The Rory Gilmore Book Club discussion
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Coffee at Luke's


edit 1: I am severely addicted. If I don't have coffee, I get headaches and jitters. Yep, that's right. NOT drinking coffee gives me jitters. And I'm not very pleasant to be around without coffee in my system.

I have a Tinkerbell night shirt that says, "I need a visit from the Coffee Fairy." We have a children's CD with a song that goes, "M-O-M-M-Y needs C-O-F-F-E-E. D-A-D-D-Y needs C-O-F-F-E-E." Wonderful spelling words, eh?

as for coffee, even though i'm not a regular drinker, i love that the Gilmore girls love their coffee. it goes well with the book theme.


I usually drink my coffee black because so many places don't make cafe au laits the way I like them. If I'm at home it's warm milk and coffee. Preferably in my Gilmore Girls latte mug with the GG logo and the phrase "Please, Luke. Please, please, please" on it!

I need to pick this book sometime.
Ok coffee, yes please. Usually grind up my own beans every morning. Currently I'm drinking some Guatemala blend from Starbucks and it's pretty good. No sugar, but I need cream.
Ok coffee, yes please. Usually grind up my own beans every morning. Currently I'm drinking some Guatemala blend from Starbucks and it's pretty good. No sugar, but I need cream.

As for coffee, I am a coffee whimp. I like mine about as fru-fru as you can get it. Mochas, macciatos, caramel, whipped cream, cinnamon, sprinkles, I love it all (okay, not all together though. ew.) My favorites are Beaners Mocha Caramel and their Peppermint Mocha (Snowmint!). I like Starbucks Iced Caramel Macciato. I LOVE Tazo Chai Tea Lattes. I'm completely addicted to Chinese milk tea--hot or cold. Although I can drink espresso but it has to have like 5 cubes of sugar in it.
Actually, I'm a sugar addict who likes to have a splash of coffee/tea with her sugar.

Well, we each have a couple of giant mugs before work. My husband cuts himself off at 10 a.m., and I get the other (5?) cups at work. That's why we have left-overs. Rarely have left-overs on the weekends!




But Sarah, strong and dark does not have to mean bitter and burnt... which is the definition of Starbucks coffee... that and inferior beans with really good marketing. I worked in the coffee industry for a couple of years and ice age ago, and I learned tons... yet at that time I did not drink coffee!
I actually didn't start drinking it until I was being nearly starved by a family in Italy in my early 30's. I'd made it eight months living there without it, but with that family I finally caved as I JUST NEEDED SUSTENANCE. So I took the cappuccini they offered - with obscene amounts of sugar. Extremely quickly I was drinking it like the locals.
So how do I take it? Like an Italian... well, but with less sugar (they are crazy with the sugar!). I really only like espresso and basic espresso drinks. Mostly cappuccini in the morning and espressi in the afternoon. Sometimes it will be all expressi, and on rare occasions I will do a latte. (but that's usually when I have some flavor to add or flavored coffee).
I have the dream espresso maker at my house (one of My Favorite Things) so I generally try to make mine at home - a few extra minutes there versus in line for inferior stuff is a good thing. It saves me loads of money, too. I even have a little travel one like the Italians use, so I can make it wherever! I do occasionally miss the coffee culture, but always feel ridiculous standing in those lines then finishing my espresso in moments.
When I worked at an Italian restaurant after returning from living there, I would have like ten shots a day without even thinking about it. My stomach was a wreck by the end of the year! I think I burned a few holes in it!! But I did have an old waiter read my coffee grounds now and then which was really fun.
All those years I didn't drink coffee, though, I drank tea. Then, too, having a British best mate means I'm kind of a tea snob as well. Sigh. Sad, sad me. My favoritest thing of all is Masala Chai, no milk. It's crazy spicy and I used to refer to it as "the nectar of the Gods" and dream about it (literally) when I lived elsewhere.
As for hot chocolate, after Italy nothing here much compares. Remember the movie Chocolat? Well, it has nothing on what the Italians serve! It's like drinking a bar of chocolate. It was so amazing that I wrote a story about it, actually, and was even (modestly) published! I still like it American style, but nothing compares to the other!
Meghan - Beaners! I've been to them! That's cool!
Heather, have peonies, too... I love them! I've dreamed of redoing this one old downtown I know with all the fun shops like you are talking about. (Sorry, I mean Arctic.)
I actually didn't start drinking it until I was being nearly starved by a family in Italy in my early 30's. I'd made it eight months living there without it, but with that family I finally caved as I JUST NEEDED SUSTENANCE. So I took the cappuccini they offered - with obscene amounts of sugar. Extremely quickly I was drinking it like the locals.
So how do I take it? Like an Italian... well, but with less sugar (they are crazy with the sugar!). I really only like espresso and basic espresso drinks. Mostly cappuccini in the morning and espressi in the afternoon. Sometimes it will be all expressi, and on rare occasions I will do a latte. (but that's usually when I have some flavor to add or flavored coffee).
I have the dream espresso maker at my house (one of My Favorite Things) so I generally try to make mine at home - a few extra minutes there versus in line for inferior stuff is a good thing. It saves me loads of money, too. I even have a little travel one like the Italians use, so I can make it wherever! I do occasionally miss the coffee culture, but always feel ridiculous standing in those lines then finishing my espresso in moments.
When I worked at an Italian restaurant after returning from living there, I would have like ten shots a day without even thinking about it. My stomach was a wreck by the end of the year! I think I burned a few holes in it!! But I did have an old waiter read my coffee grounds now and then which was really fun.
All those years I didn't drink coffee, though, I drank tea. Then, too, having a British best mate means I'm kind of a tea snob as well. Sigh. Sad, sad me. My favoritest thing of all is Masala Chai, no milk. It's crazy spicy and I used to refer to it as "the nectar of the Gods" and dream about it (literally) when I lived elsewhere.
As for hot chocolate, after Italy nothing here much compares. Remember the movie Chocolat? Well, it has nothing on what the Italians serve! It's like drinking a bar of chocolate. It was so amazing that I wrote a story about it, actually, and was even (modestly) published! I still like it American style, but nothing compares to the other!
Meghan - Beaners! I've been to them! That's cool!
Heather, have peonies, too... I love them! I've dreamed of redoing this one old downtown I know with all the fun shops like you are talking about. (Sorry, I mean Arctic.)
Oh, but one of my coolest dates ever we started out meeting for coffee, and neither of us drank it! It was a REALLY good date. We eventually got kicked out of a Toys-R-Us and a Barnes & Noble in one night!

