What I learned today

[Jenise]

If it works in Wisconsin it would work here. I need that spinach! (Funny that I've never seen it here, though.)

New Zealand spinach, also native to Australia, is known here as warrigal greens and as noted has a tendency to take over the garden! It has good flavour and very versatile..it is recommended to at least blanch to neutralise the oxalis acid.

Hi Barb, I was surprised to read that, as I do not think my aunt ever did that and lived to be into her 90's. I know I did not do it either, I washed it well, removed the leaves, and always cooked it then ate as regular spinach. I liked it much better than spinach actually, and am looking forward to my next crop, as I enjoy adding fresh greens to some of my dried bean recipes, and I think this will work well with some of the beans we enjoy. Do you grow it, or use it in your cooking?

Hi Barb, I was surprised to read that, as I do not think my aunt ever did that and lived to be into her 90's. I know I did not do it either, I washed it well, removed the leaves, and always cooked it then ate as regular spinach. I liked it much better than spinach actually, and am looking forward to my next crop, as I enjoy adding fresh greens to some of my dried bean recipes, and I think this will work well with some of the beans we enjoy. Do you grow it, or use it in your cooking?

Karen, perhaps I was imprecise, e blanching. Cooking achieves the same thing. It is probably only an issue if one were to eat vast quantities of uncooked warrigal.
I use it likewise as an alternative to spinach, I have a friend who can t find his garden for warrigal greens,

I can relate to that, when I had my crop it took over an entire raised bed that was 8ft long and 3 ft wide. Sure is a pretty plant, and fun to watch.

I learned that today is National Coffee Day. Various places are offering free brew, if you're going out might want to check out. Seems Starbucks has free coffee, but must bring reusable cup.

Whatever. Not worth it to me to make a special trip, but YMMV.

[Jenise]

I am a big fan of Starbucks the company--and a grateful stockholder--but not so much their coffee. I do go from time to time but I prefer the mellower coffee of another local chain. However, said local chain is super religious (they fired a single female employee when they found out she was pregnant), so I divide my business between the company I admire and the coffee I prefer. That said, such visits only occur once every couple of weeks when we're out and about in the afternoon. At home I never drink more than the one morning cup which I drag around for about two hours and rarely finish.

I have found Starbucks to be inconsistent. And their coffee is usually way too strong for me; I don't need jitters. So I ask for 1/4 regular, 3/4 decaf. Usually that is fine. But I approach with caution. Most of the time, it's just green tea for me.

When we used to travel, we favored local brews for the experience. And coffee beans can be packed in carry-on luggage. Doesn't weigh much, either. So a good take-home treat.

[Jenise]

Ditto re Starbucks. Sometimes the coffee's acrid as if the beans were seriously burnt beyond the stage that earned them the nickname 'Charbucks'. We only ever get one drink, and we share it, always the same: 16 ounce triple nonfat Capp.

Ditto re Starbucks. Sometimes the coffee's acrid as if the beans were seriously burnt beyond the stage that earned them the nickname 'Charbucks'. We only ever get one drink, and we share it, always the same: 16 ounce triple nonfat Capp.

They over-roast their beans because their beans come from all over, which makes consistency difficult. So almost burning them evens things out.

[Jenise]

It's as if they just throw whatever leftovers they have around into the grinder.

Thought of Pat when I saw this meme on Facebook just now:

IF YOU REPLACE
YOUR MORNING COFFEE
WITH GREEN TEA,
YOU WILL LOSE 87%
OF THE JOY IN YOUR LIFE

But don't take that to mean I'm not a fan. I love green tea, but Bob can't drink it. Strangely, it gives him nightmares.

They over-roast their beans because their beans come from all over, which makes consistency difficult. So almost burning them evens things out.

Interesting explanation. I have a different one: There are only so many good coffee beans in the world yet, as if by magic, about 30 years ago (approx.) suddenly there were coffee shops everywhere -- Peet's, Starbucks, Tim Horton, Dunkin' Donuts, and a milion million more. That means a lot of second-best beans were getting used, and to give a second-best bean any flavor, you roast it dark and hope for the best.

It might be a West Coast/East Coast thing. Both Peet's and Starbucks started on the West Coast and they both burn their coffee. Dunkin' Donuts, which started in New England, doesn't roast their beans anywhere near as darkly.

-Paul W.

It might be a West Coast/East Coast thing. Both Peet's and Starbucks started on the West Coast and they both burn their coffee. Dunkin' Donuts, which started in New England, doesn't roast their beans anywhere near as darkly.

-Paul W.

I don't believe it's an east/west thing. Like McD's, they're the same everywhere.

We recently got some Dutch Bros. coffee shops. Haven't tried them yet.

