A nice cuppa

Scan the list of restaurants reviewed by members, post new reviews, discuss food topics, post your favourite recipe.....

Moderator: Moderators

User avatar
Gus Morris
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 280
Joined: Sat 07 Mar 2015 05:45
Contact:

A nice cuppa

Post by Gus Morris »

We’re Brits. According to our French friends we should drink tea. But we don’t, we prefer coffee. Always have.

There is so much choice today. What do you make it from ? Do you start with beans, pre-ground or instant. Even de-caf which has always struck us as a contradiction. But it takes all sorts. How do you make it. If it’s instant then boil a kettle. Otherwise it’s usually some sort of cafetiere. There’s an amazing choice. Plungers, filters, percolators and the traditional Italienne. Let alone the espresso machines and devices designed specifically for dosettes. Bits of kit ranging in price from a few Euros to serious money.

The end product can be anything from tiny cup of concentrated black liquid to an extravaganza of froth. Milk, cream and sugar are routinely added. Cross the pond and you can buy flavo(u)red coffee straight off the supermarket shelves.

Most people seem to drink coffee without giving it a second thought. Yet tea drinkers all seem to have a distinct preference and as for wine…..

Have a nice day you all

Gus
User avatar
Kate
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 1903
Joined: Fri 23 Sep 2005 19:48
Contact:

Post by Kate »

I'm not a coffee drinker - though I have been known to partake in a small black one after one drink too many. (Does coffee actually help to sober you up? It's never worked for me)

A cuppa and a biscuit is practically a ritual in our house at around 5pm. It's when we sit down together and talk about the day. If my husband is still working, I pace to and fro past the kettle, just waiting for his call to say 'Put the kettle on. I'm nearly there'.....and he is French! I actually feel vaguely resentful if people call round and disturb the tea routine. Anybody and everyone is welcome for the apero, but tea - well that's personal.
martyn94
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 2086
Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013 14:37

Post by martyn94 »


martyn94
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 2086
Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013 14:37

Post by martyn94 »


Allan
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 1384
Joined: Tue 01 Sep 2009 21:21
Contact:

Post by Allan »

Hot drinks seem to be enigmas in France. Practically every time I have been served tea it has been with a teabag in a cup with lukewarm water, yet Perpignan has more specialist tea shops than most major cities in the UK.

Similarly I have been served cappuccino made with cream squirted from an aerosol floating on the top - yuk!

A couple of years ago, I bought a fancy beans to cup coffee maker and went to the excellent shop in Perpignan called La Cafetière to decide what to feed it with. My son in law and I each sampled about 12 different espressos (should that be espressi?) before making a choice. The shop made no charge for the dégustation.

In addition to our chosen coffee, I also bought some Kopi Luwak coffee which is made from beans eaten and defecated by a small animal. Despite being very expensive, the taste was less than pleasant.

As far as tea goes, I am a big fan of Earl Grey. I recently had some served to me by an Asian hotel that was stunningly better than I have had before. The make was ‘Dilmah’ and I would love to know if it can be bought locally. Failing that it is available from their web site. http://dilmah.fr
martyn94
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 2086
Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013 14:37

Post by martyn94 »


Allan
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 1384
Joined: Tue 01 Sep 2009 21:21
Contact:

Post by Allan »


Richard and Sharon
Rank 3
Rank 3
Posts: 65
Joined: Sun 08 Oct 2017 07:31
Contact:

Post by Richard and Sharon »

