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IT Pros and Coffee

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Is there a specific brand of Coffee that IT Pros drink? Are we “coffee snobs”? The reason I ask is that most IT Professionals that I know (myself included) drink quite a bit of coffee. As well, we all seem to discuss the different brands available. I have a couple of favorites… Jamaican Blue and a nice Guatemalan blend.

Just curious on a Sunday afternoon.

Topic

I am a hot chocolate fan …

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Never did like coffee much … (Except, maybe, espresso) …

I get through 8-9 cups of hot chocolate and a couple of cokes during an average working day …

I hope this doesn’t ruin my reputation as an IT person …

]:)

I guess that’s acceptable as well

In reply to I am a hot chocolate fan …

Hot chocolate is good too, but only if it’s made with milk and not water.

Water??

In reply to I guess that’s acceptable as well

Thats being stingy ….

Even dictionary.com says that it has to be milk …

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=hot%20chocolate

Who are we to refuse?? :p

]:)

It’s only a rule to live by if…

In reply to Water??

…if it’s in wikipedia. 😀

coffeee

In reply to I guess that’s acceptable as well

ummmmm smell coffee……. coffee and it pro goes together u have to hold a mug while dealing situations hahaha

The mug could very well be …

In reply to coffeee

of hot chocolate …

]:)

Peets Coffee

In reply to coffeee

I’ve long been a fan of very strong, high octane brews, particularly esspresso. The best I’ve found in this area (San Francisco/Northern California) is made at Peets Coffee and Tea. While they are based in Berkeley, California, they have stores all up and down the west coast, and apparently as far east as Chicago and Boston.

They also do mail order, so check out http://www.peets.com for more details. Full Disclosure: I do not own stock in Peets nor do I make any money off of recommending their product. I’ve just “invested” so much money in the business over the years by being a customer, that I think they deserve your consideration if you really love great coffee.

Peets Works

In reply to Peets Coffee

I agree with tfloyd. I used to enjoy Pascua or Pasqua until they were swallowed by starbucks and disappeared. Peets has excellent coffee and they seem to be dedicated to finding good sources and refining roasting methods. If you visit the North Bay, check out Wolf Coffee in Santa Rosa area, and Rohnert Park. There is a Peets in Petaluma now too!

Coffee

In reply to I guess that’s acceptable as well

But hot chocolate is good when you make it with coffee

Water ends up being my game!

In reply to I am a hot chocolate fan …

I never liked coffee much either (although I am Brazilian, the taste and aftertaste have never appealed to me)…
I also enjoy hot chocolate but don’t have that many opportunities to drink it during the day (usually too busy to fix a cup of chocolate)…
So I guess water is my game afterall. Easy to get, quenches my thirst, and is also good for my body!

Tea!

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Well, I am English. I probably get through about ten mugs during the average working day. English style, Indian or Sri Lankan Tea with milk.

This will mean nothing to the US peers but anyway… the company that I work for is kind enough to supply six different teas including one decaff (turns and spits) and I favour Twinings Breakfast Tea.

Kettle pops the fuse

In reply to Tea!

Unfortunately I can’t make Tea at work. When the kettle is plugged into any outlet, the fuse/breaker is popped. (No fire hazard here!)

American Programmers like tea too

In reply to Tea!

American programmers like to drink tea too. I drink loose or from tea bags. My company supplies free tea and coffee, but I can’t stand the brand they use. One of my favorites is Kuan Yin tea, translated as (Iron)Goddess of Mercy. For ‘herbal’ tea, I also like a nice Rooibos blend.

Oh for God’s Sake

In reply to American Programmers like tea too

Coffee is coffee. 4 sugars, 4 cream and it all tastes the same. Gives us that morning buzz that we all need to think. That’s all that matters.

Earl Grey

In reply to Tea!

Hot.

and straight. But only rarely. I am one of those who sucks down at least a pot of coffee a day.

A LOT of both….

In reply to Tea!

I usually start my day with a cup of Java…usually a mild blend…typically the house blend of the day. From that point on, I switch over to hot tea. An English Breakfast Tea (black tea) is my tea leaf of choice. However, I prefer it with milk and sugar. Who doesn’t need a little sugar buzz mixed in with their caffeine? Many of my IT buddies would love being hooked up intravenously to their caffeine! We all seem to gather at the local Starbucks whenever we can grab a quick 5 mins to make the trip over! No wonder we’re all so dang perky! 🙂

Quality Fueled By Caffeine

In reply to Tea!

I work for a small software company is our motto is “Quality Fueled By Caffeine”. I must say the coffee is excellent, Tea varity is plentiful, and Hot cholocate flows like water around here. This past week I’ve been trying to get myself off of the Juice a.k.a caffeine. Twitch twitch, itch scratch, zzzzzzzzzz.

A Proper Cup

In reply to Tea!

A few of your US peers know what you mean. I learned how to brew a proper cup of tea from a short essay/rant on the subject in Douglas Adams’ “The Salmon of Doubt”. After sampling different brands and blends I’ve settled on Twinings’ Darjeeling with a splash of milk as my drink of choice. My only frustration is that local markets carry that particular blend very infrequently. I’m considering resorting to ordering their catering sized bags on line to keep my habit reliably fed.

Tea and Coffee

In reply to Tea!

My company only supplies PG tips in my office. I find this rather dissapointing and supply my own earl grey. As for coffee, only really at the weekend (geekend?) or when on the road. My favorite brand is illy closely followed by lavazza. I would like some hot chocolate now or maybe even moccha.

Coffee

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Believe it or not, coffee is good for you. It has antioxidants. Tea does also but coffee is better. Like most things, there’s a dark cloud in every silver lining. Too much caffeine is not good for you. So two or three cups a day is about the limit you should drink.

Does hot chocolate count

In reply to Coffee

as being good for us??

Does a pint glass count as a cup??

]:)

Sorry, but no and no

In reply to Does hot chocolate count

Unless you drink the sugar-free kind, hot chocolate has way too much sugar. Your 8-9 cups per day would be about the same as eating 3 chocolate candy bars.

