chipman wrote:Aluminum

Not the same. Steel was baaaaad.

And I believe the aluminum used in today's canning is usually coated in some way to prevent off tastes. It certainly is for high acid foods like most canned tomatoes. I'm not certain about beer though.

not sure why no-one has said this already but it's kinda been hinted at indirectly.

Salt makes bitter coffee taste better, a different solution would be to stop your coffee tasting bitter

still a nice way to think about your aunt though

Phobic wrote:Salt makes bitter coffee taste better, a different solution would be to stop your coffee tasting bitter

To be honest, more than a few grains of salt make coffee taste salty!

I didn't know there was salt in those thimbles of motor oil so loved by the leathery Cuban elders who introduced me to it - so I tossed mine back and immediately got the sensation that I was drowning in sea water! It was at the original Columbia in Tampa that I was introduced to this in January 1978 (my wife and I were there because I was a junior resident presenting my first major research paper at a national meeting - and she was newly pregnant, so that trip will never be forgotten). We went for lunch, and there was a long table with a large group of men in black suits and shirts (who were obviously regulars) having postprandial drinks in thimbles. I asked the waiter what they were drinking and he said "special coffee" - so I had to try it.

When I finally surfaced, I asked for one with salt and one without so I could understand it better (which the waiter, from his expression, thought was nuts - but he brought it). I did enjoy the second salted one, probably because I knew what to expect and could focus on the coffee. I was so shocked with the first one that it could have been battery acid and I wouldn't have noticed. The unsalted one was just OK, and it was not espresso as we know it (& could have been a muddy ounce from a Moka pot).

The Columbia (now a modern operation with multiple locations) is very proud of their house brand espresso, and they feature it for sale on the website and at their multiple locations. I've had it a few times at their Celebration (FL) location, and it was not stellar (and not salted). FWIW, the new Columbias are also not what the original was, but that's no shock.

bluesman wrote:I think a salted beer can top is a salt delivery system, like the salted rim of a marguerita glass - you get a little salt with each sip. Salting beer is an age-old tradition around the world. I think it's done mostly to ameliorate the bitterness of the hops, which many people don't like. I, on the other hand, don't like salt in my beer.

Interesting insight, David.

I never tried salting beer. I will say I prefer Pilsner-type Lager over standard Lagers because of the less biting taste it has. I may try experimenting with salt with espresso just to see the taste results.

TomC wrote:And I believe the aluminum used in today's canning is usually coated in some way to prevent off tastes. It certainly is for high acid foods like most canned tomatoes. I'm not certain about beer though.

Steel beer cans... those days when only real men could crush those cans with a single hand, not these days when just about any woman can do that with an aluminum one.

Charlene wrote:Interesting insight, David.

I never tried salting beer. ..

Salting always flattened beer, for my tastes. Yours may differ.

Steel beer cans... those days when only real men could crush those cans with a single hand, not these days when just about any woman can do that with an aluminum one.

How refreshing to have a woman around.

Thanks for sharing Doug, this is such an interesting story.

Sometimes I find myself taking coffee too seriously, and traditions like this are a nice reminder that coffee is as much (if not more) about the culture as it is about the taste in the cup. Sometimes we are too precious about our hobby and turn our nose up and these things.

Going to try it in my cup tomorrow morning!

Charlene wrote:Interesting insight, David.

I never tried salting beer. I will say I prefer Pilsner-type Lager over standard Lagers because of the less biting taste it has. I may try experimenting with salt with espresso just to see the taste results.

That's how we learn! I try everything I can tolerate or afford - opinions without experience are like kissing through a screen door. But to be honest, I don't add salt to my beer.......or my coffee or my soup or much else.

D

Boldjava wrote:Salting always flattened beer, for my tastes. Yours may differ.

How refreshing to have a woman around.

I really appreciate that, Dave!