×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Bad Coffee
4

Bad Coffee

Bad Coffee

(OP)
OK, a bit of a stretch for a serious "Obstacle Getting My Work Done Forum" but what is with the bad coffee?  I'm here late trying to get stuff done and the coffee aint helping.

The coffee itself is supposedly a fairly reputable brand, Peets.

However, whenever I get a cup it tastes awful.  5 little containers of half & half and it's barely paletable.  I had about the best cup I've had in months today, I got through almost half of it before I couldn't take the taste anymore.

Only good thing about the coffee is it's free.

I'll admit I'm not much of a Coffee drinker, much prefer hot tea with cow juice being a Brit originally (I know a lot of Brits like coffee & it's a stereotype but work with me here).  In fact I'd be drinking tea but my milk went off.  However, I've heard other mutterings about the issue.

So anyone else have this problem, anyone fixed it?

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Bad Coffee

Any Brit who drinks coffee deserves all they get, if you must drink coffee get a job in France, Germany or Italy.winky smile

RE: Bad Coffee

Coffee here comes in little un-labeled foil packs, and I'm convinced its sawdust with food coloring and caffeine.  It is one of the necessary things for getting my work done, though!

I have found a solution though - a small hand operated burr grinder and french press.  It gets a lot of comments, and it takes some time, but it makes all the difference on the cold winter mornings before dawn.  And it can be a nice little ritual at that.

Another solution, largely dependent on your office personnel and setup, is to start a coffee pool.  Take turns bringing in a pound of something decent.  Eventually failed here though, lots of drinkers with just a few coffee bringers.  People also have greatly varied ideas about what good coffee is.  I can hardly drink some of the artificially flavored schtuff.

RE: Bad Coffee

Ah caffeine, the fuel for engineers.

The equipment (yes it should be cleaned and maintained once in a while) and the skill of the individual making the coffee has a significant effect.  We do the coffee pool thing here and the unwritten rule is if you finish the carafe (pot) you make the next one.  Some people use a level scoop of coffee, some a heaping scoop, and some not even a full scoop based upon their particular taste.

I also keep a reserve of tea or instant coffee at my desk.  If the "bulk" stuff is unpalatable at the moment, time to hit the reserve.

One thing I have noticed is that the younger generation of engineers seems to prefer their caffeine in with a carbonated solution of corn syrup and water with various flavorings.  Some around here have never used a coffee machine.

Regards,

RE: Bad Coffee

Make sure the coffee is fresh and not outdated by a year and make sure the coffee maker is clean.  Also, the water has a big deal with how the coffee tastes.  I didn't believe that the water made a big difference at first, but it was proved to me one day.  First pot brewed was with filtered water - excellent.  Second pot brewed was with water right out of the tap (which I drink everyday) and it definetly had a bad taste.

RE: Bad Coffee

I also vote for a cafetierre (aka french press) and a foil pack of preground.

I actually double vote for my long time friend Irene and a double long black... but not many offices can afford their own professional coffee bar. (Actually at 3 bucks a pop option A looks far more sensible).

Anyway, few things in life can be modified so easily

Cheers

Greg Locock

SIG:Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Bad Coffee

When at the office I can only down one cup a day.  When I am at home I can kill a pot in 2 hours (before my wife wakes up).  
I think it has to do with the environment.

RE: Bad Coffee

Ah, coffee!  After running around petrochemical facilities on the Louisiana Gulf Coast for the last thirty years, I've tasted some very bad coffee.  And some pretty good coffee.  

One memorably good pot was found in a 1950's vintage steam turbine generating station.  When I commented on it, the old operator revealed that his secret was to brew with water drawn from the turbine's condensate sample port.

Of late, I buy specialty beans, roast them myself, and brew a thermal travel mug full before I leave for work every morning.  I have spoilt myself to good coffee this way.  

