Coffee and Sweeteners, was Re: Life and doctors
Baird Stafford
<snip>
> As far as the coffee -- chances are, if you took the time to buy good
> coffee and were anal about the brewing, you'd get a better flavor. A
$20
> coffee grider (so as you can buy quality whole-bean coffee) is a great
> investment! Also, use filtered water -- the minerals in hard water
leave
> a terribly bitter residue on coffee grounds.
I buy premium (really expensive) coffee and use distilled water to brew
it - and it *still* doesn't taste like it smells. It requires
something in it to make it taste like something else - coffee-flavored
ice cream, for instance, which I do like.
I know the difference isn't caused by the decaffeination: "leaded"
tastes just as awful when unadulterated.
Blessed be,
Baird
--
Modkin for soc.religion.paganism,
Modstaff for alt.religion.wicca.moderated
Newstaff, Inc. at newstaff.com - a network security company
Gale
> RadiantMatrix <radian...@radiantmatrix.org> wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
> > As far as the coffee -- chances are, if you took the time to buy good
> > coffee and were anal about the brewing, you'd get a better flavor. A
> $20
> > coffee grider (so as you can buy quality whole-bean coffee) is a great
> > investment! Also, use filtered water -- the minerals in hard water
> leave
> > a terribly bitter residue on coffee grounds.
>
> I buy premium (really expensive) coffee and use distilled water to brew
> it - and it *still* doesn't taste like it smells. It requires something
> in it to make it taste like something else - coffee-flavored ice cream,
> for instance, which I do like.
>
> I know the difference isn't caused by the decaffeination: "leaded"
> tastes just as awful when unadulterated.
Neither of you are properly addicted. I buy relatively cheap stuff
(Folgers or Maxwell House), brew it with purified water only because our
water in its natural state is completely undrinkable, and believe that
it always tastes good.
Now if you too had a one pot + per day habit, you'd recognize the
virtues and fine taste of the drug^h^h^h ... drink.
--
Blessed Be,
Gale
original fiction, poetry, Tarot at
http://www.capstonebeads.com/Magick.html
modstaff alt.religion.wicca.moderated: http://arwm.net
Yowie
news:DEB702B3-1234-11D7...@newstaff.com...
> RadiantMatrix <radian...@radiantmatrix.org> wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
> > As far as the coffee -- chances are, if you took the time to buy good
> > coffee and were anal about the brewing, you'd get a better flavor. A
> $20
> > coffee grider (so as you can buy quality whole-bean coffee) is a great
> > investment! Also, use filtered water -- the minerals in hard water
> leave
> > a terribly bitter residue on coffee grounds.
>
> I buy premium (really expensive) coffee and use distilled water to brew
> it - and it *still* doesn't taste like it smells. It requires
> something in it to make it taste like something else - coffee-flavored
> ice cream, for instance, which I do like.
>
> I know the difference isn't caused by the decaffeination: "leaded"
> tastes just as awful when unadulterated.
AFAIK, there are several factors to take into account for a "good brew".
The type of water used has already been mentioned. However, I wouldn't
recommend *distilled* as that by itself tastes flat and boring, and
therefore won't add anything pleasurable to the brew. Try a bottled water
with a low (but present) mineral count you like the taste of.
Second, theres the beans themselves. "Premium brand" doesn't not necssarily
mean that it contains the beans you happen to like. Some beans brew up
bitter (and some people like that) and some are milder and sweeter. Explore.
Then there is grind size. Select a grind size that is designed for your
method of brewing.
Storage is very important. Contrary to popular belief, don't store coffee in
a freezer. Its best to grind the beans just before brewing, but if you
can't, then store the grinds in a sealed container in a cool, dark place. I
store my coffee in the fridge, but allow the bit I've taken out of the
container to reach room temperature before I start brewing it.
Length of brew and temperature is critically important. I have found that
*boiling* water doesn't make a nice as cup as "just off the boil" water. In
fact, the nicest stuff of all IMHO is (ironically) the first few drips that
come through my expresso machine and they come out luke warm! Don't let the
grinds sit in the brewed stuff for too long (overly bitter and strong) or
even let the brew sit there at an elevated temperature for too long as the
smaller aromatics will dissappear and the heavier ones will start to
oxidise, leaving it flat and lifeless (and possibly a bit burnt tasting).
