6 ms·

Really? The Last time I was in an American office, there didn't seem to be any milk around. They had an unrefrigerated bottle of "creamer" next to the coffee ma

Really? The Last time I was in an American office, there didn't seem to be any milk around. They had an unrefrigerated bottle of "creamer" next to the coffee machine, but I was too scared to try it. I'm still not sure what it is, or how I'm supposed to use it.

nativeit 3mo ago
It’s intravenous. You should try it!
gregrata 3mo ago
Odd - when I'm at a cafe, I'm almost always asked if "whole milk" is ok. It work, we have fat free, 2%, and creamer...
jhbadger 3mo ago
Office coffee is not what people drink for pleasure -- it's a caffeine delivery device. If you go to a coffeehouse in the US you'll find that people often order drinks called Lattes which is espresso and steamed milk. And the word is Italian like espresso itself, so I think this isn't some weird Americanism but pretty traditional.
- maplethorpe 3mo ago
  I did go to an American coffee house while I was there. It was called something like "Phil's" and there were no lattes to be had.
  - quickthrowman 3mo ago
    Every single coffee shop I’ve ever been in that serves espresso also serves lattes. Philz does not serve espresso, they only serve coffee. You went to virtually the only coffee shop in the US that does not serve lattes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philz_Coffee#Products https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philz_Coffee#Products
HWR_14 3mo ago
Creamer is a liquid made with oil and sweetener that approximates the taste and mouthfeel of milk and sugar. Or really a flavored syrup, not sugar. They often have hazelnut or vanilla flavoring added. You would use it by pouring it in your coffee, at about a 1:1 ratio with how you would use milk. I'm surprised you associated it with espresso. Creamer and drip coffee machines go together. Milk and espresso machines go together. I've seem drip coffee machines with real milk, but I've never seen an espresso machine with just creamer. It tends to exist primarily in office environments, because it can stand not to be refrigerated and was the first lactose-free option. Therefore it was easy to buy one bottle and solve the problem of "stuff to add to coffee".
- maplethorpe 3mo ago
  It was a "Keurig", and I had to put a pod in it and wait a few seconds. Is that not espresso? I make espresso at home by grinding/tamping it myself so I admittedly don't know much about the pod version or whether that still counts as espresso.
  - HWR_14 3mo ago
    It is not an espresso. The temperature and pressure are lower than an espresso machine. The results would be considered analogous to more American style coffee. Meant to be drunk from a full mug (~177ml to ~298ml), etc. It's marketed as a coffee machine that makes a single cup with a single pod at a time. (Apparently you can tweak a Keurig to approach an espresso, but it's not the default).

nativeit 3mo ago

It’s intravenous. You should try it!

gregrata 3mo ago

Odd - when I'm at a cafe, I'm almost always asked if "whole milk" is ok. It work, we have fat free, 2%, and creamer...

jhbadger 3mo ago

Office coffee is not what people drink for pleasure -- it's a caffeine delivery device. If you go to a coffeehouse in the US you'll find that people often order drinks called Lattes which is espresso and steamed milk. And the word is Italian like espresso itself, so I think this isn't some weird Americanism but pretty traditional.

maplethorpe 3mo ago
I did go to an American coffee house while I was there. It was called something like "Phil's" and there were no lattes to be had.
- quickthrowman 3mo ago
  Every single coffee shop I’ve ever been in that serves espresso also serves lattes. Philz does not serve espresso, they only serve coffee. You went to virtually the only coffee shop in the US that does not serve lattes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philz_Coffee#Products https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philz_Coffee#Products

HWR_14 3mo ago

Creamer is a liquid made with oil and sweetener that approximates the taste and mouthfeel of milk and sugar. Or really a flavored syrup, not sugar. They often have hazelnut or vanilla flavoring added. You would use it by pouring it in your coffee, at about a 1:1 ratio with how you would use milk. I'm surprised you associated it with espresso. Creamer and drip coffee machines go together. Milk and espresso machines go together. I've seem drip coffee machines with real milk, but I've never seen an espresso machine with just creamer. It tends to exist primarily in office environments, because it can stand not to be refrigerated and was the first lactose-free option. Therefore it was easy to buy one bottle and solve the problem of "stuff to add to coffee".

maplethorpe 3mo ago
It was a "Keurig", and I had to put a pod in it and wait a few seconds. Is that not espresso? I make espresso at home by grinding/tamping it myself so I admittedly don't know much about the pod version or whether that still counts as espresso.
- HWR_14 3mo ago
  It is not an espresso. The temperature and pressure are lower than an espresso machine. The results would be considered analogous to more American style coffee. Meant to be drunk from a full mug (~177ml to ~298ml), etc. It's marketed as a coffee machine that makes a single cup with a single pod at a time. (Apparently you can tweak a Keurig to approach an espresso, but it's not the default).