Stick season rapidly approaching in VT

[Boondox]

Well, our part of the Green Mountains peaked on Columbus Day as far as foliage goes. A few windy, rainy days since then have stripped 3/4 of the leaves off the trees, so walks in the forest feel like trips to El Dorado with all the jewel-colored leaves on the ground. In the next week or so they'll all turn brown and curl up. Then the larches will turn and drop their needles. Soon we'll have our stick season -- that brief few weeks when the trees are bare yet no snow is sticking, the autumn tourists are gone and the winter crowd has yet to arrive. All the local eateries will offer specials for those of us who live here year round working to finish up those pre-winter chores before the cold hits.

We like this time of year. So peaceful, the lull before the storm. It's one of New England's best-kept secrets. Pete

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Speaking of well kept secrets, seems to me the coffee company you work for has a new $279 coffee brewer that is supposed to be the next best invention since sliced bread. Put in a "pod" of coffee and out comes a fresh brewed cup.

What is your take on this thing? Is it an expensive gimmick or will it revolutionize coffee? (and from what I see it also makes tea).

 

[Boondox]

Pods are great if manufactured with preservation of freshness in mind. As with all ground coffees they tend to stale more quickly than whole beans, and with the extra processing steps most pod makers have a very flat product. The big boys like Proctor and Gamble got into the pod game first, but our analysis showed there was little life left in their products by the time it was packaged. They probably have one form/fill/seal packager create the pods, then feed them into a second FFS packager for the outer packaging at a later time. That delay is deadly. Of the competitors' pods we've sampled so far, freshness seems to be an issue for all, doubly so for dark roasts which go stale much faster.

What we're doing is stacking two FFS packagers one on top of the other. Pricey, but freshness is the name of the game. And it results in a pretty good cup.

My take? Pods are utterly convenient, and will appeal to those who just want a decent cup of joe. You'll probably never see the exotic coffees in pods, so the true coffee snobs like myself will stick to whole bean. But different markets call for different tactics. If you're disappointed in a pod from a big boy like P&G don't write them off. Starbucks is okay, and Caribou is better. Of course ours are best of all! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Pete

 

[RobertN]

Did you stop by Poor Red's while you were in El Dorado? Some ribs and a Gold Caddilac? It's just down the street from here /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Some ribs and a Gold Caddilac? )</font>

It's been a few years now, but I used to make a drink called a Golden Cadillac that certainly was good. Are we talking about the same thing? /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Egon]

Several days ago got back from a trip on the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton.

Lousy weather with rain and wind and fog. But due to some unknow reason just at the top end of the trail [ also the most senic ] the weather relented and revealed valleys, drifting mist's and shafts of sunlight illuminating the master painter at his best.

Gota do it again next year only take a little more time.

Pete: Your in carpet season now.

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[RobertN]

Here's what they make:
"Golden Cadillac"
Galliano
creme de cacao,
half-and-half
ice

As thier signature drink, they make a lot of them. They claim to be the worlds largest single user of Galliano /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

It's a fun place to go to. They have four items on the menu; bbq ribs, bbq chicked, bbq ham, and steak. When you go in, you give a waitress your order, and then wait at the bar. When the food is ready, you go to the dining area. The place has been around since at least the 40's, as my Grandparents used to take/sell chickens to them(Grandpa had a chicken ranch).

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Pete one of the other small east coast guys (much smaller than your firm) is also taking a run at pods. Baronet Coffee. They are maketing them under two different names. I don't know why. What stuck my about your firm is the $279 brewer. Everyone else is hawking a $50 unit and you guys came out at 5+ times the price. I presume that there is something different about your unit. I liked the Franke Ecolino superauto in my confrence room. But at home I go for drip, love a good Kona peaberry. But I'll gladly drink anything that is black, no sugar as long as it is hot. Just like I tell the lovely Mrs_Bob, I like my coffee like I like my women, hot & bitter. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Personally I don't see the need for a pod unit but I showed one to the lovely Mrs_Bob and she thought it would be great. I don't know why. Probably because she rarely drinks coffee and because I can easily drink a pot by myself. I suppose given her intake, the pod machine would be a good idea. She could brew a kaluha & coffee without going through the process of making a pot and wasting most of it. But back to your pod brewer, why the cost? What does it do for that price? Personally I'm not impressed with the Senseo units, they seem to put a false crema on the top of a cup of coffee that does nothing but cloud the drink.

 

[Bird]

Robert, that sounds like the standard recipe in a lot of bar manuals, but I pass on the Golden Cadillac made that way. If you want a good one, you use 1 part Galliano, 2 parts creme de cacao, and 5 parts vanilla ice cream. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[PhilNH5]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( We like this time of year. So peaceful, the lull before the storm. It's one of New England's best-kept secrets. Pete
)</font>

Pete,
I like this time of year for the same reason. I live in SE NH and work in MA. This means I commute on Rte 93. On Fridays my commute home doubles or triples. Seems as if all of Mass is heading north for the weekend.

This time of year offers a reprieve as does the corresponding time in spring when it is to late to ski but still to early to go boating.

We still have some nice color down here. The red maples are bare but still lots left on the sugar maples, birches and the oaks are still green.

Phil