There is strength. For along time I also didn't know what all the fuss about
*brewed* coffee was. Shop made capuccinos were nice, but for the life of me
I couldn't do it at home. Until I double the amount of coffee I was using
and then suddenly it tasted right. Colour is not a great indicator of
"strength" I have found. And some coffees are designed for very strong
coffee such as macciato, and espresso, and others seem suited for the sort
of mug one has at work. Pick the style that is suited to your preferred type
of coffee drink.
And lastly, there is the method of brewing in itself. I find that unless one
is careful, a perculator can end up tasting burnt and "overbrewed" and that
a dripolater just doesn't quite make such a rounded brew as plunger-style
(you may know those as "french press"). But the best method that I know that
makes a nice, rounded, smooth cup is the espresso method.
And then you get to the stuff you add into it. The best coffee of all, IMHO,
is one made almost entirely of milk, YMMV (and some coffees, I'm sure are
meant to be drunk black, and others are more suited to the addition of milk
or cream). Warm the cup first, add the milk and then pour the coffee into
the milk. Don't do it the other way around unless the milk is heated and you
are making a "milk coffee" (ie, capuccino, latte etc etc). Brewed coffee can
sometimes need more sweetner than instant stuff, and I'd personally use raw
sugar or proper coffee crystals than plain bog-standard white sugar with
real fresh brewed stuff as the flavour of a raw sugar easily compliments
that of coffee..
For me, the addition of a goodly dash of Irish whiskey can vastly improve
the taste of a hot cup of java, as can certain calorie-filled delicacies.
And of course, good company can make even a mediocre cup of coffee something
extra special.
If you can't tell by now, I love my coffee.
Yowie
Richard Ballard
Baird Stafford <ba...@newstaff.com> writes:
>I buy premium (really expensive) coffee and use distilled water
>to brew it - and it *still* doesn't taste like it smells. It
>requires something in it to make it taste like something else -
>coffee-flavored ice cream, for instance, which I do like.
>
>I know the difference isn't caused by the decaffeination:
>"leaded" tastes just as awful when unadulterated.
General comments:
1) I believe the best way to select premium coffee beans is
to chew on a sample of the coffee beans -- you learn exactly
how the resultant brewed coffee should taste.
2) *Never* allow coffee to boil (the reason you can not make
good coffee in a percolator). Boiling extracts excess acids
from coffee beans giving a distasteful result.
3) If you purchase decaffinated coffee beans, ask your coffee
merchant if the caffeine was extracted using the "water method"
or the "solvent method". The water method is less effective in
caffeine-removal, but leaves no aftertaste. The solvent method
is *very* effective in caffeine-removal, but excess carbon
tetrachloride can produce a off-taste in your brewed coffee.
<snip>
Some people do not agree with my opinions.
I am *not* a Wiccan, a witch, a Pagan or a satanist.
I am a single man who lives alone in his private home.
My home is my sanctuary.
Come as a friend or don't come at all.
Moms split. No players in I owns.
M-y 0-p-in-i-ons.
Richard Ballard MSEE CNA4 KD0AZ
--
Consultant specializing in computer networks, imaging & security
Listed as rjballard in "Friends & Favorites" at www.amazon.com
Last review: "Will: The Autobiography of G. Gordon Liddy"
Synnoveah J Cooke
wrote:
>RadiantMatrix <radian...@radiantmatrix.org> wrote:
>
><snip>
>
> > As far as the coffee -- chances are, if you took the time to buy good
> > coffee and were anal about the brewing, you'd get a better flavor. A
>$20
> > coffee grider (so as you can buy quality whole-bean coffee) is a great
> > investment! Also, use filtered water -- the minerals in hard water
>leave
> > a terribly bitter residue on coffee grounds.
>
>I buy premium (really expensive) coffee and use distilled water to brew
>it - and it *still* doesn't taste like it smells. It requires
>something in it to make it taste like something else - coffee-flavored
>ice cream, for instance, which I do like.
