Welcome Wednesday: How do you take your coffee? Or tea! ☕ 🍵

[Julia L.]

Happy Wednesday, everybody! I know that for many, myself included, coffee is a huge(!) part of their morning routine. I typically wake up, put the (electric) kettle on, and get grinding. 

Coffee is such a critical piece of my morning that I maintain a subscription to get my coffee delivered every two weeks. I also make contingency plans when backpacking or traveling to make sure I always have access ☕ 

Once I learned more about my favorite tasting notes (fruity, medium roasts), I’ve started to drink my coffee black! But I would never shy away from some half-and-half 😋

Almost every morning, I do a pour-over for a single cup but will make a bigger pot using my Chemex for those more demanding days! Looking at you, Monday 👀

How do you take coffee? Are there any roasts that you keep coming back to? If not coffee, what’s in your mug first thing in the morning?

Bonus - check out my favorite mug from a Fun Friday discussion!

[Julia L.]

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[Juri Ahokas]

I prefer Red Bull. XD

[Julia L.]

Ah yes - I can remember the crack of a can of Red Bull first thing in the morning at the office ⚡ At least I think it was Red Bull... 

[Julia L.]

Happy Wednesday, @mat jung @Minel Gungor @Paulo Dones @snalluri @Terrel Andrews @Vigneshwaran Balasubramanian @Vipul Goel @VisweswaraRao @Ajithkumar R @Alex Correa @Amritendu Biswas @Anne Skåle @Apoorva HR @Chris Szczeklik @Cynthia Smith @Derek McIntyre @flavio.faust @Francisco @Ilkka Pättikangas @Indrajit Ghosh @jeymsson falcao @Joachim Bischoff @Khyati kumar @Koleola Loto @Kolodziejczyk_ Karolina @Kristina Hertzog @Lakshay Nijhawan @Laura Nogueira @Marco Valentini @MREGAYA_Pro @Nikita Tovstoles @[deleted] @Raja Nepolion Nandy @Rawan Algharbawi @Roxie Thomas @sietsedeglee @Tor Jörgensborg @Trina Snaidero @umang_axion @Константин Нифанин @Олег Бор! Let us know how you like coffee, tea, or whatever beverage you start your day with 😄

[Maria P.]

Ooh, I'm such a big coffee fan - I love a good pour-over and typically take my coffee black, but I also wouldn't say no to an iced almond milk latte when I want to switch it up. That said, I was gifted a Nespresso machine earlier this year and it has become my go-to every morning while we work from home ☕ It's super easy (just one button to a lovely cup of espresso) and there are so many great blends to choose from!

[Julia L.]

Those Nespressos are really impressive - I would not mind one for those mornings where even a pour-over sounds like a challenge 😬 One button and you're done! 🤯

[Mandy Ross]

Coffee was always a huge part of my morning ritual - my husband was the chief mfg engineer at Peets for 10 years, so he developed a sizeable and quite snooty coffee habit. It was actually something we bonded on when we were dating, and over the years our morning ritual became him bringing me a perfectly crafted cup in exchange for a kiss. But, I had to quit caffeine about 2 years ago due to a minor heart condition. So, I decided to become an herbal tea aficionado. And my hubs, bless him, continues to make me a perfectly crafted cup of herbal tea with a nice dollop of local honey every morning! 

[Julia L.]

It's too easy to verge into 'snooty' territory 😆  He sounds like a keeper! Honey + tea is a wonderful way to wake up and also wind down! A very versatile beverage 🍵

[Douglas Mark Carter]

Like I like my woman, Dark and smooth! Lol

[Loren Siegel]

I'm like you, @Julia L_ - I take my coffee black, no cream or sugar. It allows me to taste the subtle notes of the beans. I always look for chocolate, nutty flavors. So even though I'm not adding sugar, my coffee comes with a natural sweetness. My last bag of beans came from Barrett's Coffee in Austin, Texas and I'm really enjoying them! 

[Julia L.]

Such a smart way to go about getting those sweet hints! I never had Barrett's but am curious now  👀 Austin has so many great coffee roasters!

[Troy Dyer]

Tea for Troy! Orange Pekoe with milk and two teaspoons of sugar! Morning, noon and evening.

[Julia L.]

Oh wow! I had to google that one 😅  Sounds like that is a grading scale - is there a tea you have most often or do you rotate through a number of them? 🍵 I do tea in the afternoon when caffeine has given me the jitters!

[Troy Dyer]

Many moons ago, I worked in the tea industry in India. I got to try all kinds of teas, but settled on the Orange Pekoe.

