SB Diet Message Boards

by **RedRox** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 8:53 pm

Sometimes you have to pick the basic drink first, like an iced latte, and then when that page comes up there are usually radio button selections that allow you to recalculate it based on specific choices, like the size and using skim instead of whole milk.

by **lpkcarlson** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 9:20 pm

Love Starbucks....however, 2-3x a week gets soooo expensive, so we make our own at home.

I brew a pot of very strong coffee, add in nonfat milk and our favorite sf syrup (and ice...105 degrees here in Colo last week calls for iced drinks

). I keep a nice selection of flavors of the sf syrup at home; we find them at Marshalls, Ross & Cost Plus World Market.

We save the Starbucks trip for Saturday mornings, when both my husband and I can sit, enjoy a coffee and each other's company.

by **michellew** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 2:30 am

That sounds yummy where can you buy the sf syrup?? Nevermind I just finished reading your whole post :oops:

but are the following grocery stores or what Marshalls, Ross & Cost Plus World Market??

by **SoulLips** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 3:47 am

My personal favorite brand of SF syrups is DiVinci Gourmet (I love their SF carmel syrup... French Vanilla is my 2nd fave). You can buy them online at the company's website. I also found them (much cheaper) at Cash & Carry (part of the Smart & Final chain... so I assume they have them too). I think I only paid about $3.50 for large bottles at Cash & Carry. I make my own coffee drinks too... so much cheaper and you can get it just how you like it!

by **pookiebear** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 3:53 am

SoulLips wrote:I make my own coffee drinks too... so much cheaper and you can get it just how you like it!

Yeah,.... day after day, you kinda get it down to a science...

I have a "coffee station" in my house

On a baker's rack, I have my coffees, teas, syrups, regular coffee maker, espresso maker, frother, coffee grinder, and 2 french presses. :shock:

I love my coffee...

by **SoulLips** » Sat Jul 30, 2005 9:30 pm

Good to know I'm not the only one who has more than one French press! I take things a step further... I have a coffee roaster and a variety of green coffee beans from various countries of origin (they all taste a little different from one another). I've got the Italian espresso machine, a burr grinder (more consistent than typical grinders), a professional grade tamper, a knockbox and a variety of SF syrups (just stocked up yesterday because my favorite syrups were on sale for $3.09 for a big bottle). I just bought to-go cups and lids yesterday so I can more easily take my drinks to work or on the road with me. I might as well set up a cafe in my home! I'm waiting for my steaming thermometer to arrive so I can steam milk PERFECTLY. *sigh* Coffee is an obsession.

by **audreyh1** » Sat Jul 30, 2005 10:57 pm

On behalf of DH, I challenge for in-house espresso bar/coffee geek title!

Many years ago we turned our wet bar into an espresso bar. $1500 Wega Lyra rotary pump espresso machine - we plumbed into our water line with a fancy filter system. All gleaming stainless steel. $400 Mini mazer dosing grinder (a smaller version of what you see at Starbucks). Knock-box, heavy duty tamper, thermometer, etc. tools. Basically - it is indeed the setup you might see at a small espresso cafe.

Sound like a lot of money, right? Just add up how much you have spent at Starbucks for the past 5 or 10 years - especially if you've visited daily (and sometimes more than once). I still can't believe how ridiculously much Starbucks charges for their lattes.

I also did the roasting of coffee beans for a couple of years. Best coffee I EVER tasted. Just awesome. A lot of trouble though. If you've got the time, it's awesome.

DH is an expert barista. More than once I've had to hold him back from leaping the counter at a coffee shop when he saw they weren't extracting the coffee properly. This, of course, would only happen when we were out of town and couldn't make our own.

All now being sold - can't take it on the road with us! It was great coffee for 10 years though!

Actually, we got most of our money back on the grinders (yay ebay!) and although we're taking a hit on the espresso machine itself, we're still getting good money back - so it wasn't even as expensive a habit as our first outlay!

OK - end of one-up-man-ship for me! Just couldn't resist.

