Reply to: Pumpkin Spice Latte

[OwlHoot]

Apparently this is a Big Deal in the US, a Starbucks seasonal special people look forward to.

Even leaving coffee snobbery aside... WTF? Why pumpkin?

The septics seem to have a thing about pumpkins, rather as they do about the novel Moby Dick, although I don't think the two are related.

[NibblyPig]

It's not actually pumpkin, but what they call "pumpkin spice", I.e. The spices that they put into pumpkin pie. Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, all spice.

This explains a lot.

[vetran]

Coffee and sausage roll, or cheese and onion slice or Belgian bun or all three lol .. who ate all the pies who ate all the pies

MF??

[SimonMac]

[norrahe]

Most are pretty disgusting, had one in Nürnburg that tasted like smokey bacon although I had one (+) in Bamberg which was quite nice. The Franken region is famous for them with well over a hundred breweries and around 40 different types of beer...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoked_beer
Rauchbier

I had one on Copenhagen which was very nice, can't remember which brewery. Have made some new friends with a local craft brewer and they use the smoked malt to add back notes and depth in their beers which is quite effective.

[darmstadt]

I had a German smoked beer once.

Did not taste good.

I think I know the one you're talking about, tried it a couple of months ago. I don't mind smoked malts as long as they don't overpower.

Most are pretty disgusting, had one in Nürnburg that tasted like smokey bacon although I had one (+) in Bamberg which was quite nice. The Franken region is famous for them with well over a hundred breweries and around 40 different types of beer...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoked_beer
Rauchbier

[LondonManc]

I think their (McD) coffee is actually pretty good - certainly their Americano is one of my favourites, even.

Agreed. Much better value than Starbucks. Tastes better than Starbucks and costs a lot less.

[d000hg]

Yeah its only really safe to have as a morning coffee with 3 shots in, I did have one on Sunday around 4pm and regretted it gave me the shakes / couldn't sleep, Nero is a very mellow tasting coffee imo so 3 shots doesn't really taste like it but you can feel it.

Thing is it doesn't really make me jittery or stop me sleeping - I could drink a double espresso at bedtime just fine.

McDonalds make better coffee than Starbucks now

I think their (McD) coffee is actually pretty good - certainly their Americano is one of my favourites, even.

[MicrosoftBob]

I don't know how anyone can drink Starbucks its got to be the crappest coffee out there, it just dirty water really, Nero's coffee is by far the best tasting, I'm always surprised at well Starbucks have done in the UK.

McDonalds make better coffee than Starbucks now

[norrahe]

I had a German smoked beer once.

Did not taste good.

I think I know the one you're talking about, tried it a couple of months ago. I don't mind smoked malts as long as they don't overpower.

[ELBBUBKUNPS]

3 shots, ugh I'd feel ill. No idea why but it makes me feel sick if I have more than about 2 shots in a shortish period of time.

Yeah its only really safe to have as a morning coffee with 3 shots in, I did have one on Sunday around 4pm and regretted it gave me the shakes / couldn't sleep, Nero is a very mellow tasting coffee imo so 3 shots doesn't really taste like it but you can feel it.

[d000hg]

3 shots, ugh I'd feel ill. No idea why but it makes me feel sick if I have more than about 2 shots in a shortish period of time.

[ELBBUBKUNPS]

For one thing they are a known brand, when they arrived it was exciting - like when McD arrived here.
For another, fresh 'real' coffee as the norm is really quite a recent development in the UK; I'm sure most of us can remember when cafes and pubs would typically make you instant coffee.
And of course, even if we all agreed their coffee is terrible (which is hugely subjective) by the time you add syrup and milk it doesn't matter so much.

Similar to shandy really. Or whisky and coke... they are entirely valid drinks but different, and you don't need top-class ingredients. The nuances of the booze/espresso are covered.

I just have a black Americano so from Nero that's x 3 shots and a bit of hot water, I've become addicted even more so now as the shop next door to my local Nero's is a Wenzall's bakery . Coffee and sausage roll, or cheese and onion slice or Belgian bun or all three lol .. who ate all the pies who ate all the pies

[d000hg]

For one thing they are a known brand, when they arrived it was exciting - like when McD arrived here.
For another, fresh 'real' coffee as the norm is really quite a recent development in the UK; I'm sure most of us can remember when cafes and pubs would typically make you instant coffee.
And of course, even if we all agreed their coffee is terrible (which is hugely subjective) by the time you add syrup and milk it doesn't matter so much.

Similar to shandy really. Or whisky and coke... they are entirely valid drinks but different, and you don't need top-class ingredients. The nuances of the booze/espresso are covered.

[ELBBUBKUNPS]

I don't know how anyone can drink Starbucks its got to be the crappest coffee out there, it just dirty water really, Nero's coffee is by far the best tasting, I'm always surprised at well Starbucks have done in the UK.