>
>I know the difference isn't caused by the decaffeination: "leaded"
>tastes just as awful when unadulterated.
>
>Blessed be,
>Baird
Generally speaking I put a bit of milk or cream in mine and that is it
and I like it strong. During the holidays I put a bit of Eggnog in it,
and or rum or Baileys or whatever seems to be of my mood of the
moment. I do like the flavored coffees like Irish Creme or Mocha, and
I like the Gevalia blends alot.
*~*~*
Synn
*~*~*
"Never rewrite your theology to accommodate a desire."
*~*~*
Synnoveah J Cooke
>Baird Stafford wrote:
>> RadiantMatrix <radian...@radiantmatrix.org> wrote:
>>
>> <snip>
>
>
>Neither of you are properly addicted. I buy relatively cheap stuff
>(Folgers or Maxwell House), brew it with purified water only because our
>water in its natural state is completely undrinkable, and believe that
>it always tastes good.
>
>Now if you too had a one pot + per day habit, you'd recognize the
>virtues and fine taste of the drug^h^h^h ... drink.
Now I absolutely cannot handle Folgers. That stuff makes me nauseous
no matter what you do with it.
Tiliqua
wrote:
>"Baird Stafford" <ba...@newstaff.com> wrote in message
>news:DEB702B3-1234-11D7...@newstaff.com...
>> RadiantMatrix <radian...@radiantmatrix.org> wrote:
>>
>> <snip>
>>
>> > As far as the coffee -- chances are, if you took the time to buy good
>> > coffee and were anal about the brewing, you'd get a better flavor. A
>> $20
>> > coffee grider (so as you can buy quality whole-bean coffee) is a great
>> > investment! Also, use filtered water -- the minerals in hard water
>> leave
>> > a terribly bitter residue on coffee grounds.
>
Hear hear. I shuddered when I read of Baird's use of distilled water.
Please, Baird, keep that for your batteries, or intravenous solutions,
it's not fit for drinking.
>> I buy premium (really expensive) coffee and use distilled water to brew
>> it - and it *still* doesn't taste like it smells. It requires
>> something in it to make it taste like something else - coffee-flavored
>> ice cream, for instance, which I do like.
>>
>> I know the difference isn't caused by the decaffeination: "leaded"
>> tastes just as awful when unadulterated.
>
>AFAIK, there are several factors to take into account for a "good brew".
>
>The type of water used has already been mentioned. However, I wouldn't
>recommend *distilled* as that by itself tastes flat and boring, and
>therefore won't add anything pleasurable to the brew. Try a bottled water
>with a low (but present) mineral count you like the taste of.
>
>Second, theres the beans themselves. "Premium brand" doesn't not necssarily
>mean that it contains the beans you happen to like. Some beans brew up
>bitter (and some people like that) and some are milder and sweeter. Explore.
>
>Then there is grind size. Select a grind size that is designed for your
>method of brewing.
The optimal grind size also varies with ambient temperature and
humidity. This is one of the reasons that it takes at least a year to
train a barrista and the end result is as much Art as Science.
If you find a good coffee shop with a good barrista, offer to marry
him or her to your favourite niece or nephew, just to keep track of
where he/she goes. A good barrista is priced above rubies.
(snip)
>Length of brew and temperature is critically important. I have found that
>*boiling* water doesn't make a nice as cup as "just off the boil" water. In
>fact, the nicest stuff of all IMHO is (ironically) the first few drips that
>come through my expresso machine and they come out luke warm! Don't let the
>grinds sit in the brewed stuff for too long (overly bitter and strong) or
>even let the brew sit there at an elevated temperature for too long as the
>smaller aromatics will dissappear and the heavier ones will start to
>oxidise, leaving it flat and lifeless (and possibly a bit burnt tasting).
Yes, the better home espresso machines allow you to adjust the steam
valve (again dependent on the temperature and humidity) to set the
pressure relief only just a whisker above that day's boiling point of
water so that you only get the minimum necessary steam temperature and
it cools as it condenses as it is forced through the basket of
grounds.
