starbucks in australia

[Dimmers]

We are all a pack of bludgers. Workers in Greece clock 4th highest average hours 'worked' annually (see Wikipedia), and look at the mighty state of their econo... oh wait....

 

 

[maxcjs0101]

And the Chinese/Asians are having a good laugh while everyone else are claiming how productive their country is.

[Fuzz]

1 hour ago, kuma said:

I think the cafes in Europe (Italy, France etc, etc.) may have somthing to say about "best"

cafe(s).  Europe is built for cafes.  Cafes allow you to sit for hours people watching while

you sip your fav espresso with the best crema in the world.  Crema is that little bit of

foam sitting on top of your espresso if is made the correct way.

I know this is going to upset some people, but French coffee sucks! I couldn't get a decent coffee anywhere. But they kill it with pastries. So many delectable delights...

[Fuzz]

1 hour ago, Dimmers said:

We are all a pack of bludgers. Workers in Greece clock 4th highest average hours 'worked' annually (see Wikipedia), and look at the mighty state of their econo... oh wait....

 

 

The stats are slightly fudged as they are averaged across all workers. A significant percentage of Greeks work for themselves and there are not many part-time jobs. Germany has a high percentage of job-sharing, which brings down their stats. Manufacturing efficiency also plays a large part in lowering the number.

[GasGuy82]

13 hours ago, Fuzz said:

The stats are slightly fudged as they are averaged across all workers. A significant percentage of Greeks work for themselves and there are not many part-time jobs. Germany has a high percentage of job-sharing, which brings down their stats. Manufacturing efficiency also plays a large part in lowering the number.

I think the bigger issue is that the 40 hour work week for many jobs is outdated. Unless you are working manual labor in the "field", running your own business etc, 4-5 hours a day of focused, productive, efficient work with no web surfing, chit chat etc is all you really need. People sit around the office for 8-9-10 hours a day because that is what is expected. They are keeping up appearances. In the US, employers would want to lower wages if people worked less hours even if they got the same or more productivity, ignoring the cost savings due to energy, building maintenance etc.

For my particular job, I come in around 6:30-7:00am, spend the first 3-5 hours focusing on nothing but emails, returning voice messages, writing reports and calculating financials. After that, I do site/field visits. Rarely does something come up that I can't handle from my phone. About once a week, I'll spend the second half of the day working from home. I used to set up my computer at my docking station in the office. These days I just monitor my email from my phone and have all my calls forwarded to it.

This doesn't mean that there aren't some days where I will work a legitimate 12 hours in the office, or need to do site visits 250 miles away, but those days are not as common as one might think.

[dangolf18]

Pete's Coffee all the way for me (or Blue Bottle). 

[kuma]

It is about the type of coffee, the people making it, and the La Machine.  Best Machines are the ones made in Italy

$10,00.00 for a top model.  Not sure Fuzz where you were in France drinking coffee but remember they don't make coffee they

excel at "espresso" not coffee.  You need to up your game and start drinking espresso less volume less time in the bath room

better rush.  Well made espresso beats coffee everytime but it is all about what you like.

[dicko]

2 hours ago, kuma said:

It is about the type of coffee, the people making it, and the La Machine.  Best Machines are the ones made in Italy

$10,00.00 for a top model.  Not sure Fuzz where you were in France drinking coffee but remember they don't make coffee they

excel at "espresso" not coffee.  You need to up your game and start drinking espresso less volume less time in the bath room

better rush.  Well made espresso beats coffee everytime but it is all about what you like.

I would imagine Fuzz would already be referring to "espresso" based coffee actually. In Australia when we say "coffee" we generally mean any style of coffee including espresso or the various espresso+milk/water combos. 

 

I take it you are referring to drip coffee specifically when you say "coffee" as seems to me an American styled term.

[Fuzz]

5 hours ago, kuma said:

It is about the type of coffee, the people making it, and the La Machine.  Best Machines are the ones made in Italy

$10,00.00 for a top model.  Not sure Fuzz where you were in France drinking coffee but remember they don't make coffee they

excel at "espresso" not coffee.  You need to up your game and start drinking espresso less volume less time in the bath room

better rush.  Well made espresso beats coffee everytime but it is all about what you like.

 

2 hours ago, dicko said:

I would imagine Fuzz would already be referring to "espresso" based coffee actually. In Australia when we say "coffee" we generally mean any style of coffee including espresso or the various espresso+milk/water combos. 

 

I take it you are referring to drip coffee specifically when you say "coffee" as seems to me an American styled term.

Correct. I was ordering espresso and it sucked.

[Ken Gargett]

On 08/09/2016 at 0:43 PM, Fuzz said:

I know this is going to upset some people, but French coffee sucks! I couldn't get a decent coffee anywhere. But they kill it with pastries. So many delectable delights...

fuzz, on board with this. nothing anywhere.

