Need coffee geek opinion - how good is the coffee on Apex?

[BuckeyeMark]

Kinda worried this thread could get sideways ... not meaning to offend anyone who loves drinking day-old diner coffee that is reheated in a rusty microwave with a dash of stagnant pond water added for flavor (hey, if you like it, enjoy it! no judgment!) but I'm looking for folks who enjoy a pour-over, a V60, an Americano, an AeroPress and especially people who grind beans fresh before they make a coffee (Coffee Nerds Unite!) ... how's the coffee on the Apex? 
If they can make good coffee then I don't have to schlep a lot of gear on my cruise. Who's had good coffee on the Apex and how do you normally make coffee at home? Please: no comments or judgment on us coffee geeks. Let's keep it centered, folks: coffee nerds, how's the coffee on the Apex?

[LB_NJ]

I have not been on Apex so my views are about Summit and Constellation but first a question.

 

Have you sailed Celebrity in the recent past? Wondering if you generally like the coffee on Celebrity and just want to know how Apex compares?

 

Also, you will not get a good answer to your question.  I say this because food is subjective and coffee even more so.  For example I buy good whole bean coffee and use a burr grinder at home.

However, I really don’t like Starbucks coffee which some people really enjoy.

 

Personally, I detest Celebrity coffee with the exception of the espresso based drinks at Baccio Cafe.  
 

Until you have tried the coffee onboard yourself it will be impossible to predict if you will be happy.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

It depends on where you pick up the coffee , it the same on all Celebrity ships 

At Bacio , they use Lavazza Super Crema , a medium espresso roast 

So depends if the person took your order correctly and if the person making the coffee does it correctly 🤣

The coffee in the big  coffee urns taste ok if you put enough 43 in it 😁

you might want bring your stuff if you’re a coffee snob😉

[Jim_Iain]

I find the coffee is really good at Al Bacio.   The stuff they have for free in OVC is like drinking battery acid.    I often bring a travel french press and my own coffee.

 

 

[Jeremiah1212]

Long held unpopular opinion. The coffee at Al Bacio is not great. It’s typically some unknown mid ground between a latte, cappuccino or flat white. They pull a shot and dump in whatever ratio of steamed milk or foam they have ready, at whatever temperature. The pull itself typically isn’t that bad but it’s very inconsistent. If you get a drink to consume there in a proper mug it’s a bit better. If you like Starbucks you probably think it’s fine. 
 

For reference, we have a La Marzocco at home. 

[Arizona Wildcat]

At Al Bacio inconsistent.   As said for a coffee connoisseur nothing on board will be acceptable.  For a caramel mocca or similar probably fine.

Coffee on board ship is for the masses and definitely subjective.

My analogy is passengers and seasickness.  After sailing a 14m sailboat to Hawaii and never getting seasick, have never found a cruise ship to cause me any worry; while others are getting patches or are in their cabins feeling very poorly.  Same with coffee.

[BuckeyeMark]

The information here is exactly what I'm looking for. Props for "travel french press" and "La Marzocco" (envy!). 

We haven't sailed Celebrity in years but this is exactly what I feared. So many cruise ships have fabulous equipment and absolutely untrained baristas. I've seen steam wands with so much dried and crusty milk on them I wonder if they'd ever been cleaned. I've seen espresso shots "pulled" that ran in under five seconds.
Sigh. Guess we'll be packing the trusty AeroPress...

[Ex-Airbalancer]

1 hour ago, BuckeyeMark said:

The information here is exactly what I'm looking for. Props for "travel french press" and "La Marzocco" (envy!). 

We haven't sailed Celebrity in years but this is exactly what I feared. So many cruise ships have fabulous equipment and absolutely untrained baristas. I've seen steam wands with so much dried and crusty milk on them I wonder if they'd ever been cleaned. I've seen espresso shots "pulled" that ran in under five seconds.
Sigh. Guess we'll be packing the trusty AeroPress...

I was think of getting an Aeropress for travel , but I decided to give coffee for tea 🤣

way easier for traveling 

[BuckeyeMark]

29 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

I was think of getting an Aeropress for travel , but I decided to give coffee for tea 🤣

way easier for traveling 

Oh no - now you'll have the tea nerds on here talking about how they travel only with fresh tea leaves, what the best immersion brewer is, how to purify the water and more! LOL

[snohorules]

3 hours ago, BuckeyeMark said:

I'm looking for folks who enjoy a pour-over, a V60, an Americano, an AeroPress and especially people who grind beans fresh before they make a coffee (Coffee Nerds Unite!) ... how's the coffee on the Apex? 

