Ghirardelli Coffee

This is more than likely considered off topic but since a visit to the states a couple of years ago I have developed what some would describe as an unhealthy addiction to Ghirardelli "chocolate Caramel" coffee. My problem is that my current supply of beans is running "dangerously" low and my next visit to SFO is not scheduled until October and my reserves will expire, if my calculations are correct, under normal consumption in 4 weeks (28 days!!). I have considered rationing to try to get me "closer" to the time when I will be able to restock, but my "addiction" is so strong this is not an option. I had hoped to purchase further supplies online but all the e-tailers I have found do not ship to the UK. Bugger!!

This now leads me to the point of this post. Is there anybody on this list that would be prepared to bring me back a couple of bags on their next visit to SFO / LAX, as these have known "dealers" in the departure terminals. I would then be able to meet up with the "mule" (sorry) to affect the exchange.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Fadge

Topic moved to Travel-General Forum for continued discussion.
ChuckC-

Hi Fadge,

Here's a link to a website that sells and ships to the UK Ghirardelli "chocolate Caramel" coffee!

Enjoy [:p]

http://www.stuffedchocolate.com/coffee_ ... aramel.htm

If it helps, I'm off to Boston in 7 weeks and am more than willing to buy you some...? I'll just charge at the exchange rate and whatever postage. It's no big deal for me, whenever I go, I always have to buy a whole case (i.e. 24) Milky Way Midnights plus various other edibles and groceries! There's usually a very unhealthy supply of Selma's giant cookies too [:I]

Hey you guys...any others of you out there who are addicted to US goodies? What wiht the food and the clothes, it's just unfair I can't get a green card. I'm meant to be American, dammit!!!

Jacq

And might I just add, Conrad, that website is pure chocolate porn! I am drooling over it. I am meant to be planning ICT for next half term [|)], but that is much more interesting.

Jacq x

US Chocolate - bleeeeugh!!!
Flavoured coffee - bleeeeugh!!!!

Just a personal opinion!!

Mark, I generally agree as I don't like Hersheys, but Milky Way Midnights are something else. And I have to admit I'm a Starbucks addict [:#]

Jacq

I like Sam Adams boston lager- that's very tasty- you can buy that at Waitrose online.

As for chocolate, has anyone noticed the difference in taste to US dairy milk and UK? US dairy milk has a slightly stronger cocoa flavour or content...?

Ok, this topic is not very VS orientated is it.....[oo]

Jacq - you and me both!!!!! Im the Sales Director for a contract catering co and we are lucky enough to be able to use Starbucks in some of our jobs - mmmmmmm - I just love their coffee and having been through some coffee training programmes I am really interested in coffee and coffee making. Our contact at Starbucks has taken me through the reserach and development that goes into making cappuccino.

My Fave drink - Grande Capp with whipped cream - yummy!!!!

Whats yours??

I'm a compleat Mello Yello addict. Even through it mostly on the east coast only, its a pain when they don't serve it in New York[}:)]. I normally bring back a case of it (last time March) and savour it[8D]. Only 1 can left now though[:$]

Hey its our forum - we can talk about what we like as long as it doesnt break the guidelines and is in the right section!!!

I like Nescafe Gold Blend with skimmed milk[y]

Anyway

As for chocolate, has anyone noticed the difference in taste to US dairy milk and UK? US dairy milk has a slightly stronger cocoa flavour or content...?

The cocoa solid content is lower in the US and they use a more falvourings and a different fat type - its like comparing Cadbury's Dairy Milk with a bar of Green and Blacks or even Starbucks dark chocolate. Usually the higher the cocoa solid content the more bitter the taste and the darker the chocolate - caterers use chcocolate with a high cocoa content as they usually want flavour!!

I dont even eat the stuff - but it is yummyy!!!

And there as some unusual things about chocolate that could fill pages - but it melts at body temp and thats one of the things that makes it a "sexy" food!!!

I like Nescafe Gold Blend with skimmed milk

The thing with food is that we are ALL experts - we like what we like and no-one can tell us to either like or dislike something!!

My philosophy is always to try it and then make up your own mind!!! Obviously its sometimes better not to know what something is first so that you dont have any bad thoughts beofre you (usually) crunch into something!!!

Thanks for clearing up the confusion over the dairy milk, yes it is sexy food or can be depending what you do with it...Always find that too much chocolate gives me bad breath as well. Ever tried Green and Black's Chocolate Ice Cream - just so good and so smooth!

Originally posted by MarkJ
Anyway

As for chocolate, has anyone noticed the difference in taste to US dairy milk and UK? US dairy milk has a slightly stronger cocoa flavour or content...?

The cocoa solid content is lower in the US and they use a more falvourings and a different fat type - its like comparing Cadbury's Dairy Milk with a bar of Green and Blacks or even Starbucks dark chocolate. Usually the higher the cocoa solid content the more bitter the taste and the darker the chocolate - caterers use chcocolate with a high cocoa content as they usually want flavour!!

I dont even eat the stuff - but it is yummyy!!!

And there as some unusual things about chocolate that could fill pages - but it melts at body temp and thats one of the things that makes it a "sexy" food!!!

Posted - 15/02/2006 : 21:21:13
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacq - you and me both!!!!! Im the Sales Director for a contract catering co and we are lucky enough to be able to use Starbucks in some of our jobs - mmmmmmm - I just love their coffee and having been through some coffee training programmes I am really interested in coffee and coffee making. Our contact at Starbucks has taken me through the reserach and development that goes into making cappuccino.

My Fave drink - Grande Capp with whipped cream - yummy!!!!

Whats yours??

