How many types of coffee do we need at work?
The question is not just rhetorical. We recently have gone from four different types to five, and not only are we running out of drawers to store it, it’s taking up a whomping amount of counter space?
Costa Rican. Vanilla Nut (that’s me). French Roast (use 1.5 bags). Euro Blend. Euro Blend Decaf.
(I’ve never quite understood drinking decaf coffee. I mean, nobody actually enjoys the taste of coffee, right? It’s just a caffeine vector, a socially more acceptible way of perking up than slamming back a couple of No-Doz first thing in the a.m. The best you can hope for from coffee is that it doesn’t taste bad. So … what’s up with decaf?)
Are coffee tastes so varies that, Starbucks-like, we need four types of caffeinated coffee? I mean, there are a lot of places where folks have two types — leaded and non- (and the taste of each makes the nomenclature not all that much of a joke). I can see, if you want to get extravagant, having a light roast and a dark roast (though sufficient use of sugar and cream can resolve that, too, in a pinch).
It’s just an odd extravagance in a company that is notoriously tight-assed thrifty about overhead expenditures.
Heck, we get half-n-half in the fridge, rather than being subjected to the indignities of Ersatz Oil-Based Coffee “Creamer” Substitutes.
Not complaining about that one.
On a couple of occasions in the past, I visited our Dublin office. Where they have … the Tea Lady.
Veddy European. You can have tea … but when we say so. And you can impose on someone else to make it for you. And we can employ an extra person that way.
On the other hand, it taught me that communal stirring spoons, rather than little plastic stir sticks, are the way to go.
No point here, mind you. Just ruminations on what gets me through the day.
Coffee wise, I know people who drink decaf because of health reasons (Preggers, acid reflux, after 6pm issues). Most of it is crap except for this one Peets French Roast. I have no problem with decaf in the evening so that I can get to sleep, as long as it is good Decaf.
And the whole office coffee thing is a great amount of annoyance to me. At the place that I used to work they did not provide coffee, so I had to make mine myself. This made me very happy because I could buy the brand/type that I wanted and have the amount that I wanted. New work place and the provide coffee…really bad Brothers coffee.
Yech…blech…gag.
And to make matters worse people do not know how to make coffee. They use the amount in a 20 cup urn that I would use for two mug full’s o’ Joe. I make tea stronger then their coffee.
I do enjoy coffee for the flavor, as long as it is good coffee (though the caffeine in the morning, or during gaming is always a benefit).
My Fav’s: All from Peets
Aged Sulawesi Peaberry – It’s rare to find aged coffees; rarer still to find an aged peaberry. Thick, syrupy and nutty, with notes of spice and tobacco
Arabian Mocha Sanani – Distinctive, pungent, winy flavor; full-bodied and exceedingly complex aromatic character.
French Roast – Our darkest roast. An intense, ebony coffee with pronounced smoky overtones. Also available in decaf.
Major Dickason’s Blend® – Our most famous blend. Combines the best coffees from the world’s premier coffee-growing regions. Very full-bodied, complex, rich, and smooth.
And this last one I may have to pick up the next time I play Jungle…
Garuda Blend ® – A full-bodied blend of coffees from the Pacific, Africa, and the Americas; good acidity with earthy and floral flavors.
Coffee–ick.
Tea–the only way to go.
Well, we have individually sealed packets of coffee, so there’s no excuse for not putting in the correct amount. Assuming the inconsiderate yahoos actually make coffee when the pot’s empty. Or that they’re not the type that says, “It’s not good coffee unless my spoon stands up in it” and double-bag the pot.
“Garuda Blend — the only coffee recommended by Living Jungle campaigns!”
As for tea — well, if I’m off on travel, I usually drink tea (since most officed coffee sucks grounds). And in the office I’ll occasionally drink tea, either for a change or when I’m sick.
Anna comments here (not sure why it didn’t trackback). Her answer for the “What’s up with decaf” is (a) force of habit, and (b) if you dump enough sugar into something, it will taste good.
Okay, I can go there.
Personally, I’m a “anything hot” drinker. Just the simple fact of having a steaming mug to sip from is comforting, IMO.
In the AM, I’m in the habit of coffee and since I drink a lot of it (I make around a 7 cut put every AM to fill my Aladdin thermal mug before heading to work), I have turned to “balanced blend” (half-caf/half-decaf) lest I be over-wired at work. (I don’t much like the coffee offered at work, for either quality or price, so I do my own.)
Of an evening, it’s tea (black, green, red or herbal depending on my mood) or chai (from an instant… I’m not nearly that willing to work to blend up my own) most of the time, occasionally a flavored coffee (vanilla or hazlenut, as I have chocolate allergy issues) if I’ve been dealing with Gevalia or some other decent source recently. And if I really want the quick boost, I will turn to the espresso machine (though I haven’t done that much lately).
I like to have something to drink in the office. For various reasons, hot drinks are easiest. While I’ll slurp a coffee if it’s made at home, I don’t go out of my way for it (preferring a big tumbler of ice and something).
I prefer the taste of tea, but I prefer the texture of coffee, esp. with plenty of cream and sugar. I suppose I could do the same with tea, but it’s not as big a taste as coffee, most of the time, and that’s something I like, too.
Ok, I like the taste of coffee. When it tastes close to what it smells like, that’s a really good thing. And since I like the taste of coffee, four cups a day is too much caffine for my brain to take, so I drink decaf.
I do buy what is commonly known as premuim coffee. Often from Trader Joes, but also Satrbucks (Gasp), Peet’s and Pannikin (a local coffee group). And half n half is the only way to go. Except in iced coffee, which I prefer black. Go figure.
Come to think of it, I’ve still got a cup in the thermos. See ya.
If it is Good Coffee I must/will have it black. It’s just so much better that way. Only really bad coffee needs doctoring, or the cuban/turkish types that come already heavily sugered.
Or, of course the latte cafe a lait things.
Actually, I don’t take sugar in my coffee anymore. Now that I’m used to that I can’t stand how sweet sugared coffee is.