Oh Caffeine, How I need Thee

[nixgeek]

Aaaahhh yes. The caffeine withdrawal headaches. My wife and I go through that when we don't get our usual morning and afternoon coffees. Sucks how that.

Anyways, I definitely prefer Dunkin Donuts coffee to StarBucks anyday. Tastes better and is cheaper too. Heck, even Burger King coffee is good. Just the smell of it triggers the endorphines. As for McDonald's coffee, I would rather drink my own urine 3 days old before I touch that drek.

Oh, and whenever I visit my parents I have myself some Argentine maté. Maybe I should just switch to that and drop the coffee altogether.

[spb]

Originally Posted by ksv

Espresso. Thanks to Italy for excellent coffee culture

It's obviously stronger than plain coffee, but personally I think it has a much rounder aroma. A little cup of concentrated coffee is far more drinkable than the washing water-like stuff you get served as "coffee" in most places.

Espresso is also my drink of choice. When I move to a town the first thing I do is sample the local shops to find one that produces decent espresso. For every 10-20 shops there is usually one that makes a good espresso. This isn't so important since we got out Gaggia at home, but it is good to know the shops near work.

KSV, how does the coffee in Norway compare to Denmark? Three years ago I spent just short of a month in Denmark. It seemed that the coffee was awful, but nearly every shop made good espresso. Compared to the US good espresso was easier to find but good coffee was not. Of course I don't think that the Danes needed coffee as a stimulant since nicotine is both available and acceptable. :7)

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sb

[fryke]

When I get up, I drink a ristretto or two. Over the course of the day, it's about 2 to 2.5 litres of Pepsi Max (that's Pepsi One in the US, I believe) and about another two espressi. There are days when I drink no Caffeine at all, and I don't get anything like headache or sleeplessness.

Btw.: No such thing as "good coffee" in the US or Germany. It's like a paradoxon. You'll maybe find a good espresso in some Italian or French Café, but if you ever let water dribble slowly through a filter, the taste is killed right away (and various poisons only get added to the coffee _this_ way...).

[spb]

Originally Posted by fryke

Btw.: No such thing as "good coffee" in the US or Germany. It's like a paradoxon. You'll maybe find a good espresso in some Italian or French Café, but if you ever let water dribble slowly through a filter, the taste is killed right away (and various poisons only get added to the coffee _this_ way...).

The first coffee shop I used to frequent (1993 or 4) was in Ames, Iowa, USA, called "Joe to Go". Whey you ordered a coffee they brought a french press to you. This was great service. They went out of business in less than a year.

In 1997 Santa Fe Espresso opened in Ames. The coffee was awful and the ambiance poor, but they timed the espresso pours so that it fell within the gourmet standard. They really had amazing espresso. The only shop that I've found that offers better quality is the original Peets on the corner of Walnut and Vine in Berkeley.

[ksv]

Originally Posted by spb

KSV, how does the coffee in Norway compare to Denmark? Three years ago I spent just short of a month in Denmark. It seemed that the coffee was awful, but nearly every shop made good espresso. Compared to the US good espresso was easier to find but good coffee was not. Of course I don't think that the Danes needed coffee as a stimulant since nicotine is both available and acceptable. :7)

--
sb

Seems that Norwegian and Danish coffee culture is similar. "Coffee" is a synonym for tasteless mud water. Not every shop has good espresso, though. Decent, but not good.
There are two cafés in town that I frequent, one has the best chocolate cake (on earth!), the other the best espresso.

Originally Posted by fryke

There are days when I drink no Caffeine at all, and I don't get anything like headache or sleeplessness.

I cut the caffeine some days just to prove to myself I'm not completely addicted.

Originally Posted by fryke

Btw.: No such thing as "good coffee" in the US or Germany. It's like a paradoxon. You'll maybe find a good espresso in some Italian or French Café, but if you ever let water dribble slowly through a filter, the taste is killed right away (and various poisons only get added to the coffee _this_ way...).

Ah yes, in genuine Italian and French cafés, you actually get what you're asking for. I do miss Parisian cafés and look forward to the next Apple Expo or developer meeting 8)

[ksv]

[CaptainQuark]

Originally Posted by ksv

Espresso. Thanks to Italy for excellent coffee culture

(I'm gonna get myself in trouble with the Italians here!)

The Italians make, without a doubt, the best coffee machines in the world. But they only come in second place when it comes to making coffee on 'em!

Who's in 1st Place?

The Spanish – best coffee in the world!

[CaptainQuark]

…PS. Svenskt kaffe är också äckligt!