Coffee, Wine, and Cocktails in Italy (Merged Thread)
Feb 23, 2017, 11:48 pm
#31
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Mine is a two cup. Now you made me want to go on the lookout for a 4 cup! My two cup, with some cream, is a decent size serving, but I'm often on the fence about brewing another.
I'm still a little on the fence about my favorite brand. It's between Lavazza and Illy. I'm leaning towards Lavazza, which I think is the most popular consumer brand in Italy. It costs about half as much as Illy. I finished a can of Lavazza yesterday that had been in the fridge since before I went to Venice almost two weeks ago. It was terrific. I opened a fresh can of Illy that was in the cupboard this morning, and it wasn't half as good.
I was wondering if it was the amount of sugar or cream, and I kept adjusting it, but the Lavazza yesterday was better. I keep buying the more expensive Illy and going back and forth but it just doesn't seem to be as good. I guess it's a matter of preference.
Drip coffee pots with a timer are great for getting up to work and having the coffee already brewed, but coffee left open to air in a drip pot overnight is made out of stale, dry grounds by morning. I load my Moka the night before then put it in a plastic bag and keep it in the refrigerator overnight, to keep it fresh.
In the morning when I wake up it comes out of the fridge and goes onto the stove. I put a little cream in the coffee cup and put it in the microwave set to 20 seconds with a little sugar, then go take a few minutes to freshen up. By the time I'm back in the kitchen the coffee is ready to be poured into the hot milk. This routine doesn't take more than a minute or two longer than a drip machine with a timer, and yields far more delicious coffee.
I'm still a little on the fence about my favorite brand. It's between Lavazza and Illy. I'm leaning towards Lavazza, which I think is the most popular consumer brand in Italy. It costs about half as much as Illy. I finished a can of Lavazza yesterday that had been in the fridge since before I went to Venice almost two weeks ago. It was terrific. I opened a fresh can of Illy that was in the cupboard this morning, and it wasn't half as good.
I was wondering if it was the amount of sugar or cream, and I kept adjusting it, but the Lavazza yesterday was better. I keep buying the more expensive Illy and going back and forth but it just doesn't seem to be as good. I guess it's a matter of preference.
Drip coffee pots with a timer are great for getting up to work and having the coffee already brewed, but coffee left open to air in a drip pot overnight is made out of stale, dry grounds by morning. I load my Moka the night before then put it in a plastic bag and keep it in the refrigerator overnight, to keep it fresh.
In the morning when I wake up it comes out of the fridge and goes onto the stove. I put a little cream in the coffee cup and put it in the microwave set to 20 seconds with a little sugar, then go take a few minutes to freshen up. By the time I'm back in the kitchen the coffee is ready to be poured into the hot milk. This routine doesn't take more than a minute or two longer than a drip machine with a timer, and yields far more delicious coffee.
Feb 24, 2017, 6:57 am
#32
Join Date: Mar 2011
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I was always unclear about that because the dryness in a refrigerator can desiccate things. But on the coffee can they all say to store it in the refrigerator after opening. The main thing is to have an airtight container to keep it in. If it comes in a bag, you have to have an airtight container to transfer it to. I'm not concerned about the drying effects of the refrigerator because when the coffee comes in a can, the lid seals it very well. When I prepare my Moka the night before because I'm concerned that I'm going to be very tired, that's why I have a large plastic bag to put the Moka into, so that it keeps in the moisture.
Mar 9, 2017, 4:33 pm
#33
Join Date: Mar 2011
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I am not a coffee drinker but my husband is passionate about coffee. He took your recommendation and is using The Moka you described and is very happy with his coffee. His question is what is your preference as to brand? The Moka came with a bag of Illy Moka coffee (Amazon package) and he is very pleased. Is there an even better option? Thanks.
I'm still a little on the fence about my favorite brand. It's between Lavazza and Illy. I'm leaning towards Lavazza, which I think is the most popular consumer brand in Italy. It costs about half as much as Illy. I finished a can of Lavazza yesterday that had been in the fridge since before I went to Venice almost two weeks ago. It was terrific. I opened a fresh can of Illy that was in the cupboard this morning, and it wasn't half as good.
I was wondering if it was the amount of sugar or cream, and I kept adjusting it, but the Lavazza yesterday was better. I keep buying the more expensive Illy and going back and forth but it just doesn't seem to be as good. I guess it's a matter of preference.
I was wondering if it was the amount of sugar or cream, and I kept adjusting it, but the Lavazza yesterday was better. I keep buying the more expensive Illy and going back and forth but it just doesn't seem to be as good. I guess it's a matter of preference.
Mar 10, 2017, 8:59 pm
#35
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Today, a gourmet magazine did a rating of the 10 major Moka coffee brands in Italy. As I thought, Illy came out second best, after Lavazza, which costs half as much. That's my feeling too.http://www.dissapore.com/notizie/caf...ova-dassaggio/
Mar 10, 2017, 11:02 pm
#36
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Does Lavazza only sell 1 label of espresso coffee in Italy? The trouble is that here's at least eight labels in my market.
Mar 11, 2017, 3:35 am
#37
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,218
Does Lavazza only sell 1 label of espresso coffee in Italy? The trouble is that here's at least eight labels in my market.
