Over-hyped coffee

Cloud · 03-17-2011, 12:15 PM

Kona coffee from Hawaii? Blue Mountain coffee from Jamaica? My boss tells me they are bitter and unpleasant tasting, and the kudos is strictly a marketing ploy.

I'm sure people appreciate different flavors and strengths in coffee, but I think I'd like to go to Hawaii and Jamaica and taste the real thing for myself!

Starbucks is certainly overhyped and has great marketing. Dunkin' Donuts, ditto. Fancy coffee makers, Gevalia, pod things--pretty much all bunk. What do you think?

jimhelm · 03-17-2011, 12:19 PM

Blue Mountain coffee is the shizznit

footfootfoot · 03-17-2011, 12:31 PM

if I can get some just roasted a few minutes ago coffee it beats anything coming out of a bag or a can.
It's like bread, every minute out of the oven the clock is ticking. at a certain point the freshness or lack thereof plateaus.

Aliantha · 03-17-2011, 06:24 PM

I don't usually care too much about coffee but I do love a Gloria Jeans Latte. They're my favourite.

casimendocina · 03-18-2011, 05:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aliantha

I don't usually care too much about coffee but I do love a Gloria Jeans Latte. They're my favourite.

No-one, chain or not, does a hot chocolate like Hudsons.

Aliantha · 03-18-2011, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by casimendocina

No-one, chain or not, does a hot chocolate like Hudsons.

I don't think we have Hudsons up here. If we do I've never heard of them.

There's a place at stanthorpe which is basically a little sweets shop way off the beaten track, and they do the best hot chocolates I've ever had in my life. I asked what the secret was, and apparently they slightly thicken them with potato starch which is what makes them seem so rich and delicious.

casimendocina · 03-19-2011, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aliantha

I don't think we have Hudsons up here. If we do I've never heard of them.

Just had a look at the website and there's about 7 Hudsons outlets in Queensland including at Brisbane airport. They use powder rather than syrup for their hot chocolates and put in loads of marshmellows which although not Pascal still work quite well when melted.

Urbane Guerrilla · 03-20-2011, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aliantha

. . . best hot chocolates I've ever had in my life. I asked what the secret was, and apparently they slightly thicken them with potato starch which is what makes them seem so rich and delicious.

Huh. Peruvian champurrado. Sorta.

Urbane Guerrilla · 03-22-2011, 02:07 AM

Champurrado

And an illustrated how-to

Comes off sort of like a drinkable edition of some kind of chocolate pudding. Usually served warm. Flavor is usually rather delicate, and is none the worse for the addition of some cinnamon as well. Mexican chocolate often adds cinnamon anyway. And you can put more chocolate in! Even hot chiles -- powdered.

"Piloncillo" is just little conical sugarloaves of brown sugar, honey-brown affairs about as long as your index finger and twice as thick. Hard as a rock and quite difficult to grind or break up into anything sprinkleable. Brown sugar or brown half-and-half with Demarara/turbinado/blonde sugar is a good equivalent for flavor.

Cloud · 03-17-2011, 09:00 PM

Anderson's mom?

monster · 03-17-2011, 09:43 PM

I'm no goffee snob, I harly drink the stuff, but I hate standard American coffee. I like what I think you call "dark roast". I generally don't care where it comes from or what it's called as long as it's in that ballpark.

wolf · 03-18-2011, 10:36 AM

Kona and Blue Mountain are both rare and expensive. I shudder to look at the pricetags per pound ... I don't know that I've ever had pure either, mainly get the blends.

I have a Keurig, and prefer a strong, dark roast coffee. Most of the Kona blends (usually about 10% Kona) seem weak to me.

glatt · 03-18-2011, 10:47 AM

We went to Hawaii on our honeymoon years ago and brought back a few pounds of 100% Kona when we visited that coast. Everybody raved about it, but I couldn't really tell anything special about it. I thought it was neat to see all the coffee plants though. Did you know coffee is a red berry on the plant? The "bean" is the seed inside.

Picture taken October 7th, 1993.

Sundae · 03-19-2011, 07:38 AM

I used to drink really shitty machine coffee as a stimulant/ weight loss thang, but I literally held my breath to swallow. Then some friends ordered coffee at the end of a meal we'd shared and it smelled so GOOD. It was probably the only cup I really enjoyed. And it was a good restaurant, so no doubt it was expensive coffee.

We used to have a coffee house on the High Street and the smell of roasting coffee is a really nostalgic one for me.

Can't drink it now of course. It was identified as a migraine trigger and responsible for some of my insomnia. I found caffeine-free coffee not worth drinking, whic proved I'd never really enjoyed it. Caffeine free tea is still part of my daily routine though.

casimendocina · 03-20-2011, 06:00 AM

Hey Ali, saw a couple of months ago on TV a short piece on Gympie and they were saying that it's sort of preserved in time (the 50s from the footage they showed). Is it?

