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geekhack Community => Off Topic => Topic started by: ozar on Tue, 05 May 2009, 19:21:18

Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: ozar on Tue, 05 May 2009, 19:21:18: Do the rest of you drink either, neither, or both?

I used to drink lots of very strong hot coffee because frankly, I just love the stuff. Lately though, I've been drinking more hot tea and less coffee because the coffee was giving me some stomach issues that ran all day, and night. The hot tea seems to actually give the ol' tummy somewhat of a soothing feeling.

It's still hard to beat a good steaming mug of hot coffee, though.

What about the rest of you, anyone here indulge?
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: bigpook on Tue, 05 May 2009, 19:27:14: Its decaf coffee for me and decaf green tea. Coffee in the morning and tea at night.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: ssb on Tue, 05 May 2009, 19:49:42: Coffee for me, please!

As a developer, I love late nights, total silence and a cup of coffee next to my keyboard.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: huha on Tue, 05 May 2009, 20:04:36: I alternate between coffee and green tea with a growing preference for green tea. I don't drink it for the caffeine, the stuff is almost useless in the amounts found in coffee or tea, but it has quite a fine taste to it (I drink both tea and coffee without anything else; no milk, no sugar--they completely spoil the taste). Green tea is more interesting than coffee because its taste changes with time, which I like quite a lot. Also, chilled tea is incredibly refreshing, whereas cold coffe is just ... not my cup of tea.

-huha
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: ozar on Tue, 05 May 2009, 20:29:16: rip, I've got to admit that does look rather tasty!
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: pex on Tue, 05 May 2009, 20:54:30: I've instead taken to brewing cacao from bean, which I have found an interesting and tasty departure from processes sugar hot chocolate. It might have tasted better than it was because I had to work harder to make it than just dissolving a packet into solution.

At first, I essentially made cacao teas because I lacked any sort of filtering/brewing mechanism other than just soaking the stuff. Luckily I don't mind and perhaps enjoy the chewy granules of cacao bean throughout my drink. My original plan was to try out xocolatl as the aztecs or whomever might have made it, but I couldn't be arsed and I have long settled for just a cacao brewing.

I take cacao nibs (at this point...I also have whole beans to try but I doubt much difference) which seem to generally be unroasted and grind them up with a mortar and pestle, as I lack a coffee grinder. I can't be bothered to uber-finely-grind the things as I don't actually have working knowledge to use a mortar, so I just do what I can because I think having lots of surface area matters. You won't get much choco out of the beans if you leave them as big nibs. As I said, before I would just take my grind and throw it into a cup of boiled water and let it sit for some number of minutes, occasionally stirring, for a 'tea'.

My normal additions from there would be honey and stevia. Milk goes in for cooling and creaminess, and at that point you have a very natural chocolate drink.

I have since been trying to brew my grinds through an espresso machine (as it's the only coffee machine I have). It seems to grab a lot of the cacao goodness out if you perform a grind, but does a poor job of extraction if you just try to press hot water through untouched nibs.

Note that cacao beans are quite fatty and there is a ridiculous amount of cacao butter that will coat your carafe after use. I just mention this in contrast to the lack of fatty film from coffee.

Cacao is high on the theobromine and theophylline and low or nonexistent on the caffeine. It's all xanthine crap but I hear good things about the theos. Cacao is probably too expensive to see as an alternative to coffee or tea, but I've had fun with it in my limited use.

I can only imagine what might occur if you mixed coffee and cacao grinds and brewed them together.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: o2dazone on Tue, 05 May 2009, 20:58:21: Last time I drank coffee, I got hellacious sh!ts ~_~ whats that about
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: pex on Tue, 05 May 2009, 21:01:35: Quote from: o2dazone;89358
Last time I drank coffee, I got hellacious sh!ts ~_~ whats that about

Clearly you're an alien. I knew they were among us!
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: bigpook on Tue, 05 May 2009, 21:04:07: Don't know, but I wouldn't be drinking any more coffee : )
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: h0stile on Tue, 05 May 2009, 21:25:26: coffee please. I have a nice machine which grinds and prepares coffee and I love it. just add a pinch of sugar and some cold milk to get its temperature on the right path (but I also add irish cream and ice during summer and if I have stuff like that around or Cpt Morgan Spiced Rum (which I usually have cuz I drink lots of Cuba Libre) and cold cream).