What do you know about pint glasses? I thought you’re on the metric system.

Pints? We don’t just have pints

In reply to Sorry, but no and no

We have [b]proper[/b] pints! Imperial Pints. Not the wussy little things that you guys use!

Sorry to jump in but it needed saying.

Imperial pints

In reply to Pints? We don’t just have pints

Imperial, huh? God save the queen! LOL

Pints!

In reply to Pints? We don’t just have pints

Is that what you drink your wussy tea out of (“Twinings Breakfast”) 🙂 Viva PG Tips.

PG Tips?

In reply to Pints!

I thought only chimps drank that!

:p

PG Tipped

In reply to PG Tips?

yeah – and even with crap ads like that it still outsells your poncy brand 🙂

Twinings are going mainstream

In reply to PG Tips?

Haven’t you seen all of those wussy Stephen Fry ads? I’d rather have the chimps!

Ringtons Rules!

In reply to PG Tips?

or so HOB tells me…..

(I don’t drink tea…..!)

😀

GG

Pints!

In reply to Pints? We don’t just have pints

When I hear pint, I think of Guinness Stout even if I am a Yank. Mmmmmmm. Guinnesss!

Guinness = ralf !

In reply to Pints!

I’ve tasted a lot of stout, and every other brand is better than Guinness. Guinness has far less flavor than any of Oregon’s micro breweries’ stout, and even Murphy’s is better.

Guinness Draft!

In reply to Guinness = ralf !

Had to jump in here. The only way to drink Guinness is from a tap, and from an imperial pint glass(any respectable Irish pub will have them, at least here in MA)

That being unavailable, then draft in the bottles and cans is the second best, and from an Imperial pint glass at home. Most good pubs will give you one if you ask to buy one. While I think Guinness Stout is a superior stout, I’d never drink it now.

Nectar of the Gods

In reply to Guinness = ralf !

I thought beer tasted like dishwater until I discovered Guiness on tap at age 19 (legal age was 18 once upon a time). Now I drink all kinds of good stuff like Alfred’s Porter and Dark Night.
http://www.barleyjohns.com/
I suppose if I had the time and inclination I could learn to drink coffee as well but what’s the point when Grand Kemun and Guiness are around?
“I feel like a Guiness. I wish you were one.” High brow humor indeed.

I exercise …

In reply to Sorry, but no and no

It is 1 mile each way from the department store to my office … 😀

]:)

And you’re still a youngster

In reply to I exercise …

Unless you’re superhuman like me, you’ll soon get old and you’re metabolism will slow and you’ll find you that that 1 mile walk doesn’t do the trick anymore. 😐

Yeah I have been

In reply to And you’re still a youngster

contemplating that factor too ….

I went to a gym …. got as far as the door and turned back … Someday I will pluck up enough courage to go in 😀

For now … Biking to the office will have to suffice

]:)

What kind of mile?

In reply to And you’re still a youngster

Are we talking about a real Imperial mile or one of those wussey American miles? LOL

Nautical miles!

In reply to What kind of mile?

That’s a proper Man’s Mile. 6,000 feet and none of them under twelve inches! The miles that Sir Francis Drake used to defeat the Armada.

5,280 feet? That is a WOMAN’S mile.

Then I’m in real trouble

In reply to Coffee

Two to Three cups only??? Then I hope Stargazerr is right in that a pint equals a cup, otherwise I’m drinking waaaaaay too much coffee (just finished a pot)

Dont worry ….

In reply to Then I’m in real trouble

Jaqui will accompany you to wherever you exessive coffee drinkers go …. I think I heard him mention something about drinking 2-3 pots … 😀

]:)

The Big Coffee Pot in the Sky

In reply to Dont worry ….

Hopefully I’ve got a little while to go before making it to that Big Coffee Pot in the Sky, but the company would be nice.

Those 2-3 pots

In reply to Dont worry ….

After reading a few of Jaqui’s posts lately, I’m thinking that those pots he was referring is actually marijuana. haha (No offense to Jaqui for using him as a prop to my joke).

no it’s not

In reply to Dont worry ….

2 or 3 pots of coffee a day, it’s 7 pots of coffee a day, down from 14 pots of coffee a day.

Sorry then BMan007

In reply to no it’s not

Jaqui is not gonna accompany you to wherever you excessive coffee drinkers go …. But he will surely meet you there 😉

]:)

I guess not

In reply to Sorry then BMan007

I guess Jaqui is among the “elite IT” coffee drinkers, and I’m just an “average IT” one.

Ah well.

naw….

In reply to I guess not

I don’t drink coffee, I inhale it as well as absorb through osmosis.
[ literally absorbed some in 20 seconds that had been spilled onto the table, by putting my hand on it. after 20 seconds no trace of coffee on the table, and my hand was dry, not wet with coffee ]

How big is a cup?

In reply to Then I’m in real trouble

As I understand it, the accepted cup size for coffee is 6 fluid ounces (making a “12-cup” pot 72 fluid ounces). Most commercial coffee mugs come in at 10 fluid ounces, explaining why we only get a little over 7 “cups” of coffee out of a “12-cup” pot.

I once worked with a fellow who consumed 4 48-ounce mugs of coffee a day; when he took a “coffee break” it was to fill the mug!

I think he’s mistaken…

In reply to Then I’m in real trouble

I think he meant 2 to 3 POTS…

And don’t forget the JOLT cola. It’s ‘specially good to have it (the cola) stored in the ventilation system for the computer systems of navy ships. Since the room itself is required to be 60 degrees or less, it keeps them ‘fresh’. 🙂

Don’t care what kind

In reply to Coffee

Just Make it cheap and make it plentiful

Coffee

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

I didn’t drink coffee very much until we moved into our new office this past September. They started serving Starbucks for the patient waiting room and for our lounge. I tried the Breakfast Blend and it was really good. (I wouldn’t go to Starbucks and pay 3-4 dollars a cup though.)

I used to drink about two liters of Coke (cola) a day but had to cut back.

2 litres of coke??