[PigFish]

Gentlemen, I think I may have discovered the problem! If you have ever been to a Charbucks, the patrons don't order Espresso there. The order Expresso. Somehow we have distorted and destroyed yet another international custom.

On top of that, most of these people pour out half the coffee and make some kind of mixture of half and half with about a tablespoon of coffee left to mix it with.

At least if you go to a donut shop to get lousy coffee, you have a chance at getting a good donut!

-the Pig

[Balboa]

5 hours ago, PigFish said:

Gentlemen, I think I may have discovered the problem! If you have ever been to a Charbucks, the patrons don't order Espresso there. The order Expresso. Somehow we have distorted and destroyed yet another international custom.

On top of that, most of these people pour out half the coffee and make some kind of mixture of half and half with about a tablespoon of coffee left to mix it with.

At least if you go to a donut shop to get lousy coffee, you have a chance at getting a good donut!

-the Pig

being of Italian heritage i grew up hanging out in Italian cafes where the owners and patrons were from Catolica Sicily. 

Yes some people would come in and order expresso but at least they ordered coffee.

Starbucks has a nice pumpkin flavored coffee for autumn. 

If  any man  were to ever order anything except milk or sugar in their coffee these patrons would question that persons manhood.

Please just give me coffee flavored coffee

 

 

[gweilgi]

2 hours ago, Balboa said:

being of Italian heritage i grew up hanging out in Italian cafes where the owners and patrons were from Catolica Sicily. 

Yes some people would come in and order expresso but at least they ordered coffee.

Starbucks has a nice pumpkin flavored coffee for autumn. 

If  any man  were to ever order anything except milk or sugar in their coffee these patrons would question that persons manhood.

Please just give me coffee flavored coffee

Having spent some time in Italy and "wasted' many an afternoon (or morning) slurping the good black stuff, I would have only two quibbles: cappuccinos are only ever drunk in the mornings by the locals and to order one in the afternoon or evening invariably outs you as a foreigner, and it is entirely permissible to add samba or grappa to make a caffè corretto... the latter being a most delightful way to start the day, and a good explanation as to the rather leisurely pace of the Italian civil service.

[kuma]

Not sure where you gents were staying in Europe but I was there in May of this year.  Nice, Monte Carlo and then further

up the coast at Menton and then San Remo not a bad one of memory.  Remember milk is not used so if you are still drinking baby formula

and require it or are used to having  it you have already doomed yourself.  The thing only that is suppose to be used is sugar in expresso and if done right

ul al al.  With right about of crema (smooth rich foam which sits on top of the drink) that is what life is all about.  Oh yes having a good smoke

(cigar) with it and a crossant it is even better!

 

[Fugu]

On 08/09/2016 at 4:43 AM, Fuzz said:

I know this is going to upset some people, but French coffee sucks! I couldn't get a decent coffee anywhere. But they kill it with pastries. So many delectable delights...

True - reg. coffee as well as pastries! But coffee is improving at places. The reliably best coffee in Europe you still get in Italy and Portugal.

Starbucks - as someone never having actually been to one, this thread is quite enlightening. Seems SB is fine as long as you don't expect to get coffee there...

 

 

[Lotusguy]

Not sure where you gents were staying in Europe but I was there in May of this year.  Nice, Monte Carlo and then further

up the coast at Menton and then San Remo not a bad one of memory.  Remember milk is not used so if you are still drinking baby formula

and require it or are used to having  it you have already doomed yourself.  The thing only that is suppose to be used is sugar in expresso and if done right

ul al al.  With right about of crema (smooth rich foam which sits on top of the drink) that is what life is all about.  Oh yes having a good smoke

(cigar) with it and a crossant it is even better!

 

You disqualified yourself by using "expresso"

[Ken Gargett]

i just went for an early (well, 7.30am is very early for the Spanish) walk around Barcelona. saw two starbucks. could not see in one but the other had one person outside and one in - both drinking from containers that looked like they should contain milkshakes. but, and here endeth western civilisation, they were massively advertising something called a spiced pumpkin latte. seriously. has the world gone mad? what the hell is that? does it have any coffee in it? i quite like pumpkin soup but otherwise, pumpkins are fit only to be served to cows. they are not, repeat not, a suitable fruit (yes, not a vegetable) for humanity. spiced, latte'd or whatever.

that said, on the way back to the hotel, i ducked into a lovely looking little cafe, granier, with heaps of great pastries and stuff. ordered a coffee and some sort of little egg pie. i was dry retching in the street five minutes later. truly appalling coffee and food hardly fit for jail and yes, i would have preferred the pumpkin crap i suspect.

