I am adding a topic to the Café for us to share those very simple things we discover about ourselves that we DO love in our lives, such as what soda do you enjoy?
I love grape soda poured over vanilla ice cream! What is your favorite soda, or drink? :thumbup:
Hi Rain,
What a fun thread. I used to love Tahitian treat. It is probably loaded with sugar and not something easy to find any more. These days I stick with water, coffee and an occasional overindulgence of wine, but I don't believe the taste has much to do with those if you know what I mean..... :bigwink:
Coffee! Coffeecoffeecoffeecoffee. Espresso, to be exact, never more than two cups a day or I can't sleep. Lovely, dark, wonderful espresso with just a bit of demerara sugar, and then a newspaper or the internet or a writing notebook to go with it... hmmmmmm.... espresso is what life should be like: strong, rich, warm, safe, and with a slight tang of something bitter, but there's sweetness to follow from where you didn't stir in all the sugar properly so there's still some left at the bottom of your cup.
What on earth is demerara sugar?? I will have to check that out to see if I enjoy that.
:yeahthat:
I take that back....taste definitely does matter (I just like the other benefits with those and fewer calories). I like pinot Noir but really enjoy all reds, but only at night.
Cat, Espresso sounds good too but I do like cappuccinos the best. With it getting colder soon it sounds even better but I can't drink these at night either unless I want to be up all night. There's always some catch
I wondered about coffee and the Freeze response. I absolutely adore coffee, which I found out after my food intolerance forced me to give it up. I can drink it again now, but boy did I ever pine.
Before that, I used to think it was just about the jolt of caffeine. I used to just dump two spoonfuls of it into a cup and add boiling water. Now, I'm finicky about my espresso. It's one of the high points of my day. Like Gollum and the One Ring - "come to meee, precioussss." One reason why I've always loved coffee is sheer gratitude. It helps dispel the usual fog I'm often living in, and which might be a mild form of dissociation. Anyone else get that?
Demerara sugar is a kind of unrefined sugar, pale yellow in colour. It's got a large grain. That makes stirring my coffee feel nicer.
I love the robust taste, the ritual of it. I have added demerara sugar to my shopping list. Thanks!
Exactly that. Also, it's always nice to find anything I'm feeling strongly about and am certain of.
I love a good coffee - cappucino, latte, anything with milk in it, really.
My DH gave me a cappucino class by an Italian barrista for a present once and last year I had saved up enough money to buy a nice machine with freshly ground beans (learned how to get the best taste out of a bean melange as well in that class!) and a milk steamer. Pure joy!
I also love a good white or rosé wine - but I'm a social drinker so how much I enjoy it really depends more on the company than on the wine ;).
Kombucha - I make my own from white tea, love the sour taste. I add a bit of lemon juice and fresh ginger.
Bai Mu Dan white tea - Leave the tea leaves in the cup, the best cup is the second or third steeping
I also like the ritual of making coffee. Only decaf for me, too sensitive to caffeine. I use a ceramic drip cone, and grind the beans myself. I mostly like it black, needs just a bit of bitterness, without it too much sweet comes through. For comparison I find Starbucks decaf to be very bitter, it will do it a pinch, and works well if you get a sweetened concoction, but not good americano.
Black Butte Porter from Deschutes and Chimay are my favorite beers. I found that I don't like hop bitterness. These two are darker beers, but have low hops (IBUs).
Wines - Malbec, Merlot, dry whites
I am loving reading all these posts! Wow, bee ...your list is a treat. I will have to try some of the drinks from this thread.
Bee..I went to Deschutes in Portland...love their beer...Ive greatly curtailed drinking cuz it makes me break out in spots (Denver, Chicago, LA...) so I miss good beer like that.
I've been drinking a natural coffee replacement called teechino. It's delicious and has no caffeine so I still get my fix. I usually mix with coffee to reduce my addiction.
Rain,
I just put the loose leaves in the cup. Sometimes air bubbles stick to the leaves and make them float. I mash the leaves against the side of the cup with the back of a spoon to pop the air bubbles, then they sink to the bottom. It's a bit of a hassle sometimes. Once at the bottom they stay there, just don't drink the last 1/2 inch. Then add more hot water for your second and third cup. I use a clear glass mug, and I like the visual of the leaves on the bottom of the cup. Kinda reminds me of seaweed swaying at the bottom of the ocean. Part of the advantage of a good quality loose leaf is that there are more whole leaves, I can't say that my taste buds are discerning enough to know the difference, but watching the leaves unfurl in the cup is satisfying.
For those who don't want the visual, you can get bags to put the loose leaf tea in, or use a tea ball or filter, or there are insulated tea bottles with a built in filter.
Thanks, bee! I will have to give this a try. It is so different than what I do ...and, that is reason in itself to give it a try. I have not had white tea in years, so I will go search for some.
