Debenhams bans "confusing" coffee titles

[liuzhou]

Yawn.

[Harters]

By the by, I was in Madrid last week where it seems to have become impossible to get a proper "cafe con leche". Order it and what you get is a cup of frothy bitter liquid as per Starbucks cappuccino.

[naguere]

Using my Bailetti and Tesco's Italian blend I am well pleased.

Unable to upload the Bailetti 3 cup image , but you get the idea.

Who would pay so much for so little ..

No Yawn for me on a crisp morn with a good cup of Java

[Matthew Grant]

By the by, I was in Madrid last week where it seems to have become impossible to get a proper "cafe con leche". Order it and what you get is a cup of frothy bitter liquid as per Starbucks cappuccino.

Me too, Spanish coffee has never been great, still too much UHT milk being used

[MacD]

By the by, I was in Madrid last week where it seems to have become impossible to get a proper "cafe con leche". Order it and what you get is a cup of frothy bitter liquid as per Starbucks cappuccino.

Me too, Spanish coffee has never been great, still too much UHT milk being used

Strangely, while I hate UHT milk in normal circumstances, I really enjoy the coffee you can get in some Spanish and French cafes which are made with UHT - and are often served in a glass/glass cup. It feels sort of comforting.

[rotuts]

still ... I doubt any of this coffee is fantastic. It might be what you prefer, which is really fine, but Great Coffee? No.

[Man]

Spanish coffee is the second major contribution to human cruelty by that country after the Inquisition (forgiven just because they also have that anticipation of Heaven, Jamon de Bellota).

Sadly, even in Italy the search for a proper espresso can be daunting but in most (not all) cities one ends up finding what one likes.

For the UK I agree with PS Smith that you should use an English term to describe what is sold as espresso - what one finds in this country mostly has nothing to do with real espresso (personally I have found good espresso only in some restaurants, never in any chain - but I admit I've given up searching a while ago).

PS Naguere it's Bialetti not Bailetti

[Harters]

Spanish coffee has never been great,

Obviously a subjective matter with which I would disagree. I suppose it is a matter of what one is used to and has enjoyed over the years.

[Scott]

Your missing the point, some may have shortened it to latte in our everyday use but the term caffe latte is a particular style of coffee, it isn't a made up coffee snob term.

Of course a coffee snob wouldn't dream of adding milk to their espresso

[PhilD]

For the UK I agree with PS Smith that you should use an English term to describe what is sold as espresso - what one finds in this country mostly has nothing to do with real espresso (personally I have found good espresso only in some restaurants, never in any chain - but I admit I've given up searching a while ago).

I must agree. We should use the correct terms, but then we should get the correct product in return. UK coffee names are a travesty, if I order a Cappuccino I want a properly made coffee not some foamy, milky hot drink. If I order custard I actually expect something different to creme anglaise, the former should be almost industrial, reminiscent of school dinners and steamed sponges. The latter refined made with vanilla pods and cream, Used appropriately the words have precise meanings. It is the mis-use of terms that annoys me, not that they are foreign terms.

Thank god for the antipodean coffee revolution in London - at last we are getting better coffee in the UK as its influence starts to spread. However, even the trendy coffee bar isn't immune from the "barista yoof" who hasn't a clue (there is a local mini-chain in Bath that is especially bad). We always felt safer when the barista has a good Aussie or Kiwi accent....!

[MaLO]

It would be nice if they tried to make better 'coffee based drinks' first. Genrally high street places serve such disgusting kak it makes no difference what they choose to call it. I do my best to avoid them - although I will give pret a go when all else fails.

Compared to Monmouth or Dose or Bluebottle (I am sure ther are many other worthy places too) most high street coffee is best left in its miserable shop.

[Scott]

Where did this great lie that OZ & NZ had some big coffee culture come from?

[PhilD]

Scott - why do you say it's a lie? You can get good coffee in all the major cities in both countries. In every CBD there are lots of independent cafes that sell good coffee. People select a cafe based on the coffee used and skills of the barista. Big coffee chains like Starbucks have struggled (Aus was the first country SB retreated from leaving a few token stores or tourists). Compare and contrast to the UK with high streets dominated by chains, independent cafes staffed by untrained and disinterested staff and a few good coffee places in London like Monmouth and Flat White having Antipodean roots. Compare to the rest of Europe: Spanish and French coffee can be good but it is a lottery with lots o poor technique in terms of roasting and prep. German and Northern European coffee is different but hardly great. And North America has some good coffee towns, but even places like San Francisco don't have lots of great coffee, most of it is still SB or Peet's (professes to be better but has all the bad chain attributes). And whilst places like Blue Girl at SF Ferry Terminal stand-out the fact that you need to queue for 30 mins for a coffee on a Saturday morning shows a lack of supply to satisfy demand (and it actually isn't that good - average Aus standard).

[Scott]

Because I am australian, and I know its a complete fictional invention.

And you cannot sensibly point to its rejection of starbucks when it embraces the far worse gloria jeans & hudson

[olicollett]

In my experience most decent coffee places in London are staffed by Aussies

[Roger le goéland]

Because I am australian, and I know its a complete fictional invention.

And you cannot sensibly point to its rejection of starbucks when it embraces the far worse gloria jeans & hudson

For Sydney at least as a former resident I would be inclined to lean for the "better coffee" theory. Not just talking about CBD, Eastern Suburbs or the North Shore - had routinely decent coffee as far as Bankstown and Cabramatta (whether this is in "Sydney" is a debate for another day ). Just on the street of my former office, there were 4 different options 3 of which were Monmouth-good (at least the pre-2010 version - no idea what it is like now). And I prefer Gloria Jeans to Starbucks, Nero and Pret (for coffee at least).

On the other hand I'll give you that coffee is extortionate in Australia. That mining boom...

[PhilD]

Because I am australian, and I know its a complete fictional invention.

And you cannot sensibly point to its rejection of starbucks when it embraces the far worse gloria jeans & hudson

I will agree about Gloria Jeans and Hudson (and is it Dome in Perth?) but if you think about the ratio of independents compared to these mini chains it is clear the independents have a far stronger hold. Every time I head home to Sydney I am confident I will get good to great coffee with ease, in London I need to travel, I found the same in California (SF included) and New York. In other European countries you can get reasonable coffee, but IMO only Italy has the consistency in supply that I experience in Aus. OK country towns are not as easy, but even these generally have at least one place to get a coffee (although a recommendation for a decent coffee on the Hume Highway would be good).