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I knew a Swedish lady in New York (I walked her dog). She always offered me a cup of coffee when I came over. The first time, I said "no thanks," but that was before I realized it's just part of the culture, and that I was probably impolite to say "no." A very kind and friendly person, who also recommended visiting Sweden. "I think you'd like it."

It goes beyond the anecdotal, I'm pretty sure Sweden is the per capita consumption champion.

Vodka too...

Three Valves wrote:Vodka too...

Speaking of which, and back on topic, what coffee is not improved by a shot of Bailey's Irish Cream?

Rick "to counter the effects of the caffeine, of course" Denney

Rick Denney wrote:Speaking of which, and back on topic, what coffee is not improved by a shot of Bailey's Irish Cream?

I can't say I've ever tasted that liqueur, but I've tried caffè corretto, espresso with a little grappa.

I see our colleagues in Sweden may be aware of a coffee + alcohol drink whose recipe involves a coin. Coin goes in the cup, pour coffee in until coin is not visible, pour alcohol until it reappears. Takes some engineering to make that work.

For me, coffee that's improved by adding anything, isn't such great coffee. That's life - unfortunately there is an awful lot of not so great coffee out there. It isn't you, it's the coffee.

Rick Denney wrote:Speaking of which, and back on topic, what coffee is not improved by a shot of Bailey's Irish Cream?

Gross. I'm not against trying to alcoholize coffee in some way, but Bailey's in coffee is just gross to me.

Actually, alcoholic coffee is kind of a funny concept to me, since some cultures gather around coffee as other cultures gather around alcoholic beverages. For example, I understand that in Ethiopia, the coffee culture is largely a social experience, where people gather and drink their coffee together to socialize. Not the weird coffee culture in the US, where we all hide behind our laptops and phones, and sit 1 person to a 4-person table. Or worse yet, the coffee shop as an ersatz homeless shelter and/or public restroom...

bort wrote:

Rick Denney wrote:Speaking of which, and back on topic, what coffee is not improved by a shot of Bailey's Irish Cream?

Gross. I'm not against trying to alcoholize coffee in some way, but Bailey's in coffee is just gross to me.

Hey, people put milk in coffee. This is certainly no worse, and provides an added benefit. Don't knock it.

Of course, I don't routinely do this. But it is a tradition amongst a group of us who camp and play radio on a mountaintop once or twice a year. Storytelling and guitar playing often extend well into the night, and in the morning, when it's time to set up antennas and operating stations, motivation is low. This is not helped by the libations enjoyed the previous evening. People will stumble into the breakfast tent, announcing that they need coffee to get motivated. One of our number--who brings the Bailey's--will pour a healthy dose into the cup and say, "Motivation? I can fix that."

It must be said that the coffee itself is not harmed by the addition, which may be a condemnation of sorts. But on the mountaintop, different standards apply.

Rick "usually consuming about three-quarters of his otherwise very limited annual alcohol intake on those trips" Denney

nworbekim wrote:Sounds like you're referring to Amateur Radio? I am KM4IY...

KR9D. Yeah, we were up on Flagpole Knob messing around with the VHF contest a few weeks ago. It's one of the highest points in the mid-Atlantic, and affords line of sight over a wide area. But we were having more fun on six meters, with openings into Europe, that probably didn't need the elevation.

Our operation is much reduced compared to past years--the crowd is aging and the young-uns lose interest after one trip.

Rick "that club is W4IY, but I do Field Day (except this year) with K4LRG" Denney

Rick Denney wrote:

nworbekim wrote:Sounds like you're referring to Amateur Radio? I am KM4IY...

KR9D.

I was NX9L, lost it when I was overseas and didn't get the renewal email, now somebody else has it.

The lady of the house inherited one of her father's call signs.

nworbekim wrote:That's tough... I've had my license since 1987 and this call sign since about 1989 or so... I think about a "vanity" call sign once in a while, but I've had this one so long I wouldn't know who I was.

There aren't any good call signs in 4-land any more. I had to go outside to find a 1x2 or 2x1.

Of course, I was stupid to do so. When I got my extra-class license, the FCC gave me AI4TT--surely one of the most elegant call signs in CW ever. (.- .. ....- - -) If I ever succeed in learning code well enough to actually use it, I'll miss that call. KR9D is easier on phone, though (Kilowatt Radio Niner Delta instead of Alpha Italy Four Tango Tango--I tend to the unofficial DX phonetics rather than the official ones), but clunkier on the key (-.- .-. ----. -..). But I'm a phone guy.

Rick "who always built sideband stations for Field Day" Denney

Best coffee?

Italian Bialetti moka!

oedipoes wrote:Best coffee?

Italian Bialetti moka!

How do you heat your Bialetti? For mine, it's perched somewhat precariously over 1/4 of the gas flame on one of my range burners. It works, but of course it isn't very efficient, and I always wonder if European kitchens are better equipped for this.

Bit late.

But the coin + liquor + coffee thing. Atleast what i've been told (american in sweden) that's an old Finnish drink.

But as you said. Coin in the cup, coffee, then clear liquor till you can see the coin again

Never actually had it myself tho, yet.

Donn wrote:

oedipoes wrote:Best coffee?

Italian Bialetti moka!

How do you heat your Bialetti? For mine, it's perched somewhat precariously over 1/4 of the gas flame on one of my range burners. It works, but of course it isn't very efficient, and I always wonder if European kitchens are better equipped for this.

It fits over the burner (mine is the 2-cup version).
There exist bigger versions, maybe that's a solution for you?

I have one of those.

It works fine on an electric stove.

But I couldn't stand the flavor of the coffee. It was pretty much espresso which I don't like. Cold brew is my favorite, but if you put creamer in like my family does I don't see the sense in the extra work.

bort wrote:

...and I know how to use it.

(I certainly fall into the common category of enjoying station building but then not really having much to say with that newfound communications capability.)

Rick “currently without HF antenna in any case” Denney

oedipoes wrote:It fits over the burner (mine is the 2-cup version).
There exist bigger versions, maybe that's a solution for you?

We have several, including what I suppose may be an 8 cup, Crusinallo, but to make good use it of course one has to make all 8 cups - they don't work right half loaded. The 1 cup pot works, it's just not ideal. It looks like your burner is less than half the width of mine - that cap is 10cm.


Not that I actually use it much. Only when this has been turned off for some reason -


But that's more about convenience. It may reflect on my poor espresso technique, but I think I like moka as well or better. It's easy to get rather awful results (same with espresso), but when it comes out well it's very good, and the smell of the hot pot with a drop or two of burned coffee adds to the experience.

timothy42b wrote:I have one of those.

It works fine on an electric stove.

But I couldn't stand the flavor of the coffee. It was pretty much espresso which I don't like. Cold brew is my favorite, but if you put creamer in like my family does I don't see the sense in the extra work.

I have a buddy who has one of those multi-thousand-dollar manual espresso machines. He’s been perfecting his technique for years. I’ll drink his coffee with milk any day—it just tastes right that way. But for me, this is what I used this morning, and it can only be black:



Rick “mmmmmmm” Denney