 

old field guy

RE: Bad Coffee

Quote (KENAT):

5 little containers of half & half
You need to learn to drink your coffee straight-up. yawn

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies to make the be

RE: Bad Coffee

I use internet surfing to keep me awake.  So I wont need coffee.  smile

Never, but never question engineer's judgement

RE: Bad Coffee

I vote for french press -- I also use something similar at home, it's an aerobie press, kind of wierd, but makes fantastic coffee http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress_story.htm

Anyway, bring in your own coffee & some kind of press.  AND drink your coffee black.  The half & half just dilutes it.

RE: Bad Coffee

I've always felt that creamer in coffee is like steak sauce on steak... it is used to improve an inferior product.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. - Thomas Jefferson
 

RE: Bad Coffee

(OP)
Ajack, I think you're right, the solution is just to manage my milk inventory better.

(Just 'cause I've turned the notification off don't mean I'm not interested in any more responses, just don't want my inbox clogged for coffee.)

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Bad Coffee

Kenat -- you don't want your inbox clogged up for coffee?  Where are your priorities, without good coffee, how can you get any work done??

RE: Bad Coffee


French press and bring your own ground coffee.  Personally, I don't like Peets, no matter how fresh or carefully made.  I think it tastes like liquid cow dung.

BTW, if you need a coffee creamer that can make the best of the old rot gut in the office, I highly recommend this one

http://www.coffee-mate.com/products/CoconutCremeLiquid.aspx

 

"If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance!"

RE: Bad Coffee

Start with the water - high alkalinity or hardness (esp. calcium), chlorine or dissolved solids makes a lousy tasting brew.  Normal chlorine content in city water usually gets boiled out, but if it's bound to +ions, you get salt - yech.  Buy bottled water for the coffeemaker if you have hard water in your area (and most areas do).  If you use a french press and boil the water on a stovetop kettle, rinse the kettle daily and put fresh water in.

Clean brewing equipment and container, but if you use a detergent, rinse the bejebus out of it when you are done.  A little vinegar or lemon juice and a second rinse helps cut any soap scum too.  Nothing worse than soapy coffee.

Fresh beans.  The foil pouches delivered here at work are nice.

I prefer drip, thru a paper filter.  The foil filters are ok, but leave a sludgy grounds residue.  French press coffee, again, can be ok, but to me typically tastes weak.  But, I was raised on percolator coffee, and in hunting camp, boiled coffee with the grounds settled with crushed eggshells.

Don't leave coffee in the pot on the heating element, you are just boiling the coffee down to an oily sludge.  At home and here at work we have the brewers that drip straight into thermos flasks.  Buy an airpot if your coffeemaker is the type with a glass carafe, and pour the freshly made coffee into the thermos, rinse the carafe, turn off the coffee maker, and clean/rinse the grounds container immediately.
 

RE: Bad Coffee

(OP)
ykee, it's called tea, you know the stuff certain colonials throw in the harbourwinky smile.

For the first year or so I was here I managed to drink it more as I didn't have a good way of storing milk but for the last 18 mths or so we've had a little fridge in our area and I've mainly been drinking tea.  Maybe that's the problem, my tolerance to bad coffee has gone downwinky smile

 

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Bad Coffee

Have you guys been to a vietnamese restaurant?  They sell those little espresso filter metal thing at asian markets for less than $5.  You can just put ground coffee, press it, put hot water on top.  Your own personal coffee!

Never, but never question engineer's judgement

RE: Bad Coffee

Supposedly a little salt sprinkled over the top of the coffee in the Mr. Coffee filter basket before brewing keeps it from getting bitter.

But don't trust me; I hate coffee. I bought an electric kettle for the tea and cocoa drinkers in the office. (Also good for non-nukable imported ramen soup.)

Hg

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

RE: Bad Coffee

Kopi Luwak is very expensive you know.