I agree with Gus's post apart from "most people drink coffee without a second thought". Most coffee drinkers that I know are bordering on fussy about their coffee.
Surely more Brits drink coffee than tea considering the plethora of coffee shops across the UK and that coffees tend to take more than twice the shelf space of teas in supermarkets. Maybe the French think we all drink tea in the same way that they think we all eat over cooked roast beef.
As for "what do you make it from?", mostly beans because of a preference for espresso. We used to conduct the whole ritual with a manual pumped espresso maker or sometimes a stove-top job, but got lazy and invested in a bean to cup machine. It's fabulous, but can be too easy, resulting with me on the ceiling with caffine by mid morning if I dont regulate myself.
For refreshment we enjoy the "intense" styles of instant, and for a long relaxed breakfast, make a cafetiere.
When we shop at Auchan in Perpignan we usually visit the speciality coffee/tea shop on the outside of the same building, I can't remember its name, but it is very good. You can drink in or on the terrace and you can also buy a good variety of coffees and teas by weight.
Amusing to me, my most frequented coffee shop across the pond, in the small Californian town where my daughter lives, sells a coffee they call "French". It tastes nothing like anything I have had in France and should be avoided. Fortunately their espesso based coffees are good. They do serve a decent croissant for outside of France and it always makes me smile when they correct my pronunciation to "Krussontte" when I order.
martyn94
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 2086
Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013 14:37

Post by martyn94 »


User avatar
Kate
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 1903
Joined: Fri 23 Sep 2005 19:48
Contact:

Post by Kate »

Amusing to me, my most frequented coffee shop across the pond, in the small Californian town where my daughter lives, sells a coffee they call "French". It tastes nothing like anything I have had in France and should be avoided.
When i first met my husband 30 years ago, and he came back to England with me for the first time, he was fascinated by the advert 'ze French adore le Piat d'Or'. Friends always brought a bottle round because they were sure that he would love it. Neither he nor any of our french friends had ever heard of it of course - and were very unimpressed when they did eventually taste it. LOL
martyn94
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 2086
Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013 14:37

Post by martyn94 »


Richard and Sharon
Rank 3
Rank 3
Posts: 65
Joined: Sun 08 Oct 2017 07:31
Contact:

Post by Richard and Sharon »

Ah yes, I have had the bottomless coffee in Denny's and remember La Piat d'Ore. Both to be avoided in my view.

I also had dinner with my daughter and her husbands family at an "Italian" restaurant in their home town. When ordering a salad to start the waitress listed "Italian" as one of the dressings. Not having seen that in Italy, I politely asked her what was in it. She went off to the kitchen, came back with "Duh, Italian stuff of course" and then seemed perplexed at our laughter.

Dont you just love Muricans!
(to be fair, many of them aren't so bad and my son in law works at North Coast Brewing, where they brew some of the finest beers I have ever tasted)
martyn94
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 2086
Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013 14:37

Post by martyn94 »


martyn94
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 2086
Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013 14:37

Post by martyn94 »


Richard and Sharon
Rank 3
Rank 3
Posts: 65
Joined: Sun 08 Oct 2017 07:31
Contact:

Post by Richard and Sharon »


Sus
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 215
Joined: Thu 12 Nov 2015 16:47
Contact:

Post by Sus »

Allan wrote:

A couple of years ago, I bought a fancy beans to cup coffee maker and went to the excellent shop in Perpignan called La Cafetière to decide what to feed it with. My son in law and I each sampled about 12 different espressos (should that be espressi?) before making a choice. The shop made no charge for the dégustation.

As far as tea goes, I am a big fan of Earl Grey. I recently had some served to me by an Asian hotel that was stunningly better than I have had before. The make was ‘Dilmah’ and I would love to know if it can be bought locally. Failing that it is available from their web site. http://dilmah.fr

I love that coffee but I think you need to drink it in a street cafe in Vietnam, never had it taste quite the same somewhere else.

I also like the Dilmah Earl Grey, if you find it in a shop somewhere, please share. I tend to order all my tea from Palais des thés, I like their Early Grey and Assam selection.
martyn94
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 2086
Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013 14:37

Post by martyn94 »

Sus wrote:
Allan wrote:

A couple of years ago, I bought a fancy beans to cup coffee maker and went to the excellent shop in Perpignan called La Cafetière to decide what to feed it with. My son in law and I each sampled about 12 different espressos (should that be espressi?) before making a choice. The shop made no charge for the dégustation.

