It's Only Coffee!

Old Mother Ashby said:

*http://tinyurl.com/bnuhm

Just curious... why did you put the asterisk by the url? I noticed
you did that previously too.

--

Practice safe eating. Always use condiments.

sf said:

Old Mother Ashby said:

*http://tinyurl.com/bnuhm

Just curious... why did you put the asterisk by the url? I noticed
you did that previously too.

I didn't put it there, it just happens. Don't ask me why, I'm a
technological ignoramus!

Christine

Old Mother Ashby said:

Really, coffee worship in this town is getting a bit out of hand!
Consider this piece from this morning's paper:

*http://tinyurl.com/bnuhm

*For what it's worth, at home we have a Rancilio Sylvia, which is a high
end domestic machine. We buy our coffee weekly, ground from the local
roasters (who would probably chuckle to think of themselves as
"boutique"😉, becuase the cost of a decent burr grinder is prohibitive.
We know where to get decent coffee locally, but I don't think that
there's anything approaching the deadly serious Balaclava scene!

Christine
Unfortunately unable to tolerate more than two coffees a day

What is so out of hand about it?

SD

Old Mother Ashby said:

Really, coffee worship in this town is getting a bit out of hand!

(snippage)

Quoted message said:

Christine
Unfortunately unable to tolerate more than two coffees a day

It's getting out of hand *everywhere*. There's a Starbucks on every corner.
And it's not just coffee... it's lattes and mocha lattes and double-foam
lattes and espresso. You can't go into a book store or music store without
finding a coffee bar. I go into my bank and they are serving coffee. Um,
you're a bank, not a coffee shop. I don't care if it's free, I hope not to
be *in* the bank long enough to drink a cup of coffee.

When I want coffee I just want a cuppa joe, you know? Nothing fancy. The
best coffee I've ever had was at some of the little out of the way diners in
small towns. They're probably using Folgers, who knows?

Jill

Quoted message said:

When I want coffee I just want a cuppa joe, you know? Nothing fancy. The
best coffee I've ever had was at some of the little out of the way diners in
small towns. They're probably using Folgers, who knows?

Quoted message said:

Jill

(Not directed at you Jill ) but I find it interesting how often I
hear "real" coffee drinkers criticizing those who frequent Starbucks
and order the likes of- ultra-supermochajavadecaf's.
To that I say, 'hey... leave 'em alone... if they like a splash of
coffee with their milkshakes and want to pay 6 bucks for it... what's
the harm? So you like vanilla icecream and they like Chunky Monkey
w/sprinkles and gummie bears". Live and let live! Say I. Kev

To play Devil's advocate here.... I used to justify my $5 a day
starbucks habit this way: a 12 ounce grande latte at starbucks contains
about 10 oz of milk in it, along with all the sweeteners and flavorings
and such, if you like it that way. AND it can be ordered skim. (A latte
itself has just the espresso and the milk, steamed. No syrup unless you
want it flavored.) So, although I would make a pot of coffee at home in
the morning, I could justify a stop at Staarbucks as a resonably
healthy breakfast. I'm not a morning eater, but 10 oz of warm milk with
a few shots of espresso is probably better for me than refilling my
coffee cup endlessly until lunch. I was sensible, though - I ordered
them plain and nonfat, not the thousanda calorie sweetened junk.

"jmcquown" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

It's getting out of hand *everywhere*. There's a Starbucks on every

corner.

Absolute, I-swear-to-Zeus-this-is-true story:

On a biz trip to Taiwan a couple of years ago, a co-worker and
I found ourselves with a weekend to kill in a moderate-sized but
by no means tourist-attractive Taiwanese town. Since we both like
exploring such places on foot, we left the hotel around mid-morning,
and within an hour had become pretty well lost in the confusing
back streets and alleys of this place, with nary an English-language
sign in sight. I said, "Not to worry - if nothing else, we'll hit a
Starbuck's in the next ten minutes or so!" Turned the next corner,
and - bam! - Seattle's finest, right before our eyes. We both
cracked up, had a coffee or three, and finally made it back to the
hotel a bit later.

Bob M.

In article said:

It's getting out of hand *everywhere*. There's a Starbucks on every corner.
And it's not just coffee... it's lattes and mocha lattes and double-foam
lattes and espresso.