Never, but never question engineer's judgement

RE: Bad Coffee

morning Have you tried adding Bailey's? Works for me. With the amount of crappy falvoured coffees the gorgeous around here brew , the Bailey's smell gets totally masked. thumbsup2

<<A good friend will bail you out of jail, but a true friend
will be sitting beside you saying " Damn that was fun!" - Unknown>>

RE: Bad Coffee

(OP)
We actually have 'Irish Cream' flavoured 'cream' (or whatever it's technically called) in those little cartons.

Tastes foul.

I wonder if I'd get away with straight Powers or Tullamor Dew though, hmm...

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Bad Coffee

Oldfieldguy may have the best solution for water; condensate should be very pure.
You could also try distilled water or filtered water. The more pure the water the more likely it is to draw more flavour out of the grounds.
I can't remember ever having a good coffee in the US (not even in any one of the 420 Starbucks in Boston).
Best coffee is Germany, Holland or Italy.... no doubt the best sound in the world is when someone needs an espresso fix in an Italian office and you hear the beans being ground.
Now the coffee in France is pretty good but the French engineers I was visiting with liked to stop off at a little bar at around 8 am for a double espresso and an Absynth.
At a refinery near Milan at every break everyone would spill out of the main gate and into the bar for espresso and brandy.
Thanks, but not for me, just keep the coffee coming.

I hate coffee mate.
Nothing makes bad coffee worse than coffee mate powder and how I hate that in most of the crummy hotels in the US the always provide coffee mate with little red stirrers that just cannot dissolve the stuff. I end up sneaking creamers from the breakfast bar upto my room. But who thought up those Half and half things anyway? half what and what?
Pretty soon I'll end up like the archetypical Brit abroad with a suitcase full of soft toilet paper, cream, tea bags, and marmalade.
(But I do love my bacon the US way though it is getting harder to find these days).

JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com
 

RE: Bad Coffee

Coffee is not something I ever drink.  Im pretty sure I couldnt tell the difference between good and bad coffee.  Our office has starbucks in the cafeteria.  Not cheap.

I think I'll stick to tea.

RE: Bad Coffee

The town-supplied water has a bitter, metallic taste so the office coffee has been and always will be bad.  I dunk cookies to lessen the blow.  Better yet donuts (I mean RINGS of POWER!) smile

RE: Bad Coffee

Last time I was in a US hotel it had a full breakfast service and a fridge in my room.  So I could take cartons of milk upstairs for coffee.

Best coffee ever though was in a little coffee bar outside a certain car plant in Maranello.

- Steve

RE: Bad Coffee

Didn't Larry Niven's funny (& dangerous)critters whip up the perfect coffee maker in one of his books?

JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com
 

RE: Bad Coffee

The best coffee I have ever had was while on port-o-call in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  The second was in the UAE, flavored with cardamom and served with dates.   

The best way to test something is to squeeze it, slowly, until it breaks!

RE: Bad Coffee

KENAT-

At least your coffee is free... At this site, all the "non-corporate people" have to pay for it in the cafeteria. What a crock...

The only thing that I've found to make bad coffee bearable, is French Vanilla creamer. Good coffee is good coffee with, or without, milk.

V

RE: Bad Coffee

I have to ask, what's with this US obsession with cinnamon in all things?

At a Boston Starbucks (sorry, my earlier post should have said "420 Starbucks in Seattle"; I get confused as to which city I am in sometimes.... Holiday Inn syndrome .... but this time I mean Boston) they had cinnamon for the cappuccino but not chocolate sprinkles. Ughhh!

Sadly, I can't comment on the coffee in Buenos Aires. I was altogether much to pre-occupied with how to travel by taxi and still stay alive and sane. The only flavour I really noted was the very best steak I have ever tasted which was in a fast food place in the Occeana(?) Shopping arcade where I was hiding out from the street beggars. Oh yes, now I remember, I was in a Holiday Inn again... so the coffee was yuk! (Am I allowed to say "Yuk"? I understand that because of the popularity of Pirates of the Caribean the skull and crossbones, as a warning label on poisons and, presumably minefields, is to be replaced by a "Mr. Yuk" symbol....)

JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com
 

RE: Bad Coffee

(OP)
Thanks for the heads up vc66, I suspect then that it wont be long before they charge here.  I could be wrong though, we have the odd hangover from some of the companies that were aquired/merged to form my current site, indcluding a limited supply of free doughnuts for certain employees, on a certain day, at a certain time, I've said too much...

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Bad Coffee

I have my own coffee maker at work because I can't stomach the deathly elixir made in the communal coffee maker (possibly because it looks like it hasn't been cleaned since I started here in '06). I only make one pot a day, and I share it with another co-worker who tosses me a few bucks every now and then.

Mine's a cheap cuisinart 4-cup job that I bought in college, with the additional gold tone filter so my coffee doesn't taste like bleach from paper filters. At home we have a Cuisinart grind and brew, which will be the subject of a nasty custody dispute if my girlfriend and I ever split up.

I'm lucky enough to work in an office where my coffee maker and beans in the freezer are generally respected as off limits.

RE: Bad Coffee

We've got the grind-n-brew at home.  My biggest complaint with it is that we only get four good cups out of the "10 cup" carafe.  It does stay warm and flavorful all day, though.  I'd like to have one at work, but I don't know if I could justify the time and effort it takes to clean it out between brews.
As far as cinnamon in coffee, no thanks.  I prefer it on my sweet rolls.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. - Thomas Jefferson
 

RE: Bad Coffee

Peet's is one of my favorite brands... but I like black coffee with a strong taste and kick.

If your employeer offers hot chocolate packets, and has bad coffee, you could always combine the two.

Or if there is hot water go ahead and buy yourself some teabags.

RE: Bad Coffee

(OP)
Sideswiper, my employer provides the teabags, problem was I was out of milk.  I drink my tea in the proper mannerwinky smile.  (And no, I'm not going to use UHT half & half in it, by the way whoever asked, it's half & half milk & cream I believe.)

This situation is now corrected, at least for a couple of days.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Bad Coffee

Thanks for that link monkeydog. The beans are going to have to find a new home!



 

RE: Bad Coffee

we have free coffee at my places but its like poop water.

I just stick with instant expresso, probably not much of a step up. but it sure gets me running.

RE: Bad Coffee

Gymmeh, I think you mean espresso.  As for expresso in any worthwhile coffee bar and you'll get a blank look (or your language corrected).

I've been through the "free" coffee experience too in one of our US offices and while I've never sampled "poop water", I get the drift.  Doubling the strength made it a bit better (although the locals complained).

Oddly enough after a few months of abstinence I quite like the synthetic stuff that comes out of our machine here now.

- Steve

RE: Bad Coffee

I was amused to discover "caffè americano" in Italy--a cup of "real" coffee (espresso, I guess) plus a large mug of hot water to adulterate it with.  I don't drink coffee, but one of my co-workers decided that the optimal mix was two espressos in the large mug of water.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

RE: Bad Coffee

I gotta say HgTX, I'm a big fan of americano, I just am not awake enough in the morning to drop an espresso down my gullet -- the Americano does the trick for me though.
 

RE: Bad Coffee

I normally use espresso for my 2:30 coffee cuz depending on the work load i need to boost to last ....

RE: Bad Coffee

Hot cider?
Is this US cider (apple juice) or West Country Scrumpy (Rocket fuel)?

JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com
 

RE: Bad Coffee

Eek, warmed-up trampagne for breakfast!

- Steve

RE: Bad Coffee

jmw,
Either...I'll take the US cider.

Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 06/08
ctopher's home (updated Jul 13, 2008)

RE: Bad Coffee

Chuck up the $$, buy your own and stop complaining as if someone owes you good free coffee.

