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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@Steampunk
@Jarvis
Hey, I'm in on putting golden anything on my crumpet!
@Jarvis
Oh: it's on! This is going to get ugly fast.
@Steampunk, @Jarvis
Please help us Americans out. I can't remember if "tea" translates from English into American as "Coffee" or "Beer".
@Rob
I can't figure this out. Are you English or American? Or is it the same as my Dutch-ness? Dutch is my first language and that's why my name is pronounced like the gay guy in Father of the Bride, but I was raised here in the You Ess of Aye.
@frank
"American" and "aestheticism" don't have much in common, do they? Tea is the stuff Americans threw into Boston Harbor (thereby making palatable only to Americans).
Re. coffee: I'll take an espresso, but none of this after ride nonsense. A new café just opened down the road. Named Domestique, and yes: proprietor is a cyclist and master roaster. Life is good.
@Steampunk
Indeed. Espresso pre-ride is de riguer (God I love French). Post-ride = pub and a nice, cool (cellar-temperature, not refrigerated) ale.
@frank
Oh, I hate to do this: It's de rigueur. Sorry: I'm a douche (another French word.
I'm really sorry. That was bad form. Chalk it up to a bad week coming to a close. Solo hill repeats at dark-thirty tomorrow morning. Will add an extra one by way of penance.
@Steampunk I love that - not Catholic but it seems that this could be a great way to get the lapsed Cognosetti back on the straight and narrow. Penance riding - hill repeats, telephone pole sprint repeats and best of all motor pacing at dawn.
And hey in case you had not noticed "Douche" is an accepted vocab word here with no stigma attached.
@frank Fronkster, I'm nothing, maybe mid-atlantic? Born in New Hampshire but spent way to much time in London but now I am getting a Lawn Giland accent! So its tea and crumpets when I'm not having double espressos.
@Frank (or is that Fronk?)
I don't think I can start to explain, but I'll go with neither coffee or beer. Tea is difficult to make well and even the British can't agree on how it should be made or indeed have much ability in making consistently good tea.
@Steampunk
Oh, I would be living in that cafe, as long os the coffee was up to standard.
@All
while the subject of nationality crops up, neither myself of my velomihottie are English, we are Welsh. Ta.