Fun at Fourbucks

[sparkygearhead]

On the advice of Muchafraid76, I sought out a Starbucks and tried the blueberry creme frappa-whatever.   I go into a Starbucks about once a year, and rarely on my own initiative.  The recommended drink was indeed tasty, but I had more entertainment value out of the attendants barristas.

While they bustled about behind the counter preparing my

Comments

[snapperboy]

That French press travel mug? Don't do it unless you like bitter coffee-- or unless you drink the whole cup pretty fast. Trouble is that the grounds continue to sit in the brew. I guess you could add chickory to help with that, NOLA style.

[sparkygearhead]

Since I have to drink unleaded, that might actually lend some flavor!

I think the theory is that the grounds get pressed to the bottom of the mug tightly, and no more circulation of the brew can take place. Of course, this is theory, and everything works well in theory.

[snapperboy]

Unleaded? Eewwwww. Why? Say it ain't so Sparkster.

The ugly truth.

[sparkygearhead]

Trust me, it's by necessity. Caffeine tends to give me migraines. I can safely have about a cup of regular coffee once a week with no problems, but since I have it so irregularly it usually makes me jittery.

There is some very good decaf out there that is every bit as satisfying as the regular stuff. It's like getting used to lowfat milk after being raised on whole. But I do covet the choices regular-coffee drinkers have. They have dozens of roasts and flavors to choose from, I have one or two. :-/

[mad_mooney]

I used to work at a restaurant back in teh mid 90's and one of the initiation tricks we pulled on newbies was to take that espresso grounds puck, put it on a nice white plate, drizzle it with raspberry coulis and whip cream then tell the newbies that its a new feature desert - chocolate espresso tart. The looks on their faces after taking a bit spoonfill was priceless!!

[sparkygearhead]

You wicked man! I'm going to have to remember that for next April Fools Day.

[drewcifernz]

hehehe it's called a knock-box, because you turn the the basket upside down, and "knock" it on the rubber covered pole to get the spent coffee puck out... they're normally found in commercial use, and are about 4 feet tall. The idea behind them is purely that it's more convenient and hygienic than banging it against the side of the trash can.

In a home situation, where you're making one or two coffees at a time, and have all the time in the world, it's a bit redundant... it's a busy cafe however, it makes all the difference in the world.

[sparkygearhead]

You know, that's funny - I was reading about the new Clover machines, and they mentioned a knock box. Didn't know what that was until right now!

Thanks!

[drewcifernz]

heh you're welcome. I've seen them a couple of times and thought they look cool and all... but more hassle than they're worth for home use.