# I bloody hate (Part III)... Coffee pretentiousness



## WhoAmI (6 Mar 2008)

As Graham_07 mentioned in other thread about sandwich prices, I bloody hate the absolute nonsense regarding coffee these days. "Yah, OI'll have a double mocha-skinny-latte-choco-wonder with triple-distilled semi-skimmed Venezuelan beaver's milk in a highball glass and a sprinkling of powdered Tibetan yak's milk chocolate about half-way down please".

As was already stated, what's wrong with a mug of normal coffee?


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## Graham_07 (6 Mar 2008)

I prefer full-fat venezuelan beaver milk myself


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## Jock04 (6 Mar 2008)

Who am I?
You're [broken link removed]

You are, aren't you?


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## WhoAmI (6 Mar 2008)

Jock04 said:


> Who am I?
> You're [broken link removed]
> 
> You are, aren't you?




Oops, I've been rumbled!!!


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## Niallman (6 Mar 2008)

Go on...say "I DON'T BELIEVE IT"...ah go on!!


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## zag (6 Mar 2008)

Was in the US recently and Dunkin Dounuts had an ad running along the lines of "You can order your coffee in English here"  The contrast was with all the posh coffe places where you had to order in Fratalian - "I'll have a large latte" - "don't you mean a dieci latte" ?

Have a look here - https://www.dunkindonuts.com/

z


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## Sherman (6 Mar 2008)

zag said:


> Was in the US recently and Dunkin Dounuts had an ad running along the lines of "You can order your coffee in English here" The contrast was with all the posh coffe places where you had to order in Fratalian - "I'll have a large latte" - "don't you mean a dieci latte" ?
> 
> Have a look here - https://www.dunkindonuts.com/
> 
> z


 
Of course the problem with Dunkin Donuts' "coffee" is that it is a complete abomination.


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## huskerdu (6 Mar 2008)

I agree entirely. As a non-coffee drinker ( pause for sharp intake of breath ), I am getting royally sick of the amount of time I spend waiting in queues in cafes while the person on the till takes 5 minutes to make every coffee for the people ahead of me.


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## efm (6 Mar 2008)

huskerdu said:


> ....I am getting royally sick of the amount of time I spend waiting in queues in cafes while the person on the till takes 5 minutes to make every coffee for the people ahead of me.


 
 Are you the Queen and expect to jump to the top of the queue ahead of the rest of us mere mortals who have to wait our turn?


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## Caveat (6 Mar 2008)

I think maybe the point was that the convoluted, ridiculous "coffees" taking so long to make, are responsible for the queues...

My interpretation of huskerdu's post anyway.


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## efm (6 Mar 2008)

Sherman said:


> Of course the problem with Dunkin Donuts' "coffee" is that it is a complete abomination.


 
I agree......Bile of Beelzabub would be a more appropriate name



Caveat said:


> I think maybe the point was that the convoluted, ridiculous "coffees" taking so long to make, are responsible for the queues...


 
Ah...Oh


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## stir crazy (6 Mar 2008)

Sherman said:


> Of course the problem with Dunkin Donuts' "coffee" is that it is a complete abomination.



Hey I love Dunkin Donuts Coffee !

Add a Toasted Cream Cheese Bagel and I'm in heaven


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## Caveat (6 Mar 2008)

Isn't _Starbuck's_ coffee supposed to be quite good? Never had it.

Or is it one these skinny-double-cino...etc etc places too?


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## Graham_07 (6 Mar 2008)

Forget the coffee, how about the most famous line of all on beverages...
Tea, Earl Grey, Hot.


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## RonanC (6 Mar 2008)

Irish and UK Starbucks coffee is muck in my opinion, overpriced and pretentious. US Starbucks is a bit better but still overpriced.

And it is one of those "skinny-mocha-latte" places too.


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## efm (6 Mar 2008)

Graham_07 said:


> Forget the coffee, how about the most famous line of all on beverages...
> Tea, Earl Grey, Hot.


 
You forgot the "Make it so" 



RonanC said:


> Irish and UK Starbucks coffee is muck in my opinion, overpriced and pretentious. US Starbucks is a bit better but still overpriced.


 
Starbucks have managed to do the impossible which is to make coffee which has absolutely no taste of coffee


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## swordshead (6 Mar 2008)

I dont drink any of the skinny,mocha,latte stuff..just "normal" coffee..and absoutely hate sayin "regular americano" for what used to be just "a coffee thanks"! O'Briens does a decent cup though..


