Once in a while, we hear people say that we must always take time to smell the roses. For me, I always take time to smell and consume coffee, rather than flowers. Some of you may actually wonder why I am such a strong supporter of Starbucks Coffee.
My favorite coffee is still Starbucks Coffee Colombian beans. I even buy packets of this Colombia coffee to consume at home, not because it is one of the most expensive coffee in the world, but because I just love its aroma and taste. To me, there is no better coffee than Starbucks Colombia coffee. I have tried other Colombian coffee, but somehow, it is different. It seems a lot more bitter than what Starbucks offer. Colombian Coffee is so expensive that it is hardly ever sold in Malaysia, although, I just found out that there is a Coffee operation in Muar that imports it.
Here is a rather discerning Consumer Report at yahoo news that suggest Starbucks' House Blend and Green Mountain Signature Nantucket Blend Medium Roast as amongst the best coffee. I find Starbucks House Blend agreeable, although I am not very excited about it. I have not tried Green Mountain Coffee.
It is interesting to note that this consumer report actually advises people not to merely go for the high priced items thinking that price reflects quality. For me, quality is reflected not in price, but in the taste and aroma of the coffee, and in such a case, every one has different preferences, just like choosing the fragrance of a perfume. You know a cheap perfume when you smell one, but expensive perfumes does not necessarily mean that it will definitely be agreeable to your sense of smell.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100202/lf_nm_life/us_coffee_consumerreport_blends
I tend to go for the medium strength coffees like Colombia or Starbucks' South of the Border. House Blend is fine with me too. Sumatra coffee is also quite quite bold (strong), and is the most alike to local coffee. For those of you who like the strength of local coffee and finds Nescafe to be "no kick", then, try Sumatra. For me, this is about the boldest that a coffee should be. It is tolerable, as a coffee, but definitely not my favorite, nor even a preferred choice. I prefer House Blend to Sumatra.
Casi Cielo seems too strong for me. It is the strongest coffee I have ever drank at Starbucks, although, somehow, it seemed to have toned down somewhat .... or is it that I have gotten used to its Bold strength? I don't know. But, the early Casi Cielo looked very oily and yellowish (in fact, I was quite concerned for my own health after drinking it), whilst today, it seems less so. Maybe the name is the same, but the blend has been changed?
Anyway, there is only one advice I would share on coffee, i.e. local Penang coffee is made of high caffeine, low quality beans. Whilst some of us may have grown up on Penang local coffee, and I still love to drink it whenever I am back, do be careful. Because of the high caffeine content, the coffee is very bitter, and has to be roasted with margarine. And as you know, anything fried / roasted with butter or margarine is supposed to produce very high cholesterol content. This is why we have to drink local coffee with sugar, whilst we can drink pure coffee without sugar or milk with coffee made from arabica beans, like those from Starbucks Coffee.
If I am not wrong, Nescafe is a blend of robusta beans (local coffee beans) and arabica beans. Thus, drinking Nescafe Classic is theoretically healthier than drinking local coffee, although I am not sure about the effects of the creamer, which, if I am not mistaken, is made from palm oil.
I would recommend Nescafe Gold or Black Gold, not because we want to be seen to be higher class, but because it is made of better quality beans, i.e. higher content of arabica beans over robusta bean ratio. If I am not wrong, I think Black Gold is 100% arabica beans, although I have difficulty getting it in supermarkets.
We coffee lovers have to watch out. On the one hand, a cup or two of coffee a day, may actually be good for health, but the more caffeine we take into our body, the less healthy we may be. Thus, the idea is to enjoy the coffee, yet, minimize caffeine and sugar intake to a minimum.
The next time you buy a cup of Starbucks' "coffee of the day" (COD), do check out their board on what is being served. The COD changes periodically, usually fortnightly. Even though you buy the same cup of COD, at different times, you are drinking different types of coffee with different aroma and taste, if you haven't realized it.
By the way, there is similar reasoning on quality in terms of tea. If you want to know more about tea, do take some time to visit the Boh Tea plantation at Cameron Highlands, and take their tour. I did that about 15 years ago, and learned more about how the quality of tea is differentiated, although, English tea is never my cup of tea. I am more of a chinese tea lover, and here, I love great Shui Hsien, Tieh Kuan Yin and Ma Lau Mit. My favorite is Ma Lau Mit, but do be careful. This tea is too strong to be drunk frequently.
So much about coffee, tea and me. Take some time to smell the aroma, and enjoy the taste, preferably without sugar, and definitely without milk. That's pure coffee drinking, of a coffee lover. Unfortunately for me, I have a sweet tooth, and I take a lot of sugar. Oh well, we have to sin in some ways right?
And oh yes, if you want the full experience, ask an experienced Starbucks staff to pick out the right cake to match your favorite coffee. Then, take a small sip of your favorite black hot coffee without sugar or milk, followed by a small bite of the recommended cake that perfectly matches the coffee you are drinking. Then, take another small sip of the coffee. I promise you, life will not be the same ever again, after that experience.
That's how the British aristocrats used to drink their tea or coffee. The right cake with the right coffee or tea, without sugar or milk. Nice .... out of this world ...... Heavenly ....... enjoy!
