Coffee

[John McVey]

While looking in my fridge door for one inhabitant thereof to place in my latte my eyes fell upon another inhabitant thereof, and it got me thinking. I had a hunch, so I then proceeded to use both to make a latte to see how it worked out. Two interesting results came out of this.

One inhabitant: the milk, natch.

Other inhabitant: double-strength minty-flavoured liquid antacid!

The first curious result was that it seemed to kill off the unwanted foam generated by the espresso machine. That meant less crud sticking to the side of my mug. The second result, and the one I was thinking about, is that it does indeed reduce the acid content of the coffee without harming the flavour. Wikkid!

McVey's recipe for a nice smooth latte:

- Put one standard espresso in a regular mug (300ml, or about 10floz?).

- Add 5 mls of double-strength antacid, and stir.

- Fill mug to top with full-cream milk.

- Nuke in microwave to get nice and hot.

- Sweeten to taste, and stir again.

Tada!

I did a little googling to see if this was not a new discovery. A cursory search came up with nobody advocating it for regular drinkers, though I did run across some medical research that suggested that it was a beneficial practice for people with stomach ulcers.

Go on, give it a whirl!

JJM

[Chris.S]

I wonder how marketable a product like that is. Rather than sell it as a coffee for ulcer sufferers, which is kind of a small market, you could sell it as a healthy alternative for your digestion, or some such "healthy" spin. And sell it in the organic food stores or something and the health food isles. I suggest you patent this!

[Space Patroller]

I can't picute Hank Rearden, John Galt or Friscon D'Anconia drinking latte, Hazelnot or things like that. Frisco might go for an expresso now and then but that's about it. If you're really crazy, try 100% Brazilian; that'll really check your premises down to the last nanobyte.

I use a 5-cup rage pot. I like it because I can take it apart and clean every inch of it with SOS and a coffee pot brush. In the 1979-83 timeframe, I tried two drip machines. They were OK for the first few weeks and then needed cleaning. I followed the instructions and the coffee was still subpar. Also, I've not had a good cup from a drip machine in years. It's usually underdone. If you have a good cup then you don't need all that ladies' stuff, most of which overwhelms the taste of the coffiee. I've tried them all.

I use Maxwell House Original. One coffie scoop for each cup. the proper temperature is 200 degrees F on a gas stove at about a medium setting which you can eyeball after a few times. You learn to tell when it's done by the smell; about 10 minutes of brewing timel. It's the closest I can get to the old time coffee from the 1950-85 timeframe before they started monkeying with it and telling us that 12 oz = a pound.

This will be a real man's no agenda, no apologies, A is A, Good old USA cuppa coffiee, but it won't kill you. You really won't need any she-she stuff. Coffee was not meant for agenda-driven wusses anyway.

If you want to tweak it a bit. mix Maxwell House Original with Maxwell House Rich in your coffee cannister.

Occasionally I put a dash of cinnamon or ginger in when I prepare the cup. Sometimes I'll drop a scoop of venilla or if I can get it, French Vanilla ice cream on top

If you like to grind and blend, look for Brazillian and Mexican or high altitude Columbian beans The Brazilians provide a sharpness and edge and the Mexican/Columbians have a lot of body but not much kick. Contrary to Juan Valdez. high altitude anything is a bit on the weak side

What is significant about 200 degrees is that significantly lower than that and it's undercooked, significantly higher and it brews in bad-tasting oils.

Edited June 21, 2009 by Space Patroller

[Maximus]

Sounds nasty. <insert puke smiley>

[John McVey]

Sounds nasty. <insert puke smiley>

"Nnnnnnnasty, eh?"

Milk has already got calcium ions in it, what's wrong with tossing in some aluminium and magnesium ions too? Hell, magne... *deletes big-ass nerdy exposition on magnesium in foodstuffs*

Thinking back, actually, I reckon 5ml might be too much. The actual measure I used was "half a cap." Adjust the antacid volume as you wish. Also, I don't know what adjustments would have to be made if one were to use skim milk instead of full-cream, or used some "non-dairy creamer".

Finally, readers, be sure to read the medicinal warnings on the back of the antacid container to see if anything there applies to you. Evidently this includes not taking antacid within 2 hours of any medication, so that probably means don't use coffee/antacid to wash down your meds.

