The aroma. The taste. The ritual of the preparation, and the anticipation. It’s more than just a drink.
Coffee is an integral part of cycling and cyclists lifestyles. But, like Campa versus Shimano, or white socks versus black, the way we imbibe the magic bean can be just as polarising.
We received an email from a reader with a suggestion for The Rules. Rob infers that anyone partaking in a soy-based brew, or a ‘lite’ milk additive, should be ceremonially beaten. “Harsh but fair” he believes, such as we always imply with The Rules.
Already I am receiving unflattering, downright tempestuous emails from my fellow Keepers regarding my soy intake confession. Yes, I unashamedly admit to this ‘foam pas’ and will accept any abuse like a man. A soy-drinking man, dammit!
But no matter how you enjoy your bean, there’s one thing for certain; coffee is good. Some say it should only be consumed black, sans sugar, in a ceramic cup. Others, like Rob, suggest it can be enhanced with a small amount of milk, i.e macchiato. While everyone has different tastes, I’m sure most of us would agree that caramel, butterscotch and excessive amounts of foam, sprinklings and flavourings have no place in any cup.
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With the Vietnamese coffee that my flatmate bought back, it's a different type - woody, nutty smelling and very oily. I haven't been tempted at all to try and make regular coffee with it, and it's cool for novelty sake but won't be a long term replacement.
@King Clydesdale
I use the Bialetti Moka. It's not as good as a proper latte, but it gets the job done and I don't have the counterspace for proper equipment.
@Minion
Those Vietnamese coffees are the bomb. I still have my little Vietnamese filter from a trip there 15 years ago. Another great thing about Vietnam: Draft beer is cheaper than bottled water.
@Minion
Very oily beans usually means that a good portion of the coffee goodness was roasted out of said beans and won't end up in your cup. Instead it will be on the surfaces of your machine. The oils stick to everything and go rancid very quickly. Just some words of caution in case you run some of that through your new set up and then in a week or so are wondering why you can't seem to get a good cup of coffee anymore. A good cleaning and you will be back to java junky heaven.
For all the backpackers that need their fix but want to decrease the footprint of coffee equipment, this works well. A stripped down Moka:
backpack "espresso" maker
It can be used on the stove at home but be prepared for some splatter.
Not to turn into a broken record about how cool my café is, but the green bike in the foreground showed up last week. Will provide a better pic shortly...
Any pic would be good!
@Oli
Bah! Use your imagination.
@Oli
I'm sure @Steampunk is referring to this beauty:
@itburns @Oli
The correct pic seems to be up now. Or this one?
@Steampunk
But wait a minute: what are Cav and Thor sporting on their right wrists??