>
>There is strength. For along time I also didn't know what all the fuss about
>*brewed* coffee was. Shop made capuccinos were nice, but for the life of me
>I couldn't do it at home. Until I double the amount of coffee I was using
>and then suddenly it tasted right. Colour is not a great indicator of
>"strength" I have found. And some coffees are designed for very strong
>coffee such as macciato, and espresso, and others seem suited for the sort
>of mug one has at work. Pick the style that is suited to your preferred type
>of coffee drink.
In short "De Gustibus Non Disputandem Est" or "YMMV" but experiment.
The bean colour is a rough indicator of the roast as is the sheen of
the essential oils on the roasted been. Generally a darker roast
indicates a stronger flavour but it all depens on the bean and its
origin. New Guinea beans (which are not my favourite) are a pale bean
and can be roasted to a shade darker than Carribean beans to get the
same degree of flavour, for example. Look at the surface of the bean,
too. There should JUST be a suggestion of oiliness on the surface, not
a glistening, reflection which indicates over-roasting and a loss of
the more delicate volatile oils before you have even bought the stuff!
>
>And lastly, there is the method of brewing in itself. I find that unless one
>is careful, a perculator can end up tasting burnt and "overbrewed" and that
>a dripolater just doesn't quite make such a rounded brew as plunger-style
>(you may know those as "french press"). But the best method that I know that
>makes a nice, rounded, smooth cup is the espresso method.
I concur most heartily with Yowie here.
A percolator requires that the brewed coffee be boiled and re-boiled
in order to force itself up through the central pipe. "Coffee boiled
is coffee spoiled". The "dripolater" or gravity-fed filter, loses too
much of the water temperature before the water hits the grounds and
results in a thin-tasting brew, suitable for washing.
A good home espresso machine will cost less than five hundred dollars
(and you can get bargains from used restaurant sales, too) and will
provide hours of innocent fun because there are so many parts and
adjustments and weekly strip and clean that you will never have enough
time to get into mischief again (grin).
>
>And then you get to the stuff you add into it. The best coffee of all, IMHO,
>is one made almost entirely of milk, YMMV (and some coffees, I'm sure are
>meant to be drunk black, and others are more suited to the addition of milk
>or cream). Warm the cup first, add the milk and then pour the coffee into
>the milk. Don't do it the other way around unless the milk is heated and you
>are making a "milk coffee" (ie, capuccino, latte etc etc). Brewed coffee can
>sometimes need more sweetner than instant stuff, and I'd personally use raw
>sugar or proper coffee crystals than plain bog-standard white sugar with
>real fresh brewed stuff as the flavour of a raw sugar easily compliments
>that of coffee..
I disagree with Yowie on the addition of milk to coffee. I agree with
the preference for raw sugar. That's a general rule for me too. Raw
sugar still has all the complex natural compounds and is better for
your body that "pure white and deadly". (Treacle is nicer than honey,
too. Again, that's a personal preference)
>
>For me, the addition of a goodly dash of Irish whiskey can vastly improve
>the taste of a hot cup of java, as can certain calorie-filled delicacies.
>And of course, good company can make even a mediocre cup of coffee something
>extra special.
To enhance the flavour of coffee with your favourite tipple, don't use
more than a teaspoonful anyway, The alc will evaporate at 80 degrees
and the flavour/aroma will linger. A good dark Queensland RUM is the
best additive IMHO. Vodka and schnapps are not recommended.
And I heartliy concur that environment and company will change your
appreciation of the current brew. A campfire brew at a chilly dawn
with a goodly slug of Stone's Green Ginger Wine (better as a side
serving really - sip and sip about) is the breakfast of bikers.
>
>If you can't tell by now, I love my coffee.
And I'm tempted to have another pot but since I'm shaking
anyway-------
>
>Yowie
>
Tiliqua
May the Lord and The Lady prosper your ventures
Baird Stafford
<snip>
> Hear hear. I shuddered when I read of Baird's use of distilled water.
> Please, Baird, keep that for your batteries, or intravenous solutions,
> it's not fit for drinking.
