☕ What's your definition of "good" coffee?

[Scarlett]

Not a coffee snob.

Quite like the flavour of ONA coffee in the ACT region, but will also drink instant if it’s all that’s available. I’ll also drink a vanilla latte from Starbucks… and have some knock off (non-Nespresso) pods in my desk at work.

Quite like 100% Kona coffee from Hawaii

and also developed an appreciation for Piñon coffee from New Mexico.


But then, I spent the past couple of years drinking this everyday (at probably 10c a pop):


I may have posted this thought before, but I see ready access to coffee as the mark of civilisation. By that I mean, if you can get coffee of some sort within a 24 hour period without unduly going out of your way, you’re in civilisation. I’ve had to think about it, but the last time I DIDN’T have access to coffee was in 1994. Yes that long ago…
Didn’t even have these for the space of a week:

 

[justinbrett]

Surprisingly strong cultural taboo this one.

In Italy, milk based coffees are considered a morning thing only. Unthinkable after 11am.

I believe it stems from the fact a majority of Italians are lactose intolerant (over 70%) so drinking milk later in the day with heavier meals is a ticking time bomb.

 

[VPS]

Staying in Manchester for a week recently I was addicted to the range of twenty different hot chocolates that Knoops offer.

Our drinks menu - Knoops Luxury Hot Chocolate

Our menu of over 20 different % chocolates is available in all stores. Choose your favourite and discover your perfect chocolate drink.

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64% single origin Peru was my favourite (hints of raisin and figs), and i tracked down one of their shops in London as well, just for a last taste before moving on. Cant wait for the single origin hot chocolate trend to arrive in Australia.

Yes I found Knoops in London and I went to this one in Winchester

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I agree the single origin hot chocolate trend would be great in Oz

 

[Human]

FWIW, I love it when airlines serve traditional local coffee in their lounges. This even includes Qantas serving “magic” in its MEL lounges - a treat for me as someone who doesn’t live there.

The Ethiopian Airlines lounge in ADD has a coffee ceremony. And I was delighted to be served this proper Turkish coffee in the TK IST lounge last week:

View attachment 404140

I was pleasantly surprised by the Turkish coffee in the IST lounge too ... though to be fair, it is made by a special Turkish coffee machine and not the traditional way with a cezve, so it's not quite as good!

 

[Daver6]

FWIW, I love it when airlines serve traditional local coffee in their lounges. This even includes Qantas serving “magic” in its MEL lounges - a treat for me as someone who doesn’t live there.

The Ethiopian Airlines lounge in ADD has a coffee ceremony. And I was delighted to be served this proper Turkish coffee in the TK IST lounge last week:

View attachment 404140

Reminded me of the coffee with cardamom the RJ serve in J as a pre-departure drink.

 

[jase05]

Fairmont Doha served a pretty good coffee in the Gold lounge
Made sure I had a few each day

 

[jakeseven7]

What's your personal definition of a "good" coffee,

Melbourne

 

[Seat0B]

Ah, so by the sounds of it you don’t actually want it extra hot, you just want it at the correct temp . Fair enough.

I think we might be in heated (extra hot??) agreement here

 

[Seat0B]

Reminded me of the coffee with cardamom the RJ serve in J as a pre-departure drink.

This is the stuff I quite like - ubiquitous in the Middle East.

 

[justinbrett]

Melbourne

I hate this. There’s nothing about a geographical location that makes a coffee good. The beans, the barista and the machine. Nothing to do with the city it’s in. There’s good and bad coffee shops in every city.

Of course, if you think good coffee is drinking it in a laneway with hipster decor and mural surrounds in sub zero temperatures, then you may enjoy the coffee experience in Melbourne, but the coffee itself is just as good elsewhere. In fact, if you can source good beans and know what you’re doing, you can make yourself a great coffee anywhere in the world.

 

[elanshin]

I just want to say Japan has both terrible "coffee" chains but also some of the best coffee specialty stores in the world.

It's just not an espresso culture. But those that are into specialty pour overs, filtered coffees look up some of the smaller stores there if you visit rather than their terrible chains.

 

[RooFlyer]

I was super disappointed in most Italian coffees served in Italy

Agree with you on everything except this one. A great revelation of mine when I was a young bloke was driving around Italy and stopping off at the roadside stand-up cafes and having a quick espresso before hitting the autopista again. ‘Expresso’

 

[Lynda2475]

Whilst I agree location does not dictate great coffee, I've been served terrible coffees in Melbourne as well as some awesome ones; the place in this part of the world where I've consistently had amazing coffees in any randomly coffee place I've popped into is Wellington NZ.

Im off to South Korea next year so interesting to hear that decent coffee will be on offer because it will be cold.

 

[Forg]

^ South Korea has advanced a lot in the last 3/4-of-a-century, I'm sure they can serve coffee hot there ...

 

[elanshin]

Im off to South Korea next year so interesting to hear that decent coffee will be on offer because it will be cold.

Think Japan. Similarly coffee although Japan i think has better speciality stuff.

 

[DejaBrew]

Im off to South Korea next year so interesting to hear that decent coffee will be on offer because it will be cold.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover % Arabica in the Starfield Library (COEX Mall in Gangnam) when I was there in December, having first encountered the brand in Kyoto last year. Blue Bottle Coffee in the Hyundai Mall wasn't bad either. These aside, it's fair to say that the cafe culture in Korea is booming and there are some pretty cool places to check out. I came across some great places in Seoul, Busan and on Jeju Island.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Good coffee is made by me using Merlo private blend beans!

 

[Berlin]

Pepsi Max. Hands down the best!

 

[qaz]

But not powdered hot chocolate. It has to be made with dark chocolate beads

Or with a whole freaking block of chocolate, as Gânache chocolate shops used to do in their cafés. Sadly, they shut these all down during the pandemic. But what a cracking picture my face must have made when I asked if I could buy some of their hot chocolate flakes, only to be informed that they just put a bar of chocolate in and poured hot cream and milk over it...

• Simon Coll

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[oz_mark]

These aside, it's fair to say that the cafe culture in Korea is booming and there are some pretty cool places to check out. I came across some great places in Seoul, Busan and on Jeju Island.

I tend to view 'cafe' culture and 'coffee' culture as related but different things, and many times you get one or the other.

For example, I would say that France has a great 'cafe' culture. All about the venue, surroundings and ambience. Not so much about the actual coffee.
On the other hand, some places sell you a great coffee, which you grab and sip as you hurry off to work, No much about the cafe.

That said, reading this thread suggests to me that most people idea of 'good coffee' is one that is to their taste.