Audrey

by **SoulLips** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 1:13 am

Yep, your husband wins the title... though I could see myself with the same kind of setup in 10 years. I've got a rotary pump machine as well (so, I'm not just making strong coffee), but I'm on the low end of the decent machine spectrum (I have a Gaggia). I've spent way too much time on coffeegeek.com learning how to pull the perfect shot, foam milk expertly and all the other trivial details. A good cup is sure wonderful though!

by **pookiebear** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:25 am

Ok, you guys make my little set up look like a lemonade stand....

And, you said it, SoulLips - A good cup sure is wonderful!

So, lemme ask you guys a question? <muhahahahaha>

Do you ever "compromise" on SBD for that "perfect cup of coffee"? Or did you learn to like soy milk and splenda and all that jazz? Me? I can't compromise!!!!! Well, I haven't yet, I should say... My one cup of java daily is my Heaven in this world - so I have my art and it DOES involve 1 tsp. of sugar and a tad of flavored creamer! :shock:

(I HAVE cut back since starting SBD!!!) I've lost weight on this WOE though, on P3 and I'm still losing so until I'm in a stall and unhappy with it - I'm still livin' this way!

by **SoulLips** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:57 am

My compromise isn't with sweeteners... I'm fine with Splenda or Splenda sweetened syrups (shhh... don't tell the true coffee snobs that I "ruin" my coffee with such things). I use lowfat milk (and rarely whole milk or a bit of evaporated milk) instead of skim. When I get my steaming thermometer I'm going to see how well I can transform skim milk into something I could actually like. Yes, I admit... I compromise ideal SBD living for a good cup. :oops:

by **pookiebear** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 3:00 am

SoulLips wrote:Yes, I admit... I compromise ideal SBD living for a good cup.

YES! I'm not alone..... ok peeps.... I know there's more out there!!!!

I really wish I DID like the taste of Splenda and soy milk, but alas, I don't.

by **audreyh1** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 3:45 am

SoulLips wrote:Yep, your husband wins the title... though I could see myself with the same kind of setup in 10 years. I've got a rotary pump machine as well (so, I'm not just making strong coffee), but I'm on the low end of the decent machine spectrum (I have a Gaggia). I've spent way too much time on coffeegeek.com learning how to pull the perfect shot, foam milk expertly and all the other trivial details. A good cup is sure wonderful though!

Hmmmm, Yep! I would say you are indeed well on your way. We had a very nice Gaggia before this machine. Yep - if you're hanging out on coffeegeek.com learning all the "expert" ways to do things, you're catching up fast!

Nice to run into another serious barista!

Actually, I ended up preferring skim milk for the lattes. We used 1% for the longest time, but ended up liking skim better. But no - I never put splenda in my morning latte - that seemed like too much of a corruption, especially since I don't care for the Splenda aftertaste in coffee. It's brown demarara sugar for me.

In fact, I have to go further and confess that one of the reasons I skipped Phase 1 was that dairy was banned at the time, and there was no way I was going to give up my precious home-brewed lattes.

Yep - there is a certain religion about the ritual morning coffee.....

Audrey

by **SoulLips** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 6:54 am

Yeah, just knowing about coffeegeek.com is a sure sign that someone is hooked on their coffee! Maybe I'll pick up some skim milk to see how I like the results. It actually is supposed to be very good for steaming.

by **audreyh1** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 12:54 pm

Well, the initial problem with steaming skim milk is that it produces foam too easily - and a really bubbly airy foam. The fat in 1% or more helps keep the foam more dense. But DH somehow manages to get a nice dense foam even with the skim. Of course he's such an aficionado it's kind of ridiculous. I must admit I really enjoy that aspect of his personality.

One of my pet peeves at coffee bars - and Starbucks frequently does this to - is that they overheat the milk which gives it this slightly caramelized cooked taste which I hate. It's very difficult to train people to really do top quality espresso/lattes.

Audrey

by **SoulLips** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 5:31 pm

When I learn to pull the perfect shot and all the rest of it, I'm sure I'll move on to creating latte art. Hey, a person has to have some goals! LOL

SB Diet Message Boards

Starbucks

Who is online