Late night observation beverages - a poll

[Omaroo]

LOL! Not sure if we've done one of these before, so here 'tis. Being night birds, amateur astronomers are always up for many hours of the night and need to stay awake, alert, and with decent quality vision!

Given that you don't have to drive somewhere after, and the fact that you may not have a fridge or stove handy at the field, what is your favourite night time sustenance?

Mine is called "Perkett's Self-Heating" coffee. It comes in cans that have a ring pull at the base, which you remove and then press a button to release the reactants. Flip it up the right way and wait for 7 minutes or so and presto! Hot coffee! It tastes like coffee sweetened with condensed milk - which I must say I've liked from birth. Some people don't like the flavour of the UHT milk they use in it, but it incredibly convenient.

Alcohol is said to affect your night vision, but if you're imaging I guess that's not too important :lol:

I can't remember this being asked before, so I thought I would.:whistle:

Cheers
Chris

[erick]

I stuff myself full of strong coffee. Apparently that is no good for lots of reasons, including affecting observing, but I do it anyway:shrug:

[Campus Dweller]

Where do you get this Self Heating Coffee. I want some:shrug:

[Omaroo]

Woolies - in the coffee section! :) (Typically get it for around $3.50 a go, which isn't bad given the sheer convenience of it.)

http://www.femail.com.au/perketts-self-heating-coffee.htm

[Campus Dweller]

here I am a woolies shopper for years and never seen it:P. Probably because

a) I didn't know it existed
b) therefore wasn't looking for it
c) for an astronomer, my powers of observation must be lacking:lol:

It's on my next shopping list:D

Cheers
Drew

[joshman]

ewwww...i bought some of that self heating coffee on a whim (for to test the sheer awesome-ness of the idea) and found my self half-way through a can wishing that there were some better way to treat my insides. so yeah, i wasn't too overly fond of the idea.

depends where i'm observing, most of my observing these days is daone at my parents place in the country, and they've got a proper coffee maching, so i get a double strength coffee about 10 pm then live off the caffienated softdrinks in the fridge for the remainder of the evening. it's quite a good system.

[Dennis]

Hey Chris

You need to drill down the Tea option further, with some sub-options. I start off on Nerada Organic Green Tea, then work my way up to Twinings Leaf Earl Grey brewed in a warmed pot, milk first, via their Green Tea flavoured with Bergamot Oil, followed after midnight by freshly ground coffee made in one of those plunger thingies.

All served with an endless supply of either thick, hot, buttered raisin toast or Woollie’s croissants nuked in the microwave.

Cheers

Dennis

[Omaroo]

LOL! Yeah - it's certainly not to everyone's taste, that's for sure. I wake up every morning to switch on our faithful cappuccino machine, and have a really decent cafe before I do anything. The self-heating stuff is, uhmm... not even close - but I don't have to plug it in.

[Omaroo]

Mmmmmmm.... sounds good Dennis! You certainly have the motions down pat!

I do love my Earl Grey or Lady Grey too.

[ving]

Perkett's Self-Heating coffee.... that almost as good as a self saucing pudding! :)

i tend to have a flask of hot chocolate :D
or a cold carbonated softy on hot nights. i generally dont need caffiene tho :)

[iceman]

I usually use the caffeinated soft drinks (V, red bull), sometimes a hot or cold milo.

The V drinks aren't always while observing/imaging, it's often the next morning while driving to work :)

[[1ponders]]

Yep gotto have more tea options - Dilmah and let it brew for about 5 minutes (Mmmm.... Caffeine). If its too cold (rarely, just means I can drink it quicker and get the next one on) add more hot water :lol:

Also more beers would be nice. - beer - Ginger Beer that is. ;)

[jjjnettie]

Water to wash the chips down.
Coke to keep me awake.
Hot Milo to keep me warm.

[vash]

Finally someones else that does this, I make a cup of tea forget about it come back half an hour and think great cup a tea, to find it very bitter but sugar fixes that,

I usually make a cup of tea and jam 3 and a 1/2 heaping masses of sugar in there, usually does the trick

[Rodstar]

I must put my hand up to being rather reliant on caffeine as well. I prefer Coke, sipped in small amounts over the long haul.

Apparently the problem with caffeine is that it perks you up initially, but when the effect begins to wear off, you feel more tired than before. Hence, the slow-slip (or is that slow-drip) technique.

Also, I try to keep hydrated with plenty of water. Otherwise, after lots of concentration, I develop headaches.

[[1ponders]]

This is a problem. :( That is why I switched to Dilmah, all flavour with none of that bitterness. ;)

[ballaratdragons]

Coffee!

At Home or at the club nights or at camp.

Coffee, Coffee, Coffee!!!! Gotta have coffee, gimmee, gimmee, COFFEE bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, weeeeeeeeeeeeee, I need Coffee
:D :rundog: :atom: :family:


But it doesn't affect me . . . honest :lol:

[rogerg]

I have to admit that I am usually so busy that time passes and I haven't got around to taking the time to find a drink... so I end up dehydrated :lol:

[Omaroo]

Dang! I forgot that one as a response..... :mad2:

[Ric]

Nice hot cups of tea for me, keeps me alert but relaxed so I make less mistakes imaging.

