counteract the lack of light in Winter.

I regard espresso and strong coffee as a necessity of life, my conscious brain don't work without its kick start in the morning.

Anchorage has very good coffee and high standards. It's not like we can grow the bean here, y'unnerstan' (although many folks are probably trying to under grow lights once used for something else green) but there's some fine roasters and blends and I've sent some of our finer coffee South to the needy. We tried to stall the advent of Starbuck's here, and kept 'em from being established for a time. Now that they're up here, they don't rule, there are probably fifty private establishements, from the chain of Kaladi shops, the big Cafe Del Mundo and its Italian ices, and many many stop 'n go huts which service the morning commutes.

Even on the North Slope, I remember the first automatic espresso machine and the little line that formed in front of it about 5 in the AM. Just knowing it was there made the sun come up in my heart.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Alice
Date: 25 Jul 09 - 12:22 PM

My post from yesterday evaporated.... but as a coffee addict since age of nine, my fave is Sumatra, but anything French Roasted is what I usually buy.

I just finished reading the memoir "Starbucks Saved My Life". It was interesting.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Newport Boy
Date: 25 Jul 09 - 12:51 PM

Cafe Rebelde Zapatista.

In search of the perfect coffee, this one is fair traded, organic and comes from the autonomous zones of the Chiapas in Mexico, helping to rebuild local communities. It is roasted and packed in Germany and distributed in the UK by Essential.

PS It tastes good too.

Phil

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Maryrrf
Date: 25 Jul 09 - 02:46 PM

I rarely go to coffee shops - most of the coffee I drink is brewed at home. Hot and strong are the most important characteristics.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 25 Jul 09 - 03:07 PM

Coffee is more convenient, but any time someone else is making it and I've got the choice, I ask for a cup of tea.

Handy stuff caffein ethough - now they say a few cups a day cuts down the risk of Altzheimers. Though how they can tell that since pretty well everybody has a few cups of coffee or tea. Apart from Mormons, I suppose - maybe they've found they are more likely to have Altzheimers..

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: RangerSteve
Date: 25 Jul 09 - 03:10 PM

On a fixed income, I'll go with Chock Full O' Nuts, especially their New York Roast. When I want to splurge, Costa Rican or Guatemelan are my favorites. There's a website called www.coffeeam.com that sells coffee from all over, and they're a bit pricey, but not too much. And they sell coffee by the pound, something no one else in the U.S. does anymore.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Bill D
Date: 25 Jul 09 - 03:18 PM

I drank mostly tea for 30+ years. I bought GOOD loose tea...no teabags. In those days in Kansas, good coffee was rare. About 15 years ago, a couple of friends got me started on good coffee, and it IS easy to get used to it. (Coffee has several hundred identifiable compounds in it, and I'll swear that mild addiction is one of it's side effects.)

I STILL keep good tea on hand and simply stop coffee & drink tea when I want gentle, satisfying taste.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 25 Jul 09 - 05:10 PM

I don't think loose tea or tea-bags actually makes too much difference.

And I'd say that, whether in tea or coffee, caffeine is as addictive a substance as any. Which is good, because it makes sure we drink it, and it's good for us.

Just because something is addictive doesn't mean it has to be bad for you, in reasonable amounts. For example the Mudcat...

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 25 Jul 09 - 05:14 PM

First choice, beans grown organically in western Chiapas, Mexico, in the mountains (bought 3 bags last week at Starbucks). Finished up what I had left of Guatemalan coffee. Nothing better than these American mountain grown coffees.