[Julia L.]

Wow! That must have been such a unique experience. I cannot imagine all the knowledge you picked up during that time!

[Monique vdB]

My husband is a coffee snob so he grinds beans and french presses coffee every morning. I heat up some milk and use one of those handheld milk frothers to make a cafe au lait with like so much foam. I also keep iced coffee on hand, which I have over ice (of course) with lots of milk (of course).

My Starbucks go-to is a cappuccino. On special occasions I will order a triple grande nonfat extra foamy caramel macchiato, but it is rarely made perfectly; I was a Starbucks barista and am very picky about this concoction.

When I was in Sydney last year I discovered the joys of the flat white. And the year before that I was in Austin and had an amazing lavender latte every morning. 

[Troy Dyer]

When I'm away from home, sometimes I opt for Starbucks' chai-latte (all milk, no water, and with an extra shot of chai).

[Mandy Ross]

oh the flat whites we enjoyed in Sydney together!! I went decaf but I would say the experience was largely the same.  

[Helen Griffiths {Capgemini}]

I don't like the smell, and therefore the taste, of coffee. I've seen the fancy frapalatachino's you can get with the nice syrups - but I just can't bring myself to drink it.

It has to be a nice cuppa tea - medium brew, milky, no sugar (but not Yorkshire tea, that's too strong). In a morning, it goes in the bowl cup - which is about as big as my face (needs must in a morning!). If I fancy a brew in the evening, it goes in the regular sized Minions cup. 

It doesn't matter which country i'm in, i'll source English tea and milk. Sometimes they try and trip you up with an Earl Gray, but i can't be fooled. 

I saw this photo on Twitter a while ago...i'm a 3E. What are you?

[Julia L.]

I love this chart! 😍 I waffle between A and D - my mom is an E/F and I always tease her for having coffee with her milk!

[Helen Griffiths {Capgemini}]

I'm with your Mom 😁 milkier the better.

[Troy Dyer]

I'm a 3D.

[Monique vdB]

Oh a 3/F for sure!

[Maria P.]

If there was a 3.5, that's what I'd be! And of course, A - unless it's an iced latte, then D 😄

[Mandy Ross]

4D here!

[Sharon Tan]

4A baby!!

[Loren Siegel]

4A right here! 

[Kat Warner]

@Helen Griffiths {Capgemini}  - that image deserves a Friday Fun thread of its very own!

I'm 3.5 E or F - as Earl Grey is my favourite and it is a light tea even when brewed a long time.

To be completely honest, only 6 and A are ruled out for me especially if someone else is making it!

[Helen Griffiths {Capgemini}]

Completely agree @Kat Warner - if someone else is making it, i'm not that fussy...and it always tastes better.

Here's a question that stirs debate in the office - milk in first, or after? I'm an after person, but whilst the tea is still brewing (which also causes looks of 🤨)...but it's how I like it. Milk before water is just asking for the tea not to even consider brewing. 

[Kat Warner]

If everything is happening in 1 cup it is water first. If the tea is being brewed in a tea pot then it is milk first.

[Julia L.]

How about y'all? 👋

@javier.espinosa @Daria H_ @Gurubaran Amirthaganesan @ianrussel @Leena Swar @ostorres08 @Eugene @Misho @dan.hill @Luca Umberto @Sathya TT @Sharif Ismail @Andrea Striesova @Daniel Chun @Emilia Kuziemska @Haritha Lukka @jaya sree @Joachim Pierre @Justas Kazlauskas @KOFFI SERGE KOUAME @Markus Frey @Ronit Gieske @Zachary @[deleted] @Amanda @Appfire Support @Artem Mikhalev @Carolyn Barbierato @Dan Reyna @Dennis Gülland @Dhilip @dorothea.schwarz @Gregory Lee @Jesus Lopez @PRASHANT GERA @Ushakov Konstantsin @Vinicius @Zamiq Mustafayev @Alison Whittaker @apissarev @[deleted] @Arun Eli @Chantal Lubach @Chris L @[deleted] @[deleted] @Craig Buchanan @Dale Fernandes @Gearoid Lynch

[Deleted user]

The grinder goes off fairly regularly at work... I have been bringing a flask or thermos of Italian from home each morning which gets me through until lunchtime :)

[Julia L.]

