Decent Coffee on trains

[cactustwirly]

A few weeks ago I was travelling on a FGW HST and had a proper 'Lavazza' Latte. The following week I travelled on a VTEC train, but all they sold was a rip-off Nescafe instant coffee. So I decided not to bother.

What's so difficult about providing proper coffee?

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

Proper is often hard to define.
But I guess the type of coffee they use on different companies' train services is down to what sells. Maybe the cost the typical passenger will want to pay varies?
Or, much more likely the cost the train companies are willing to pay varies?

 

[ValleyLines142]

I can't stand coffee on trains; I find them bitter and acidic and I can get a much bigger and nicer coffee for the same price in a proper coffee shop.

 

[Ash Bridge]

I always thought that the coffee sold in the former shop/buffet on Virgin XC voyagers was quite good, having never travelled on the current WC variety can anyone comment?

 

[Johnuk123]

I can't stand coffee on trains; I find them bitter and acidic and I can get a much bigger and nicer coffee for the same price in a proper coffee shop.

I can't stand coffee full stop, I tasted it once and ever since I feel quite nauseous whenever I smell it which is unfortunate as I'm married to an American.

 

[cactustwirly]

What I'm trying to say is that the on train buffet would be more attractive to customers, if they served a wider range of coffees using real beans (instead of the instant stuff) Currently only Virgin West Coast and FGW do it.

 

[Pumbaa]

Or go halfway and serve fresh filter coffee, like Chiltern do on their trolleys.

 

[trentside]

I find the best way to get decent coffee on a train is to take my own in a decent flask. I found the coffee served by the Friends of the Settle & Carlisle to be pretty good.

 

[amateur]

AMT Coffee has got to be the best! Buy one before boarding. Shame they don't have one at KGX. Go to STP instead.

 

[Jonfun]

What I'm trying to say is that the on train buffet would be more attractive to customers, if they served a wider range of coffees using real beans (instead of the instant stuff) Currently only Virgin West Coast and FGW do it.

I don't rate VTWC's coffee. I'd rather have good quality instant than a cheap bean with cheap UHT milk.

The worst, imo, is a tie between Nescafe Cappucino sachets, and Kenco in the tearaway silver foil cup things.

 

[Robertj21a]

I can't stand coffee full stop, I tasted it once and ever since I feel quite nauseous whenever I smell it which is unfortunate as I'm married to an American.

Well if it's anything like the dishwater produced by Starbucks then you're definitely better off. Perhaps you should have married an Italian, at least they know how to make proper coffee.

 

[cactustwirly]

I don't rate VTWC's coffee. I'd rather have good quality instant than a cheap bean with cheap UHT milk.

The worst, imo, is a tie between Nescafe Cappucino sachets, and Kenco in the tearaway silver foil cup things.

I was only looking at the VTWC website, I've never had it.
But FGW do really nice 'Lavazza' coffee. It's a shame no one else does it.

 

[snail]

I don't rate VTWC's coffee.

Their latest brew with the Caffe Nero branding isn't too bad. The stuff they dish out in First is still on the edge of drinkable at times.

 

[PeterY]

I don't drink coffee but what stops me buying tea on trains is that horrible UHT milk.

 

[pinkpanther]

What I'm trying to say is that the on train buffet would be more attractive to customers, if they served a wider range of coffees using real beans (instead of the instant stuff) Currently only Virgin West Coast and FGW do it.

I think Chiltern do too. They're also the only one I've come across that have the facilities to satisfy my onboard cappuccino craving.

 

[DarloRich]

ON train coffee is horrible with the tea not far behind - all that Tetley/PG muck

EC do Yorkshire tea and it is very good!

 

[theblackwatch]

EC do Yorkshire tea and it is very good!

Well it would be, it's from Yorkshire! :P

 

[ValleyLines142]

I work in Costa so I am being a bit biased on this thread!

I find Lavazza quite acidic to be honest.

For me, there's an independent coffee shop in one of the arcades in Cardiff called Uncommon Ground. They do take away coffee and it is by far the best coffee I've tasted. Really interesting store too, with brick walls like a remaking of the industrial revolution! This is better than coffee on trains!

CrossCountry do a fairly decent coffee from the trolley, but purely for the price I always get coffee before I board.

