Coffee, why is it better elsewhere? (1 Viewer)

[rosalan]

I like coffee but wherever we travel it seems to taste better than in this country, why?
I went into a Tea Room cafe today and ordered an ‘American’ with almost no taste at all and asked for a replacement, which tasted the same. After 3 months touring Spain and Portugal drinking coffee at different places almost every day, we did not have one cup that was unacceptable.
At home we have 8 mockas (coffee makers) in different sizes, they make a fair drink. A few Cafetières which I am not fond of. For a short time we had a Jura bean to cup machine, poor results but discovered the grinder worn out. Who makes a good cup of coffee? Our Tassimo is fair but have to make it myself.

 

[Themselves]

There is an Italian place in Evesham down by the old bridge. Possibly the best cappuccino I have ever had.

 

[Bernie P]

I can never remotely match the smell and taste of continental coffee. Even with blends I've brought out there. No idea a why!
The smell of freshly brewed coffee wafting across continental campsites is to die for.

 

[Jabstatt]

I have just gone from a bean to cup machine, my second, to a Nespresso Vertuo machine and it is great.
I agree about loads of coffee shops selling tasteless products.
My machine also does hot chocolate which is also amazing.

Tony

 

[BrochMike]

ordered an ‘American’ with almost no taste

Would have thought that should be easy to find...

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Spriddler]

On holiday in Greece we'd really enjoy a glass or two of 3 star Metaxa at dusk on the hotel balcony overlooking the twinkling lights of the marina.
Exactly the same 3 star Metaxa brought home just didn't taste anything like as good.

 

[Abacist]

I like Lavazza ground coffee and beans either made in a cafetière or in one of those Italian pressure pots you put on the stove. Just also found that Tesco sell Machu Pichu ground coffee which is really good. Can’t stand Coffee 1 as tastes burnt. With Costa I need an extra shot. Abroad they must use decent beans as it always tastes good wherever and much cheaper than home.

 

[Nanniemate]

Maybe because this used to pass as coffee in UK

Camp Chicory & Coffee Essence | Waitrose & Partners

Buy Camp Chicory & Coffee Essence online from Waitrose today. Picked, packed and delivered by hand in convenient 1-hour slots

www.waitrose.com

 

[peterc10]

Italian Lavazza coffee is my preference and it seems to be the most popular in Italy. I use pods and have one machine at home and another smaller one in the motorhome.

Americans mostly drink coffee from filter drip machines. Wife prefers that and she recommends Tim Hortons Canadian coffee. Used to be very difficult to buy over here but they are expanding their chain of coffee shops in the UK and they sells their ground beans for taking away.

 

[Joethejoiner]

I like coffee but wherever we travel it seems to taste better than in this country, why?
I went into a Tea Room cafe today and ordered an ‘American’ with almost no taste at all and asked for a replacement, which tasted the same. After 3 months touring Spain and Portugal drinking coffee at different places almost every day, we did not have one cup that was unacceptable.
At home we have 8 mockas (coffee makers) in different sizes, they make a fair drink. A few Cafetières which I am not fond of. For a short time we had a Jura bean to cup machine, poor results but discovered the grinder worn out. Who makes a good cup of coffee? Our Tassimo is fair but have to make it myself.

It's not the coffee it's the coffee maker , barista if you like .
Coffee I get in my preferred cafes is better than anything I get in mainland Europe. But I don't have to go too far to get terrible coffee in lots of places

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Chuns]

I may be wrong here, and am happy to be proven so, but my understanding of this issue is that generally we use Arabica beans in the UK, whereas France, and presumably by association its neighbours, primarily use Robusta beans.

 

[Joethejoiner]

I may be wrong here, and am happy to be proven so, but my understanding of this issue is that generally we use Arabica beans in the UK, whereas France, and presumably by association its neighbours, primarily use Robusta beans.

In my experience French coffee is the worst . I drink espresso so no hiding behind the milk and sugar . The French always overfill the cup , weak as maidens pee

 

[Jim]

We've been experimenting with Turkish coffee with mixed results. Any Turkish coffee experts out there?

 

[makems]

Best coffee I can remember was on Swissair about 40 years ago when for several months I commuted to Geneva weekly. Stepping onto the plane the first thing that hit you was the most gorgeous smell of fresh coffee and it tased as good as it smelled.

 

[Mr porky]

One of the reasons coffee in the uk can be awful is we have an American idea of size for coffee, it shouldn't come as a bucket size it should be a small size especially if it's been made in a proper batista machine otherwise the coffee to hot water ratio is just too minimal.
We use francino coffee machines which are a commercial brand made in Birmingham from an Italian who immigrated to the UK.
The coffee beans are actually from a countywide supplier cash and carry which is bookers premuim blend, I've tried a lot available in bulk and found these to be amazing which give a great taste and crema.
The regular cleaning and service of the machines also goes to making great coffee.
Just a few reasons why we get bad coffee in the uk.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Jo May]

Largely situational I think.
If you sit in the middle of the road in Rochdale drinking Veuve Clicquot, it just isn't the same as cheering on your nag at Longchamp.

