On 03/21/2013 11:37 AM, turquoiseb wrote: > My first workweek in Paris almost over, I figured I'd kick back in this > cafe over a post-dinner cuppa coffee and write about one of the great > pleasures of Paris...uh...coffee. > > Yeah, I know that many on this forum are too wimpy to drink coffee, but > in writing articles for medical/scientific websites this last year, I've > had occasion to read some of the research about coffee, and > interestingly there is a strong case to be made that it's clinically > better for you than tea. There are even some strong studies that > indicate that it promotes longevity and reduces one's risk of > contracting a number of diseases. Go figure. > > But that isn't why the French are coffee-crazy IMO. They like it for the > taste, and for the ritual. In terms of taste, personally I preferred the > Spanish coffee, because a tiny bit of sugar is added during the roasting > process, and that *majorly* improves the taste, but French coffee is > damned good, too. In terms of ritual, well, the French just *love* > ritual, so it fits into their lifestyle. > > The French drink coffee in the mornings, at home, sometimes again > sitting at cafe tables before going to work, or, if they are on a > budget, standing at the bar at the same cafes. (For some odd reason, a > cuppa coffee is half the price when served to people standing at the bar > than it is when sitting at a table.) They also finish up pretty much > every meal with a coffee. I've gotten into the same habit, and can get > away with it even at night because (another piece of trivia I picked up > writing articles) espresso (steam-brewed) coffee for some reason > contains half the caffeine of drip coffee, and it doesn't ever keep me > up. > > The French also tend to drink coffee a lot at work, and team "coffee > breaks" are pretty much a ritual of work life. Where I work is no > exception, and as a perk to the folks who work there, we have one of the > coolest coffee machines going. It's a big box that may *look* like > coffee machines in the states that pour freeze-dried coffee granules > into lukewarm water and call it coffee, but that is where the > resemblance ends. I was there once when the service guy was working on > the machine, and got to see its innards. There are containers of fresh > beans -- both caf and decaf -- and they are freshly ground for every > cup. Then water is pressed through the freshly-ground coffee at just the > right temperature and just the right pressure, according to the > particular type of coffee you selected -- cappuchino, cafe long, cafe > court, cafe au lait, etc. > > I don't know whether you'll be able to see all the options in this > photo, but this is our office coffee machine: > > [http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8379/8577239031_553ebd15d7.jpg] > It's a "little thing," but IMO life is all *about* the "little things." > Taking the time to build -- and provide -- a real coffee experience to > your workers is one of the things that makes French work life better > than its counterpart in the US. > > And the best part? Again, I don't know whether you'll be able to read > the "fine print" in this photo, but if not, the cost of each cup is 35 > centimes, 28 centimes if you use the card issued to employees. Cheapest > damned coffee in Paris, and still good. Go figure.
I have my own espresso machine. In fact it's the third one I've owned. My first was a Gaggia what I bought open box at Starbucks but it only worked a couple of years. Gaggia got out the consumer machine business. Second was a Krups which lasted about 12 years but really didn't make that great of an espresso. The third and least expensive is a Hamilton Beach which works fine and can make a good espresso. Though I have a variable grinder I get a 16 oz can of Cafe La LLave espresso at the supermarket for only $5.50. It makes great espresso and comes in a good espresso grind and better than Starbucks pods. The latest discovery was these $1 packets at Dollar Tree called SoCafe and makes 32 6 oz cups of espresso. Thing is they've done it so you don't need an espresso machine as a regular coffee maker will work and it tastes like espresso. One of the car washes around here offers a complimentary cup from a Keurig machine and I was surprised at how good it was. Starbucks has a new thing called Clover that the downtown manager told me to try at the remodeled store up the hill. At the downtown store they had samples of Tribute blend done by press which is my favorite way to have coffee because the flavor is more bold than with espresso.