Mark,
It depends on which side of the pond I am:
UK - probably white choc mocha
USA - I find a hot caramel apple cider is a great winter warmer in NYC, otherwise the vanilla creme, or perhaps strawberries and cream frappucino on a hot day (gives me monstrous brain-freeze though) [:$]

It's all good!

Jacq x

Jacq - you have tried a fair few to get down to that selection and you have a swwter tooth than I I think!! - I must admit I am a bit of a coffee purist and dont like mixing much more than milk into it - I do love a good double espresso - I always thinks its such a shame at the end of a meal when you get served a lifelss cup of espress with no "crema" ( the nice cream on top - should look like a tiger skin!!!)

xx

More than one sweet tooth [:I] I'm sitting here scoffing Love Hearts sweets for a sugar hit. Still trying to plan my ICT lessons for school so needed a brain boost (blonde - need all the help I can get [:o)])

Jacq x

Whats ICT - I have no kids and Im not a teacher - btw I put a blonde joke on the clubhouse section a few weeks back!!!

It's always interesting to me that coffee and chocolate just have to be mentioned together in the same conversation. Casting my mind back to when I was paid to taste coffee we always struggled to understand it. However we were taught that there were only 4 tastes. Coffee and dark choc only shared 'bitter' (ever noticed hoe Galaxy and coffee doesn't quite hit the spot? Its because galaxy has a comparatively low cocoa content). But recently a 5th taste has been identified - Umami (sp). Both coffee and choc score high on bitter and umami, which is one reason we love them. MSG is the ultimate umami BTW, which shows how powerful it is. Of course, the caffeine has nothing to do with the addiction! But the reason flavoured coffees are so nice is that they also bring 'sweet' into play. And if you have bitter, umami and sweet in one food/drink, well, it's nothing short of sex in the mouth.

So, I can well understand the OP's desperation to stock up onÊGhirardell. And is it OT to discuss coffee in an airline forum? Hell yes. But coffee and Chocolate are so important, well let's bend the rules.

Just one thing though. Nescafe is NOT coffee. It is technically an agglomerated essential oil and solids extract with various impurities unremoved (such a caffeine).

BTW Conrad, when you say chocolate gives you bad breath, is that for the same reasons ice cream gives you bad breath?

Yea, I have that green and blacks chocolate ice cream every now and again just because it is so well made- the texture and lightness etc u tried it? I guess anything overtly sweet if left long enough after consuming gives me bad breath[:$] charentais melon has that effect on me(sometimes).

Originally posted by sailor99
It's always interesting to me that coffee and chocolate just have to be mentioned together in the same conversation. Casting my mind back to when I was paid to taste coffee we always struggled to understand it. However we were taught that there were only 4 tastes. Coffee and dark choc only shared 'bitter' (ever noticed hoe Galaxy and coffee doesn't quite hit the spot? Its because galaxy has a comparatively low cocoa content). But recently a 5th taste has been identified - Umami (sp). Both coffee and choc score high on bitter and umami, which is one reason we love them. MSG is the ultimate umami BTW, which shows how powerful it is. Of course, the caffeine has nothing to do with the addiction! But the reason flavoured coffees are so nice is that they also bring 'sweet' into play. And if you have bitter, umami and sweet in one food/drink, well, it's nothing short of sex in the mouth.

So, I can well understand the OP's desperation to stock up onÊGhirardell. And is it OT to discuss coffee in an airline forum? Hell yes. But coffee and Chocolate are so important, well let's bend the rules.

Just one thing though. Nescafe is NOT coffee. It is technically an agglomerated essential oil and solids extract with various impurities unremoved (such a caffeine).

BTW Conrad, when you say chocolate gives you bad breath, is that for the same reasons ice cream gives you bad breath?

[ChuckC]

Lots of coffee lovers here, I see! Anyway, will move this topic to "Travel-General" where we can continue the discussion without worrying about being OT.

Thanks one and all.

Chuck-

Originally posted by Jacqueline Lewis
If it helps, I'm off to Boston in 7 weeks and am more than willing to buy you some...? I'll just charge at the exchange rate and whatever postage. It's no big deal for me, whenever I go, I always have to buy a whole case (i.e. 24) Milky Way Midnights plus various other edibles and groceries! There's usually a very unhealthy supply of Selma's giant cookies too [:I]

Hey you guys...any others of you out there who are addicted to US goodies? What wiht the food and the clothes, it's just unfair I can't get a green card. I'm meant to be American, dammit!!!

Jacq

A couple of things we always head for. Turtles - chocolate-covered toffee thingies - stick them in the fridge and break all your teeth! They're the only chocolate things I've found I like. Then there are - oh, I don't know what the name is - but they're little square crackers sandwiches, with peanut butter inside. Sound absolutely disgusting, taste like heaven - and in many ways, am SO glad I can't buy them here...yep, we always head straight for a supply of those - I think Walgreens stocks them...[:p]

Originally posted by conrad_salinger
I like Sam Adams boston lager- that's very tasty- you can buy that at Waitrose online.

As for chocolate, has anyone noticed the difference in taste to US dairy milk and UK? US dairy milk has a slightly stronger cocoa flavour or content...?

Ok, this topic is not very VS orientated is it.....[oo]

Yes, the choccie is very different. I imagine it's what you're sued to though - my son used to have a girlfriend who was from the US - she hated English chocolate!

Originally posted by MarkJ
Whats ICT - I have no kids and Im not a teacher - btw I put a blonde joke on the clubhouse section a few weeks back!!!

Information and communication technology Mark. Only know as I used to work in a similar dept in a school. Lots of the kids hadn't a clue as to what it meant either!!![|:)]

God I wish I hadn't started to read this thread. Desperately trying to do Atkins so I can get into my 'slim' clothes for our hol next month - so no chocolate and even worse no caffeine for me. I'm going to be thinking about this all day now.[:(!]