Coffee Beans

[oz_mark]

I'll be in Malaysia (KL) next week. Any recommendations on where to get good coffee?

In KL, I have ended up seeking safety in some of the chains! On that basis, the two chains I often end up are Dome and 'The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf'.

There are a couple of coffee places along Bukit Bintang that are ok, but I don't remember their names

SOme people like the coffee at Old Town White Coffee, but I am not so keen on it.

 

[drewbles]

Whilst no real preference on Coffee Machines, our household has one of these:

mypressi TWIST: easy elegant espresso

It doesn't make the worlds best coffee, but it's stupidly convenient and takes up little room. You do have to ensure you have a stock of NO2 cartridges though.

As for beans, you cannot go past St Ali here in Melbourne, who will happily deliver to you via express overnight post via their website, St. ALi - Specialty Coffee. They import and roast all their own beans. It's the best coffee i've had in Melbourne, but that's my 2c worth.

I'm also spoiled here at work. We have a proper plumbed-in café coffee machine, a hangover from the dot com boom days where we had that, free food and juice/soft drinks. When the budget cut backs happened many years ago, all but the coffee machine, grinder, beans and milk vanished. Management knew not to mess with tech's caffeine supply obviously.

Good quality coffee is a huge combination of factors including the environment the beans are stored in (humidity/sunlight etc), age of beans (how long ago were they roasted) and even the type/quality of grinder and its setting. Also, water temperature, cleanliness of the machine (you have to keep 'em sparkling) and the pressure of the water as well. Even the way the coffee is 'tamped' into the handle affects it.

A good example was many years ago living in Sydney. The café opposite the office was run by a husband and wife. He was Italian and made one of the best coffees I ever had in Sydney. His wife could not make a decent coffee to save herself. Same coffee/machine/milk, different style of steaming the milk, tamping the coffee into the handle, and a totally different outcome!

 

[hopes]

Just been to London.

Coffee - dishwater. What the heck is an Americana?

 

[malmacdowall]

Can I put in a vote for Air coffee .... In castle hill NSW.... They roast and blend on the premises... Great to have a chat to the barrista and discuss the different single origin coffees and find one that was good for espresso .... Can also order online ( which is good considering I live in Melbourne ) but I regularly travel to SYD .. Just need to time it for when the beans are running low in the delonghi machine....

 

[DC3]

Instant coffee is for emergency use only. There should be a warning on the label.

 

[BVT]

Instant coffee is for emergency use only. There should be a warning on the label.

Not even in an emergency. Sometimes the cure is worse than the illness.

 

[Mal]

I'm a big fan of Robert Timms Coffee Bags for work use. Good tasting coffee at around 30c each. No fuss, no mess and much better than instant.

If I have to have Instant, I prefer Nescafe Gold.

Am looking at the mypresso machine mentioned by Drewbles. Any suggestions on the cost/serve and how much mess/fuss is involved?

 

[hopes]

Not even in an emergency. Sometimes the cure is worse than the illness.

I consider instant coffee a completely different drink. Its warm and wet - thats about it.

 

[medhead]

Robert Timms coffee bags at work. Flat white for breakfast and expresso for after boozey meals. At home for kinda special occassions I output a sunbeam coffee machine or one of those 2 cup on stove thingys. In terms of coffee I have some Timor coffee that I've been having lately. It's rather alright.

 

[Major]

Always take Robert Timms bags when traveling. You never know what is going to turn up in your hotel room.

 

[malmacdowall]

For the coffee snob at work without a machine, I like the Eva Solo Cafe... Using ground coffee, just spoon in the coffee, add water add the filter thingy and do up the neoprene jacket.... Stays hot for hours and makes 2 good cups.... Just rinse out in the sink when your done... I got mine from my skywards points but itmcan also be found locally by googling it....

 

[Flying Fox]

What the heck is an Americana?

I asked once = half a cup of coffee topped up with hot water.

I found it terrible. It should be listed as offensive.

 

[malmacdowall]

I asked once = half a cup of coffee topped up with hot water.

I found it terrible. It should be listed as offensive.

+1 never had a good Americana.... How ever in Paris, we were looked at strangely for suggesting we add milk to our coffee.... Just learnt to have black espresso and watched our French friends add 3 teaspoons of sugar....

 

[drewbles]

Can I put in a vote for Air coffee .... In castle hill NSW.... They roast and blend on the premises... Great to have a chat to the barrista and discuss the different single origin coffees and find one that was good for espresso .... Can also order online ( which is good considering I live in Melbourne ) but I regularly travel to SYD .. Just need to time it for when the beans are running low in the delonghi machine....

If in Melbourne, go visit St Ali in South Melbourne (as mentioned in my post above). Great experience, just be prepared to wait for a table if trying coffee on-site

 

[Sprucegoose]

I asked for a short black and got some threatening looks in Joburg!!

A cappuccino is a coffee with foam!!