richard_smith237

PG Tips or Yorkshire Gold ?? Some people are well into their tea... Its not something for me, but I understand that they may enjoy the brew so much that they take it to greater lengths to achieve something their tastes can better appreciate.

Why is it snobbery if someone enjoys one thing over another such that they go to greater lengths to improve their experience ?

Agreed.... for coffee to be as good as a coffee shop it takes a good espresso machine.. I have a Mokapot in the UK, as there is no point in getting a full on machine for the time I spend there. The Breville's higlighted earlier in the thread are good enough to make high quality espresso... the weak link of the Coffee shops is the quality of beans they use... When brewing at home we have a choice of our own beans and roast level, whereas the coffeeshop itself may chose based purely on economics... IMO, the best coffee I've had is the one I make from my machine at home. I am of course bias, but I am also highly critical when I have a new bean and don't get the extraction right.

If I'm not mistaken, the word 'Neụ̄̂x' means 'meat'.... in much the same manner when in other parts of the world and we have a 'meat kebab' it can be lamb or beef, or a mixture of both.... perhaps that translation has some similar etymological basis... That said: In Thailand.. 'Neụ̄̂x' is commonly used to refer to beef, but there can be exceptions... But for certain... 'Neụ̄̂x' Steak... does not specifically mean 'Fillet Steak' regardless of what google translate will tell you !!!!...

I can't advise on instant... Although the Moccana 3 in 1 Cappuccino wasn't completely awful if insistent on going the 'instant route'. The answer to your question depends on how much time and money you want to spend vs the quality you enjoy. A Mocapot is an excellent option - it still requires decent prep and to be watched carefully to avoid the bubbling and spurting. IMO - Easiest option for simplicity and price vs quality is perhaps the basic Nespresso machines if looking for Espresso coffee and wanting to make Espresso based drinks...

OK, sorry I spoke. Apologies for my snarky response... no call for it..

Mokapots are also good... I use all three... French Press, Mocapot, Espresso Machine... (depending on where I am). I also have a Wacaco Piccopresso for travel... All serve their purpose but IMO a decent Espresso machine makes the better coffee. That said, Espresso is the hardest to get right... the recipe is vitally important to the quality of the extraction (recipe = bean / roast / grind / amount / extraction time) - its a bit of a faff and somewhat of an art.... I can understand those not interested in the hassle. The easiest of course is the French Press... Not yet discussed is the Turkish Coffee brewing method, which is also one of my favourites (although I don't have the equipment in Bangkok to grind my coffee as fine as needed, neither do I have the Turkish coffee Pot)... and its hard no to cardamon in my coffee too... (which is common in Turkish coffee)...

Thats kind of like saying you prefer spy-wine cooler to a fine Brouilly... or Regency to a Glenfiddich.. ... a Toyota Altis to an S-Class Merc ... thats fine.. everyone has their individual tastes. Instant definitely serves its purpose.. I had Moccana Cappuccino the other day because there was nothing else on offer... It wasn't bad, no complaints from me.... BUT.. its not like a well made coffees is just 5% better than instant... its 50% better IMO... the difference is significant. Just my opinion (I find the debate interesting), I just don't see that instant can compare at all.

What's a 3 ringed notebook ?... Binder ??

Utterly hypocritical and ridiculous faux outrage from a nation which contributes one third of the worlds greenhouse gasses... The UN Atomic regulator has stated that the treated 'radioactive' water is safe to for discharge and that levels are less than those normally discharged by nuclear power stations in other areas of the globe. The amount of Tritium in the 'radioactive' discharge is at 1500 becquerel/litre, which is 6x less than the WHO's limit for drinking water, and after that its discharged into the Sea via a 1km pipe This is nothing more than political fear mongering and point scoring from China playing the victim card against an old foe.... South Korea on the other hand has endorsed the plan... why ? because it's not playing the hypocritical virtue signalling game of the Chinese.

The Op hasn't asked what YOU like for your coffee... he's asked about coffee machines !!...

I have this machine also. I had it shipped but it was expensive. I have had other Italian espresso makers but this Breville, in my humble opinion, makes the best espresso, especially the Crema. I have very similar... the one in the photo above is the Breville Barista Express... I have the Breville Barista Pro, which is basically the same with a digitial display (its about 32,000 baht - goes by the name Sage in the UK). Coffee I get from Coffee Culture Asia... Once 'dialed in' and finessed with attention to your specific bean and roast type it makes some of the best coffee I've enjoyed... That said, the Op mentioned fully automatic.... These machines are not fully automatic, there is still a user 'input'... its not 'push a button and coffee comes out' and there's a reason people don't want that... The reason I wouldn't want a 100% fully automatic 'bean to cup' machine is because 'automatic' doesn't quite get it right.. It doesn't grind to the perfect grind to flow water through 18gms of coffee to produce 36gms of coffee in 30 seconds (with a pre-infusion).... Dialing in your bean with attention to detail does get this right... it takes a little time and attention to detail but after a while you learn what results certain beans and roast levels give you... If all that is just a bit too much faff and you're not really all that into it, then a Nespresso machine will do the trick. As per OMF - The James Hoffman videos are very informative.... Of course, 3-in-1 drinkers will never understand the point of any of the above....

