Coffee

S

scottdisco

rip this joint please
as i am sure P could tell us, the 'do you want fries with that?' sort of kitchen sink mentality that you can encounter in American coffee-shops (and also, her northern neighbour: i've drank about a billion cups in a billion US shops, both chain and independent, over the years, though a lot less in Canada, i must admit) can be both impressive/liberating in terms of consumer choice but also - i would imagine P?! - annoying for the barista.

i bet he's had to make far more cumbersome things than a four shot latte triple dry, hot in his time ;)
did you ever get people wanting, say, more than one flavour of syrup shot into their latte or whatevs?

you should open that shop Luke.

what are everyone's personal fave coffee drinks?
 
S

simon silverdollar

Guest
luka said:
yeah becasue the relationship with any italian original is becoming increasingly tenuous.
to be honest i actually find it all very interesting. i might open a coffee shop in london when i get back.
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a grime coffee shop! only playing Nasty, Roll Deep and PAUG pirate sets from 2002-2004 on the stereo.
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
luka said:
i might open a coffee shop in london when i get back.
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Doitdoitdoit! Then I can come in and look askance because you haven't got Hobbit's Knob on cask. :D

However I'd make amends by asking for a really simple, ordinary coffee instead, with none of the triple hot dry skinny vanilla froth malarkey that people have bitched about in this thread.
 
padraig (u.s.)

padraig (u.s.)

a monkey that will go ape
scottdisco said:
as i am sure P could tell us, the 'do you want fries with that?' sort of kitchen sink mentality that you can encounter in American coffee-shops (and also, her northern neighbour: i've drank about a billion cups in a billion US shops, both chain and independent, over the years, though a lot less in Canada, i must admit) can be both impressive/liberating in terms of consumer choice but also - i would imagine P?! - annoying for the barista.

i bet he's had to make far more cumbersome things than a four shot latte triple dry, hot in his time ;)
did you ever get people wanting, say, more than one flavour of syrup shot into their latte or whatevs
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I didn't mind the array of choices so much. it takes a week or 2 to memorize everything & then you're set. it's not really that hard to work the espresso bar once you get the hang of it. you have to know how to manage your time, get into a steady rhythm so that your espresso shots pull at the same time as your milk is ready & so on - basically to keep a constant flow of drinks going out. & you have to be organized. the real trouble is when you let a whole bunch of orders pile up & you're frantically rushing to do stuff & you start confusing things & that steady flow breaks down. the morning rush - roughly 6-9 - is always brutal but if you know what you're doing it's alright.

the worst thing is, unsurprisingly, dealing w/the customers. not the regulars - even if they suck you just get used to them. it's more people who don't what they want & question you for 5 minutes when there's a line out the door, rude jerks who feel they don't have to treat you w/common decency cos they haven't had their morning joe yet, people who hang around the espresso bar glaring at you as if that will somehow induce you make their drink quicker, etc. especially that last one. oh & people who feel like they don't need to tip of course.
 
padraig (u.s.)

padraig (u.s.)

a monkey that will go ape
also re: irritating drinks - anything w/a blender really. cos it takes up so much time & breaks that rhythm. I dunno if I mentioned this already but one place I worked we also, for some godawful reason, made smoothies & everyone got to pick their own personalized fruit combo. so the summer I was there people ordered them in droves, i.e. - "hmm, I think I'll have a raspberry mango banana smoothie...yeah, that sounds good...no, wait, how about blueberry mango...ooh, that sounds good...no wait, maybe I'll do just peach - do you guys make pomegranate smoothies - oh you don't? that's too bad you really should...maybe I will just go with raspberry....oh I don't know it's so hard to decide" & so on - me smiling helpfully & thinking ORDER A FUCKING DRINK ALREADY. anyway I spent about 80% of my time scampering around chopping fruit & running to the back for more ice & cursing smoothies under my breath. conveniently, if we ran 2 blenders at once the electricity would conk out.

also the manager of that place was this super over-the-top Filipino queen who would constantly pump Madonna & like the gayest gay commercial house music at absurd volumes. deep in East Oakland, mind (& you'd be surprised - or maybe not - at how many thugged-out dudes would try to mac him on the DL). actually I think everyone who worked there was gay except me. good times. we'd get everyone - Mills students, those DL gay thugs, mayoral candidates, soccer moms, 85 yr old chess-playing Chinese dudes, Afrocentric professors, etc etc.
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Sounds like a hell of a place, padriag. :)

The railwayana-bedecked real-ale haven I used to work in was also, inexplicably, something of a gay hangout. Weird.
 
matt b

matt b

Indexing all opinion
The craziest coffee place I've ever been to was around the Amalfi coast- possibly Ischia.

