Lifeblood of the industry (coffee of course)

[northeaster]

Euclid: Amen! I do love my two cups in the morning, I grind by hand my Kenya AA which, to me, is the queen of coffees with an amazing wine like roundness to it but also like to try other varieties from time to time. My favorite waking time is aboard a sleeper when the car attendant has gotten the big old percolater  going and the fragrance of the brew wakes me right up...that is really fine.  Cannot stand Starbucks burned brew and am truly puzzled over its appeal. Coming from a Norwegian seafaring family, I had coffee first thing, coffee at 10 am and coffee at lunch and then at 3 pm and probably when I was much younger, coffee after dinner. Good coffee tastes great straight up and unlike most good things, it is shown to be actually good for you.

[Euclid]

 

 

 

Northeaster,

I have never ground my own, so maybe I should try that.  I never gave coffee quality a thought until about five years ago.  I had been routinely drinking MJB coffee for 20 years, and it exceeded my expectations.  But all of a sudden, it got really harsh and bitter.

Previously, it was really deep and smooth like good Arabica.  Then I went on a coffee testing rampage and found it all to be harsh and bitter.  When that Folgers Black Silk first came out, it was astoundingly good quality, but that did not last.  Now, it is just the best of all the horrible to mediocre coffee brands at the store.  I still have about 100 MJB cans full of nuts and bolts in the basement.    

 

 

 

[wanswheel]

Best thing about Maxwell House is the brand is too valuable not to protect. Its owner, Kraft, maintains a certain B+ standard, good enough. The second-best thing for a true addict is such a successful brand is likely to stay available until I drop.

[Deggesty]

wanswheel

Best thing about Maxwell House is the brand is too valuable not to protect. Its owner, Kraft, maintains a certain B+ standard, good enough. The second-best thing for a true addict is such a successful brand is likely to stay available until I drop.

 

Will that be the "last drop?"

I began grinding my own after I forgot to grind, in the store, some beans that I picked up and had to ask my daughter to grind for me a few weeks before my birthday. Her birthday present to me was an electric coffee grinder, which has had many a bean run through it. 

I prefer a small drip coffee maker that heats the  water and then runs it through, using a small cone filter; it is called a "4 cup" maker--but it makes two mugs of coffee. Using that would be one of the nice things about moving back home from assisted living.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

oltmannd

I drink too much of whatever is free at work. It's not bad. . . . [snipped - PDN]

Three careers ago that firm supplied free coffee - it was bad.  Those of us who cared at least a little bit figured out it was the cheap Robusta variety; the good stuff is Arabica, as Euclid pointed out above.  It was so bad that instead we got ours on the way in from one of those parking lot kiosk operations called Mocha Mike's - "Start your day on better grounds !".

Best other slogans I've seen:

Astoria, Oregon at a quick-service for cars place about 10 years ago: "Lube and Latte - Leave here refreshed !"

Nearby between Allentown and Emmaus, PA, at a tanning salon and coffee shop: "Wake and Bake".

- Paul North. 

[CShaveRR]

We may have a problem (not us directly, thankfully!).

My sister's family grinds their own coffee.  Grandson Linus, together with Linda's family, had joined us there for Thanksgiving.  Somehow, a spare bean or two got to where he could see, and reach it.

"That's a coffee, bean, Linus."

"Linus, No!!"

"Owmmmm!"

[Euclid]

When I woke up one day and discovered that coffee quality had gone away, I began to research it extensively.  There does seem to be a fairly broad consensus that the quality has indeed declined since the mid-1990s or so. 

The reason is complex and not so clear, but it seems to be largely due the fact that a lot more growers have come on line, and the growers produce a lot of low grade coffee.  It drives up the value of the good coffee, and so the inferior coffee finds its way into the market because there is more than enough, and manufacturers cannot afford to use the good coffee.  

One big plan is to ween the market away from the good coffee by getting them to take their focus off of coffee flavor.  They plan to develop coffee drinks that rely on added flavors and sweeteners to produce a unique “coffee drink” that gives you caffeine but not much actual direct coffee flavor. 

[ricktrains4824]

I do not drink much coffee, I will have the occasional cup, and occasional cappuccino or frappuccino, but mostly stay away from them as well. (I just don't care much for the flavor, but if it's not the good stuff, that maybe why....)