I assure you, it makes much better coffee than the sulphur-water that
comes out of our well....
Blessed be,
Baird
noting that a little still from Sears is a *lot* less expensive than
commercial "spring water...."
Baird Stafford
<snip>
> Hear hear. I shuddered when I read of Baird's use of distilled water.
> Please, Baird, keep that for your batteries, or intravenous solutions,
> it's not fit for drinking.
I assure you, it makes much better coffee than the sulphur-water that
Tiliqua
wrote:
>Tiliqua <full...@bigFROGpond.com.au> wrote:
>
><snip>
>
> > Hear hear. I shuddered when I read of Baird's use of distilled water.
> > Please, Baird, keep that for your batteries, or intravenous solutions,
> > it's not fit for drinking.
>
>I assure you, it makes much better coffee than the sulphur-water that
>comes out of our well....
>
>Blessed be,
>Baird
>noting that a little still from Sears is a *lot* less expensive than
>commercial "spring water...."
While I can understand your desire to get the (ptui) sulphur out of
your drinking water, I wonder whether there's a process by which you
can re-aerate the drinking water? Perhaps something like a fishtank
pump to splash a little fountain so that oxygen (and other gases can
re-invigorate your water?
Gale
For drinking and coffee making, we run our tap water through a Brita
filter. It seems to help the taste -- I've no idea if it makes our water
significantly less hazardous or not.
Fenris
Stafford <ba...@newstaff.com> wrote:
> Tiliqua <full...@bigFROGpond.com.au> wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
> > Hear hear. I shuddered when I read of Baird's use of distilled water.
> > Please, Baird, keep that for your batteries, or intravenous solutions,
> > it's not fit for drinking.
>
> I assure you, it makes much better coffee than the sulphur-water that
> comes out of our well....
I, too, use distilled water, and my coffee's great--using gourmet beans
from Trader Joes, primarily Kona or Kauai.
Happy Yule,
Terry
--
To e-mail, replace Fenris with ttowne1 and empty mind with mindpspring.
moonlistener
distiller) for all personal & pet drinking and plant use; our southern WVa
USA tap water is horrible. >400ppm of dissolved solids of calcium/lime/crud
which must be vinegar'd out of the distiller every 3 pots max else ya got
flakes of white crud all over!!! btw, and that is AFTER going thru a filter
element and a carbon unit. But I'd highly recommend the Sears distiller;
water tests <1 ppm dissolved solids in the water made with it. MUCH cheaper
and easier than the cases of bottled water I was lugging every week. :) My
coffees of choice are Cuban; Pilon Espresso being my favorite! almost black
coffee. VERY High Octane Go Juice; not recommended for those of weak
constitution!
BB,
moonlistener
Shez
<mso...@citlink.net> writes
taste that great we do in fact in Norfolk, have a reputation for having
the longest lived population in England, it seems the hard water is
healthy if not very tasty... I use tap water for cooking and tea and
coffee, but prefer the taste of bottled spring water when drinking it
fresh and cold..
I must admit I have become quite interested in the various spring waters
available and prefer Caledonian.. Or Scottish water.. I like Evian but
cant afford it and most of the Scottish waters taste similar without the
huge price tag.
--
Shez sh...@oldcity.demon.co.uk
Thunder
news:atou1m$19h1p$1...@ID-159608.news.dfncis.de...
> "Baird Stafford" <ba...@newstaff.com> wrote in message
> news:DEB702B3-1234-11D7...@newstaff.com...
> > RadiantMatrix <radian...@radiantmatrix.org> wrote:
>
<snip>
I do a lot of blending with my coffee. I buy different roasts and flavors
(all whole bean) and grind them myself. I also combine blends and flavors
to suit my mood. Sometimes all "regular" roasts, sometimes flavored with
more robust beans. All are stored at room temp in a dark cabinet.
Right now my current favorite is regular roast columbian blended 50-50 with
a decaf Hazelnut. Good for waking up to in the dark hours of the morning.
In the evening, the same blend with a good portion of Godiva chocolate
liqour is a great way to unwind. Other than the occaisional "adult
beverage" added in, I drink it black. That was my mom's doing. She figured
if I learned to drink it black I'd never have to learn to like it without
cream & sugar later on. She was right. Go figure.