03-17-2011, 12:15 PM	#1
Cloud ... Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 8,360	Over-hyped coffee Kona coffee from Hawaii? Blue Mountain coffee from Jamaica? My boss tells me they are bitter and unpleasant tasting, and the kudos is strictly a marketing ploy. I'm sure people appreciate different flavors and strengths in coffee, but I think I'd like to go to Hawaii and Jamaica and taste the real thing for myself! Starbucks is certainly overhyped and has great marketing. Dunkin' Donuts, ditto. Fancy coffee makers, Gevalia, pod things--pretty much all bunk. What do you think? __________________ "Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it will. And outlive the bastards!"

03-17-2011, 12:19 PM	#2
jimhelm a beautiful fool Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: 39.939705 Posts: 4,504	Blue Mountain coffee is the shizznit __________________ There's a Shadow just behind me. Shrouding every step I take. Making every promise empty, pointing every finger at me. _tool

03-17-2011, 12:31 PM	#3
footfootfoot To shreds, you say? Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: in the house and on the street-how many, many feet we meet! Posts: 18,449	if I can get some just roasted a few minutes ago coffee it beats anything coming out of a bag or a can. It's like bread, every minute out of the oven the clock is ticking. at a certain point the freshness or lack thereof plateaus. __________________ The internet is a hateful stew of vomit you can never take completely seriously. - Her Fobs

03-17-2011, 06:24 PM	#4
Aliantha trying hard to be a better person Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 16,493	I don't usually care too much about coffee but I do love a Gloria Jeans Latte. They're my favourite. __________________ Kind words are the music of the world. F. W. Faber

03-22-2011, 02:07 AM	#9
Urbane Guerrilla Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Southern California Posts: 6,674	Champurrado And an illustrated how-to Comes off sort of like a drinkable edition of some kind of chocolate pudding. Usually served warm. Flavor is usually rather delicate, and is none the worse for the addition of some cinnamon as well. Mexican chocolate often adds cinnamon anyway. And you can put more chocolate in! Even hot chiles -- powdered. "Piloncillo" is just little conical sugarloaves of brown sugar, honey-brown affairs about as long as your index finger and twice as thick. Hard as a rock and quite difficult to grind or break up into anything sprinkleable. Brown sugar or brown half-and-half with Demarara/turbinado/blonde sugar is a good equivalent for flavor. __________________ Wanna stop school shootings? End Gun-Free Zones, of course. Last edited by Urbane Guerrilla; 03-22-2011 at 02:29 AM.

03-17-2011, 09:00 PM	#10
Cloud ... Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 8,360	Anderson's mom? __________________ "Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it will. And outlive the bastards!"

03-17-2011, 09:43 PM	#11
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	I'm no goffee snob, I harly drink the stuff, but I hate standard American coffee. I like what I think you call "dark roast". I generally don't care where it comes from or what it's called as long as it's in that ballpark. __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

03-18-2011, 10:36 AM	#12
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	Kona and Blue Mountain are both rare and expensive. I shudder to look at the pricetags per pound ... I don't know that I've ever had pure either, mainly get the blends. I have a Keurig, and prefer a strong, dark roast coffee. Most of the Kona blends (usually about 10% Kona) seem weak to me. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

03-18-2011, 10:47 AM	#13
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	We went to Hawaii on our honeymoon years ago and brought back a few pounds of 100% Kona when we visited that coast. Everybody raved about it, but I couldn't really tell anything special about it. I thought it was neat to see all the coffee plants though. Did you know coffee is a red berry on the plant? The "bean" is the seed inside. Picture taken October 7th, 1993. Attached Images

03-19-2011, 07:38 AM	#14
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	I used to drink really shitty machine coffee as a stimulant/ weight loss thang, but I literally held my breath to swallow. Then some friends ordered coffee at the end of a meal we'd shared and it smelled so GOOD. It was probably the only cup I really enjoyed. And it was a good restaurant, so no doubt it was expensive coffee. We used to have a coffee house on the High Street and the smell of roasting coffee is a really nostalgic one for me. Can't drink it now of course. It was identified as a migraine trigger and responsible for some of my insomnia. I found caffeine-free coffee not worth drinking, whic proved I'd never really enjoyed it. Caffeine free tea is still part of my daily routine though.

03-20-2011, 06:00 AM	#15
casimendocina Professor Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,622	Hey Ali, saw a couple of months ago on TV a short piece on Gympie and they were saying that it's sort of preserved in time (the 50s from the footage they showed). Is it?

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