One time you will absolutely see me drinking coffee (or their derived flavored drinks)? When I am having asthma issues.... It helps. (Only time you will see me having any of the so-called energy drinks also.)

But mostly, it is water, or lemon water. When I am working in the cold, cocoa, hot weather season means water or Gatorade. And at least one glass of milk each day, all year long. 

[erikem]

I've pretty given up on gas station or small convenience store coffee unless I know the place or am desperate.  I'll often sniff it to see if it's got that 'burnt' odor from being on the hot plate too long.

I had a co-worker relate an experience he had in an NMR lab. They were wondering about the burnt taste of coffee after it had been sitting on the burner for a while and decided to do an experiment and see what was going on. The results so unnerved him that he made a habit of disposing the coffee if it had been on the burner for more than an hour.

My coffee preference: Back in the early 80's, my sister would make a trip to Sweden once a year and bring back several boxes of Gevalia Kaffe. I got hooked on it, but her supplies would last a couple of months at best. She did come across the Gevalia import service, which I subscribed to for about 29 years, as I now can buy the stuff in grocery stores.

[tree68]

erikem

The results so unnerved him that he made a habit of disposing the coffee...

I have no doubt...

I've read that the true chemical makeup of coffee really isn't completely known.  

Of course, there are people who would probably be troubled by the fact that the major component of coffee is dihydrogen monoxide...

[Deggesty]

tree68

 

 

erikem

The results so unnerved him that he made a habit of disposing the coffee...

 

 

I have no doubt...

I've read that the true chemical makeup of coffee really isn't completely known.  

Of course, there are people who would probably be troubled by the fact that the major component of coffee is dihydrogen monoxide...

 

Don't forget that there is a little hydrooxic acid and a little hydrogen hydroxide in there, too. It sounds rather bad, doesn't it?

Ah, there's nothing else like hearing a train passing through Rochelle while responding to a post.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

Notably absent from this discussion are any of the flavored varieties.  I don't mind a little mocha or an occasional spice, but can't stand hazlenut, french vanilla, mint, etc. 

[Convicted One]

BaltACD

Clean, roast and prepare your own?

]

No, I think Jay Leno said it best when it comes to Kopi Luwak: "That stuff really tastes like s***, ...and why shouldn't it?"

[ruderunner]

I've found orange koolaid to be a nice complement to coffee...

[Mookie]

ruderunner

I've found orange koolaid to be a nice complement to coffee...

 

Well, since Kool-aid was invented here in my home state, we appreciate the plug - but I don't think I would want it in place of a glass of OJ.  

[ruderunner]

Just something about the citrus that seems to play well with the coffee. Not a lot mind you, just a hint.

[Mookie]

ruderunner

Just something about the citrus that seems to play well with the coffee. Not a lot mind you, just a hint.

 

orange-tasting sugar - ok - I got it.  

[Murphy Siding]

Mookie

 

ruderunner

Just something about the citrus that seems to play well with the coffee. Not a lot mind you, just a hint.

 

 

 

 

orange-tasting sugar - ok - I got it.  

 

 

  Kind of makes sense.  Look at the beer industry right now.  Every brand seems to be test marketing some variation of *our regular beer with some other flavor randomly dumped into it...... Try our new Budweiser Special- Our original fine quality beer with just a hint of hickory smoked watermelon rind, to give it that little extra *something* that our marketing department dreamed up to give us an edge.

[CShaveRR]

Mookie

ruderunner

Just something about the citrus that seems to play well with the coffee. Not a lot mind you, just a hint.

 

orange-tasting sugar - ok - I got it.  

 

That would be so easy...just break into your ancient, hard-as-rock supply of Tang, and put that into your coffee instead of your sweetener of choice.  Probably more vitamins than Kool-Aid.

(Pat's gagging over in her corner.)

[schlimm]

Deggesty

 

 

wanswheel

Best thing about Maxwell House is the brand is too valuable not to protect. Its owner, Kraft, maintains a certain B+ standard, good enough. The second-best thing for a true addict is such a successful brand is likely to stay available until I drop.

 

 

 

 

Will that be the "last drop?"