I only drink tea when I'm either sick (warm) or when I go to a tea house were they have hundreds of them to choose from (and I only drink cold ones there except mate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(beverage)) which cannot be cold, only warm). nothing beats a good cold tea and a shisha on a cool, late summer evening.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: ozar on Tue, 05 May 2009, 23:31:34: Quote from: o2dazone;89358
Last time I drank coffee, I got hellacious sh!ts ~_~ whats that about

I've heard that hot coffee is a natural laxative, so if someone that is not used to drinking coffee has a lot of it, maybe having a bathroom close by is a good idea. :lever:
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: rdjack21 on Wed, 06 May 2009, 00:27:29: Pretty much tea only. My two favourites are Bigalow(sp) Constant commit normally drink it in the afternoon and Tetly tea (imported from England) in the morning. I got hooked on the Tetly while I was in Scotland for about 6 months. The Tetly tea sold here in the US tasts like lipton which I really don't like for hot tea even the Tetly British blend tea is not the same. For Iced tea lipton.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: wellington1869 on Wed, 06 May 2009, 01:33:51: both.

about 3-4 cups of coffee every day. after that if i'm drinking anything i tend to switch to tea. dunkin' donuts coffee is the best (ie, barring new york diner coffee, which beats everything). starbucks is gasoline (but the free wifi keeps pulling me in).

lately i've discovered green tea. its not bad, and relatively 'lighter' than coffee of course. starbuck's jasmine tea isnt bad either. At home i always have a stock of English Breakfast tea. With the right amount of sugar it can be heavenly.

Quote

The Tetly tea sold here in the US tasts like lipton which I really don't like for hot tea even the Tetly British blend tea is not the same

thats interesting, i've always wondered that. I know tetley from india, always thought american tetley tastes different.
(btw, european coke seems very different from american coke, to me).
also of course asian coffees are so much better than the south american (bitter) coffees that we drink in north america. They're also made differently in asia (boiled into hot milk rather than water). Coffee drinking in asia is a completely different (and far more delicious) experience.
(my turkish ex-girlfriend once told me that in the middle east they tend to put in all kinds of spices into coffee (rather than sugar), giving again a very different coffee drinking experience in general).
Among the coffees usually available in the US I tend to buy either dunkin donuts or Kona (from hawaii, i beleive. Less bitter, more smooth, robust).

Although my roommate and I tried to duplicate dunkin donut taste at home once and we couldnt do it. Maybe the temperature of the water in those industrial coffee makers makes a difference.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: Manyak on Wed, 06 May 2009, 01:43:42: I drink both.

I usually drink Turkish coffee though (Cafe Najjar brand), and drink it black. I like it a lot more than regular filter-dripped stuff.

I drink tea a lot more rarely, but its nice once in a while. And its usually just Anise tea right after I pigged out and over-filled my stomach. That stuff really helps with digestion!
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: lowpoly on Wed, 06 May 2009, 06:17:16: Hot chocolate for me, caffeine makes me nervous.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: iMav on Wed, 06 May 2009, 06:50:32: Quote from: lowpoly;89425
Hot chocolate for me, caffeine makes me nervous.
Coffee for me, hot chocolate makes me fat. ;)
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: itlnstln on Wed, 06 May 2009, 07:20:49: Coffee in the morning to get things going, and Diet Dr. Pepper for that slow burn for the rest of the day.

On a somewhat related note, I haven't slept in over 24 hours. Da*n Cinco de Drinko err... Mayo celebrations. Micheladas, straight beer, rum and Cokes, then wine (?!?). :)

EDIT: I was reminded that we also had vodka shots (VOX) last night. Ugh.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: rdjack21 on Wed, 06 May 2009, 08:47:49: Quote from: wellington1869;89400
thats interesting, i've always wondered that. I know tetley from india, always thought american tetley tastes different.

Yes Tetley US has a different blend. I actually purchased Tetley British blend once and was so upset that it did not taste like what I got in Scotland that I sent Tetley a email explaining my displeasure. Their reply was that if I wanted the same taste I was used to in Scotland then I would need to import it. I did that for a while then found a local Indian grocery store that stocks it so now I get it there.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: o2dazone on Wed, 06 May 2009, 09:15:01: Quote from: ozar;89383
I've heard that hot coffee is a natural laxative, so if someone that is not used to drinking coffee has a lot of it, maybe having a bathroom close by is a good idea. :lever:

That makes a lot of sense. That being said, I can't stomach tea (I think my parents made me drink it too much when I was little lol) but from time to time, I drink coffee, and just suffer the consequences
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: FunkTrooper on Wed, 06 May 2009, 09:34:25: Tea FTW! But then I suppose I would say that, being English and all.
And no sugar either, cos then it just tastes like hot sugary water (eww!)
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: keyb_gr on Wed, 06 May 2009, 09:38:00: "No coffee type" here. A bit of powder on whipped cream on ice cream is okay, but actual coffee, no thanks.

