Let's talk coffee!

[merryone]

Ever since I was a young child, we always had a percolator to make coffee from ground coffee. This was back in the 1950s. I remember when I first tried instant coffee how unlike coffee actually tasted. If I’m visiting friends and they offer me coffee or tea, I always opt for tea unless I know that they have a proper coffee machine.

I used to have a Dolce gusto coffee machine that used pods but they’ve got so expensive and the environmental damage the pods caused, when it gave up the ghost I decided not to buy another .

I’d been recommended an Aeropress by a friend. So I bought one about two years ago it makes coffee just how I want. I also have a milk heater/frother. I buy my coffee beans, (caffeinated and decaf) from a local roaster and grind them myself.

I’m toying with the idea of buying a beans to coffee machine but they’re very pricey.

I did that and I didn't get on with it and yes it was pricey. I bought one with a timer so it would grind the beans ten mins before you woke up and do the business and brew so it was ready to drink when you got up. My home is small so in a larger place this possibly wouldn't be a problem, but seriously noise it made grinding the beans was enough to wake the dead! I was also disappointed with it 'cause the display was grey on grey so you could barely read it. The coffee it produced was very ordinary, could've been down the to the beans but again they weren't cheap rubbishy ones. Nice idea but I'd do some research first.

 

[Peppermint Patti]

As a child growing up in the 70's the coffee in the cupboard would be Nescafe or Maxwell house, one spoonful of coffee, some sugar if you took it, topped up with cold milk. The posh people used Gold Blend (an absolute luxury back in the day) and your nan had a jar of Mellow Bird's - Yuck, yuck yuck how did we ever drink that stuff? The epitome of good coffee was when you went to the steakhouse and a "Cona" machine was behind the counter stewing away but we loved it. I remember back in the day I bought a brand new filter coffee machine from a bootsale and I was thrilled to be able to have that posh coffee experience in my own home and how angry I was when I'd gone to the trouble of buying some filter coffee and my ex husband turned his nose up at it 'cause it didn't make the coffee hot enough! Honestly it still angers me to this day, that he'd rather pour boiling hot water over freeze dried granules from the Co-op! Coffee has come on some much in this country and whilst I only really like flat white when I go out for coffee and usually opt for tea anyway I just could not imagine being happy with the instant $hite we used to pour down our necks. I have a cafetiere and use Aldi's ground coffee which is lovely and add a bit of warm frothed milk - eat your heart out Costa's. We have a Nespresso machine in the kitchen which is predominately used by OH and in the spare bedroom that I use when I'm working early I have a Dolce Gusto machine which does all manner of drinks my favourite wake up is one of their Americano pods with a bit of coffee mate added - Gotta love coffee mate! How do you like your coffee folks?

Do you remember Camp Coffee???.

 

[Peppermint Patti]

We have a Bosch coffee my way machine for our Tassimo pods. I drink Latte Macciato and hubby has cappuccino but I'll have cappuccino when we're out.

 

[merryone]

Do you remember Camp Coffee???.

I do but neither my parents or my grandparents bought it. I remember that there was a craze in the 70's for us schoolgirls to carry our school books in some kind of plastic covered linen shopping bag bearing brand advertising, mine was Heinz tomato soup and when that became knackered my next one was Guinness if I remember rightly. There was all manner of them Heinz beans, sunllight soap and of course Camp Coffee, my mate Jill had that one. But as for Camp coffee itself I've only associated it with a flavouring you might put into cakes as opposed to drinking.

 

[historymystery]

My granny had a cup of Camp coffee every night. My mum liked Bird's Mellow.

I bought a gusto machine, even though I would only drink one cup a day. I buy once a week a roll from Pret a Manger and the man there said those pods for coffee machines are cheap coffee. To be honest, I now buy sachets of Starbucks cinnamon dolce and only have one a few times a week.

The cleaning of the gusto is a nuance, having to clean. I really don't like the jar coffee, the last time I bought a jar it went solid, I had it so long.

My maternal granny always had a bottle of Camp coffee in the kitchen cupboard! The consistency and colour always reminded me of what my Dad painted on the garden shed every year as preservative (similar smell too)! As a child, I was fascinated by the illustration of the bloke sitting on a chair on the front of the bottle, drinking his cup of Camp coffee - I liked labels on items, and always wanted to know the meaning behind the illustrations. My Gran said very vaguely that the man in the illustration was sitting down, because he was a soldier in an army camp and had just fought a battle! Yes, Gran, I suppose the first thing you would do is to demand a cup of Camp coffee afterwards!! Bless her, she was probably sick and tired of the same question, but Gran always had an answer for everything!