 

[carolyn]

I have a de’longhi bean to cup machine. I use bottled water as our water is so hard. I try different beans. We like strong coffee , black or if I’ve bought one that’s a bit on the bitter side for me then a tiny dash of cold milk sorts it.

If you like wishy washy milky coffees then I think most don’t really taste of coffee anyway.

I’ve had good and bad coffee everywhere we’ve travelled. Depends as much on the person making it as the shop/chain.

 

[Hagstrom]

In my view, coffee shop beans appear very dark and over-roasted - well past second crack which tends towards less flavour and more bitterness.
Its tempting to think that coffee chains use a high proportion of the cheaper Robusta in their blends but labels indicate they are 100% Arabica? Hmm.
Other factors affecting the flavour are the age of the beans since roasting; the grinder quality; the grind setting; the flow rate (approximate grounds/water ratio aiming for 1ml per second); the pre-infusion time; the espresso machine temperature etc.
I don't see baristas weighing the input dose, checking the flow rate. I see grinds sitting in dosing dispensers that may be an hour or a day old. I don't see any attention to detail - apart from making a pretty pattern with the crema - to make espresso properly would be commercial suicide.
The result is shop/chain coffee can vary from barely acceptable to appalling. Throughput is the driver.

 

[Norfolk Nige]

I have a de’longhi bean to cup machine. I use bottled water as our water is so hard. I try different beans. We like strong coffee , black or if I’ve bought one that’s a bit on the bitter side for me then a tiny dash of cold milk sorts it.

If you like wishy washy milky coffees then I think most don’t really taste of coffee anyway.

I’ve had good and bad coffee everywhere we’ve travelled. Depends as much on the person making it as the shop/chain.

We too use a Delonghi bean to cup machine with beans from a supplier called Presto. We have them on subscription delivered freshly roasted each month. I can’t find coffee which tastes as good at home or abroad. It’s down to personal taste. Some like Costa, I find the taste too burnt. I only drink black coffee, so espresso or Americano. We use filtered water in ours, as Norfolk water is too hard.
It’s a mixture of the right beans, the right water, the right machine. Oh and a little bit of skill from the operator

 

[MisterB]

Nescafé in a mug ..... I love a simple life

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Zoobec]

I also have a delonghi bean to cup machine, I buy my beans from pollards, the pouches are just big enough to fill the bean compartment meaning the beans are as fresh as possible. When we are in the van I use aeropress fine ground beans in my moka pot. Since buying coffee from them rather than supermarket beans I have found a great improvement on taste!

 

[gus-lopez]

Tim Hortons Canadian coffee.

One of there places at Alicante airport

In my experience French coffee is the worst .

Never had a decent cup anywhere in France.

 

[charliesgrandad]

all this fuss about different coffees,whats wrong with a good old cuppa of Yorkshire tea

 

[Mr porky]

all this fuss about different coffees,whats wrong with a good old cuppa of Yorkshire tea

Ahh but do you use standard, gold or decafe.

 

[Joethejoiner]

all this fuss about different coffees,whats wrong with a good old cuppa of Yorkshire tea

Well , for starters , it's tea

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Joethejoiner]

Nescafé in a mug ..... I love a simple life

Philistine!
We're discussing coffee here

 

[Insider]

Wondering why the same coffee tastes different in different places and it's not just the mood. Start watching James Hoffmann on YouTube. I've been buying the same coffee for the last ten years - French Roast beans - and I use a variety of devices to grind and a variety of devices to brew - gaggia classic pro, moka, aeropress etc and some days I get it right and it's WOW and other days I just cry. Even the "same" coffee from the supplier will have gone thru a slightly different roasting process next time you buy from them and I'll waste a few cups getting the grind size right to get the right pressure and thus flow rate theought the GCP. If I had to pick 1 method it would be moka with 1Zpresso manual grinder which also suits campervanning. Turkish is next on the list.

 

[DT]

Any town centre street it’s coffee shop, barbers, coffee shop, charity shop. We could save a fortune if we never again drank coffee in shops again but it’s an addiction.

 

[lorger]

Maybe because this used to pass as coffee in UK

Camp Chicory & Coffee Essence | Waitrose & Partners

Buy Camp Chicory & Coffee Essence online from Waitrose today. Picked, packed and delivered by hand in convenient 1-hour slots

www.waitrose.com

This is the reason I’ve never tasted coffee in my 56 years on this planet, growing up in the 70s my parents were publicans in Glasgow and one of the customers had a ready supply of this. The smell in our house was enough for me and never tasted coffee, we have been tempted to try it as my wife has never tasted it either, we’re just not sure which one to try.

I do love a cup of tea though

 

[Geistguy]

Why does a coffee cost so much in the UK ? Small cafe has opened close to us and a standard Cappuccino is £3.75.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}