I don't particularly find it a fiddle to wash the cafetiere, but I certainly dont take the plunger apart or spoon coffee grounds into recycling - I just rinse the plunger under running cold water until no more bits come off, then put a small amount of water in the bottom of the pot to loosen the grounds into a sort of sludge, then tip it all down the sink (I was sceptical at first when my late partner demonstrated this method, as I was convinced it would block the drain, but honestly it doesn't - I do this every day!), add a bit more water, swirl it around and its usually all gone. (Tip it directly down the plughole otherwise you'll waste a lot more water trying to clean up the sink!) Every now and then (if I don't need to reuse it straight away) I put the plunger and glass pot into the dishwasher after this rinse, for a proper clean.
I don't think filter coffee is used much in the UK now. It's just too watery. I have a coffee filter machine but would only use it if I was making more coffee than I can fit in my three cup cafetiere. I think most people at home (apart from those who just have instant coffee) have a nespresso type machine (that uses pods) or else a cafetiere. In coffee shops, coffee invariably comes from a proper Italian style espresso machine. Instant coffee is served for convenience in many churches and other similar community venues. (For this reason I only drink tea at church these days as I no longer enjoy instant coffee).
We have a Sage Duo Temp Pro espresso machine (traditional Italian style not pod), we’ve had it for at about 5 years and it is very reliable but needs descaling regularly due to us being in a hard water area. We love it so much we have bought one for our son for Christmas. We used to have a filter machine and still use a portable filter and paper liner when camping rather than a cafetière as it is cleaner and less breakable, though slow.
Mr Heavenly’s work has a pod type machine, presumably for convenience.
Church has a big filter coffee machine.
Instant coffee is what us poor people drink. We can't afford to go in poncy coffee shops.
Poor? On a police pension?
I don’t tend to go in poncy coffee shops either. Because I'm a tight wad.
I don't plead poverty, mind. I could afford to do so but I'm too tight. Besides, unless you want to write in one (if I write, I write at home) there's not much fun in going to these places on your own.
I know people who live alone who go to such places to 'people-watch' or to feel as if they aren't so isolated. I get that. For me, though, it just fuels the sense that I'm on my own.
That said, I did come up with the name for my freelance business in a coffee shop. So perhaps there's something in it.
I use a filter, most days a full jug on the morning allows me to fill a flask so I've decent coffee at work and have a couple of mugs to get me going. Plus, it filters while I take a shower so the time for it to filter through isn't an issue. I ignore the guide about how many spoonfuls of coffee to put in though, I'm more generous and get a stronger coffee out of it. And, I grind beans fresh for it. I have a small cafetiere, but the time cleaning it up is not IMO worth it as the coffee isn't much different from the filter.
I do have a jar of instant at work though, for those times when I need the caffeine and the flask is empty. It's acceptable, but only because if I've reached that point it's because I don't have time and it's a quick option.
My late wife preferred traditional tea rooms. We often went to those.
I sometimes meet up with people in coffee shops but not that often. I generally only have one or two cups in the morning at home and that's about it.
If I'm going to drink it, though, I'd rather have something that tastes of coffee. None of that instant stuff. Same with beer. I don't drink a great deal of it but when I do I'd rather a decent pint. Whisky the same. A bottle will last me from Christmas to September or October generally.
Wine too. I don't drink a lot of it but I'd rather pay a few quid extra for something better than cleaning fluid.
Meat also. I don't eat vast quantities of it but when I eat meat I'd rather get it from the Farm Shop and pay a bit of a premium for it.
Instant coffee is what us poor people drink. We can't afford to go in poncy coffee shops.
Half this thread is people talking about ways to make better coffee than instant at home, and how rubbish a lot of coffee shop coffee is. But you didn't bother reading that, you just decided to jump in with a shoulder chipuccino with homophobic froth on top. If you like instant, great, enjoy! Nobody's stopping you. But decent instant isn't notably cheaper than decent ground coffee, so pleading poverty won't wash, and the inverted snobbery is more than a little pathetic.
homophobic???? Explain yourself please and don't bother to include an apology.
Instant coffee is what us poor people drink. We can't afford to go in poncy coffee shops.
Half this thread is people talking about ways to make better coffee than instant at home, and how rubbish a lot of coffee shop coffee is. But you didn't bother reading that, you just decided to jump in with a shoulder chipuccino with homophobic froth on top. If you like instant, great, enjoy! Nobody's stopping you. But decent instant isn't notably cheaper than decent ground coffee, so pleading poverty won't wash, and the inverted snobbery is more than a little pathetic.
homophobic???? Explain yourself please and don't bother to include an apology.