JJM

[D'kian]

Sounds nasty. <insert puke smiley>

Of course it is. He's pouring milk into coffee.

[Steve D'Ippolito]

.....and telling us that 12 oz = a pound.

Hah. Are they selling coffee by the troy ounce now? If so, twelve ounces (troy) [480 grains per troy ounce] equals one pound (troy) [5760 grains].

Personally I don't care how much people like coffee, it is not a precious metal, so troy ounces would be inappropriate. Even less so if they are working in fluid ounces. (There is no "fluid pound" but the equivalent is the pint.)

Steve

Postscript for the metrically inclined here, who are scratching their heads no doubt: Troy weight is different from the avoirdupois weight, which is what we normally use to weigh groceries and ourselves. In the normal system, 16 ounces of 437.5 grains each make up a pound of 7000 grains. The grain is the same in both systems, fortunately. Thus troy ounces are larger, but troy pounds smaller, than "grocery" ounces or pounds.

And another note, this time to people living in other English-speaking countries: in the UK all fluid measures are larger (Imperial vs. US); their pint, gallon, fluid ounce are larger than ours. Otherwise as far as I know the system works the same (8 oz to the cup, 16 to the pint 32 to the quart, 128 to the gallon). I would imagine this carries over into Australia, Canada, New Zealand, etc.

[John McVey]

I would imagine this carries over into Australia, Canada, New Zealand, etc.

We don't use imperial fluid measures any more in Australia. I was just making a note on conversion for the benefit of those who do.

JJM

[Maximus]

Of course it is. He's pouring milk into coffee.

Good way to ruin a good cup of coffee, as is using sugar or aspartame.

[Steve D'Ippolito]

Whoah---I didn't even see the posts after SP's. Sorry for the confusion.

[Alfa]

I can't picute Hank Rearden, John Galt or Friscon D'Anconia drinking latte, Hazelnot or things like that. Frisco might go for an expresso now and then but that's about it.

I think Francisco is more of a latte drinker. John Galt probably had some high-tech espresso machine, while Rearden liked his coffe black, strong and simple.

I like my coffe black and just strong enough to make my tounge curl a little bit.

[D'kian]

Good way to ruin a good cup of coffee, as is using sugar or aspartame.

Coffee is a highly adaptable drink. It admits any number of additives of a myriad varieties. But when using milk, coffee must be poured into it, rather than the other way around.

[John McVey]

when using milk, coffee must be poured into it, rather than the other way around.

That I didn't know. I've watched baristas, and it's always milk-into-the-coffee. I knew that people used to put the milk in their cups before pouring tea in, but I was under the impression that this was defence against thermal stress in the porcelain and not needed to be done any more because of teacups being made of stronger materials today.

I'll have to try putting the milk in first and see what the difference is. Thank you for the tip.

JJM

[Chumley]

And another note, this time to people living in other English-speaking countries: in the UK all fluid measures are larger (Imperial vs. US); their pint, gallon, fluid ounce are larger than ours. Otherwise as far as I know the system works the same (8 oz to the cup, 16 to the pint 32 to the quart, 128 to the gallon). I would imagine this carries over into Australia, Canada, New Zealand, etc.

One small correction - I learned during my time in the UK that an Imperial pint contains 20 Imperial fluid ounces, not 16. An Imperial ounce is slightly smaller than a US ounce but more of them make up a pint.

When the UK had to switch to metric measures, I was curious to find if the word "pint" would take on a new meaning of being 500ml or half a liter. Does anyone know if this has happened?

[Space Patroller]

Whoah---I didn't even see the posts after SP's. Sorry for the confusion.

[/quot]

When ATLAS was written there were about 3 kinds of coffee systems:

Demi-tasse, which came form the Turks, and was considered a ladies' or Eurosissy drink and I assure you mothing was further from the truth. Though very sweet, it was potent, plus you could read the grounds in the bottom of the cup for your fortune: Sort of Nostradamus meets Rorshack. Don't laugh. If I'd have given it crdence, I'd be the Pet Rock billionnaire of the late twentieth century; Who knew how goofy people can be? Maybe I'd have predicted 9/11 back on 9/11/58...

