I live in happy valley utah and most coffee shops here really suck. It is virtually impossible to get a decent shot of espresso.The baristas have no idea how to steam milk, & the espresso tastes over-extracted and watered down. Last week I ordered a cappuccino from Juice n Java and was appalled when I received my cup. The lukewarm drink had no foam and was a milky brown color- way too much milk and watery espresso.Yuck. Thank goodness my Gaggia arrived today, now I just need a good burr grinder!
One thing I will say for Starbucks is that they did cause people to take more interest in coffee, and the US has better cafés now for it. When I was a kid -- not too long ago -- all we had in my city was Folger's at home and about the same thing in fast food places and breakfast shops. It's kind of like what Taco Bell did for Mexican food; sure, their version is nasty, but it showed people something new and sent them searching for something better.
the reason not many people make espresso at home is because of the prohibitive cost of machine+grinder. you're right, you have to have disposable income to make good espresso.
the most important thing about coffee is to understand that it goes bad about 4 days after being roasted.the bite you get from coffee is because of this.coffee must be fresh roasted and should be brewed within a few hours after the grind. i have done experiments and once roasted the coffee has a strong bite after 4 or 5 days.try roasting your own beans,it will amaze you
Alton may look intelligent with those glasses, but once he stuck his finger in the hole on the side of that grinder and said "The beans are fed in through here" I realized he's not as smart as he looks. That's actually where the beans come OUT. They drop down in the top of the grinder.
nope! espresso refers to a brewing method, not to a roast. it was bastardized by starbucks and other second-wave cafes. in "roaster terms", the typical "espresso roast" or "french roast" means burnt.
espresso is not a roast. There are city, city+, full city, full city+, vienna and french roast. Espresso is a roast that is somewhere between full city to vienna.
you should try espresso it's good but for someone trying it the first time it can be kinda harsh on your stomach. don't forget to put in the sugar. :)
If you want just coffee then order a coffee. Most Starbucks people make recommendations to expand your coffee beverage horizons, to add variety to what you're drinking.
That's why they lost to Dunkin Donuts in the taste test. Why spend five dollars on six ounces of whipped cream? Starbucks is terrible. You're better off eating coffee grounds and washing them down with scalding hot water.
I don't understand how Starbucks lost to Dunkin in the taste test. I've been to both and Dunkin Donuts has terrible coffee, I can even go so far as to say that it's as terrible as instant coffee like Maxwell House.
Their lattes are no exception, they always burn the milk for some reason. They should just focus on brewed coffee and their donuts.
That IS it. Dunkin serves strong black coffee. And even if there is a large enough cache of teens and weaklings who can bear to coat their throats with a thick layer of frappahino (Sp?) the majority of coffee drinkers want black coffee.
Me, personally, i can't drink coffee with a lot of dairy like most of the stuff Starbucks offers. It just makes me more thirsty and you don't get the same buzz. Of course you'll need dairy for multiple espresso shots, but even then i'd use it sparingly.
Wouldn't say either has terribly good coffee, if you want good coffee, go to europe/ a real coffeeshop or make your own.
I wonder how many people who like Starbucks actually drink a regular, black coffee. I think if more people did they'd realize just how inferior it is.
The really ironic thing is that in Italy, I got great cappucinos for $1.50 american. They were so good, I didn't even need to add any sugar. But in America, I get crap cappucino and they charge me $4.50!! Starbucks fanatics are truly ignorant.
Espresso is very different than coffee. Coffee is essentially boiling water filtered through beans. Espresso is water that's sent under high pressure through beans. An espresso machine is far more precise then a coffee maker...getting a fine grind is not only important to the flavor of the coffee but also to the mechanism itself.
Not to mention that burr grinders are even better than blade when it comes to making consistently good drip coffee because of the consistent method that burr grinders use to grind (actually cut) beans. One good burr grinder will cover all your needs from press to espresso.
he didn't say they were useless, he said the cheap one was fine by him. as he clearly pointed out in this episode a burr grinder gives you a more uniform grind, which is best for all types of coffee. the useless one is the blade grinder- unless you're grinding spices.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
i love starbucks but it is very expentive and the coffe is burned sometimes but u no what they are so big because there coffee is very good if u dont like it stfu no 1 cares if starbucks is this big then the people who dont like it are few an far between so stfu is good if u dont like it go drink ur weak watery mom and pop coffee and let the people who like starbucks alone
Discover punctuation. Yes, Starbucks is a massively profitable corporation, and yes, the coffee is lovely; but is your ire at those who eschew the siren label really necessary? You might consider reducing your caffeine intake, too. Just a thought.