RE: Bad Coffee

(OP)
Well, the free coffee is part of the entire compensation package right. Surely I've as much right to moan about this as if they changed my medical benefits or pension or somethingwinky smile.

'Spose I could vote with my feet if it offends too much and find somewhere with a tea person.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Bad Coffee

They just announced here that due to corporate belt tightening, our free coffee service will be replaced with vending machine coffee.  It looks like a lot of personal coffee pots are going to find their way into the office.  At least we will be able to determine the quality we are willing to shell out for.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. - Thomas Jefferson
 

RE: Bad Coffee

Oy.  That brings back memories from my 1st job.  We had only vending machine coffee, so I brought my little dorm-room 4-cup maker to work.  Cube mate and I used it, then the guy from over the wall wanted some...pretty soon we had to put out a kitty can, and that worked for awhile ($.10 a cup), until we emptied the dozenth or so can of coffee and there was no money in the kitty to buy another, so I just quit making it (brought in a thermos for me and cube mate, and kept it in a locked cabinet).  

Also, the boss' secretary wanted in our action shortly after we started, and brought in her own pot and "gourmet" coffee (the kind with vanilla or chocolate flavoring in it, gag).  She charged $.25 a cup, but nobody would drink it.  She then had the boss "ask" (it was an order at first) us to either charge more money or stop "selling" coffee.  But, all the lads getting their coffee from our pot raised a stink...so he dropped the matter...but the pecking order in our dept. started to form around whose coffee you drank.  If you were a suck-up management wannabe, you drank the high-priced stuff, and the secretary made sure your name got on the bosses' calendar for your meeting.  If you were a knuckle-dragging grunt, well...

Then facilities got involved, and no un-approved appliances were allowed, so all of it came to an end.  Then they took my stapler again...

RE: Bad Coffee

We aren't allowed to bring in our own kettles/coffee makers.  They are classed as unapproved electrical equipment (some kind of H&S and/or Insurance BS).

- Steve

RE: Bad Coffee

btrueblood,
You should probably start packing your boxes for the move to the basement... and don't forget those TPS reports.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. - Thomas Jefferson
 

RE: Bad Coffee

That was about 7 jobs back...before the building mysteriously burnt down...

Waiter, I asked for no salt on my margarita, and this has salt on it, I specifically requested no salt...

RE: Bad Coffee

There are two solutions to the coffee problem when they start whining about having your own pot, one is to bring your grounds and your cup to work and use hot water from the bathroom. dump in coffee, then fill with hot water. Just drink it slow and the crunchies will stay at the bottom (mostly).
the other solution is to cut out the brewing completely and just munch chocolate covered espresso beans. (by the way I have an Expresso, it was a special model of the Plymouth neon in 96 that later became a clone of the dodge sport model.)

Luck is a difficult thing to verify and therefore should be tested often. - Me

RE: Bad Coffee

carnage1 has the right idea.  Banning personal coffee pots is just a red herring.  All you need is coffee and hot water.  I'll avoid using hot water from the tap though as long as I can nuke my water. winky smile

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. - Thomas Jefferson
 

RE: Bad Coffee

I had some of those chocolate covered beans.

The only problem was my desire for the chocolate overcame my realization that each one of those things pack a mean caffeine punch.

I got a lot of work done that day and didn't get to sleep anytime soon.

RE: Bad Coffee

"by the way I have an Expresso, it was a special model of the Plymouth neon in 96 that later became a clone of the dodge sport model."

So does it make a pretty good cuppa?

RE: Bad Coffee

Espresso!

 

- Steve

RE: Bad Coffee

You're lisping, Steve.  

 

RE: Bad Coffee

As a young engineer with a job in QAQC of aggregates I was sent to many limestone quarries to 'shake' rock.  Anyone who's been around a limestone quarry knows that in addtion to rock, the only other primary product is Dust!  Note I didn't call dust a by-product since I'm not convinced that the stone aggregate wasn't a by-product of the dust mind you.