Best wishes,
Ooi
My favorite coffee is still Starbucks Coffee Colombian beans. I even buy packets of this Colombia coffee to consume at home, not because it is one of the most expensive coffee in the world, but because I just love its aroma and taste. To me, there is no better coffee than Starbucks Colombia coffee. I have tried other Colombian coffee, but somehow, it is different. It seems a lot more bitter than what Starbucks offer. Colombian Coffee is so expensive that it is hardly ever sold in Malaysia, although, I just found out that there is a Coffee operation in Muar that imports it.
Here is a rather discerning Consumer Report at yahoo news that suggest Starbucks' House Blend and Green Mountain Signature Nantucket Blend Medium Roast as amongst the best coffee. I find Starbucks House Blend agreeable, although I am not very excited about it. I have not tried Green Mountain Coffee.
It is interesting to note that this consumer report actually advises people not to merely go for the high priced items thinking that price reflects quality. For me, quality is reflected not in price, but in the taste and aroma of the coffee, and in such a case, every one has different preferences, just like choosing the fragrance of a perfume. You know a cheap perfume when you smell one, but expensive perfumes does not necessarily mean that it will definitely be agreeable to your sense of smell.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100202/lf_nm_life/us_coffee_consumerreport_blends
I tend to go for the medium strength coffees like Colombia or Starbucks' South of the Border. House Blend is fine with me too. Sumatra coffee is also quite quite bold (strong), and is the most alike to local coffee. For those of you who like the strength of local coffee and finds Nescafe to be "no kick", then, try Sumatra. For me, this is about the boldest that a coffee should be. It is tolerable, as a coffee, but definitely not my favorite, nor even a preferred choice. I prefer House Blend to Sumatra.
Casi Cielo seems too strong for me. It is the strongest coffee I have ever drank at Starbucks, although, somehow, it seemed to have toned down somewhat .... or is it that I have gotten used to its Bold strength? I don't know. But, the early Casi Cielo looked very oily and yellowish (in fact, I was quite concerned for my own health after drinking it), whilst today, it seems less so. Maybe the name is the same, but the blend has been changed?
Anyway, there is only one advice I would share on coffee, i.e. local Penang coffee is made of high caffeine, low quality beans. Whilst some of us may have grown up on Penang local coffee, and I still love to drink it whenever I am back, do be careful. Because of the high caffeine content, the coffee is very bitter, and has to be roasted with margarine. And as you know, anything fried / roasted with butter or margarine is supposed to produce very high cholesterol content. This is why we have to drink local coffee with sugar, whilst we can drink pure coffee without sugar or milk with coffee made from arabica beans, like those from Starbucks Coffee.
If I am not wrong, Nescafe is a blend of robusta beans (local coffee beans) and arabica beans. Thus, drinking Nescafe Classic is theoretically healthier than drinking local coffee, although I am not sure about the effects of the creamer, which, if I am not mistaken, is made from palm oil.
I would recommend Nescafe Gold or Black Gold, not because we want to be seen to be higher class, but because it is made of better quality beans, i.e. higher content of arabica beans over robusta bean ratio. If I am not wrong, I think Black Gold is 100% arabica beans, although I have difficulty getting it in supermarkets.
We coffee lovers have to watch out. On the one hand, a cup or two of coffee a day, may actually be good for health, but the more caffeine we take into our body, the less healthy we may be. Thus, the idea is to enjoy the coffee, yet, minimize caffeine and sugar intake to a minimum.
The next time you buy a cup of Starbucks' "coffee of the day" (COD), do check out their board on what is being served. The COD changes periodically, usually fortnightly. Even though you buy the same cup of COD, at different times, you are drinking different types of coffee with different aroma and taste, if you haven't realized it.
By the way, there is similar reasoning on quality in terms of tea. If you want to know more about tea, do take some time to visit the Boh Tea plantation at Cameron Highlands, and take their tour. I did that about 15 years ago, and learned more about how the quality of tea is differentiated, although, English tea is never my cup of tea. I am more of a chinese tea lover, and here, I love great Shui Hsien, Tieh Kuan Yin and Ma Lau Mit. My favorite is Ma Lau Mit, but do be careful. This tea is too strong to be drunk frequently.
So much about coffee, tea and me. Take some time to smell the aroma, and enjoy the taste, preferably without sugar, and definitely without milk. That's pure coffee drinking, of a coffee lover. Unfortunately for me, I have a sweet tooth, and I take a lot of sugar. Oh well, we have to sin in some ways right?
And oh yes, if you want the full experience, ask an experienced Starbucks staff to pick out the right cake to match your favorite coffee. Then, take a small sip of your favorite black hot coffee without sugar or milk, followed by a small bite of the recommended cake that perfectly matches the coffee you are drinking. Then, take another small sip of the coffee. I promise you, life will not be the same ever again, after that experience.
That's how the British aristocrats used to drink their tea or coffee. The right cake with the right coffee or tea, without sugar or milk. Nice .... out of this world ...... Heavenly ....... enjoy!
Best wishes,
Ooi
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Hi! I’m working with Green Mountain coffee, and I think you and your readers would like to know that we’re having a great sampling promotion going on! For those of you who live in Dallas, keep an eye out, it ends this Friday 02/19. Tell friends and family! More cities coming up, so blog and tweet about this promotion, but don’t miss it!
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