Don't buy all that fair trade- helping the native grower stuff. A lot of false claims involved, although a small part may be legitimate.
I spent a few weeks in Chiapas hunting orchids, and stayed with the owner of one of the coffee plantations, who also was interested in orchids. The mountain plantations are expensive to run and maintain, and require a large investment. Much of the labor comes across the border from Guatemala, and is cheap by our standards, but entire families pick and must be fed and sheltered. Maintaining the slopes, pruning the shade cover and keeping ground cover under control require frequent attention, as well as tending the coffee plants and picking the berries as they become ripe. The coffee brings a higher price than the run of the mill Colombian, Sumatran, etc. used in the cheaper brands. Some fine coffees come from those countries as well, but also is specialty marketed.
The Ethiopian is nice- some fine coffees from all over. In Hawai'i I bought Kona (not the tourist mixtures) but that was Holiday splurging. Again, the growers have made a large investment; they have to be wealthy at the start-up and become poorer with time, like so many who get involved with growing quality organic products.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Newport Boy
Date: 25 Jul 09 - 05:23 PM

Oh well, Q, if I can't buy my Cafe Rebelde Zapatista on the basis it's fairtrade and organic, I'll have to buy it just for the name - and the taste, of course.

Phil

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 25 Jul 09 - 05:42 PM

Newport, your Zapatista coffee may be legitimate; it's just that there seem to be many definitions of fairtrade, and some are humbug.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Newport Boy
Date: 25 Jul 09 - 05:52 PM

Very true, Q. I tend to trust some suppliers, Essential being one. Their main interest is organic food, but they identify fairtrade for many imports.

BTW, I agree with you about Ethiopian coffee. Some of the nicest coffee I've had was in Ethiopia. I remember a small coffee bar in a nondescript suburb of Addis with a selection of about 50 different coffees. We tried their most popular blend and one that the clients said was the best - both very good.

Phil

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 25 Jul 09 - 08:05 PM

Coffee addicts go a long way back.
Ton Koopman has been recording Bach cantatas, one of which is "The Coffee Cantata," written in the 1700s (on DVD).
The central character is a girl who can't live without coffee. Her father promises to get her a husband if she would drink wine. She makes the promise, but when she gets the husband, she renigs.
Very enjoyable.
"Schweigt stille, plaudet nicht (Kaffee Kantate)," English subtitles.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Emma B
Date: 25 Jul 09 - 08:15 PM

I was recommended to read The Coffee Trader by another catter

The tale is set in mid-seventeenth-century Amsterdam, apparently around the year 1659, when the Dutch Republic had secured its independence from Spain and was enjoying the height of its own golden age.

"Why do coffee and business seem to go together so naturally?"

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Alice
Date: 25 Jul 09 - 08:20 PM

In El Salvador, I visited a coffee finca (1978). It was not a day when the employees were there, but the owner gave me a tour of the buildings. They had added modern drying units, but as he said, it doesn't taste as good that way as the old dried-in-the-sun method.
Our local food co-op here offers quite a large selection of organic and fair trade coffee.

Alice

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 26 Jul 09 - 01:50 PM

Costco signature coffee in 47 hundredweight containers. Never mind the quality - feel the width:-)

DeG

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 26 Jul 09 - 02:05 PM

When I was a (YAWN) editor of US Federal Code, I used to imbibe about 5 cups a day of some hazelnut flavoured coffee.

Can't find any hazelnut flavour coffee in UK. Just as well cuz nightly palpitations have forced me down to one cup per day.

Sainsbury's Fair Trade Columbian, steeped in filtered water. It is vile which also helps me not to be tempted to drink more.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Midchuck
Date: 26 Jul 09 - 02:33 PM

Here's the coffee I keep meaning to try but haven't yet.

Peter

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: GUEST,Bruce Michael Baillie
Date: 26 Jul 09 - 04:16 PM

...how anyone can get addicted to the stuff is just beyond me! It's a drink, it's OK, but it's not alcoholic!
I rest my case!

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Emma B
Date: 26 Jul 09 - 04:21 PM

I bet you've never had Irish coffee :)

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Bill D
Date: 26 Jul 09 - 04:39 PM

"I don't think loose tea or tea-bags actually makes too much difference."