Really formal 19C vibe, a cramped corridor of a place, all wood, like I'd imagine gentlemen's clubs looking. Selling soley coffee, a bit of cake and cigs.

Order/pay at bar on one side, place ticket on opposite bar and wait. Although you had to work that out for yourself.

All staff dressed in formal waitering gear. Unspoken rules abounded, an altar to the morning cappacino/espresso.

Italians have finessed coffee purchasing to the nth degree.

We were camping and stank. Didn't quite fit in.

Beverages were stunning.

More of a tea man myself.
 
padraig (u.s.)

padraig (u.s.)

a monkey that will go ape
Mr. Tea said:
Sounds like a hell of a place, padriag. :)
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nah I think that description makes it sound a lot cooler than it actually was. mostly it sucked, like any customer service job. it's just in a kinda weird part of Oakland halfway between the flats & the hills so you get a real diverse mix of people, Oakland is a really diverse (truly, not in the PC/bureaucratic sense) city anyway.

the bit about the mayoral candidates isn't hyperbole tho - the place & its owners were fairly well-known & all the candidates wanted their endorsement. this one city councilman used to have meetings w/his aides sometimes in the back - a couple times I got to grill him on issues while I was serving their drinks.
 
luka

luka

Well-known member
nude espresso on hanbury st off brick lane is owned and run by kiwis and consequently is very good. monomoth are ok too, but lack finesse.
 
A

alex

Do not read this.
ez guys, so I thought I would share a little winter warmer with you, also something to spark you up in the morning's if you dont have a caffe-ti-air (im spelling it how you say it, wouldnt have a clue of the real spelling)

You will need:

Coffee Granules (your own personal measure)
A Microwave
At least a 2 pinter of milk (if you dont want other people moaning that you used it all)
Sugar
Kettle Water

Basically, fill the mug 3/4 full of milk, then add coffee & sugar, boil kettle, fill up the rest of cup with boiling water (dont stir). Put in microwave for 40 seconds, take out, stir, put back in microwave for another 45 seconds, then stir again & enjoy.

Pretty simple, but getting the delicate balance between water & milk is difficult, but if you do it right it is PENG!!

(i like 3 sugars in this, makes it cosier)
 
S

scottdisco

rip this joint please
Alex mate i am going to try that now

nice one!

quality, two spoons of sugar, well lush! when it came out of the microwave the first time all mottled and such it looked well nice

i will do that again, cheers
 
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A

alex

Do not read this.
scottdisco said:
Alex mate i am going to try that now

nice one!

quality, two spoons of sugar, well lush! when it came out of the microwave the first time all mottled and such it looked well nice

i will do that again, cheers
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glad to hear you enjoyed it!, It does look really nice when it comes out of the mic, and it's one of the best tasting coffee's I have ever tried!!
 
nochexxx

nochexxx

harco pronting
this morning i discovered you can pour milk directly into your humble stovetop machine and achieve perfectly tempered coffee without the added hassle of separately heating your milk. why do people not do this? i surely am not the only one to find this out.
 
B

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Milk should not go anywhere near coffee (except if frothed, or in a mocha. Ahem.)!

I'm recently enjoying grinding Mokarabia beans down and making coffe in one of those French/Italian things that sits on the hob - what the f are they called?
 
nochexxx

nochexxx

harco pronting
baboon2004 said:
I'm recently enjoying grinding Mokarabia beans down and making coffe in one of those French/Italian things that sits on the hob - what the f are they called?
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i've heard them referred to as 'stovetop' coffee makers, but i'm unsure what the exact terminology is.

i never thought these machines could also make proper americano or perhaps even a a latte, marvellous!
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
I think they're called Moka pots.

I agree about milk, it's best if frothed. Otherwise it's got to be cream (preferable to milk, I mean). I brought my cafetiere into work today and have just had two cups of rocket fuel (with cream).

*jitters maniacally*
 
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