reefisher Posted October 16, 2011 #51 Share Posted October 16, 2011 It's easier than you think. It only requires an older model hot air popcorn popper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeriatricNurse Posted October 16, 2011 #52 Share Posted October 16, 2011 This might seem a silly question, but my husband who is a huge coffee fan, rather standard, room service or dining room, or specialty, he just can't stand Starbucks, and am hoping this is not what they serve. On our last Celebrity cruise they featured Seattles Best, but am fearful HAL serves Starbucks. Any input would be appreciated. Overinvester Well, unless the product has changed, HAL serves "Beukenhorst" coffee, (at least in the Lido), because I saw the sealed packages that were being opened! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bergjd Posted October 16, 2011 #53 Share Posted October 16, 2011 We have been on the Oosterdam (7 days), Presindam (38 days), Statendam (14 days), and Amsterdam (68 days) within the last two years and the group I travel with are great coffee drinkers but dislike the coffee in the Lido. That said, we have spent hours upon hours sitting in the Lido using the tables for our computers and have seen the Lido staff fill the coffee machines many times with bags of what we thought was ground coffee, but never once have we seen them empty out any grounds. What happens to the grounds? Or is it actually instant coffee?:confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthC Posted October 16, 2011 #54 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Or is it actually instant coffee?:confused: It sure doesn't taste like instant coffee (blech). If you've waited for a cuppa after the coffee is added, you know that it takes what seems like a very long time before you can draw a cup. It's brewing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glutenhab Posted October 16, 2011 #55 Share Posted October 16, 2011 It's easier than you think. It only requires an older model hot air popcorn popper. We roast green beans also, in a contraption that my son has made form an old popcorn maker, a small convection oven & parts from several other small appliances. He uses a rangehood for ventilation & it all works perfectly. He roasts once a week & we grind, in an $800 grinder with hundreds of setting for different drinks, just before making. He also uses a $3000 Espresso machine for espresso & all forms of specialty drinks, as well several French Presses (my personal favorite), an Aeropress & several other devices. He works as a Barista & trains others in the art & this has hepled him pay his way through University. He hosts several bolgs on the subject as well From all this you can imagine that I have been spoiled as far as coffee goes. Fresh beans & grinding just before use is the secret. A cup of French Press from freshly roasted beans, ground perfectly just before the hot water hits it is heaven on earth! I suspect it will take me some time to get used to HAL's coffee. Oh the sacrifices we have to make to cruise!!! Very glad to hear that at least it's not the syrup that Princess uses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruise Girl Forever Posted October 16, 2011 #56 Share Posted October 16, 2011 I added some hot water to mine and it took that burnt taste away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellbelle Posted October 16, 2011 #57 Share Posted October 16, 2011 I don't think the coffee in the Lido too bad, maybe a bit too strong after the first cup but it's a winner compared to Princess. I am still trying out instant packets to get ready for our upcoming Princess cruise next summer. I tried Starbucks Columbian Instant, I thought it was nasty and it tasted like the Princess coffee I'm trying to get away from. I also tried packets of Necafe's Taster's Choice, that's not too bad. I am having problems finding the three packs of other Starbucks instant coffeess. We drink fresh ground coffee at home so I know that this will be tough. Has anyone tried the French Roast? Does anyone have any other recommendations for instant coffee packets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kazu Posted October 17, 2011 #58 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Well, unless the product has changed, HAL serves "Beukenhorst" coffee, (at least in the Lido), because I saw the sealed packages that were being opened! :) That's the name I saw on the bags in the PH - thanks GN:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iancal Posted October 17, 2011 #59 Share Posted October 17, 2011 We find the coffee on Princess to be awful. Worse then awful...to our tastes at least. HAL and Celebrity coffee is similar and just OK-certainly not as good or as strong as the product we drink at home. But, like others we grind beans just before brewing. What I really like at HAL are those 2 cappuccinos, each with a double shot of expresso, that I get first thing in the AM in the