One thing I have noticed, (and maybe you have too) the cup you drink out of
can make a difference in taste. Try this if you don't believe me. Take
three cups one made of styrofoam, one coffee mug and a china cup. Fill all
three from the same pot. See if the one in the china cup doesn't taste best
and the one in styrofoam will taste worst. If ayone knows why this might be
I'd be glad to hear it.
Ahhhh to know I'm not alone when it comes to coffee!
> For me, the addition of a goodly dash of Irish whiskey can vastly improve
> the taste of a hot cup of java, as can certain calorie-filled delicacies.
> And of course, good company can make even a mediocre cup of coffee
something
> extra special.
>
> If you can't tell by now, I love my coffee.
>
> Yowie
>
Thunder
Get a taste of religion, lick a witch!
Shez
<broken...@ameritech.net> writes
My mother always swore tea tasted much better out of a china cup, and
indeed she will not drink out of anything else, the only china cup and
saucer I own was bought for mothers visits, I use china mugs, cups are
to fiddly.
If given a choice of plastic mug or china I would go for china every
time. It douse taste better.
--
Shez sh...@oldcity.demon.co.uk
Bounder
wrote:
>One thing I have noticed, (and maybe you have too) the cup you drink out of
>can make a difference in taste. Try this if you don't believe me. Take
>three cups one made of styrofoam, one coffee mug and a china cup. Fill all
>three from the same pot. See if the one in the china cup doesn't taste best
>and the one in styrofoam will taste worst. If ayone knows why this might be
>I'd be glad to hear it.
Styrofoam may react with hot food and release nasties into the drink.
Hot drinks will continue to cook for a while in the cup. Adding milk
and sugar is to cook with styrofoam cookware. Stated simply: food +
heat = cooking.
According to Alton Brown (cooking process guru) temperature affects
taste and the container affects temperature through conduction. I
have a hunch that china is a better insulator than common mugs which
seem to conduct heat away from the drink quickly.
My spin on china is the thickness and shape of the cup. Tea is thin.
For example, pilsner and champagne suit thin crystal flutes. The
heavier ales and stouts suit thick plain glass jars. IMO, the vessel
refines the experience when it matches (or doesn't interfere) with the
character of the drink. Tea and "thin" china are a perfect match.
Have you tried brewing in a china teapot? ...absolutely fabulous.
Bounder
Gale
<snip>
>
> My mother always swore tea tasted much better out of a china cup, and
> indeed she will not drink out of anything else, the only china cup and
> saucer I own was bought for mothers visits, I use china mugs, cups are
> to fiddly.
> If given a choice of plastic mug or china I would go for china every
> time. It douse taste better.
I'd been meaning to add my 2 cents to this thread, but had forgotten
about it until I approved a post from Bounder a couple minutes ago. I
can't figure how the taste would be affected by the choice of china cup
or coffee mug, but may lean to this notion that the sense of the
experience is different. Perhaps that china cup lends a more sedate and
taste conscious atmosphere than does the world of the cup.
Regarding the other vessels, however -- unless you are some strange
creature that has incorporated styrofoam into its diet, *nothing* can
possibly taste good when served in styrofoam. Bleah!!! Styrofoam is
hideous tasting stuff, and I've no doubt minute quantities of it
dissolve or flake off into hot (or cold) beverages. In any event, you
can smell the damn stuff while drinking, plus it touches your lips and
tongue.
Paper cups, as used for coffee shop take-outs, don't detract nearly as
much from the taste, even though they aren't great for it.
Aluminum cans don't do a damned thing for beer, either, even as we note
that anyone who drinks an American beer from an aluminum can can't have
been anticipating much of a taste sensation to start with. Beer is best
served from a tap into a frosted mug; second best direct from the
bottle. If you must be civilized and pour your bottled beer into a
glass, IMO you're losing the best moment of the taste -- that first rich
drink from a fresh-opened bottle; even the first three drinks of a Bud
taste good, if it is served cold in an unopened quart bottle (sorry,
doesn't work with a more reasonable 12 oz. bottle).