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## zag (6 Mar 2008)

As above - I was in the US over the weekend and having a coffee and a boston creme (donut) brought me right back.  It's hard to beat Dunkin Donuts 'coffee and a donut' for comfort food.

While I was there, there was an article on the news where Starbucks closed *all* their US shops for 90 minutes to re-educate their staff on how to make good coffee.  This is a somewhat worrying step for a coffee shop to have to take.  I think it indicates that quality had dropped in Starbucks over time.  It's one thing to have all your staff take 90 minutes training over a few weeks, but all in one day and closing the shops and losing revenue is pretty bad.

z


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## ninsaga (6 Mar 2008)

zag said:


> As above - I was in the US over the weekend and having a coffee and a boston creme (donut) brought me right back.  It's hard to beat Dunkin Donuts 'coffee and a donut' for comfort food.



Heh Heeeyyy!!! it takes a lot to beat a Boston Creme with coffee for sure.....


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## WhoAmI (6 Mar 2008)

Hear hear to all above. I knew I wasn't the only one. (*PHEW*)


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## ninsaga (6 Mar 2008)

Just to make matters worse of course when ordering the skinny-mocha-latte  - one must have a D4 accent (or down here it's the Rochestown accent (not the Legoland side))

...... does anyone else (besides me) not ask for a cuppa tea with a cream slice anymore!


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## Graham_07 (7 Mar 2008)

ninsaga said:


> Just to make matters worse of course when ordering the skinny-mocha-latte - one must have a D4 accent (or down here it's the Rochestown accent (not the Legoland side))
> 
> ...... does anyone else (besides me) not ask for a cuppa tea with a cream slice anymore!


 
I just looooove cream slices ! Would that be the Mahon side of Rochestown Road Rahndabaht accent or Douglas side occent ?


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## ninsaga (7 Mar 2008)

Graham_07 said:


> I just looooove cream slices ! Would that be the Mahon side of Rochestown Road Rahndabaht accent or Douglas side occent ?



ha..... well being a northsider you see, my ears wouldn't be that finally tuned to differentiate.... so they both sound the same to me..... but hey lets meet up in Costa Coffee loike


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## sam h (7 Mar 2008)

Apart from the preteniousness....the cost is crazy over here.  I was charged €3.95 for a cappucino which was pure milk!  In Italy, it will normally be about €1 to €1.30 (unless you decide to sit on St Marks Sq., Venice & take in the music....I know someone who was charge about €25 for coffee, a cake & music).


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## annR (7 Mar 2008)

I was never a latte person myself, I would scour the menu looking for plain / black coffee and be completely baffled.  About 2 years ago I realised that Americano is black.  But I still say black.  Ordering an Americano would make me sound as if I wished I was in New York or something, which I do sometimes but usually I'm happy enough to be where I am and ordering a black coffee.  Have you ever had coffee with someone who ordered a latte and then remarked about the incredible number of calories it had?


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## Graham_07 (7 Mar 2008)

annR said:


> Ordering an Americano would make me sound as if I wished I was in New York or something


 
Italy was one place I found where the waiters constantly referred to black coffee as Americano.


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## casiopea (7 Mar 2008)

Graham_07 said:


> Italy was one place I found where the waiters constantly referred to black coffee as Americano.



Yup, if you order a "cafe" in italy you get an italian coffee which is a short expresso (by irish standards).  If you want a "longer" black coffee (that you can add milk to) - you need to order an Americano (or perhaps "un cafe lungo" but Americano is clearer).


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## ney001 (7 Mar 2008)

efm said:


> You forgot the "Make it so"
> 
> 
> 
> Starbucks have managed to do the impossible which is to make coffee which has absolutely no taste of coffee




Absolutely agree with that - tastes like warm ditchwater.  Had to laugh the other night though was in Starbucks getting a hot chocolate for the little sis and this girl gives the longest list of coffee requirements I've ever heard, you know can I have a venti, skinny, double frappachino with a shot of expresso, shot of vanilla caramel cappuchino etc  etc and just when I thought she was finished she says - oh yeah can you double cup and sleeve that please   Just like being in New Yawk!


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## Jock04 (7 Mar 2008)

efm said:


> You forgot the "Make it so"


 
  Superb...or indeed, as Jean-Luc himself said a few times...grand.


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## Purple (7 Mar 2008)

Graham_07 said:


> Italy was one place I found where the waiters constantly referred to black coffee as Americano.