That leaves me with tea. Green tea in the morning, usually something else in afternoon (if @home) and evening (depending on weather).
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: keyb_gr on Wed, 06 May 2009, 09:40:46: Quote from: FunkTrooper;89458
And no sugar either, cos then it just tastes like hot sugary water (eww!)

I know folks who pour multiple teaspoons into one moderately sized teacup... brrr. (Usually no stirring then though.) Yours truly only uses a bit, not a whole lot more than needed to notice something is there. ;)
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: ozar on Wed, 06 May 2009, 13:14:34: Quote from: FunkTrooper;89458
And no sugar either, cos then it just tastes like hot sugary water (eww!)

Nothing goes in mine, either... additives only ruin the flavor.

I've not found any pre-flavored coffees or teas that I like, either. In fact, most of them give me a stomach ache for some reason.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: o2dazone on Wed, 06 May 2009, 13:47:27: (http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d57/Vibiana/Movie%20Screenshots/airplane1_vid.jpg?t=1241635583)

"Cream?"
"No Thanks. I take it black, like my men."
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: FKSSR on Wed, 06 May 2009, 15:19:26: I don't like the taste of coffee flavor in anything.

I really don't drink any hot drinks, even in the winter.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: rdjack21 on Wed, 06 May 2009, 16:51:57: Quote from: ripster;89474
Sounds like you have strong opinions on UK tea. So my wife and I use PG Tips (http://www.pgmoment.com/) for iced tea all summer long. Would we be laughed at in England as lower class or something. Would she disapprove?

Show Image
(http://www.ng5net.co.uk/music/tea_celebrities-and-tea_the-queen.jpg)

- Ripster

Not really I just wanted the same tea I had while in Scotland. Bought the normal Tetley at the grocery store found that was a different blend. Then found Tetley British blend on the web bought a case of it. So I was kinda of upset when it was labeled British blend when it really was not. So fired off a nasty gram to them (Well not that nasty but I let them know I was not happy).

I've not tried PG Tips I've seen it over here but not sure if they do the same thing as Tetley (different blend for the us market)
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: wellington1869 on Wed, 06 May 2009, 17:26:05: Quote from: o2dazone;89531
Show Image
(http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d57/Vibiana/Movie%20Screenshots/airplane1_vid.jpg?t=1241635583)

"Cream?"
"No Thanks. I take it black, like my men."

lol.
you're dating yourself, o2dazone ;)
[i mean giving away your age ;) ] I wonder if the snot-nosed 20-somethings here will get this classic reference ;)
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: wellington1869 on Wed, 06 May 2009, 17:29:12: Quote from: FKSSR;89565
I don't like the taste of coffee flavor in anything.

and you call yourself an american? pfffffff. commie. ;)
j/k
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: o2dazone on Wed, 06 May 2009, 18:27:50: Mel Brooks is timeless :o
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: o2dazone on Wed, 06 May 2009, 18:36:09: Zucker Brothers is timeless :o
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: ozar on Wed, 06 May 2009, 20:35:55: Star Bucks was quite big and popular here in the USA for a while, but that has sort died off with the state of the economy, and many of their stores closed their doors. It didn't bother me all that much though, because it doesn't take too many cups of their high priced coffee to equal the price of another new keyboard. :tea:
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: wellington1869 on Wed, 06 May 2009, 23:46:57: Intelligentsia - what a great name for a coffee shop.

do they have a nyc location? their website doesnt show one.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: wellington1869 on Thu, 07 May 2009, 02:25:00: Quote from: ripster;89658
NY Times Article:tea:

- Ripster

cool, thanks :)
I'd love to see starbucks get some decent competition in nyc. Staba (as they say in japan) has a store on nearly every corner in manhattan. its a bit much!
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: patrickgeekhack on Thu, 19 August 2010, 08:04:07: Quote from: wellington1869;89400

btw, european coke seems very different from american coke, to me

Coke does taste differently depending on the region of the world where it was made. They do taste different when I visit my parents.

