Posts Tagged ‘coffee’
Roasted Fresh Coffee
June 5th, 2009
How great is the smell of roasted fresh coffee beans brewing as it works its way up the steps and into your bedroom? It starts to seep into your nostrils and all of a sudden you perk up a little bit. Instead of waking up grumpy, you already have a smile on your face in anticipation of the perfect cup of coffee.
It all starts with the beans. If you have lousy coffee beans, you have not shot at getting a great cup of coffee. There are hundreds of different varieties out there and it will be a matter of preference as to what you actually like. One person may rave about Jamaican Blue Mountain while Sumatra may be your favorite. It would be great if there was a simple method of figuring out, but tasting is the best way to find your favorite.
For the perfect cup of coffee, you’ll want to start with whole roasted fresh coffee beans that you grind yourself. By the way, you should only buy small quantities of whole beans, maybe enough for 1 or 2 months at a time and keep them in an air tight container to preserve freshness.
If you prefer to buy your coffee on the way into work, you more than likely stop at the same place each and every day. There is no shame in this as the power of the perfect cup is something that is undeniable. Be it Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts, Wawa or McDonald’s, your favorite is often a cup that you will drive miles out of your way to make sure you are getting what you want.
If you brew your own coffee, an obvious consideration is your coffee maker. This is something that you can spend as little or as much as you want, depending upon what is important to you. There are those who merely need to get the coffee into their system to function so these individuals will buy just about any machine to get the magical black juice. However, if you are a true lover of coffee, you are at least going to make sure you get a machine with the optimal brewing temperature of 200 degrees.
When you are searching for your machine, check out as many as you can. Be wary of online reviews as you will find that a lot of them are merely planted copy, especially if they are on the coffee makers sites. What you want to do is check out forums and see the machines for yourself. You will find that more often than not, a store will have the machines plugged in and brewing so you can check out it out for yourself.
If you are a true coffee lover, you may find that you will travel to the ends of the world to make sure you get the perfect cup of coffee. You are probably also the person that goes away on vacation and drives the wait staff crazy because there is never a cup that is good enough to satisfy your desires. It’s okay, there are plenty more out there just like you!
Tags: happiness, hobbies, sports, men
Tags: Beverage, coffee, coffee beans, coffee gifts, coffee machines, espresso machines, family, food, food and beverage, food and drink, fresh ground coffee, gourmet coffee, Hobbies, home
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Coffee Espresso Machine
May 25th, 2009
The coffee espresso machine seems simple enough, push a button and instant espresso or cappuccino. The history of the espresso machine though was anything but easy for the people who put their whole heart and soul into making it work. The word espresso is defined simply as coffee made by forcing steam through finely ground coffee beans. Some would say this sounds simple enough, but after you ponder about all the different techniques that had to be developed to allow this to happen; well it’s certain you will change your opinion. The espresso machine began its journey about 100 years ago.
The first official coffee espresso machine comes to us from France. It was created by a gentleman named Louis Bernard Rabaut in 1822. The machine was a simple contraption that allowed steam and water to flow through a filter lined with fresh coffee beans. Mr. Edward Loy Sel de Santias showed his version of the espresso machine at the Paris Exposition in 1855. He impressed the crowd by being able to brew up 2,000 cups of what was then called fast coffee in an hour.
In 1901, Luiggi Bezzera of Italy received a patent for his coffee machine. The machine was a simple contraption that forced boiled water through fresh coffee beans; this machine, clearly being a replica to Louis Bernard Rabaut’s original invention.
Desiderio Pavoni purchased the patent for this new invention in 1903 and began making this contraption through his company in 1905. Americans received their first taste of this foam coffee in 1927. Americans were not impressed with the burnt flavor the machine gave to the coffee beans. In 1938, the taste problem of the espresso was fixed by adding a piston pump to the design. The pressure the spring lever applied to the beans changed the taste to a more enjoyable taste that we all enjoy now.
The final advancement to the espresso machine emerged in 1961. M. Faema created the electric pump as an addition to the original design. This pump advanced the evolution of the espresso machine. In 1991 the first espresso machine was created for in home use; thus enhancing the acessiblity level to use this incredible machine in the comfort of your own home.
Before you enjoy that next sip of espresso or cappucino, think back to those pioneering inventors. Inconsequential as a first cup of coffee may seem, it took their creativity and and vision to bring about an a marvel of ingenuity and still serves its purpose more than a hundred years later.
So much hard work and labor was put into such a deceptively simple contraption that so many take for granted. In this fast paced world that we live in it’s great that we don’t have to wait 10-15 minutes to get a hot cup of coffee. In fact we can enjoy the luxury of a cappuccino right from our own households. The machine does all the work for us, all we have to do is push a single button.
