Check out the full episode here ➡kzread.info/dash/bejne/hqWC1KyHmMbMZco.html

Watching James try not to shit on these and be pragmatic is the best part.

@xbriskx

7 ай бұрын

Hahahah

@IrregularTangent

7 ай бұрын

Epic comment 😂. I read that in Hoffman voice lol

@adamhardy8690

7 ай бұрын

He's scared the Starbucks hit squad track him down

@MettleHurlant

7 ай бұрын

Watching his gravity-defying hair is the best part for me.

@ulercobra

7 ай бұрын

😅I know right. I laugh immediately after his first cup. as someone who follow his channel, you'll know he's trying his best not to. LMAO

I think what viewers who don’t know James Hoffman need to know is his scale: he has tasted pre ground that is almost 70 years old and amazing coffees that sell for hundreds-thousands per 100g. So his 0-10 is very different to normal and he is being very kind here attempting not to discourage people not in the coffee world

@urouroniwa

7 ай бұрын

"Kind" is an appropriate word, I think. When I watch James Hoffmann, it's always obvious that he is thinking very hard and trying to choose his words incredibly carefully. The kindness he shows is almost palpable. I think about some of the apologies that he's had on his channel when he's said something that he later regrets. I've learned a lot from watching him speak. I don't know anything about him as a person, but I completely respect how hard he works to be kind when he speaks in public.

@themoodyteam

7 ай бұрын

‘his scale’ 😂 Fanboy

@dumelisdumelis

7 ай бұрын

@@themoodyteam yes, I am a James Hoffmann fanboy. Why? 😌

@paddyotoole2058

7 ай бұрын

We did know.

@gregoriusandrianto6130

7 ай бұрын

yes. The variance is certainly higher than the average. He already tasted the worst and the best there is.

My favorite part of the pandemic was getting high and watching James Hoffman review every piece of coffee equipment that IKEA sells. I must’ve rewatched that video 25 times.

@paradise_valley

7 ай бұрын

love that video too, done same during then without even getting high, so you're not alone in liking it!

@TheGregcellent

7 ай бұрын

Replace "high" with "absolutely smashed out of my skull on Peroni Red" and I have a very similar experience to you 😂

@Will140f

7 ай бұрын

@@TheGregcellent I don’t know where you live but I have never seen or heard of peroni red. Would love to try it though!

@TheGregcellent

7 ай бұрын

@@Will140f i live in the UK. If you do too, you can get it from Costco and a lot of cornershops. Nice malty lager

@Will140f

7 ай бұрын

@@TheGregcellent ah, I’m in Canada unfortunately. The beer selection isn’t great but there is a weed shop on every corner these days (frankly I don’t know how they all stay in business)

It’s impossible to watch James and NOT have an overwhelming urge to brew a cup!

@LurkerPatrol5

7 ай бұрын

I just had cold brew but now I want to make aeropress 😂

@cybertonto72

7 ай бұрын

Just home after a shift and thinking about making some nice filter ...

@iFreshCrispy

6 ай бұрын

Abolsutely, I can't finish a video of his without a nice hot cup in hand!

I love how James is not anti-chain but is very pro-independent. The way he talked about number 4 screamed Starbucks but it was pret. I also love how he wants to encourage people to see coffee differently

@magnusbruce4051

7 ай бұрын

To me, when he said the 5th was taste "vegetable-y" that made me think of Starbucks. There's a Starbucks near my office that I go to maybe once or twice a week and I'm not really a fan of the coffee there for this reason. Especially compared to what I bring in a flask (Lavazza made in my cheap espresso machine at home, so not great beans and not an amazing setup), Starbucks has a weird "vegetable" taste to it. But preferences are of course personal, I wouldn't think for a minute that my nose for coffee is even close to James's. Considering the Lavazza beans cost £12/kg in Costco and make what I consider to be a perfectly acceptable everyday espresso, they are fine for my purposes.

