CollectiveInk Senior Member Joined: 3 Jan 2005 Posts: 43 Location: Tri-Cities Tenn. Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Miss Silvia Grinder: Innova I-1, Solis Maestro Vac Pot: n/a Drip: AeroPress, French Press Roaster: BBQ Drum (homemade), Air...
Posted Sun Jan 9, 2005, 10:25pm Subject: Re: Your morning espresso ... sugar?
I drink my drinks (esp, caps, regular java) all black. I guess I just save my sweet tooth for chocolate. :)
Apparently, they sometimes add a little salt to their brew.
I haven't tried it yet. Anyone here done it?
As for the salt thing, I heard that and gave it a try. It does work.....when you're using a Mr Coffee plastic drip machine, old pre-ground store bought coffee and tap water.....but then again, it can only do so much. lol
hifi_guy Senior Member Joined: 4 Apr 2004 Posts: 266 Location: Germany Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Simonelli Oscar & Personal V Grinder: Simonelli MDE, Ranc.MD50,... Vac Pot: none Drip: Melitta Cone, now unused
Posted Mon Jan 10, 2005, 1:58pm Subject: Re: Your morning espresso ... sugar?
Sugar - never. Not for me. I find that sugar tastes bland and one-dimensional, it doesn't seem to blend well with the coffee but stays isolated. That's to my taste buds. Perfect espresso actually tastes so sweet that I can enjoy it like a piece of expensive chocolate. But in the morning I take one or two double cappuccinos. The milk adds enough sweetness for my taste.
The salt thing: my grandma used to do this for drip coffee. She always sprinkled a few grains of salt on the coffee grounds in the melitta cone. Never could see the point. But the coffee (made from ultra-cheap preground) wasn't too bad.
But everybody to his/her own taste. What I really don't understand is the artificial sweetener thing: definitely tastes evil, will possibly be harmful to your health, and is totally illogical with regards to calories/carb reduction. To translate a german dialect saying: It's like pinching the bull's horn.
Posted Mon Jan 10, 2005, 7:07pm Subject: Re: Your morning espresso ... sugar?
hifi_guy Said:
But everybody to his/her own taste. What I really don't understand is the artificial sweetener thing: definitely tastes evil, will possibly be harmful to your health, and is totally illogical with regards to calories/carb reduction. To translate a german dialect saying: It's like pinching the bull's horn.
I don't really get that either. I love the people that wash down their super sized big mac with a diet coke and think they are doing something to help themselves. Just use the real stuff in limited quantities and you will be fine.
Posted Tue Jan 11, 2005, 7:20am Subject: Re: Your morning espresso ... sugar?
I agree about the artificial sweetener stuff, although I hear that Splenda is not so bad for you. It still tastes bad in coffee, though. If you love sugar, you have to adjust your taste buds to really get used to fake sweeteners, so why not adjust your buds to appreciate unsweetened coffee?
Speaking of Big Macs...did anyone see Super Size Me? Scary...
karlInSanDiego Senior Member Joined: 17 Nov 2004 Posts: 11 Location: San Diego, CA - USA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Melita + Salton (seriously) Grinder: Black & Decker burr Drip: Gevalia freebee Roaster: not there yet
Posted Tue Jan 11, 2005, 2:35pm Subject: Re: Your morning espresso ... sugar?
espresso avec le lait et sucre
Specifically, splash of milk and a cube of sugar heated before pulling into a demitasse. Maybe someday I'll get geek equipment, weigh my doses, time my shots, and my espresso won't need it.
Alberto Senior Member Joined: 15 Jan 2005 Posts: 24 Location: Central Texas Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Solis SL-90 Grinder: Solis Maestro Plus
Posted Tue Jan 25, 2005, 6:34pm Subject: Re: Your morning espresso ... sugar?
I am very much a male, 55 years old, weaned on coffee (Really. In Cuba children drink coffee, starting with a cortadito and eventually graduating to a café con leche) and I have never, ever drank anything with coffee without sugar. And by the way, until I came to the United States at age 11, I did not know that there was anything else but espresso. And I really, really, like coffee.
Forgive me, but saying something like "adding sugar is for those who do not like coffee" smacks of, well, supreme snobbism. "If you knew coffee you would drink it straight".
Having spent years in the Japanese martial arts, one interesing thing that we see are the japanophiles who try to out-Japanese the Japanese and look down on those who do not fit their lofty standards (interesting stories about the rank belts and the hakama or split pants along those lines, but that is a post for another day and another forum).
