Category: coffee

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Starbucks VIA Ready Brew

Now I don’t drink instant coffee if I can help it. If no real coffee is available I will drink tea. I have “accidently” drunk instant coffee now and again, well I have taken a sip and then put it down!

Though I did see these Starbucks VIA Ready Brew not only in my local Starbucks but also in my local supermarket.

I decided that I would give them a go. As well as instant coffee the sachets also include microground coffee, which I hoped would make it better than instant coffee.

Made a cup…

Okay, even though it is better that most instant coffees, it still tasted like instant coffee. It’s okay and would do at a pinch. I can see taking some when staying at hotels in order to have coffee in my room. In the meantime I will continue drinking real coffee!

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No more wifi

An interesting article from LA about how some coffee shops are not just getting rid of free wifi, they are getting rid of wifi full stop!

Coffee shops were the retail pioneers of Wi-Fi, flipping the switch to lure customers. But now some owners are pulling the plug. They’re finding that Wi-Fi freeloaders who camp out all day nursing a single cup of coffee are a drain on the bottom line. Others want to preserve a friendly vibe and keep their establishments from turning into “Matrix”-like zombie shacks where people type and don’t talk.

I do like to go to coffee shops and have been known to use the wifi. I agree though that sometimes you go into some coffee shops and everyone is huddled behind their laptops using Facebook or similar. Coffee is about the conversation.

Photo source.

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Caffe Nero

Had a nice coffee at Caffe Nero, an espresso.

Out of the many chains you can buy coffee from, I do quite like Caffe Nero.

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Flat White

So what is it with the Flat White?

It was never available in this country and now it’s all over the place. First I see Costa sell it and now Starbucks is also selling the Flat White.

So what is the Flat White? According to Wikipedia:

Originating from Australia and New Zealand, a Flat White is a coffee beverage prepared by pouring steamed milk from the bottom of steaming pitcher over a single shot or double shot of espresso. As with many other espresso-based drinks the Flat White is interpreted in a number of ways. In Australia it is commonly served as a single shot of espresso, whereas in New Zealand it is more commonly served using a double shot.

So it’s popular in Australia and New Zealand, and yes a fair of them have come over to the UK, likewise they are also popular counties to visit. But why the sudden popularity here in the UK of the Flat White?

No idea!

I have had it a few times now in the UK, from Costas and Starbucks and though nice, it’s not quite the same as a Flat White from New Zealand.

Photo source.

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Cherry Tart

So there I was in Druckers buying a coffee and decided to have something sweet to go with it. I did think about a chocolate eclair (or even a coffee eclair) but in the end decided to try the cherry tart.

It was a bit like a Bakewell Tart in the sense that the filling that the cherries had been placed (or stuck) was a frangipan, an almond filling.

It was okay, but nothing to shout home about, and certainly wouldn’t be on my list the next time I go to Druckers. Basically it lacked flavour, the cherries did not taste very much of cherries and the almond filling had a hint of almond, but was quite bland.

Next time, I’ll go for the chocolate eclair.

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Illy Coffee

I have been enjoying Illy coffee in my espresso machine. It is still probably my favourite coffee.

When I use to visit Italy a lot I would always try and ensure that the coffee I drank when out and about was Illy.

Even today when looking for coffee, if I see an Illy sign, I make a beeline for that cafe over any other.

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An unwelcome break

You know sometimes you know better and trust your judgement, othertimes you fail miserably.

Today was one of those days.

Decided that it would be nice if we stopped for morning coffee, it was early on, not much was open and as we were in the area decided to stop at the Welcome Break on the M5 close to Junction 22. They had a Coffee Primo.

I have been to Coffee Primo before and it was okay.

Was it okay on this visit?

No.

It was awful.

I know I should have complained, but to be honest there wasn’t any one to complain too!

So where should I start?

Well the coffee we ordered was disgusting. I asked for an Americano. Now this is quite simple to make. A couple shots of espresso to which you add hot water.

Did they get it right?

No they did not!

The Cappuccino seemed okay.

We also had cakes.

The chocolate croissant was passable and not too bad.

The raisin swirl though rather heavy and sickly wasn’t too bad, but we weren’t sure what to make of the very dark cherry on top!

However the “chocolate” muffin was revolting.

For some reason it had something chewy on top, maybe it was toffee, didn’t taste of toffee. The muffin, though it was brown, certainly didn’t taste of chocolate.

An unwelcome break

Overall, though we laughed about it, it was a most unwelcome break.

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For lunch I will have a latte…

My usual coffee is an espresso, or an americano. In the past I may have had a mocha or a frappucino, but these days I generally go for the coffee and if it is an americano I may add some skimmed milk.

For lunch I will have a latte…

It would appear though that the iced coffees with all that cream are quite calorific. The BBC reports:

Some iced coffees being sold on the high street contain as many calories as a hot dinner, a cancer charity warns.

It is the combination of sugar, full-fat milk and cream which appear to push some of the cool coffees into the upper echelons of the calorie scale.

Starbucks’ Dark Berry Mocha Frappuchino for example contains 561 calories.

Ouch!

That’s one unhealthy coffee!

Read more

Photo source

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Starbucks shrinking…

It would seem that problems with the American economy is hitting Starbucks quite hard.

According to an article on the BBC, they are closing 600 of their outlets.

The coffee chain Starbucks plans to close 500 stores in the US on top of the 100 it had already announced.

It’s not as bad as it sounds in some respects as Starbucks intends to open 200 new stores this year. The 600 which are closing are the stores which are performing badly and interestingly most of the drive-thrus are closing.

I have noticed a few Starbucks in the UK have recently closed.