*smile*...well, a couple of times...years ago...I won bets that I could identify one tea-bag cup in a row of loose tea cups. They 'tend' to use lower grades of tea for bags, but I could also identify the slight paper flavor...I think.

**Of course, I did NOT put milk in it.** IF one uses milk, almost all differences disappear.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: robomatic
Date: 26 Jul 09 - 04:46 PM

Emma: I just got hold of the audio version of "The Coffee Trader" but haven't started it.

One can certainly be hooked on coffee. And I don't think it's just the caffeine. Coffee has many (I've been told hundreds but that's hard to believe) active compounds.

If I go without coffee for a day my body feels it. Coming off coffee takes me a week of severe discomfort, and a second week of 'coming down'. Getting 'on' coffee is much more fun and takes about a day and a half.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Deckman
Date: 26 Jul 09 - 05:42 PM

My late Finnish father introduced me to coffee when I was five, as did his father to him. We talked about it for several weeks, and then came the first step ... I got to pick out MY OWN CUP! That first morning of "KAVI KUPPA" (cuppa coffee) my father got me up at four, as usual. He made the coffee, poured my cup half full of milk and then the coffee. Then we placed rock hard sugar crystals between our teeth and sipped the coffee. What a thrill

Then we talked about the day, had more coffee, talked about the day, had more coffee .... I still get up before four ... it's the best part of the day. Bob(deckman)Nelson

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 26 Jul 09 - 09:43 PM

Apropos of nothing, but saw this in an old Blackwood's Magazine online:
COMMERCIAL REPORT.- November 12, 1821
Coffee.- The market for Coffee, after a considerable decline, has become more steady, and a small advance has been maintained in late sales. Havannah coffee is in request- St Domingo less so. The public sales in general go off briskly. In Liverpool, however, the coffee market is less brisk than in London.
Farther down-
Rum.- The market is in a ruinous and depressed state. The stock in London is upwards of 35,000 casks, .....

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Deckman
Date: 26 Jul 09 - 09:59 PM

My father didn't introduce me to rum until I was ten! Bob(deckman)Nelson

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Alice
Date: 26 Jul 09 - 11:08 PM

I listened to The Coffee Trader on tape as I drove back and forth between Bozeman and Billings last year. When I think of The Coffee Trader, now, I see in my mind the landscape I drove through, eastern Montana, along interstate 90.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Deckman
Date: 26 Jul 09 - 11:23 PM

Hi Alice ... GOOD GRIEF ... Look what I found ... you've got a tree in Montana! No wonder you love it there! bob

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: GUEST,Black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 07:32 AM

My late father acquired a taste for Turkish coffee when he served there after the end of WW2 as a radar instructor.
He claimed it should be as hot as hell, as dark as night and as sweet as love!

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Goose Gander
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 11:54 AM

Kona, preferably straight from the grower. Lots of independent farms up and down the hillsides. If you're ever there, find some that have tours, sample their product and bring some home.

Second favorite, some stuff we got in Coyoacan, Mexico. Can't remember the name right now.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Goose Gander
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 11:59 AM

From Straight to Hell: "Look like coffee addicts to me, boys."

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 12:14 PM

Buying Kona dirct from growers will usually provide you with 100% Kona, but the stuff labelled 'Kona' in stores and Waikiki tourist traps may have as little as 10% Kona, the rest cheaper coffee. The label may look good, but read the fine print.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: ossonflags
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 12:31 PM

Does any one remember Camp coffee? It was just sublime and had a picture of a soldier on the bottle.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Emma B
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 01:00 PM

Coincidently enough I was thinking of Camp coffee when people were talking about being introduced to coffee as a child.

This blend of sugar, water, 4% coffee essence and 26% chicory was what passed as coffee in our post war home.