--
Blessed Be,
Gale
We stand outside the wall of Eden
And hear the trees talking together within,
And their talk is sweet in our ears. -- W.B. Yeats
original poetry, fiction at http://www.capjewels.com
modstaff alt.religion.wicca.moderated: http://arwm.net
Shez
<add...@unkown.com> writes
boiling water into the teapot, then pour it out when the teapot gets
warm then put your tea leaves in, then your just off the boil water,
Boiling water actually damages tea leaves, and any other herb come to
think of it, just off the boil water is perfect,
Leave the tea to stand for a few moments, then put milk in your cup, add
the tea, and then add sugar if you take it.
Personally if you use a really nice tea, like Earl Grey, or Lady Grey, a
Darjeeling, or a fine china tea like Lapsong, its best without milk or
sugar,
--
Shez sh...@oldcity.demon.co.uk
Tiliqua
I respond to Bounder who opined that:
(snip)
>
>Have you tried brewing in a china teapot? ...absolutely fabulous.
No teapot holds NEARLY enough beer to be a useful brewing vessel.
I can't stand tea.
May the Lord and The Lady prosper your ventures
SPAMTRAP: There is a spamtrap in this address. To email me, let the amphibian out of the water.
RadiantMatrix
> "Yowie" <yowi...@yahoo.com.au> wrote in message
> news:atou1m$19h1p$1...@ID-159608.news.dfncis.de...
>> "Baird Stafford" <ba...@newstaff.com> wrote in message
>> news:DEB702B3-1234-11D7...@newstaff.com...
>> > RadiantMatrix <radian...@radiantmatrix.org> wrote:
>>
><snip>
>
[[snip]]
> One thing I have noticed, (and maybe you have too) the cup you drink out of
> can make a difference in taste. Try this if you don't believe me. Take
> three cups one made of styrofoam, one coffee mug and a china cup. Fill all
> three from the same pot. See if the one in the china cup doesn't taste best
> and the one in styrofoam will taste worst. If ayone knows why this might be
> I'd be glad to hear it.
As for the styrofoam -- styro has a taste of its own, and it mingles with
the coffee. Not pleasant at all.
As for the difference between a usual mug and a china cup -- well, that's
more involved. I can compare to wine and beer tasting: depending on the
kind of wine or beer being served, you will be given a different type of
glass. That is because a number of factors about the drinkware will affect
the taste of the beverage: shape and thickness of the rim are the most
obvious.
Likewise, with coffee. A thin, curled rim allows the coffee to flow over
the tounge in such a way that less coffee hits the "bitter" zones. This
allows you to taste the complexity of the coffee, rather than just its
strongest flavors. Regular coffee mugs don't do this.
My favorite mug of all time is a hand-made pottery piece depicting (in
abstract relief) a faery shape. While it is beautiful, that isn't why it's
my favorite; the curl and thickness of the lip are much like a china cup,
and yet it holds about 5 cups of coffee (as compared to the 2 a usual mug
holds)! Also, that cup is a better insulator than china.
> Ahhhh to know I'm not alone when it comes to coffee!
Perhaps you should subscribe to alt.coffee -- there's a lot of noise, but
they are some of the most fanatical coffee folk around. :)
>> For me, the addition of a goodly dash of Irish whiskey can vastly improve
>> the taste of a hot cup of java, as can certain calorie-filled delicacies.
>> And of course, good company can make even a mediocre cup of coffee
> something
>> extra special.
Adding a bit of good black tea can also enhance a weak cup of coffee. All
weak coffee is *bad* coffee, IMO. :D
>> If you can't tell by now, I love my coffee.
>>
>> Yowie
>>
> Thunder
>
> Get a taste of religion, lick a witch!
LOL! I just might have to do that later!
Cheers,
Radiant
RadiantMatrix
> Shez wrote:
><snip>
>>
>> My mother always swore tea tasted much better out of a china cup, and
>> indeed she will not drink out of anything else, the only china cup and
>> saucer I own was bought for mothers visits, I use china mugs, cups are
>> to fiddly.
