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You know there's another way, which we haven't discussed at all. I visited Addis Ababa a few years back, and in the foyer of the hotel there was a woman making coffee. She sat in an alcove with a little braai setup (what the Americans call a hibachi) and a wok. When you order a coffee, she takes a handful of green (unroasted) coffee beans, puts them on the wok, and roasts them. Then she grinds them with a mortar and pestle, and chucks the powder into a little pot (like a Greek 'briki'), adds a little boiling water, puts the pot on the coals just for a few seconds until it begins to foam, and then pours the coffee into an espresso cup.

 

The taste is sensational. I liked the first one I had so much that I ordered another. Long story short - within a few hours I was as sick as a dog - caffeine poisoning. I wondered why she looked at me strangely when I ordered that second cup. After that I saw coffee being made the same way in several Ethiopian homes and even offices (a youngster comes in with the hibachi, wok and other stuff and does the whole procedure on the floor of the office - no kidding). The smell of the roasting beans and the coffee is just amazing.

 

Ethiopians always have a glass of water standing there with a few sprigs of rue - a herb that they call "en-adam" - named after Adam (Eve's guy), because they believe rue was the first herb in the garden of eden. They take a sprig and stir their coffee with it. To me it smells horrible (like a public urinal), but it's optional.

 

You can get green beans (which aren't green, BTW) from any coffee roaster. It's a fun thing to do at a braai - but don't expect to sleep much afterwards. I suspect that the fact that the beans are just-roasted somehow liberates more caffeine than beans that were roasted a day or a month earlier. And making the coffee Turkish-style definitely draws more caffeine out than espressing it. Also, you're really drinking coffee-soup, rather than water that has been passed through coffee grounds.

 

Very informative. Thanks for sharing!

GOG, have you tried the new Crealto. Pop two of those babies in a decent size cup and a dash of milk. I love the way it starts out bitter and then the flavour changes.

 

Yeah, I like it, so much actually I bought 5 boxes yesterday :blush: but I told myself its a limited edition :) so its fine.

 

You just cant beat the Nespresso blends in my book, I would seriously consider doing something radical if I could lay my hands on a few more boxes of their 2012 Christmas blend, that was just a magnificent blend, but alas everyone tells me its done and dusted, no more, finito, over, kaput, finished........and yeah I have tried everywhere I can think of. :lol:

That a nespresso blend?

 

Yeah, their latest limited edition blend, the Nespresso shop in Sandton only had about 30 boxes left yesterday, dunno if they will get more stock but Nespresso has a habit of releasing limited editions and then when the stock is finished its finished, they dont make more.......great to keep up the interest, but if its a nice blend, you cant get it again which is a bit of a bug in my ear.

I saw last week that Vida was selling pods for the Nespresso machines using their own branded coffee's - might be worth a try if you like Vida coffee and own a Nespresso machine.

 

At your own risk of course :)

 

Interesting, was this at a Vida outlet or where will one get them?... I am always up to try something new.

The Aeropress makes such a good cup of coffee is is freaky. I take a hand grinder and the Aeropress when we go away cycling or to the bush. Fantastic

 

I cannot agree more. My hand grinder and Aeropress combo produces much better coffee than the R10k super automatic at my office.

 

My Aeropress has also made me realise that many "baristas" at coffee shops cannot make a good espresso. Even though the aeropress does not produce real espresso, the americanos I make with it tastes way better than the stuff you get at many coffee shops, especially the shops who think that an expensive machine is the only key to good coffee.

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