Anyhoo.  The coffee in such places always had a film of dust on the top.  Most of the hardened employees simply skimmed the dust off with their fingers and gulped to their hearts content.  I never could figure out which was worse, dusted coffee or chewing on the grounds.

Either way, I have long decided that any free coffee in am office environment far removed from the 'dust factory' is just fine with me.

Just a perspective.

Q

Regards,
Qshake
pipe
Eng-Tips Forums:Real Solutions for Real Problems Really Quick.
 

RE: Bad Coffee

I'm just bummed about the coffee machine in my new office today & remembered this thread.

So, I'm new at this place and doesn't know much about how things work. I used to have a good cup of coffee + cocoa (own, made-up brew) in my old workplace to wake me up in the morning. Yesterday I saw a coffee machine near the reception... very happy to see some decent coffee beans and used it to brew some for myself.

Today I was told by my co-workers that the coffee machine is strictly for boss & guests, because, you know, it's a really expensive machine & the beans are imported etc... not for the likes of us drones who doesn't know how to drink good coffee. Funny, because I just came back from their overseas facilities for induction training where everyone gets to drink whatever coffee there is regardless of rank.

Well, well... I'm sleepy, trying to understand the piping documentations for which I have zero experience, it's cold & I got rained on my bike on the way to work, and I'm really hankering for a hot cup of bitter dark roast columbian with cocoa flecks, topped with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cocoa powder...

tasteless drone,
jo

RE: Bad Coffee

Ah well. When I started work at LandRover there were 7 grades of on-site catering, from Hourly Canteen, through Junior Staff, right up to the Director's Dining Room.

  

Cheers

Greg Locock

SIG:Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Bad Coffee

The advantage of working from home is total control over the coffee quality.
The downside is a (the) significant other convinced that:
  • coffee is bad for you
  • you drink too much of it
  • tea would be better because tea has no caffeine (wrong, more but how to explain this to someone who selectively accepts only supporting facts)
  • working from home means you can do housework, go shopping, do odd jobs, listen to the latest gossip etc.
All of which gives me an even greater craving for coffee, good coffee.

Qshake raises a very good point.
I can recall some very bad cups of coffee that tasted remarkably good in the circumstances and some good coffees that didn't.
My Grandfather told me that out of the trenches on patrol (in The Great War) one night they camped by an old farmhouse.
A dark night and no lights allowed they conducted their camp chores by touch. They enjoyed a very good brew up and made onion soup which all enjoyed, except that the next morning the tea pot was found to be full of dead tadpoles and the onions (shallots?) proved to be tulip bulbs.

Many years in an office environment inured me to machine coffee. Later on I discovered the joys of self-brewed coffee till the H&S people banned kettles but some of the best coffee (even though actually pretty awefull in other circs) was that delivered up in a seaming cup in the freezing cold of a siberian refinery or pon board a fuel barge in bad weather.

Mizzjoey, I'm sure that coffee tasted all the better for being illegally drunk!

JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com
 

RE: Bad Coffee

mizzjoey,

Get yourself a French press (Bodum's on sale right now at Cost Plus World Market for $29.95).

Find a decent coffee roastery in your area and buy a small quantity just for yourself.  I've got one within walking distance to my office.  Have them course grind the beans so you don't clog the filter on your press.

I'm assuming you can find some way to boil water in that place.  Just make sure you make a batch where the boss and his henchmen can smell it.  Offer NONE to them, telling them that it's for your use only since the machine is not available to you.

And if you really want to go all out, bring in a decent thin ceramic mug or better yet, a proper bone china cup and saucer.

 

"If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance!"

RE: Bad Coffee

(OP)
At my last employer in the UK it was similar.  There was a coffee pot (several actually) with pretty good coffee etc.  However it was only for the Directors and meetings with external parties.  The rest of us had to make instant or tea with 'boiling' water from the wall mounted contraption.  