As far as tea goes, I am a big fan of Earl Grey. I recently had some served to me by an Asian hotel that was stunningly better than I have had before. The make was ‘Dilmah’ and I would love to know if it can be bought locally. Failing that it is available from their web site. http://dilmah.fr

I love that coffee but I think you need to drink it in a street cafe in Vietnam, never had it taste quite the same somewhere else.

I also like the Dilmah Earl Grey, if you find it in a shop somewhere, please share. I tend to order all my tea from Palais des thés, I like their Early Grey and Assam selection.
I think you have got your posts mixed up. I’m the one who liked Vietnamese coffee: I don’t think that I’ve ever had it otherwise than in Vietnam except once in Thailand. Allan is the one who is the enthusiast for Dilmah, though I like it too, though not their Earl Grey, which I hate unconditionally from anyone.

I am glad of a recommendation for Assam: it normally tastes too emphatically of tea for French people to like it. I used to buy it from the Drury Lane Tea and Coffee Co. They also do decent coffee. I don’t whether it’s outstandingly good, but it was very handy from work over 30-odd years. I still buy it when I’m in London. It’s online here

https://www.shopdrury.com/shipping/#FBN

The postage is steep, but maybe compensated for by the prices for the goods, if you buy enough. You could spend the rest of the winter working through their 16 espresso blends.
Sus
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 215
Joined: Thu 12 Nov 2015 16:47
Contact:

Post by Sus »

Hi Martyn, I left the wrong quote, meant to refer to Alan's reference to what my husband and I refer to as weasel s@*t coffee.

"In addition to our chosen coffee, I also bought some Kopi Luwak coffee which is made from beans eaten and defecated by a small animal. Despite being very expensive, the taste was less than pleasant. "

I will try that shop in London when next over.

martyn94 wrote:
Sus wrote:
Allan wrote:

A couple of years ago, I bought a fancy beans to cup coffee maker and went to the excellent shop in Perpignan called La Cafetière to decide what to feed it with. My son in law and I each sampled about 12 different espressos (should that be espressi?) before making a choice. The shop made no charge for the dégustation.

As far as tea goes, I am a big fan of Earl Grey. I recently had some served to me by an Asian hotel that was stunningly better than I have had before. The make was ‘Dilmah’ and I would love to know if it can be bought locally. Failing that it is available from their web site. http://dilmah.fr

I love that coffee but I think you need to drink it in a street cafe in Vietnam, never had it taste quite the same somewhere else.

I also like the Dilmah Earl Grey, if you find it in a shop somewhere, please share. I tend to order all my tea from Palais des thés, I like their Early Grey and Assam selection.
I think you have got your posts mixed up. I’m the one who liked Vietnamese coffee: I don’t think that I’ve ever had it otherwise than in Vietnam except once in Thailand. Allan is the one who is the enthusiast for Dilmah, though I like it too, though not their Earl Grey, which I hate unconditionally from anyone.

I am glad of a recommendation for Assam: it normally tastes too emphatically of tea for French people to like it. I used to buy it from the Drury Lane Tea and Coffee Co. They also do decent coffee. I don’t whether it’s outstandingly good, but it was very handy from work over 30-odd years. I still buy it when I’m in London. It’s online here

https://www.shopdrury.com/shipping/#FBN

The postage is steep, but maybe compensated for by the prices for the goods, if you buy enough. You could spend the rest of the winter working through their 16 espresso blends.
martyn94
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 2086
Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013 14:37

Post by martyn94 »

Sus wrote:Hi Martyn, I left the wrong quote, meant to refer to Alan's reference to what my husband and I refer to as weasel s@*t coffee.

"In addition to our chosen coffee, I also bought some Kopi Luwak coffee which is made from beans eaten and defecated by a small animal. Despite being very expensive, the taste was less than pleasant. "

I will try that shop in London when next over
They used to roast in a railway arch under Waterloo Station, which is how I know it. Most of their business is wholesale or the restaurant trade, but they have a retail shop in New Row in Covent Garden, just off St Martin’s Lane. If you’re going there, it’s well worth visiting the Algerian Coffee Stores a few hundred yards away in Soho, Old Compton Street, if you don’t know it. I have no idea whether it’s still the original family, but they have been careful to keep the quaint name, and the even more quaint shop fittings. The last time I was in there, a few months ago, they still had excellent coffee, and helpful and enthusiastic young staff. You can sample the espresso on site (about the cheapest decent cup of coffee in central London) and I think you get it for free if you buy some of the coffee. They also do tea, though I’ve never bought it there. Warmly recommended, though it may just be nostalgia on my part (for both firms).

