The AH Coffee Shop and Reading Room 09

[NotWise]

Many brands use Arabica (generally perceived to be the better bean) for espresso - Lavazza for example (also Nescaff, if you count that as espresso). Robusta is more drought and weather resistant so wasn't historically grown for flavour as much, and is a stronger, sometimes bitter, flavour, but now is starting to get more love and be grown for its own flavour, or be mixed with Arabica to make a tastier blend.

Lots of brands have marketed themselves for years as being pure Arabica (and thus superior) but in fact there's huge amounts of adulteration in the coffee industry. (nearly as bad as all the 'premium' orange juice that's actually pulp wash).

Because of the long history of coffee rust, quite a bit of the coffee produced now as arabica is probably a hybrid of arabica and robusta, but the hybrids don't work forever, because the rust fungus mutates and adapts. One effect will probably be to force coffee prices higher, and another is . . . We can all drink tea.

 

[Bramblethorn]

If it's hot, brown, and caffeinated, that'll do me. (I once asked the boyfriend why he'd brought me tea that morning, not coffee. He blinked a lot and explained it had been tea every week for the last 5 years... I'm not very with it in mornings.)

Would you be referring to Arabica coffee being the third-most faked foodstuff in the world (after 'pure' orange juice and 'virgin' olive oil), distinguishable only by NMR?

Honey is also up there - some estimates put it at #3: https://newzealandhoneyco.com/blogs/honey-articles/fake-manuka-honey-what-you-need-to-know

Substituting different varieties might be relatively innocuous, but fake food can sometimes be lethal; I remember back in the early 1980s Spain had an olive oil adulteration episode that killed something like a thousand people.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Honey is also up there - some estimates put it at #3: https://newzealandhoneyco.com/blogs/honey-articles/fake-manuka-honey-what-you-need-to-know

Substituting different varieties might be relatively innocuous, but fake food can sometimes be lethal; I remember back in the early 1980s Spain had an olive oil adulteration episode that killed something like a thousand people.

Yes, the course I did on food fraud had honey behind the top 3 in volume, but mentioned that in value it was rising. Not just fake manuka - a lot of 'wild flower' honey is actually from farmed bees and sugar water, which is harder to detect than adulteration with syrup.

The horse meat scandal of 2013 got people more interested in their food provenance in Europe. Luckily it turned out that all the meat was legit at the point of slaughter, just batches got supplied to certain processors that had labels swapped en route (beef was 50% or more horse). Mostly from Draap, a Dutch meat processor headed in Cyprus and registered in the Virgin Islands. 'Draap' is 'horse' backwards in Dutch...

 

[Handley_Page]

I've managed to locate someone who can cut my hair. This may sound daft, but I have difficulty walking from my back door down the garden, so someone to come and do it all for me is - apparently - the right thing.

All I need now is some coffee.

 

[Duleigh]

Lots of brands have marketed themselves for years as being pure Arabica (and thus superior) but in fact there's huge amounts of adulteration in the coffee industry. (nearly as bad as all the 'premium' orange juice that's actually pulp wash).

Living in the land of sunshine - I make my own orange juice. March is perfect, folks with trees in their yards are giving away left over fruit and the first appliance I purchased was a juicer. This year I did grapefruit juice - the grapefruit I got was beautiful and similar fruit in the grocery store were $3.75 Each! I wonder what they went for in distant, rural states like Montana or North Dakota. I juiced 'em and froze 'em.

Speaking of grapefruit juice - COFFEE's ON!

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Living in the land of sunshine - I make my own orange juice. March is perfect, folks with trees in their yards are giving away left over fruit and the first appliance I purchased was a juicer. This year I did grapefruit juice - the grapefruit I got was beautiful and similar fruit in the grocery store were $3.75 Each! I wonder what they went for in distant, rural states like Montana or North Dakota. I juiced 'em and froze 'em.

Speaking of grapefruit juice - COFFEE's ON!

Growing up at a time when the only orange juice was From Concentrate UHT, or the wee frozen cans of concentrate you mixed with water (much better), it was a revelation when I visited an aunt in Orange County and got to pick fresh oranges off overhanging trees.

Fresh fruit and sunshine is one reason Brits go abroad on holiday. It was the best thing about living in the Middle East - fuck the environment, let's fly in loads of fresh produce from around the world every day, and you can have it freshly juiced with your meal! I didn't miss alcohol when I could have perfect fresh strawberry juice, melon juice or mango juice with an excellent dish in a restaurant.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Fresh fruit ripe off the tree is what I miss when we moved here from central Victoria. Peaches, nectarines, apricots in summer, then apples and pears in autumn.

But then, we get fish fresh off the trawler here, so yeah. It's a trade off.

 

[AloneTooLong]

in the process of building a 'food forest' in the backyard; currently have (these are young trees) 2 apple, 2 peach, 3 fig, 1 avocado, 1 Persian lime, 1 Meyer lemon, 2 blueberry bush, 2 blackberry bush; house already had mature pecan trees. Raised beds for tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, herbs; potatoes, Fall will bring 'winter' veggies. Also growing cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, watermelon. Gotta go turn off the drip irrigation in the tomato/herb bed. Later ya'll

 

[dmallord]

Olive Oil was in on adultery and killed thousands?!!!