I hate Starbucks because the quality of their coffee sucks. They don't store the beans properly and often accidentally burn the beans while drawing shots.
The only thing that Starbucks has going for them is that they have so many different flavors and variations that, often, you don't taste the horrible quality.
You're totally right, but it's even worse than that:
-"French roast" means BURNT beans. "Espresso roast" means burnt beans. Espresso is normally made with light to medium beans; very few dark-roast espresso blends taste good.
-crappy machines configured badly
-crappy green beans to start with - the quality of coffee they buy is awful.
and that's just espresso, not even their milk steaming *shudders*.
Starbucks has, however done some good stuff - it created a kick-ass coffee scene in Vancouver.
@kaizer250 WORD and my friend who works there says that the cleaning for the machine is automated... so whatever it misses in the machine.. it misses and ruins future espresso pulls! nasty stuff.
@kaizer250 theres an amazing place next to the starbucks in my hometown that roasts the beans every morning. and you can smell roasting beans all through the town :D
this is the first episode that didn't make me drool.
sociopathpsych 3 weeks ago
I live in happy valley utah and most coffee shops here really suck. It is virtually impossible to get a decent shot of espresso.The baristas have no idea how to steam milk, & the espresso tastes over-extracted and watered down. Last week I ordered a cappuccino from Juice n Java and was appalled when I received my cup. The lukewarm drink had no foam and was a milky brown color- way too much milk and watery espresso.Yuck. Thank goodness my Gaggia arrived today, now I just need a good burr grinder!
mandaloolu 1 month ago
This has been flagged as spam show
One thing I will say for Starbucks is that they did cause people to take more interest in coffee, and the US has better cafés now for it. When I was a kid -- not too long ago -- all we had in my city was Folger's at home and about the same thing in fast food places and breakfast shops. It's kind of like what Taco Bell did for Mexican food; sure, their version is nasty, but it showed people something new and sent them searching for something better.
bryleemck 1 month ago
Comment removed
bryleemck 1 month ago
@BGP87BK
moka pots are nice, but they are not espresso.
the reason not many people make espresso at home is because of the prohibitive cost of machine+grinder. you're right, you have to have disposable income to make good espresso.
hence why cafes exist.
999a0s 1 month ago
Nice, very informative.
Always enjoyed Good Eats.
shadowNinja51 4 months ago
@minnesotafan2011 it may be because people start the episode and realize its not the one they were looking for . just a thought.
crzykiltedepisco 8 months ago
So the White guy in the little cartoon is an ancient Ethiopian?
timmyg316 1 year ago
the most important thing about coffee is to understand that it goes bad about 4 days after being roasted.the bite you get from coffee is because of this.coffee must be fresh roasted and should be brewed within a few hours after the grind. i have done experiments and once roasted the coffee has a strong bite after 4 or 5 days.try roasting your own beans,it will amaze you
paulwhoo 1 year ago
Alton may look intelligent with those glasses, but once he stuck his finger in the hole on the side of that grinder and said "The beans are fed in through here" I realized he's not as smart as he looks. That's actually where the beans come OUT. They drop down in the top of the grinder.
jdharding2 1 year ago
@jdharding2 Yes...and "FED THOUGH HERE" can mean BOTH. Learn the language bub. He means "they are fed though here after going though the machine"
Eradarus 1 year ago
I'm not a coffe drinker but AB makes me want to try it!
trumbachd1 1 year ago
I have a Mr Coffee espresso maker and this episode taught me the tricks to use it like a master. Ah, I love Alton Brown. :)
Oh, and if you can get it...the Kicking Horse Coffee Espresso Roast is perfect.
twistedchinaman 1 year ago
What brand of espresso machine is the one he uses? I don't see a logo on it.
stevedekorte 1 year ago
@theRekcabofD better contrast for that color palette and drawing style
Sweaves 1 year ago
Isn't the coffee grinder a unitasker?
Goldenrod636 1 year ago
@Goldenrod636 it also grinds spices :)
LynxzNoir 1 year ago
@Goldenrod636 apparently (according to other good eats episodes) coffee grinders can grind peanuts or make oatmeal!