In reply to Coffee

Tell me … Do you still have your teeth??

]:)

Yes ma’am

In reply to 2 litres of coke??

I’m old but I still have all my teeth.:) Actually, the reason I had to really cut back was I was bordering on diabetes. My mother had it and I don’t want to push my luck. Thankfully I’m still good. Also, since they came up with Splenda I really like that so I use that in my coffee and my green tea.

I hate Tea

In reply to Yes ma’am

and I dont like coffee either …

All I can drink is coke and hot chocolate … and that too I have to cut back because I am afraid my teeth might turn up like my mom’s … she has lost all of hers at the age of 45 ..

Oh, why why cant we have everything in life??

]:)

Teeth and stuff

In reply to I hate Tea

gazer, your mom’s only 45?? Holy crap! Surely that was a typo and you meant 65.

Actually she is pushing 50 now

In reply to Teeth and stuff

but when she lost her teeth she was 45 …

She has got new ones now … just last week, she was showing them off to me … and celeberating by eating all the chocolate she could 😀

Do you reckon if I just open my mouth wide and gulp coke down without letting it touch my teeth …. My teeth might last longer??

]:)

Actually it’s the citric acid

In reply to Actually she is pushing 50 now

Mountain Dew has even more. I was told by a dentist that if you drink at least a glass of water after drinking pop, you will dilute or eliminate the citric acid and your teeth won’t rot nearly as quickly.

Tea

In reply to I hate Tea

Well, the green tea is supposed to be good for you and I am trying to do better with my intake. I’m drinking a lot more water than I used too and I never have liked water. Oh, well, you do what you have to.

Hey, I’m glad you got your name change figured out. And, I do like the double r’s, especially after you equating them with grr. 🙂

Yeah … better than sstargazer

In reply to Tea

dont want to give people the impression that I stammer 😀

]:)

Mark,

In reply to I hate Tea

she said she fit into your “youngster” category of less than 25 (although she is quite the mature one…) If he mom had her at 20 that would work.

Hope I’m

In reply to Mark,

not laying it on too thick. :^O

My category?

In reply to Mark,

I don’t remember categorizing anyone under 25 as being a youngster. ?:| I’m way over 25 and I consider myself a youngster.

It was just

In reply to My category?

a loose reference to a statement (I thought is was you but it could have been someone else) to a post to or about NZ and the other kid saying something to the effect that most people on TR are over 25… Not a big deal. Not trying to start anything. Just a very loose reference with not much impact meant. Please disregard.

Come On Old Guy …

In reply to My category?

Havent you yet realized the effect the phrase “please disregard” has on us? … 😀

By the way, that was jd who made that comment … I wanted to correct him and say that there are some people younger than 25 … but thought the better of it 🙂

]:)

I was going to not reply, OG

In reply to My category?

But your last sentence told me to disregard it. So I HAVE to reply! How dare you confuse me with someone else? Were you trying to start an argument with me? 😀 (OG, you should know by now when I’m joking around, but you don’t < grabs Old Guy and shakes him > … so I’ll let you that I’m joking around with you. We all make mistakes, even me, and you mistook someone else’s post for mine. No big deal).

Technically, you’re correct, starg

In reply to My category?

But instead of saying “some” people on TR are younger than 25, it’s probably more accurate to say TWO people are younger than 25. ?:| That would be you and uh… Underage Guy. :O It’s proof that age isn’t a surefire indicator of maturity.

Confusion

In reply to My category?

Well, you know how confusion comes with old people. So, you go around beatin? up on old guys, huh? Just wait until that gets around TR.:)

I better clarify

In reply to My category?

In the last sentence of my previous post, I was comparing the difference between stargazer and Underage Guy. It was meant to be a compliment to starg and a putdown to Underage Boy. I’m not sure if it comes out that way when you read it.

Old Guy

In reply to My category?

I march to the tune of my own drummer. At least I don’t follow the national trend of beating up homeless people. 😀
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060120/1054596.asp

In reply to My category?

It did seem like a “I will get you for this” sentence at first … but then I shook my head and read again ….

Thank You Mark 🙂

]:)

A serious note (Re: Homeless people)

In reply to My category?

Mark, that is just sick. I know it has been happening. Unfortunatel Oz nailed it correctly when he said that America is going to hell in a handbasket and this just further proves that.

http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=187837&messageID=1927828

Starg

In reply to My category?

I’m glad I issued my clarification. Just like Old Guy should know by now when I’m joking, you should also know by now that I wouldn’t inentionally say anything mean to you. Brutally honest, yes. But not mean or hurtful.

< Grabs OG and SG and shakes them vigorously >

Homeless people

In reply to My category?

Old Guy, I don’t think America is going down the tubes. Idiotic things like what’s in that story about homeless people is not a trend for the worse. It’s just more of the same thing has been going on forever. Not only in this country but wherever people live. These things just seem worse because it’s happening here and now.

Coffee to Homeless people

In reply to My category?

We really do have a knack of slipping off topic, dont we?? :p

I know Mark that you wont say anything mean to me … I wouldnt let you live, if you do ….

]:)

We have a lot of practice

In reply to My category?

thanks to the Please Disregard non-discussion.

re: revenge for saying something mean – I’d wear a disguise so you wouldn’t be able to find me. I just need to wear dark sunglasses and you wouldn’t recognize me. This is me wearing sunglasses –> B-) looks nothing like me though. I can make myself even more unrecognizable by stuffing my shirt with turnips to make me look fat.

do you know??

In reply to My category?

That turnips catch fire very easily? (as I discovered in an experiment)

And I am very good at weilding blow torches ….

Put 2 and 2 together …. I heard you are good at math … 😉

]:)

Re: Shaking SG & OG

In reply to My category?

I asked my wife if it would be ok if you shook me up with Stargazerr and she said it’s ok. Nothing to worry about. 😉

Stargazerr…

In reply to My category?

to kill M_A_R_K you only have to pull the battery from his pacemaker. ]:)
He did say he is far past 25 years old. ]:)

Thanks for the tip Jaqui ..