Espresso, Italian and known for its potency. Favored by Beatniks

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type...gilmer&aq=f

And the good old American style made in a pot

Though A&P had three kinds. Red Circle, 8 O'Clock and Boka, most used a blend of Brazilian and Mexican Sano beans so I've been told by a coffiee supplier for a place I worked at in the late 1960's

I had a good link to a history of coffee site but it went away, tury one of these

http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&amp...mp;aq=f&oq=

[D'kian]

That I didn't know. I've watched baristas, and it's always milk-into-the-coffee.

Where? Every last barista I've ever seen froths the milk first, then adds the shot of espresso.

[tito]

One small correction - I learned during my time in the UK that an Imperial pint contains 20 Imperial fluid ounces, not 16. An Imperial ounce is slightly smaller than a US ounce but more of them make up a pint.

When the UK had to switch to metric measures, I was curious to find if the word "pint" would take on a new meaning of being 500ml or half a liter. Does anyone know if this has happened?

No. We have half switched.

We weigh humans in pounds and stones, we weigh food in kg, we drive in miles per hour, we drink beer and milk in pints, spirits in ml, most other stuff in liters.

[D'kian]

Can someone explain why anyone still clings to the Imperial measuring system or any related systems?

[Space Patroller]

Can someone explain why anyone still clings to the Imperial measuring system or any related systems?

For the same reason that there's a ton of Latin in the European languages despite the fact that Rome fell over 1500 years ago. Dynamic peoples spread their system. What would you replace it with? The metric system is great in the lab but in the real world? not there. The Farenheit scale is more sensitive than the Celsius. The Americans were instrumental in two major war victories and they did it in feet-pounds-quarts. The Brits had an empire for 300 years. It's the same reason that English is a premier language. Winners not only write history. they set the standards as well as the pace. Thaese standards last until somone does better with other standards. Read "Global Balkanization" paying attention to the part about English. In the case of Asia, English is far simpler than Chinese or Japanese.

You learn a technology in the language of the persons who spread it. Many things were not invented in the US, we took them and made them commercial successes and broght the price down. Also some things that were invented in the US and are named in English but were made commercial successes by other nations, like the VCR carry the English language with them.

Outsourcing is requiring many Asians to learn English to deal with American customers of the US-based companies that hire these ASians

As we decay into a Welfare/Consumerist State of some mongrel kind, the Asians are learning from the book we wrote and are adopting elements of capitalism, thus showing the difference between the inheritors and the humgry.

There are many reasons, but they all point to a dynamic people exporting what they used successfully.

[Maximus]

Feet, pounds, inches, etc., make more sense in a human sort of way because these measurements have some relation to our basic structure. The metric system is supposedly simple, but is abstract.

[Grames]

The first curious result was that it seemed to kill off the unwanted foam generated by the espresso machine. That meant less crud sticking to the side of my mug. The second result, and the one I was thinking about, is that it does indeed reduce the acid content of the coffee without harming the flavour. Wikkid!

From prior reading I knew that the most prominent acidic component in coffee is tannic acid, and from word of mouth folklore that the tannc acid was responsible for 'foamy' coffee. So this makes sense.

There is at least one additive (Buismanns) specifically made for this purpose, but it is also abused as a coffee ''extender' responsible for bad insitutional coffee (according to this mention at Time.com).

A good technical description of the pharmacological aspects of coffee and tea turned up by a short search is this entry here. The book length treatment The World of Caffeine: The Science and Culture of the World's Most Popular Drug (Paperback) is on my bookshelf.

[D'kian]

For the same reason that there's a ton of Latin in the European languages despite the fact that Rome fell over 1500 years ago.

Many European languages descend from Latin. Many more were heavily influenced by it. So the direct descendants of Latin, the Romance Languages, contain elements of Latin and Greek, while Germanic languages like German and English absorbed elements of Latin. But no Latin as such is used in any modern language outside certain specialties like law or taxonomy. Unless, that is, you wish to count Italian as modern Latin.

Dynamic peoples spread their system. What would you replace it with? The metric system is great in the lab but in the real world? not there.

That's 100% wrong. The vast majority of the world uses the Metric system in the real world. I use it every day. It's a lot easier to use than any of the Imperial systems out there. All units are interconnected and are divisible by ten. Giving we use a universal decimal numbering system, the Metric system fits right in.