794melissa 1 year ago
i love americanos and espressos!!!
GrenMoyo 1 year ago
so not true starbucks is awesome
MsMolly111 1 year ago
His burr grinder is a UNI-TASKER!!!
klaptongroovemaster 2 years ago
No it's not, His grinders a multi-tasker. for other things also. like barley.
Sasorislittleangel 2 years ago
I have a burr grinder I use for coffee, barely, etc. It's not a Uni-Tasker.
BlackWolfessUSCM 2 years ago
Viewmaster! I haven't seen those in a LONG time!
junkb0x99 2 years ago
I love the story of the origin of coffee.
I read an article about wild goats seeking out psychedelic mushrooms, so they apparently they like mild altering substances.
lorezapocalypse 2 years ago
Crappyocha
warrkrymez 2 years ago
End of clip.
His "Good Drinks" episode talking about the wane of the cocktail.
khesed 2 years ago
hmmmmm I was taught that GAGGIA was pronounced GAG-ya ... hmmm
Lisanab 2 years ago
ya, i saw that too, not sure what your tryin to say man. Espresso IS a type of roast, he gets it right in the video.
BountyHunter30402 2 years ago 3
nope! espresso refers to a brewing method, not to a roast. it was bastardized by starbucks and other second-wave cafes. in "roaster terms", the typical "espresso roast" or "french roast" means burnt.
Timoftheshire 2 years ago
i agree with you. and the word bastardized i love it!!! perfect word to use for insulting starbucks
williambeecher 2 years ago
espresso is not a roast. There are city, city+, full city, full city+, vienna and french roast. Espresso is a roast that is somewhere between full city to vienna.
luongdung 2 years ago
"espresso is not a roast." "Espresso is a roast" Both of these can be found in your post.
JimmyDThing 2 years ago 12
ok!
luongdung 2 years ago
In the video he said " we have a very dark french or espresso roast", so I'm just trying to say that very dark roast is not an espresso roast.
luongdung 2 years ago
I have a pretty good espresso maker at home
sonicfreak04 2 years ago
Man! I want a vespa. The look sweet. How much would it cost to bu and import one nowadays?
(obviously way outta m budget but i'd still be nice to know)
CursedEyes24 3 years ago
There are Vespa dealers in the USA. You don't have to import one yourself. ;-) They start at around $3500...
renodavid 2 years ago
i wish i had to money for miss silvia... sigh
whitefire64 3 years ago
I absolutely love the smell of coffee, but it just tastes like bitter water.
CrashGames2108 3 years ago
you should try espresso it's good but for someone trying it the first time it can be kinda harsh on your stomach. don't forget to put in the sugar. :)
I1Dont2Care3 3 years ago
Crappy coffee tastes like bitter water - so does crappy espresso.
Italian espresso is the sugared kind - same with most of Europe. In North America if you're drinking decent espresso you don't really need sugar.
Timoftheshire 2 years ago
i also hate starbucks same as his TOO MANY FLAVORS!!! all i want is a coffee not a double shot mocha easy cinnamon chocolate light whip AHHHH!
poker720 3 years ago 4
If you want just coffee then order a coffee. Most Starbucks people make recommendations to expand your coffee beverage horizons, to add variety to what you're drinking.
Zephilindrum 3 years ago 2
That's why they lost to Dunkin Donuts in the taste test. Why spend five dollars on six ounces of whipped cream? Starbucks is terrible. You're better off eating coffee grounds and washing them down with scalding hot water.
FrostbittenWolf 3 years ago
I don't understand how Starbucks lost to Dunkin in the taste test. I've been to both and Dunkin Donuts has terrible coffee, I can even go so far as to say that it's as terrible as instant coffee like Maxwell House.
Their lattes are no exception, they always burn the milk for some reason. They should just focus on brewed coffee and their donuts.
Zephilindrum 3 years ago
That IS it. Dunkin serves strong black coffee. And even if there is a large enough cache of teens and weaklings who can bear to coat their throats with a thick layer of frappahino (Sp?) the majority of coffee drinkers want black coffee.
Me, personally, i can't drink coffee with a lot of dairy like most of the stuff Starbucks offers. It just makes me more thirsty and you don't get the same buzz. Of course you'll need dairy for multiple espresso shots, but even then i'd use it sparingly.