I prefer to remember it with the nostalgia of time rather than the taste but it can still be found on baking aisles in supermarkets as it is used as an ingredient in coffee cake etc.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 01:06 PM

Camp also used to sell a concentrate. Again, chicory chic, cha la cha.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Uncle Phil
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 01:42 PM

Community Dark Roast from down in Cajun land. Cup okay, IV better.
- Phil

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: heric
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 02:20 PM

That coffeeam.com referenced by RangerSteve has prices quite a bit better than the online sources for coffees with glowing reviews at coffeeratings.com. They roast onsite (in Georgia?) on the day of shipment. "Largest online distributor." Lacks the panache of knowing the name of the farmer who grew your beans and the name of the master who roasted them, as some of the online sources might tell you (see, e.g. 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters), but I'm going to try the Coatepec (Veracruz) beans. 5 pounds why not as a starter. Thanks!

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: PoppaGator
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 02:44 PM

Community New Orleans Blend is the best-selling coffee and chicory blend in the New Orelans area. Wasn't always ~ when I moved here in '69, and for several years thereafter, Community (a Baton Route company) had not yet made an impact in this specialized and very local market.

N.O.-style chicory coffee should not be confused with wartime erstaz coffee (100% chicory) of the Camp coffee described above. What we drink is mostly coffee (well more than half), with a bit of chicory to add another flavor element and a darker color.

Chicory (root of the endive plant) contains no caffeine, so a cup of dark "strong" N.O. Blend is actually lower in caffeine the the average cup of pure coffee.

When I'm elsewhere, and/or in a situation where I can order from a selection of "gourmet" coffees, I'll usually go for the Kenyan. I've been told that Kenyan is less acidic than other coffees, which appeals to me. (My least-favorite side effect of drinking too much coffee is a sour, acid stomach.)

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Ernest
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 03:52 PM

Haven`t tasted the Community New Orleans blend, but the Coffee with Chicory from the Cafe du Monde in N.O. is still my favourite - even the cans sound nice (to give this thread a musical flavour)...

Best
Ernest

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 04:11 PM

Is Kenyan less acidic? No.
From coffeeresearch.org-
"Coffee aidity is the bright and dry taste that adds life to a coffee. Acidity is unmistakable in most Kenyan coffees and should be evident in any wet-processed coffees. Perceived acidity in coffee does not necessarily correlate to the pH of a coffee....."

In another article, "High-grown coffees, those grown at altitudes above 4000 feet, and coffees grown in mineral-rich volcanic soils tend to be more acidic...."
"Acidity can be modified by processing and roasting."
"Acidity is one of the four basic characteristics professional coffee tasters use to evaluate coffee. Body, flavor and aroma are the other three." these quotes from:
coffee basics

Disclaimer- This thread and an earlier one got me to reading a bit about coffee but I am no expert. "I know what I like," as the collector of black velvet paintings said.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Jul 09 - 09:35 AM

When I was a kid, a thousand years ago, Community Coffee was only available in Baton Rouge. It was There was a big urn of Community dark roast, served in little demitasse-sized red paper cups, at every workplace and civic event.

Wife Michelle's mother always made coffee with chicory and she still prefers New Orleans blend.

My mom lives next to Baton Rouge Community College. Here's a sure-fire joke that always works in Baton Rouge: "People in Baton Rouge love their coffee so much that they named their college after it."
- Phil

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Spleen Cringe
Date: 28 Jul 09 - 11:47 AM

Another vote for Cafe Rebelde Zapatista from me. Lovely stuff and all this too!

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Emma B
Date: 28 Jul 09 - 12:13 PM

Thanks for the link Spleen Cringe - I must check out that Chorlton supplier

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 28 Jul 09 - 09:17 PM

How interesting! Never had a cup of coffee in my life.

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Bill D
Date: 28 Jul 09 - 10:29 PM

One wonders why, Dorothy.... (I carefully avoided cigarettes....was it like that?)

Subject: RE: BS: Coffee addicts
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 29 Jul 09 - 02:37 PM

Cafe Rebelde not distribued in U. S.?