[Ken Gargett]

On 09/09/2016 at 1:36 PM, kuma said:

It is about the type of coffee, the people making it, and the La Machine.  Best Machines are the ones made in Italy

$10,00.00 for a top model.  Not sure Fuzz where you were in France drinking coffee but remember they don't make coffee they

excel at "espresso" not coffee.  You need to up your game and start drinking espresso less volume less time in the bath room

better rush.  Well made espresso beats coffee everytime but it is all about what you like.

an earlier post i did re this seems to have disappeared. anyway, i checked with a good mate who is a coffee fanatic. searches the world for the best. has done courses, bought a series of the great machines, spent tens of thousands (a very successful research scientist - floated the company, more dosh than he could ever spend so why not). asked him and got this response - the machine he thinks is the bee's knees is

"The Victoria Arduino Athena Leva , part of the Simonelli group.

http://www.victoriaarduino.com/athena-leva/

That is the machine I have, along with a Mahlkonig EK43 grinder http://www.perfectdailygrind.com/2015/10/everything-you-need-to-know-about-mahlkonigs-ek43-grinder/

The best coffee, ever, for me came from here http://www.mothersmilkcoffee.com/
After tasting that coffee I had to duplicate their equipment. Sadly they have closed in London, but the ripples they made still run through the industry.
Their beans were roasted by JB Kaffee http://www.jbkaffee.de/index2.php  JB Kaffee is a must visit for me, one day."

[Fosgate]

I'm not a huge coffee drinker anymore but some of my thoughts on the topic is with Starbucks they add too much sugar and milk to anything to kill the flavor of the coffee. As far as the quality and flavor of the coffee itself just try a cup of plain dark roast and you can see why they cover up the taste. (It's not very good to begin with and maybe an average or less than average cup). One drip coffee I am a sucker for whenever I find it though is Duncan Donuts original or dark blends. I don't know if they put cocaine in that stuff but I cant resist picking up a bag when I see one on the shelf. That being said I do have a Keurig Rivo to make cappuccino Latte system though I use it little for either. I like to make just an Americano which is basically sit there and push the button until it fills up a cup of dark rich smooth goodness that you simply cant get from a drip filtered coffee. I have no idea how much caffine is in a cup, probably a lot. But some mornings if I don't want something as strong I may add a shot of unsweetened coconut milk. I just don't want that sugar/lactose rush in the morning. 

[Fugu]

3 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

On 09/09/2016 at 5:36 AM, kuma said:

It is about the type of coffee, the people making it, and the La Machine.  Best Machines are the ones made in Italy

$10,00.00 for a top model. 

Just to add on prices, I guess it is not at all necessary to spend that much for a home-machine. A (very) good quality Italian macchina starts @ well under 2000 bucks for a dual-circuit and slightly above for a dual-boiler.

And don't forget about the grinder, which could easily demand a similar figure. Mazzer being one of the gold standards here.

[Fuzz]

1 hour ago, Fosgate said:

I'm not a huge coffee drinker anymore but some of my thoughts on the topic is with Starbucks they add too much sugar and milk to anything to kill the flavor of the coffee. As far as the quality and flavor of the coffee itself just try a cup of plain dark roast and you can see why they cover up the taste. (It's not very good to begin with and maybe an average or less than average cup). One drip coffee I am a sucker for whenever I find it though is Duncan Donuts original or dark blends. I don't know if they put cocaine in that stuff but I cant resist picking up a bag when I see one on the shelf. That being said I do have a Keurig Rivo to make cappuccino Latte system though I use it little for either. I like to make just an Americano which is basically sit there and push the button until it fills up a cup of dark rich smooth goodness that you simply cant get from a drip filtered coffee. I have no idea how much caffine is in a cup, probably a lot. But some mornings if I don't want something as strong I may add a shot of unsweetened coconut milk. I just don't want that sugar/lactose rush in the morning. 

An Americano is basically a single or double shot of espresso with hot water added (a long black is the reverse, a single or double espresso shot added to hot water). Some places I've been use less hot water when making long blacks than in Americanos.

[Fosgate]

Exactly. And so much tastier than standard drip.


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[LLC]

I only drink Americano's or Espresso's and don't use any milk or sugar. I am ok with Starbucks if I am out but I prefer my beans in my Swiss made machine.

[Fugu]

On 10/09/2016 at 6:19 PM, Lotusguy said:

You disqualified yourself by using "expresso"

Actually, to save his honour - kuma is reporting of France - there, in most parts, they indeed spell it 'expresso' (or café express, petit noir, café)..

[topdiesel]

Starbuck's is disgusting burnt coffee with a ton of sugar.  Valid points and I recall thinking this during their USA national rise to domination in the 90's.  An onion article jokingly documenting a new starbucks opening in the bathroom of an existing starbucks. http://www.theonion.com/article/new-starbucks-opens-in-rest-room-of-existing-starb-560

Their coffee is garbage, but they are everywhere.  I would not underestimate the influence of Starbucks in Australia.  Somehow, the haters will be replaced by folks who like to "show off" that they are paying a premium for their terrible coffee.  The next phase is to introduce Dutch Brother's Coffee which reduces the coffee and quadruples the amount of sugar and doubles the serving size.