 

[DarloRich]

Well it would be, it's from Yorkshire! :P

aye lad - tha cant move fut tea plantations on t'ills above 'arrowgut

 

[Robertj21a]

I work in Costa so I am being a bit biased on this thread!

I find Lavazza quite acidic to be honest.

For me, there's an independent coffee shop in one of the arcades in Cardiff called Uncommon Ground. They do take away coffee and it is by far the best coffee I've tasted. Really interesting store too, with brick walls like a remaking of the industrial revolution! This is better than coffee on trains!

CrossCountry do a fairly decent coffee from the trolley, but purely for the price I always get coffee before I board.

Costa would be alright if they used semi-skimmed milk, but they won't. Ironically, their vending machines *only* use semi-skmmed.

Caffe Nero has to be the best, though Lavazza is pretty good too.

 

[trentside]

I'd agree that Caffe Nero is the best of the chains.

I think Costa is a little acidic, but will drink it where it's the best option.

 

[WestCoast]

AMT Coffee has got to be the best! Buy one before boarding. Shame they don't have one at KGX. Go to STP instead.

AMT Coffee is probably my favourite coffee chain, a very good choice for stations.

I've had some excellent coffees in some very strange (transport) locations, one was a vending machine at Vienna Airport which offered a coffee shop style menu including a Bailey's Irish Coffee

 

[DownSouth]

Well if it's anything like the dishwater produced by Starbucks then you're definitely better off. Perhaps you should have married an Italian, at least they know how to make proper coffee.

Apparently there is change in the works at Starbucks. A few of their franchises in Melbourne (which has a coffee culture shaped by the local Italian community) went native, and when the corporate management found out they brought the Flat White to the USA.

If I'm in Melbourne I still go to a local independent though, it's not worth taking the risk on Starbucks.

 

[Mojo]

This thread is just proof of everything I've ever said and thought about coffeeheads.

Kind regards,

Tea drinker

 

[507021]

I always take coffee (or occasionally tea) in a flask when I'm travelling on trains for longer than a couple of hours. I find that coffee is too expensive on the train and it generally tastes the same as the coffee that I buy from Poundland

 

[crispy1978]

When I went from Inverness to Thurso with Scotrail they had some good, and if memory serves, reasonably priced, coffee on board.

ATW from Birmingham to Pwllheli wasn't too bad either.

I'm an Americano/Filter Coffee/Jar and Spoon type of coffee guy - none of this caramel frappucino macchiato nonsense, just a good strong coffee either black or with proper milk. Anything else you can keep!!

 

[scrumpy]

The coffee on GWT is Lavazza which is only leave the machines at 81deg, which is then topped up with hot water at 91deg, so you shouldn't get any bitterness from these temps.
The milk is set up to around 65deg for lattés and cappuccinos so there is no burning of the milk. This is all set up on 12g of fresh ground beans. The amount of people that travel on GWT aren't aware that Fresh coffee is served.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Or go halfway and serve fresh filter coffee, like Chiltern do on their trolleys.

Filter is by far the best way to serve good bulk coffee on the move. And it's much quicker than bean to cup, too, as you just have a thermal flask of it and serve it from that. And, to be honest, I prefer the smoother taste of filter over the slightly more bitter taste of espresso-derived Americano.

Not surprised to see Chiltern serving filter - the DBisms are creeping in on Chiltern and Arriva Trains Wales, and decent filter coffee is very much a DB thing (as is a fondness for locomotive hauled regional trains).

 

[Tetchytyke]

EC do Yorkshire tea and it is very good!

Not as good as when it used to be Yorkshire Gold though!

When National Express refurbished the Mallards they installed bean-to-cup coffee machines. I don't know why or when East Coast took them out again, but it's a real shame. The water from the hot water tank is too hot for instant coffee, it just scorches it.

The coffee on Grand Central- another DB service- is very good indeed, and priced very sensibly. If I'm travelling GC I don't bother buying in advance, it's worth getting a fresh cup on board.

 

[317666]

From memory, SBB have a bean-to-cup machine on their catering trolleys (or it might have been a filter machine, didn't quite see). I can't stand instant coffee, and I'm not a huge fan of the big brands (Starbucks, Costa et al) either, so I tend to play it safe and use my bean-to-cup machine at home before leaving for the station!