tubefreaks is really enjoyable!

Hi,

I'm the aussie left-handed guy, and I just wanted to say that I'm really enjoying visiting this site. I'm involved in a few other forums (coffeegeek.com, and a few football forums), and tubefreaks.net is by far my favourite, because of the posters here.

You guys are all so polite and helpful ... so thanks!

Matt

Coffee Geek? I'm ashamed to say that I've spent more on my fully automatic espesso machine (Delonghi Magnifica Digital) than my custom relic'd telecaster. This came after decades of upgrades from a cheap Krupps to a Starbucks machine....to discovering real coffee in Australia and sticking with Italian made machines ever since.... Best beans in Australia: Kalima...right across the street from the BT building downtown Sydney right before Cockle Bay. In a pinch Vittoria will do. My good mate runs Scoozi Me in Manly as well as another mate at the Intropolitian Cafe (Death before Decaf)....great coffee.

Here in the states I get Lavazza flown in.... but I miss my Kalima.

My dad recently re-introduced me to the pleasures of Cafe Cubano in Miami.

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Oh, you've gotta try a good local american roaster. Try Intelligensia, the coffeegeeks rave about them. Being an Aussie who hasn't travelled much, I don't know North American geography at all. Is Orange County/Newport Beach in Southern California? If so, I've heard good things about Kean Coffee.

The difference is that imported/mass produced stuff spends a few months in bags and being shipped, whereas this stuff is roasted a few days before being brewed. It's like going to an artisan bakery ... smells and tastes even better!

In former days, I used to buy my coffee beans green ie; unroasted, and I'd roast them myself in a little popcorn popper. The smell is amazing. Now that's fresh!

Mattyj, that's the same reason I visit at least once a day. I've been to other forums that are much more heavily trafficked, but I was turned off by all the BS. Here you have a small group of people that really love guitars and express opinions honestly and respectfully.

(If I want to hear some profanity I'll watch Pulp Fiction. I don't need to read it on a guitar site.)

I don't even remember how I first came across tubefreaks, but hey, now I'm a SENIOR MEMBER...

Anyway, I'm glad you found us. Also, if you haven't already done so, you should check out Cary's other site - Electric Guitar Review.

As for coffee...there's no buzz like a real Italian Espresso buzz! I had my first Espresso in Torino, and I thought I was going to be up for a week.

My thoughts exactly.

I think I found this forum through Cary's website, looking for reviews on the mexican tele before I dropped the cash.

My usual espresso hit is a double ristretto from Campos Coffee in Newtown, Sydney. They supply a few cafes in my part of sydney as well.

Yeah...fresh roasted is my preference as well, but I live a wee bit too far away from one...I've done several comparisons with what I have available and Lavazza wins based on price, availability, and consistency. Palo Alto Roasters in the Bay Area are good, but a pound of beans is just too expensive for the amount I drink ($20 US). I also LOVE Peet's coffee...and if I must drink at a chain, that's where I'll go.

I'll be in Orange County in a couple of week. I'll definitely stop by Kean bean.

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I enjoy a good cup of coffee, but being from Milwaukee, I'm all about the beer. Cincinnati (where we lived for the past 2 years) has an interesting phenomenon known as the Pony Keg, which is kind of like a drive-thru beer store. Our local store is called Dutch's Pony Keg, and it's a walkup in a great part of town known as Hyde Park. They have a great selection, including some of my personal favorites from Bear Republic (a California microbrewery). Their Red Rocket Ale is top notch.

Alright, it's 10 PM and I have to be at the office early. Time for 15 minutes with a Telecaster before I call it a night!

I LOVE BEER! not in a drink-as-much-as-i-can-then-fall-over kind of way, I love boutique beers. I recently had a Chimay Grand Reserve, brewed by trappist monks in Belgium. It's got a cork in the top, and opens like a Champagne. At 9% alcohol though, I slept very soundly that night!

Dutch's Pony Keg carries Chimay and other boutique Belgian White Ales. Really great beers!

The Red Rocket Ale checks in around 6% alcohol, so it also carries a nice kick. Great for a night at home when you can just walk/stumble off to bed.

There's also an excellent Belgian-style beer out of Colorado called Fat Tire, which is a great fall/winter beer. Probably not available in Australia -- I can't even find it in the Eastern half of the US.

Well, somewhere on this forum I proposed that we have the First Annual Tubefreaks convention/guitar jam/beer festival. Now I think it's a must!

It's gotta be halfway between Aus and the US though ... Easter Island?

I'm really into some good aussie brewers: James Squire Pale Ale, Golden Ale, Pilsener, Porter and anything else they brew is fantastic.

I also had a Red Lager from a brewery in the Snowy Mountains that was sublime.