FrostbittenWolf 3 years ago
i agree. most of these "coffee" drinks are just methods for consuming sugar.
whitefire64 3 years ago
Comment removed
luongdung 2 years ago
Wouldn't say either has terribly good coffee, if you want good coffee, go to europe/ a real coffeeshop or make your own.
I wonder how many people who like Starbucks actually drink a regular, black coffee. I think if more people did they'd realize just how inferior it is.
vansoth 2 years ago 3
after coming back from a trip to rome, i tried espressos and capuccinos from starbucks...it tasted like ASS!
junilwoo 2 years ago 3
Yeah, honestly. When I've been in France, Italy, Greece (their Greek coffee is excellent), I have nearly always found great coffee.
vansoth 2 years ago 2
The really ironic thing is that in Italy, I got great cappucinos for $1.50 american. They were so good, I didn't even need to add any sugar. But in America, I get crap cappucino and they charge me $4.50!! Starbucks fanatics are truly ignorant.
junilwoo 2 years ago 3
In True Brew he clearly said that expensive grinders are useless.
wut
nlitement 3 years ago
Espresso is very different than coffee. Coffee is essentially boiling water filtered through beans. Espresso is water that's sent under high pressure through beans. An espresso machine is far more precise then a coffee maker...getting a fine grind is not only important to the flavor of the coffee but also to the mechanism itself.
Matein13 3 years ago 4
Not to mention that burr grinders are even better than blade when it comes to making consistently good drip coffee because of the consistent method that burr grinders use to grind (actually cut) beans. One good burr grinder will cover all your needs from press to espresso.
burntheretic 3 years ago
he didn't say they were useless, he said the cheap one was fine by him. as he clearly pointed out in this episode a burr grinder gives you a more uniform grind, which is best for all types of coffee. the useless one is the blade grinder- unless you're grinding spices.
chattlebox 3 years ago 3
This has been flagged as spam show
Mocha ftw
7h3ki113r666 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
i love starbucks but it is very expentive and the coffe is burned sometimes but u no what they are so big because there coffee is very good if u dont like it stfu no 1 cares if starbucks is this big then the people who dont like it are few an far between so stfu is good if u dont like it go drink ur weak watery mom and pop coffee and let the people who like starbucks alone
ctarider665 3 years ago
Discover punctuation. Yes, Starbucks is a massively profitable corporation, and yes, the coffee is lovely; but is your ire at those who eschew the siren label really necessary? You might consider reducing your caffeine intake, too. Just a thought.
obamamama0185 3 years ago 5
Watch the documentary Black Gold... I can only hope you will never go to Star*ucks again.
BigStupidFingers 3 years ago 2
its kinda funny, i absolutely despise coffee, but some of my favourite good eats episodes are the coffee ones
ellierigby 3 years ago
BOO STARBUCKS!!!
peachy6969 3 years ago
you've never actually been to a Starbucks, have you? You just hate them because it's popular.
blix797 3 years ago
I hate Starbucks because the quality of their coffee sucks. They don't store the beans properly and often accidentally burn the beans while drawing shots.
The only thing that Starbucks has going for them is that they have so many different flavors and variations that, often, you don't taste the horrible quality.
kaizer250 3 years ago 28
Agreed!
codybird34 3 years ago
You're totally right, but it's even worse than that:
-"French roast" means BURNT beans. "Espresso roast" means burnt beans. Espresso is normally made with light to medium beans; very few dark-roast espresso blends taste good.
-crappy machines configured badly
-crappy green beans to start with - the quality of coffee they buy is awful.
and that's just espresso, not even their milk steaming *shudders*.
Starbucks has, however done some good stuff - it created a kick-ass coffee scene in Vancouver.
Timoftheshire 2 years ago
@kaizer250 Starbucks is crap. It's overpriced, burned, and overmarketed.
niceworkmicrosoft 1 year ago
@kaizer250 WORD and my friend who works there says that the cleaning for the machine is automated... so whatever it misses in the machine.. it misses and ruins future espresso pulls! nasty stuff.
musiCiSloVe64 1 year ago
@kaizer250 theres an amazing place next to the starbucks in my hometown that roasts the beans every morning. and you can smell roasting beans all through the town :D
jedbeddo1 10 months ago
@kaizer250 Cool story bro.
ChipNick87 3 months ago
@kaizer250
dont forget.. their baristas.. or just employees are shit too
killerwill55 1 month ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
first comment!!
great show
ashmansam123 3 years ago