Any Coffee Lovers???

[ithacaartist]

Ah, yes, the ubiquitous above-the-knee pleated plaid skirt... Makes sense to me

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by ithacaartist

Ah, yes, the ubiquitous above-the-knee pleated plaid skirt... Makes sense to me

I saw a lot of Ryukyun schoolgirls in those uniforms on Okinawa back in '71. Cute.

When I got released from active duty, I dated a Catholic schoolgirl (I married one eventually, too, but that's another story). She told me an amusing story: The Gestapo Nuns would stage spot-checks to see if those pleated skirts were too short. The girls had to line up and the Nuns would measure the distance from knee to skirt. So, the girls would unbutton/unzip a bit and ease the skirts down to 'legal length'...

**************************************************

Turning back to coffee...This supermarket ticket was given to me along with my receipt last grocery run. I didn't look at it until I got home, and I still have no idea WTF it is...

No price; no 'free' note; no "Half Off" notations...Nothing to indicate why they handed it to me...

I plan on taking it back and asking, as there is nothing on front or back telling WHY they're giving them out, hopefully it is a promotion of some kind...

[sheepherder]

I had to go by the supermarket yesterday, so I stopped by (even though I didn't need anything)...That 'Keurig 2.0' paper tape was just an advertisement...Huh???

The cash register receipt tape isn't big enough to hold all the spam ads??? They have to print out a supplemental paper tape??? Yes, the nice girl says, that's exactly what it is. The supermarket computer has identified me as a serious coffee customer and will henceforth spew out more spam and junk ads for coffee, coffeemakers, cream additives, filters, sugar alternatives, even tea advertisements...

This despite the fact that they don't even sell the Keurig coffeemakers!!!

I was actually hoping it was a reduced-price promotion and I could buy a new coffeemaker...But no luck.

And to add insult to injury, the day manager had no idea where I could buy this revolutionary new 'Keurig 2.0' coffeemaker...

[sheepherder]

...A scathing indictment of our education system...

So today I'm down to about two or three mugs of 'blended' coffee left (I mixed the dregs of Maxwell House, Tovazzo, and Dunkin' Donut coffee together - not bad) and decide to try the 'grind-it-yourself' 8 O'Clock coffee...The Blue Mountain Jamaican blend...

The instructions see simple enough...Inflate bag, dump beans in it, dump them in the grinder, and put bug under chute. Hit 'Start' button.

[See pic below]

I 'inflate' the bag, put it under the bean measure chute (like a big powder measure), and pull the handle...Beans tumble down and fill bag...I mean, FILL...They're up to the edge of the top of the bag...OK, I think - It'll settle when they're ground...So I dump the bag o' beans into the grinder, re-position the bag, and let 'er rip...

After about a minute, it seems done...No more coming down...I pull the bag out...And it's still full...To the brim...I can't even fasten the tangs on the bag, I can only pinch the bag a bit and hook the tangs to the edges...

So I take it and the other three items to the check-out...15 registers, only two manned [womaned?]...And 2 or 3 customers in line at each...So I go to one of the 4 automated check-outs...Scan my three items, put the bag o' java on the scale, and select Non-Scanable/Bulk screen...No coffee...

I wave to get the girl manning the Reset desk...Tell her it's grind-it-yourself coffee...She has to get out her store items list...Can't find ground-yourself coffee...Asks me if I remember how much it was; I tell her "$8.99 a pound"...She flips pages a bit, finally calls somebody on the store phone, and now she's all smiles...Yes, it's really $8.99 a pound (like it says on the front of the grinder, which someone just checked for her)...

She tells me to put the bag on the scale; I do... 1.7 pounds...I tell her "That's not right - The bag measured the dump"...She looks at it and says "It must have settled when you ground it; that's why it weighs more now"...

Huh???...

She charges me for a pound, because that's what the bean measure is calibrated to dispense...And of course, we all know coffee weighs more after grinding...

She's about high-school senior age, maybe a graduate...And I'm afraid she may have gone as far in her chosen career field as she's likely to go...

I'll have more on the taste of inflated-weight Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee in a day or two...After I've finished my Devils Mix...