They are not strictly weasels: they are a variety of civet, more closely related to cats than to weasels. But I agree that the coffee is worse than ordinary, especially for the money. And apparently the fad for it is putting the population of wild palm civets under stress. Apart from that, it’s fine.
martyn94
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 2086
Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013 14:37

Post by martyn94 »

Richard and Sharon wrote:
It is £5 at Iceland (a fine old English vintner, for those of you who have lived in France a very long time. So good that Mumms shop there according to the adverts) It is only £2.50 at Calais wines. As we are driving down in a couple of weeks I am happy to take any orders!
And a fine old English grocer, and butcher, and greengrocer, and electrical retailer, if you were a bachelor, and often worked late, and had a branch 200m away. I bought a perfectly good (and very cheap) small chest freezer there, about 35 years ago, and borrowed their sack truck to take it home. And some of their stuff went in it: like anywhere, you.have to buy with your eyes open. And if you are a single parent on benefits, with some young kids looking up for chicken nuggets like baby cuckoos, it is paradise.

I am not up for a full case for myself, sight unseen, but if it is not too far out of your way I will cough for a case for a blind tasting, say against Vieux Papes and Santiago’s cheapest wine (and I’ll pay for those too, if enough people will sign up to come and drink them). At the worst, I could make a lot of boeuf bourguignon and buy another cheap freezer.
Richard and Sharon
Rank 3
Rank 3
Posts: 65
Joined: Sun 08 Oct 2017 07:31
Contact:

Post by Richard and Sharon »

I am not up for a full case for myself, sight unseen, but if it is not too far out of your way I will cough for a case for a blind tasting, say against Vieux Papes and Santiago’s cheapest wine (and I’ll pay for those too, if enough people will sign up to come and drink them). At the worst, I could make a lot of boeuf bourguignon and buy another cheap freezer.
Delighted to pick up a case. Feel free to cancel the order if you dont get enough take up on the blind tasting. We would love to partcipate and might even pick up some nibbles at Iceland! Or, maybe better, some English cheese could be our contribution!
Last edited by Richard and Sharon on Thu 01 Mar 2018 17:44, edited 1 time in total.
martyn94
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 2086
Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013 14:37

Post by martyn94 »

Richard and Sharon wrote:I am not up for a full case for myself, sight unseen, but if it is not too far out of your way I will cough for a case for a blind tasting, say against Vieux Papes and Santiago’s cheapest wine (and I’ll pay for those too, if enough people will sign up to come and drink them). At the worst, I could make a lot of boeuf bourguignon and buy another cheap freezer.
Delighted to pick up a case. Feel free to cancel the order if you dont get enough take up on the blind tasting. We would love to partcipate and might even pick up some nibbles at Iceland! Or, maybe better, some English cheese could be our contribution![/quote]

I was semi-joking, but am warming to the idea. There’s an outfit round here which has monthly jollies for anglophones and allied trades, called Le Cercle des Old Gits de la Côte Vermeille or something like that. I might try and piggy-back on one of their gigs, if the management will oblige: they might welcome some recruits if anyone here isn’t already a member. But get it anyway.
Richard and Sharon
Rank 3
Rank 3
Posts: 65
Joined: Sun 08 Oct 2017 07:31
Contact:

Post by Richard and Sharon »

martyn94 wrote:
Sus wrote:Hi Martyn, I left the wrong quote, meant to refer to Alan's reference to what my husband and I refer to as weasel s@*t coffee.

