Sunday, March 04, 2007

Coffee

I used to drink instant coffee, like most people in the UK. When I lived in Italy, I moved onto real cappuccino and espresso. Since I've come back (and it's been nearly two years), I've failed to make the move back to instant. It tastes bitter, chemical, awful. I can drink filter coffee at a push, but it's only the stuff made in a proper machine that does it for me.

Anyone else fussy with their coffee, or is it just me?

13 comments:

SarahJane said...

me! i travel with my little bialetti moka express. it has saved me from an unpleasant breakfast many a time.

Marion McCready said...

I love a trip to Glasgow just for a caramel macchiato from starbucks but it doesn't spoil me for my instant - thinking of a big cuppa coffee makes it worthwhile getting up in the morning (esp when there's chocolate in the house to dip in it)!

Andrew Philip said...

Much the same thing happened to me when I lived in Berlin. Fortunately, by the time I came back, the UK had discovered the cafetiere. We have two (different sizes) and a 3-cup Bialetti espresso maker.

Anonymous said...

I can't drink instant any more. It's not just inferior to the real thing, it's actually nasty.

I've slightly gone off espresso, though; I'm not convinced it's the best way to appreciate the flavour of the coffee. My coffee of choice at the moment is the Rwandan from the Monmouth Coffee Company, which I grind myself and make in an Aerobie Aeropress —which, despite the claims on the site, doesn't make brilliant espresso, but if you make a double and water it down it makes a very good mug of black coffee.

That must be worth a few coffee-snob points.

Hedgie said...

I haven't been able to drink instant coffee for years. Unfortunately, I've become addicted to Starbuck's Café Latté.

scavella said...

INSTANT?????

Ya mad???

Anything from freshly-ground coffee will do -- filter, melita, press, one of those Italian stove-top coffee makers, cappuccino.

I've collected all of the above and have the choice in the morning. I take my coffee seriously.

Ben Wilkinson said...

Well, I'm going to go against the trend here as, in all honesty, I don't mind a nice cup of Nescafe instant coffee.

Sure, a well-made freshly ground coffee is much more enjoyable, but for one who doesn't drink coffee that regularly (I'm a tea person, Earl Grey; coffee is my pick-me-up), a convenient instant coffee is the best way. Maybe I'm yet to appreciate the true nature of that which I happily swig back from time to time...

Matt Merritt said...

I'm with Ben on this one. I'm a coffee heathen - I can tell the difference between good and bad, but I'm too bone idle to go for anything but the easy option.
Earl Grey though - now you're talking...

Unknown said...

Real coffee, ground and brewed right. Sometimes as a latte or usually black, hot and very strong. One cup a day is my limit though.

nmj said...

I can't abide instant, I'd be lost without Lavazza, but sadly I've melted the handle on one Bialetti too many . . .

Hedgie said...

If God wanted me to make coffee, She wouldn't have caused Starbuck's to take over the world.

Rob said...

We have a cheap Hinari Café Continental machine, which makes espresso and cappuccino and cost £17.95 from Tesos. We bought it to take on holiday with us and it proved astonishingly good, especially for the price.

We had an Italian machine, a Baby Gaggia, from an electrical/household store when we lived in Turin, which cost quite a bit more, but it broke down a while back - just out of guarantee (typical!). But the Hinari machine's coffee is just as good, so we don't miss it.

Kevin said...

Very.