Coffee Thread

[Doc Sharptail]

About 12F here today. We had a bit of a blow and snow over the weekend, and it's hard to judge accumulations with all the wind blown drifts. I'm guessing between 2"- 4". Winds are still a bit high with uncomfortable wind chill factors. A little over 70 days to go to opening day fishing for open water.

Regards,

Doc Sharptail

[Allen]

Mostly warm here. Fruit trees are flowering and weeds are taking off. Been planting bulbs and re-potting plants that are in containers. Will be mowing for the 2nd time soon.

Having to swat carpenter bee's with a tennis racket already.

[Doc Sharptail]

About 24F here now. Got about 3" of snow over Wed-Thur. Forecast says daytime high's should start breaking the freezing point on Sunday. Been a bit of a dry winter with precipitation quite a bit below normal. The recent snows we've had were actually needed. Fingers crossed for a bit more yet~ would be nice to see some normal water levels this spring and summer.

Regards,

Doc Sharptail

[Allen]

39 last night. 74 predicted for today. Sunny but heavy dew on the ground preventing morning yard work. Will burn off soon then I'll have no excuses.

[Allen]

Cars keep turning yellow (pollen). A carport doesn't shield them much so having to wash or at least rinse them off when we use them.

[Allen]

Beautiful weather here today.

3:00 in the afternoon and the security light (photocell) has already come on. Air is so heavy you can barely breath it.

[Phloating Phlasher]

New wheeze with coffee now.
No sugar (Bleaghhh) diabetes beckons so artificial sweeteners only.
"Splenda" isn't bad but they say even "doctored to be non-absorbale by the body" its still "sugar" which is "evile".
Tried "Stevia", (Yeuchhh.) gets bitter without ever sweetening.
sigh.

[Allen]

Splenda IS better than Stevia. I use it in my oatmeal.

I use to work 12 hour rotating shifts. Making it through long night shifts often required a lot of coffee sometimes downing 10-12 cups of strong brew a night. Since I was 4 and maybe younger I drank coffee with cream and sugar. I realized that drinking 10-12 cups at work the sugar was going to catch up with me real soon especially with a family history of diabetes.

One night a co-worker brought in his espresso maker. He used enough grounds to make a whole pot of coffee to make just one small 6oz cup of espresso. Needless to say it was strong but good since the beans were freshly ground. I thought if I could drink that rotgut stuff I should at least be able to drink regular coffee black w/o sugar or any sweetener and have ever since.

A long and repeated story but that is how I gave up sugar w/o giving up coffee.

If you can still have some sugar Truvia makes a Stevia/cane sugar blend that is good and not bitter. You can buy it at WM. You would still have a sugar intake of course but less of it.

[Doc Sharptail]

Discussion turned interesting.

Another life-long swing-shifter here, fully aware of the benefits and drawbacks of the coffee thing.

I've had to watch it with coffee for most of my life with ulcers making an appearance in my 20's. Never really been a fan of cream/milk in my coffee, but it's a must do with most of the take-out stuff available around here. I make it just slightly on the thin side at home, and usually avoid the dirt cheap store brand stuff. Something with a bit of an actual coffee taste rather than strong bitterness fills the bill. I use a 10 oz. cup at home, and rarely have to lighten it with anything. Slightly less than a teaspoon of sugar in that cup is plenty.

Can't really recommend much in the way of brands, since everyone's taste differs. I do like the donut house coffee's- especially robin's, and dunkin's to those that can get it. Tim's will do when it has to, but it tends to be a bit long in the pot at times. Safeway's Edwards brand colombian blend is a good bargain. I note now that it carries a bit of a price premium over the stand-by Maxwell house, which is the best priced of a somewhat mundane lot.
I got no use for Starbuck's and it's overbrewed ilk. How that incredibly bitter taste has become popular is well beyond me. I can tell Folger's right away by the farts and flat taste.

Luckily, little in the way of diabetes in our line, although grand-dad may have been borderline, especially with the extra weight he carried.

Some imported coffee's have been good- we ended up with a couple of cases of Second Cup colombian beans that were actually excellent.

Last final note- most instant isn't coffee at all, at least as far as I can determine through the taste. All it seems to amount to is freeze-dried turkey turds...

Regards,

Doc Sharptail

[Allen]

Cream and sugar in coffee is good when you're a child, drinking strong or awful coffee, or like you said, having to do with the take-out stuff.

I was raised on Maxwell House but as I grew older and started drinking black coffee I changed to MH Lite with half the caffeine (not de-caff). You've stated you don't like Folgers but when our local WM stopped selling the Max House Lite I bought a tub of Folgers Simply Smooth and haven't gone back. It sells well and is seldom in stock so we order it from WM on-line by the case (6 tubs) and receive it within 2-3 days. Yeah, we've kinda addicted to coffee.

In a previous thread a couple of months ago I mentioned that I have an apparent ulcer too. This Folgers Smooth is smooth because the PH is more balanced. With an ulcer you don't need the super strong (Eva Gabor from Green Acres) type coffee.

Works for us but you won't get a robust dark roast or Colombian coffee taste if that is what you prefer. It is more of a light roast.

[lyman]

yorshire tea in the van, headed to the local gunshow

[Allen]

Yeah, it's cold here too.

Near freezing last night.

I think most everyone in the East and maybe central U.S. got a blast.

[Allen]

Rain

[Doc Sharptail]

26 F here, and working up to a 3rd cup of coffee already.
Supposed to stay cool like this for another 5 or 6 days. Precipitation has been very low.

Sort of miss 5th Dragoons sometimes humorus interjects around here at times.

May wind up on the bike this afternoon- the roads are now pretty well ice free and dry enough for a minor attempt...

Regards,

Doc Sharptail

[Allen]

Sort of miss 5th Dragoons sometimes humorus interjects around here at times.

What's keeping him away?

Sunny and near 80 F today. It would be nice to have a valve to let in some of your 26 F in exchange for some of our heat and rain.