Farrer’s French Continental blend or Italian blend pre-ground for espresso, from Farrer’s coffeehouse in Kendal; or Booth’s Mocha, pre-ground by myself instore (Booth’s have a coffee grinder for customer use: it’s so much my favourite supermarket), or Lavazza Crema e Gusto if I’m shopping at Tesco.
I make it in a stovetop espresso thingy. I have it either espresso unsweetened, to an English strength; espresso with sugar, Italian strength; or latte.
When I’m too lazy to wash out the espresso pot, I’ll use a one-cup drip thingy, which I usually overfill and end up with coffee all over the countertop.
A nice Mocha Java, Columbian, or Sumatra will do fine. I generally like the first two with light-to-medium roasts (Viennese) while the latter a darker, French-Italian roast. That’s for brewed coffee. I always, always, always buy the beans whole and try to use them within a couple of weeks. Ground myself to the proper grind, prepared using the drip method. Occassionally, I will grind coffee extra, extra fine to make a nice Turkish coffee (flavored with a seed or two of cardamom) in an ibrik.
With Turkish coffe, I take it very very sweet. Never milk. Otherwise, with drip coffee, black, no sugar. For breakfast I may occassionally take a little milk in it, but never after 11 am.
Espresso? Love the stuff. Never seen an espresso maker in my life that makes an acceptable home espresso. There’s not nearly enough pressure to produce the proper crema and flavor.
Coffee snob? Yep. But I’ll drink whatever is available. Even instant.
At home, it’s usually Chock Full O’ Nuts. I used to be a coffee snob, I would buy it mail order from Lion Coffee in Hawaii, but this whole “budget” thing has cheapened my tastes.
At home and work I usually use cream only. If the only thing available is the non-dairy powdered stuff, I’ll take it black.
At work: the blend we get from the coffee service (Coffee Time Top of the Mountain Blend) actually isn’t bad. Pretty mild but has enough flavor to be something besides dark water. Since we only have that powdered “kreem” stuff, I drink it black.
At home: Jacobs Kronung, Yuban, or Millstone Columbian Supremo, sometimes with a bit of cream and the pink stuff if I’m feeling froofy.
Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. The only coffee I can drink anymore. It’s so good, it’ll make every other cup of coffee you drink afterwards taste like monkey ass, and only remind you of how good the Yirg was. Ask Serendipity, she knows.
I like my coffee black and double sweet.
My pretentious coffee drink of choice? Tall latte with amaretto.
I used to buy specialty blends from the local bean place here in town, but it got a bit expensive. Now, I get the store beans in the dispense-it-yourself display. I think it’s “Brothers” brand. I mix equal parts of Breakfast Blend, Mocha Java, and French Roast.
Once it’s brewed, I like sugar, milk, and a squirt of Hershey’s Special Dark Syrup. Yum.
At home I buy small quantities of beans and grind them, either at the store, or at home. I like the African coffees, but I try all different kinds. I shop at a small market that always brings in different kinds so I get a wide rotating selection. From the chain store grocery, I usually buy Don Francisco Columbian, or Millstone. If I buy Millstone, I mix the Columbian and the dark roast, 3-1.
I drink it without additives.
The sad part is I can’t drink very much regular coffee, (one or two cups a day) because of blood pressure. I’m trying the decafs and some are pretty good, but to be honest, I miss the rush.
We bought from Gevalia until there was a whole European Coffee House Tour blow-up (long story) and are now trying Starbucks. A squirt of artificial sweetener or sugar, which ever is closer, but I MUST have a flavored cream (currently using Southern Butter Pecan) in my coffee. I will not buy the Kahlua flavored cream…coffee-flavored cream? What’s the point?
Trader Joe’s. I get the Espresso di Roma or the East meets West.
On occassion I drink Cafe da Uniao. It’s a Brazilian coffee and is a bit harsher, but sometimes I want that.
Folger’s or Maxwell House. Depends on which one is on sale. I like it strong and black. I just like regular ol’ coffee. All this other mocha, latte, espresso, new age, serve it with crystals while chanting stuff just confuses me.
Terrafazione Italia–either the Venizia or Milano blend. I usually grind it in the store. I drink it with either half and half or Carolans, which is a better Bailey’s knockoff.
French or Italian roast, very strong if I make it myself.
“I like my coffee the way I like my women - black and bitter.” (Anybody got a source for this? I heard it someplace years ago, and have no idea where.)