Neglecting the commonly held opinion (with which I concur) that Starbucks
coffees aren't very good - overroasted and the like - I guess I wonder why one
needs a coffee shop for pure coffee. I don't know how to make a frappuccino
or even a blended mocha, and don't have an espresso machine anyway. But I can
grind some good beans and make a fine cup of coffee at will.

So aside from the social aspects of having a cup of coffee with friends,
here's one frequent patron who goes there primarily for the fancy-schmanzy
drinks you're somewhat lampooning.

You might get a chuckle over a Beetle Bailey cartoon strip a year or two back.
Miss Buxley tells Beetle, "I'll meet you at Starbucks." He asks, "where's
Starbucks?", and she replies "across from Starbucks.". (That's not totally
blue-sky; I can think of at least one nearby location where there IS a
Starbucks across from Starbucks.)

Art

"Arthur Shapiro" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

You might get a chuckle over a Beetle Bailey cartoon strip a year or two
back.
Miss Buxley tells Beetle, "I'll meet you at Starbucks." He asks, "where's
Starbucks?", and she replies "across from Starbucks.". (That's not
totally
blue-sky; I can think of at least one nearby location where there IS a
Starbucks across from Starbucks.)

Just a few weeks ago there was a hostage situation, something like
that? at a Starbucks. Jay Leno said, but don't worry, the customers
were removed safely to the Starbucks two door over. Cracked me
up.

nancy

SD said:

Old Mother Ashby said:

Really, coffee worship in this town is getting a bit out of hand!
Consider this piece from this morning's paper:

*http://tinyurl.com/bnuhm

*For what it's worth, at home we have a Rancilio Sylvia, which is a high
end domestic machine. We buy our coffee weekly, ground from the local
roasters (who would probably chuckle to think of themselves as
"boutique"😉, becuase the cost of a decent burr grinder is prohibitive.
We know where to get decent coffee locally, but I don't think that
there's anything approaching the deadly serious Balaclava scene!

Christine
Unfortunately unable to tolerate more than two coffees a day

What is so out of hand about it?

SD

I dunno, all that about customising the machines and secret societies
and everything, it just struck me as a bit OTT. I mean, coffee with
"attitude"?

Christine

Old Mother Ashby said:

SD said:

Old Mother Ashby said:

Really, coffee worship in this town is getting a bit out of hand!
Consider this piece from this morning's paper:

*http://tinyurl.com/bnuhm

*For what it's worth, at home we have a Rancilio Sylvia, which is a high
end domestic machine. We buy our coffee weekly, ground from the local
roasters (who would probably chuckle to think of themselves as
"boutique"😉, becuase the cost of a decent burr grinder is prohibitive.
We know where to get decent coffee locally, but I don't think that
there's anything approaching the deadly serious Balaclava scene!

Christine
Unfortunately unable to tolerate more than two coffees a day

What is so out of hand about it?

SD

I dunno, all that about customising the machines and secret societies
and everything, it just struck me as a bit OTT. I mean, coffee with
"attitude"?

Christine

We would go for the social aspect. I'd rather meet friends at a coffee
bar (our local Starbucks was inside a Barnes and Noble Bookstore) than
in some noisy, cigarrette smoke polluted bar full of 3 sheets to the
wind drunks. The bookstore Starbucks provided for lively conversation
with a wide range of friends, aquaintences, and even total strangers
(it was near a university campus) over a wide range of topics ranging
from US foreign policy to the Washington state criminal justice system.

SD

Jude said:

To play Devil's advocate here.... I used to justify my $5 a day
starbucks habit this way: a 12 ounce grande latte at starbucks
contains about 10 oz of milk in it, along with all the sweeteners and
flavorings and such, if you like it that way. AND it can be ordered
skim.

(snippage)

Well that sounds nice and healthy 😉

I drink maybe 2 cups of coffee when I'm *out* somewhere having breakfast. I
also drink a big tall cold glass of skim or 2% milk. Separately. No
sweeteners. 🙂 Doesn't justify paying $5 for a cup of latte. I can buy a
1/2 gallon of milk for $2.00 and get unlimited refills of coffee at a diner
for a buck.

Jill

jmcquown said:

Old Mother Ashby said:

Really, coffee worship in this town is getting a bit out of hand!

