How Europe Ruined Coffee For Me - My Recovery So Far
Well, it may not be a secret that I love coffee… it’s a deep love, one that goes back generations (ok, maybe just a bit more than a decade). Its not that I need coffee, I am not one of those people who cannot function until they get their daily fix. Or one who needs their coffee before they are pleasant in the morning. I mean, I just wake up this glorious ray of sunshine that you all know me as... I don’t even require coffee for that. Impressive right?
It’s that I enjoy it. I love absolutely everything about it... and I like strong.
So, on my recent trip to Europe I was so extremely pleased with the coffee there. From the in room coffee in Poland, to the lovely espresso in the quaint café’s of Belgrade. Now, I knew it was “espresso” and realized it in fact most was some sort of freeze dried instant espresso stuff, and while I’m not one to love anything that comes out of a package.. that coffee was amazing.
You may be wondering where I am going with this.. honestly I’m kind of wondering the same, but I swear I had a point. Ok, ok.. I'll try to get to the point
As some of you may also know, American’s drink “drip” coffee. I’m not exactly sure why, it’s probably because we Americans try to ruin all food, all of it. What is wrong with us?!? It’s not that drip coffee is bad necessarily. I mean it is good when done right, and then it tastes like dirty water when done wrong (my folks make it very wrong). I am not a coffee snob by any means, but as someone who drinks it to enjoy it.. if it doesn’t taste good, I want no part in it.
So what happens after a week of enjoying the most amazing coffee in Europe?
You come home to American drip coffee and cry your bloody eyes out , over whatever this nonsense is in your cup. I’m not kidding, it’s all horrible now.. all of it. I have never felt such disappointment in my life. No matter how strong I make it, no matter what roast I try.. it’s just not the same. It is all dirty water to me now.
It’s like enjoying filet mignon for the first time, and then having to go back to sirloin for the rest of your life… it’s just wrong. Wrong I say!
After many attempts at fixing this travesty with no avail, I had given up on coffee. Just said goodbye to something I had loved so dearly… no longer satisfied with whatever garbage had been passed off as coffee to me my whole life. The taste was wrong, the smell was wrong.. it had lost its appeal completely.
Then a magical thing happened
I was making one of my favorite chocolate cake recipes for a Christmas family gathering and realized something amazing. You see, I add a touch of espresso powder to the cake batter.. it gives the chocolate an extra kick and a unique flavor. Well, while doing so on this occasion.. the smell hit me. Yep, that beautiful familiar scent…this was it!! Espresso powder! It was like a Christmas Miracle!
Now I know this is probably not a shock to most of you, but my small American brain had not put it together. I mean you don’t even find this stuff in the coffee isle, it’s in the baking isle. We will just mark it down as another American conspiracy, hiding the good stuff where no one will look.
But my love for chocolate had saved me once again.. and this does mean I can love coffee again. Actually, even more before, it’s like I got an upgrade. The smell, the taste, its all just as I remember it in Europe… and oh good lord it is good to be back!
So, here’s to rediscovering the love of your life.. even if it comes in the form of a liquid beverage.
Much Love,
Justine
Yes all photos are mine that I took with my Fuji X-t2... because I actually went around taking pictures of coffee while on vacation... I am officially that person.
I was nominated by @lordbutterfly because he is not creative at all.. and while I’m not entirely sure this was funny.. most COM entries aren’t, so I think it will do. Plus I am a judge this week, so this entry doesn't even count :)
I hereby nominate @amirtheawesome1 because I miss him, @blewitt because he makes me giggle, and @lordbutterfly because if he can’t write a COM entry we will have nothing to read except his actifit posts.
Hi llfarms,
Thank you for your entry in to #comedyopenmic comedy contest. We have asked the judges below to review your entry and give it a funny rating. (They generally have no sense of humor, as the saying goes, those that can't do, start contests and judge).
This will determine your ultimate position when the results are tallied. (That being said, you are free to adopt any position you wish - we can recommend pantsless with beer in hand.)
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Thank you to @matytan for the great banner
Um...there's no such thing as an espresso bean. Those marketed for espresso are the same types of beans used for normal coffee. It's just that coffee beans can have quite a variation on taste depending on where they're grown, how much water they get, etc. They also have to be relatively fresh, like everything else.
I can only guess that what you bought as "espresso powder is likely a finely ground bean that you happen to like. It might also have artificial flavouring. I don't know.
You just have to find an actually good bean that you like and possibly consider switching away from drip coffee to french press or espresso or even the old style of coffee makers that boil it up into a basket. The main thing is the beans though. Americans for some reason think "good" coffee is stuff from Starbucks. That stuff is mediocre, at best. More accurately, it's on the lower side of mediocre. There's better coffee available for half the price...but you pretty much have to try tons of them until you find one that's good for a good price. I personally like using an espresso machine as well and just running through extra water. This makes a very strong coffee using less grounds and has less oil.
Oh, yes.. I know it’s not a different bean.. I don’t think I said so, but I’ll double check. I get it’s all about how it’s grown, roasted etc. And yes, you are 100% the espresso powder (which is just ground up coffee beans, no flavoring) just happens to be a similar taste as the coffee I had in Europe.. and is why I was excited.
Starbucks is horrid I agree! I do prefer a percolator or French press, but it was something about the flavor. So, the espresso powder will hold me over until I find that perfect bean for me.. or move to Europe.. whichever is easier 😜
I thought coffee was that black water you drink in the morning because MDMA is too expensive. I could have never guessed theres a science behind it.
Hmm.
