Tom Bihn Coffee Nerd Kit

[Badger]

Do US hotels not typically have kettles in the rooms?

US hotels usually have drip coffee makers, but not kettles. I've never been in a US hotel that had a kettle.

if your cafe latte is ever served to you in an Irish coffee glass

The only time this has ever happened to me was, um, in Italy. It did not strike me as particularly provincial.

[Chiro75]

If the OP hasn't gotten a grinder yet, Kyocera makes a great plastic hand grinder (ceramic burrs) available on Orphan Espresso. It's awesome. light, compact, durable. I use it as my espresso grinder... Takes me about 200 turns to get the fineness I like for my at-home machine, so it's a good workout when you're traveling, too. LOL

[joiedwards]

If the OP hasn't gotten a grinder yet, Kyocera makes a great plastic hand grinder (ceramic burrs) available on Orphan Espresso. It's awesome. light, compact, durable. I use it as my espresso grinder... Takes me about 200 turns to get the fineness I like for my at-home machine, so it's a good workout when you're traveling, too. LOL

I will take a look at it. I can always use a workout! heehee

[Lani]

US hotels usually have drip coffee makers, but not kettles. I've never been in a US hotel that had a kettle.

The last time I stayed in a hotel was the HoJo's in Anaheim, and they had switched over to single-cup Kreurig machines.

[JLE]

The only time this has ever happened to me was, um, in Italy. It did not strike me as particularly provincial.

LOL. I have never seen that glass used in Italy. But then I would only order a cafe latte in Italy at breakfast. Slightly different here, where something that is similar to but not really the same is drunk throughout the day. Every country has its own conventions...

[daisy]

Every country has its own conventions...

Like the piccolo latte! They appeared on my radar a couple years ago and now most places in Sydney will do one. No idea where they originated.

(not unlike a cortado in Spain or noisette in France)

I even found one in Canberra recently :-) and not too shabby either.

Speaking of coffee gear ... I've been looking for an insulated "travel" coffee cup that will fit under an espresso group ... (specifically my Pavoni) ... Illy lists the travel cup but the lid looks like just a lid, not a 'sippy cup' lid.

I like a small volume of coffee and most insulated cups are huuuuuuuge.

[JLE]

Like the piccolo latte! They appeared on my radar a couple years ago and now most places in Sydney will do one. No idea where they originated.

(not unlike a cortado in Spain or noisette in France)

I even found one in Canberra recently :-) and not too shabby either.

Speaking of coffee gear ... I've been looking for an insulated "travel" coffee cup that will fit under an espresso group ... (specifically my Pavoni) ... Illy lists the travel cup but the lid looks like just a lid, not a 'sippy cup' lid.

I like a small volume of coffee and most insulated cups are huuuuuuuge.

I wonder if a baby products shop might have insulated sippy cups? Seems like an odd idea (and you might have to get one with a picture of pink teddy bear on it!) but you never know...

I haven't seen a piccolo latte in Melbourne. Presumably similar to what we call a three-quarter latte, or is it like a short macchiato?

[daisy]

I wonder if a baby products shop might have insulated sippy cups? Seems like an odd idea (and you might have to get one with a picture of pink teddy bear on it!) but you never know...

That is just wrong on so many levels.....

...although after dumping coffee in TWO keyboard simultaneously yesterday ... I think I probably should ONLY use sippy cups ..

I haven't seen a piccolo latte in Melbourne. Presumably similar to what we call a three-quarter latte, or is it like a short macchiato?

more milk than a macchiato, less milk than a 'latte macchiato' (good grief) ... compared to a 3/4 latte? I'd say a piccolo has less milk but I'm guessing because I don't think we get them (the 3/4) here ... but maybe the next suburb over does them!

I go to great lengths to avoid chain coffee ... so the choices may be much greater than I see.

The Macchiato can be prepared either with steamed hot milk or cold milk. If hot, the espresso's name would become macchiato caldo (marked hot); if cold, macchiato freddo (marked cold). The choice between 'caldo' and 'freddo' is usually a matter of personal tastes.
Some newer cafes tend to add steamed milk to the espresso in a 1:1 ratio (or more), as well as mixing the milk into the espresso, making it more like a miniature caffè latte or cortado. Some people call this piccolo latte, particularly in Australia.
The other variant of the term, latte macchiato, conversely means 'milk stained/marked (with espresso)', and indicates milk with just a little espresso in it (always less than in a caffè latte). However, in certain preparations (which differ from place to place), latte macchiato has not much difference in milk-to-espresso ratio when compared to the caffè latte; caffè lattes are normally around one-eighth espresso to seven-eighths steamed milk.

source: Caffè macchiato - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[JLE]

That is just wrong on so many levels.....

...although after dumping coffee in TWO keyboard simultaneously yesterday ... I think I probably should ONLY use sippy cups ..



more milk than a macchiato, less milk than a 'latte macchiato' (good grief) ... compared to a 3/4 latte? I'd say a piccolo has less milk but I'm guessing because I don't think we get them (the 3/4) here ... but maybe the next suburb over does them!

I go to great lengths to avoid chain coffee ... so the choices may be much greater than I see.


source: Caffè macchiato - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Good grief indeed! It has got so complicated now, who knows what anyone's drinking? . I share your aim of avoiding coffee chains. Apart from the fact that much better coffee exists elsewhere, the additional coffee vocabulary would probably be too much for this coffee drinker to handle.

[joiedwards]

Whatever coffee plcae i drop in, the order is always the same. Fill my 20 oz Insulated Klean Kanteen with the darkest roast you have and add a bit of cream....and go!

[daisy]

Whatever coffee plcae i drop in, the order is always the same. Fill my 20 oz Insulated Klean Kanteen with the darkest roast you have and add a bit of cream....and go!

That's a big serve! (for me at least)

What kind of machine is your bottle filled from? Is it drip style coffee? or some combination of espresso shots and hot water?

This might seem like an odd question, but the usual coffee vendor here has an espresso machine only.

By 'here' I mean Australia, better make that Sydney, Australia .. it's a big country with a fair bit of regional variation coffee-wise.

My usual coffee is 4.5 oz or less with a single shot of espresso (made at home), 2 or 3 a day. If I'm out I have a double shot latte or a piccolo.

20 oz of 'our' coffee would kill me :-)

[snowbot]

Daisy, I spent a few weeks in Australia 2 years ago. I loved the coffee culture! It was so easy to get a coffee (espresso plus milk combo) somewhere, walk around, and then get another coffee later. The coffee was always high quality. But I also *really* enjoyed sitting down to drink a pot of American-style drip coffee (Baby's Coffee from Florida) when I got back to the states.

[joiedwards]

They use giant drip Bunn coffee makers. Sometimes if they don't have a dark roast brewed, I get a shot of expresso added.
I'm an engineer, go big or go home! The Space Program runs on coffee!

[Chiro75]

The last time I stayed in a hotel was the HoJo's in Anaheim, and they had switched over to single-cup Kreurig machines.

I was at Cost Plus World Market the other day and spotted a small insert that goes in Keurig machines that allows you to reuse it like a filter in a normal machine. Use your own coffee, rinse, clean, repeat.

Just an FYI for travelers who may be in hotels with these machines but who want their own coffee...

[joiedwards]

I have been reading too many Australian tweets! I want a Flat White so bad!