If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee. (Abraham Lincoln)
I haven't really been on a coffee quest as such. In fact, it's almost the opposite, I'm a bit hesitant to try the different coffees they have in patisseries and cafes here in Montreal, after experiencing some pretty average cappuccinos and lattes in Vancouver.
For example, on a visit to Sacramento to visit some relatives, I was told that the nearest you could get in the States to our flat white in Sydney was in Starbucks (which I usually avoid like the plague) and you have to order a 'short double shot latte' (I think that was it). It was pretty close but still the milk wasn't as frothy as it is in Sydney.
So, a week later I walk into a Starbucks in Vancouver and order the short double shot latte. The girl promptly shouts 'one latte piccolo!' to the person making the coffees. When it came out, it definitely didn't resemble a flat white or even the short double shot latte I'd ordered in Sacramento (I thought all Starbucks were meant to be the same?)!
Another thing I learnt about coffee in Vancouver is that the names don't mean the same thing. So, a cappuccino is not milky coffee with froth on top and a sprinkle of chocolate powder. It's black filter coffee with froth on top and that's it! Needless to say I had to add heaps of spoonfuls of sugar to that one!
So, here I am in Montreal, too scared to order a coffee for fear of it being undrinkable (in my eyes - what a snob!). I did, however, order an 'espresso simple' today from our yummy local patisserie and it was what it said. It's a start.
Have you had bad or unusual coffee experiences around the world? Or if you've got any advice on what I should order, please let me know in the comments below.