I've nothing to apologise for so nothing to worry about there. "Poncy" is a homophobic slur.
I don't know if it's a Pond thing but I read poncy the same as Telford and not at all homophobic. However, as it is not seen that way by others I will avoid using the word here.
@Telford I’d have thought that any British man who as a boy had been in a secondary school playground any time from the mid 1950s until at least the mid eighties would know it to be a derogatory reference to gay men.
And if not, if you had the wit to look in a dictionary that gives a bit more depth than the bare meaning of the word then you’d see. E.g. the Oxford English Dictionary
derogatory slang (chiefly British).
1937–Affected, pretentious, self-consciously refined or superior; overly fancy or elaborate; (stereotypically) characteristic of a gay man; (of a man) gay.
and
Formed within English, by derivation.
< ponce n. + ‑y suffix1.
and
ponce NOUN… derogatory slang (chiefly British).
…
2.1932–disparaging. A man or boy characterized as being unmanly or exhibiting qualities, behaviour, or interests regarded as more appropriate to a woman or girl; (also) a gay man.
Emphasis in both quotes not mine but the Dictionary’s.
If you can’t see why ‘poncy’ is homophobic you ought to put down your keyboard and step away from posting.
I must admit, I didn't take @Telford's use of the word 'poncy' in that way, although it certainly carried that connotation when I was at secondary school in the 1970s.
It's not a term I've heard for a long time. If I remember rightly, it didn't always carry that connotation and whether it did or not depended on the context. But sure, the 'effeminacy' element and 'not a real man' thing was never far beneath the surface. I'd agree with @The Rogue and it's not a term I'd use here.
I did use it in my response to @Telford but I was quoting him and hadn't understood his use of the term in that way. Judging by his reaction, I don't think he intended the term to be taken that way either.
He can be a somewhat unreconstructed '70s Man at times, though.
I suspect, though, that all upgrading him will do is reinforce his perception that the Ship is awash with wokery.
I thought his comment was daft, chock-full with a kind of immature inverted snobbery.
I'll probably be accused of collusion now, but I genuinely didn't suspect Telford of homophobic intent.
It's a question of whether you consider the used grounds a resource to be recovered or something to just be washed away. Though, if washing away make sure there's no grease or oil in the same system as fat can congeal around particulates and block your u-tube or contribute to the fatbergs that form in sewers (it is, of course, much more important not to wash grease and oil down the drain).
I tend to compost the dregs. I've been told though, that coffee grains and tea leaves can act abrasively when washed down U-tubes and help to scour them of grease and gunk. I'm not sure that's actually the case. I am careful not to wash fat and grease down the plughole though if I can help it.
Plumbers will tell you the cleaning benefits of tea leaves and coffee grounds is an urban myth. I read somewhere that the biggest cause of blockages leading to calling out a plumber is coffee grounds (but that might also be another urban myth).
Plumbers will tell you the cleaning benefits of tea leaves and coffee grounds is an urban myth. I read somewhere that the biggest cause of blockages leading to calling out a plumber is coffee grounds (but that might also be another urban myth).
I'm not a plumber - just someone who is relatively practical who often gets asked before professional involvement. Having sorted out numerous u-bend blockages for such people wailing at me about blocked sinks 9 cases out of 10 have involved coffee grounds and a sheepish "I thought it would help clean the pipes".
Mr F makes a pot of filter with freshly ground beans each morning. The previous day's filter paper/grounds always goes in the (compostable) food waste.
The Nespresso pods are bagged up and supposedly uplifted by the postie. We are currently in a battle of wills over this which may cumulate in taking the bag to local PO ourselves.
I considered getting one of those machines that takes pods, but from what I could see, the only pods available are made by Nestle and I refuse to have any of their products under my roof
I was at a hotel a couple of months back where their coffee was supplied by such pods. The instructions were complex enough that I needed a good strong coffee before I could operate the device.
I was at a hotel a couple of months back where their coffee was supplied by such pods. The instructions were complex enough that I needed a good strong coffee before I could operate the device.
Indeed so. There are other manufacturers out these, not just Nestle. My son has one of these machines, of which he is ordinately proud. It makes decent coffee which tends not to be warm enough.
For standard Nespresso pods greener alternatives are available, including reusable, but not for the newer Nespresso Vertuo pods. (IMHO the latter have been produced under the guise of convenience (the pod is barcoded to tell the machine what to do for different kinds of brew) but in reality to tie the user in to Nestlé brand, as the barcoding system is commercially protected.)