KENAT,

Have you reminded yourself of FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies recently, or taken a look at http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

RE: Bad Coffee

Cass,
Give Mizzjoey a chance!
She's only just joined the company and you are already starting her out on the guerilla warfare route back out of the door!

I suppose we can only add, to those seeking advise on applying for new jobs, to be sure to discuss coffee as part of their Ts & Cs.

JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com
 

RE: Bad Coffee


OK.  Mizzjoey, still go and get the French press and fancy beans.  

And when the big boss comments, tell him in your sweetest voice possible (think Marilyn Monroe's Mr. president...) that Mable over there at the reception desk said you weren't allowed to drink the 'good' stuff from the machine near her desk, (bat eyelashes here) so you found some spare change under your sofa (sniff, sniff here) and got your self you own pitiful little pot, but you weren't sure what you'd do when your coffee beans run out. (sad face here and maybe even a little sideways glance at Mable)



meow, hiss, spit

 

"If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance!"

RE: Bad Coffee

Note to self -
If ever given the opportunity to meet Cassiopeia, speak softly, no sudden moves, and do not look straight into the eyes.
 

RE: Bad Coffee

It can sometimes be lack of training.  We had a guy that didn't drink coffee and, thus, didn't know how to make it and wasn't doing any quality control of his work.  I caught him leaving the old coffee in the percolator (like half full) then topping it off with water and fresh grounds and then rebrewing.  The stuff made your teeth hurt it was so strong.

RE: Bad Coffee

Bottom of the totem pole.

RE: Bad Coffee

ha ha ha! Thanks for making me laugh so early in the morning guys!

I realize many companies have a pecking order that extends towards, well, pecking time/allowance. Greg's comment reminded me of a situation in a previous company, also an automotive manufacturer.. Except that the ones who get the fancy dining room were HR, corporate comm & marketing execs at the beautiful front building (Of course, good coffee comes with it). Grease-covered engineers, technicians and line workers have our own grubby cafe where we get to dine in stylish styrofoam plates & cups, while we try to get over that sticky feeling when our safety boots are lifted off of the floor or when our elbows touch the plastic covered dining tables.

Yeah, I plan to bring my own press, beans, cocoa & whipped cream to work next week. Will keep them in my little corner & call the pot "Precioussssss..." each time someone walks by. Or maybe not yet... morning

jo

RE: Bad Coffee

Mizzjoey,
Oh well, if you're gonna listen to Cass, buy coffee beans and the loudest grinder you can find and grind up batches at odd times during the day.

Be ready to go work for an Italian company (you'd best get your CV out there now; Cass will be the death of you via her proxy Mable).

I recall visiting our Agents in Milan and the best noises and aromas originated from the cappuccino machine which, being Italy, did the whole thing in style.
High strength heart fibrillating Cappuccino fixes were a feature of the day, along with long wine soaked lunches at the nearby restaurants, with pleasant conversation accompanied by lots of arm waving.

Inside of a couple of days I exceeded my whole life maximum dose or Caffeine.
And wine.
And white-knuckle Autostrada journeys driven by a caffeine and wine fuelled Italian in a 3 litre red rocket (Lancia?).
auto

Ah! Milano, where some Romanian lady and her kid tried to steal my wallet. "Excuse me!" Said I pulling lose from her kid (who was hanging onto my arm) and  protecting my wallet from her searching hand reaching out from under the map she was waving under my nose.
She wandered off looking for new victims while passing Italians smiled gently and murmured "Inglese" to themselves with a good natured shrug.
Damned good coffee.
 

JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com
 

RE: Bad Coffee

I'm with Cass on the press idea.  Since we no longer have free coffee here, I went out and found a nice little four cup press at Tuesday Morning for only $6.00.  The only problem I have now is finding my small grinder.  I'm too cheap to go buy a new one when I know that I have a perfectly good one hiding at home.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. - Thomas Jefferson
 

RE: Bad Coffee

(OP)
ewh, improvise with an electric pencil sharpener untill you find it.  They make about the same noise so I'd guess they'd workwinky smile.