Thats a French Press... Infusion brewing makes perfectly good coffee.... But, its not quite the same as an Espresso machine from which various luxurious and quality coffee's can be made.

Thats incorrect.... warmer air rises, cooler air falls, when there is no breeze the air closest to the body is heated up... so a fan will move the warmer air off the body and bring in cooler air... All moot anyway - there is no way Thaksin is in a 'fanned room'.... Rumor has it that he was never at the Police hosptial - there are no public photos of him there. But... reporters have apparently been to the Police hospital and gone up to the VIP floor, there is no security and there is apparently AC... So... there is a lot of BS floating around.

How 'low' (for want of a better word) are your normal standards if you consider a 'uni-girl' the holy grail ???

You are referring to the rich people - Real Hiso's are different. Maybe, even not super rich. I know very well the demographic to which I'm referring... - If a family has a name of one of the main Bangkok Soi's named after it... - If a members of a family have 'titles'... - If members of a family are Ambassador's to Thailand or married to... - If a family owns one of Thailands largest malls for generations... - If a family owns one of Bangkok's Major hospitals... Not limited to the above, of course... but not 'just rich'....

Give these guys a go.... www.pacificprime.co.th I've found them quite useful over the years.

With your comments and attitudes towards females, bunching yourself into 'normal blokes' is somewhat of a stretch... Misogynistic guys who do not care if their wife is happy or not are unlikely to find themselves in 'happily married' territory...

Is this accurate? I find it hard to fathom a major agent in Bangkok would then move forward with this knowing it was not rite. Most condos i saw in this bracket were all asking the same. I will def research and ask the agent about putting the deposit in a 'escrow account' dated with conditions of withdrawel. Dan O is not fully correct - the Laws that were changed were for onwers of 5 or more units (basically Apartments - 1 month deposit / government rate electricity, very few follow the law anyway)... But.. this law is not relevant to individual owners renting out a Condo. Thus: 2 months deposit and 1 month rent up front is the norm. My experience is contrary to the experience of some others on here. I have always had my deposit returned. Only once was the full deposit not fully returned (140,000 baht deposit), just under 10,000 baht was kept to replace a scratched glass top cooker (hob) and replace a dented fridge door - no complaints from me, the owner went to lengths to find the best price for replacements. The owners (Chinese Husband / Thai Wife - both well educated) also complimented us (my Wife and I) on the condition of the unit when we departed and under took a walk through together upon departure. Thus: While there are no guarantees... you can protect yourself with: - Lots of photographs before moving in. - Condition report signed by both of you. Ultimately, you cant protect yourself 100% and you have to trust your instincts when dealing with an owner. I had a huge fall out with the father of a student renting out my Condo. 60,000 baht deposit, I kept about 50,000 baht for un-paid electricity bills. The students never responded to demands to pay the electricity, were always late with their rent etc. Not a big issue. I sold the unit to a new owner, we passed on the contract, signed by all parties and the transferred the 'remaining deposit' of approx 10,000 baht to the new oner (subtracting the electricity that I'd paid - with proof of bills and payment)... The father of the student was insistent that his daughter had paid the electricity herself but had no proof whatsoever (while I had proof of online payments - turns out the daughter friend was cheating her and pocketing the money instead of paying). We were contacted by the new owner a few months later complaining about the damage the students had caused to the condo. In short - this father probably now tells people that owners do not return their deposit, a lot of people leave apartments and condo's in a mess. But there are also some rather shady landlords. Its hit n miss... trust your instincts.

She's a female... they're all difference... the mistake is attempting to understand them. You be you. Let her be her and just enjoy things, don't let your immaturity ruin what could be an enjoyable relationship.

Jester?... kind of agree... Makes up stories?... possibly, yet there is an element of feasibility in the self-inflicted ridiculousness which bob regularly faces. To impress others?... even the most deranged of minds could not imagine that such tales could possibly be impressive to anyone... I don't buy that he's attempting to impress anyone, I just buy into the idea that bob smith is somewhat of a walking train-wreck. Nevertheless, I see no malice in his posts. Even with his ridiculousness, he seems a nicer character than some on here (perhaps myself included).

Specifically attracted to foreigners, no, of course not... but as welcoming to foreigners as anyone else when there is common ground, very much so.

I kind of agree... exposure to 'hi-so' obviously depends on your situation. i.e. kids go to top international schools (Patana / Harrow)... its likely your child will become friends with the child of a family considered 'hi-so'... those who own major hospital chains, those who have streets named after them (their family name), those who own major shopping mall chains, huge well known family businesses etc.. There is a degree of reverse snobbery amongst the hoi-palloi... proud to be lo-so ? I'm not so sure, given an opportunity to be as wealthy as the 'wealthy' they'd chew off their own arm. That doesn't mean they forget their manners and 'salt of the earth' character, their pride comes from being able to deal with adversity with emotional strength, integrity and honesty.

He'll have to avoid doing any cooking shows !!...

He read your topic on Aseannow yesterday and is responding to your cry for help ????