I considered getting one of those machines that takes pods, but from what I could see, the only pods available are made by Nestle and I refuse to have any of their products under my roof
For info, Dualit do a range of compostable pods, and you can also get Wonky coffee. These latter two aren't compostable, but one of them will take your used pods away for recycling...
Instant coffee is what us poor people drink. We can't afford to go in poncy coffee shops.
Half this thread is people talking about ways to make better coffee than instant at home, and how rubbish a lot of coffee shop coffee is. But you didn't bother reading that, you just decided to jump in with a shoulder chipuccino with homophobic froth on top. If you like instant, great, enjoy! Nobody's stopping you. But decent instant isn't notably cheaper than decent ground coffee, so pleading poverty won't wash, and the inverted snobbery is more than a little pathetic.
Well people who get all arsey about the specifics of coffee need to go for a nice walk to clear their heads. It's only a hot drink.
Instant coffee is what us poor people drink. We can't afford to go in poncy coffee shops.
Half this thread is people talking about ways to make better coffee than instant at home, and how rubbish a lot of coffee shop coffee is. But you didn't bother reading that, you just decided to jump in with a shoulder chipuccino with homophobic froth on top. If you like instant, great, enjoy! Nobody's stopping you. But decent instant isn't notably cheaper than decent ground coffee, so pleading poverty won't wash, and the inverted snobbery is more than a little pathetic.
Well people who get all arsey about the specifics of coffee need to go for a nice walk to clear their heads. It's only a hot drink.
It's more a case of wanting it to taste nice rather than nasty than "get(ting) all arsey"
I basically grind beans from Trader Joe’s, use a regular paper filter in a regular coffee pot, make half a pot of coffee, drink half of it one day and the other half (just leaving it out) cold the next day. It’s about four mugs or so total.
I must admit, I didn't take @Telford's use of the word 'poncy' in that way, although it certainly carried that connotation when I was at secondary school in the 1970s.
Meanings of words shift over time, and words carry different connotations in different speech groups.
In my experience, "poncy" has completely lost its association with gay men, and just means pretentious and overly fussy, and I would not assume that anyone describing something as "poncy" was either asserting that it was suitable for gay men, or that being a gay man was a bad thing. But YMMV, of course, and Postel's law is a good maxim to apply to boards with a wide audience.
Yes, but there do seem to be folk who get worked up about coffee's "mystique".
It has become some sort of a cultural "thing" for some.
I occasionally watch tv programmes about buying houses. People wanting homes in urban areas are often very keen to be near to cafes and coffee shops.
Yes. It's because these things have become a 'thing'. People socialise there like they used to in pubs. Well, some people do both of course.
But tea rooms and coffee shops always fulfilled that function such they were first introduced to London in the 1670s or thereabouts.
If the couples on those property programmes had kids they'd be talking about school catchment areas and the like. If they were keen gardeners they might want to be close to an allotment for instance.
If they were trainspotters they might want to live near a railway. They might want to live near a canal to watch the narrowboats.
In these days where the traditional high street is in decline due to online shopping etc the presence of cafes and coffee shops might be an indication that the town is still vibrant and functioning in some way.
There are all sorts of factors and jot just what type of coffee they serve.
Yes
If some people want a Waitrose nearby. They believe it will keep their property at a good price. This is a fallacy. You find Waitrose in areas that are not posh. West Ealing has a Waitrose. That is not posh. The car park is always full.
Comments
Mr Heavenly’s work has a pod type machine, presumably for convenience.
Church has a big filter coffee machine.
Poor? On a police pension?
I don’t tend to go in poncy coffee shops either. Because I'm a tight wad.
I don't plead poverty, mind. I could afford to do so but I'm too tight. Besides, unless you want to write in one (if I write, I write at home) there's not much fun in going to these places on your own.
I know people who live alone who go to such places to 'people-watch' or to feel as if they aren't so isolated. I get that. For me, though, it just fuels the sense that I'm on my own.
That said, I did come up with the name for my freelance business in a coffee shop. So perhaps there's something in it.
I do have a jar of instant at work though, for those times when I need the caffeine and the flask is empty. It's acceptable, but only because if I've reached that point it's because I don't have time and it's a quick option.
I sometimes meet up with people in coffee shops but not that often. I generally only have one or two cups in the morning at home and that's about it.
If I'm going to drink it, though, I'd rather have something that tastes of coffee. None of that instant stuff. Same with beer. I don't drink a great deal of it but when I do I'd rather a decent pint. Whisky the same. A bottle will last me from Christmas to September or October generally.
Wine too. I don't drink a lot of it but I'd rather pay a few quid extra for something better than cleaning fluid.