MDR. They are PERFECT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothriver Posted October 17, 2011 #60 Share Posted October 17, 2011 I don't think the coffee in the Lido too bad, maybe a bit too strong after the first cup but it's a winner compared to Princess. I am still trying out instant packets to get ready for our upcoming Princess cruise next summer. I tried Starbucks Columbian Instant, I thought it was nasty and it tasted like the Princess coffee I'm trying to get away from. I also tried packets of Necafe's Taster's Choice, that's not too bad. I am having problems finding the three packs of other Starbucks instant coffeess. We drink fresh ground coffee at home so I know that this will be tough. Has anyone tried the French Roast? Does anyone have any other recommendations for instant coffee packets? I drink the Starbucks Via using half of a pkt of Via to about 10oz of hot water. I normally drink my coffee very strong and black so I would think most anyone would prefer the Via weaker than Starbucks recommendation of one pkg of Via to 8oz of hot water. I do prefer the French Roast or Italian version of Via ov the Columbian but am not a huge fan of Via, just drink it when it is better than the alternatives. I keep Via in my desk drawer at work for an occasional afternoon pick me up, and always take a box along for travel. My local Walmart carries all varities of Starbucks Via, and you can get them at any Starbucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellbelle Posted October 17, 2011 #61 Share Posted October 17, 2011 I drink the Starbucks Via using half of a pkt of Via to about 10oz of hot water. I normally drink my coffee very strong and black so I would think most anyone would prefer the Via weaker than Starbucks recommendation of one pkg of Via to 8oz of hot water. I do prefer the French Roast or Italian version of Via ov the Columbian but am not a huge fan of Via, just drink it when it is better than the alternatives. I keep Via in my desk drawer at work for an occasional afternoon pick me up, and always take a box along for travel. My local Walmart carries all varities of Starbucks Via, and you can get them at any Starbucks. I prefer black too. I'll try the French Roast (weaker) next time. My local Starbucks (in my neighborhood grocery store) is always out of the three packs. Never looked at Walmart though, will look the next time... Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrispb Posted October 17, 2011 #62 Share Posted October 17, 2011 We are going on our first HAL cruise in December, having previously been on Princess, and last year on Oceania. After reading about the coffee on Princess I always took a small jar or Nescafe Gold Blend (I don't know if you Americans know that), which is what I often drink at home and is the best of the instant coffees, to my way ofnthinking. I then just ask for a pot of hot water at breakfast. What is worse is the tea, which is my husband's choice of breakfast drink. Why can't non-Brits make a decent pot of tea? It is always weak and never seems to be made with boiling water, and he has very often had to ask the waiter for two tea bags and sent the water back. I think that this time we may take our own tea bags as well as the coffee! I always used to take Nescafe too, but have now changed to Kenco Rich Brew - 3 heaped teaspoons per cup - now that's coffee. It comes in a resealable bag too, so much lighter to travel with. My colleagues call my coffee "tar" as it's so strong:D Can't stand StarMucks:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travel123456 Posted October 17, 2011 #63 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Just to confuse the issue since we all have different coffee tastes..but... do they only serve cream, 1/2 1/2 milk, or do they have flavored creamers???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthC Posted October 17, 2011 #64 Share Posted October 17, 2011 do they only serve cream, 1/2 1/2 milk, or do they have flavored creamers???? I'm willing to bet my cruise budget that cream isn't served with the coffee; it's half & half. And sometimes I think that's been watered down a bit. There's also milk offered. There is no flavored creamer that I have ever seen. And I do look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piscesgal223 Posted October 17, 2011 #65 Share Posted October 17, 2011 I wouldn't mind if they had a few flavoured creamers-preferably hazelnut and vanilla.Otherwise,I'll just take half and half. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luxurysailer Posted October 17, 2011 #66 Share Posted October 17, 2011 I was recently with a group of eight on the Amsterdam. We all agreed that the coffee in the Lido was drinkable, but that was about as far as anyone would go. On the other hand, several of us had decaf coffee in the MDR at the evening meal and found it to be very good. We found the high octane coffee in the MDR at breakfast and lunch to be inferior to their decaf served at dinner. HAL's MDR decaf served with dinner is the only decaf coffee I've ever had that I thought was good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travel123456 Posted October 18, 2011 #67 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I wouldn't mind if they had a few flavoured creamers-preferably hazelnut and vanilla.Otherwise,I'll just take half and half. hmmm...may have to make a trip to smart and final and get the little ones that are liquid(much better than the powdered ones they sell at the grocery store) so that I have it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetexasaggiecruiser Posted December 5, 2011 #68 Share Posted December 5, 2011 We're sailing on Jan 2nd on the Noordam, and as this is our first Holland America cruise in over a decade, I came looking to see if the coffee had improved since we last sailed. Back then, it was really (for us) unpalatable, so we bought a French Press and coffee at one of the stops, and had the stewards bring boiling water. Based on what I've read, I believe we'll bring along that same French Press and do the same thing this time. I'm not thrilled about having my coffee ground 11 days in advance, or having another thing to pack. But we're pretty picky about coffee, so sounds like we'd better be prepared. Thanks for all the great insight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barante Posted December 5, 2011 #69 Share Posted December 5, 2011 We took a 28-day Nieuw Amsterdam TA and I hated their regular coffee. Yes, they made it from ground beans, but it was awful. So I switched to tea and was very happy. Did continue drinking coffee in ports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deer30084 Posted December 6, 2011 #70 Share Posted December 6, 2011 This might seem a silly question, but my husband who is a huge coffee fan, rather standard, room service or dining room, or specialty, he just can't stand Starbucks, and am hoping this is not what they serve. On our last Celebrity cruise they featured Seattles Best, but am fearful HAL serves Starbucks. Any input would be appreciated. Overinvester No matter what brand of coffee you drink, you'll still need a spoon to stir in your sweetener and cream. If on the Westerdam, save your spoon once you get it! You'll need it later if ordering from room service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barante Posted December 6, 2011 #71 Share Posted December 6, 2011 The coffee served at the Nieuw Amsterdam's Lido, and presumably also in MDR, was some Dutch brand I have never heard of. Came in largish bags. It's not high-octane Starbucks, not even close. As I said before I hated it. However several venues, including Exploration Cafe, served some non-Starbucks premium brand for which there was an extra charge. One item of note: After-dinner expresso was free in MDR. It was pretty good but kept me awake. One thing about cruising is that you can experiment. Dissatisfied with the NA's orange juice, I switched into guava at breakfast and liked it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rinderoo Posted December 6, 2011 #72 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Wow. Who knew I would learn so much about coffee on these boards? I can't imagine being on a cruise ship for a long voyage with deplorable coffee. The instant is a good idea though. Add me to the list who can't stand SB. I like Panera, but locally the Speedway gas station has great coffee. All at a dollar a cup. No complaints here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCalicoCat Posted December 6, 2011 #73 Share Posted December 6, 2011 It's easier than you think. It only requires an older model hot air popcorn popper. Does your popcorn as a result have a coffee flavor? (Serious question - I still air pop my pop corn.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m steve Posted December 6, 2011 #74 Share Posted December 6, 2011 After tasting the room service and Lido coffee I drank either the Via we brought or hot chocolate. The coffee was as bad as Princess. We use a French roast at home and like strong coffee in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeriatricNurse Posted December 6, 2011 #75 Share Posted December 6, 2011 The coffee served at the Nieuw Amsterdam's Lido, and presumably also in MDR, was some Dutch brand I have never heard of. Came in largish bags. It's not high-octane Starbucks, not even close. As I said before I hated it. However several venues, including Exploration Cafe, served some non-Starbucks premium brand for which there was an extra charge. One item of note: After-dinner expresso was free in MDR. It was pretty good but kept me awake. One thing about cruising is that you can experiment. Dissatisfied with the NA's orange juice, I switched into guava at breakfast and liked it. It is called "Beukenhorst!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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