The Farenheit scale is more sensitive than the Celsius.

To quote Penn & Teller, "bullshit." Celsius is also decimal, which means any temperature can be measured with any degree of precision using decimal fractions. So for instance 64 F equals 17.8 C What's so hard about that?

The Americans were instrumental in two major war victories and they did it in feet-pounds-quarts. The Brits had an empire for 300 years. It's the same reason that English is a premier language.

Bully! But then the systems GB and America use must really be bad because outside former British colonies, including America, no one uses anything but the Metric system.

Feet, pounds, inches, etc., make more sense in a human sort of way because these measurements have some relation to our basic structure. The metric system is supposedly simple, but is abstract.

That would have made sense before the advent of standardized measuring equipment. Today every schoolchild grows up using a 30 cm ruler in class nearly everyday, plus meter rulers in shop classes. Not to mention the 600 ml, 1 liter and 2 liter bottles of water and soda, and moving several kilometers every day. That makes it concrete enough.

[Space Patroller]

Many European languages descend from Latin. Many more were heavily influenced by it. So the direct descendants of Latin, the Romance Languages, contain elements of Latin and Greek, while Germanic languages like German and English absorbed elements of Latin. But no Latin as such is used in any modern language outside certain specialties like law or taxonomy. Unless, that is, you wish to count Italian as modern Latin.

That's 100% wrong. The vast majority of the world uses the Metric system in the real world. I use it every day. It's a lot easier to use than any of the Imperial systems out there. All units are interconnected and are divisible by ten. Giving we use a universal decimal numbering system, the Metric system fits right in.

To quote Penn & Teller, "bullshit." Celsius is also decimal, which means any temperature can be measured with any degree of precision using decimal fractions. So for instance 64 F equals 17.8 C What's so hard about that?

Bully! But then the systems GB and America use must really be bad because outside former British colonies, including America, no one uses anything but the Metric system.

That would have made sense before the advent of standardized measuring equipment. Today every schoolchild grows up using a 30 cm ruler in class nearly everyday, plus meter rulers in shop classes. Not to mention the 600 ml, 1 liter and 2 liter bottles of water and soda, and moving several kilometers every day. That makes it concrete enough.

There is one advantage to English system of length. It's duodecimal. factors 1, 2, 3, 4 and 3 of those equal a yard also the circle is 360 degress. The hour is 60 minutes which I believe we got from the Persians

Whay is that important? I can divide a foot into twelfths, sixth, thirds and quaters without any "crumbs". I can divide yards the same way, ditto hours, with the addition of 5. the only two irreducible factors in the metric system are 1, 2 and 5. Feet, degrees and hours supports more of the common fractions evenly

Quarts fractionate by 1,2,4 and up to gallons In the 1960's when bulk transport of milk from the farm to the dairy came into it's own. Milk was measured in two ways; by the "jug" or 40 quarts and by the hundredweight (100 lbs) The pumps that were used to move the milk from tank to tank were calibrated in jugs per minute while payment was measured in hundredweights, as in 30 cents per hundredweight.

There was an interesting unit of distance used by the ancient Persians. The farsang. or parasang. It was actually variable and is calculated as ranging from 3 to 3.5 miles. One farsang was the distance a caravan could trevel in one hour. The reason for the variability was that travel was slower over rough or hilly terrain than over smooth, flat terrain. ,

Edited June 22, 2009 by Space Patroller

[D'kian]

Whay is that important? I can divide a foot into twelfths, sixth, thirds and quaters without any "crumbs".

What's the use of twelveths?

Anyway, can you grasp one sixth of an inch? I can easily grasp 1.6 millimeters easily 1/6 of a centimeter). Unless you're phobic about the decimal point, I see no advantage to esoteric factors compared to fractions of ten.

[John McVey]

Where? Every last barista I've ever seen froths the milk first, then adds the shot of espresso.

Obviously I haven't been watching good ones at work. And there I was, thinking that these shops, after spending thouands buying these machines and selling expensive coffee, would at least teach their staff how to use the things properly.

Grames: thanks for the links! I wasn't expecting the defoaming effect because all the defoamers I was familiar with were oils and silicones.

JJM

Edited June 22, 2009 by John McVey