 

I began grinding my own after I forgot to grind, in the store, some beans that I picked up and had to ask my daughter to grind for me a few weeks before my birthday. Her birthday present to me was an electric coffee grinder, which has had many a bean run through it. 

I prefer a small drip coffee maker that heats the  water and then runs it through, using a small cone filter; it is called a "4 cup" maker--but it makes two mugs of coffee. Using that would be one of the nice things about moving back home from assisted living.

 

I generally hand grind my own from arabica whole beans (medium roast) and brew in a French press (drip).  Alernatively I use ground Dallmeyer Prodomo, a German brand available here.

[tree68]

Mookie

...but I don't think I would want it in place of a glass of OJ.  

We used to make Koolaid by the gallon here - almost daily.  Since the kids are gone, I haven't made a batch of the stuff in quite a while.

The "Mandarin Orange" variety is far better than straight orange, but it wasn't universally distributed.  I've got a stash here, though.

As I mentioned before, Bigelow "Orange and Spice" (now simply labelled black tea) is my flavor of choice.

[wanswheel]

I haven’t had orange-flavored coffee since Tropicana stopped resembling milk.

[54light15]

Once in the U.K. I bought a cup of what they call "take away" coffee. I was shocked when I saw that it was instant! I paid about 80 pence for it and a friend said that was a good price. I told him that back in Canada, a coffee shop that sold instant would be out of business in about 15 minutes! They really don't do coffee all that well over there and especially not take out. In thier equivalent of a diner, what they call a "caff" the coffee is usually awful. There are some decent coffee shops and you must seek them out but you really do not see people walking down the street with paper coffee cups in thier hand and you sure do not see it on the tube. "It just isn't done."

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

In support of the Original Poster's theme:

That may be why the U.K. doesn't do "railroad" all that well over there, too. 

(OK, to be fair, they're better in some ways - i.e., passenger; but not as productive - at least in terms of the raw numbers - in freight.)

- Paul North. 

[dakotafred]

zugmann

Ok, enough of the CP/NS, crossing discussions, and political crap for a few minutes:

At the risk of sounding like our resident troll, just curious what people (including non-RRers, you people are people, too) are drinking lately.  I'm not a huge coffee drinker, but have been drinking more lately.  My choice of brew?  Rogers Company  San Francisco Bay Rainforest blend. 

And this is relevant to the forum, because you don't want to see a railroad operate wihtout coffee. Just isn't going to happen.  Although a lot of the newer guys like those cans of chemicals disguised as energy drinks.  Ugh.

 

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[zugmann]

dakotafred

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[Murphy Siding]

zugmann

 

 

dakotafred

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[schlimm]

dakotafred

 

 

zugmann

Ok, enough of the CP/NS, crossing discussions, and political crap for a few minutes:

At the risk of sounding like our resident troll, just curious what people (including non-RRers, you people are people, too) are drinking lately.  I'm not a huge coffee drinker, but have been drinking more lately.  My choice of brew?  Rogers Company  San Francisco Bay Rainforest blend. 

And this is relevant to the forum, because you don't want to see a railroad operate wihtout coffee. Just isn't going to happen.  Although a lot of the newer guys like those cans of chemicals disguised as energy drinks.  Ugh.

 

 

 

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What in the world is an eight-letter blank?  Surely now coffee isn't a controversial topic in your world.

[Murphy Siding]

schlimm

 

 

dakotafred

 

 

zugmann

Ok, enough of the CP/NS, crossing discussions, and political crap for a few minutes:

At the risk of sounding like our resident troll, just curious what people (including non-RRers, you people are people, too) are drinking lately.  I'm not a huge coffee drinker, but have been drinking more lately.  My choice of brew?  Rogers Company  San Francisco Bay Rainforest blend. 

And this is relevant to the forum, because you don't want to see a railroad operate wihtout coffee. Just isn't going to happen.  Although a lot of the newer guys like those cans of chemicals disguised as energy drinks.  Ugh.

 

 

 

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What in the world is an eight-letter blank?  Surely now coffee isn't a controversial topic in your world.

 

    Eight letter?  I'm sorry. -------

[schlimm]

Fred originally posted eight dashes.  Perhaps the number was meaningless or perhaps they were stand-ins for actual letters.