I drink both coffee and tea. I have noticed that how one drinks coffee is affected by one's culture like many things are. I've been to France and Canada. In France, they drink very strong coffee in relatively small amount at a time (cup size) and with milk only in the morning (in general). In Canada, coffee drinkers tend to drink huge cups at a time but lighter coffee as well. When I tried my first bought coffee in Canada, I thought I was drinking coloured water because it was that light.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: patrickgeekhack on Thu, 19 August 2010, 08:06:18: Quote from: ripster;89342
This took a lot of practice (actual pic, not swiped from somewhere).

Show Image
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=2386&stc=1&d=1241573080)

Now qualified to work for minimum wage at coffeeshops everywhere.

- Ripster

Member of coffeegeek.com?

I've heard that in Italy people drink Cappuccino in the morning only and if one orders a Cappuccino past morning, the locals will know that they are in the presence of a foreigner. Is this true? I don't know. I say: whatever makes you happy.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: zmurf on Thu, 19 August 2010, 08:09:59: Black, coffee flavoured coffee! No sugar, no milk, no cream, no salt, no chocolate, no syrup, no ants, no nothing!

Coffee with things in it isn't coffee... it then becomes coffee-laté or coffee-colade or something other horrible.
Take it from one who knows. I'm from one of the top 3 coffee drinking countries in the world (some years we have been THE most coffee drinking country in the world.).
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: TexasFlood on Thu, 19 August 2010, 08:17:14: Quote from: o2dazone;89358
Last time I drank coffee, I got hellacious sh!ts ~_~ whats that about

Sure you used the right orifice (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_enema)? :wink:
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: keyboardlover on Thu, 19 August 2010, 09:01:13: Quote from: patrickgeekhack;214358
Member of coffeegeek.com?

I've heard that in Italy people drink Cappuccino in the morning only and if one orders a Cappuccino past morning, the locals will know that they are in the presence of a foreigner. Is this true? I don't know. I say: whatever makes you happy.

I think you're thinking of espresso. I've been to Italy a couple times and if you order 'un caffe' they bring you an espresso. That's what I saw most folks drinking in the morning. (BTW I'm half Italian)

Personally, I love coffee, with milk only (NOT cream and no sugar). I like cappuccino a lot too...I guess I'm not much of a snob (I think Maxwell House is quite tasty). Espresso is nice when you're in Italy but it has sooo much caffeine - it's enough to make you sweat.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: zmurf on Thu, 19 August 2010, 09:36:34: Quote from: keyboardlover;214373
Espresso is nice when you're in Italy but it has sooo much caffeine

You can never get enough caffeine in coffee! ;)

Another thing that is fun to do when in Italy is to fool your friends into ordering a "latte" ... in which the friend will receive a glass of milk... :)

latte = milk
cafe latte = coffee with milk
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: microsoft windows on Thu, 19 August 2010, 09:38:33: I'm more of a fan of tea.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: instantkamera on Thu, 19 August 2010, 14:45:57: Quote from: ripster;89342
This took a lot of practice (actual pic, not swiped from somewhere).

Show Image
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=2386&stc=1&d=1241573080)

Now qualified to work for minimum wage at coffeeshops everywhere.

- Ripster

What do you have for a machine?

A few people I know have Rancilio Silvias but one of the guys said he would buy a lelit if he were to buy again in that general price range/category.

We had 2 different pod machines at work (to cut down on the inevitable mess by retards), they weren't bad (better than the cheap breville machines etc) and I perfected microfoam on them. I like a dry capp or and extra foam latte if I'm feeling milky.

Nice "rosetta", BTW.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: EverythingIBM on Thu, 19 August 2010, 14:51:17: Quote from: microsoft windows;214397
I'm more of a fan of tea.

Nah, you love cranberry juice instead.

Quote from: wellington1869;89606
lol.
you're dating yourself, o2dazone ;)
[i mean giving away your age ;) ] I wonder if the snot-nosed 20-somethings here will get this classic reference ;)

20? I'm not even 20 yet though!

And no, I don't get the reference. I only watch selective movies & shows.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: patrickgeekhack on Thu, 19 August 2010, 15:21:37: Quote from: ripster;89342
This took a lot of practice (actual pic, not swiped from somewhere).

