How do you like your coffee?

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The discussion centers around coffee preferences and experiences, particularly from someone who has primarily consumed instant coffee and is curious about the broader coffee culture. Participants share their favorite brewing methods, including espresso, cappuccino, French press, and moka pots, emphasizing the importance of quality beans and preparation techniques. Many express that black coffee can be an acquired taste, often improved with milk or cream to reduce bitterness. There are mixed opinions on flavored coffee drinks, with some rejecting overly sweetened options. The conversation also touches on cultural differences in coffee strength, with some participants noting that coffee in their countries tends to be stronger than in others. The effects of coffee on health, including its stimulant properties and potential impacts on blood pressure, are discussed, along with a humorous acknowledgment of coffee's addictive qualities. Overall, the thread highlights a shared passion for coffee while showcasing diverse preferences and brewing rituals.
  • #91
I drink 4-5 cups of coffee on a daily basis and most of the time i use this instant coffee. It's saved my time and also easy to make coffee.
 
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  • #92
ergospherical said:
One particularly worrying trend that I've noticed is that asking for an Americano at an average high-street coffee shop will likely prompt the question "with or without milk?"... well without, thanks, because otherwise it would be a latté... :oldbiggrin:
I think sometimes in uk/eu americano is taken to mean more water than an expresso but then still a bit of milk.

My preference is still for proper italian espresso, 50/50 with warm milk. but here I'm also drinking a bit of vietnamese drip made coffee. If you buy it in a cafe/bar it usually comes wth ice and very very sweet (made with condensed milk). Skimmed/semi-skimmed milk is hard to come by here so it's either condensed or full fat or, for a treat, coconut.
 
  • #93
ergospherical said:
One particularly worrying trend that I've noticed is that asking for an Americano at an average high-street coffee shop will likely prompt the question "with or without milk?"... well without, thanks, because otherwise it would be a latté... :oldbiggrin:
I have noticed that nobody these days seems to know what a "white coffee" is; you have to ask for "an Americano with milk". (Which is not a latte; apart from anything else, a latte is generally more expensive, while they don't charge you for milk with the Americano.)
 
  • #94
Mr. Coffee auto drip...set for 8 cups. 1 tbsp real maple syrup...2 tbsp 1/2 and 1/2. 1.5 cups and 10-100.
 
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  • #95
mjc123 said:
I have noticed that nobody these days seems to know what a "white coffee" is; you have to ask for "an Americano with milk". (Which is not a latte; apart from anything else, a latte is generally more expensive, while they don't charge you for milk with the Americano.)
Is it different from just adding milk a regular coffee and adding milk from the coffee bar?
 
  • #96
How about the polar bear version of this thread: people who drink iced coffee in sub-30 F temperatures? I used to drink iced Pepsi and then realized that "coincidentally", I was freezing my #$%^ off.
 
  • #97
WWGD said:
How about the polar bear version of this thread: people who drink iced coffee in sub-30 F temperatures? I used to drink iced Pepsi and then realized that "coincidentally", I was freezing my #$%^ off.
That's me. If it doesn't have ice in it, I won't drink it. Even in the winter.
 
  • #98
DaveC426913 said:
That's me. If it doesn't have ice in it, I won't drink it. Even in the winter.
I guess that's also you shivering? That was me too. It took me a while to change the habit.
 
  • #99
WWGD said:
I guess that's also you shivering? That was me too. It took me a while to change the habit.
Yes, I changed the habit too. I don't go outside when its sub-30 F temperatures.
 
  • #100
DaveC426913 said:
Yes, I changed the habit too. I don't go outside when its sub-30 F temperatures.
-30F? What do you live in the NW territories; in Nuuk or something?
 
  • #101
WWGD said:
-30F? What do you live in the NW territories; in Nuuk or something?
:-p (I was mirroring your post for humour effect.)
 
  • #102
DaveC426913 said:
:-p (I was mirroring your post for humour effect.)
People there put food on the fridge to warm it up ;).
 
  • #103
@Parkour: "How do you like your coffee?"

Me: "I like it a lot."

My taste in tea and coffee have evolved over time. As a child I would drain the teapot -- a fixture at family dinner -- after the adults poured their cups despite frequent maternal warnings, "Wait, that's brew. Mix it with water.". I still enjoy my tea straight whether hot, lukewarm or chilled.

