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The Origin of Coffee
Buying Gourmet Coffee
How many different kinds of coffee do you suppose are available around the world today? I don't know, either, but there isn't much doubt that hundreds of thousands would be a guess that was not far off the mark.
Just go look on the shelves of your local supermarket. My goodness! There are dozens of brands and several choices of roasts for each brand. There are coffees that are made especially for drip coffee makers. There are coffees that are prepackaged and ready to be put into coffee makers. There are single servings. It's mind-boggling, and you haven't even scratched the surface yet -- the coffees on the shelves of your local supermarket aren't even the gourmet coffees.
To find the gourmet coffees, you will need to visit a coffee specialty shop or go surfing on the web. Now the choices are REALLY mind boggling. Unless you already know which gourmet coffee you are looking for, you will need to have some good information before you buy. It might even be a good idea to buy a "variety" package that includes several different gourmet coffees and give yourself the opportunity to try before you buy.
Some gourmet coffees have very high acidity. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Only your taste buds can decide. Some people prefer high acidity coffee, while others do not. Is the acidity a good thing or a bad thing? Well, some say that acidity causes stomach problems, and others say that the acidity is what makes the coffee a cancer fighter of the first order and what gives it the unique taste.
Some gourmet coffees, particularly those from the islands, have an earthy taste that isn't present in coffees from other regions. Some coffees, particularly those from Jamaica, are so smooth they make you want to cry. It all depends on your own individual likes and dislikes.
See Also:
Wake Up And Smell The Coffee - BizRate.com
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Iced Coffee
Coffee with Chicory
You might have visions of Mardi Gras and Bourbon Street when you think about coffee with chicory. The coffee served in New Orleans and all of south Florida comes in two flavors; with and without chicory. The coffee is always strong, and only tourists add anything to the coffee. It is usually served in demitasse cups (4 ounces).
Some people mistakenly believe that the coffee with chicory is stronger and bitterer tasting than coffee without chicory, but that is a misconception. Chicory makes the coffee blacker, but it does not make it stronger or bitterer. Actually, the chicory makes the coffee a little less bitter and a tad sweeter.
Chicory leaves have long been used as a salad green all over the country. They have a distinctive and pleasant taste and add another dimension to green salads that many people find very enjoyable. Chicory root is the part of the plant that is used to make the chicory that is used in coffee. It is kiln-dried and ground. Chicory has no caffeine, and coffee that contains chicory actually has less caffeine than coffee without caffeine.
The people in south Louisiana didn't discover chicory. Chicory has been around for more than 4,000 years. It is mentioned in writings dated to the days of Cleopatra and Napoleon. These ancient writings praise chicory and extol its medicinal properties. It is said to work wonders on the digestive tract and digestive tract problems. The governor of Massachusetts introduced chicory to the colonies back in 1785, and it quickly became a very common household item. It was used to make a drink that was hot, and it was also used as a vegetable that was served either hot or cold.
Chicory in coffee is most often associated with south Louisiana, but chicory has been used for many purposes and it still is being used today. |
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Chicory
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Espresso Coffee Machines
Those who love espresso coffee also love their espresso coffee makers. When you happen to overhear them discussing their espresso coffee makers, you would think they were debating the advantage one sports car has over another rather than coffee makers.
There are espresso coffee machine owners who believe that nothing can possibly compare to the coffee that a manual espresso coffee maker brews. There are those who swear that only the semiautomatic variety will make really, REALLY good coffee. Then there are those who wouldn't dream of owning anything other than a fully automatic espresso coffee maker. According to them, only the fully automatic espresso coffee maker can make perfect coffee every time. And so, the debate rages on!
The manual espresso coffee machine owners tell you (and anybody else who will listen) that their manual machines give them full control of the coffee-making process, and they wouldn't want it any other way. They add the water so they have control of quantity to the drop. They add the coffee grounds so they have control to the grain. They have control down to the split second of when to start the frother.
The semiautomatic espresso coffee maker owner will tell you that their machines do everything but turn themselves on and off, which is true. The only thing that the owner of a semiautomatic espresso coffee maker must do is flip the switch on and off, but according to them that is all that is necessary to obtain the perfect cup of espresso.
Those who own fully automatic espresso coffee makers don't have to do anything at all, and that is precisely how they want it. Full automation, they say, is simply the only way to go. Set it and forget it!
And the espresso coffee maker owners haven't even started to debate the advantage one brand might have over all others.
Related Topics: How to Make Good Coffee,
All About Coffee, Home Coffee Roasters
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