Quote from: globetrotter on September 30, 2014, 03:02:31 AM
I've been drinking a natural coffee replacement called teechino. It's delicious and has no caffeine so I still get my fix. I usually mix with coffee to reduce my addiction.
globetrotter, is this mostly chicory root? I used to drink some brand that I have long since forgotten that was a coffee replacement with chicory root.
Rain - I find with white tea, a little goes a long way. One ounce, lasts me quite a while. The directions say to use a tablespoon per cup, I usually use closer to 1 teaspoon, and steep that 3 times. Maybe that's weird...
Thanks, bee!! I will get a small amount from my local health food store then. :thumbup:
It has chickory, dates...sticks...herbs...lol..I cant remember all but they sell several flavors. My favorite is almond amaretto.
Hi globetrotter and bee. I just got back from the health food store and picked up white tea and teeccino. I am going to see if I enjoy these new treats too. Something new.
Woohoo! LOL! Let me know what you think.
I mix in some coffee with the teecino to brew so I'm still getting a buzz but less of a buzz. I'm a real coffee addict and need to cut back. This was a great solution for me vs decaf crap.
I bury it in Silk Vanilla Creamer so it looks muddy like the Mississippi River...anyway, I think they grind up the sticks.... :-)
Bee - I've always wanted to try making Kombucha but it's skeery! Maybe you could give me some directions? Your brew sounds delicious!
Hmmm...Who Am I?
I like dark chocolate. But only certain brands. So far, without spending too much money, Lindt is my favorite and of their types...the Orange and Sea Salt flavors are my favorites.
Flowers: Tulips and daffodils are my favorites. Next come those gerber daisies that they dye crazy colors like green and blue and pink.
I am slowly discovering a love for colors. My life was colorless for so long, and then I fell into the "goth" crowd where there was even less color. I'm slowly pulling my inner hippy out of her closet and buying new brightly colored skirts and sweaters and purses to wear AND I am able to do this and embrace it even though my boyfriend is still gothy and not at all hippy. It's ME, and he likes that it's ME.
I am slowly developing my own interior design style. I haven't gotten to decorate my new place yet, but I bought a beautiful dresser that was all scrolly and beautiful. My boyfriend loves it, but *I* fell in love with it online and bought it, without checking with anyone about what they thought about it.
(It's hard for me to like things, and be ok liking them, without getting some kind of consensus, so any thing like this that I just....like and buy for myself is a big step)
I like hard ciders. I can't drink most wines they give me a headache, and I really don't like the taste of beer...but I love a cider that tastes like apples (there are some that weirdly, taste more like beer than cider even though it's a cider) Angry Orchard is my favorite and they have a cinnamon one that should be coming out seasonally like...now!
COFFEE. I have a long lasting love affair with coffee. We've tried to break up so many times, for a long time I thought it was an unhealthy relationship...I've now come to determine that we are just...soul mates and anything trying to come between us must be eradicated.
I haven't gotten fancy though with all the machines and whatnot. Dunkin Donuts is my favorite, although at times I get a taste for a darker, richer brew like Kawah. Just coffee with cream. Sometimes with flavorings.
I'd like to try that teechino stuff.
Also...I love this thread.
It's tough. I remember distinctly a few years ago...I had just broken up with my long term boyfriend. He was the dominant one in our relationship and made the decisions about so many things. He wasn't abusive, I gave him that control willingly because I was so afraid of making choices for myself.
My best friend and I were walking around a thrift store. I was trying to find plates for my new place. I walked by a set with pretty flowers on them and something in me got all wistful and was like...oooh, pretty! I ignored it, and gravitated towards a stack of plain black plates...that was what I was used to, that's what I know he would have chosen. I kept walking by the flower plates and at a certain point my girlfriend noticed and was like, "If you want the flower plates, buy the flower plates!" I didn't even realize the mental circles I was running in until she gave me "permission" to buy the plates. I didn't, because it ended up being a whole set which I didn't need, but I did buy some other ones that I liked, NOT the black ones. And, I already have a beautiful flower set picked out at Wal-Mart that I'm going to buy as soon as I have the money for them! They are so, perfectly, me. And I already love them. I have two bowls that I bought individually from the set and I get so happy every time I use one.
Fun post, sprite!
Colors, dark chocolate, flowers and coffee! Happiness ...in who you are! :thumbup:
I love Lindt dark chocolate
Hot chocolate, cherry coke, ginger ale (sometimes make my own), red and white wines, chilled bourbon w water.
Oh yeah: COFFEE
Hi all.
Rain, i make my ginger ale by cutting up a piece of ginger and boiling it for a bit til the water reduces by half. Add sugar, cool it off, then add seltzer water to about a quarter cup of the ginger. It's cloudy, not clear. But fun to make.
As for bourbon, trying to develop a palette for different brands, so I try a lot. Some are like alcohol w oak flavoring, but others have a more mellow taste, usually chill it and cut it with some water. Please try a bourbon w honey in it. Easy to swallow. I Could drink the entire bottle, but don't.