If it's visual observing with the inlaws/outlaws and nothing serious then a nice glass of red is the go.

Cheers

[mill]

Ok where is the best option in the poll??
I drink whisky, keeps you warm, happy and tastes better than coffee :P

[Glenhuon]

Mill, you beat me to it.
Was going to ask why the good stuff was not included :D
Apart from that a cup of black coffee with a shot of black navy rum is great on cold nights.

[GeoffW1]

Hi,

Looks to me like a lot of us have found ascohol and altronomy don't mix well.

This has been my experience on a few occasions now, after leaving things outside and almost dropping an EP etc.

I now try to keep them apart, as much as my weak nature allows anyhow.:whistle::P

Cheers

[mill]

Whisky is the only alcoholic drink that doesn't make me drunk or give a headache as long as it is the good stuff :)

[Gargoyle_Steve]

Coke!!! :thumbsup:

During a good nights observing 3-5 cans maybe along the way, with one or 2 stops inside for a Milo, a few bickies, and a chat. I only ever have Milo made with cold milk, can't stand it hot or even warm.

[Outbackmanyep]

Coke, Milo, and Tea.....and a bit of loud music helps!
:thumbsup:

[dugnsuz]

Coffee and a couple of bits of chocolate - I heard the combo's supposed to open up the pupils...don't know if that's gospel, but it's a nice way to start a session!
Doug

[lhansen]

Especially on chilly nights I find a port or two and a good dose of Led Zepplin keeps me focussed (so as to speak).

It also ensures I sleep well when I eventually crawl into bed.

[gmbfilter]

Wild Turkey & diet coke, helps me keep my girlish figure

[§AB]

Hoy Chocolate, Hot Chocolate, Hot Chocolate!

:D :D :D :D :D

[Omaroo]

Interestingly, no-one drinks bottled spring water, Bonox or plain milk. :) The former I can understand, but no Bonox people????? :lol:

[Ric]

Drink Bonox :scared:, now that's scary.

[fringe_dweller]

Farmers Union classic chocolate drink if not near a kettle at the time, used to make thermo's, too lazy now, the new stronger farmers union iced coffee is good for staying awake, and good old coke cola - and spring water lots of it, same as you - starting too like the red bulls and the other one?

[CoombellKid]

eeeeww, that sounds like a real mix in that gut of yours :lol:

I was a bit of a beer drinking observer, but it interfares with the night vision
and the ability to observe things at the limit of your eye sight. I actually
avoid alcohol on observing days now. The other thing was once the beer had
started to take efect and you get the old wobble going, I would on
a couple of occassions get a black eye off my U/O HD's :whistle:

a nice smoke works best for me :thumbsup:

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

got to love the man b**bs


regards,CS

[Garyh]

No alcohol for me at night, I`m dopey enough without it..LOL
Usually a hot milo or if I`m staying out for many hours a coffee and a block of chocolate!!! mmmmm and some company from our little foxy! but she`s gone now and saddly missed :(
cheers

[cahullian]

I love beer and goon or is it goon and beer? never can remember which. Better than both is munching on hedgehogs yum yum.

Gazz

[Alchemy]

hot chocolate for winter , ice sticks for summer.

[Bobj]

Milo and water because I have cirrhosis of the liver...:(

[RB]

Port and a nice Cigar (me bad, I know.....:ashamed: )

[Gas Giant]

I've dug up this thread again because last night was the first time I've managed to get out observing since it was first posted last November. I determined that I would try the self-heating coffee that was mentioned.

The best way I can put it, without being offensive, is that having tried it, I won't be trying it again:sadeyes:.

Cheers
Andrew

[§AB]

for me, it's hot chocolate or coffee. Because I'm in Melbourne, I keep both handy year round ;)

[Night Owl]

There was no Stone's Green Ginger Wine or Stone's Mac, so the poll is null and void.

[Night Owl]

Farmers Union is the best flavoured milk in the country, especially the Choc, and the Ice Coffee. Might be because it is actually made from milk. Don't laugh! By the time milk gets to the carton now days, there is nothing left except the white and water! All the cream gets skimmed off. If what now passes for milk was actually 'milk' from a cow, it would still have a head of cream an inch thick. All that is now gone.

Who remembers milk when it was in bottles with an alloy foil top? I remember, and I remember the cream that used to be in it.

[CoombellKid]

I sure do as a kid in NZ, us kids used to fight over who got the dollop of
cream that used to settle on top :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:. I also remember when I
moved here the difference in the NZ milk to Aussie milk took sometime
to get used too... you could taste the water in the Aussie milk.

regards,CS

[space oddity]

I have tried some fancy iced coffees in a tin bought at asian supermarkets.They sounded good...... Gone back to making my own iced coffee - low fat milk with high quality instant coffee, rich dark sugar (white poison is BANNED) and a mixture of Milo and Quik. When I feel piggish, this is put into a shaker and shake the @%$# out of it to turn it into a milkshake. Good exercise and warming. I would advise against sipping cola beveridges all night . Take it from me, sipping on anything with a combination of acid and sugar is DEATH on yor teeth, this includes fruit juice. Sometimes a prepackaged long life iced coffee fits the bill when lazy.