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From: spaf@gatech.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: Coffee & Cream
Message-ID: <408@gatech.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 27-Aug-83 10:13:17 EDT
Article-I.D.: gatech.408
Posted: Sat Aug 27 10:13:17 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 30-Aug-83 11:37:17 EDT
References: <1988@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Organization: Georgia Tech, School of ICS
Lines: 43

You said that the only variables are the amount of coffee and the amount
of water -- not so!  You also have at least 3 others:  the first pot
of coffee for the day is brewed in a machine that has been off for many
hours, the water for the first pot comes from the tap at a certain
time of day (it has been sitting in the pipes for a while, probably), and
it produces coffee that is probably close to your first of the day.
Let us consider each factor.

When my coffee machine is hot it evaporates more water than when it is cold.
Thus, succeeding pots of coffee are stronger because less water gets
through to the pot, and the first half of the water takes the most
flavor through the grounds.  Also, the pot and burner are warmed up on
later pots and the coffee "decays" at a faster rate (you know how awful
coffee gets when it sits there on the warmer for hours...sometimes a few
minutes can do damage).

The water that comes out of the pipe early in the morning may have
been sitting in the pipe for a while since nobody has been using the
water for some period of time.  Thus, all sorts of chemical/mineral
reactions could be the cause for different taste.  This applies not
only to the water drawn for the first pot, but to the water arriving
later in the day which doesn't stay in the pipes very long.

Last of all, if you're anything like me, my teeth begin to get fuzzy and
the amount of coffee I drink begins to effect my judgment, and coffee
later on in the day just doesn't appeal to me the same way.  As a test,
don't have any coffee all day and brush your teeth before that 4pm
cup and see what it tastes like.  Which makes me think....what do you
normally have for breakfast?  Do you always have a doughnut with your coffee?
Do you brush your teeth right before you come into work?  The powdered
sugar or toothpaste or whatever will stay in your mouth and change the
way you taste things (like, drink some fresh squeezed orange juice
right after brushing your teeth with mint toothpaste -- wow!).

Last possible factor -- your secretary who makes the great coffee is
very, very clever and slips something into the coffee to make it
taste better.  Sort of like "job security" -- "We can't fire Chris
because s/he make the best coffee around here."

-- 
The padded cell of Gene Spafford
CSNet:	Spaf @ GATech		ARPA:	Spaf.GATech @ UDel-Relay
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