The Coffeehouse.... Baristi, Barista, Bariste

[CageyH]

Lol... I'm just about to fire up the Moka pot and make my usual big cup of cappuccino for breakfast, along with some toast, made with Chleb Babuni (Polish village bread):



Check out the fantastic selection of bread available from our local Polish supermarket: http://www.polishvillagebread.co.uk/...-1,chleby.html

It's hard getting bread in this country with a proper thick, hard crust, which looks anything like that, certainly from a supermarket (but which is very common on the continent), and the flavour of this bread is fantastic, and ever so slightly nutty.

I'll be having that with some Ty Tanglwyst Handmade Butter, which we now get delivered from the dairy:



And some of my favourite French apricot jam, from Bonne Maman, which we bring back from France (as it's much cheaper there than here in the UK):



Along with a nice glass of fresh pear juice, from our local Portuguese deli:



Fantastic stuff that, so thick and fruity! You just can't get proper pear or peach juice (which are my favourites) in UK supermarkets.

The best of Polish, Portuguese, Welsh and French produce! Who says we should leave the EU?

Marco.

Strictly speaking (according to the Italians) you do not make a cappuccino, as it is an espresso based drink.
To qualify as an espresso, you need a minimum of 8 bar. But who cares about that? The main thing is that you enjoy it.

Bonne Maman is good stuff, it I am frowned upon if I buy it as the M-I-L makes all the jam I could ever want.
One of my favourites being strawberry and rhubarb.

[struth]

Not got the teeth for crusty bread now, so it has to be the soft "artificial" stuff ..Hovis usually either the wholemeal or the white. makes nice sarnies so there

[Marco]

Strictly speaking (according to the Italians) you do not make a cappuccino, as it is an espresso based drink.

Lol... You're not trying to teach your granny how to suck eggs, are you?

90% of Italians, when in their own homes, use a Moka pot to make 'espresso-style' black coffee, which is then enjoyed 'as is', or turned into what's commonly known now as 'latte' (in Italy they call it caffè latte), by adding hot milk from a pan (not usually frothed). That is factually what Italians make for breakfast. So the pressure argument is irrelevant, as Moka pots don't operate under much pressure.

As I like my froth (lol), I make cappuccino. Plus, I prefer cappuccino to latte, as it's stronger. Simples

There's something about the quality of French preserves that is unequalled anywhere else, certainly where I've been. I've enjoyed some fantastic home-made jams in French farms and rural, small family-run hotels, which we've stayed at, where when you come down for breakfast, the lady of the house has prepared a wonderful array of such, along with their own honey and home-made bread/croissants, which has simply been to die for....

I *want* to prefer the home-grown, locally produced variety (as ideally we prefer to eat local produce, wherever possible), and have sampled some lovely jams like that at food fairs here, but it always lacks something in comparison with the French stuff. I guess that fruit preserves is something that the French do particularly well. Even in Italy, it's not as good.

Marco.

[Beobloke]

Prettiest cappuccino I've had in a while!

[Marco]

Not got the teeth for crusty bread now, so it has to be the soft "artificial" stuff ..Hovis usually either the wholemeal or the white. makes nice sarnies so there

Haha, well that's a matter of opinion. They'll be "nice" enough, I guess, but not as nice (for me) as making them from a lovely crusty loaf. Plus, I'm not a big sandwich person, especially out with of the summer months, when I much prefer a proper hot meal. The weather very much dictates the food I eat, so now it's comforting, hearty, stuff like home-made soups and stews.

One mass-produced sliced bread, sold in Scotland, which for me has some merit, especially enjoyed with a nice Lorne sausage (if you don't have any well-fired morning rolls) is this the good old Scottish plain loaf (wrapped in waxy paper):



...simply because it's got a proper crust that actually tastes of something! And it's also great for making sarnies with

Sadly, you can't get it down here, or for that matter, Lorne sausage

Marco.

[Marco]

Prettiest cappuccino I've had in a while!

Nice, but I don't like coffee overlapping the edges like that, as you end up spilling it everywhere when you lift it up to drink! So where was that served to you?

Marco.

[Beobloke]

Fair enough, but I’m more interested in how it tastes and it was excellent. Anyway, I don’t have shaky hands!!

It was from Craftsman coffee at Clarke Quay in Singapore. I also had a slice of Nutella tart which was epic!

[struth]

Done the shopping so I deserve another.

[struth]

Fair enough, but I’m more interested in how it tastes and it was excellent. Anyway, I don’t have shaky hands!!

It was from Craftsman coffee at Clarke Quay in Singapore. I also had a slice of Nutella tart which was epic!

ah, Welsh.. that explains it

[Marco]

Fair enough, but I’m more interested in how it tastes and it was excellent. Anyway, I don’t have shaky hands!!

It was from Craftsman coffee at Clarke Quay in Singapore. I also had a slice of Nutella tart which was epic!

Lol - neither do I! I've just got a thing about food or drink being made awkward to consume by cafes, pubs and restaurants, when it isn't necessary, for the sake of 'fancification' (pieces of slate, used as plates, etc). All it'd have taken was for them to have filled the cup up a little less with froth

Singapore? Interesting... Not somewhere I personally would've been tempted to drink cappuccino. When abroad I tend to eat or drink regional stuff. That's akin to going for a McDonald's in Paris!

Marco.