@cybertonto72

7 ай бұрын

@@magnusbruce4051 next time you go ask what beans they have on rotation, and try a different bean. I find that some places I go the coffee can have that slightly veg/weird taste, and if I try a different bean its fine.

@wooders0123

4 ай бұрын

Exactly. A lot of people don't like coffee or only have it with loads of sugar because they've only had over roasted chain stuff or instant.

I could listen to James talking about coffee all day long. He is like the dumbledore of coffee.

@solidandsoiled

7 ай бұрын

omg u got me at dumbledore

@adamhardy8690

7 ай бұрын

He speaks as if he has written his script already a script I would spend days trying to write well. Very eloquent.

@PipeScholar

5 ай бұрын

@@adamhardy8690 Especially in interview form. You never know how many takes he does on a video, but to see him just riffing like that is insane. He's an incredible speaker and mind.

@mftmss7086

Ай бұрын

more like dumb and hwore

I love James and how he talks about coffee and perspective depending on the target audience

I like the way how James H. described this. He is very professional and honest. Thanks for inviting him for a blind taste to this channel.

His hair is excellent, he looks like drawings of brainy profs in comics from the 1970s like the Dandy and Beano 😂

@cctv5348

7 ай бұрын

Great comment 😊

@Randomcharacters285

7 ай бұрын

Grow up man

@slarter1

7 ай бұрын

Or “there’s something about Mary” 😂

@kuriusly23

7 ай бұрын

He also roasts coffee occasionally

@cctv5348

7 ай бұрын

@@kuriusly23 in a DeLorean 😉

Ok so I don’t even like coffee but I found this fascinating simple because of the knowledge and enthusiasm in this conversation.

@gemmacruz8529

7 ай бұрын

He is fascinating and very entertaining. Check his YT channel. He won't disappoint you even if you do not like coffee.

@owensparks5013

7 ай бұрын

A word of caution. Whether you're a coffee drinker or not, if you watch his yt channel you will wake up in a year's time with a plethora of 'wierd coffee person' gadgets, along with at least two coffee grinders.

@sharpe8888

7 ай бұрын

​@@owensparks5013haha, so true

@veganpotterthevegan

7 ай бұрын

​@@owensparks5013I had 2 grinders before watching his channel. Now I have 6🥴

@DaveJ188

7 ай бұрын

​@@owensparks5013yeah, I've got a French Press, Aeropress and espresso machine. He does a really good job of speaking to the target audience.

In the coffee world, I feel like James Hoffman is the biggest guest anyone could hope for. I would love to meet him and have him try my coffee and give me some feedback or tips!

@OldskoolCatflap

7 ай бұрын

James Hoffman IS coffee!

@Showmetheevidence-

7 ай бұрын

Cos he is the best coffee guest….

James got me into brewing coffee at home. Started with cheap Ikea french press, then a few moka pots, one aeropress, and finally a delonghi machine. There is nothing better than finding an independent shop and try their beans and realising how different coffee can taste when u stop drinking the chain coffee. Probably have tried 16-17 different brands on the last one year and only thing i buy in my foreign travels now a days is beans.

@Spartan-sz7km

6 ай бұрын

Honestly it's ruined coffee chains for me. I cannot justify buying a cappuccino for like 5-6usd a cup. For speciality coffee chains, definitely still but I'd definitely go for hand brewed coffee or espresso. Nothing with milk anymore

@aaronboggs5799

6 ай бұрын

James got me into espresso and specialty coffee as well. I love sampling new coffees and am really glad I took the plunge this year in getting Onyx’s coffee advent calendar. It is by no means cheap, but when you consider you’re getting to sample 24 different higher end varieties and don’t have to risk buying a full bag of anything, the value proposition makes more sense. I’ve really enjoyed the experience this year and will continue to seek out opportunities to try new coffees and develop my palate.

@wanaboed

5 ай бұрын

I know. But now I'm super broke right now. I can only buy $1 black coffee from cheap coffee shops. $2 is max of my daily coffee budget. I think I need to invest in simple pour over paraphernalia

Don’t love McDonald’s coffee myself, and I’ve never been a Starbucks fan… but love learning more every time I see or hear something from James.