 

I'm planning on bringing beans, my portable V60, and some filters for my first Celebrity cruise. I'm sure I'll be able to find hot water somewhere.

 

Portable V60s (you can find them for camping) are so easy to pack and use compared to an Aeropress and you get delicious coffee anywhere you can find hot water.

[hcat]

We will likely not drink Coffee very much on APEX if it is Lavzza.  To our taste it is hopelessly bitter.

 

.I stuck with Tea on ASCENT,  and my husb  ordered espresso..

 

Coffee used to be best at Tuscan Grill where they had a special  machine but that was awhile ago.

 

[DaKahuna]

6 hours ago, BuckeyeMark said:

I'm looking for folks who enjoy a pour-over, a V60, an Americano, an AeroPress and especially people who grind beans fresh before they make a coffee (Coffee Nerds Unite!) .

 

Guilty as charged -- 

 

 Have not sailed on Apex but have not found coffee I liked served black anywhere except Cafe al Bacio on Celebrity cruise ships.  We have occasionally had a decent cup in Luminae but for the most part I am usually having to add Bailey's to it to make it drinkable.  

 

 I sometimes bring a small container of Japanese instant coffee on cruises with me to drink in the room.  That should give you some idea how room service coffee is as well. 

 

 

[bundtkate]

I haven't tried Celebrity yet, but the only cruise line I've found to make acceptable coffee outside the suite areas is MSC and even then it depends on who makes it. Haven coffee on NCL was acceptable, but their cappuccinos were far too hot and had more milk that I'd choose. Even Viking River's coffee was mid at best. I've also never seen a proper tamp on a cruise ship. They have those tampers attached to the machine which is just wrong. You can't possibly tamp with adequate pressure if you're pushing up onto a fixed place tamper. You gotta put it on the counter and put your shoulder into it a bit. But, hey, Celebrity may well be the one that breaks the mold. As a fellow snob going on Apex next year, I'll be keenly interested in your thoughts if you try it out.
 

At home, I have a Breville Barista Express which is actually doing me dirty right now and hasn't pulled a decent shot in a few weeks, but we're working on getting our groove back. I also worked as a barista at an indie coffee shop in the midwest throughout college and law school so after 7 years of free espressos made from beans roasted on site that day, there's simply no hope for me on a cruise. I've found I do best either bringing along an Aeropress with some pre-ground (desperate times ...) vacuum sealed beans or embracing my inner basic millennial and drinking lattes that taste less like coffee and more like dessert.

[NMTraveller]

It is meh...  

 

Now if you get one from Cafe AlBaccio with booze in it, it is so much betta 🤣🤣  Don't order a coffee,  just order a coffee drink.

Edited April 4 by NMTraveller

[bjahil47]

I love good coffee and buy only fresh beans that are freshly roasted.  I grind them myself.  I do cheat as I have a fully automatic coffee maker that makes great cappuccinos and americanos,  

 

cafe Al Bacio is good, not great coffee.  It is much better than room service coffee or coffee in buffet.  We were just on Beyond and the Cappuccinos were never hot.  
 

For the amount of time I am on the cruise ship, Cafe Al Bacio is fine for coffee or tea.  

[Cap_D]

FWIW, having roamed Beyond last week after venues closed, they appear to break down the espresso machines at night, as well as everything else that can be broken down like the soft serve machines.  We were told / confirmed that the drip coffee is pre ground Lavazza and brewed in the back of OVC.   The staff we spoke to said they personally were aware that if the coffee brews too long it will get bitter.  All, bean coffee ground on demand is the aforementioned blue bag super crema Lavazza.

 

We realize it could be handled with more TLC, but we were pleased with the coffee on Beyond.  We take our coffee strong, black, and without sweetener.  So, Lavazza fits our preferences.  The decaf was strong too.  And, we were very glad the coffee wasn't some weak stuff like U.S. McDonalds or Starbucks drip after the morning rush.  For 3,200 people it could be a lot worse or watered down, and it's not.  And, thankfully Bacio is usually clean, brisk in transaction time, and short waits, in contrast to most Starbucks visits. 

 

There's no Eden equivalent for coffee, but that raises the bigger issue in my view ... It's easier to get sloshed than a perfect cup of craft coffee.  Even in the Retreat Lounge it took 20 minutes for a cup of coffee and less than 2-3 for a cocktail.  

Edited April 4 by Cap_D

[BuckeyeMark]

Really helpful information. Thanks everyone.  I will report back with the results of my "research" after our cruise in May.

