The great beverage debate.

timgraham
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My dearest mother is a militant tea drinker, so much so that she'll happily lecture a waiter in a cafe on how to correctly brew a proper cup of tea.

I'm very much a coffee drinker, although I'm happy enough to forgo it if it's not any good. I find that there's nothing worse than a disappointing coffee - especially at work when I'm usually desparately looking forward to it.

The popularity of Starbucks kind of confuses me, the coffee there is pretty awful and it seems to be the image more than anything else that draws people in. They were sufficiently unpopular here that they had to shut down 60-odd stores a few years ago.
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Pete
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Well in part Starbucks problems are down to poor management. For example, their store in the soon to close :( Borders in Dundee had a bit of chipboard at the end of the counter where the drinks are placed to be picked up. When I asked why it was so shoddy I was told they were waiting for the proper one to arrive... from Seattle.
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Nick Harvey
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timgraham wrote:My dearest mother is a militant tea drinker.
May one enquire about all your other mothers?
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Beep
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Hymagumba wrote:Well in part Starbucks problems are down to poor management. For example, their store in the soon to close :( Borders in Dundee had a bit of chipboard at the end of the counter where the drinks are placed to be picked up. When I asked why it was so shoddy I was told they were waiting for the proper one to arrive... from Seattle.
Well, Starbucks, Bullring (Borders one) had a bit of plasterboard covering some kind of blender engine. This plasterboard was filthy. It looked like an episode of Life of Grime.
timgraham
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I think the main thing that people missed from the stores shutting down was the wireless, which was free if you were on Telstra at the time.
Nick Harvey wrote:
timgraham wrote:My dearest mother is a militant tea drinker.
May one enquire about all your other mothers?
Ha, they're doing well.
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rob
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Tea for me. Black, no sugar.
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Steve in Pudsey
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Definitely coffee for me, although I'm drinking far less of it since an enforced office relocation to a smaller office where there isn't space to set up our filter coffee machine.

At home, I have an espresso machine and a coffee grinder, from which I can manage a passable cappuccino - I found a filter machine brewed too much of the stuff, even with the keep warm plate.

I did go through a stage of drinking mainly tea - specifically PG's blend of green and regular tea - as my then girlfriend didn't drink coffee at all.
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nidave
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Beep wrote:Well, Starbucks, Bullring (Borders one) had a bit of plasterboard covering some kind of blender engine. This plasterboard was filthy. It looked like an episode of Life of Grime.
Speaking of Starbucks, are the ones in Borders owned by Borders or Starbucks?

Was in borders the other day - very sad to see them go. There is nothing like looking at a physical book.
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Beep
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nidave wrote:
Beep wrote:Well, Starbucks, Bullring (Borders one) had a bit of plasterboard covering some kind of blender engine. This plasterboard was filthy. It looked like an episode of Life of Grime.
Speaking of Starbucks, are the ones in Borders owned by Borders or Starbucks?

Was in borders the other day - very sad to see them go. There is nothing like looking at a physical book.
Owned and operated by Borders, licenced by Starbucks.
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Pete
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Let me dredge this thread up to discuss the new revolution in coffee that is "The Flat White"

Has anyone else tried one of these? As a general coffee disliker (I like Lattes as they're mostly milk and esp if they include sugar/gingerbread or some other thing to disguise the coffee) I found it horrid, whereas Mr Hyma who likes coffee declared it to be marvelous, although then got irritated by the man bellowing loudly into his phone in Turkish next to him.

Having said that the novelty of a starbucks cup and saucer was nice. If I'd had a bag on me I'd have nicked it. </trivialmatters>
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Gavin Scott
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Hymagumba wrote:Let me dredge this thread up to discuss the new revolution in coffee that is "The Flat White"

Has anyone else tried one of these? As a general coffee disliker (I like Lattes as they're mostly milk and esp if they include sugar/gingerbread or some other thing to disguise the coffee) I found it horrid, whereas Mr Hyma who likes coffee declared it to be marvelous, although then got irritated by the man bellowing loudly into his phone in Turkish next to him.

Having said that the novelty of a starbucks cup and saucer was nice. If I'd had a bag on me I'd have nicked it. </trivialmatters>
Latte (also my personal choice) is similar in makeup, but the flat white uses the milk from the bottom of the steam jug, which is less frothy but still full of air - for a smoother drink.

Sadly it doesn't do that which I need it to do, which is to hide the bitterness of the coffee itself.

I make coffees for guests using a little nespresso machine - and I confess I've grown quite fond of it (as far as you can with a kitchen object).

But try as I might I just can't take the taste of coffee without plenty of milk and sugar to take the edge off it. I've got three "intensities" of coffee from nespresso - but its just a case of bitter, more bitter and yeurch bitter.
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