I've been on a journey of discovery this year when it comes to coffee and James Hoffman has been a large part of it. My coffee game has definitely been elevated.

Love you guys!! Looking forward to listening to the whole thing. Keep it up!

Always prefer supporting independents - in most areas, local green grocers / butchers, and coffee. I still get a coffee from the big names, but its not my first option. Love James as always!

The difference in price / culture and flavour is so striking compared to here (Italy). Fascinating.

Caffè Nero is probably the best large chain coffee in my experience. I’m surprised that it wasn’t included in this test. It’s still not great, but by large chain standards I’ve found it to be the best.

@Micha-mo5cq

7 ай бұрын

Totally agree; maybe they didn’t include cause it’s smaller chain, current only in some European countries; but yeah I think they’ve been improving their beans lately, also the inside designer of those cafes has a little soul sometimes, unlike the others like Starbucks or Costa

@breathefitness

7 ай бұрын

Agree. I think Nero is the best out of the UK commercial chains as well. Personally Costa being the worst by some margin.

@MrCostaC

7 ай бұрын

Pret is by far the worse, Nero is largely terrible.

@phil8528

7 ай бұрын

@@Micha-mo5cq totally agree on the design of their cafes being better stylistically as well. They often have nice sofas, and just little extra touches like ornaments and paintings e.t.c instead of basically looking like an airport bathroom like every Starbucks I’ve seen.

@adamcraig1468

6 ай бұрын

@@Micha-mo5cq Yea Nero has the nicest character to their interiors but often its not the cleanest or maintained as well. Starbucks has the minimalist look and costa is the cosiest but boring lol

what James said about Starbucks its true, the beans quality themselves is not that bad, but the dark roasting profiles, non traceable beans and the grocery store no roast date regulation is what makes Starbucks below average. For starters I experimented on buying French Roast (yes their darkest beans to date) and even brewing them with Moka Pot, there is still some sweetness to it (tho smell quite rancid because its a 2 months old coffee, backdate 6 months on the best before date and you will likely get the roast date) because the Arabica beans is quite intact even tho pretty much burnt

@kuriusly23

7 ай бұрын

I've had wonderful success with their limited releases and reserve roasts. Often single origin or even single estate and very good compared to their usual fare

@yskuzi

7 ай бұрын

The problem is our equipment Starbucks Beans are great for home brewing but we at Starbucks are offen disappointed with the shots that the mastrana pulls can't do much about it it's about making people happy a great cup of coffee helps but not always my main focus

@alisonstevens2952

7 ай бұрын

Agree, Non corporate location here our mastrana machines which are getting on in age just can't pull good and consistent shots anymore. We have spent ages adjusting them to no avail and it's really hard for us to get replacement machines so we can see our shots are bad but we aren't able to do much about it. @@yskuzi

@NoobieDoobieDo

7 ай бұрын

Got some fresh ground medium roast Starbucks from one of their locations. It was so bad that I had to throw it out after about a week of trying to make it work. Lots of coffee nerds think that Starbucks is subpar. Seen that kind of sentiment many times on social media from coffee lovers.

@tommyfreckmann6857

7 ай бұрын

​@@yskuzimissed a few commas there. I had to read that several times.

I wish you'd included Caffè Nero as well, independent is always far superior but I do think it's the best of the chains in the UK

@the_once-and-future_king.

7 ай бұрын

I've tried Nero and found it very bitter.

@SurreyAlan

7 ай бұрын

​@@the_once-and-future_king.But it does taste of something. I have bought some Nero beans from Waitrose and enjoyed them at home

@jamesmorgan9474

7 ай бұрын

Fully agree. Costa comes second, Starbucks....🤢

@wastedtime101

7 ай бұрын

​@@jamesmorgan9474I don't think I've ever had a good Costa coffee.

@ResevoirGod

7 ай бұрын

Nero tastes like cat piss. By far the worst of the big chains.

Man I love James Hoffman

What a great and fascinating film, love watching James being nice but very honest!!!!!!