"In addition to our chosen coffee, I also bought some Kopi Luwak coffee which is made from beans eaten and defecated by a small animal. Despite being very expensive, the taste was less than pleasant. "
They are not strictly weasels: they are a variety of civet, more closely related to cats than to weasels. But I agree that the coffee is worse than ordinary, especially for the money. And apparently the fad for it is putting the population of wild palm civets under stress. Apart from that, it’s fine.
I'm glad that the taste is unpleasent, because that may put people off buying it a second time. I was once keen to try civet coffee, hooked by the publicity, until some researching illustrated that demand has far outstripped natural production. Now all sorts of animals are being force fed coffee beans, often in very cruel conditions, to fill the gap. I can't imagine anyone knowing how it is produced would support it by buying the coffee.
martyn94
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 2086
Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013 14:37

Post by martyn94 »

Richard and Sharon wrote:
martyn94 wrote:
Sus wrote:Hi Martyn, I left the wrong quote, meant to refer to Alan's reference to what my husband and I refer to as weasel s@*t coffee.

"In addition to our chosen coffee, I also bought some Kopi Luwak coffee which is made from beans eaten and defecated by a small animal. Despite being very expensive, the taste was less than pleasant. "
They are not strictly weasels: they are a variety of civet, more closely related to cats than to weasels. But I agree that the coffee is worse than ordinary, especially for the money. And apparently the fad for it is putting the population of wild palm civets under stress. Apart from that, it’s fine.
I'm glad that the taste is unpleasent, because that may put people off buying it a second time. I was once keen to try civet coffee, hooked by the publicity, until some researching illustrated that demand has far outstripped natural production. Now all sorts of animals are being force fed coffee beans, often in very cruel conditions, to fill the gap. I can't imagine anyone knowing how it is produced would support it by buying the coffee.
I think that I just said that, though less emphatically. Something that I said the other day, in exactly the same terms, about something else altogether. You should not need to do much research to judge what’s silly and self-indulgent (and unlikely to be much good). That said, I have drunk it, a while ago, in its native country. I am a more thoughtful person now, though that’s not hard.

Even if you had not been concerned about the animals, and done the research, you might have thought about the guys who sort through their excrement.
User avatar
Santiago
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 1290
Joined: Tue 27 Dec 2005 12:19
Contact:

Post by Santiago »

Posh tea is really taking off in France. Walking into one of the Kusmi shops is like entering a Louis Vuitton salon. Their teas are good and the range is huge, but so are the prices.

I do like good loose teas. Darjeeling and aromatized green teas are my favourites. I bought one of those little silicon tea-ball infusers, which are great for a single cup. I hate Earl Grey.

For a morning cuppa, I still can't beat Taylor's Yorkshire Gold tea bags

For coffee, I agree with others that the bean-to-cup machines are great for convenience and a good coffee. I used to use an Italian percolator which I thought made the best coffee ever but it was a faff to use and keep clean.

La Caffetiere beside Auchan is a probably my favourite local shop, they also have a branch on Rue des Anges in Perpignan. Le Torrefacteur on Rue des Augustins is perhaps even better but the prices are higher. Café Carlito at AgriSud has a good range of tea and coffee but I find the coffee a little under-roasted.

We've been buying coffee online recently from Pfaff and Rave. I reckon Pfaff is best.
Domaine Treloar - Vineyard and Winery - www.domainetreloar.com - 04 68 95 02 29
User avatar
Santiago
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 1290
Joined: Tue 27 Dec 2005 12:19
Contact:

Post by Santiago »

martyn94 wrote:
Richard and Sharon wrote:I am not up for a full case for myself, sight unseen, but if it is not too far out of your way I will cough for a case for a blind tasting, say against Vieux Papes and Santiago’s cheapest wine (and I’ll pay for those too, if enough people will sign up to come and drink them).
Delighted to pick up a case. Feel free to cancel the order if you dont get enough take up on the blind tasting. We would love to partcipate and might even pick up some nibbles at Iceland! Or, maybe better, some English cheese could be our contribution!
I was semi-joking, but am warming to the idea. There’s an outfit round here which has monthly jollies for anglophones and allied trades, called Le Cercle des Old Gits de la Côte Vermeille or something like that. I might try and piggy-back on one of their gigs, if the management will oblige: they might welcome some recruits if anyone here isn’t already a member. But get it anyway.
I'm taking offense at my wine even being mentioned in the same sentence as these two crimes against oenology!