(snippage)

Quoted message said:

Christine
Unfortunately unable to tolerate more than two coffees a day

It's getting out of hand *everywhere*. There's a Starbucks on every corner.
And it's not just coffee... it's lattes and mocha lattes and double-foam
lattes and espresso. You can't go into a book store or music store without
finding a coffee bar. I go into my bank and they are serving coffee. Um,
you're a bank, not a coffee shop. I don't care if it's free, I hope not to
be *in* the bank long enough to drink a cup of coffee.

Don't ever bank in Central America. Coffee is routinely offered at my
bank where the wait in line can be an hour or more. They even have TV's
mounted so you can watch CNN or whatever the bank guards are into
watching (usually CNN but occasionally National Geographic)

Quoted message said:

When I want coffee I just want a cuppa joe, you know? Nothing fancy. The
best coffee I've ever had was at some of the little out of the way diners in
small towns. They're probably using Folgers, who knows?

Jill

No one is forcing you to partake of specialty coffee drinks sold in
fancy coffee shops. Some of us frequent coffee shops for the social
aspects, not necessarily the coffee (or in my case, tea). The Barnes
and Noble Starbucks in Olympia was a convenient meeting place for a
group of us that lived in the South Sound area. Besides, I'd rather
have a coffee bar on every corner than a bar full of rowdy drunks on
every corner. The last town I lived in had 6 taverns as well as the
state liquor store, mini-marts, and a grocery store selling beer and
wine all within a three block radius of the mill gate in downtown.
Weekends and paydays were NOT pleasant in that place.

SD

jmcquown said:

It's getting out of hand *everywhere*. There's a Starbucks on every

corner.

Quoted message said:

And it's not just coffee... it's lattes and mocha lattes and double-foam
lattes and espresso. You can't go into a book store or music store

without

Quoted message said:

finding a coffee bar. I go into my bank and they are serving coffee. Um,
you're a bank, not a coffee shop. I don't care if it's free, I hope not

to

Quoted message said:

be *in* the bank long enough to drink a cup of coffee.

TWICE in the past few months I've had airheads holding full cups of coffee
run into me, once in the grocery store, once someone waltzed out of a store
and right into me. I'm like "HEY, howzabout WATCHING where you are
GOING...". In both cases there were spills that incurred dry cleaning bills
for me...

When I asked one of the be - yotches if she'd pay my dry cleaning bill she
shot back sarcastically, "Yeah, if you buy ME another coffee...(!)". I
said, "You have a nice day, c-nt, and oh you'd better attend to that genital
herpes sore on yer lip..." The older woman with her appeared to be her
mother :-)

I'm heartily sick of the Starbux in my 'hood, it's situated on a corner on a
very busy street. Constant traffic, double - parking, U - turns - it's
dangerous. Plus which although the store has a restroom it is NOT open to
patrons. Instead the idiot patrons run across the street to our corner bar
and use the bathrooms there, they are constantly infesting the place.
Lately I've taken to yelling at them, "Hey! Why don't you tip the bartender
or even buy a drink!". I've scared several away using that tactic ;-p

There are also in front of the store bums constantly panhandling and people
with petitions constantly beseeching passerby, trying to engage them in
their "cause"...

As far as I'm concerned they are a very poor corporate presence in our
neighborhood, I hate 'em. Several of us are considering complaining to the
alderman...

--
Best
Greg

Old Mother Ashby said:

Steve the coffee geek who we bought the Sylvia from gave us a lecture on
grinders and recommended something that cost about $500.....

Of course he did. He isn't going to make much money on an inexpensive
hand grinder. The fact remains, the Zazzy will do as good a job as
the expensive ones. Cut steel burrs. German quality. Your muscles.

nb

Quoted message said:

Melbourne people are coffee snobs, another reason Starbucks won't take
over. There's not enough people over the age of 16 who would risk the
ridicule that would follow if they admitted to drinking vanilla/cherry
frappachino supadupa whatevers. You can't even order a cappuchino after
11.30 am without being sneered at by the barrista.

That said, I thought even by local standards the Balaclava scene is OTT.

By the way, tea is the new coffee. All respectable watering holes now
have the full range, served in individual pots and positively no teabags!

Christine

notbob said:

Old Mother Ashby said:

Steve the coffee geek who we bought the Sylvia from gave us a lecture on
grinders and recommended something that cost about $500.....

Of course he did. He isn't going to make much money on an inexpensive
hand grinder. The fact remains, the Zazzy will do as good a job as
the expensive ones. Cut steel burrs. German quality. Your muscles.

nb

That's what we have...and it works just fine! No need to spend a small
fortune.