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by ithacaartist

My mom would hand the bag to the guy ath the A&P, and he would run it through the grinder. They also used to carry your groceries out to your car for you. Today, we get to use the dehumanizing self-checkout!

Same robot check-outs here too. And the brown paper bags, so handy for wrapping parcels for mailing, have disappeared. Replaced with plastic bags only good for collecting dog poop...Which is exactly what I use them for...

[sheepherder]

I finally used up my Devil's Brew yesterday, and started on the 8 O'Clock Jamaican Blue Mountain blend today...

Not much in the way of fragrance; and at first taste it tastes familiar...Took me a minute, but then I recognized the taste - International Foods Suisse Mocha instant coffee...[pic below]...I tried a couple of these back in the 80's [IIRC] and finally ditched them, but kept the cool tin boxes...

Second inpression was that it seemed 'weaker' than my usual coffee...More watery...

So Now I'm wondering about the physical grind...I had left the dial set at 'Auto Drip'...Going back here and reading a couple comments and thinking about the grinds I got from the 'gourmet' coffeeshops, I probably should have set it to 'Fine' or even 'Espresso' or 'Turkish' to get a nice fine grind, like confectionary sugar...

This 'Auto Drip' is coarse, like coarse ground pepper granules...

It's good (not as good as Crosby's) but a bit too weak/watery...

I have my mothers old meat grinder; I wonder if it will grind coffee finer...

Edit: No, it won't. These granules go right through.

[ithacaartist]

I haven't tried the 8 O'clock blend. I've been satisfied with this blend http://www.javaboulevard.com/magnum-...ain-blend-1lb/ . I used to pick it up at T.J.Maxx, but was told last winter they were discontinuing it, so I've been ordering it 5# at a time from the company's store. Recently it has reappeared at Maxx, and I think it is a dollar a pound cheaper. There are lots of other sources, but the bottom link is direct to the biggest estate that produces it. Pricey here, for sure, but if you go to Jamaica, you'll find it on grocery store shelves for way less. I'd say try a pound, just for the experience, then you'll know what you're shooting for.

http://www.gourmetcoffee.net/jamaica...UYcaApK58P8HAQ

http://www.jamaicancoffee.com/jamaic...in-coffee.html

http://www.bluemountaincoffee.com/in...&CategoryID=15

[Sergio Natali]

From the number of posts I think this is a quite popular topic, so many of you are coffee lovers.
Since I'm a coffee fanatic too, and as you know "Italian can do it better"...
... coffee I mean
(I can hear many of you now saying "...Yeaa I heard that before!")

In all honesty I 'm sorry that we live so far away otherwise would be nice to see each other sometimes for a good real Italian espresso coffee while discussing our Lugers.

Sergio

[John Sabato]

Sergio, I lived in Italy for almost 7 years, and besides the friendly people, what I miss most is the food, and especially the coffee. Even in good and expensive restaurants, it is difficult to find the flavor of coffee that was available in any bar on any street in Italy...

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by luger.parabellum

From the number of posts I think this is a quite popular topic...

I am quite surprised at this also...I had thought it would run for a day or two and I would quietly delete it...

But there does seem to be a bit of interest...

The best coffee I've ever had was in Panama in the 80's. Imported from Colombia.

Today, since I need to use up that 8 O'Clock Jamaican Blue Mountain before I can get anything more, I'll try three 'scoops' instead of my usual two...

Edit: Hmmm. Three scoops has changed the taste; it no longer tastes like the Suisse Mocha. It has a little 'bite' to it now, but still not as much as say, Maxwell House Regular Drip Grind two scoops.

Kind of disappointing...

[sheepherder]

My dog is not used to EST yet; she gets me up at ~6:30/7:00am to go out...

So as long as I was up, I packed a couple 38's and went shooting. 3.2gr Green Dot behind a 158gr LSWC was a nice light load.

Afterward, it was only 9:19 so I stopped at my corner gas & go for some French Vanilla Cappuccino...The day manager was kind enough to let me have the box showing the distributor...(They don't sell the bagged mix)...

Not too far away; hour's drive. I'm going to do a Search and see if they sell to consumers.