Different thing entirely, but I'll always remember going round to see a friend and she'd decided to try her culinary skills by cooking us both a Vesta ready meal from a packet (then the height of sophistication). Oh. My. Gawd. Said friend must have cooked the Vesta dehydrated curry for all of two seconds, because it came out of the saucepan with the consistency (and all the taste) of lumps of coal, but we bravely sampled it. Cue a trip to the local fish shop after cries of 'yuk!!'...

 

[Battiola73]

Do you remember Camp Coffee???.

Yes. Still buy to use to make coffee cake. Do you remember when there was a coffee shortage? We used to get a dandelion seed shortage substitute from the local health food shop.

 

[Muttley]

As a matter of interest, do the Costa pods give you a brew that's anything like you'd buy in Costa? I've got a Dolce Gusto and the only brand I've seen in the shops for it was a Starbucks Cinammon/some kind of nut latte and it was disgusting. I'd never tried it in Starbucks so I couldn't compare, but I do like the idea of having a branded latte/cappuccino for my Dolce Gusto to see how they compare, 'cause let's face it how good would it be to be able to fill your travel mug with "the real thing" for a fraction of the price, or to enjoy it at home. The own brand milky/frothy made by Nescafe for the Dolce Gusto machine are ok, but bear no resemblance to what you'd get in a coffee shop. I'm not thinking of trading my Dolce Gusto for a Tassimo 'cause I'm pretty happy with it, just interested.

Yes, the pods are nice, I used to buy the Costa latte ones. Not quite the same taste as Costa itself but a decent drink and so quick and easy. I even bought some Costa products in Debenhams a few years back, they used to sell Costa gift sets. I got a latte glass and a cappuccino mug. Unfortunately it looks like I nicked them from Costa but I didn't!!

I also use the flavoured syrups if I want a proper treat.

 

[Peppermint Patti]

Yes, the pods are nice, I used to buy the Costa latte ones. Not quite the same taste as Costa itself but a decent drink and so quick and easy. I even bought some Costa products in Debenhams a few years back, they used to sell Costa gift sets. I got a latte glass and a cappuccino mug. Unfortunately it looks like I nicked them from Costa but I didn't!!

I also use the flavoured syrups if I want a proper treat.

Now I find they smell nice but personally can't find any flavour when I tried it.

 

[Grizelda]

My maternal granny always had a bottle of Camp coffee in the kitchen cupboard! The consistency and colour always reminded me of what my Dad painted on the garden shed every year as preservative (similar smell too)! As a child, I was fascinated by the illustration of the bloke sitting on a chair on the front of the bottle, drinking his cup of Camp coffee - I liked labels on items, and always wanted to know the meaning behind the illustrations. My Gran said very vaguely that the man in the illustration was sitting down, because he was a soldier in an army camp and had just fought a battle! Yes, Gran, I suppose the first thing you would do is to demand a cup of Camp coffee afterwards!! Bless her, she was probably sick and tired of the same question, but Gran always had an answer for everything!

Different thing entirely, but I'll always remember going round to see a friend and she'd decided to try her culinary skills by cooking us both a Vesta ready meal from a packet (then the height of sophistication). Oh. My. Gawd. Said friend must have cooked the Vesta dehydrated curry for all of two seconds, because it came out of the saucepan with the consistency (and all the taste) of lumps of coal, but we bravely sampled it. Cue a trip to the local fish shop after cries of 'yuk!!'...

Was Camp sold in square shaped bottles similar to the HP brown sauce bottles and was it made from chicory?

 

[Ant7t]

Yes, the pods are nice, I used to buy the Costa latte ones. Not quite the same taste as Costa itself but a decent drink and so quick and easy. I even bought some Costa products in Debenhams a few years back, they used to sell Costa gift sets. I got a latte glass and a cappuccino mug. Unfortunately it looks like I nicked them from Costa but I didn't!!

I also use the flavoured syrups if I want a proper treat.

I remember those gift sets. And Debenhams is a double. Not coz I'm gonna mention a happening there, but it reminded me of a Costa near-ish to it. Years ago, I used to go to Costa almost weekly. And therefore, got to know some staff outside of please and thank you. Waffle much? Yup. Anyhoo, on one of those occasions I was talking to a staff member, and commented on liking the cup: the two handled cup, but the previous model. Big enough for a cereal bowl. She let me have it for nothing. Still have it: somewhere.