Your time in Italy sounds spectacular, especially the gourmet hot chocolate. How long were you there and are you fluent in Italian now? I spent a year living in Scotland once but managed not to pick up a brogue.
Peonies would be a lovely addition, you're right. I saw some at the Butchart Gardens in Victoria last summer, and I forgot how much I loved them. The begonias were also quite a site.
I'll also have to look into that Masala Chai you mentioned, sounds really good.

And peonies -- so gorgeous -- tulips? did you mention tulips?
And I got pretty much ruined for hot chocolate as we know it here in the US when I visited in Spain -- chocolat and churros -- and I could stand the churros up on end in the chocolat and it pretty well stayed put the chocolat was that thick.. Like the melted chocolate bar youdescribe -- but tasting more like deeply chocolate pudding.
Come to think of it Spain also ruined US coffee for me -- and then I lived in Belgium and that finished it. I tend to make my own or find little local spots -- like the one my daughters found in Ohio this past fall and where we became regulars for the duration of our visit.
Chai -- the best ever was at Cafe Brasilia in Santa Cruz.
Dottie, I thought of you today when I bought some Brown Sauce! I wondered if I brought a bottle down to So. Cal. for Christmas if I could get it to you! I know that's another thread, but I'm just too tired to find it right now!
Heather, I was in Italy for the whole of 2001... save a week or so on either end. I was all set to be back there two years ago when I found out my boyfriend had more than ruined me financially so my return is delayed.
No, I'm not fluent. I understand really very well, but was always hired to speak English, so I didn't get a lot of practice in. My grammar is pretty appalling, but the locals would always laugh at me because I apparently had a perfect accent, sounding like a local (I could even do regional dialects fairly well), except for the fact of the grammar. When I think about that happening in English, I really can see why it was so funny. The person would just sound dumb rather than foreign!
Peonies are my favorites... almost all the time, at least. :D Masala Chai is so amazingly good! But most people need the milk in it to cut the spices a bit!
As for you, wow! Scotland! Where abouts did you live? I've been to Edinburgh, Glasgow, & Sterling.
I visited there at the end of that year and was crushed that I only had a few days. It was stunning, and the people were THE most down-to-earth I've ever met (& I've been a place or two). I'm pining to go live there.
To be perfectly honest, I am a HUGE sucker for a Scottish accent. Grrr. So irritating, but it can't be helped! I simply melt. This is NOT good, as I've known enough Scottish men!!!
But the accent thing is not why I'm pining to live there. No, really.
Heh.
Heather, I was in Italy for the whole of 2001... save a week or so on either end. I was all set to be back there two years ago when I found out my boyfriend had more than ruined me financially so my return is delayed.
No, I'm not fluent. I understand really very well, but was always hired to speak English, so I didn't get a lot of practice in. My grammar is pretty appalling, but the locals would always laugh at me because I apparently had a perfect accent, sounding like a local (I could even do regional dialects fairly well), except for the fact of the grammar. When I think about that happening in English, I really can see why it was so funny. The person would just sound dumb rather than foreign!
Peonies are my favorites... almost all the time, at least. :D Masala Chai is so amazingly good! But most people need the milk in it to cut the spices a bit!
As for you, wow! Scotland! Where abouts did you live? I've been to Edinburgh, Glasgow, & Sterling.
I visited there at the end of that year and was crushed that I only had a few days. It was stunning, and the people were THE most down-to-earth I've ever met (& I've been a place or two). I'm pining to go live there.
To be perfectly honest, I am a HUGE sucker for a Scottish accent. Grrr. So irritating, but it can't be helped! I simply melt. This is NOT good, as I've known enough Scottish men!!!
But the accent thing is not why I'm pining to live there. No, really.
Heh.
Ok coffee elitists - what coffee beans do you recommend? I'm still on my coffee connoisseur journey. Just this past year I would drink any kind of coffee - even the gross office coffee. Now it just tastes disgusting too me.

