COFFEE!!!!!!

I make it at home and take a thermos in. I cold-brew coffee (soak the grounds in room-temperature water for 12 hours, then filter out the grounds), which makes a very nice "coffee concentrate". Mix that half-and-half with water, microwave it, COFFEE!

That insulated thermos has paid for itself SO MANY TIMES over! And I can sip at nice hot coffee all morning.

When I moved back to the UK, I found it strange that I have to ask for a black coffee otherwise it's presumed to be white.

I live in Maine, and I've had to catch myself several times ordering "Regular Coffee" because to Dunkin Donuts "Regular Coffee" apparently means violating the laws of physics by putting more cream and sugar in the cup than should fit. I don't know if they have some sort of TARDIS circuitry in their coffee cups or what but I swear my 12 ounce coffee had 4 gallons of cream and 2 5-pound bags of sugar. :noway:

The next time, I ordered it "black" and stopped the poor woman after she had scooped about 9 scoops of sugar in, when I realized she was making MY coffee..
"wait! Is that mine? I wanted mine black, please!"
"black coffee means no cream but lots of sugar, sir, but I'll happily remake it for you! What would you like in it?"
"Coffee. Just coffee. Black."
"No, what would you like IN your coffee."
"Nothing."
"So you want black no sugar, then, would you like any sweetener packets to go with it?"
"No. Take a cup, pour the strongest actual coffee you have in it, put a lid on it, and I'll be a happy man"
(pause)
"OK. Sugar/creamer station is over there if you prefer to add it yourself. How many stirrers do you need?"
"I'm good, thanks."

"Black, no sugar" appears to be the new way of saying "regular". But people keep asking "which sweetener do you want, then?". None! I'm drinking coffee. If I wanted hot soda, I'd buy soda and boil it. :laugh:

But then again, I guess calling the shifter in my car a "standard" is equally anachronistic, since it's reaching the point where I have to special-order my vehicle - everything in stock is automatic. So my manual transmission is not "standard" any more.

I love Starbucks, but I lack the years it takes to learn to order coffee there. Even trying to find out which size was smallest was frustrating, because the Baristas or whatever they call the servers seem deeply offended by the term "small" for some reason.

"I'll have a small black coffee with no sweetener, please."
"We don't have small. We have tall, grande' and vente'"
"Which is the smallest?"
(slower)"We have tall, grande' and vente'"
"Fine. Which is the smallest?"
(even slower)"We have tall, grande' and vente'"
"And 'tall' is the smallest of the three, right?"
(*really* slow)"We have tall, grande' and vente'"
"Can I see the cups, please?"
(he proceeds to get three empty cups, holding them up, saying really slowly) "Talll... Graaaannnndddeeeee', Veeeeennnnttteee'"
"Tall, please" (waited until coffee was delivered) "and you know you could have just said "tall is the smallest cup we sell" like I asked in the first place without being an *kitten* about it."

Then I took a sip and for a second wondered if he had figured out a way to urinate in it.

I love Starbucks, but I lack the years it takes to learn to order coffee there. Even trying to find out which size was smallest was frustrating, because the Baristas or whatever they call the servers seem deeply offended by the term "small" for some reason.

"I'll have a small black coffee with no sweetener, please."
"We don't have small. We have tall, grande' and vente'"
"Which is the smallest?"
(slower)"We have tall, grande' and vente'"
"Fine. Which is the smallest?"
(even slower)"We have tall, grande' and vente'"
"And 'tall' is the smallest of the three, right?"
(*really* slow)"We have tall, grande' and vente'"
"Can I see the cups, please?"
(he proceeds to get three empty cups, holding them up, saying really slowly) "Talll... Graaaannnndddeeeee', Veeeeennnnttteee'"
"Tall, please" (waited until coffee was delivered) "and you know you could have just said "tall is the smallest cup we sell" like I asked in the first place without being an *kitten* about it."

Then I took a sip and for a second wondered if he had figured out a way to urinate in it.

That's why I no longer go to Starbucks. I don't need a damn lesson. Hey, Baristas. Guess what?

You are in the SERVICE industry. If someone wants a small espresso with milk, you don't have to "educate" them that it is really a "Tall Latte" okay? Just give me the coffee and hold the sarcastic elitism.

Kaithxbai.

sweetmarias.com

I loooooove my Keurig, it's perfect since I'm the only one in the house who drinks coffee. I like "Emeril's Big Easy Blend" with a splash of FF Milk.

I often drink Mc Donalds or Chick fil a. I like Starbucks but rather pricey.

I buy Café Bustelo espresso in bulk on the internet as well as an assortment of sugar-free Torani syrups (white chocolate being my current favorite) and make my lattes at home.

When I purchase take-out coffee, it is from one of my local independent coffee roasters or our local chain of convenience stores, Wawa.

Community Coffee! Dark Roast - Straight up!

SO GLAD to see some love for Community!!! Couldn't live without it! I'll take In Between Roast though.

Donut Shop or Starbucks Pike Place Roast for my Keurig OR "mykcup" with Community in it.

I haven't gotten coffee not from home in a while! Since my hubby got me a Tassimo I've been spending money on those discs than going out! We do now and again though...

We usually go to Tim Hortons (there's one every five minutes pretty much where I live). When I'm feeling a latte or other special drink I will head to Starbucks or Second Cup as the Tim Hortons lattes aren't the greatest. McDonalds isn't bad here since they changed their brew to compete with the Canadian favourite Tim Hortons.

There is one gas station in town that has great coffee and tons of flavoured syrups to go with it! Can't remember the name of the coffee line though

As for what I LOVE, I would go for Caribou Coffee! We don't have any stores around where I live, so I buy it and brew it at home. It is a regular stop to make when we go to the "big city", though!

Otherwise, if I were choosing between Starbucks and McDonalds, I actually prefer McD's! And that is ALL I will get there! I do enjoy the specialty drinks at Starbucks, but I actually will order the vanilla rooiboos tea instead of coffee when I go to Starbucks.

We also have a convenience store around here, Kwik Trip, and they brew Karuba coffee, not really too bad for a gas station convenience store.

I buy a variety of Starbucks dark roasts for the office and for home (Caffe Verona is my favorite). If I don't feel like brewing a pot, I have a local coffee shop a half block from my apartment which has a good bold house blend.

I have Tim Horton's ALL the time! Either at home or on my way to work. OR if i want to treat myself i get a Grande Americano with a splash of milk and one pump each of sugar free vanilla and sugar free caramel

Stop spending oodles of money on coffee. Dear god, it adds up quicker than you think. Invest in a Keurig. Set yourself a target price for K cups. My goal is 60 cents or less a cup. The average is 90 cents or more per cup. I have succeeded getting in the 47 cents a cup range. Keep 2 or 3 flavored creamers on hand. The possibilities are endless. Each cup is fresh and hot (or cold if you wanna do iced coffee like I do). And you know exactly what's going in it.

I have a Keurig that I now neglect in favor of grinding my own (Kicking Horse seems to be my current favorite roaster) and using a French press... So I understand the enthusiasm for Keurig - however, you can get a regular drip machine for about ten bucks and then buy bulk ground coffee for a way cheaper coffee fix than a Keurig setup will ever be.