Show Image
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=2386&stc=1&d=1241573080)

Now qualified to work for minimum wage at coffeeshops everywhere.

- Ripster

Expresso machines can be an expensive hobby too. I started with a relatively cheap machine, but then I started to learn what I want...

I've met an Italian who made great coffee with one of these (http://www.alessi.com/en/2/1308/coffee-machines/90903-espresso-coffee-maker).
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: keyboardlover on Thu, 19 August 2010, 16:00:58: Quote from: wellington1869;89606
lol.
you're dating yourself, o2dazone ;)
[i mean giving away your age ;) ] I wonder if the snot-nosed 20-somethings here will get this classic reference ;)

I'm a 20-something and I get it =)
GREAT Film. Even my girlfriend loves this film and she's 5 years younger...
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: microsoft windows on Thu, 19 August 2010, 16:03:45: What if you're old?
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: itlnstln on Thu, 19 August 2010, 16:06:45: I thought that at first, but he did say 20-something, so he is probably at least 23 or so.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: itlnstln on Thu, 19 August 2010, 16:17:28: Quote from: ripster;214667
Whew. I had my finger on the FBI button.

We must have dirty minds.

Well, I certainly can't say I have been brainwashed.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: TexasFlood on Thu, 19 August 2010, 17:20:00: Quote from: o2dazone;89358
Last time I drank coffee, I got hellacious sh!ts ~_~ whats that about

Quote from: o2dazone;89531
Show Image
(http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d57/Vibiana/Movie%20Screenshots/airplane1_vid.jpg?t=1241635583)

"Cream?"
"No Thanks. I take it black, like my men."

You have a whole different
type of drinking problem...
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e269/zaidenwinters/airplane4a.jpg)
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: keyboardlover on Thu, 19 August 2010, 17:58:43: Quote from: itlnstln;214664
I thought that at first, but he did say 20-something, so he is probably at least 23 or so.

27.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: TexasFlood on Thu, 19 August 2010, 18:17:05: Quote from: ripster;214715
Carry on then.

Having S.W.A.T. stand down then?
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: quadibloc on Thu, 19 August 2010, 19:21:40: Quote from: wellington1869;89606
lol.
you're dating yourself, o2dazone ;)
[i mean giving away your age ;) ] I wonder if the snot-nosed 20-somethings here will get this classic reference ;)
Although I watched Airplane! long ago, I had to look it up.

However, I wasn't able to find what this scene was referring to itself. Yes, it was a joke complete in itself, but the style of the little girl's remark makes me suspect that very similar remarks were made in a serious context in other movies.

It could be that what I'm thinking of goes all the way back to Mae West.

EDIT: Also, I now see that she wasn't trying to gratuitously shock, or accidentally gratuitously shocking, a stewardess... she was cleverly getting rid of a stranger who was accosting her!

Which means that Lauren Bacall's famous line from To Have and Have Not is perhaps the closest precedent. And she was 17 years old when she delivered that line, I happened to find out when I did my little web search... making for an even closer parallel.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: RoboKrikit on Thu, 19 August 2010, 19:51:26: Coffee! I brew my coffee in one of these, and have never been happier with the flavor:

http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmarias/coffee-brewers/filtercones/clever-dripper-with-lid.html

I skipped buying an expensive coffee maker and spent the money on a good grinder and electric kettle. Get some decent coffees from a local roaster (or order online from a good place) and you're set. In a pinch I'll pick up a bag of coffee (e.g. Dunkin' Donuts) from the grocery store, but it is really hard to beat coffee that's freshly roasted.
Title: Coffee, or Tea, anyone?
Post by: roaduck on Fri, 20 August 2010, 04:12:57: I drink mostly black tea which I buy loose by the kilogram (2.2 lbs) from Bury Market - http://www.burymarket.com/default2.asp (http://www.burymarket.com/default2.asp) which is a blend of teas to my taste.If I can't get the loose custom blend I have Twinnings breakfast tea or PG Tips (which I send to friends in the States.)

I roast and grind (with an antique French hand coffee grinder) my own green coffee beans ; also from the market.I use either a cafetiere or an ancient coffee percolator from the 1960's and if I'm rushed I have Nescafe original instant.

I've got teas and coffees from my travels in Asia, Middle East, Africa and Europe plus I do fresh herbal teas straight from my garden.I hate processed, dead, chemical, salty, sugary products.