Very informative from the start, good content!

New viewer here - love the platform for James and our growing coffee community! Heads up that it's Hoffmann* with the extra "n"

I subscribed. Good video and excellent conversations. Love from Texas

Listening to James talk about coffee is so interesting

it's always interesting to see what james thinks of these various coffees, even though im one of those people who really enjoy earthy flavors. therefore we disagree a lot when it comes to subjective opinions of coffees

My mom is allergic to citrus (lemon,lime/orange) and now I KNOW why she cannot have COKE from a comment James made in this Coffee video! 🤯

@MrTaylork1

29 күн бұрын

Yeah, orange growers for juice sell almost all their orange peels to Coke for the orange oil

I only drink coffee brewed from the most select, perfectly roasted beans in water that is perfectly pH balanced, with select trace minerals at the perfect ppm, at the perfect temperature. Then I add three tablespoons of sugar and two ounces of Carnation French Vanilla creamer.

Loved this video. Thank you

Was recently on a long weekend in London. Went to all different coffee chains. The only drinkable was Cafe Nero and some independent special coffeeplaces.

@brookes79

7 ай бұрын

Caffe Nero is usually a decent coffee, especially some of their single origin specials

@wooders0123

4 ай бұрын

Next time just go all independent places. There's so so many incredible cafe's in London, if you like coffee it's a wasted opportunity just going to poor chains

What independent coffee shop was it?? Let’s big it up! ☕️

Im new to your channel (coming from james' channel), just wanted to say you have an elegant set.

They should have put coffee from his company in the line up to see if he could tell

@halozidia

7 ай бұрын

Absolutely pointless lol, as a non-expert I can tell you that the difference is IMMENSE (not only his brand particularly, it would be the case for any well-brewed, light-roast specialty coffee), even someone who doesn't drink coffee would be able to tell.

Hoffman is a legit legend 🙏🏻

Chain cafes have their benefits 100%. About a year ago, I was in an unfamiliar neighborhood, and I wanted a coffee. Very cartoonishly, I found two cafes side by side. One, a romanian chain called 5 to go, very much built on the Starbucks model, and the second was an independent shop. I went into the second, there was no line either, so why not? Well. The barista inside had his picture on the wall, under a sign that read "unqualified personnel", as a joke, of course, but it was foretelling. I ordered a cappuccino and he gave a Starbucks grande sized cup of bitter and watery tasting espresso mixed with a gallon of milk essentially. The foam was comparable to what you would get from a hand held coffee mixer. Also, the lid to the cup didn't fit well, so I spilled some on myself. And they had a very strange grinder as well. It had a collection cup attached to it, from which he dispensed into the portafilter. Instead of every coffee dose coming out straight from the grinder, into the portafilter, it collected in that container and sat there a while, before being brewed. I sincerely doubt it made much difference, but it was questionable design, unless any of you guys know what the benefit might be, I'd love to know. But, on the whole, moral of the story, I could have gone to the convenience store around the corner, and gotten a vending machine coffee that would have been better

I would always try and independent over a chain if I have the chance. Yes I’ll drink all of the chain store coffees but a good independent makes a huge difference

Please come to Sweden and taste our coffee! The country where Starbucks failed.

2:00 that’s pretty fascinating!

Thing is about the chains is that they are there when you want a coffee , especially Mcdonalds, many a nightshift have they brought joy even if i know its not that great

Thanks for sharing!

Sounds about right - i stopped going to Costa due to the quality falling off. Try Nero next!

The best coffee I ever had was from Nude Espresso when I was on a trip to London . It was so good I wrote a poem about the experience!

@lukasruzicka4984

7 ай бұрын

Post poem here i want to read it

Thing with any of these chains is that you also get a completely different experience whichever one you go to based on the skill of your barista. Because the often don't get good training and have to educate themselves a lot

We dont have Pratt but I agree Costa is the best of the rest, esp when it comes to a Flat White or Cappa, the cup of black I dont know.

