Do you ever say anything when you get served terrible coffee?

Twotone2

The best coffees I’ve had, outside of the fancy hipster cafes in Glasgow some of which were really good or really bad, was in Spain.

We stayed in a hotel in Competa twice and the breakfast cortados were excellent I remember going to a wee coffee van in Malaga, plastic cups young girl serving and coffee fantastic.

I find restaurant coffee to particularly terrible generally speaking.

Those fancy cafes in Glasgow do make some really great coffees though not that I go to them much now.

Decent coffee in France and Italy too obviously but much more traditional which I like especially cafe aux lait in France.

HarveyMushman

My only consistently good experiences are at roastery cafes or small places where the owner/founder is also the barista.

I would always get reliably good coffee and sometimes a bit of educational chat on the beans at places like Ozone, Dark Arts and AllPress. I’m guessing they want their staff to be able to demonstrate the beans they’re selling in the best light. Ozone also had a pretty extensive training course for their baristas and they always seemed passionate about their job. Some of them entering WBC and the like.

Beyond that, you’re probably getting minimum wage student-types serving your coffee so it’s a small miracle if it even resembles coffee.

There’s two places near to me which fully look the part on appearance - Strada, E80’s, pourover station etc, even shelves selling brewing gear. Then a revolving team of people who very clearly couldn’t care less about what they’re serving.

Twotone2

I remember years ago on the ferry from Dunkirk to calais, must been around 2010 as it was the same time as Spain vs Holland in the World Cup final, anyway I was watching the guy serving coffees in the bar he just banged some ground coffee into a portafilter stuck it in the machine cup underneath switched on a walked away until the cup was full of coffee and water it looked absolutely disgusting.

Around the same time we were on Majorca in a hotel in Palma and the hotel had this huge espresso machine with about six PFs it was a huge copper and brass thing and watching the guy behind the bar making coffees was amazing and they were perfect it was a joy watching him doing his thing and producing four or five coffees simultaneously, think the espresso machine might have been made by Expobar who made the Brewtus but obviously it was a commercial machine and looked amazing.

HarveyMushman

Bought a couple of coffees for the first time in ages today as we’re moving house and the coffee stuff is packed.

£3.80 for a flat white….

Gotta say it wasn’t the worst coffee I’ve ever had but nearly £4 each… we’d be spending £15 a day on coffees if we didn’t make them at home!

Platypus

HarveyMushman we’d be spending £15 a day on coffees if we didn’t make them at home!

This is the logic I use when I have my eye on new coffee bits , “it’ll pay for itself in no time” ! 😆

JammyDodger

Platypus you’re exactly right. One of my colleagues at work baulks at the price of my espresso machine (I know, he’s a heathen), but spends around £10 every day at Starbucks. That’s £50 a week. Or just over £2500 a year.

My gear has happily paid for itself. I have learnt a new skill I didn’t have before. I can make better coffee than I can buy in 9/10 coffee shops. I get to drink delicious coffee as soon as I get up without having to go out and queue at a cafe. I have a new hobby that I really enjoy and new internet friends to geek out with.

Even without the financial saving, I’m so glad I decided to buy an espresso machine.

JHCCoffee

I love the rationale, and will be sure to mention it to my wife while she rolls her eyes 🙄at the new Varia VS3 grinder that I just placed on the kitchen counter for seasoning and testing. It’s meant to be a grinder for auto travel / extended stay. So it should pay for itself, right? 😁 She will say that I could just use my hand grinder (1Zpresso JMax).

HarveyMushman

Always nice to remind yourself why you make espresso at home…

Yesterday whilst waiting for the service parts for my machine to arrive, I walked round to a local coffee shop that is always absolutely packed but I’d never tried. The place looked the part, had a blackboard on the wall with ‘current roast’ and tasting notes. Equipment was a 2-group Linea and a couple of E65s. All good so far.

I ordered a long black… for £4!!!!

I then notice one of the PF handles is cranked round to about 4 o’ clock suggesting the gasket is shot, luckily the barista used the other group… which then proceeded to p*ss water all down the side of the PF, to the point it was running down the handle. So I got about 8g of espresso, the rest water, topped up with more hot water…delicious!

I didn’t want to be the smart arse by explaining they need new group gaskets as they clearly weren’t struggling for business. They won’t be getting mine again though… what a shambles.

JammyDodger

HarveyMushman So I got about 8g of espresso, the rest water, topped up with more hot water…delicious!

Ah the Nespresso special! 😂

Platypus

HarveyMushman So I got about 8g of espresso, the rest water, topped up with more hot water…delicious!

“Could I have some coffee with my water please” ? 😖 I don’t think I could help myself.

Clodius

Back on the topic, I don’t say anything, just don’t go back.

Was about to say something to the Costa coffee “barista” that steamed the milk until I burnt my tongue even after a few minutes of waiting. Luckily I was too far, but who am I to teach them?

les24preludes

The decaf I make at home in a V60 is at least 10x better than any black decaf I’ve had from a coffee shop. So if I’m out I order a cappuccino so that the milk makes it decently drinkable. I don’t abuse hospitality staff any more than I do anybody else - they generally do their best or they get sacked. Be nice to them and brighten up their day.

« Previous Page