Coffee

[luka]

i dont know. ive just stuck a bit in the cup and then poured coffee over it. i wouldnt heat it.

 

[e/y]

condensed milk on toast is amazing.

 

[Mr. Tea]

i dont know. ive just stuck a bit in the cup and then poured coffee over it. i wouldnt heat it.

OK, I was thinking more of a half-and-half mixture like a latte, but that would probably be pretty sickly with condensed milk.

My favourite kind of coffee is just really strong espresso-type coffee, like out of a moka pot, with some cream in it. No sugar. I know cream or milk in espresso is heresy but I like it that way.

 

[IdleRich]

"And surely a civet cat has some sort of chemical thing going on that enhances the flavour?
I'm just guessing here. Civet used in perfume etc etc."

Dunno, this is what it says on the blurb.

With earthy Sumatra-like tones, the Philippine Alamid Kopi Luwak has a heavy, caramel body and low acidity, but also a nuance in the taste that is hard to put the finger on. Perhaps that is unsurprising given the unorthodox method of processing.

I guess that without trying the same type of bean before and after it would be hard to know.
I notice that they have one produced by birds in the same way on the same website - it says "The result is a sweet, full-bodied coffee more acidic than typically found in the region, along with a smoothness and lack of bitterness that characterise other animal coffees such as Kopi Luwak" so I guess they're making out that the digestive tract of an animal somehow removes the bitterness. It's certainly true that the Philippine one was surprisingly mellow.

 

[slowtrain]

I like all the coffee machines and gadgets.

Is a "stovetop moka pot" a percolator?

I want to get back into coffee now.

 

[luka]

no slowtrain its not. its closer to an espresso machine, it just doesnt exert nearly so much pressure. its just a pretty jug that sits on the stove. no moving parts. bialetti is the best brand to get bcasue they have the prettiest pots and the best logo. mr tea is a physicist so i will leave it to him to explain the process.

 

[craner]

Coffee is a vulgar drink. Italians and Americans drink it. Tea is much more refined -- drunk by Persians and English chaps.

 

[slowtrain]

Wait, I'm confused....

My parents have a bialetti one, but I always thought that was a percolator?

I just did a quick wiki and I'm confused as to the difference between the two.

EDIT:

I studied the processes more closely... They are quite similar.

Well, the more you know.

 

[Mr. Tea]

Tea is much more refined

Why thank you.

Good coffee is great but it's not tea. I need to buy a kettle, I've been reduced to making tea by microwaving cups of water...

 

[luka]

im being scolded for my vulgarity by a man who is a world expert in nazi-toture porn and lesbian vampire movies.

 

[luka]

meanwhile im thoughtfully perusing the pages of gibbons decline and fall while composing quatrains of romantic verse.

 

[Mr. Tea]

Neither of those things is vulgar if viewed while drinking Earl Grey out of porcelain, with one's little finger sticking out. By definition.

 

[luka]

even if your sweatily knocking one out with the other hand?

 

[luka]

i love earl grey though. a lot of people hate it. its the bergamot. it reminds them of drinking perfume.

 

[Mr. Tea]

Earl Grey is great, but Lady Grey is the fucking tits. Best tea ever.

 

[simon silverdollar]

i just got back from holiday in Bologna, and i was quite surprised that the quality of coffee there - in otherwise incredibly good restaurants and cafes - is pretty far off the best places in london (which are generally NZ/Aus run). the antipodeans run things when it comes to coffee.

i was chatting with the guy who owns Flat White the other day, and the level of detail in how they think about coffee is astonishing. it was all about tortured deliberations over exact steam pressures and timings. a lot of it went over my head tbh, but i love stuff like that. they've made it both an art and a science. next level.

 

[luka]

italians generally use robusta beans which are coarser in flavour but have a significantly higher level of caffine. they have no interest in steaming milk generally as traditionally they dont have milk in coffee. did you check out the link simon? cold filtered coffee and so on. sydney is currently the worlds best coffee city for sure. and did you see the australians were bowled out for 47 runs?

 

[Mr. Tea]

Can anyone tell me why Americans call a cup of coffe a "cup of Joe"? It's always mystified me.

Yes I'm sure I could find out using google in about three seconds, I just want to see if anyone here knows.

 

[slowtrain]

Earl Grey is great, but Lady Grey is the fucking tits. Best tea ever.

Lady Grey is good... if you're a girl...

Nah, Lady Grey is better good, but seriously a good Earl Grey is the best.

I love to drink perfume (not actual perfume, that usually tastes kinda soapy.)

Do you not even have a stove Tea?

Before we got a kettle it used to just be pots of water over the element.

Although really I imagine microwaving is just as fine, maybe harder to judge when it's done or not though.

I go to the tea store in town sometimes, its funny all the very specific 'rules' they have for making a good tea.

All the, do not reboil your water, make sure it is below boiling point unless a specific black tea, use a thermometer to check etc etc etc.

It's fun, I like that ritual stuff, I like rituals.

 

[slowtrain]

Neither of those things is vulgar if viewed while drinking Earl Grey out of porcelain, with one's little finger sticking out. By definition.

I think it just means that you are tastefully vulgar, intellectual and anti-bourgois, oh so avant-garde blah blah blah.

Etc etc.

You have to be wearing a suit though, or some sort of slim fitting outfit if you are German.