Coffee.

[EvilBoris]

While I was in Bali a couple of weeks ago, I tried Luwak Coffee. I don't drink coffee, but hey, when in Rome. Tasted kinda sweet. In case you don't know, Luwak coffee beans are eaten by silvercats and then retrieved from the other end and then roasted!!

Unfortunately you may have unwittingly taken part in a tourist trade that is actually based around animal cruelty. Those little civet cats are usually kept in cages and fed nothing but coffee beans in order to produce this rare coffee.

I didn't know until I just saw it on a TV program and googled how much it cost as it is allegedly the most expensive coffee in the world. Now I know not to ever buy any.
I think it's like those "Hug-a-tiger experiences" where the tigers are drugged so they are extremely docile or asleep and then people get to go and have their photo taken with one.

[charlesr]

Yeah, you are probably right. I did see some caged cats (about 3X3m). They looked in good condition, but I didn't realise they are wild cats. If they were in a zoo, they would have to give them much larger cages / run areas.

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jan/18/costa-coffee-loses-its-froth-as-sales-fall

Coffee is big business and tends to grow every year but in a rare downturn Costa have reported a downturn in sales during 2017. They blame shoppers avoiding the high street an artisan coffee shops. I'd be interested to see how Starbucks and Nero fared as me and missus prefer Costa but didn't go as often last year because frankly the brand seemed to give up all effort. They got rid all the decent cakes and barely offered any seasonal drinks to entice us in compared to Starbucks who regularly have something new I'm tempted in by. Costa has become complacent in a crowded market.

[QualityChimp]

I'm still dodging Starbucks, when possible, for their tax-dodging antics.

I bought a bunch of L'or espresso pods for work the other week as Asda were selling them off for a quid a box.
Tried some strength 7, 8 and 11, all of which are nice.

[fuse]

Was kinda hoping to find an old post from myself in here on an earlier page to chart any differences, but alas no. I've had plenty of experience with Dolce Gustos and Tassimos, but am very happy since having made the jump to a Nespresso machine, particularly so for the extra milk warming/frothing bit that I can use for non-espresso drinks. ETC's shout re: re-usable pods a few pages back might be worth me investigating, too.

Though Starbucks are the worst of 'em, I try and avoid most all of the chains where possible. Thankfully, there's plenty of good indies around both where I live and where I work, so I've a pretty good track record on that effort.

[QualityChimp]

ETC's shout re: re-usable pods a few pages back might be worth me investigating, too.

A guy at work has those, but keeps forgetting how hot the metal can get after being blasted with boiling water!

Though Starbucks are the worst of 'em, I try and avoid most all of the chains where possible. Thankfully, there's plenty of good indies around both where I live and where I work, so I've a pretty good track record on that effort.

I was in London in September and was really disappointed in myself that I ended up in not one, but two Starbucks shops in one day.
One by The Monument to get a drink after climbing up the statue and one next to The Shard for some lunch whilst we waited for our visitor slot.

To be fair, the staff, especially by The Shard, were lovely and gave my son one of those Halloween Vampire drinks, which he was overjoyed about.

EDIT: Does anyone else hate giving their name away for them to write on the cups?
I'm always tempted to use a pseudonym like André or see them try to write Djamolidine Abdoujaparov.

[Neon Ignition]

Perfect excuse to use Ivor Biggun

[QualityChimp]

Great minds and all that.
I was thinking of "Seymour Buns".

[kryss]

Good thinking, I'll be "A-Aron" next time.

[MartyG]

Thread revival alert.

It's not often that I'm so impressed with something but after seeing one mentioned a few times I bought an aeropress.
For something so reasonably priced it is a revelation.
I'm using the inverted method.

I bought one of the Aeropress coffee makers to use at work recently after getting fed up of instant coffee and the amount of plastic waste from the Tassimo machine I had also been using.

They really are quite remarkable - don't get them mixed up with the French Press as it's not the same thing at all (other than you compress a plunger).

I have a fairly basic expresso machine at home and a drip coffee machine, but actually one of the best purchases I've made for coffee making is the humble stove Moka Pot - no moving parts to break included.

[QualityChimp]

I bought one of the Aeropress coffee makers

I've had one for ages, but been scared to use it.
I'll watch that video and have a go, thanks Martino!

[Zaki]

Nose ring. I'm oot!

[wakka]

I've used an Aeropress at home for years. At work we use a cafetiere or one of these things:


Which you simply put a paper filter into, put ground coffee in then pour hot water on. I've also used my Mum's Nespresso machine.

There's simply no competition for me. The Aeropress produces a far, far better cup of coffee than any of these options, every time. It's actually crazy how much more flavour it produces.

I always recommend them to people but I'm invariably rebuffed that they're 'too much hassle'. As someone who also uses a cafetiere daily at work, I can confirm they are WAY less hassle! They're a TINY bit more effort than a Nespresso, but then Nespressos produce a lame cup of coffee and buying your coffee meted out in tiny metal pods is a bit weird and unnecessary anyway. I'm not really into something generic like coffee needing to be 'compatible' with device I'm using to make it, as if it's a memory card or something!

Can't recommend them enough.

Here is how simple it is to use one:

1) Take small circular bit and put filter in.
2) Screw small circular bit onto bottom of tube.
3) Put two scoops (using supplied scoop) of ground coffee into top of tube.
4) Put the tube on top of your coffee cup
5) Half fill tube with hot water
6) Push plunging bit with rubber end in top of tube and push down slowly
7) When plunger fully down, you're done.

Now to clean up:

1) Unscrew small circular bit from bottom of tube, chuck filter paper in bin
2) Stand over bin and push plunger down a bit further
3) Watch as conveniently compressed disc of used coffee grounds flies into bin
4) Pull plunger out, give all the bits a quick rinse

It's so much quicker for me than farting about with a cafetiere. Making the coffee with a cafetiere is quick, but cleaning them really isn't.

The one proviso I will give though is that the Aeropress is strictly a one cup device. If you are making a round it's quicker to use a cafetiere as 4 or 5 cups is as much effort as 1.

[QualityChimp]

Before I read all these instructions, can you clarify if you have a nose ring?

[Zaki]

Before I read all these instructions, can you clarify if you have a nose ring?

Hahaha!