Brussels, Belgium - Where to get good coffee?

[Belgik]

Sammy, Raf - "see you there next saturday" ???? I might go to "Perle Noire", what time do you guys meet (I want to crash into the party!) / Paul

[Raf]

I wasn't aware that we were going to meet!

[Sammy]

Sorry, meeting would have been nice, but I dropped by today after work.
Hope to be on the water tomorrow (Laser-class sailing).
Apparently the Perle Noire will be closed next week, so I got a double dose of their very freshly roasted blend.

Sam.

[Gouezeri]

Enjoy the lasers tomorrow Sammy, it's been a bit too windy round here for decent sailing (very fickle and squally winds) and a txt from my parents this evening having just come in from the sea on the west coast of france suggests it was a little windy there too... still, capsizing lasers is part of the fun (I'd rather that than trying to right a big shearwater) and just think of a decent cup of coffee to get you warm again afterwards!
D

[Raf]

You sail? I used to sail when I was a kid. Never made it to the laser class, though, I switched to windsurfing as a rebellious teen. Unfortunately, there's nowhere in Belgium where you can decently sail - unless on the sea, I guess. Is that where you sail?

[Sammy]

Hi, Just back from a great sail. In the end, I only sailed today, since the rainfall yesterday was too heavy.
Went to Zeeland, on the Veere (lake) side (slightly north of Antwerp). Had intended to go to Domburg, out on the sea, but the waves were too violent out there... Even if capsizing may be part of the laser fun, this was a little too much for my liking.

Raf, I went through the same motions as you did, but then went back from the board to the boat.

Sam.

[coffeefreak]

Well, sammy it's very simple the more south you go the darker the roast. Belgium is just a little in between, so it's up to the roaster what he/she likes.

Perle Noire roast dark I know. If you're not into dark roast, try something else.

It's hard to find good coffee these day's. I've been in Brussels and it was very different. Cappuccino's with whipcream and not milk for € 3,00 but also very good espresso at Corica (www. corica.be) for € 1,00.

We alway's walk in the place and look around to see what kind of equipment they have. If it's a full automatic machine we leave. If it's a manual machine we stay and try, but 95% of the espresso or cappuccino is of poor quality.

When you go to Italy, in the North the coffee is not so dark as in the south. Again the more south the darker the roast.

We in The Netherlands roast light(er) as in Brussels, Italy or USA. We don't like too dark roasted coffee.

That's the difference. If you want to know more, please ask.

Jan "Coffee Freak" Schuitemaker.

[Sammy]

Hi Jan,

I like your analysis. In fact, I usually like their roast very much, so I will continue to go there.
But you are so right about the difficulty in finding a decent coffee. Recently I almost threw a 3 Euro coffee in the face of an arrogant waiter on a terrace on Sablon square here in Brussels. This was compensated by an excellent espresso in Duesseldorf this week.

Will check out Corica when next downtown.

Sam.