I like robust dark roast coffees served warm with a touch of nonfat milk. I often blend caffeinated and decaffeinated grounds; 50/50% early morning, decaf by midday; brewed in an automatic drip machine. I also keep containers of caff/decaf freeze dried coffees for the odd single cup.

I had quit drinking coffee in favor of tea after retirement, for convenience and frugality, but resumed drinking coffee on the advice of my cardiologist. Doctor noted several health benefits from fresh brewed coffee with or without caffeine.
 
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  • #104
I brew my own coffee daily, espresso from a gaggia classic, using medium roasted beans (fresh weekly), shade grown arabica, sourced from nicaragua, ground by hand with a precision burr grinder, weighed on a scale to yield precisely 16 grams of beans per double shot basket, tamped level, then brewed about 20 seconds. Does this seem obsessive, or does someone identify? Recall Erdos's definition of a mathematician (a machine for turning coffee into theorems). The only challenge to this is that once you get it to this level, everyone else wants you to make coffee for them also, but I view this as a compliment. salut!
 
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  • #105
I had a cup of decaf yesterday. "Decaf" is a nice word for almost homeopathic coffee.

It smells like coffee, tastes a bit like coffee, but feels like tea, at least to me. :smile:
 
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  • #106
mathwonk said:
I brew my own coffee daily, espresso from a gaggia classic, using medium roasted beans (fresh weekly), shade grown arabica, sourced from nicaragua, ground by hand with a precision burr grinder, weighed on a scale to yield precisely 16 grams of beans per double shot basket, tamped level, then brewed about 20 seconds. Does this seem obsessive, or does someone identify? Recall Erdos's definition of a mathematician (a machine for turning coffee into theorems). The only challenge to this is that once you get it to this level, everyone else wants you to make coffee for them also, but I view this as a compliment. salut!
About 20 seconds” seems sloppy. :-p
 
  • #107
DennisN said:
I had a cup of decaf yesterday. "Decaf" is a nice word for almost homeopathic coffee.

It smells like coffee, tastes a bit like coffee, but feels like tea, at least to me. :smile:
Depends on one's sensitivity to caffeine. Strong commercial decafs such as Peete's French Roast or Major Dickason can at least flutter an eyelid. Blink. :wink:
 
  • #108
mathwonk said:
weighed on a scale to yield precisely 16 grams of beans per double shot basket, tamped level, then brewed about 20 seconds.
Does that mean, one serving, or what? "double shot basket", is this two servings? Something else?
 
  • #109
WWGD said:
-30F? What do you live in the NW territories; in Nuuk or something?
You don't have to go that far north to hit temps at or below -30F. It frequently gets that cold or lower in Montana, the Dakotas, and Minnesota, all south of the Canadian border. I remember going out one evening for hot chocolate in Lolo, Montana when the bank thermometer was showing -39° F.
 
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  • #110
The best coffee experience is a "pour over" from Olympia coffee company. Get the Kalita 195 filters and choose your own brand.

https://www.olympiacoffee.com/collections/coffee

I used to have 3 bags shipped in bi-monthly when I moved from Washington State to UMASS, Amherst in 2016 to do AI research. Still tasted just like home. Every so often the shipment would be delayed no doubt to postal service checking to see if drugs were being smuggled in the very aromatic package. Asses!

Olympia's selection is a little light lately probably due to Covid and for some reason I don't see the Kalita pour over drippers on sale on the wensite. But there's other places you can get them:

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/gear-for-making-great-coffee/

But trust me, this coffee is NOT to be used with cream or sugar, it's naturally tasty as candy and gives you a great "Solve the big bang buzz!"
 
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  • #111
DiracPool,
Not sure exactly what you use. "Bags", "Filters", "choose your own brand"? Is the coffee enclosed inside of a filter, like a pod? Does the Olympia company sell or supply filter paper? You fill your own coffee into filter bags? Olympia company also sells you the coffee too?
(I should have checked the links you gave.)

NOW I THINK I UNDERSTAND.
Kalita funnel and filter.
Yes, I would agree with what you say, especially if you buy your high quality coffee or roast your own.
 