Then I'll hunt down a Cappuccino machine...

[John Sabato]

http://premium-coffee-roasters.myshopify.com/

Premium Coffee Roasters Inc
Address: 2510 Hamburg Turnpike, Lackawanna, NY 14218
Phone716) 828-1800
Hours: Open today · 8:00 am – 6:00 pm

(commercial product offerings)
Cappuccino
•5 different brands with over 50 different flavors to chose from.

•Seasonal specials.

•New or used machines available for lease or purchase.

[sheepherder]

I was down at the supermarket last week picking up a can of Maxwell House Colombian blend and saw a stack of boxes labeled "Keurig 2.0"...There was a sign that read "$139.95, reduced from $159.95"...I suppose that explains the cash register ad I got...

Boxes have no diagrams or instructions...So i have no idea of how it works...But it looks like you load a coffee cartridge into it and hit the Go button...There was a half-hour TV 'infomercial' about the 2.0 but again, not much in the way of information, just two models gushing over how good it was and making dozens of cups of coffee...

They mentioned a 'carafe' output as well as cups, but didn't demonstrate it...During the 10 minutes I watched, until I couldn't stand them anymore...

I brew 16oz mugs in the morning, never less. I don't know if the cartridges are 8oz, or 12, or 16...Or what...

There didn't seem to be any stampede to buy them...

[sheepherder]

Last month I had decided to get in a supply of that LaVazza I liked. When I checked the coffee aisle, there were four different blends of LaVazza now...[pic below]...

So I put off buying any until I checked my pictures and knew which one I liked, so that yesterday, when grocery shopping, I would get the right one...

...And they didn't have that blend left on the shelf...Only two blends, Classico and Perfetto...

So, I got the Perfetto [another pic]...Not as good as the Gran Selezione, which was my original pick (the only LaVazza blend stocked then). It's not as 'tasty' as the Gran Selezione. Very fine granules, much finer than Maxwell House or Folgers. I'll use it up but not buy any more. Just have to keep an eye out for the 'green stripe'.

[Sergio Natali]

Haaa! You see, in the end you bought one of the best Italian makes of coffee!!

Sergio

[elpato]

I buy green coffee beans and roast them myself in a converted hot air popcorn popper. You can find green coffee in any variety that you might prefer, I'm partial to Costa Rican and Sumatran beans myself, they are usually priced around $6 a lb for green beans.
I can roast a pound of coffee in about 30 minutes. The difference in home roasting and buying off the shelf is phenomenal.
You can control the roast, and consequently, the taste.
The only down side is , after a week or so, it becomes very difficult to find a good cup of coffee anywhere but at home.
The roasting process is pretty simple, you can find a Popcorn popper to convert to use pretty cheap, I usually find them at garage sales or thrift stores. If anyone is interested, www.sweetmarias.com has lots of info about home roasting, and is a great source of beans as well.
As for an espresso machine, I have a vintage lever machine, a Pavoni, I purchased it at an estate sale, which is part of what started the home roasting madness in the first place.

[calibrator]

I recently read a book about British SAS operators working in Columbia training Locals to fight the cocaine processors. As per the account, despite all that Columbian Coffee, the Locals preferred Nescafe Instant. The same kind I can get locally. Used to drink it all the time. Had a GF that really regretted it not being offered in a decafe, and she was REALLY particular.

PS; I'll PM you later this eve Rich

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by elpato

The only down side is , after a week or so, it becomes very difficult to find a good cup of coffee anywhere but at home.

That is why I have put off buying a used machine & the Vagos blend. If my home coffee is the best, then I will become spoiled. LaVazza is good enough for daily brews (I went into The Big City and bought two 12oz bags); actually Maxwell House is good enough to lube my joints and get me moving in the morning.

I'll get the Crosby's coffee on the days I have to go somewhere.

(Is 12oz a pound? I'll have to ask the girl at the supermarket...)

[ithacaartist]

And in conclusion...

http://picturewham.com/wp-content/up...-van-perfe.jpg

[ithacaartist]

Tervis finally sent my new tumbler, which holds a little over 16 oz.