>> If given a choice of plastic mug or china I would go for china every
>> time. It douse taste better.
>
> I'd been meaning to add my 2 cents to this thread, but had forgotten
> about it until I approved a post from Bounder a couple minutes ago. I
> can't figure how the taste would be affected by the choice of china cup
> or coffee mug, but may lean to this notion that the sense of the
> experience is different. Perhaps that china cup lends a more sedate and
> taste conscious atmosphere than does the world of the cup.
>
> Regarding the other vessels, however -- unless you are some strange
> creature that has incorporated styrofoam into its diet, *nothing* can
> possibly taste good when served in styrofoam. Bleah!!! Styrofoam is
> hideous tasting stuff, and I've no doubt minute quantities of it
> dissolve or flake off into hot (or cold) beverages. In any event, you
> can smell the damn stuff while drinking, plus it touches your lips and
> tongue.
The creature in question would be a computer geek. The carrier of choice is
Instant Noodles.
http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19980717
> Paper cups, as used for coffee shop take-outs, don't detract nearly as
> much from the taste, even though they aren't great for it.
>
> Aluminum cans don't do a damned thing for beer, either, even as we note
> that anyone who drinks an American beer from an aluminum can can't have
> been anticipating much of a taste sensation to start with. Beer is best
> served from a tap into a frosted mug; second best direct from the
> bottle. If you must be civilized and pour your bottled beer into a
> glass, IMO you're losing the best moment of the taste -- that first rich
> drink from a fresh-opened bottle; even the first three drinks of a Bud
> taste good, if it is served cold in an unopened quart bottle (sorry,
> doesn't work with a more reasonable 12 oz. bottle).
The one exception to your rule is Guiness from the gassed cans. It's still
not as good as tap, but a whole lot better than usual bottles. The new
"widget" bottles are excellent, but expensive.
Cheers,
Radiant
Gale
>>
>>Regarding the other vessels, however -- unless you are some strange
>>creature that has incorporated styrofoam into its diet, *nothing* can
>>possibly taste good when served in styrofoam. Bleah!!! Styrofoam is
>>hideous tasting stuff, and I've no doubt minute quantities of it
>>dissolve or flake off into hot (or cold) beverages. In any event, you
>>can smell the damn stuff while drinking, plus it touches your lips and
>>tongue.
>
>
> The creature in question would be a computer geek. The carrier of
choice is
> Instant Noodles.
>
> http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19980717
>
Come to think of it, I've met creatures like that.
<snip>
> The one exception to your rule is Guiness from the gassed cans. It's
still
> not as good as tap, but a whole lot better than usual bottles.
Ah, yes!!!
Té Rowan
> RadiantMatrix wrote:
> > The one exception to your rule is Guiness from the gassed cans.
> > It's still not as good as tap, but a whole lot better than
> > usual bottles.
>
> Ah, yes!!!
It's a Good Thing. :-)
Té Rowan (reyn...@mi.is)
Té Rowan
> I can't stand tea.
'S funny... I like tea and honey, but they don't like me.
So, PepsiCoke is my usual caffeine/sugar carrier.
Té Rowan (reyn...@mi.is)
Tiliqua
>Saith Tiliqua:
>> I can't stand tea.
>
>'S funny... I like tea and honey, but they don't like me.
I like unbridled scads and oodles of untaxed money - but that seems
not to be fond of me, either. Mutual commisserations here, I think.
>
>So, PepsiCoke is my usual caffeine/sugar carrier.
I like the burn of carbonated drinks and the clean taste of an
old-fashioned lemon-flavoured lemonade or a crisp (home made) ginger
beer but I never became a Coke or Pepsi addict.
I found them too sweet (since they changed the syrup recipe (when was
it?, sometime in the 70s - 80s I think) ). Not when they had to take
the cocaine out, that was back around 1912 and I'm not THAT old.
So a lemonade for me into which I can add some pineapple crush cordial
or blackcurrant cordial for flavouring.
Unless I'm in the mood for BEER.! But there's no caffeine nor yet
sugar in remaining in beer if it's ready to drink.