Welcome to the community! 🙌

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[Mike Rathwell]

My morning usually starts with a liter of Death Wish Coffee Valhalla blend. First cup to get through that initial grim period between waking and coffee is Keurig from a plumbed in Keurig (I don't want to be faced with having to move water manually first thing in the morning) programmed to be on and ready when I wake. After that first one, I can change over to fresh ground Valhalla Blend made in a Bonavita coffee maker with pre-soak.

I do keep a variety of coffees around to enjoy depending on what I feel like having throughout the day but gravitate to SE Asian coffees and like Vietnamese coffee somewhat better than others from the region.

I will also have a cup of coffee at night if I get to that over tired and won't be able to sleep state. Puts me out like a light.

I am not a black coffee drinker. I take ice in my whiskey and follow my oft stated mantra of "Coffee should be strong as the devil and sweet as sin" for coffee. 

[Julia L.]

I haven't approached needing Death Wish Coffee yet but who knows! As much as I wish I could drink coffee all day, anything past noon has me up too late ☹️ Amazing that you've dialed in your caffeine so meticulously!

[PJ Wysota]

Gosh, @Julia L_ - you have brought here most important topic of the world!!! 

1. Coffee. 

2. Sometimes, in the mood... Naaaaaah, just coffee (4-5 cups a day)

3. Green coffee is not coffee at all

4. Neither decaf

5. Nor any plastic Nespresso shit

6. Grounded coffee, Dark roasts definitely, 2 spoons per cup or strong (when from coffee makers), black, no sugar. Eventually double espresso, eventually Turkish coffee.

7. Top favourite of favs 3:
- MB 100% Blue Mountain Dark Roast Coffee

- Guatemala Huehuetenango

- Santos and Java (very interesting blend of Brazilian and Indonesian coffee beans)

[Julia L.]

It is SUCH an important subject! Very near and dear to my heart 💙 Do you measure out your grounds or go by spoons?

I'm intrigued by the roasts you mentioned 👀 Which of those three is your favorite? I'd be willing to deviate from my medium-blends for one that has just been spoken of so highly!

[PJ Wysota]

All they are unique. 

IMHO Blue Mountain is THE BEST coffee in the world (kopi luwak is overrated, as who wanna drink things coming from someone's ass?), but indeed is not cheap one...
It is kicking ass in the morning, but still - mild flavour and lack of bitterness

Guatemala Huehuetenango - it is cocoa and bittersweet taste, with a bit of floral aroma... - it is nice replacement for above

Santos and Java tastes a burnt caramel & cream - perfect in the afternoon or for iced coffee at warm nights.

[Julia L.]

Awesome! Thank you for the recommendations!

[Sharon Tan]

Love this, Julia! Such a great morning (or anytime) ritual. When I first graduated, I drank coffee everyday with cream and sugar as I thought grownups did, but wanted to cut back, so I started drinking it black (even though it was quite bitter)! 

Since then, I've discovered more high-quality coffee that actually tasted good without cream and sugar and my eyes were opened to the world of coffee. My local faves are Flat Track, Cuvee, Texas Coffee Traders, but I also like Intelligentsia or Counter Culture if I can find them locally 🙂 

Also I love my aeropress! I was using it via the "inverted" method but now I use the regular pressing method just because sometimes it feels easier. I have a chemex too but don't find myself using it quite as much in these days 😅

[Ollie Guan]

Start an energetic day with a cup of KFC K-coffee (black coffee) and panini every morning!

[Julia L.]

What a wonderful routine! That sounds like a great way to start the day. And your computer background is so cool!😍

[Troy Dyer]

Great combo! K-coffee - a drink to peace! Bring on the panini :)

[Douglas Mark Carter]

Actually, all kidding aside from my previous sexist comment, ha, My favorite coffee is:

Gusto Intenso, by Nescafe Dolce Gusto, it's dark and has a cream top because the brewer steams the pod. It's by far the best cup you can drink if you're a coffee lover. 

[Monique vdB]

I need to know more about this "cream top" because that sounds delicious!

[Douglas Mark Carter]

When you steam vs drip a coffee grind, it creates a crema on the top..its a coffee froth really rich and delicious. Apart from an expensive espresso machine, the  Nescafe Dolce is by far the lowest cost to get this quality by a pod. 

Dolce Gusto 

[Jodi LeBlanc]

I gave up coffee a few weeks ago and although I miss that buzz of let's get things done, I am so relaxed and feel such peace and calm. It is a feeling I have not felt before, but so far I am liking it.

[Deepanshu Natani]

Although I start my day with a glass of luke warm water, but a cappuccino sometimes feels awesome, specially when I am on vacation/ travelling :-)