Tags: hobbies, self help, advice, sports
Tags: Beverage, coffee, coffee beans, coffee gifts, coffee machines, espresso machines, family, food, food and beverage, food and drink, fresh ground coffee, gourmet coffee, Hobbies, home
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Your New Home Espresso Bar - Setting Up Shop
April 24th, 2009
If you have recently purchased your own home espresso machine, you might be looking for accessories for it. There are some basic “must haves” and there are some really fun add-ons as well. Pick a few from this list to get you off on the right brewing foot.
Let’s start with the espresso grinder and the espresso tamper. The most important accessory to your espresso machine is your coffee grinder. A poor grinder can actually burn your coffee prior to brewing so a good grinder can actually improve the taste of your coffee. The better quality grinders are burr grinders. Don’t skimp on your grinder.
The tamper is a pretty simple tool that is used to press down on the coffee grinds prior to brewing. If you have a new espresso machine, a tamper probably came with your machine and it probably sucks too. If you upgrade your tamper make sure it fits will and that it feels and looks good to you.
The next tool type accessories are the frothing and steaming pitchers. Many espresso drinks call for frothed and/or steamed milk. As an example a latte is made with steamed milk. There are many sizes for frothing pitchers but a small one should suite you fine at home.
Espresso cups are one of the accessories where you can go a little crazy. Many cup and saucer sets come with unique art designs on them and can become very collectible. Other options are espresso glasses and stainless steel espresso glasses. Both the glass and stainless models typically have a double walled design to help retain the heat of your drink for as long as possible. Latte cups are usually 6-12 oz for larger espresso drinks.
Along with the espresso cups you will want to add espresso spoons. Just like with espresso cups versus latte cups, there are latte spoons to match to your cups. Some of these spoons can be quite elaborate in their construction while others are plain.
An espresso recipe book will keep you brewing for a long time. Some of the more popular recipe books have over 200 coffee recipes! Here are a couple of recipes to get you started. A latte is espresso with steamed milk. A mocha is a latte with chocolate syrup and a cappuccino is 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk and 1/3 frothed milk.
Flavors come next and there are LOTs to choose from. Although there are flavored powders (ex: chocolate, mocha, etc) most flavors are added as syrup. There are dozens of flavors of syrup and they range from the perennial favorite of chocolate to seasonal flavors such as pumpkin.
There are many more options for decking out your new home espresso bar but there is one more I should mention. Although not as exciting as the other accessories, you will need cleaning brushes and cleaning powder to keep your espresso machine in top condition. Follow this list and add the options that make sense to you and you will have a great deal of fun starting down the wonderful path of becoming a home brew barista.
Tags: general, hobbies, recreation, self help
Tags: coffee, drinks, entertainment, espresso cups, food, Recreation, shopping
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Love the Burlap Coffee Bag Respect the Burlap Coffee Bag Consider the Burlap Coffee Bag
March 31st, 2009
Listen in for a moment and you’ll hear some great information about the burlap coffee bag. This easily spotted bag is a standard in the coffee industry. Its firmly linked burlap strands keep freshly picked coffee beans as they are shipped to the roasters.
Smart people have found other uses for the burlap coffee bag. True, it still serves the purpose it was made for. However, it has been adapted to other uses as well. Hopefully this text will show you some of them. Further should you not have a burlap coffee bag, dont worry. This article can direct you on where to get one.
The first use of the burlap coffee bag is obvious. You can store things in it, or use it to carry things. Anything from laundry to food. The burlap coffee bag is especially good for food because air is able to flow in an out of the bag. This is why the green beans are also shipped in these bags. Be creative and put anything in there, you wont be disappointed. The burlap coffee bag is a strong bag!
The next thing the burlap coffee bag can been used for is decor. These bags have a vintage appeal, an ethnic appeal, and a general visual appeal. People have used burlap coffee bags as art on wall. They have stuffed them to make them look full and thrown them in corners for looks. They have even made curtains out of them! Talk about eco friendly!
Another common use is to sew a burlap coffee bag into a purse. These bags are awesome purses because or their durability. Plus they help the planet. Finally they are a wonder for the eye to see. The web is a great place for locating instructions on this idea and others.
Before I forget, getting a burlap coffee bag of your own is basic. Check out Google. Ebay is another opportunity. Try cafes in your area to find a burlap coffee bag offline. When I was employed by a coffee shop there was an abundance of these bags sent to us.
The burlap coffee bag is an amazing creation and so will be everything that you make from them.
Tags: sports, self motivation, self help, pets
Tags: burlap, burlap bag, burlap bags, burlap coffee bag, burlap sack, coffee, coffee bags, Hobbies
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