In reply to My category?

Now all I have to do is pin Mark down and dig my fingernails into his chest …. 😀

]:)

you are most welcome… M_A_R_K….

In reply to My category?

since I just got stargazerr to plan on ripping your clothes of and playing with you. >:)

Its the silence before the storm …

In reply to My category?

He gets the good stuff only until I manage to smash his rib cage and gently remove the batteries from his pacemaker …

Know anyone who could use it after Mark’s done with it??

]:)

I won’t need that disguise after all

In reply to My category?

My objective has changed. It is no longer to wear a silly sunglassed, turnip-laden disguise and to run and hide from a blowtorch-wielding little stargazer. The objective is now to be found. To make it easier to find me, here is me without a disguise –> :8}

Smash my rib cage, huh? Are you planning to do that with your torpedo or with your bare hands?The best part about all this is that you won’t find a pacemaker. So the poking and prodding may last quite a while. 😀

P.S. Thanks, Jaqui! ]:)

riffelscoffee.com

In reply to Coffee

For the best coffee, go to
http://www.riffelscoffee.com/

the kind of coffee I prefer

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Coffee priorities:

1. Free
2. Hot
3. Fast
4. Good tasting

I can always load it with creamers and flavouring. :^O

The only way I will drink coffee is ..

In reply to the kind of coffee I prefer

1. GREAT tasting .. (which means, should not taste like coffee) 😀

2. Free (If possible, I should be paid for drinking it)

3. Instantaneous

4. Cold (I always burn my tongue and then I cant taste food for days)

]:)

agreed

In reply to The only way I will drink coffee is ..

coffee flavour (like…columbian stuff) is needed straight if you are getting up at 1:45am to drive 4 hours to the airport to pick up your in-laws.

Otherwise…it should be like coffee-flavoured hot cocoa. :^O

Strong!

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Where I work now, they like the coffee VERY strong. I make the coffee everyday and use nearly double the amount recommended.

Personally I like coffee with flavor, a lot of sugar and a little cream. So I buy those flavored creamers a lot. Irish Creme is my fav (too bad it’s not REAL Irish Creme! alas)

If I had my way I’d be drinking at least 2-4 cups a day (I’m a night owl but work 9-5), but I’ve cut back since I was diagnosed with PKD a year ago.

Coffee Roasted to Order

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Check out Ravensbrew.com (no, I don’t work there and this is not a paid endorsement). The coffe is not roasted until you order it. You cannot get coffee more flavorful (flavourful, for our Canadian brethren) than this unless you roast it yourself. Of course, if you do that it can take years of trial and error to come up with good blends; they take that task off of your hands.

Diet Dr. Pepper

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

I love the smell of coffee, like coffee ice cream, but hate to drink it. I’m a Diet Dr. Pepper fan. Plain is the best, but occasionally, if I feel particularly festive, I might splurge on the cherry vanilla version. Diet Dr. P has seen me through many a long night.

Diet DP

In reply to Diet Dr. Pepper

While I must say that I drink my fair share of coffee in the mornings, in the afternoons I love a diet DP or even better a cherry vanilla diet DP. Great stuff.
Here at work the Folgers brand is free so I drink that, but at home when I’m buying I prefer Yuba Colombian.

Dr Pepper is the life blood

In reply to Diet Dr. Pepper

Regular DP for me! Keeps me going, and going, and going…

Does DP have any caffeine?

In reply to Dr Pepper is the life blood

I love the taste of the stuff, but can’t imagine drinkign it to stay awake. I’m that way with all of the pops/sodas. They have too much sugar for me!!

Diet vs sugar

In reply to Does DP have any caffeine?

A 20oz bottle of regular soda has the equivalent of 1/3 cup or more of sugar depending on the brand. However, Diet is my poison, so, Zero calories, and no suger.

Tea, Coffee & Water

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Tea – Earl Grey

Coffee – Community Coffee with Chicory (New Orleans Blend)
You can find Community Coffee online and order it there.

Is this the Rushman from my air force days

In reply to Tea, Coffee & Water

Like, oh my god If this is you, I found you again. any way, about the coffe or tea thing. I like both, but it depends upon my mood. I don’t have to drink either anymore. I do it for the pleasure of it now. I like a variety of flavours. From a Irish cream Capaccino to a plain folgers with suger. they have to be sweet. as for tea i like a spiced orange pekoe and a lemom-herbed flavour . it’s amore. adois

Chicory? Ack, cough

In reply to Tea, Coffee & Water

Sorry. I spent a total of 7 years in Biloxi (B.C. – before casinos) and never could get used to the taste of chicory in my coffee. Community does make an excellent Colombian without the chicory, but you can only get it ground and I prefer whole bean. Fortunately, through a work connection, I have access to Millstone’s best bulk beans at $3.99/pound.

Kona, or a blend…

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

I’m a big fan of Kona coffee, or at least a Kona blend. Either is a bit pricy, so I can’t afford to drink it daily, but otherwise I stick with brewing SBUX Cafe Verona at home…

Kona Coffee

In reply to Kona, or a blend…

Not a huge coffee drinker, but when I do drink a pot, it must be Kona coffee. Specifically Baba’s Beans from the Koa Coffee Plantation. The private reserve is awesome! Check out the website at http://www.koacoffee.com I have it flown in right from Hawaii via Fedex. It is the best I have had.

Sounds good

In reply to Kona Coffee

Sweet, I’ll order some to see how it is… You can never have too much coffee!

OH Man! Kona…

In reply to Sounds good

I love that stuuf as a blend or straight up Kona when possible. It is the gold standard of coffe beans IMHO!Tried Jamacan Blue, and it just didn’t live up to the hype for me!!

Purist

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

After thirty years of drinking coffee, I just don’t get the whole gourmet coffee thing. For me it is pure 100% Columbian blend made with distilled water. Nothing like having coffee that actually tastes like it smells! Nothing worse than having it grab you by the nose and drag you to the break area only to to have your tongue slap your brain and say, “We’ve been lied to!” Variations may be good for combating boredom, but I’ll stick with Juan Valdez for my source of the heavenly nectar.

Maxwell House Lite

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

About 24 cups daily, made in a Black & Decker Coffeemaker.

Top 5 coffees

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

1. Trader Joe’s Bay Blend
Strong, flavorful, and relatively inexpensive.
Hey, something West Coast that’s actually quite
good!

2. Trader Joe’s Island Blend
Rich flavor, relatively inexpensive.

3. Eight O’Clock – Original
That you can get great-tasting whole-bean coffee
for this price (under $5) is just awesome!

4. Chock Full O’Nuts – Original
At just under $5 a can, it’s affordable. Also,
it’s got a rich taste and is not too acidic.

5. Dunkin’ Donuts coffee
My finacee’s dad loves the stuff. But, he’s from
Connecticut and thinks ANYTHING from New England
is the best. (The company is based in
Massachusetts.) One of these days I’m going to
have to show him that the best stuff is WEST of
Greenwich, Conn., not east (or south and north if
you go by the direction signs on I-95). As for
the coffee, it’s not bad, though too acidic for
my tastes. And at nearly $10 for a package, it’s
definitely NOT worth the price.

Coffee – one of the 4 food groups

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

FREE COFFEE tops the list. For me, coffee is one of the four major food groups along with Grease, Sugar and Everything else. Daddy told me long ago to learn to drink my coffee black and strong. As a traveling trainer/consultant I’m at the mercy of whatever facility I’m working in.

We Simply Opened Our Own Coffee House!

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

As Oracle geeks, we got tired of driving 35 miles to get a halfway-decent cup of coffee. So, we simply opened our own coffee house, and turned it into an Internet Cafe with gourmet wraps and good stuff (chocolate croissantss!).

It was so successful we’ve opened a second. We brew Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters products here in New York – to support local business, and it is a mighty fine brand of different coffees!

Check out http://www.coffee-creek.com – it’s the juice that supports CobbleSoft and our helpdesk software! We’ll even send you free coffee when you buy the software – that’s how good it is!

Anything from Starbucks is good

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

I love the African and Far Eastern Coffees. But Expresso roast arabica coffee made into a Cafe Latte or drunk as Expresso with cream and sweetner.

Anything from Starbucks is good … for washing dishes in

In reply to Anything from Starbucks is good

No self-respecting coffee drinker would be seen dead inside a Starbucks.

Here here.

In reply to Anything from Starbucks is good … for washing dishes in

that and coffee that’s really just warmed up milk.

Starbucks is the Antichrist of coffee

In reply to Anything from Starbucks is good … for washing dishes in

Starbuks coffe has become the trendsetting form of coffee. Like the computer geeks of the past when back in the early 90’s you were a true geek if you could say you had your own domain and web space. Now, anyone with half an IQ can create a website. it is these lackluster people that think in order to be accepted into the coffee wolrd, they have to drink coffee from an extremely over-priced and equally under-tasting coffee shop.

—->>>Applauds! while slurrping her milky way cappucino

In reply to Starbucks is the Antichrist of coffee

I pay homage to a freinds daughter who works at a coffee house. (Not Starbucks!) I bought my own cappucino machine, and she brings me bottles of the syrups necessary to make whatever I like. My favorite is the “milky way cappucino”. One part white chocolate syrup, one part milk chocolate syrup, and two parts caramel syrup added to a double expresso. Top with heavy whipped cream and drizzle with more syrup… followed by an hour on my BowFlex Revolution….

now come on!

In reply to Starbucks is the Antichrist of coffee

Starbucks is overpriced, quite often brewed too strong and overhyped, but you have to give it some credit for making mainstream america realize that there is more than just pre-ground Folger’s in the can!

Oh sure… they had their kudos…

In reply to now come on!

I do give Starbucks credit in that regard, and wish I owned a chunk of “Star-stock”. The last several times I made an effort to attain a quality cup of coffee at one of thier establishments, however, each variety had the same, watered down, burnt coffee taste I could have gotten off a camp-fire at a gold-diggers site left over from the ’49 gold rush! If local mgmt was more concerened with taste over status-image, I would still be a die hard Star-bucks fan.

not a geek

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

I guess I’m not a geek. I prefer sleep over caffeine.

COFFEE IS NOT JUST FOR IT PROS

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

There are those of us in offices who rely on you IT Pros to keep the IT perking along who also are coffee snobs. As an accountant and tax pro, I drink quite a bit of Starbucks. My dad works in the office also, and he actually brought in whole beans (Starbucks French Roast) and a coffee grinder for our afternoon
pick-me-up. And I’ve just ordered a pair of great coffee t-shirts from ThinkGeek.com for my new boyfriend and myself.

wonderful healthy coffe

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

I have found a way to reduce my coffee imput. it is called Gano Excel it is Brazillian coffee and reishi mushroom and has only 1/12 the caffeine but still gives a lift to get you to the computer. also it is alkaline, since you know coffe is very acid and all my vegan friends laughed at me for drinking anything acid. no headaches when I cut back my caffeine level from about 200 grams a day, now about 4.

Why do your vegan friends laugh at you?

In reply to wonderful healthy coffe

Just interested, you know. It’s the milk and cream that are acidic, pH5. The pH of coffee is around 6.9 – near as dammit neutral. Milk also contains buffering agents that tend to hold the pH of the mixture closer to that of milk. Drink it black or you’re wasting your time – if you believe the crap that vegans spout to justify themselves, that is.

Weren’t our mothers really bad to us feeding us all that acid milk?

COFFE BLACK, NOT ACIDIC?

In reply to Why do your vegan friends laugh at you?

MY DOCTOR SAYS THAT EVEN BLACK COFFE IS STILL ACIDIC. i GUESS i WILL HAVE TO DO THE LITMUS TEST AND SEE WHO IS RIGHT. BUT i STILL LOVE THE gANO COFFE MADE WITH Rieshi mushrooms with a long history of many healthy properties.

I’ve checked my sources

In reply to COFFE BLACK, NOT ACIDIC?

And coffee is, in fact, slightly acidic but less so than beer or fruit juices. The darker the roast, the less the acidity. Generally it’s quoted at around 5 to 5.5 which is about the acidity of fizzy water. Stick some litmus in it anyway and judge it for yourself. I drink tea at around pH 6 but that’s because I like tea.

I still wouldn’t listen to vegans for nutritional advice, though, and now I wouldn’t listen to me, either. :p

Coffee no, caffiene Yes!

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Wouldn’t do coffee on a bet. However, a Diet Pepsi can be siphoned in a heartbeat. I’m sure there are lots of other Geeks out there that do either soda or tea also.

Just NO-DOZE It— All the rage sans the calories

In reply to Coffee no, caffiene Yes!

Too much aspartame is very BAAADD for one’s liver and kidneys, TRUST ME ON THIS. (The docs thought I had MS until I stopped drinking 2 liters of diet Mountain Dew a day!) At a sleek size 2 petite in an otherwise all male department, straight up caffeine tabs and a gallon of water a day worked out much better than any vile coffe, tea, or artificial sweetener. Even after I quit the coporate office to begin my own IT company and expand my family, I couldn’t live without my calorie-free engergizer tabs. Now there’s supposed to be a new prescription medication called Provigil that is supposed to increase alertness, concentration, and induce a feeling of euphoria without the cardiac activation of other stimulants. Wouldn’t that be IT Geek Nirvana? Fully awake and extraordinarily productive happy IT Geeks at work! If management ever found out about Provigi’s potential, it would be mandatory for obtaining and maintaining employment!

Your Palate Should Dictate

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Hello there,

I don’t know what the trends are but my recommendation would be plain old Folgers……of course, there are flavored coffee grounds, and so on so forth…….so the ultimate best pick would probably be whatever your coworkers and yourself are able to compromise on.

If you’re ever in Tainan, Taiwan….

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Slightly off topic, but I must tell you all about this.

I was in Tainan, Taiwan (just outside of Kaohsiung) on business, and I found a great, not just good, coffee spot there! My host, who had lived in San Francisco for several years, took me to “Mellow Quaffable” for coffee after a local’s breakfast of beef soup with ginger. He said it was way better than anything he could find in SF. It was the finest shot of coffee I’ve ever had. The place buys green beans of several varieties. They’ll roast them to order if you want to buy some. Man, I can still recall the taste of that latte.

Coffee or whatever else suits

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

When doing serious work, I guess I am allowed to use the four letter word here, strong black coffee keeps me going, any brand. Being self employed I can call the shots as a big percentage of my work is done in the home office. Fixing someone elses computer, coffee is a must as a brain stimulant. Working on my own marketing campaigns or websites is sometimes accompanied by Scotch or Irish whisky and usually occurs late at night, I find whisky helps some of the artistic side of my brain the chance to break through the strict guidelines laid down by the logical side. Then comes the relaxing time on the computer, right now it’s Saturday afternoon and, thanks to the internet, I will shortly be having a beer with my son. I am in Saskatoon, Canada and he is in Scotland where it is Saturday evening, what a great thing a web cam is.
Maybe I am a little off topic but computers can accompany a variety of beverages, just watch out not to spill it in the keyboard!!

Coffee Water

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Water used has a lot to do with the quality of coffee. I use only bottled distilled or drinking water with no additives.

Graffeo

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Graffeo (Bay Area & Beverly Hills) dark blend is one of the best. Of course, make it in a pot over the stove!

Chocolate – one of the best is Richuiti in SF. Good coco is hard to find:(

Hot chocolate – it has to be drank as Mayans did. Look it up and you’ll forget about Hershey hot chocolate.

One last thing. Cheese! Unpausterised milk Eppoise. Extremely hard to find:(

Coffee in New Orleans

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

New Orleans is the city of coffee (not chocolate as our mayor claims). We have many brands roasted and sold in the city. My favorites are Community Dark Roast and Community New Orleans Blend (Coffee and Chicory). You have to be a native to like the chicory blend; we’re raised with it.

We also have many coffee houses and cafes. Starbucks has a difficult time making it here; our home grown coffee houses are SO much better. Besides, how can anyone enjoy burnt coffee? That’s what Starbucks tastes like to me.

My favorite is…

In reply to Coffee in New Orleans

I prefer Peet’s Coffee. It started as a small coffee house in Berkeley California and branched out locally in several places in the Bay Area. Most recently it went public. My favorites are Major Dickison’s Blend and Mocha Java. (It’s much better than Starbucks)

Geeks, ITs and Coffee…

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

No self respecting member of the Geek or IT communities arsenal would be complete without caffene. The ultimate blend comes from Trader Joe’s. Start with one large can of French Roast beans poured into an extra large mixing pan. Add one bag of Ultra Dark coffee bean, One bag of Double Dark coffee beans and a regular can of Espresso beans. Mix well and place in sealable storage containers. Grind desired amount and brew when the inevitable urge for caffene strikes! The flavor of this blend is wonderful, the caffene high is supreme and after 6 or 7 cups your online experience while be sublime…

Tim Horton’s

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

ok, not to speak for ‘everyone’ in toronto – but i think that i speak for most of my colleagues when i say that Tim Horton’s coffee is the best.

– that is, if you’re not grinding your own coffee beans…

Not a coffee drinker but…

In reply to Tim Horton’s

I have to admit that Tim Horton’s was excellent when I worked in Toronto for a week. The only time I actually enjoyed coffee! I saw one somewhere in Connecticut.

IT professionals: Roast Coffee in your Popcorn Popper!

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

The best freshest coffee I have found is when you roast it yourself. If you want to take the Geek factor to the next level, through about two cups of green beans into your pop corn popper(Usually found at a local coffee roaster for about half the price of regular coffee or online for even less). It takes about ten minutes. The beans come out writhing in there own oils. If you grind them while they are still warm, now that is what IT specialists really need. Don’t be worried about it leaving a taste and wreaking your pop corn on the next go, just wipe the oils down with a paper towel. Honestly, I have been doing both in our tired old popper for over a year now and have yet to find coffee that tastes like popcorn or vice-versa. Try it, you will get hooked, and be more productive(The caffeine content seems higher).

Give me coffee or give me death! (or I’ll kill you…)

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Is there anything other than coffee? If I don’t have my morning injection of jet fuel I’ll get a migraine and have homicidal urges. Lay coffee plants on my casket and mark my grave with a Folger’s can. Give my regards to The Coffee Gallery and Aroma House. Oh! And if it’s decaf.. IT”S NOT COFFEE!

monkey turd coffee

In reply to Give me coffee or give me death! (or I’ll kill you…)

some say it’s true and some say it is an urban legend. Decide for yourself:

http://saint-monkey.livejournal.com/#item234557

Timmy-Ho’s

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

I prefer a good hot cup of Tim Horton’s coffee!

More worried about quality than brand.

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

While I do have a favorite brand, I am just as likely to purchase my coffee on the road, so I generally take either the Colombian, or if I’m really tired, the dark roast. Fortunately, many of the chain stores and truck stops at freeway exits now provide a choice of at least Colombian, dark roast, or why bother, I mean decaf.

I don’t really go for flavors in my coffee, with the exception of Bailey’s Irish Cream (hic!).

Actually, for a while in the early 90s, I was really worried about my future chances of getting good coffee, as illustrated by this story, which took place in a Starbucks in [large northeastern city] in 1994.

I walked in, thinking to have a cappucino and cigarette (at a sidewalk table, of course!) while waiting for my wife to finish shopping. When I ordered, the young lady behind the counter asked what flavor I would like. My response was “Coffee.” She turned, scanned the row of flavor decanters behind her for several seconds, turned back around, and said “I don’t think we have that!”

Dark has less!

In reply to More worried about quality than brand.

Just as a snobby reply to the above; The darker the roast, the lower the amount of caffiene(?) Lighter roasts, such as Columbian, have far more caffeine than say a French Roast which ironically tastes much stronger.

On the topic of best coffee….

The winner is the Supreme Bean, which is sold by phone, or over the internet at http://www.joetogo.com

Their prices are excellent, and they sell only Grade 1 or A coffees; as opposed to what Starbucks admits they sell as basically bottom of the barrel.

And no, I do not work there, I am just an extremely satisfied customer.

bblut

Rockstar and Monster

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

I used to be a coffee-holic even spending hundreds of dollars on an expresso machine, but I have not brewed a cup in a while… Why you ask? Well, let me tell you… I am now hooked on “energy drinks”. Two brands: Monster Lo-Carb and Rockstar Diet. I am ashamed to admit that I buy them by the case. I drink one for a while and then switch to the other. My rather flimsy justification at this point goes along the lines of: “This is the year 2000 version of Jolt.”

yes definitely

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

on a sunday morning as I am doing status reports for the team I manage……sipping a homemade chocolate macciato..
we have a local coffee roaster so I am anti “brand name”. I prefer what our local barista calls a viennese blend. rich roast, low acidity, wonderful aroma and fresh roasted on tuesday’s and thursdays. Ethiopian or sumatran beans are our favs. Starbucks has updated their machines and all make watery brews….that was my last straw. plus it is hard to buy stuff that has been in bags for 3+ months, vacuum sealed or not. there is nothing like a fresh roasted bean…..

white castle has a tolerable regular blend found in the office coffee pots. but it is only tolerable with 2 tblspns of gheradeli chocolate. (I can’t spell)

Tea…and Water Joe

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

I have found a new love in Tea. The only problem is that it didn;t have enought caffeine. So I typically have a cup of Earl Grey but use Water Joe for my water. (www.waterjoe.com) This really pumps up the caffeine and gives me a different flavor than coffee. I’ve also thought about a Starbucks Breakfast Blend made with Water Joe but didn’t know if I’d be able to sleep.

coffee drinking

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

There would be no IT without coffee and tea. Caffeine makes the system function. As long as the coffee is better than Folger’s, strong and warm– it works. The tea can be green, black, hot or iced as long as it provides a good jolt to the system. If someone is looking for a brand then they have to much time on their hands and not enouch IT work to do.

Blends of Bliss

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

I don’t know about in America, here is Australia Starbucks coffee is the worst. Lavazza blends and Jamaican Blue’s are nice, though Jamaican Blue’s are rare here.

I get my fix in many ways

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

I get bored easily. So, I get my caffeine in many ways.

I usually start the day off with a cup of fresh graound coffee at home. Then, once I get to work, it is Starbucks Breakfast blend,(provided for free at work). Around lunch, I have a monster Lo-Carb, and then around 3:00 I have a nalgene full of Green Tea.

After that, I am done with my caffeine for the day.

It’s not just the coffee

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

I would say that it is not the brand of coffee that marks a true geek but the way in which it is made. I once saw a coffee conveyor belt made out of mechanno and nowadays I would suggest that the entry level would be a networked Phillips Sensio

I guess I must be one of those boring North Americans

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

My favorite is 7-11 regular house blend, followed by plain old Folgers Classic Roast. I love expresso, prefer the Starbucks Express or Italian roast, but for the past several years I have discovered that I can’t drink more than one or two expressos without stomache upset, and so I reserve express for special occasions, like days that end in “y”.

I have discovered that as I age the caffiene hits me harder, so I tend to avoid coffee, tes, soda and the like after 2 or three in the after noon. I used to have a nice cuppa before bed, but now days it is chammomile or pepperment. Oh well, getting old sucks, but not as bad as the alternative.

Quarta Coffee brand is (IMHO) the best.

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

I’m ITC Professional and and drink quite a bit of coffee. The best Coffee brand is Quarta Caff?: a Sud Italian (Puglia) brand that i found it even in Paris. IMHO IMHO IMHO

What no Darjeeling or Green Gunpowder fans?

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

While I LOVE coffee, particularly Kona blends. I also drink quite a bit of Darjeeling and Gunpowder green tea. And no I’m not european I just like tea. (can you tell that I catch some grief from the folks around the office for drinking hot tea in iced tea country?)

Glad I’m Not Alone

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

A fellow worker and I are considered the coffee snobs around
here!

My work offers free coffee, but it is so bad that I can only drink
one cup before my stomach is upset.

So, we started to bring in our own, and grind beans just before
making a pot, Yum 🙂

Glad to know that I am not alone with my coffee obsession at
work 🙂

~
~
\—/
\ /O
—-

Coke, Mountain Dew and coffe

In reply to Glad I’m Not Alone

Well, for me it gets down to Coke (sometimes around 2 lts day – and yes, still got my teeth), Mountain Dew (the only thing I’ve found that gets close to Coke) and coffe.

Strange, a lot of people mention Coke but nobody Pepsi…

Not alone!

In reply to Glad I’m Not Alone

Oh yes, I grind and bring in a thermos of coffee in the morning — hopefully it will last until 10 am. Then it is a cup or two of the free swill that is foisted upon the unwashed. I personally like a local Guatemalan that has a wonderful flavor!

It’s not real coffee unless it makes your head sweat

In reply to Glad I’m Not Alone

Best think our corporate foodservice did was installing a coffee bar. I start every day with a triple cappucino. And sometimes I get another one in the p.m.

I should have stock in Starbucks

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

I use heavy infusions of skim vanilla latte’s… usually with extra shots thrown in. During the holidays I get the holiday drinks.. the peppermint mocha kills, as does the eggnog latte. Dang! Now that I’ve typed this I want to run out and get one!

oh…. and Red Bull

In reply to I should have stock in Starbucks

I drink a LOT of Red Bull….. hook up a caffeine IV and I’d be happy.

Red Bull – careful, now!

In reply to oh…. and Red Bull

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/4634638.stm

Coffe – a Necesity not a luxary

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Coffee-don’t get me started.

I prefer medium roast to high roast. Not least is because the roasting process drives some of the caffiene out of the bean. Second, beans go stale, and ground coffee goes stale even faster. It keeps OK for a few weeks in a cool dark place, but once ground, use it when you grind or chuck it away.

I get all my coffee from The Algerian Coffee Company, on Old Compton Street in Soho. I usually buy in person, but over xmas could not make it u to town, so opted for mail order. Their Columbian Meddalin (spelling) and the Peruvian Organic beans are to die for.

We’ve been through their entire list pretty much, and these two are my favourites.

Then you need to consider grinding and making the coffee. I use a cheap blade grinder (can’t afford a burr grinder) and make my coffee in a French Press. I know some will be sad, but I like a milk with my coffee.

All this typing has made me thirsy, time for another pot…

Yuck

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

I don’t drink coffee at all. I don’t like it, and more than that I am very anti-cool. Everyone here in “the O.C.” drinks coffee and hangs out at Starbucks and bookstores because “its cool” and to project some pseudo intellectual image. Anything I can do to limit my association to these people I do. I usually just drink water or Gatoraid or something…

Seattle’s Best

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Seattle’s Best Coffee, two scoops per cup, is just about right for a good night of database design.

Good Coffee

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Good question. At home I like the Black Satin blend of coffee I get at Winco Foods. Winco is a discount supermarket based in the northwest. The coffee is under $10 a pound and you grind it yourself. Grocery Outlet has a good French roast. As for snobbery, I may have once been snobbish. I do prefer a local brand or roaster, and find that Starbucks latte put me to sleep. Have not tried Jamaican Blue. Can recommend Sulawesi (I think it’s from Indonesia). I seem to prefer beans that are dark roasted and oily. I actually believe coffee increases mental acuity and induces more accurate work!

IT Pros and Coffee

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Community Coffee Dark Roast. The ONLY way to fly.

My Coffee Choice…

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

I like just plain folgers… as a poor college student (I say poor because 90% of what I earn goes towards tuition) I can get it rather cheap. Here at work they use Maxwell House which isn’t too horrible.

I drink coffee ONLY black… and normally at around midnight or so. I really don’t understand why, but that’s what I do. *shrugs*

In the mornings, I just drink lots of water.

Jamaican Blue Mountain stuff

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

I love my coffee and the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee takes the cake…..mmmmhhh I can smell the sweet aroma.

as long as it’s quality

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Since us coffee lovers drink so much of it as long as it’s quality is all that matters. Hard to drink a lot of the free stuff in the office lunch room and not have it rot your gut out 😛 Like going with a local roaster instead of a national chain….

Coffee??

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Who cares as long as it as least warm. What ever is in the nearest pot

Almost Anything but Starbucks

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Tullys is a good place to start

Interesting thought

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

Do I.T. Professionals in Khazakastan (sp) drink fermented mare’s milk and tea at work?

I presume they are using solar-powered laptops with a Wi-Fi/Satellite hybrid network while they roam the steppes in their 1 and 2 hp wagons.

No specific brand here, but…

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

The best coffee I ever had was when I worked in a service bureau back in the late 60’s and early 70’s. It was Huggins Mocha Java. We had a huge coffee brewer and this stuff was available 24×7. If you sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon of salt over the grounds before you brew the coffee, it cuts the acid and makes the coffee taste much better.

Most other places I worked just bought plain ole Folgers which I’ve always liked. The coffee where I work now just plain sucks. I still manage to have 2 cups a day… then I switch to this fabulous green tea one of my coworkers brings in (his wife sells it). Other than that, I drink lots of water (often hot) because it always tastes good and is good for health.

Alto Grande Expresso puertorican coffee

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

My favorite one is Alto Grande Expresso puertorican coffee. One big cup make me up and hyper for hours, besides his flavor is exquisite.

Java be good

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

We are avid home roasters. Buy the beans green and cookem til they’re right. Working on a huge bag of Columbian Peaberries right now. The only way to go.

Tim Hortons

In reply to IT Pros and Coffee

I just drink Tim Hortons coffee and cappuccino. But most of my fellow students drink coffee as well. However, I don’t think it’s the IT industry alone… coffee is everywhere ehehe!

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