Pho dau Bo - upper James

830 Upper James St. Unit 103
Hamilton, Ont.

This is just a quick note to describe how Vietnamese coffee is ordered in a Pho restaurant. I consider this type of coffee a bit of a decadence because of the richness and sweetness you get due to the teaspoon of condensed milk in the coffee cup. I normally drink my coffee black but the Vietnamese coffee is a treat with rich dripped espresso, and condensed milk.

I understand it can be ordered cold as well so be sure to specify which one when you order. I enquired about the type of coffee they used and it was a bit sketchy, bought in bulk but it's espresso and med./fine grind for the tiny drip machine normally used in Thai and/or Vietnamese restaurants.

The coffee was a bit pricey at $3.50 but yielded a fair size cup and very tasty. It's worth the try when out for lunch and having pho.

12 cup Bodum with Kicking Horse Coffee (3 sisters).

I have to say that as much as I love going to a coffee shop, the coffee I had this morning was pretty much as good as it gets, and I got to wear my jammies as well. Neil and I have talked for years about how our cuisinart coffee maker poured terribly and despite the carafe that holds the coffee, never quite kept the coffee hot enough. On an average day in the Walker household we drink 1 or 2 coffees each, the 4th person is usually out of luck (like this morning for example). I am pretty sure we are known for our awesome coffee, or lattes and it is a source of pride.

We started the morning off with the bodum this morning, it took a little pre-planning. I measured the amount of water to be boiled, changed the grinder to course (never did that before) and set up the bodum for coffee goodness. I was definitely not disappointed. The instructions for the bodum were a bit ridiculous calling for 2 scoops per cup...that makes it too strong and uses too much coffee. The amount Neil measured was 10 scoops for the 12 cupper and was perfect!

I would definitely recommend a bodum for those looking for a wonderful, hot and flavourful cup of coffee. We grind the beans every morning for fresh taste, the variety for sweetness changes for everyone in the house but we all agree that coffee is a wonderful thing and worth the extra time to make a good brew.

In looking for a bodum we checked the horrid ECS Coffee Inc. I hope to god that anyone that likes coffee never goes there...it's the worst example of corporate, suburban coffee people. I can't wrap my head around the tassimo/Keurig phenomenon. I guess for the office I get it, but for home use? ARRRRRRRRRG! It's hell. Neil and I walked through and got out of there as soon as we could without shoving people out of the way....oh geez.

We got our beloved new Bodum at The Bay, it was on display as soon as we entered the kitchen area and we were happy, we bought it and were done in a few minutes :). I got Kicking Horse Coffee at Fortinos on sale for $11.95 (as I often do), but go with PC beans, Redhill Roasters beans, and other free trade beans when I can.

Happy coffee drinking!