Wait, you're not talking about cartoons, right? I'm sorry. My mind drifted thinking about TX for a moment.

 

[JGittes]

This morning, as I walked my two dachshunds, I saw the bronze eyes of a fox floating through the garden allotments.

It also appears the pair of Canada geese who returned to our little village pond a couple of months ago have started their nest. Only one at a time has been seen on the pond for three days now.

 

[orangecurious]

Morning.... coffee is on

 

[MrPixel]

¡Muchas gracias!

 

[Duleigh]

Growing up at a time when the only orange juice was From Concentrate UHT, or the wee frozen cans of concentrate you mixed with water (much better), it was a revelation when I visited an aunt in Orange County and got to pick fresh oranges off overhanging trees.

Fresh fruit and sunshine is one reason Brits go abroad on holiday. It was the best thing about living in the Middle East - fuck the environment, let's fly in loads of fresh produce from around the world every day, and you can have it freshly juiced with your meal! I didn't miss alcohol when I could have perfect fresh strawberry juice, melon juice or mango juice with an excellent dish in a restaurant.

The middle east was nice and warm and sunny. The scud missiles raining down on our heads was a bit of a nuisance however.

 

[NotWise]

It's a breezy morning, but I need to get out and polish off some more of the spring chores. I picked up trash along the roads beside the yard. Next I'll de-scale the fountain and get it started. I'll prune the trumpet vine this year, too.

The gladiolas I planted two weeks ago are starting to come up. I've planted two courses of those things, and I have five more to plant before the bed is full.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

The middle east was nice and warm and sunny. The scud missiles raining down on our heads was a bit of a nuisance however.

Luckily when I was there they'd taken a break, so you just had to stay on paved surfaces to avoid land mines (so no sunbathing on secluded beaches). Then the last trip meant a bit of a scenic route home. Turns out you can evacuate 500 pax from a jumbo and replace them with another 500, and take off again, in under 15 minutes, when people are sufficiently motivated.

I wonder how this lesson could be applied at Gatwick? I suspect they frown on pointing missiles at the South Terminal. But honestly, if the jury had ever flown Wizzair and suffered their wheeze of shifting your 7am flight forward 45 min just so they can save costs of gate staff, make you board from 5.30, and the plane still only leaves at 7, they'd never convict...

 

[NotWise]

We have another bright, sunny day on tap. This one should be calm and a little cooler than the last few. My to-do list includes: mow and trim the lawn, trim the trumpet vine, dig up the dahlia beds, clean the big aquarium.

Maybe there'll be some time for writing.

 

[MrPixel]

Yesterday I wrapped up yet another story in the Barstow series. I have four in the can now, two to upload in May, one for the sports event in June, and one after that. So I'm taking a writing break unless inspiration hits me over the head again.

So what to do, what to do? I know! Study major orchestral works and see what I can adapt for concert wind ensembles. What was that? Mahler's 2nd, 5th movement? Not a bad idea. Lots of nice brass passages in there. That'll keep me busy, I suspect.

 

[Seadog777]

I hope that everyone had a good week last week, or at least better than mine was. LOL.

I am feeling better. Finally able to keep liquids and food down.

Any news on @TxRad???

This is why I'm in favor of a phone tree.

What is everyone doing on this Sunday???

 

[Rustyoznail]

No word @Seadog777. I've sent an email, but no answer.

 

[_Lynn_]

No word @Seadog777. I've sent an email, but no answer.

No answer to mine either.

 

[Seadog777]

No word @Seadog777. I've sent an email, but no answer.

No answer to mine either.

A phone tree, even if it's only text, would be extremely helpful in a case like this.

I've had TX in my prayers all week.

 

[_Lynn_]

A phone tree, even if it's only text, would be extremely helpful in a case like this.

I've had TX in my prayers all week.

Yeah. I know he's not doing well. And he might not have revealed everything to us either.

I used to have people here I kept up with every few days. We talked on the phone, sent a text, or just a message here on Lit. It helped.

 

[Seadog777]

Yeah. I know he's not doing well. And he might not have revealed everything to us either.

I used to have people here I kept up with every few days. We talked on the phone, sent a text, or just a message here on Lit. It helped.

That's wonderful.
I'd happily share my cell.
That is the best way to keep in contact with me, since I'm on-call 24/7.

 

[NotWise]

Crystal Gale had a hit with "Don't it Turn My Brown Eyes Blue." Maybe I could do something with a song for gardeners: "Don't it Turn my Blue Jeans Brown."

Nah. Never mind.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Crystal Gale had a hit with "Don't it Turn My Brown Eyes Blue." Maybe I could do something with a song for gardeners: "Don't it Turn my Blue Jeans Brown."

Nah. Never mind.

"Things that porn has ruined for you."