Bitter Coffee

“Detect Language” – catalan :hugs:

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@anon87147852. Except for those of us who are just across the border from Italy…well 3 hrs, but nice for a weekend away.

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Ta. Might go there one day, been to lots of far flung places but never been to Spain.

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As with most things - it depends.

Assuming filling is 60l then you are looking to save about 18€ on a tankful - 15l at the cheaper price or 12 and a half at the more expensive. So, if you need more than 7.5l to get to the cheaper pump - maybe 50-70 miles depending on consumption - it isn’t going to be worth it on fuel alone.

If you do a big shop at significantly lower prices at the same time you might be prepared to take a small hit on fuel, obviously.

"ITALY… why do so many people on these bulletin boards tend to knee jerk Spain for their purchases and trips.
Italian coffee and Italy is great "

When I was little Italy was about 20 minutes away along the corniche and we used to go shopping there often, now I live a couple of hours away from Spain, v handy for a week-end trip but about 11 or 12 hours’ drive from Italy. That said I do a lot of shopping in Germany because although it’s a long way away I go there fairly regularly.

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Today I caught sight of this article in Sud Ouest… Seeing Jarnac, I took a quick peek at the video… and lo and behold… therein is the Coffee Speciality bar… that I mentioned higher up this thread… mmmm… I could almost smell that glorious aroma… :hugs:

@simonflys… I reckon you should fill up with cheap fuel… and make a trip to the Charente… for a degustation… :hugs::wink::rofl:

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I love Jarnac.
Hine on the quayside and Delamain just behind it.

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We have friends with a holiday home there… so we visit from time to time… lovely place and lovely locals…:relaxed::relaxed:

There is a thingy that looks like a flat frying pan that you can put on the induction stove to use the Bialetti. I have one, but don;t have a Bialetti

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Its a diffuser.

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Interesting.

I don’t like bitter coffee either. I always use an Italian Moka Express on the stove to make coffee too and only ever buy Arabica beans that are ground to suit the Moka as they taste smoother. I often buy Carte Noir and tend to go for a strength no 3/4 - any higher is too strong for me - if the pack doesn’t have a strength number I don’t buy it. Lidl do some good coffees and I often buy from Guatemala or South American countries. I buy small packs which I put in a container and keep in fridge. At home I make with 50%hot milk and 50% coffee.

Hi I do not know where in France you are but try Lorgues coffee roasters. An Aussie guy has set up his business importing beans and roasting them. He has numerous flavours and types of coffee.

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You want to try Lavazza (Italian) coffee, comes in many different strengths and flavours. It’s the one they use in most bars here in Normandie, I drink my coffee Latte or allongé with extra hot waterand sugar when offered coffee by my neighbours. Best coffee in the world for is Blue Mountain from Jamaica :slight_smile:

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Coffee in France is pretty awful,on the whole. The main culprits are the beans (robusta) very bitter but cheap. Arabica are the beans for superior coffee. Also bars and cafes use UHT milk which adds to the general awfulness. I don’t think baristas are trained properly nobody seems to know how to make good lattes or flat whites. My tip ? Get a bean to cup machine to use at home and when in a bar or cafe drink beer!!!

Why would you put milk in coffee? Surely if you do it doesn’t really matter what it’s like to start with.

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Yep good point @vero. Some of the recommendations so far have included the addition of milk and sugar - presumably to mask the bloody awful taste of the coffee!

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Actually most French people would have their café au lait at home at breakfast time and thereafter in cafés just espresso (double = grand noir, with a dash of milk = noisette, with a bit of water = allongé) it is a well-known fact that café au lait at any other time will instantly give you a crise de foie fulgurante and is Very Bad.
Café au lait all day is a weird foreign habit.

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Found one - Moka Sidamo, freshly ground for a cafetière - bloody lovely, drink it neat :heart_eyes::heart_eyes::heart_eyes:

I know you can’t put a price on good coffee, but its €18/kg. That’s 4x what I’m normally paying for reasonable beans. Saying that, I bought some Costa Rica beans today at about €15/kg - not tried them yet, beer o’clock :beer: