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The Keurig Effect

Giordano said:
I did that for awhile. Even enjoyed the ritual of tamping down the grounds and steaming the milk (when I wanted a cappuccino). Enjoyed that there was a learnable skill involved and the better quality of the resulting drink. But it requires more at-time-of-delivery effort than do K cup machines. I’ve been more lazy lately.
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A number of people do rather sneer at my pretentiousness of using a machine when a kettle and instant will do.
But frankly, I can be sitting sipping an espresso while the kettle is still boiling. I have no great objection to to pod coffee, except for the perceived wastage, but mostly because I don’t like the coffee.
I was rather spoilt early on as we had a coffee blender and we spent a lovely morning finding a blend that we like. For a while my wife and I had different bean blends on file, but a simple, strong espresso blend does for the both of us now.
 
The problem I would have with an all-in-one coffee machine is partly that I have always found the beans don't age well in open air, so I refrigerate the short term supply and freeze the long term, and grind them just before brewing. I've looked at those machines that grind right into the basket, but I'm not that lazy yet.

I find a plain Melitta-filter type drip pot makes decent coffee, and one can customize the strength. The ritual of filling the reservoir and grinding the coffee helps me to wake up in the morning. It's pretty easy to take the filter out and throw it in the garbage. I almost never have to lie down on the fainting couch after the exercise.
 
My heart is old, it holds my memories
My body burns a caffeinated flame
Somewhere between Mr. Coffee and espresso machine
Is where I find myself again

Keurig Elixir, down the road that I must travel
Keurig Elixir, through the darkness of the night
Keurig Elixir, where I'm going, will you follow?
Keurig Elixir, on a highway in the light
 
Thermal said:
Surely you are aware that Americans drink both at different times? We have a rather thriving industry around each. The difference is that we drink coffee the way other places drink tea. Or parsley soda, or whatever you guys drink any time of day. Many of us drink coffee all day long, just as a sipping thing. Do you guzzle espresso literally all day long?
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Yes. I work for an American company now and had the all day coffee explained to me. I can’t stand filter/jug coffe because it is so thin - being used to a robust espresso (“too much” time in Europe). That is why I used the term “coffee drink” that theprestige had got s/his knockers in a knot over.

As to drinking all day? I’ve cut back on coffee, so yes. It’s a double in the morning and tea, usually green during the rest of the day. Then an post-prandial espresso martini perhaps (that depends if I’ve had a sundowner previously).
 
bruto said:
The problem I would have with an all-in-one coffee machine is partly that I have always found the beans don't age well in open air, so I refrigerate the short term supply and freeze the long term, and grind them just before brewing. I've looked at those machines that grind right into the basket, but I'm not that lazy yet.

I find a plain Melitta-filter type drip pot makes decent coffee, and one can customize the strength. The ritual of filling the reservoir and grinding the coffee helps me to wake up in the morning. It's pretty easy to take the filter out and throw it in the garbage. I almost never have to lie down on the fainting couch after the exercise.
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And that's why a general purpose robot that knows to get fresh beans out of the fridge is necessary.
 
theprestige said:
And there's a reason why some people use the term to be derogatory, rather than merely descriptive.
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Usually due to American tourists insisting on a gallon of coffee while travelling EU countries without any regard to local eating traditions/mores, perpetrating the Ugly American stereotype unfortunately.
 
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EHocking said:
Yes. I work for an American company now and had the all day coffee explained to me. I can’t stand filter/jug coffe because it is so thin - being used to a robust espresso (“too much” time in Europe). That is why I used the term “coffee drink” that theprestige had got s/his knockers in a knot over.
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"Americano" is a term for a specific coffee preparation. I haven't checked the etymology, but I assume it originated with Americans. You can use the term without intending to deride Americans. You can also use it to deride Americans, which is what you seemed to be doing.

There's nothing wrong with preferring stronger or weaker brews. There's absolutely something wrong with denigrating people because they prefer a different brew than what you're used to.

This gatekeeping snobbery is one of my pet peeves, and I'll continue to push back on it. You don't like the pushback, don't do the snobbery.

(If you weren't doing the snobbery, I apologize.)
 
theprestige said:
"Americano" is a term for a specific coffee preparation. I haven't checked the etymology, but I assume it originated with Americans. You can use the term without intending to deride Americans. You can also use it to deride Americans, which is what you seemed to be doing.

There's nothing wrong with preferring stronger or weaker brews. There's absolutely something wrong with denigrating people because they prefer a different brew than what you're used to.

This gatekeeping snobbery is one of my pet peeves, and I'll continue to push back on it. You don't like the pushback, don't do the snobbery.

(If you weren't doing the snobbery, I apologize.)
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See post 64.

Apology accepted
 
I sincerely hope that everyone uses a proper burr grinder to grind their coffee. At least THAT we can all agree on?
 
Elagabalus said:
I sincerely hope that everyone uses a proper burr grinder to grind their coffee. At least THAT we can all agree on?
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I used to, but it actually did not do as good a job as a chopper type, and the burrs tended to clog up and get stale. It's really also designed more to keep the coffee in, while I prefer to put in only the one pot's worth at a time.

What I find important is not to over-grind, and to do it in bursts. If you insist on getting uniformly small pieces, a chopper will not only overheat it but make it muddy, but if you let it be uneven it works all right.
 
bruto said:
I used to, but it actually did not do as good a job as a chopper type, and the burrs tended to clog up and get stale. It's really also designed more to keep the coffee in, while I prefer to put in only the one pot's worth at a time.

What I find important is not to over-grind, and to do it in bursts. If you insist on getting uniformly small pieces, a chopper will not only overheat it but make it muddy, but if you let it be uneven it works all right.
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Chopper types are only good for mulling up.
 
I just want to note that this thread is missing a strong dash or two of FMW. Please, don't try to add any artificial FMW, he was really against the artificial stuff.
 
theprestige said:
Anybody else here a fan of Brazilian style coffee? Very strong, very sweet, lots of milk, all day every day?
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I like the strong part, but can't stand milk and sugar, and prefer Arabica beans (Brazilian is usually Robusta I think). Otherwise, sure....

I alternate between a pretty decent Mexican, and Mocha Sumatra.

I've gotten a little more moderate over the years. I used to have a friend who brewed up some combination of super-dark Mexican Cafe Bustelo and espresso in a biggish Moka Express well packed. I'd drop in for a visit, and he'd invite me in with "Hi, care for a cuppa crank?" He judged coffee good enough if a second cup left you with the "squeaking jibbers."

For years I'd make a small pot of espresso before bedtime. Now that I'm old and gray I settle for afternoon jitters and a dash of insomnia.
 
theprestige said:
Which brings us back around to: The bigotry is real.
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And sometimes not unwarranted.
I don’t see many Canadians putting American flags on their back packs.
If you act boorishly in another country, people will notice.
It is unfortunate, as I said in an earlier earlier post, but if people act to the stereotype, then that stereotype will be perpetuated.
 
The types and flavours of coffee people like seems to be a very odd thing to use to criticize an entire population for. Individual people like the flavour they like. Preferring one flavour to another is hardly a thing to make a person act all superior about.
 
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