For a decent, not hoity-toity cup of java, I usually pick up a cup at McD's. Much easier on the wallet, too.

As for Peet's, Dear Husband had symptoms of intolerance, for lack of a better term, when friends gifted us a few bags years ago. I rather like their Major Dickason's and rarely have that; both regular and decaf available. But I don't bring it home.

We've had decent luck with a few from TJs and Costco. I always mix mine as half regular max and the rest decaf.

McD's can be decent if fresh-brewed. Years ago, we stayed at Mandalay Bay in Vegas. They had a Starbucks in the lobby. Of course, prices marked up. I walked over to the next interconnected hotel Excalibur or Luxor and they had McDs. They sold so much coffee it was always fresh. And when I got back to Mandalay Bay I had many inquiries as to where the McDs was. Had to be willing to, duh, walk to do coffee "slumming". Worth it to me.

[Jenise]

We recently got some Dutch Bros. coffee shops. Haven't tried them yet.

I was startled to hear the stock recommended on CNBC last week, the stock just IPO'd and it doubled in a day. It was touted as being from the Pacific Northwest and having legions of fans who won't drink anything else.

Well, yeah PNW but I've personally never seen one north of Seattle, so haven't been to one. They're always that little hut in a parking lot, strictly drive-thru, and thick on the ground around Tacoma. I was shocked to learn they're big enough to go public let alone earn comments like that.

[Jenise]

They over-roast their beans because their beans come from all over, which makes consistency difficult. So almost burning them evens things out.

And gives them a distinctive taste that isn't drowned in a latte, as one Starbucks exec explained to a guy with a blog called Overthinking Life on medium.com.

I do love my coffee, and I have one preference that overrules all others: Ethiopian beans. I love the winey, cherry, chocolate flavors of properly roasted (no more than medium) Ethiopian. I'm currently working my way through a variety of African beans I ordered from Moore's Coffee in Ventura California, long a favorite roastery that I turn to frequently and have for about 20 years. I have a thing for peaberry beans, which they often have. Moore's was actually recommended on this site by a guy named Randy Buckner, who some of you may remember. ALL their roasts are light to medium. They don't even believe in dark roasts unless it's expressly for espresso.

Recently a local coffee roasting business started up in my town. Once Canlis restaurant in Seattle ordered from them and for awhile they were at least as famous as Asian Murder Hornets. I would only buy medium roasts. Some beans I otherwise like when roasted medium they insisted should be roasted dark, like Sumatra. The customer wasn't always right. So be it, I only bought the Bali and Guatemala. They roasted the beans in an old barn in back of their house on a small primitive roaster Derek got from somewhere which only roasted two pounds at a time. Then he got a bigger, fancier roaster from Italy that had considerably more output. Not sure how many pounds at a time but once the new roaster arrived, the medium roasted beans tasted, to me, overrroasted. The chocolate and wine nuances were obscured by something I didn't like, so I pretty much quit buying from them. Since then I find myself just trying different Ethiopians from various other local roasters. Or, like I just did, ordering from out of town.

Life is hard when you're so picky.

I buy many cans of Costco's 100% Colombian coffee for everyday brew. And I have a small roaster that I use occasionally (green beans last pretty much forever) so I can roast to the roast I prefer (French roast). I once had a bag of Italian light roast that I found incredibly insipid.

Funny, Jenise. I also like peaberry coffees but I am not a fan of African scents; I much prefer Central American beans.

I don't believe it's an east/west thing. Like McD's, they're the same everywhere

I meant in terms of what part of the country the company started in. Both Starbucks and Peet's got their start on the West Coast. Dunkin' Donuts got its start in New England. As the chains went national, they retained the roasting preferences of their regions of origin.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Funny, Jenise. I also like peaberry coffees but I am not a fan of African scents; I much prefer Central American beans.

I get that. Moore's (the Ventura outfit) New Guinea Peaberry was my first coffee supercrush, and in fact my distant memory of it has a lot of similarity to the Ethiopian I love so much--when I get a good one.

[Jenise]

Today, as in just now, I discovered frozen Korean leek pancakes. Bought them at H Mart a few weeks ago when I needed something frozen to keep some meats I purchased cold. WOW are these good. OMG.

We are huge fans of both styles of Ethiopian coffees although prefer the intense floral aromas and notes of the unwashed Harrar beans over the washed beans of the Yirgachefe and Gugi zones. The coffee roaster Colectivo in Wisconsin is our source of beans. They obtain an incredible variety from farmers and cooperatives from around the world and do a superb job of roasting. Never burned.

Made a double-batch of coq au vin tonight using a variation on Julia Child's recipe. Very good result, dark and fragrant, with silky meat.