The best cup of cheap coffee is in my kitchen. But other than that, there are these gas stations here in Florida called Race Trac and they have those machines that grind the beans for each cup of coffee and it's a pretty damn tasty cup of coffee.

@jidduv

7 ай бұрын

Best cup of coffee I've ever had was a pour over from someones kitchen. Granted he was also a professional coffee roaster and he probably served me some specialty beans for his personal consumption. He told me nothing about it and didn't prime my head with any inputs, he let the coffee speak for itself and it was sublime. I could taste flavour notes in that cup that I had never thought about when tasting coffee. All that to say, homemade isn't bad if you start with good beans and a good grinder. It also isn't cheap if you ball out on high end beans.

@Kandralla

7 ай бұрын

I've had the Race Trac coffee and I think what you're observing there is just how much grinding the coffee just before it's brewed improves the flavor. I tell people that if they can afford it, the easiest way to drastically improve your coffee at home is to buy a burr grinder and grind your own. 7/11 has those machines now and their coffee is pretty okay too. They're both workmanlike, which is fine... might actually be good for context making the truly excellent coffee taste even better in comparison. I also think something that is lost on a comparison like this is why you're getting the coffee. McDonalds coffee isn't the best but I'm not going there for the best; I'm going there because I'm hungry, and in a hurry and for that application McDonalds coffee is really good (assuming they've descaled their machine in the last five years and I can get them to not put random amounts of cream and sugar in it). It's certainly better than Dunkin's which is what people in the US think of when they think good, fast food coffee.

@shepshape2585

7 ай бұрын

@@Kandralla I agree on the grinding bit. Sam’s club used to have a commercial grade grinder in the coffee aisle, and I would buy a decent bag of beans and grind it there, not having one at home. I really do need to buy a grinder, not sure why I haven’t as of yet.

Those tiny nuances between the chains is what gets you addicted to them, so when you go literally anywhere else it’s not what you’re used to, and that’s when you know they got ya!!

Whats written on the bottom of the silver cups?

I always choose Pret as my go to coffee when I'm out and about. Prefer the taste to other chains

Having listened to a lot of James, this made me wonder if there is (or should be) a trend of BYO EQ. I wonder if people listen back to the audio of themselves on shows and think: "That's not how I sound, or not how I would like my self to sound". I guess you're at the mercy of the editor and the limits of the setup (mic, dac etc) but still something I thought about when listening to this. Not that this sounds bad, it's just a very different sound stage/mix that I'm used to hearing James' voice come out of.

In my opinion Cafe Nero has the best tasting coffee of the chains.

@Trebor74

7 ай бұрын

If you go to a certain supermarket their coffee shops have been taken over by carluccios. Much better coffee than Nero's.

@ResevoirGod

7 ай бұрын

Disgusting coffees

What was his top 3 for quality?

My personal favorite is McCafe coffee in Canada (I'm not sure if they use different beans elsewhere in the world)

@r2skyvader

7 ай бұрын

I enjoy it here in the States too. Notes on the nose like pancakes and syrup. Maybe how it was made too.

@bubba_sawyer

7 ай бұрын

The best coffee is the one you enjoy most.

@gregorymoats4007

6 ай бұрын

My understanding is when Starbucks bought Seattle’s Best they eventually cut a deal with MD’s. Don’t know if that was a regional move

I enjoy very good independent coffee, but I also enjoy getting a giant "vat" of McD's coffee with lots of cream and sugar to sip over the entire morning at work. Cheap, fast to pick up (no lineup like Starbucks or Timmy's), smooth (less likely to be burnt tasting than both). I know that's because of the dairy and sugar, but I enjoy that mix. I love it when a quality cup is good enough to not need them, but I also enjoy the taste of coffee with cream. James was so respectful. I would have ended on something that he would consider an 8-10 just to leave him with a better taste in his mouth, lol.

Cafe Nero, recommended in England. Get a loyalty card too. One free cup after ten.

Of the high street chains, Nero with speciality blend is the best by a wide margin. Loads of discounts around too. James for the win!