[BuckeyeMark]

4 hours ago, bundtkate said:

I haven't tried Celebrity yet, but the only cruise line I've found to make acceptable coffee outside the suite areas is MSC and even then it depends on who makes it. Haven coffee on NCL was acceptable, but their cappuccinos were far too hot and had more milk that I'd choose. Even Viking River's coffee was mid at best. I've also never seen a proper tamp on a cruise ship. They have those tampers attached to the machine which is just wrong. You can't possibly tamp with adequate pressure if you're pushing up onto a fixed place tamper. You gotta put it on the counter and put your shoulder into it a bit. But, hey, Celebrity may well be the one that breaks the mold. As a fellow snob going on Apex next year, I'll be keenly interested in your thoughts if you try it out.
 

At home, I have a Breville Barista Express which is actually doing me dirty right now and hasn't pulled a decent shot in a few weeks, but we're working on getting our groove back. I also worked as a barista at an indie coffee shop in the midwest throughout college and law school so after 7 years of free espressos made from beans roasted on site that day, there's simply no hope for me on a cruise. I've found I do best either bringing along an Aeropress with some pre-ground (desperate times ...) vacuum sealed beans or embracing my inner basic millennial and drinking lattes that taste less like coffee and more like dessert.

Absolutely tremendous post ... and you are so right about tamping!
Try a Timemore Chestnut C3 the next time you travel. It fits IN the AeroPress and does a fine job. Fresh ground coffee beans and an AP is the ticket!

[chrispee]

I'm a bit of a coffee snob and use a Rancilio Silvia at home.  Personally I don't mind the espresso at Al Bacio, it's pretty inoffensive to my taste buds.  Even if you brought the AeroPress wouldn't you have to also bring a hand burr grinder?  Seems like the toughest part of the equation would be finding somewhere on the ship to get water at the right temperature without looking like a crazy person...

[snohorules]

6 hours ago, chrispee said:

Even if you brought the AeroPress wouldn't you have to also bring a hand burr grinder?

 

Yes. You say that as if it's an issue 😅 If you are a coffee snob's coffee snob you have a travel hand burr grinder.

[DaKahuna]

14 hours ago, bundtkate said:

I haven't tried Celebrity yet, but the only cruise line I've found to make acceptable coffee outside the suite areas is MSC and even then it depends on who makes it. 

 

 I agree.  MSC had the best coffee, especially in Le Muse. Even in the Top Sail Lounge and the One Pool the coffee was good.   I did not try the room service coffee as I did not want to push my luck. 

 

[StopTheWorld]

10 hours ago, chrispee said:

I'm a bit of a coffee snob and use a Rancilio Silvia at home.  Personally I don't mind the espresso at Al Bacio, it's pretty inoffensive to my taste buds.  Even if you brought the AeroPress wouldn't you have to also bring a hand burr grinder?  Seems like the toughest part of the equation would be finding somewhere on the ship to get water at the right temperature without looking like a crazy person...

I’m sure you can ask for a kettle for your cabin. They have them onboard for the UK departures where kettles and tea/coffee are automatically placed in every cabin. 

[BuckeyeMark]

2 minutes ago, StopTheWorld said:

I’m sure you can ask for a kettle for your cabin. They have them onboard for the UK departures where kettles and tea/coffee are automatically placed in every cabin. 

You are correct.  However, if you say anything about kettles here on CC you end up in a roaring debate about them because many are sure that they are a conflagration just waiting to happen. They're dangerous. They burn ships down (apparently every day). Asking for one shows you don't know anything about ship's wiring and the danger you are inflicting upon everyone.

They also have them on every UK departure and a lot of Far East trips ... (rolls eyes).

I can get hot water and my handy travel grinder will make short work of what I need for my AeroPress. There will be good coffee on this cruise! 🙂

[StopTheWorld]

I’m from the UK and I can’t tell you how many accidents I’ve had with a kettle! Well I can, it’s zero 😉 
Let me know how you get on with the aeropress onboard. I manage just fine with Cafe Al Bacio on a short cruise, but have a 58 night P&O cruise booked for next year and I’m researching coffee options. 

[snohorules]

1 hour ago, BuckeyeMark said:

I can get hot water and my handy travel grinder will make short work of what I need for my AeroPress. There will be good coffee on this cruise! 🙂

 

I'm planning on asking for a kettle as well, but past CC searches give mixed signals on whether kettles are available on North America cruises. I found some people having success, and others being told there aren't any.