Sue U wrote:
As for what's "good" coffee generally,
No such thing, can't stand the stuff.
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
bigskygal wrote:American coffee does generally suck, I agree - and I'm an American who loves coffee.
Ever since Starbucks became a big thing, little coffee shops have opened up all over - but many of them make coffee that is not a whole lot better than what you get in a typical cafe, it just has tons of icky-sweet flavoring added in, and it costs a few dollars more.
I never bother ordering coffee at most cafes/restaurants, because it is so rarely good. It is generally either too weak, or has the nasty flavor of a never-cleaned pot or brewing machine - or both.
The absolute best coffee I ever had at a regular cafe was at a bed & breakfast attached to an open-to-the-public cafe in Quebec City.
The best coffee I've ever had in America has been Starbucks - either at Starbucks, or served in one of the various hotels where I have attended conferences that carried Starbucks product and obviously had pre-measured packets so the staff couldn't screw up the brew.
I don't know why most Americans brew weak-ass, nasty-ass coffee - but in my life experience, it's true that many of us do. I buy very good quality coffee for my office staff, and they manage to make it taste terrible when they brew it, too.
Most coffee is brewed way too weak...but you can duplicate that Starbucks taste for a fraction of the cost! Here is how:
Make any instant coffee according to the directions, let cool. Put it on the stove & bring it to a rolling boil. Remove from heat. Dip a dirty sweat sock and steep for one minute. Tastes just like Starbucks!
I like really strong coffee...but find Starbucks revolting.
TPFKA@W wrote:The secret to good coffee is to drink it shortly after brewing. The life of a pot of coffee, for optimal taste, is no more than 15 minutes after brewing.
Pretentious, twatish anti-Americanism.
It will keep much longer if NOT on a hotplate. The place I get coffee uses Thermos bottles...it will keep an hour and a half with absolutely no loss of taste.