Starbucks coffee tastes awful and it's over priced!

Pret is my fav chain filter coffee, plus it’s also cheap

Best coffee I’ve ever had was served in a Co-op in Venice . Cost €1 . It was amazing

I specifically refuse to go to ichains when I'm abroad, the whole point of traveling is for experience, why would i forfeit that by going to something familiar

I got a really fancy light roast bag of beans for christmas from my brother and the bag said notes of apricot. Usually I find these notes vague at best, but damn that stuff actually reeked like sour molding apricots in baby poo! It's absolutely vile by itself but in a tiny amount blended in with my usual dark roast stuff it adds amazing complexity and zest.

@doc8125

2 ай бұрын

Did it say something "anaerobic" or "natural" at the front? A lot of werid fermentation processed coffees can remind me of rotting fruit

Would liked them to have Cafe Nero in there.. to me seems to be the best high street one

I actually quite like McDonald's coffee! 😂 As long as i get a latte or cappuccino it tastes pretty good to my unrefined palate. But Starbucks always tastes really weird to me, at least it does in the one nearest to me.

First time seeing the channel up on YT, thanks James, now i have another channel worth subbing to!

The most exciting coffee I’ve ever had abroad has always been independent coffee shops

I do love mc Donald's coffee much more than starbucks hahaha. Even though he said its bitter. But where I come from we do drink bitter coffee and I don't put sugar in it just cream

I'm actually blown away by this, but only because I think Costa is absolutely dreadful. Maybe I've just had bad baristas but it always tastes like someone has diluted burnt tyres whenever I've had to drink it. McDonald's on the other hand, while not a great coffee, is reliably drinkable (but then they have bean to cup machines so removes the element of human error).

That was fun!

Brilliant. Had to sub

2:29 "you don't know what brand these are, neither do I" they are literally written on his cups or on his notepad.

What about Nero? I wonder what James thinks about them?

It has to be a subjective view., but I have tried a couple of independents only out of convenience and Idid find they both had smoother and richer flavours. I also noticed that using say Costa the flavour could vary at different times. I hadn't eat or drank anything a few hours beforehand to affect my taste.

I think global chains must have totally different suppliers depending on where in the world specific franchises are located, because where I live in Ontario Canada, McDonalds coffee is considered to be really good. At least, as good as you could hope for from drive-thru coffee. Tangentially, I'm always amused by the difference in how "McDonalds" gets pronounced; in North America, we say "Mick", but Brits put a heavy emphasis "Mack".

@misomicro

6 ай бұрын

The correct pronunciation is "Mac", meaning "Son" in Scots and Irish Gaelic.

@L337Dratini

5 ай бұрын

In Ontario, I feel that McDonald's is considered really good because people are used to drinking Timmies. My American friends (one of whom is a competitive barista) are appalled that I enjoy Starbucks but they really have no idea how awful the other options are - there are no good independent coffee shops in my area, either.

If you would drop in Moscow (not recommended) you wouldn't find any of these chains anymore, but independent coffeeshops here is exceptional and cup of filter coffee would cost you no more than 3 pounds

@Drenwickification

7 ай бұрын

Yeah you do they just changed name. Starbucks is now called stars coffee in Russia for example. I mean I don’t live there but it looks basically the same and is still a big chain. Not sure if they get their supplies from same sources or not tho.

@pavlovolegphoto

7 ай бұрын

@@Drenwickification no, it's based on Starbucks of course but supplies are totally different. So we have what left of it of chains of course - it is ready to go business, but a lot changed inside, not just logo. McDonalds was rebranded better because supply chains (meat etc.) was local.

Out of the big coffee chains in the UK, my favourite coffee is from Cafe Nero. Independent coffee shops are definitely better.

@themoodyteam

7 ай бұрын

Defo go for the independents. Invariably more interesting.

@oliver.gilbert

7 ай бұрын

I agree, I think it is because Cafe Nero is built on the italian style of coffee drinking and therefore has fairly high standards to begin with- unlike the more North American standard of weak filter.

