Coffee snobs meet here

My youngest DS bought be a Nespresso machine for Xmas and I love it.

It's just so easy ..... water, switch on, pop in the little capsule of coffee and press and out comes perfect real espresso with the crema. I have hot milk waiting in the cup so I end up with a latte. There's a wide variety of coffees, including decaff.

If I had to grind the beans as well, I would never drink fresh coffee! I must admit that usually the instant wins out, due to laziness. Marks & Sparks own brand with the silver label is the best I have found.

DH surprised me at Christmas with an upmarket Jura Coffee maker and as I drink decaffeinated coffee the search for beans is on! Guatamalan or Columbian decaffeinated by the Swiss water method are best; Waitrose decaff beans not too bad, but I admit my luggage back from Switzerland was stuffed with beans! Sad Tchibo has gone from UK; their coffee was delicious!

Carol your coffee sounds like my favourite that i used to drink when I lived in Spain it was called cafe bonbon and was a smal dark coffee with condensed milk floating on the top I used to drink it alongside a nice warm glass of Carlos 1 Brandy at the end of our meal on Friday nights it certainly ended the night off well.Since we have been back I have never found a good coffee but will put up with Dowe Egberts at a push.I love my any make will do.

I must be dead common, because I don`t really like "proper" coffee, my favourite is Nescafe Original instant. And as for tea, just ordinary common or garden tea for me, none of the fancy flavoured stuff.

Used to swear by my little espresso machine but one day, being lazy, went back to the old cafetiere and have stuck with it. Its getting decent beans thats a problem as I do prefer to grind as and when (yea I'm a snob - but I feel it makes better coffee hey ho!). Was having to make detours to nearest Waitrose until recently but have now found some from the Co-op that I will be sticking with, its their Fairtrade Italian and is jolly nice. I have two cups a day (last one must be consummed by midday or I suffer).

Oh and I do have a special cup!

I love ground coffee and always have 2 cups before 10am then no more, with no ill effects.We stock up on Grand'mere when we go to France but I like trying the Fairtrade range at Morrisons, Guatemalan, Columbian, Ethiopian being my favourites. My OH always just uses filter papers and a brown plastic filter, I always use a Bialetti percolator and drink it from a large green 'gold' rimmed cup I bought in France.....not that I'm fussy!!!

I like coffee and one that I really liked was from Paddy and Scotts but I can't find anywhere to buy it except online and I haven't tried that yet. It is served in a cafe locally but they don't have it to buy to take home. With this the taste was better than the smell although the smell was great - a lot of depth and no bitterness - wonderful.

Link is
www.paddyandscotts.co.uk/

When I feel I deserve a treat I must order some.

I'm not a coffee drinker either , I'll make a pot if my eldest daughter comes around and that'll be maybe once a fortnight.. I don't make it just for myself .

Ah, GillieB - isn't that just a metaphor for life?

I gave up drinking coffee about four years ago when I decided that I was always disappointed with it - it never tasted as good as the smell promised. I honestly haven't missed it at all.

Percol Fair trade Colombian is my current favourite. But when it comes to tea I laugh at our family - fresh mint/fennel/earl grey/lady grey/ camomile - they want them all. Me? Builders'!!

PS I am definitely a tea snob, but too much of that makes me jumpy too.

Me too. It makes me jumpy as hell and gives me a raging stomach ache. Sad, because I like the smell of coffee brewing.

Same here, Mishap! And palpitations!

Can't go near the stuff - a mere hint of it and I am peeing for England and shaking like a leaf - can't take the caffeine!

One strange coffee experience I had was in Tampopo restaurant, when I asked for a coffee with milk and it was explained to me that they served their coffee rather differently - very sweet, with condensed milk! Sounded disgusting, but I tried it , then had two more! I think it was because it complemented the pad thai meal and sweet dessert I had eaten. Wouldn't recommend it for morning coffee, but it certainly has its place.

PS I used to be a tea snob. Didn't drink coffee for about thirty years from being first pregnant when I went off it. But then I thought that the tannin in tea was getting to my sinuses.....