I will have to try that on the ginger ale. Thanks, Blue!
I like cappuccino like the ones You get at the gas station. French vanilla only! I like strong black coffee with lots of powdered creamer. makes it look like milk! I love MILK...
Dark Chocolate.. Lindt is the best but also dark Dove bars! Caramels.. and with dk. chocolate on top! even better!
Yes, chocolate and pizza!
Any licorice lovers out there? My favorite are several Aussie brands. Had a bunch of red licorice today.
I really like black licorice, even though I used to hate it.
Recently started sampling some of the salted kinds.
World Market sells Katjes brand. They have Salty Herring; sweet and salty and soft, very good. The Kinder cats are a good hard small licorice.
Just tried Venco Double Zout. That is pucker your mouth salty, but I kinda like it. An acquired taste I think.
Gimbal's Scottie dogs are a good plain black soft licorice.
I also like Allsorts.
Ooo fun!
Blooming tea in small clear pot, holds 8oz or so of water. Loose teas also or my own blend of spices over honey bush. Cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, a few peppercorns, perhaps a star anise. Honeybush is a red tea and is less bitter than the other red tea whose name escapes me at the moment.
Wine, Red wine, and I've been experimenting with contemplating the flavor profiles. I've given up the standard box wine in favor of experimenting with more expensive and complex wines. The fact that it's more expensive limits the amount I can purchase Happy :-) and the fact that I am sitting and contemplating rather than mindlessly slipping further limits the amount I desire.
Color, for the longest time very bland. And decor defaulted to just stuff. Nothing special. But I've taken a step back and started to experiment with bright happy colors and adjusting my decor to better suit my taste.
Love this post!
Does anyone else like brewing a tea from dried strawberry plant leaves? I think it tastes really great, and it helps with asthma. Now I want to go make myself a cup of tea after reading all of your posts!
As far as coffee goes, my morning ritual is to put the kettle on to boil, grind some fresh coffee, and brew in a pour-over carafe. I think it tastes better, and I like the ritual of watching the water turn to coffee each morning. Then one of my cats waits patiently until I pour my first cup and sit down on the couch to drink it and check the news. He of course climbs into my lap to tell me his version of the news first and get some love and affection. Only then can I start my day.
Everyone should start their day w coffee and cat.
Quote from: Bluevermonter on November 09, 2014, 11:51:30 AM
Everyone should start their day w coffee and cat.
Huge thumbs up although I'm supposed to be away from caffeine. :) but strawberry leaves, need to go pick some and try.
I like tea. I especially like Earl Grey. One sugar, no milk.
I like playing bombastic songs on piano, and singing equally melodramatic tunes.
When I play classical music, I like to pretend to conduct the orchestra in my head, or, when no one's looking, I'll grab the nearest stick and go ham.
I like martial arts, especially aikido. Rolls are really fun.
I like cats. Especially big fluffy ones that warm you in winter.
It's hard to get to know yourself after not having a self for so long.
Quote from: BeHea1thy on March 26, 2015, 07:10:41 PM
Feeling the statement: "it's hard to get to know yourself after not having a self for so long." :'(
:hug:
:bighug:
Another vote for Kombucha here. And tea ( a good cuppa breakfast tea.) And Chocolate. :)
Hi Widdiful Falling,
I am feeling this one as well: "It's hard to get to know yourself after not having a self for so long".
Who am I? I am a workaholic that has lost who they are because I work and work to disassociate from everything else to avoid feeling anything. I have been and done what ever everyone else has wanted or needed. I have no sense of self, what I really enjoy, and what would give me some happiness.
But, I have started to fall in love with Music again so that is a start.
The other is that I love going to the Movies - Comedy's, Action, or SciFi, no drama filled chic flics. They help me to escape reality and feel like I am in a whole other world. I love to laugh, it makes the feelings of insanity less intense.
DaisyMae :bigwink:
I am not very tolerant of coffee; it makes me jittery, and I really don't need any help with that one. :D
I usually brew a pot of green tea first thing in the morning; my favs are either green tea with lemon, or with coconut. Then I add a teaspoon of organic cider vinegar to the whole pot; not enough to taste, but enough to get the health benefits(I hope!). Then I drink that hot in the morning, and cold in the afternoon. If there is any left I put it into a bottle and keep it in the fridge for the next day. I use a tea bag because it is easier to take from the pot when it is strong enough.
A couple of months ago I bought a lovely Laura Ashley teapot and matching cups, and I use them because - well - why not? This is the pattern, although I have mugs rather than cup and saucer.
http://blog.lauraashley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Tea-Cup.jpg
That is awesome Cuthberta! I love the final touch of the beautiful tea set. I drink herbal, green, orange and black spiced teas as well. They are so calming and relaxing. I drink one by Celestial that I call Tiger tea because the box has a Bengal tiger on it. But the spices are a perfect combination and it helps me to escape reality for a while.
Your post has inspired me to go have a cup!
;D DaisyMae