Back home in the States, I might be considered a coffee snob--I only ever buy fair-trade coffee and organic coffee if it happens to be fair-trade and the roast I prefer. I buy coffee beans so I can grind them at home right before I brew the coffee in my Cuisinart coffee maker (one of my favorite graduation gifts). I then pour the coffee in a mug along with a 1/4 cup milk and voila, the best coffee on the planet.
In Thailand, this can never be. Coffee beans are ridiculously expensive here (a small bag runs close to 20 dollars). Most coffee drinkers here get their coffee from a cart but don't be fooled. Coffee here is instant, not my preference at all.
Yes, it is possible to find real brewed coffee at Starbucks (both thais and farangs, foreigners, love it) but it is dreadfully expensive. For a grande cup of regular coffee, it costs 100 baht (around 3 dollars). I've had it twice so far and I stretch it out like I'm living in the Great Depression, thai style.
So what do I do to satisfy my coffee cravings? I drink instant coffee most days using a method taught to me by my 91-year old next door neighbor, Lorena. She told me to fill a water bottle halfway with filtered water and stick it in the freezer overnight. Once frozen the next morning, you add the coffee packet, the sugar packet and the creamer packet (they really like packets here). Then you fill the rest of the bottle with room temperature water, put the cap back on and shake! It's not too bad and is appropriately cold in the warm Thai climate.
In my room, I found some curious looking, coffee making equipment but I have no idea what these things are...any suggestions?
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