@brandon3872

7 ай бұрын

@@oliver.gilbert That makes sense, and I think because Starbucks is the most successful coffee chain in the world, a lot of others try to imitate them, rather than do better than them.

@laurah2831

7 ай бұрын

Starbucks is the McDonalds of coffee chains. It does what it aims to which is sell milkshakes with a bit of coffee in. At least McDonald’s is cheap tho.

@veganpotterthevegan

7 ай бұрын

There are definitely bad roasters at independent shops, just as their are bad plastic surgeons but requirements to be a roaster are significantly lower

This is really interesting. For my taste, Costa is significantly more enjoyable than Starbucks coffee which I just cannot drink. Independent shops, I find, have noticeably better coffee but I've had lots of variance with the same shop - one day the coffee is great and the next is a bit dull.

@JanusXX

5 ай бұрын

I grew up in Brazil, and I have lived in London for a while. I could not find a coffee that tasted "right" to me. In Brazil even the shittiest coffe have some smell other than burnt.

Costa, to me, is a very strong caffeine content drink. The best I've had is one I had in a garden shop in the Midlands. Had it once never to have it again.

@lusteraliaszero

7 ай бұрын

it's likely not the caffeine you're tasting

@Jadamson321

7 ай бұрын

You are not tasting caffeine, you are probably tasting roast level i.e. bitterness and collating the two. James Hoffmann has some good videos on how to taste and describe coffee.

@jca111

7 ай бұрын

Roast level and caffeine are NOT the same.

@Jadamson321

7 ай бұрын

re-read my comment because that is not what I said at all. @@jca111

It is an absolute necessity to cleanse your palate after sampling each coffee. Otherwise, the coffees that follow will have a different taste.

can you do this again for north american chains? Timmies ? etc.

Its like my kitchen, I have my Gold Blend "intense" then its the Nespresso and ultimately the bean machine. Why? cos I love my coffee, erm well any coffee within reason. But when coffee costs more than a pint of beer its a hard choice except in the middle of winter when its freezing cold, thats when a cup of coffee wins, every time

Love watching James :) Just because a place is independent, it definitely does not equal good coffee, or experience. I've traveled all over the US for work the last 6-7 years, and had such bad coffee at a lot of independent places, I rarely even risk it anymore. Even the ones who price high. I know people love to jump on the "hate big brands band-wagon", however Starbucks has always been a consistent place for a good americano or flat white. I'd say 9 out of 10 times. And unlike some of the independent places, they are always happy to correct or remake anything I don't like. No hassle.

@stoovurns73

7 ай бұрын

In Australia, it's essentially the opposite. We have such a strong coffee culture that most people will go to any independent cafe before a chain, to the point that chain shops are getting harder to find, and many have slowly died out over the last few years. Starbucks particularly famously failed when they tried to move in over here. Traveling in the UK, I've been a bit culture shocked to see so many chains, and many of them do charge more than the smaller cafes, for an inferior product.

@egodreas

7 ай бұрын

I must say that I do not agree with any of that. I find Starbucks next to undrinkable, and your typical independent coffee place generally beats them by a mile. Although I must say that coffee in the US is not quite as good as most other parts of the world (as far as I can tell from just a couple of years spent in NY, LA and SF). The UK isn't all that remarkable either, except for some of the many awesome specialty coffee places you can find in London. Nothing like the coffee you get in Scandinavia or New Zealand and Australia. They take their coffee much more seriously there. More so than even Italy.

@bobbyiv9335

7 ай бұрын

If your go to is black coffee I’ve found that places who make pour overs almost always offers better product than places who don’t. I’ve traveled quite a bit and I’ve found this rule to be nearly fool proof. But I also prefer black coffee and a lighter roast.

@wastedtime101

7 ай бұрын

That is quite a damming review of North American coffee culture.