Jun 18, 2017, 6:54 pm
#38
Moderator: Delta SkyMiles, Luxury Hotels, TravelBuzz! and Italy
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Great post! I'm always happy to learn. I have a French Press at home in SF exactly as pictured by PWMTrav, but I don't know how to use it.
A Moka is in every apartment in Italy, and that is what I use here and there (I just got back to San Francisco). In the USA, if there are many people over for dinner, since I don't have an espresso machine to make a lot of coffee in a short amount of time for everyone to drink together, I'll make a pot of drip.
Miniature espresso machines compatible for the home or office are made, and are available at Costco, Target, Amazon, etc. However, for use by 1-2 people, I'm not sure there is enough difference between coffee made in an espresso machine and by a Moka pot. It would be difficult to tell the two apart in a blind taste test. I think that home espresso machines are still an expensive niche product.
Still, I almost bought one "for the team," at my last place of work in California. I didn't want to have to drink any more coffee made from those little individual coffee pods. In the rack where they kept them in the office, which I appreciated because they were trying to be nice, they kept the little pods of, "Italian Espresso roast" for me, next to the "Vanilla Caramel" coffee pods for everyone else.
A Moka is in every apartment in Italy, and that is what I use here and there (I just got back to San Francisco). In the USA, if there are many people over for dinner, since I don't have an espresso machine to make a lot of coffee in a short amount of time for everyone to drink together, I'll make a pot of drip.
Miniature espresso machines compatible for the home or office are made, and are available at Costco, Target, Amazon, etc. However, for use by 1-2 people, I'm not sure there is enough difference between coffee made in an espresso machine and by a Moka pot. It would be difficult to tell the two apart in a blind taste test. I think that home espresso machines are still an expensive niche product.
Still, I almost bought one "for the team," at my last place of work in California. I didn't want to have to drink any more coffee made from those little individual coffee pods. In the rack where they kept them in the office, which I appreciated because they were trying to be nice, they kept the little pods of, "Italian Espresso roast" for me, next to the "Vanilla Caramel" coffee pods for everyone else.
Jun 18, 2017, 8:58 pm
#39
Join Date: Mar 2011
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No more disposable coffee pods. My husband received a reusable K Cup from one of our children for Father's Day. https://www.amazon.com/Keurig-K-Cup-...reusable+k+cup He's happy that he can put his Lavazza coffee in this.
Inventor John Sylvan sold the invention to Green Mountain Coffee for a mere $50,000, I think about 20 years ago. When he saw the pods piling up in landfills he invented a reusable pod, but Green Mountain Coffee refused to use it. They told him not to worry, they will have reusable pods by 2020.
I believe he went to his grave last year, dying with regrets for his invention, because at the time there were enough non-recyclable K-pods to circle the earth ten and a half times.
There is an interesting short video about it.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.c27b81c5774b
This is a great gift. I'm sitting in a hotel with a Keurig and will probably make 3 of them in the morning to help with the jet lag. I'm glad Green Mountain is now allowing recyclable.
Jun 18, 2017, 9:18 pm
#40
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That's a very thoughtful gift! The person who invented Keurig regrets it because the three parts of the disposable pods are not recyclable. You have to separate the aluminum, the plastic, and the paper for recycling, which makes it too expensive so they just go to dumps.
Inventor John Sylvan sold the invention to Green Mountain Coffee for a mere $50,000, I think about 20 years ago. When he saw the pods piling up in landfills he invented a reusable pod, but Green Mountain Coffee refused to use it. They told him not to worry, they will have reusable pods by 2020.
I believe he went to his grave last year, dying with regrets for his invention, because at the time there were enough non-recyclable K-pods to circle the earth ten and a half times.
There is an interesting short video about it.Kill the K-Cup - YouTube
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.c27b81c5774b
This is a great gift. I'm sitting in a hotel with a Keurig and will probably make 3 of them in the morning to help with the jet lag. I'm glad Green Mountain is now allowing recyclable.
Inventor John Sylvan sold the invention to Green Mountain Coffee for a mere $50,000, I think about 20 years ago. When he saw the pods piling up in landfills he invented a reusable pod, but Green Mountain Coffee refused to use it. They told him not to worry, they will have reusable pods by 2020.
I believe he went to his grave last year, dying with regrets for his invention, because at the time there were enough non-recyclable K-pods to circle the earth ten and a half times.
There is an interesting short video about it.Kill the K-Cup - YouTube
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.c27b81c5774b
This is a great gift. I'm sitting in a hotel with a Keurig and will probably make 3 of them in the morning to help with the jet lag. I'm glad Green Mountain is now allowing recyclable.
Dec 6, 2017, 7:59 am
#41
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Heraklion, Greece
Posts: 7,564
Well, I think this
is heavily "one-sided" (focusing on the South Italian way to drink coffee), but I also think that this is the way that one gets most out of it although, personally, I don't put any sugar in it. At any rate, it's informative for those who've not yet discovered il mezzogiorno! 
Dec 6, 2017, 9:20 pm
#42
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: SFO, VCE
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Well, I think this video is heavily "one-sided" (focusing on the South Italian way to drink coffee), but I also think that this is the way that one gets most out of it although, personally, I don't put any sugar in it. At any rate, it's informative for those who've not yet discovered il mezzogiorno!