News, Why Is Coffee in France So Bad? (compared, areas, comparison)

[Minato ku]

The name "Liegeois" comes from the renaming of this speciality in WWI to honor the Belgium resistance during Battle of Liège.
Before it was called "viennois" (from the city of Vienna, an enemy during WWI).
Café liégeois - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Same can be said for the Rue de Liège in Paris and the metro station of the same name.
Before WWI, it was Rue de Berlin.

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

Starbucks' "French Roast" is described as "intensely smoky". I think it tastes like charcoal.

[FrankDrebin]

Originally Posted by dunno what to put here

Likewise, the US has 'English' muffins, but we don't.

Australia has English muffins too.

[irman]

Originally Posted by FrankDrebin

Australia has English muffins too.

English Muffins like the USA has, or more like the English Crumpets ?

[jobber123rd]

Originally Posted by irman

OK, what's in a name ... ?
There is a cake in the USA called German Chocolate Cake.
Never seen the same thing in Germany !

The name comes from the innovator of the baking chocolate originally used for the recipe, Sam German. The chocolate, from Baker's Chocolate Company, was known as Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate. Over a hundred years after its creation, it was featured in a cake recipe published in a Dallas newspaper. As "German's Chocolate Cake" gained popularity and the recipe appeared in publications across the USA, the " 's " was dropped and it became the "German Chocolate Cake" by which we know it today.

[britinparis]

I agree - actually I think the UK (well the major cities at least) have surpassed France in coffee. Unthinkable 10 years ago as at least the French were drinking proper coffee, whereas the best you could get in Britain was Nescafé.

But now London is jam packed with not only Italian style espresso-based coffee, you also have the Aussie-style mega top quality coffee too which have exploded in the last three years (ie. flat whites and similar). Even the English regions now have decent cappuccino and espresso nowadays, a situation that compares even favourably with America where outside of the hip inner cities and Starbucks you don't tend to get Italian-style coffee, just drip coffee.

Meanwhile in Paris they're stuck in the 1980s, with the horrid overpriced bitter café au lait with UHT milk and a nasty sachet of powdered sugar. And that'll be €4.80 please! (Compare with a delicious flat white in London for £2.20).

Thankfully the hipsterisation of Paris's formerly working-class districts is finally brining some change, so if you look hard enough there are some decent places that will serve you an Aussie-style flat white.. such as KB Café in the 9th (KB CaféShop (formerly Kooka Boora) | Good coffee in Paris). But they're still few and far between.

But en province and the non-hipster parts of Paris... quel horreur! Best stick to wine... or carry around a portable Nespresso machine.

[FrankDrebin]

Originally Posted by irman

English Muffins like the USA has, or more like the English Crumpets ?

Both.

[dunno what to put here]

Originally Posted by britinparis

I agree - actually I think the UK (well the major cities at least) have surpassed France in coffee. Unthinkable 10 years ago as at least the French were drinking proper coffee, whereas the best you could get in Britain was Nescafé.

But now London is jam packed with not only Italian style espresso-based coffee, you also have the Aussie-style mega top quality coffee too which have exploded in the last three years (ie. flat whites and similar). Even the English regions now have decent cappuccino and espresso nowadays, a situation that compares even favourably with America where outside of the hip inner cities and Starbucks you don't tend to get Italian-style coffee, just drip coffee.

Meanwhile in Paris they're stuck in the 1980s, with the horrid overpriced bitter café au lait with UHT milk and a nasty sachet of powdered sugar. And that'll be €4.80 please! (Compare with a delicious flat white in London for £2.20).

Thankfully the hipsterisation of Paris's formerly working-class districts is finally brining some change, so if you look hard enough there are some decent places that will serve you an Aussie-style flat white.. such as KB Café in the 9th (KB CaféShop (formerly Kooka Boora) | Good coffee in Paris). But they're still few and far between.

But en province and the non-hipster parts of Paris... quel horreur! Best stick to wine... or carry around a portable Nespresso machine.

There's definitely been an explosion in good-quality coffee shops in recent years.

This particular coffee shop is supposed to be pretty good, but you'll only find it in Leeds. It was opened by a Milanese man, so I presume it has to be great if you're looking for authentic Italian coffee.

There's also a notable street cafe culture, which was never present when I was a kid.

[stan4]

Italy = better coffee
France = waaaayyyyy better food

[Phosphorus]

There are only two countries in Europe with proper coffee: Italy and Portugal. Everyone else drinks some kind of brownish water.