@RobinHartJones

7 ай бұрын

I agree. I have excitedly tried a new independent shop a few times and had a terrible coffee. My favourite coffee establishment is the Hog & Hedge just past Exeter on the way to Cornwall. They don't make any claims for their coffee and mostly push their home made food but their espresso is sublime. Shame I live 200 miles away but I always try to visit if I am leaving Cornwall. 😏

I feel like Nero coffee offers a better quality but again it comes down to personal preference. One thing is for sure that they shouldn’t be priced that highly…

@laurah2831

7 ай бұрын

It’s the double espresso as standard in all drinks. They were the first ones to do it, when everywhere else serving large American size drinks were single shot. Think the cups might be slightly smaller too which adds to that. Caffè Nero mocha / hot choc is insanely good.

I generally think costa is the earth-y one. Pret usually is 'quite all right' for the kind of chain, when it comes to coffee. That said I usually buy something milky espresso-based like a cappucino at chains like that. though I don't mind bitter coffee, I prefer one that isn't. I definitely am not the biggest fan of acid overtones though. Which makes it so that I always look for a coffee that is round and caramel-y in the overtones, but has body without being bitter. And that is honestly the hardest thing to find in my experience :D.

He made a really good point about the independent places trying to mark up their coffee based off the prices of chains, if your nobody and small you gotta grow from humble beginnings before trying to put yourself up there just cause your an independent shop

A&W is by far the best.

What's the 4th cup again? Prackt?

No matter where I go to in the world, the first thing I do is research all of the best independent coffee shops and how far they are from my hotel or from the places that I will visit. Most of the time they become the focal point of my trip 😂. There's no way I would buy a coffee from a chain unless I really have to, which is typically at the bookends of the trip in the airport 😂.

@pigeonsareugly

6 ай бұрын

I'm of the exact same opinion

I like the fact that James sits in front of a camera even on a bad hair day!😆

@RobinHartJones

7 ай бұрын

I watch all his videos and the hair does not get much better than that. Good on him His hair is not 'bad' it's just 'individual' 😊

@cosmodoc

7 ай бұрын

@@RobinHartJones well, thankfully I am a person who thinks that brains are far more important than styling!

Thats interesting. My experience has always been that Pret is far nicer than Starbucks or Costa.

My suppression response is somehow broken. I can smell myself well before anyone else. It may sound helpful, but it just leads to a lot of anxiety because even a brisk walk can bring out an odour that doesn't go away for the rest of the day 😕

Would have loved to see Nero here too. For me that’s the best on the high street (of a really bad bunch!)

Subscribed good content I must say.

thanks!

I'm guessing the mics were very directional or the audio's been processed quite a bit? I didn't hear a thing when they put the cups down at around 6:00.

@TheElaborinth8993

Ай бұрын

Most podcast mics that you see are basically modified Cardioid mics, which have a pickup pattern that captures audio perfectly from the top and somewhat ok from the sides, but can’t pick up anything from directly underneath So they do have the bottom of their mics roughly pointed at their cups, so you really won’t hear anything. You might potentially get the smallest sound of their cups from the other persons mic if they were a little less gentle with their placing down of the cups.

The only reason to go to places like Starbucks or Costa is that they have wifi. They all sell same product for prices that make no sense. The risk of going to an independent/ specialty coffee place always makes sense to me. I will find something new and most of the time something good. Nothing good can be found at Costa and I would only go there if they were the only coffee shop in town and there was a blizzard outside.

Loved listening to this - but i wish the tasting was done with a latte which is what most people drink - the scores would flip - with the sour independent coffee dropping to the bottom.. these high street brands roast specifically to work in latte's & cappuccino's

Favorite cup of non-local cafe coffees is still dunkin original blend. Wish they made this just the fast food coffees, including dunkin

@FF18Cloud

4 ай бұрын

I'd argue the McDonald's one isn't that bad. Maybe where I've had it it wasn't that bad, but yeah

I've been telling people that Starbucks is terrible coffee forever. Thank you, James ❤️ *sips on A&W free refill*

the only way i down a starbucks is with a shot or two of espresso, it comes to around $5. would rather go to other small shops, here in NYC there’s a lot of good ones