So, people go to Italy seeking perfection in espresso and are rather amazed by what they find. Let's not out-Italian the Italians.
More accurate would be to say "I do not like any coffee with sugar" rather than making a generalization about everybody that does not share the same taste.
Incidentally, in the café con leche the milk was always boiled first, then the coffee was added. The coffee was stirred off the PF with sugar prior to adding it. More sugar was added if desired. And the milk was always boiled with a little salt. Go figure.
Posted Tue Jan 25, 2005, 9:09pm Subject: Re: Your morning espresso ... sugar?
I love a rich espresso in the evening, but it's way too strong to start the day with such a drink -- it'll assault your mouth.
I prefer a cappuccino or americano in the morning.
Re: sugar. I think you guys need to lighten up. Not everyone here has $$$ equipment and sugar is necessary. Saying that sugar is for people that don't like the flavor of coffee is a ridiculous (and, perhaps arrogant) attitude. A demitasse spoonful is hardly going to overpower a doubleshot.
Posted Tue Jan 25, 2005, 10:16pm Subject: Re: Your morning espresso ... sugar?
Vanveen,
OK - so first you say "lighten up", then you make an accusation about arrogance?!?!? Who needs to lighten up now?
At the risk of making another arrogant or snobbish statement, I would like to make an analogy: Adding sugar to coffee is like adding Coke to rum. A good aged rum from a quality distillery can be enjoyed on its own or by adding a bit of water (think Americano). People who would never drink straight rum and prefer to dump 20 Oz of cola into it either (a) drink cheapo crapola rum, or (b) don't really like the taste of rum.
So, I stand by my original statement - those that put sugar in their coffee either do so to mask some nasty tasting coffee that was not prepared properly, or they prefer a coffee and sugar mixture, not coffee.
Alberto - regarding your "out-Italianing the Italians" remark, you and some other posters on this thread keep harping back on the Italians. Some say that the Italians all put sugar in their coffee. First of all, I sincerely doubt that ALL Italians put sugar in their coffee, so it would seem that I am not the only one who is generalizing. Second, the Italians may have invented espresso, but they surely did not invent coffee. If you re-read my earlier comments above, you will see that I was referring to coffee in general, not just espresso.
As for the "extreme snobbism" comment, well I take that as a compliment. Some might say that this site should be renamed to CoffeeSnobs.com.
Posted Tue Jan 25, 2005, 10:40pm Subject: Re: Your morning espresso ... sugar?
Alberto Said:
Having spent years in the Japanese martial arts, one interesing thing that we see are the japanophiles who try to out-Japanese the Japanese and look down on those who do not fit their lofty standards (interesting stories about the rank belts and the hakama or split pants along those lines, but that is a post for another day and another forum).
This reminds me of when I was living in Okinawa. In the line-up (surfing), I would always give the locals respect. But...you always had some Americans who acted like they were more local than the locals.
I drink espresso so I can work longer, so I can make more money, so I can drink more espresso, so I can work longer, so I can make more money, so I can drink more espresso...
Posted Tue Jan 25, 2005, 11:15pm Subject: Re: Your morning espresso ... sugar?
At the risk of making another arrogant or snobbish statement, I would like to make an analogy: Adding sugar to coffee is like adding Coke to rum. A good aged rum from a quality distillery can be enjoyed on its own or by adding a bit of water (think Americano). People who would never drink straight rum and prefer to dump 20 Oz of cola into it either (a) drink cheapo crapola rum, or (b) don't really like the taste of rum.
A well-prepared meal shouldn't call for salt, but sometimes, even an excellent meal could benefit from salting -- to taste.
Again, some people are still mustering up the courage to break the bank with an expensive machine and grinder...in the mean time, their coffee will be less-than-perfectly extracted -- most likely bitter. A little bit of sugar, again, goes a long way in these instances. Even with fantastic machines, the results aren't always demonstrative of just how much you paid for such a setup. Do you throw out your slightly-bitter shots or do you doctor the result to a more enjoyable flavor? Remember, I say "a little bit of sugar." I'm not advocating the creation of a supersaturated glucose concoction a la Starbucks (where the result is indeed more sugary than coffeeish). So with that in mind, I find it a little extreme for you to declare that "sugar is for people who don't like the flavor of coffee." What you like about coffee doesn't necessarily coincide (or have to coincide, for that matter) with what others like about coffee. If people are enjoying coffee, that's all that matters, right? :)
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