That's because it is an Americano. After the Second World War the GI's posted in Europe were not able for the strength of the coffee that they were given so the practice of topping up the espresso with hot water became common. Because it was one for Americans it became known as an Americano. This is the drink that Irish people incorrectly refer to as a regular black coffee. Latte, cappuccino and espresso have been around for a long time. Just because we didn't know about them does not make those who drink them pretentious. 
That said I'm partial to a regular black coffee myself, or an espresso after a meal.


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## annR (7 Mar 2008)

Fair enough and interesting about Italy, but who in Ireland ever referred to a black coffee as an Americano?  I find the cafes themselves more pretentious about this than the customers - having a coffee menu where you can't find normal coffee on it.  I guess us old farts will just have to move with the trendy times.


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## ubiquitous (7 Mar 2008)

annR said:


> Fair enough and interesting about Italy, but who in Ireland ever referred to a black coffee as an Americano?



I've being doing so for at least a decade. I've found it to be the only way to avoid being pawned off with stuff that has been brewing away in a percolator possibly for hours on end. There is a big difference in many cafes between black coffee and americano.


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## zag (7 Mar 2008)

Purple said:


> . . .  it became known as an Americano. This is the drink that Irish people incorrectly refer to as a regular black coffee . . . That said I'm partial to a regular black coffee myself, or an espresso after a meal.



Don't you mean you're partial to an Americano ?

And by the way, why do you claim that Irish people 'incorrectly' call something a regular black coffee ?  I wasn't around back in the late 40s, but I don't think the coffee houses of Dublin (as if such a thing existed other than Bewleys) were over-supplied with American soldiers unable for the strength of the drink.

z


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## redstar (7 Mar 2008)

What about renaming black coffee to 'cafe sans bainne'   ?
Gives it a bit of an Irish twist ..


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## Caveat (7 Mar 2008)

Purple said:


> Latte, cappuccino and espresso have been around for a long time. Just because we didn't know about them does not make those who drink them pretentious.


 
I agree and I've no problem with the above mentioned.

It's the multisyllabic silly hybrids, obviously invented 'in house', that seemingly must be ordered with an array of qualifying prepositions/adjectives that annoy me. 

The pretentiousness is further revealed when different cafés use different terms for the same thing.


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## DavyJones (7 Mar 2008)

Was in Venice recently and when in a cafe i asked for a latte, the waitress asked me was I sure, I said I think so. imagine my surprise when she dropped me down... you guessed it.... warm milk! serve's me right for not asking for coffee!


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## Graham_07 (7 Mar 2008)

DavyJones said:


> Was in Venice recently and when in a cafe i asked for a latte, the waitress asked me was I sure, I said I think so. imagine my surprise when she dropped me down... you guessed it.... warm milk! serve's me right for not asking for coffee!


 
Reminds me of the one the neighbour told, when a penniless student on interrail with her friend, ordered the cheapest thing on a menu somewhere in Europe, waiter said, are you sure? She said of course. And she got ......now how do you eat a bowl of cream, exactly !


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## Purple (7 Mar 2008)

zag said:


> Don't you mean you're partial to an Americano ?


 Yes, hence the 



zag said:


> And by the way, why do you claim that Irish people 'incorrectly' call something a regular black coffee ?  I wasn't around back in the late 40s, but I don't think the coffee houses of Dublin (as if such a thing existed other than Bewleys) were over-supplied with American soldiers unable for the strength of the drink.
> 
> z


 I don't think they were selling small, regular or large coffee either.


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## almo (8 Mar 2008)

In all the posts I've read through, nobody seems to mention the macdaddy of coffees, the old Italian chippers, like the Roma in Dundalk, and their "white coffees", good god it was standard all over Ireland and so so good, and now in Croatia you can order a white coffee but it never seems to be quite the same.

I was home in January and found the price of coffee and tea outrageous, as well as attitudes to it.  I was at a certain spot in the south city centre (won't name it for legal reasons) and I was seated next to a bunch of R'OCK's wannabes who spoke about coffee as if it was some sort of mystical substance - I wanted to slap each one of them and tell them that REAL Arab coffee (as opposed to arabica) tastes and smells like Jeyes fluid.  Bring back Bewleys!


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## Joe1234 (8 Mar 2008)

This morning I was in a local sandwich bar, and asked for a coffee.  The waitress said Americano, even though "coffee" was on the menu!


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