  • #112
@symbolipoint: the basket has two spigots and fills two 2 ounce espresso cups at once, so two servings or one double shot serving if you combine them.
@caz: yes, somewhat unavoidably, the temperature of the water varies slightly, since there is only a light that indicates "readiness" to brew, hence the time required varies as well, but one can see how quickly the cups are filling, and how thin the mixture is. I suppose I could wait until the light goes out and then begin precisely when it comes on again, but I get impatient. To be honest the weight sometimes varies a bit too, since the scale is only in tenths of a gram and some beans weigh more than a tenth, so a full load is about 160 beans ±1. I am also not sure I have the ideal grind setting, since each click of adjustment changes it by 12.5 microns. always room for improvement.
 
Last edited:
  • #113
DiracPool said:
The best coffee experience is a "pour over" from Olympia coffee company. Get the Kalita 195 filters and choose your own brand.

https://www.olympiacoffee.com/collections/coffee

I used to have 3 bags shipped in bi-monthly when I moved from Washington State to UMASS, Amherst in 2016 to do AI research. Still tasted just like home. Every so often the shipment would be delayed no doubt to postal service checking to see if drugs were being smuggled in the very aromatic package. Asses!

Olympia's selection is a little light lately probably due to Covid and for some reason I don't see the Kalita pour over drippers on sale on the wensite. But there's other places you can get them:

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/gear-for-making-great-coffee/

But trust me, this coffee is NOT to be used with cream or sugar, it's naturally tasty as candy and gives you a great "Solve the big bang buzz!"
Did it help get you through your Cognitive Science appointment? Just remembering it from a few years back --hey , maybe _my coffee_ is doing its job for me ;).
 
  • #114
mathwonk said:
@symbolipoint: the basket has two spigots and fills two 2 ounce espresso cups at once, so two servings or one double shot serving if you combine them.
@caz: yes, somewhat unavoidably, the temperature of the steam varies slightly, since there is only a light that indicates "readiness" to brew, hence the time required varies as well, but one can see how quickly the cups are filling, and how thin the mixture is. I suppose I could wait until the light goes out and then begin precisely when it comes on again, but I get impatient. To be honest the weight sometimes varies a bit too, since the scale is only in tenths of a gram and some beans weigh more than a tenth, so a full load is about 160 beans ±1. I am also not sure I have the ideal grind setting, since each click of adjustment changes it by 12.5 microns. always room for improvement.
After seeing the earlier link provided, and now reading what you said above, I really do not understand, but this part I guess I should not try to push for greater understanding. At least I know one good way to make (BREW) my coffee. I pour hot water over the ground coffee in a paper filter in a filter funnel for coffee. I try to pour the water in small increments (which I do not measure),... and after 15 to 20 minutes, I lift out the filter paper, wrap it and GENTLY squeeze to retrieve as much remaining brew stuck in the grounds, and try to not break the paper. I LOOK under the funnel before doing the squeezing to see if I have enough volume in the cup. There are a few other details but that's enough of the description for now.
 
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  • #115
sorry for my crude description. maybe this video will add more detail: (but he uses only one large cup, receiving coffee from both outlets, instead of two small cups.)
 
  • #116
To 4 cups boiling water add 8 heaping tablespoons ground Expresso then mix. Then pour into coffee cup through screen.From this I get 6 cups each 2/3 full coffee. Then top up with two teaspoons honey and milk.
IMG20220112075743.jpg
 
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  • #118
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  • #119
DaveC426913 said:
That's a beautiful pic. Did you plan it to be?
Looking North, so waited for the morning sun in this area to photo.
 
  • #120
DaveC426913 said:
morrobay said:
{...}teaspoons honey and milk.View attachment 295371

That's a beautiful pic. Did you plan it to be?
@morrobay 's contributions to PF photo contests also beautiful IMO.

Thai honey generally superior in taste and texture compared to commercial blends sold in USA. My late wife brewed 'Thai coffee' in her restaurant from a fine powder adding local honey and a flower extract that I do not know the English name; similar to French rosewater.

She would prepare a large jug of iced Thai coffee to tide me over working night shifts at the air traffic control center; one of the few sweet coffees I enjoy. The melting ice infused with 'rosewater' slowly diluted the strong brew over the course of a 16 hour shift.
 

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