I used to think that the most important question with coffee was:
Im such a simpleton. :(
Science is just a process, a set of rules. Experimenting with multiple coffees, brewing them in different ways, at different temperatures, in order to determine the best way can be scientific, in a way. But then again, so is trying to figure out a recipe for the perfect pie. But then, once you're done, what's left is just a recipe, a means of production, that if you follow, you get a "perfect" result.
Just like making MDMA, you start with your base ingredients processed from plants and follow the recipe to derive your product. The process of discovering it is scientific, but once you figure it all out, it's just a recipe.
A lot of instant espresso powder is freeze dried espresso. That stuff, if you can find an okay brand, doesn't leave grinds - so it's suitable for cooking with too. That is unless you like chewing on beans - chocolate dipped coffee beans are quite nice.
I also love a good coffee :)
$rewarding 14min 75%
Ah, it’s just so good 😊 thanks for the love!
Dude, seriously. You're in the wrong continent. Your home is in Europe!!!! Get your arse back in there! 😂
Lol. I don’t think they would have me 🤷🏻♀️
Almost flagged this comment as it's total crap
😂😂😂😂
Someone already did lol.. geez who knew people were so touchy about coffee. Also, I’m totally going to show up on your doorstep soon Mark.. I’m going to make cakes with your wife and spoil your daughter.. I’ll be like that annoying sister in law you never knew you had 😜
Come down to Ecuador and you will ruin your coffee experience one more time... hahahaha ... I get you though, while Ecuador has some of the best coffee around .. here in Argentina coffee sucks soooo much.. it's all dirty water with a hint of ashes hahah... it's hard.. when someone comes to visit and brings a bag of coffee it's the best time of the year.
How I measure good coffee? If it's good it doesn't need sugar at all .. you don't need to ruin it's taste or smell.
There is a special way of preparing it that I love that it is called ''Cafe pasado'' .. basically you make a concentrate , or an ''essence'' that is really strong and thick ( i don't know how this is done ) and you just mix it really fresh with water or milk on the table... sooo good.
add a bar of dark choco and the experience is enhanced x10 hehehe
Happy New Year!!
dirty water and ashes lol, that sounds horrid! Oh gosh I bet Ecuador has amazing coffee! And I agree, if you don’t have to add anything, that is pretty good coffee. The concentrate sounds super interesting, I’ll have to look more into it. add chocolate <—- why we are friends right there ❤️🤗
Just to fix injustice :D the procedure of making espressos here is that it is held as a coffee beam until you need to make the coffee, then it is grinded to be used on an espresso maschine. one of the reasons why it tastes so good is that it is not in the "powder" shape for a long time.
Ohhhh see I got tricked there too, I had packaged espresso often 👀.. seems I still haven’t had the best. I might need to come back just to drink some coffee. Thank you!! ❤️❤️❤️
let me demonstrate :D https://d.tube/v/bil.prag/6dsm0duv
also the way you make milk foam makes a difference :)
Packed espresso is just a easier to make.
What an awesome video!! Loved the edit.. and yeah.. not sure I had a coffee made that way when I was there 🙃.. maybe at the cafe on knez Mihailova, but hey.. even the packets where better than the stuff here. Haha. Thanks for the video!!
thanks. happy new year.
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!help.Thanks Checky! Amir, the 1 is kind of confusing...just saying
My list for espresso based:
For Greek/homebrewed style, no filtering included
Milk for coffee
Haha! Love this list! I am saving it for my future coffee adventures, thank you ❤️
That one made me laugh out loud 😂
I forgot to mention this weird Hungarian stuff with honey (melange):
Oh my... this looks interesting and delightful 😮
As a Greek guy...I confirm :)
I'm a coffee lover myself, and I try not to be a snob, but I really can't understand why people make drip either. Ever since I discovered a French press, there has been no turning back. I also love a good espresso from time to time as well, but it's usually too much of a hassle for me to do it every day. I've also been lucky enough to have some European instant coffee, which of course sounded vulgar from what we Americans know of instant coffee, but it was quite delightful. Pic related is how I start my day every morning, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I use to have a French press and really liked it.. I misplaced it in the move and haven’t rebought one.. but the flavor was still different to me. I’ll have to get another one and start experimenting with different coffees. Also dude.. that machine in the corner is extremely fancy.. come over and make me a coffee please 😄
I enjoyed reading your post and it made me laugh 😀
I'm going to tell you my story. I've been a coffee addict for years, and year and been drinking only strong espresso. I live in Europe, so now you know what I mean by that. I have my own espresso machine at home and if I were to drink coffee elsewhere, I was always careful what I choose.
However, when you travel abroad, you have to look twice or three times because what is coffee to others, might be dirty water to me as you said 😂
When I was in Paris and I saw those big mugs that they were serving coffee in, I knew it right away that is not my kind of coffee. So I went out to hunt a place where kebab was served, because I knew those people know what coffee really is and I was right. The cup was small and the coffee was strong and perfect!
I've never been to the US, I don't know how coffee tastes but when I see those big mugs in the movies, I know that's not my kind of coffee. 😀
Unfortunately I had to give up drinking coffee in September because i could not control it any more, became tolerant and it was abuse what I was doing. Still have a high respect for coffee though ☕
I truly hope you can find your coffee again.
It was nice to read your post.
Happy New Year @llfarms! 🍾🎇
Hahahah! The big mugs are a dead give away for sure! Yeah, once you have the good stuff at home trying to travel and find something equivalent has to be tricky.
Good for you for giving up the habit when it became unhealthy, some people aren’t capable of that.. so total props for doing so! I try to give myself breaks from coffee often because I know it can become a bit of an addiction, and I don’t like to be dependent on anything.
Thank you so much for your story ❤️ Happy New Years