BristolUK

My $11 'Rival' from Walmart has that too. It's very useful

Oakvillian

Years ago an aged aunt gave me a little quilted cosy for my cafetiere, that presumably she made but I have no idea whether she also designed the pattern. It looks utterly ridiculous, sort of like a very upright tea-cosy, but it has a hole in the top so the plunger can stick out while it's brewing, a slot for the handle to poke through, and a little gap for the spout, and it works brilliantly to keep the coffee warm enough to enjoy the second cup

Or you could get a smaller one-cup sized cafetiere which removes the whole issue of coffee going cold.

At home I have a cheapo drip machine, an old-fashioned espresso machine, and a couple of cafetieres. If I'm working at home I tend to put the drip machine on and have at that through the morning, but I'll take the time after lunch (and at weekends) to make an espresso.

BristolUK

I had one at work but it still lost a fair amount of heat.

Of course, had I known that microwaving already brewed coffee did it no harm (as I do with subsequent cups from my jug) then I could have done that back then

JamesM

I only drink tea at home as any British person should.

This thread is an embarrassment to our roots.

Former Lancastrian

Having read some of the comments it appears we have several coffee snobs, those who think they know about coffee, those who pretend to know about coffee to impress others and those like myself who only drink coffee at work because most Canadian establishments don't know or cant make a decent cup of tea.
Now what constitutes a good cup of tea is another thread entirely of which Im no expert. London Drugs has a sale on at the moment for Typhoo tea bags. Buy one pack get one free.

Shard

One trick, if you're using an iPad (or whatever) is to set the timer for 3-4 minutes, take a sip, and then reset. It's the only way I can not end up with a cold cup when using electronic devices.

Partially discharged

Well an embarrasingly high number of posters did freely admit to drinking instant coffee. I'd say they haven't strayed much from their roots.

Shard

Indeed.

Oakvillian

Not in the least. The first coffee house opened in the UK in Oxford in 1652, closely followed by several establishments in London. Not until some five years later did the first retail sales of tea take place (curiously enough, from a coffee house - Thomas Garway or Garraway in Exchange Alley). Tea is therefore the usurper in the affections of the British hot beverage drinker. Hot chocolate was introduced to the UK at almost the same time, though it had been popular amongst the wealthy aristocracy in Europe (especially Spain) for almost a century by then.

ETA: although I should declare that I am a hot drink trollop - I'll have whatever's on offer without fear or favour. Typically tea first thing in the morning, coffee after breakfast until mid-afternoon, then tea again in the evening. With the addition of cocoa, mulled wine, hot toddy, Lemsip, as seasons or illnesses dictate

Pizzawheel

Tea is the opium of the masses- and if that opinion is good enough for Bond, it's good enough for me. Mind you, he's not English...

Anyone who thinks instant is bad should live off Nescafe 3-1 for a month.

bats

Tea is vile. I can't stand the smell of it and tea breath is way worse than coffee breath.

I did have a single cup filter from Bodum which was great but it's no longer made. Anyway I can't be faffed with scraping the grounds out. So once this seemingly mythical new kitchen of ours is installed I'll get a drip machine

JamesM

Different teas for different needs. All my tea is from the UK.

I do enjoy a cup of coffee each morning but pass around 20 coffee shops (6 of them Starbucks) on my mile stroll to the office. The economics of coffee in my household/ bachelor pad/ man cave is not justified.

Shard

Don't those Hooter's girls complain in the mornings? I mean, when you have no coffee in the house to offer them.

JamesM

A good reason to kick them out.

It is not illegal to buy coffee whilst doing a walk of shame.

Shard