Scottish accents are to die for, I agree, unless they're from certain parts of Glasgow, in which case things can become a bit unintelligible. I briefly dated a guy falling into this category while i was over there. that was an interesting relationship..
incidently, i'm sorry to hear you had such problems with your recent boyfriend. sounds pretty harsh.
Oh man, now you have my mouth watering for a nice roomful of Scotsmen chatting me up!
I think Edinburgh is one fantastic city. It's stunning, really. Especially in December right before Christmas! I'd love-love-LOVE to live there!
Oh, and in my brief time there, I did actually get together with a guy. He was so into me that dozens of international phone calls later he told me he loved me. He'd been insisting he was coming to visit me, etc., etc. Yeah. A two line email for a break up telling me I was scary. I wrote back "BOO!" Haha! It didn't occur to me for ages that he'd simply found another girl to plague. Still... he was STEAMY. And the accent! (Slight swooning and a tiny whimper here.)
Is it really expensive to live there? Because I'm really wanting to make that move!
I think I'm going to make another espresso now! Thinking of Italian men always cools me down... at least now that I know them so well. LOL!!
I think Edinburgh is one fantastic city. It's stunning, really. Especially in December right before Christmas! I'd love-love-LOVE to live there!
Oh, and in my brief time there, I did actually get together with a guy. He was so into me that dozens of international phone calls later he told me he loved me. He'd been insisting he was coming to visit me, etc., etc. Yeah. A two line email for a break up telling me I was scary. I wrote back "BOO!" Haha! It didn't occur to me for ages that he'd simply found another girl to plague. Still... he was STEAMY. And the accent! (Slight swooning and a tiny whimper here.)
Is it really expensive to live there? Because I'm really wanting to make that move!
I think I'm going to make another espresso now! Thinking of Italian men always cools me down... at least now that I know them so well. LOL!!

Yeah I don't know...as much as I love their accents, most of the guys i met over there tended to be kind of flaky for some reason. probably just my luck though.
It's expensive to live there if you're just a student, but I imagine if you could get a decent job it wouldn't be too bad after the initial transition period from dollars to pounds.
Florence would be a great spot to live too though I'd think. I visited there for a few days but don't speak a word of Italian. I should really move to Europe just to make myself learn a second language. I hear it's an effective method, if a bit extreme.
Shannon - sorry to deflect from your inquiry. I'd be recommending beans to you left and right if I knew anything at all about coffee.

In Raleigh we have tons of great little NON chain coffee shops, but in my town it is commercial mainstream all the way. Oh well, I love 'em all, I must admit!

A 31 Flavors of Hot Chocolate Cafe/Bookstore!! WOW!! I would be there everyday. I love hot chocolate. I'm not really a coffee drinker though. It really hurts my stomach. Plus, I cut out caffine when we were TTC. So I never really went back to drinking it. But I love the idea of a hot chocolate cafe!!
And ya, I know that by living in WA, I'm missing out on all that good coffe..lol..but I dunno, thats one trend I dont follow.
And ya, I know that by living in WA, I'm missing out on all that good coffe..lol..but I dunno, thats one trend I dont follow.