Meat also. I don't eat vast quantities of it but when I eat meat I'd rather get it from the Farm Shop and pay a bit of a premium for it.
Veg the same ...
Etc etc etc
That's not how it works. If you have a problem with what I posted, explain yourself.
poncy
/ˈpɒnsi/
adjectiveinformal•British
pretentious or affected.
"a poncy wine bar"
I agree.
I've nothing to apologise for so nothing to worry about there. "Poncy" is a homophobic slur.
And if not, if you had the wit to look in a dictionary that gives a bit more depth than the bare meaning of the word then you’d see. E.g. the Oxford English Dictionary and and Emphasis in both quotes not mine but the Dictionary’s.
If you can’t see why ‘poncy’ is homophobic you ought to put down your keyboard and step away from posting.
It's not a term I've heard for a long time. If I remember rightly, it didn't always carry that connotation and whether it did or not depended on the context. But sure, the 'effeminacy' element and 'not a real man' thing was never far beneath the surface. I'd agree with @The Rogue and it's not a term I'd use here.
I did use it in my response to @Telford but I was quoting him and hadn't understood his use of the term in that way. Judging by his reaction, I don't think he intended the term to be taken that way either.
He can be a somewhat unreconstructed '70s Man at times, though.
I suspect, though, that all upgrading him will do is reinforce his perception that the Ship is awash with wokery.
I thought his comment was daft, chock-full with a kind of immature inverted snobbery.
I'll probably be accused of collusion now, but I genuinely didn't suspect Telford of homophobic intent.
I've just had my coffee, made as usual in a cafetiere, which will be washed out much as @Gracious Rebel dscribes.
Yes, @Baptist Trainfan I don't see what's so difficult about washing out a cafetiere either. Seems pretty simple and straightforward to me.
I'm not a plumber - just someone who is relatively practical who often gets asked before professional involvement. Having sorted out numerous u-bend blockages for such people wailing at me about blocked sinks 9 cases out of 10 have involved coffee grounds and a sheepish "I thought it would help clean the pipes".
The Nespresso pods are bagged up and supposedly uplifted by the postie. We are currently in a battle of wills over this which may cumulate in taking the bag to local PO ourselves.
Thank you Shipmates for de-mythologising the coffee grains and cleansing pipes thing.
I shall endeavour to compost more of them than I do already.
Indeed so. There are other manufacturers out these, not just Nestle. My son has one of these machines, of which he is ordinately proud. It makes decent coffee which tends not to be warm enough.
For info, Dualit do a range of compostable pods, and you can also get Wonky coffee. These latter two aren't compostable, but one of them will take your used pods away for recycling...
Well people who get all arsey about the specifics of coffee need to go for a nice walk to clear their heads. It's only a hot drink.
It's more a case of wanting it to taste nice rather than nasty than "get(ting) all arsey"
It has become some sort of a cultural "thing" for some.
True, but there's been very little of that on this thread.
Meanings of words shift over time, and words carry different connotations in different speech groups.
In my experience, "poncy" has completely lost its association with gay men, and just means pretentious and overly fussy, and I would not assume that anyone describing something as "poncy" was either asserting that it was suitable for gay men, or that being a gay man was a bad thing. But YMMV, of course, and Postel's law is a good maxim to apply to boards with a wide audience.
I honestly had no idea it referred to gay men as well. How interesting! Another word to be avoided.
One women's earnings, as opposed to a pimp, who lived off a number of women.
Yes, tea drinkers can be equally arsey. It's a hot drink FFS! Thats all they both are.
Stone him! Stone him!
I occasionally watch tv programmes about buying houses. People wanting homes in urban areas are often very keen to be near to cafes and coffee shops.
On those programmes they never buy homes.
They buy properteeeees.
Yes. It's because these things have become a 'thing'. People socialise there like they used to in pubs. Well, some people do both of course.
But tea rooms and coffee shops always fulfilled that function such they were first introduced to London in the 1670s or thereabouts.
If the couples on those property programmes had kids they'd be talking about school catchment areas and the like. If they were keen gardeners they might want to be close to an allotment for instance.
If they were trainspotters they might want to live near a railway. They might want to live near a canal to watch the narrowboats.
In these days where the traditional high street is in decline due to online shopping etc the presence of cafes and coffee shops might be an indication that the town is still vibrant and functioning in some way.
There are all sorts of factors and jot just what type of coffee they serve.
If some people want a Waitrose nearby. They believe it will keep their property at a good price. This is a fallacy. You find Waitrose in areas that are not posh. West Ealing has a Waitrose. That is not posh. The car park is always full.
But yes, there are a whole range of factors that play into all this.