SD

Arthur Shapiro said:

In article <[email hidden]>, "jmcquown"

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

It's getting out of hand *everywhere*. There's a Starbucks on every corner.
And it's not just coffee... it's lattes and mocha lattes and double-foam
lattes and espresso.

Neglecting the commonly held opinion (with which I concur) that Starbucks
coffees aren't very good - overroasted and the like - I guess I wonder why

one

Quoted message said:

needs a coffee shop for pure coffee. I don't know how to make a frappuccino
or even a blended mocha, and don't have an espresso machine anyway. But I

can

Quoted message said:

grind some good beans and make a fine cup of coffee at will.

So aside from the social aspects of having a cup of coffee with friends,
here's one frequent patron who goes there primarily for the fancy-schmanzy
drinks you're somewhat lampooning.

Quoted message said:

Art

Time mostly and mental wherewithal. The coffee shop I frequent is one block
from my house, a little independent place. I don't have the time to make my
coffee in the morning (or I do, I just choose to spend my time doing other
things) and I certainly don't have my wits together enough to do it properly.
I stop at the coffee shop on my way to work, they know me, they start my drink
when they see me pull in.

Plus, $1.75 for 4 shots of espresso isn't that bad a deal cmpared to other
places.

On the weekends I usually make my own at home, but I have more time to sleep
in and can go slower.

--
..:Heather:.
www.velvet-c.com
Step off, beyotches, I'm the roflpimp!

jmcquown said:

Jude said:

To play Devil's advocate here.... I used to justify my $5 a day
starbucks habit this way: a 12 ounce grande latte at starbucks
contains about 10 oz of milk in it, along with all the sweeteners and
flavorings and such, if you like it that way. AND it can be ordered
skim.

(snippage)

Well that sounds nice and healthy 😉

I drink maybe 2 cups of coffee when I'm *out* somewhere having breakfast. I
also drink a big tall cold glass of skim or 2% milk. Separately. No
sweeteners. 🙂 Doesn't justify paying $5 for a cup of latte. I can buy a
1/2 gallon of milk for $2.00 and get unlimited refills of coffee at a diner
for a buck.

Jill

True......but what I brew at home is coffee. That's what I keep in my
20-ounce travel mug. That's also what gets me through the day (usually
at least 2 cups, so 40 oz minimum.)

Given the choice of coffee and coffee only til lunchtime, or an
indugence that actually was more nutritious, as well as being a treat,
that made it justifiable to spend the $5 a few mornings a week. At
least, justifiable to me. Unlimited refills at a diner doesn't cut it
when you have to be in your classroom by 7:45 AM. On the other hand, a
nice warm milky latte followed by coffee from the thermos would get me
thorough the day with a little calcium and protien in me.

I don't like to drink milk plain (well, occasionally with a piece of
cake or some girl scout cookies), but other than that, I'm a water
drinker as far as cold drinks go. So it makes it, perhaps, more of a
reasonable indulgence, rather than a straight-up waste of money.

Of course, what most starbucks fans don't realize is that a grande (12
oz) and a venti (16 oz) each have 2 shots of espresso, the rest is
milk......so a venti is actually larger but weaker than the grande.
It's not really a better deal if you're after caffeine content or
strong coffee taste!

So, at least for myself, I see it as a justifiable luxury. Much better
than a $5 a day Cold Stone habit, which would be just as easy to
develop........

Jude said:

jmcquown said:

Jude said:

To play Devil's advocate here.... I used to justify my $5 a day
starbucks habit this way: a 12 ounce grande latte at starbucks
contains about 10 oz of milk in it, along with all the sweeteners
and flavorings and such, if you like it that way. AND it can be
ordered
skim.

(snippage)

Well that sounds nice and healthy 😉

I drink maybe 2 cups of coffee when I'm *out* somewhere having
breakfast. I also drink a big tall cold glass of skim or 2% milk.
Separately. No sweeteners. 🙂

(snippage)

Quoted message said:

So, at least for myself, I see it as a justifiable luxury. Much better
than a $5 a day Cold Stone habit, which would be just as easy to
develop........

What's a Cold Stone?

It's a luxury you are willing to pay for, and that's fine. I just don't
drink enough coffee to justify the price for myself. And I'd really rather
just have a big glass of cold milk than a latte 🙂

Jill