Coffee, Café Culture, Culture, Chat, & Conversation...

[Scepticalscribe]

Enjoyed a coffee that was a blend (of my own devising) of Brazilian, Bolivian and Indonesian coffees, with organic hot milk.

 

[lizkat]

I don't always have part of a fresh lemon around as a leftover, but today I had part of one left after making some tabbouleh for later on, and so switched up to some iced tea w/ lemon, so refreshing in the heat wave here.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I don't always have part of a fresh lemon around as a leftover, but today I had part of one left after making some tabbouleh for later on, and so switched up to some iced tea w/ lemon, so refreshing in the heat wave here.

I love lemons; actually, I love all citrus fruit.

Lemons are an absolute necessity, a vital - and permanent - presence in my fruit bowls; apart from coffee, my daily beverage - one that I have at my side all day every day - irrespective of whether coffee, wine or beer are also present - is sparkling water with slices of lemon.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Enjoyed Indonesian coffee with organic hot milk this morning.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Enjoyed Bolivian coffee with organic hot milk this morning.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Haven't enjoyed an Ethiopian coffee in an absolute age. Delicious.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Enjoyed an Ethiopian coffee with organic hot milk and a dash of double cream.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Enjoyed an Ethiopian coffee with organic hot milk and a dash of organic double cream.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Sipping a coffee that has been prepared with a blend of my own devising of two different types of Ethiopian coffee, with organic hot milk.

 

[JamesMike]

@Scepticalscribe, I was thinking of you when I saw a pound of Finca Sophia's Gesha beans sold for $1,300.50 considered the most expensive beans. It is grown high in the Panama mountains. We will need to save our coins to buy a pound!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

@Scepticalscribe, I was thinking of you when I saw a pound of Finca Sophia's Gesha beans sold for $1,300.50 considered the most expensive beans. It is grown high in the Panama mountains. We will need to save our coins to buy a pound!

Wow.

Absolutely.

One wonders what coffee at such a price would actually taste like, or, whether one is merely meant to invest in it rather than actually think to drink it.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

An Ethiopian coffee, that is actually a blend of two Ethiopian coffees (one washed, one natural), devised by myself; served with organic (hot) milk.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Enjoyed a coffee (a very pleasant flat white, but have no idea where the coffee itself came from) in an outdoor cafe, and yes, still socially distanced, with Decent Brother.

 

[JamesMike]

Wow.

Absolutely.

One wonders what coffee at such a price would actually taste like, or, whether one is merely meant to invest in it rather than actually think to drink it.

We used the area many years ago for jungle training and would see the coffee farms and didn't them much thought, we should picked some beans!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

We used the area many years ago for jungle training and would see the coffee farms and didn't them much thought, we should picked some beans!

In Kenya, both en route to and from Somalia, and in Nairobi itself, where I used to attend many meetings (and wine and dine) with locals, Somalis and international interlocutors, I realised that it might be a good idea to take a few days of leave every so often, when and while passing through.

Anyway, while taking advantage of the leave I took, I visited national parks, the Rift Valley, the National Museum of Kenya (home to an extraordinarily interesting exhibition about early hominids, most notably, the famous "Lucy", an early progenitor), the dairy farm of the best cheese producer in Kenya, and coffee and tea plantations, where I was given careful, and detailed, guided tours, which were absolutely fascinating.

Absolutely compelling and rivetting stuff.

 

[JamesMike]

In Kenya, both en route to and from Somalia, and in Nairobi itself, where I used to attend many meetings (and wine and dine) with locals and international interlocutors, I realised that it might be a good idea to take a few day's leave every so often, when and while passing through.

Anyway, I visited natonal parks, the Museum of Kenya (home to an extraordinarily interesting exhibition about early hominids, including the famous "Lucy", an early progenitor), and coffee and tea plantations, where I was given careful, and detailed, guided tours, which were absolutely fascinating.

Absolutely compelling and rivetting stuff.

The area is like a second home to me, with friends and former UN staff members throughout the region.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

The area is like a second home to me, with friends and former UN staff members throughout the region.

I hear you.

Actually, I have to say that I loved every minute of my time in Kenya.

Somalia, not so much.

 

[JamesMike]

When were you in Somalia?

 

[Scepticalscribe]

When were you in Somalia?

Summer 2017- summer 2018.

I was (seconded, in a diplomatic capacity) with one of the EU missions (EUCAP), where I served as Polad (political adviser/counsellor).

For security reasons, most of the embassies (as you know) worked (mainly) out of Nairobi.

As it happened, I was based mainly in Mogadishu, but travelled to Nairobi very frequently, for monthly meetings of the Polads of the EU embassies and EU Delegation, and sometimes representing (or, standing in for) my HOM at HOM level meetings.

Nairobi was a good place to meet with EU (and other western journalistic, NGO, and diplomatic) EU and UN contacts, and - paradoxically - with leading Somalis, as well; dinner (and wine, I usually hosted and paid) somehow worked far better there than in Mogadishu.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Enjoyed some Indonesian coffee today.