I don't know if I can wait until May to get it. And they only sell it there. And they won't ship. :(
To be honest..I've been all over Pike's and have yet to see Starbucks there. I cannot find it. And I dont wanna seem like a tourist and ask where it is, lol. But I can go to a regular starbucks for you..lol.

Frances, I'm so glad to see someone who finds the prospect of a hot chocolate cafe as exciting as I do! We should definitely go into business together. heh. My love for hot chocolate knows no bounds and I'm not much of a coffee drinker either. I figure I'd probably have to serve it anyway though just to keep the masses happy and business flowing.
Erica, I'd love to go back for a visit to Scotland as well and have come close a few times. A friend I met while living there recently got married. If I hadn't been 8 months pregnant I definitely would have gone. I really envy your sister though - she must be having a great time! You can rent castles in Scotland too. Another adventure to add to the group to do list. :)

Sarah, I brought some of that home a while back for friends then they ended up having it available everywhere for that month, so they had some. I had extra bags! Too bad I didn't know you then. Heh.
Oh, but Erica - I LOVE Caribou! That brings back memories. Oh I miss them so!
Ooo! Here's a funny one...
When I worked at 1650 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC (the White House being 1600), there was a Starbucks, a Caribou, and a Cosi (another coffee chain) all right next to each other. It was bizarre and highly entertaining in the colder months. When there was a bomb scare on day, all of us that were evacuated from our businesses (or pretended we were - LOL) gathered in the Caribou for the show. Great view out the plate-glass windows (very healthy place to stand, don't you know) of the bomb squad carefully and precisely blowing up a gym bag. We were all in hysterics in there! The scary trainer went flying - oh the horror!
Oh, but Cosi had great food! They even served alcohol in the evenings (like in Italy) and had S'mores. No, I swear. They brought a flame to your table and all the makings. It was fantastic! They did it with giant Oreos instead of graham crackers, too.
Ooo! Here's a funny one...
When I worked at 1650 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC (the White House being 1600), there was a Starbucks, a Caribou, and a Cosi (another coffee chain) all right next to each other. It was bizarre and highly entertaining in the colder months. When there was a bomb scare on day, all of us that were evacuated from our businesses (or pretended we were - LOL) gathered in the Caribou for the show. Great view out the plate-glass windows (very healthy place to stand, don't you know) of the bomb squad carefully and precisely blowing up a gym bag. We were all in hysterics in there! The scary trainer went flying - oh the horror!
Oh, but Cosi had great food! They even served alcohol in the evenings (like in Italy) and had S'mores. No, I swear. They brought a flame to your table and all the makings. It was fantastic! They did it with giant Oreos instead of graham crackers, too.

Any type of coffee and caffeine is good with me (I'm like Lorelai that way):)
A hot chocolate cafe with all things chocolate is awesome idea!
Hmmm...The next time we go to Seattle, I'll have to look more closely.
Arctic-I love hot chocolate more than anything. I drink it up until it starts getting warm here, lol. The only flavors I've tried were raspberry & peppermint. I'd love to try more.


LOL I love Seattle and the area around it... and I think that weather is HAPPY weather. I LOVE rain. I was living up there at the end of last year and really, really wanted to stay but my situation was ridiculously bad, so sadly I had to leave.


I dont live in Seattle..I live across the Pudget Sound in this town called Silverdale. I hate it here so much. I'm sick of the rain. I've never been so depressed in my life. I'm from Az, so I'm used to all the sun. Hopefully, we'll be stationed someplace with a little more sun. PLUS, theres no A/c here. And it gets soooooo hot in the summer. I'm literly camped out in front of the fan 24/7. I think the only place I love in this entire state is Seattle. I'm going to miss it when we move. Plus, I like it when I watch Grey's Anatomy and I'm all like.."oh ya, I know where thats at" lol.
However..it did snow again last night..and I LOVE the snow!!!!!!!! I'm like Lorelai..the snow is like cat nip to me.
However..it did snow again last night..and I LOVE the snow!!!!!!!! I'm like Lorelai..the snow is like cat nip to me.

Did you get to see any snow?? It snowed again last night.

Wow..thats creepy. I'm a Navy wife, and been stationed in WA for 3 years. And I'm from Az. LOL!!
Also, what kind of coffee do you drink?
I prefer hot chocolate or chai tea.
edit: I sometimes dream of opening a 31 flavors of hot chocolate cafe/bookstore.
edit2: I would also sell flowers there.
edit3: mostly tulips and roses.