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Coffee with a Twist
Automatic Coffee Maker Buying Tips
Ah, coffee! There really isn't a more pleasant smell in the universe than the smell of freshly brewed coffee especially first thing in the morning. Almost everybody loves good coffee but the definitions of "good" coffee are as varied as the people who love it.
If you are considering buying a new automatic coffee maker and you haven't bought one in awhile, you are going to find a lot more choices that you ever dreamed were possible.
The first thing that you need to decide about your new automotive coffee maker is what kind of automatic coffee maker you want. Do you want an automatic drip coffee maker or a percolator? (One drips water through coffee grounds, while the other forces heated water up a spout and over the coffee grounds.) Drip coffee and perked coffee are two entirely different tastes.
The next decision is what size automatic coffee maker will best serve your needs. If you are the only coffee drinker in the household, then you only need a very small coffee maker. One that makes a total of four cups will probably be adequate. However, if there are several people who
drink coffee, or if you entertain regularly and serve coffee, you may need a larger coffee maker.
The next decision that you must make are the features of a coffee maker that are important to you. You can find coffee makers that have more controls than NASA. You will need to determine which features are important, and which ones are not of any value to you. Remember that each added feature adds to the cost.
The price of coffee makers range between $20 and $200. It is important to buy one that is large enough, but it is just as important that you don't buy one that is larger than you need.
See Also:
Perfect Coffee Tables
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An Old-Fashioned Coffee Klatch
Coffee Filters
One of the secrets of making really good coffee is the filter that you use in your coffee maker. The standard paper filters are abundant, and the ones that are most often used. Barring other choices, they are at least sufficient. You certainly should not ever make coffee in an automatic drip coffee maker or in a percolator without using a filter. If you do, there will be little coffee grounds floating in the pot of coffee.
If you are going to use the paper coffee filters in your coffee maker, you need to buy the ones that actually fit your coffee maker. Paper coffee filters do come in various sizes and are made for specific brands of coffee makers. The reason that it is important that the coffee filter is a perfect fit for the coffee maker is that a coffee filter that is either too large or too small for your coffee maker will allow coffee grounds to get into the coffee -- not a good thing.
While paper coffee filters are the ones most often used, they are not the only choice in coffee filters. There are permanent filters for coffee makers that can be purchased. These permanent filters must be cleaned thoroughly after each and every use. Believe it or not, there is even a permanent coffee filter that is actually lined with gold!
The very best choice of all coffee filters, though, is the cloth variety. Yes, it does have to be cleaned after each use, but coffee made using paper filters has a slightly papery taste to it, and cloth filters add no taste at all to the coffee. Cloth coffee filters are available in the same sizes as paper coffee filters. They are more expensive initially, of course, but they last much longer. Cloth coffee filters are made from unbleached cotton, so they are environmentally friendly as well. |
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More articles:
Permanent Coffee Filters: What besides mesh and plastic?
Top Coffee Grinders
Coffee Maker Features to Look For
Coffee Klatch (read: Chemo Klatch) -- Part I
ABC News: Study: Drinking Coffee Has Health Benefits
The Health Benefits of Coffee
How Coffee Affects the Body
It all depends on what "study" you choose to believe whether coffee (caffeine) is a good thing for the body or pure poison. Personally, I've decided to believe those "studies" that say coffee is a good thing…a VERY good thing.
I like coffee…no, that isn't exactly accurate….I LOVE my coffee!
The fact is that there is caffeine in a lot of things other than coffee. There is caffeine in tea, and there is caffeine in many sodas as well as in chocolate….and I am sure not going to give up chocolate! So just giving up coffee won't mean that you have given up caffeine. Caffeine is actually the only active ingredient in coffee. There are no calories and no carbohydrates in a cup of black coffee.
Caffeine is a stimulant. There isn't much doubt about that one. If you have a cup of coffee right before bed, you will certainly have difficulty falling asleep -- at least that is true for most people. A cup of coffee first thing in the morning certainly wakes you up and gets you going! That afternoon cup of coffee picks you up.
Coffee is said to be addictive, and maybe that is true. People who suddenly stop their usual daily intake of caffeine in whatever form will suffer from withdrawal symptoms. Headache is the most common symptom of caffeine withdrawal, but caffeine withdrawal can also put a big dent in your sweet disposition. People who are withdrawing from caffeine are just plain grouchy.
The caffeine in coffee has both positive and negative effects on the human body. The positive effects are that it relieves boredom, decreases depression, increases alertness, increases physical stamina, and increases performance on boring or repetitive tasks. The negative effects of caffeine on the human body are that it increases nervousness, affects sleep, and increases jaw tension.
Related Topics: Coffee Filters,
How to Make Good Coffee, Gourmet Coffee Gifts
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