You may want to clean it first though, if you're like me with colored pencils for marking up then I'm guessing grains of 'red' 'blue' designer 'green' or engineer 'brown' wont improve matters.

KENAT,

Have you reminded yourself of FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies recently, or taken a look at http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

RE: Bad Coffee

"cafetière!"
Where did "French Press" come from?

JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com
 

RE: Bad Coffee

I stopped drinking coffee about 10 years ago.  It was because of this one job I had.  The engineers drank it all day.  And there was a huge coffee maker that was turned on all day just burning the coffee.  The smell was so bad I was nauseous. Had only been there two weeks and was already thinking about quitting.  Eventually I think I just got used to the smell.  But I haven't touched the stuff since.  I am more inclined to like a coffee if it smells great so anything that has been sitting for a while just doesn't cut it.

Our Engineers here put hot cocoa mix or tea bags in their coffee sometimes.

RE: Bad Coffee

Ok I have a two phase strategy.

Part 1 is the Saeco Superautomatica bean-to-cup device in my kitchen that brews me a nice double shot of espresso into a travel mug and top up with water for an Americano that's ready for when I arrive at the office. Incidentally this was a good send when I arrived last Friday to closed office due to a substation blowup and I was the only person freezing outside with a hot drink smile

Part 2 is the espresso machine brought in by a colleague. A nice tin of Illy ground is sat on my desk and brewing a proper espresso is a nice way of getting one over break-wise on the smokers - why should they have all the fun!

Ben

RE: Bad Coffee

The Italian company I sometimes visit has coffee vending machines all over the office and factory that serve up a couple of fluid ounces of espresso.  And the most atrocious tea I've ever had.  (It is artificial iced tea mix of the lemon & sugar variety, but made with hot water.)

The coffee seems popular.  My American colleagues have figured out that one Americano mixed with one espresso makes for a pretty good cup of coffee by their standards.  I stick to the hot chocolate, which in Italy is not just a kiddie drink.  Italians don't seem to understand tea.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

RE: Bad Coffee

What is there to not understand about tea?  You brew it, throw ice cubes and sugar in it, maybe some lemon, and you have a nice summer beverage.

RE: Bad Coffee

The Italians understand tea even less than Americans.  I hadn't thought such a thing was possible.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

RE: Bad Coffee

The answer to coffee at work.  No plumbing required. Various flavore coffee, tea, hot choclate and capachino.  It can be at home in your cube.  It does make a chugging noise as the hot water is pumped through the disk.  http://www.tassimo.com/country_selector/

RE: Bad Coffee

BJC - and what happens when they change the discs?

Those machine are an example of the worst type of product engineering - tying youself to a product by making some engineered component that you have to buy to run it as opposed in this case to just buying coffee.

Ben

RE: Bad Coffee

Or the best type of product engineering. Make them buy your "version" of coffee if they like it. But hey, who likes to make money, right?

V

RE: Bad Coffee

(OP)
ubrben, I read an article about that type of product.  That was the very reason for making them that way.
 
They couldnt' make a plain coffee pot that could compete with the low cost, lack of consideration for IP etc. products coming out of places like China.

So instead they made one with specialized cartridges so they could make the money that way.

I can't remember what was to stop someone else making compatible machines/cartridges though.  Maybe it's just that that type of IP is easier to defend.

KENAT,

Have you reminded yourself of FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies recently, or taken a look at posting policies: http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

RE: Bad Coffee

It's only money.  If it't that important drink the crap in the company supplie coffee pot.

RE: Bad Coffee

BJC, you're slurring your words, what is in your coffee besides coffee?
cheers

JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com
 

RE: Bad Coffee

Must be Irish coffee wink.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources