Coffee. How do you take yours?

[noseall]

Does anyone here have a preferred cup to drink their coffee from? I like to drink my espresso from my special espresso cups that I bought in Italy and my lungo's from a cup that I pinched from Sams café in Gare du midi in Brussels ten years ago. Like tea out of a bone China cup, it tastes soooo much better!

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[ReganAndCarter]

In the supermarket, outside of haute cuisine, it's tinned food and **** meats and sausages.

I found the opposite last December. I was amazed at the massive ranges of fresh products on display in the supermarkets. Big fish counters with lobsters, crabs, shellfish and fish I'd never heard of. Quality butchery and massive cheese and deli counters laden with quality products and massive choice. The bakery, and especially patisserie, on offer was fantastic. The emphasis was on choice, freshness and personal service - not everything pre-packed like our supermarkets. A massive amount of work must have gone into the displays of food.

One thing I was a bit disappointed with was the restaurants. I was in rural Pas De Calais. Dined in a few bistro type places and found the food wasn't that special. Quite ordinary/plain in one or two places. Though the wine made up for it.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

was ( is ) the best in my opinion.

My mother used Camp to flavour her cake icing. Not very nice as coffee though.

 

[securespark]

The food in French supermarkets is fantastic!

Cheese, wine and local produce (depending on where you are) is all fantastic.

Brittany, you get great milks, creams, cheeses and apple based foods and drinks: apple pies, crumbles, tarts, ciders and Calvados. Food wise, it's a lot like Cornwall, which I am reliably informed, was once joined together with Brittany and Normandy.

I made up a silly song after seeing a massive display of cooked prawns in several Super and Hyper U (pronounced "Eeepair Oooo") shops.

"I am a prawn, I am pink.
And I am sitting in a supermarket looking at you!"

Edit: I hasten to add this song was to entertain the kids, although Mrs Secure thinks otherwise...

 

[Bod ...]

French markets and produce are pretty good... agree restaurants not as good but I have been some really good ones in Cannes.

One restaurant I had Rabbit pie. I spat it out and complained I had a found a Hare in my pie.

 

[Notch7]

Whoops
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But that was upgraded and the new machine has broken but will be repaired or replaced shortly.

Which model is that?

and how good is the coffee?

I’ve got an old fracino espresso machine, a semi automatic, but I find I can’t be bothered to make the espresso and I’ve been thinking about one of the sage machines - but I hear these fully automatic jobbies have a short lifespan before they breakdown.

 

[Notch7]

I've tried the supermarket coffees and only the dark roast Starbucks is what I like. If I see a stall at a farmers market I'll try some bean but they seem rubbish.... I think these outlets done sell enough coffee quick enough so not as fresh.

Can't stand Costa

Starbucks tend to overroast their beans - they use budget beans and the dark roast helps to cut through milk based drinks.

To be honest, Starbucks and Costa use pretty poor beans.

If you try artisan roasters you will get the best beans, but the modern trend is lighter roasts and I guess by your Starbucks choice you prefer a dark Italian style roast.

I like rave coffee - their Italian job is great.

 

[Notch7]

Coffee doesn’t stay fresh very long - the only way to get fresh coffee is to get whole beans and grind them yourself.

Once coffee beans are ground the aromatic oils start to lose their flavour quickly -within 20 minutes.

 

[ajohn]

Which model is that?

and how good is the coffee?

It's a Barista Express. I like the coffee. For automatic use I have covered the problems. Many beans can be weighed into the grinder but not my usual very oily ones. Those are so oily they can stick to the can. The other thing is the pressure gauge. It needs to read a bit less or lower than when the machine is choked and no water can flow. That's down to how they measure the flow. Excess pressure water goes into the drip tray and that flow is counted as well. I managed it but many don't - but tell them what to do and most may not even try it. It took me a while.

They are thermocoil machines rather than using a boiler,. That means they can suffer from scale pretty quickly. Some use a thing called a thermojet now. Pass not owned one. Preheating either might pay. Some do that by running very little steam and then the shot as soon as the machine allows.

Sage engineers suggest people descale once a month. They see lots of machines with scale problems.

 

[BlueLoo]

Here is an ignorant statement or issued by someone ignorant....

All things are relative.

 

[noseall]

All things are relative.

You mean like saying the Irish are thick?

French food is pish.

WTF.

 

[Bod ...]

You mean like saying the Irish are thick?

WTF.

The best Irish jokes I've heard are from Irish blokes

 

[mattylad]

I take mine black, Columbian with nothing on/in just like my wimmin !!

I find nescafe instant we have at work is awfullly too smooth, cheap strong stuff works better for me.

 

[noseall]

The best Irish jokes I've heard are from Irish blokes

And you are surprised by that because....

 

[Bod ...]

I take mine black, Columbian with nothing on/in just like my wimmin !!

I find nescafe instant we have at work is awfullly too smooth, cheap strong stuff works better for me.

I like mine black.... like my men.