Who Are You?

[Rain]

I am adding a topic to the Café for us to share those very simple things we discover about ourselves that we DO love in our lives, such as what soda do you enjoy?

I love grape soda poured over vanilla ice cream! What is your favorite soda, or drink?

[bheart]

Hi Rain,

What a fun thread.  I used to love Tahitian treat.  It is probably loaded with sugar and not something easy to find any more.  These days I stick with water, coffee and an occasional overindulgence of wine, but I don't believe the taste has much to do with those if you know what I mean.....

[schrödinger's cat]

Coffee! Coffeecoffeecoffeecoffee. Espresso, to be exact, never more than two cups a day or I can't sleep. Lovely, dark, wonderful espresso with just a bit of demerara sugar, and then a newspaper or the internet or a writing notebook to go with it... hmmmmmm.... espresso is what life should be like: strong, rich, warm, safe, and with a slight tang of something bitter, but there's sweetness to follow from where you didn't stir in all the sugar properly so there's still some left at the bottom of your cup.

[Rain]

What on earth is demerara sugar??    I will have to check that out to see if I enjoy that.

[bheart]

 


I take that back....taste definitely does matter (I just like the other benefits with those and fewer calories).  I like pinot Noir but really enjoy all reds, but only at night.   

Cat, Espresso sounds good too but I do like cappuccinos the best.  With it getting colder soon it sounds even better but I can't drink these at night either unless I want to be up all night.  There's always some catch 

 

[schrödinger's cat]

I wondered about coffee and the Freeze response. I absolutely adore coffee, which I found out after my food intolerance forced me to give it up. I can drink it again now, but boy did I ever pine.
Before that, I used to think it was just about the jolt of caffeine. I used to just dump two spoonfuls of it into a cup and add boiling water. Now, I'm finicky about my espresso. It's one of the high points of my day. Like Gollum and the One Ring - "come to meee, precioussss." One reason why I've always loved coffee is sheer gratitude. It helps dispel the usual fog I'm often living in, and which might be a mild form of dissociation. Anyone else get that?

Demerara sugar is a kind of unrefined sugar, pale yellow in colour. It's got a large grain. That makes stirring my coffee feel nicer.

[Rain]

I love the robust taste, the ritual of it.   I have added demerara sugar to my shopping list.   Thanks!

[schrödinger's cat]

Exactly that. Also, it's always nice to find anything I'm feeling strongly about and am certain of.

[keepfighting]

I love a good coffee - cappucino, latte, anything with milk in it, really.

My DH gave me a cappucino class by an Italian barrista for a present once and last year I had saved up enough money to buy a nice machine with freshly ground beans (learned how to get the best taste out of a bean melange as well in that class!) and a milk steamer. Pure joy!

I also love a good white or rosé wine - but I'm a social drinker so how much I enjoy it really depends more on the company than on the wine  .

[bee]

Kombucha - I make my own from white tea, love the sour taste. I add a bit of lemon juice and fresh ginger.

Bai Mu Dan white tea - Leave the tea leaves in the cup, the best cup is the second or third steeping

I also like the ritual of making coffee. Only decaf for me, too sensitive to caffeine. I use a ceramic drip cone, and grind the beans myself. I mostly like it black, needs just a bit of bitterness, without it too much sweet comes through. For comparison I find Starbucks decaf to be very bitter, it will do it a pinch, and works well if you get a sweetened concoction, but not good americano.

Black Butte Porter from Deschutes and Chimay are my favorite beers. I found that I don't like hop bitterness. These two are darker beers, but have low hops (IBUs).

Wines - Malbec, Merlot, dry whites

[Rain]

I am loving reading all these posts!  Wow, bee ...your list is a treat.    I will have to try some of the drinks from this thread.

[globetrotter]

Bee..I went to Deschutes in Portland...love their beer...Ive greatly curtailed drinking cuz it makes me break out in spots (Denver, Chicago, LA...) so I miss good beer like that.

I've been drinking a natural coffee replacement called teechino. It's delicious and has no caffeine so I still get my fix. I usually  mix with coffee to reduce my addiction.

[bee]

Rain,
I just put the loose leaves in the cup. Sometimes air bubbles stick to the leaves and make them float. I mash the leaves against the side of the cup with the back of a spoon to pop the air bubbles, then they sink to the bottom. It's a bit of a hassle sometimes. Once at the bottom they stay there, just don't drink the last 1/2 inch. Then add more hot water for your second and third cup.  I use a clear glass mug, and I like the visual of the leaves on the bottom of the cup. Kinda reminds me of seaweed swaying at the bottom of the ocean. Part of the advantage of a good quality loose leaf is that there are more whole leaves, I can't say that my taste buds are discerning enough to know the difference, but watching the leaves unfurl in the cup is satisfying.
For those who don't want the visual, you can get bags to put the loose leaf tea in, or use a tea ball or filter, or there are insulated tea bottles with a built in filter.

[Rain]

Thanks, bee!   I will have to give this a try.   It is so different than what I do ...and, that is reason in itself to give it a try.   I have not had white tea in years, so I will go search for some.

I've been drinking a natural coffee replacement called teechino. It's delicious and has no caffeine so I still get my fix. I usually  mix with coffee to reduce my addiction.

globetrotter, is this mostly chicory root?   I used to drink some brand that I have long since forgotten that was a coffee replacement with chicory root.

[bee]

Rain - I find with white tea, a little goes a long way. One ounce, lasts me quite a while. The directions say to use a tablespoon per cup, I usually use closer to 1 teaspoon, and steep that 3 times. Maybe that's weird...