I have NEVER seen a Chai Latte with coffee and I assert that should any such drink exist, it has no business being called such.
I think that might be a difference in coffee culture - here, damned near every one of them comes with coffee in.
This Starbucks coffee is so burnt it's repulsive. It tastes like coffee-flavored ashes. What the actual fuck. I'm used to burnt Starbucks, but this is a war crime in my mouth.
That's because their beans are from all over the fuck and they over-roast to achieve unity of flavor.
To add something else about the coffee culture - starbucks ALMOST failed entirely here, they had to close 3/4 of their stores, and changed up their process and suppliers for us, just so they wouldn't die out entirely, bringing them more into line with the better coffee we generally see.
Is there truth to that? Are there people that basically want a mouth full of coffee dirt in their drink?
Yep. I've had customers ask for it specifically. People are fuckin' weird, man.
I went to a coffee chain in a local grocery store a couple weeks ago. Asked for a black iced coffee. Came with all kinds of grounds in it. I politely asked for a different one. The girl told me, "Oh, some people like it that way."
Is there truth to that? Are there people that basically want a mouth full of coffee dirt in their drink?
Turkish and Lebonese coffee are unfiltered and contain a layer of grounds in the cup. French press coffee also usually has a degree of grounds in it. I prefer my coffee that way, and it's quite common outside of the US to have some amount of grounds in a cup of coffee.
and indeed the same issue is present for the use of the word "latte".
Not quite - because the English definition for the word is the same, a shot of expresso with steamed milk. That has not changed, despite the misuse by larger coffee chains.
Not true, because the word "latte" on its own simply means "milk" in Italian. The relevant Italian word is "caffelatte", or the phrase "caffè e latte", while in English "caffè latte" and "latte" are, for the most part, interchangeable. The analogy holds, since in English "chai" and "masala chai" can be used interchangeably, but the terms have quite different meanings in India.
As for a Chai tea/chai latte still being a tea drink, that's not quite correct. While you're right about definitions to a point, you're ignoring the way English tends to couple words to form additional meanings - for example, Barbecue sauce is not, in fact, a cooking device, nor is Green Tea Ice-cream a hot drink or necessarily green tea in the traditional sense.
You have a good point here - I was quite wrong to attempt to argue that specific point by definition.
And of course, the reason I'm using two terms that are essentially very similar is to differentiate two different things with greater ease, and in a sensible fashion - a Chai Tea latte is a tea drink, and a Chai Latte is a coffee drink.
I'll grant that you've been consistent, but I think this is a poor choice of terms given U.S. usage.
Not true, because the word "latte" on its own simply means "milk" in Italian. The relevant Italian word is "caffelatte", or the phrase "caffè e latte", while in English "caffè latte" and "latte" are interchangeable. Similarly, in English "chai" and "masala chai" can be used interchangeably, but the terms have quite different meanings in India.
Sorry, my mistake, I wasn't clear enough - I meant that the English definition of Latte is the same as it has always been, and remains unchanged, rather than it being identical to the Italian definition. Your correction is entirely fair, though, considering my original lack of clarity.
You have a good point here - I was quite wrong to attempt to argue that specific point by definition.
When you mess up more than I do, that's when you've gotta worry.
I'll grant that you've been consistent, but I think this is a poor choice of terms given U.S. usage.
Probably, yes. I didn't take that into consideration.
As a device, a french press is also super useful. I'd drink more french press coffee if we had a working teapot to make boiling the water easier, rather than having to use the microwave.
Depending on the style, I think the pour over would be easier to clean. I hate having to take apart the french press to get all the grinds out. Neito, what do you mean by super useful?
You can also use it for other things. I most recently used it to make Toddy for iced coffee. Pretty much any situation where you have granular items and the need to strain them is helpful, though.
French press is self-contained, so it's cleaner and more portable. I have never done a blind taste test or anything like that, but I prefer the added grit, so I'm sure I'm better off with the french press.
I usually go between french press and stove-top espresso percolator. I had a combination drip/espresso machine for a while, but the coffee it made didn't taste as good as the methods involving fire. I started drinking exclusively black coffee when I got up to around 4 cups a day, since having the attendant milk and sugar with all that coffee was worse than drinking sodas all day.
Once I brewed coffee with black tea instead of water, it gave it kind of an interesting taste and I'm sure gave it more caffeine.
Another thing I like is a "red eye" which is coffee with a shot of espresso in it. Its good when getting coffee from a cafe and you want something thicker, but they won't just sell you a whole cup of espresso (which is what I drink at home)
When I was at PAX this last August, I found a cool coffee bar that had a "slow counter" with french press, Chemex, and some kind of crazy chemistry-set looking thing. I hope to one day have a whole cabinet devoted to different coffee making apparati.
That is something I can never abide by. Just in case, I always have the Trader Joe's Instat Coffee Packets that has sugar and creamer in them already. Not high quality, but good enough.
I still have 10 bags of Casa Cielo from Starbucks to last me all year.
Not surprising, after all it is responsible for the enlightenment. The introduction of coffee to Europe was (and I'm not exaggerating or joking) probably the most important shift in Western civilization.
EDIT: Why won't Youtube embed? The url doesn't have any weird bits.
Comments
Anyway, latte==milk.
To add something else about the coffee culture - starbucks ALMOST failed entirely here, they had to close 3/4 of their stores, and changed up their process and suppliers for us, just so they wouldn't die out entirely, bringing them more into line with the better coffee we generally see. Yep. I've had customers ask for it specifically. People are fuckin' weird, man.
Neito, what do you mean by super useful?
Once I brewed coffee with black tea instead of water, it gave it kind of an interesting taste and I'm sure gave it more caffeine.
Another thing I like is a "red eye" which is coffee with a shot of espresso in it. Its good when getting coffee from a cafe and you want something thicker, but they won't just sell you a whole cup of espresso (which is what I drink at home)
When I was at PAX this last August, I found a cool coffee bar that had a "slow counter" with french press, Chemex, and some kind of crazy chemistry-set looking thing. I hope to one day have a whole cabinet devoted to different coffee making apparati.
There are a lot of great articles to read/listen.
So Jerry Seinfeld Called Us To Talk About Coffee
Masterpiece In A Mug: Japanese Latte Art Will Perk You Up
Coffee Quiz: Discover The World In A Cup Of Joe
Those are just a few. There are many other articles about , and even one with how the Boston Tea Party brought young America to get more into coffee along with how it lessened Americans to drink less alcohol and use coffee instead.
I still have 10 bags of Casa Cielo from Starbucks to last me all year.
The introduction of coffee to Europe was (and I'm not exaggerating or joking) probably the most important shift in Western civilization.
EDIT: Why won't Youtube embed? The url doesn't have any weird bits.
Greg, for some reason I was able to embed it. I don't know why.