Awful Airplane Coffee
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1707/awful-airplane-coffee/
If you are having a cup of coffee on your flight from New York to Chicago how does it taste? There can be good airplane coffee and there can be awful airplane coffee. And it does not necessarily have to do with the quality of the coffee beans. The New York Times wrote that for want of a coffee pot flights get delayed. In this article they mention that sometimes the water for the coffee comes from a bottle of filtered water and sometimes it comes from a tank of water on the plane.
Marcos Jimenez, an engineer at Zodiac Aerospace who has developed patented coffee-maker technology, said there were two main types of machines: those that use water from an airplane’s water reservoir, and those that require a flight attendant to pour filtered, bottled water into the machine.
Most commercial airlines use machines hooked up to a water tank. “Because it’s in a tank, they have to take particular care to make sure the water is not growing bacteria and whatnot. So they treat it with chemicals, kind of like a pool,” he said.
These chemicals, along with minerals in the water, can cause residue to build up in the machinery. Clogs can cause the machine to break down, particularly if maintenance crews don’t clean them often enough, Mr. Jimenez said. “I don’t drink the coffee unless I know the water’s coming from a bottle.”
Think of going out to the swimming pool to get water for your otherwise healthy organic coffee made from organic Arabica coffee beans. What is the point, you might think. The reason for awful airplane coffee is probably not that they buy bad coffee but that they just cleaned out the reservoir tank with disinfectants and chlorine!
2. If you are having a cup of coffee on your
flight from New York to Chicago how does it
taste?
3. There can be good airplane coffee and there
can be awful airplane coffee.
4. And it does not necessarily have to do with
the quality of the coffee beans.
5. The New York Times wrote that for want of a
coffee pot flights get delayed.
6. In this article they mention that sometimes
the water for the coffee comes from a bottle
of filtered water and sometimes it comes
from a tank of water on the plane.
7. Marcos Jimenez, an engineer at Zodiac
Aerospace who has developed patented
coffee-maker technology, said there were
two main types of machines: those that use
water from an airplane’s water reservoir, and
those that require a flight attendant to pour
filtered, bottled water into the machine.
8. Most commercial airlines use machines
hooked up to a water tank. “Because it’s in a
tank, they have to take particular care to
make sure the water is not growing bacteria
and whatnot. So they treat it with chemicals,
kind of like a pool,” he said.
9. These chemicals, along with minerals in the
water, can cause residue to build up in the
machinery. Clogs can cause the machine to
break down, particularly if maintenance
crews don’t clean them often enough, Mr.
Jimenez said. “I don’t drink the coffee unless
I know the water’s coming from a bottle.”
10. Think of going out to the swimming pool to
get water for your otherwise healthy organic
coffee made from organic Arabica coffee
beans.
11. What is the point, you might think. The
reason for awful airplane coffee is probably
not that they buy bad coffee but that they
just cleaned out the reservoir tank with
disinfectants and chlorine!
13. In our article How Do You Know When
Coffee Is Old we wrote about coffee stored
for 9 years.
14. Did that last cup of coffee from the vending
machine taste more than a little stale?
15. Maybe that is because the beans the coffee
came from were 9 years old! For that matter
how do you know when coffee is old? The
Wall Street Journal reported that coffee that
is nine years old is coming out of storage
and being sold.
16. Before you take that next sip of coffee,
consider this: Some of the beans in your cup
of Joe might have been picked during the
Bush administration.
17. If you are making coffee at home a good
way to make sure that your coffee is fresh is
the bloom that occurs when you pour hot
water over freshly ground coffee.
18. The coffee bloom is the release of carbon
dioxide gas when hot water is poured over
ground coffee beans. Carbon dioxide gas is
trapped inside coffee beans when they are
roasted.
19. Darker roasts contain more carbon dioxide
and lighter roasts contain less. Roasted
whole beans retain the carbon dioxide
longer than roasted and ground coffee and
storing in a cool environment keeps the
carbon dioxide longer.
20. Because you don’t get to watch them make
the coffee you will have to rely on taste to
know if the coffee on your flight is fresh and
not made with swimming pool water.