The only cool thing about Le Piat d'Or is how they came up with the name.
As you know, it started as a British brand of rough Vin de Table. They did public market research to choose the name from a list of suggestions but instead of asking "Which of these names do you prefer?", they asked "Which of these wines have you had before and liked?" Even though nobody had ever actually heard the name before, something like 60% of respondents said they had enjoyed Le Piat d'Or. And so the brand was born!
Domaine Treloar - Vineyard and Winery - www.domainetreloar.com - 04 68 95 02 29
Allan
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 1384
Joined: Tue 01 Sep 2009 21:21
Contact:

Post by Allan »

Santiago wrote: I'm taking offense at my wine even being mentioned in the same sentence as these two crimes against oenology!

The only cool thing about Le Piat d'Or is how they came up with the name.
As you know, it started as a British brand of rough Vin de Table. They did public market research to choose the name from a list of suggestions but instead of asking "Which of these names do you prefer?", they asked "Which of these wines have you had before and liked?" Even though nobody had ever actually heard the name before, something like 60% of respondents said they had enjoyed Le Piat d'Or. And so the brand was born!
It should be an interesting blind tasting then 😊

Martyn, you can count me in, just say when and where?
User avatar
russell
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 1038
Joined: Fri 21 May 2010 16:03
Contact:

Post by russell »

martyn94 wrote: They used to roast in a railway arch under Waterloo Station, .
That reminds me of a pub called The Hole in the Wall in one of those arches. I used to visit it in the 1960s and at that time most of the pumps were for various ciders - cloudy yellow stuff. None of the pretentious Real Ale then.

Russell
martyn94
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 2086
Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013 14:37

Post by martyn94 »

russell wrote:
martyn94 wrote: They used to roast in a railway arch under Waterloo Station, .
That reminds me of a pub called The Hole in the Wall in one of those arches. I used to visit it in the 1960s and at that time most of the pumps were for various ciders - cloudy yellow stuff. None of the pretentious Real Ale then.

Russell
I can’t recall cider in the 70s and 80s, though it did sell real ale, but not at all pretentiously. It used to fill up at interval time with musicians from the South Bank concert halls, wetting their whistles. Literally - I occasionally bumped into an acquaintance who played the bassoon.
martyn94
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 2086
Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013 14:37

Post by martyn94 »

Santiago wrote:
martyn94 wrote: Delighted to pick up a case. Feel free to cancel the order if you dont get enough take up on the blind tasting. We would love to partcipate and might even pick up some nibbles at Iceland! Or, maybe better, some English cheese could be our contribution!
I was semi-joking, but am warming to the idea. There’s an outfit round here which has monthly jollies for anglophones and allied trades, called Le Cercle des Old Gits de la Côte Vermeille or something like that. I might try and piggy-back on one of their gigs, if the management will oblige: they might welcome some recruits if anyone here isn’t already a member. But get it anyway.
I'm taking offense at my wine even being mentioned in the same sentence as these two crimes against oenology!

The only cool thing about Le Piat d'Or is how they came up with the name.
As you know, it started as a British brand of rough Vin de Table. They did public market research to choose the name from a list of suggestions but instead of asking "Which of these names do you prefer?", they asked "Which of these wines have you had before and liked?" Even though nobody had ever actually heard the name before, something like 60% of respondents said they had enjoyed Le Piat d'Or. And so the brand was born!
But that’s the interesting thing about blind tastings: some people might like wines like that: evidently the marketers think they do. I wouldn’t do it with Santiago’s wine unless he was content to put it on the line (and I paid for all the wine). But this is all theoretical for the moment. Unless dozens of people here pipe up and say that they’ll come to it chez moi: I’m not going to buy 60 paris goblets on spec.
Post Reply