|
What to Look for in a Coffee Maker
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:
Drinking decaffeinated coffee may be harmful to heart health
|
Coffee and Health
Coffee To Go
Has anybody seen those old "Leave it to Beaver" reruns on late night TV? There is June (the mother) in full makeup and high heels without a hair out of place serving breakfast to her family at the breakfast table. Ward, the father, wearing a suit and tie, all showered and shaved, and the two boys are gathered around the breakfast table for their morning meal. June pours coffee from a coffee carafe into Ward's waiting coffee cup as they discuss their upcoming day. It just cracks me up! I'm sitting there thinking, "Yeah…right! When pigs fly!"
I figure most households operate pretty much like mine does. The words "busy, hectic and insane," come to mind. Mornings are done on the fly. Breakfast is a bowl of cold cereal (every man, woman, and child for themselves) and coffee is "to go" as we all rush around trying to get to work and school on time. My wife and I each have our own "to-go" spillproof mug so that we can drink our morning coffee as we drive.
And, yes, some mornings we have to stop by the nearest McDonalds and BUY a coffee to go if we have coffee at all because SOMEBODY forgot to set the automatic timer on the automatic coffee maker the night before.
Fortunately, technology caught up with "real life," and those well-insulated, spillproof coffee mugs made of unbreakable space-age materials are
available. I'd hate to try to drink my coffee out of the fine china coffee cup like Ward used while I drive the minivan loaded with kids through rush hour traffic while organizing the family schedule (soccer practice, piano lessons, etc.) that is more complicated than a rocket launch at NASA.
Coffee to go is a necessity in our busy world. It's either coffee to go, or no coffee at all. |
|
More articles:
Caffeine - How caffeine affects the body, Caffeine in food and drugs, Caffeine and health
Key Benefits of Using a Coffee Grinder
A Quick Gourmet Coffee Guide
Your Michigan Connection: Sanders Coffee Klatch Forum
Specialty Coffee Buying Guide
The Specialty Coffee Industry
Iced Coffee
Wow! The temperatures are soaring so it must be summer. Those nice hot cups of coffee that we were enjoying fully only a few months ago now just look…well…HOT, like the weather. Hot drinks certainly lose their appeal when the mercury climbs, but the taste of coffee never loses its appeal, so the answer is obvious. Serve iced coffee! Now, there is a great idea.
Coffee is taste that is great only at extremes. Hot coffee is wonderful, and iced coffee is just as wonderful. Anything in between those temperature extremes is just awful and totally unacceptable. Luke warm coffee, tepid coffee, slightly cool coffee -- they all taste bad. There may be a scientific explanation, but I have no idea what that explanation might be. All I know is that hot coffee is good, and iced coffee is good.
Now, you can't keep hot coffee hot for a long period of time. It tends to gain strength by the minute. But you can keep cold coffee cold for as long as you want. When you make a pot of coffee, immediately pour it into a container that can be refrigerated. Here is where you stir in any flavored coffee syrups, because they will dissolve well in the hot coffee. Then when the coffee cools, refrigerate it and you are all set.
To prevent a tall cold glass of iced coffee from being weakened by melting ice, you can also freeze some coffee in your ice cube trays and use them rather than regular ice cubes.
There are some ways to really jazz up the iced coffee that you serve your guests. Try one of the many iced coffee recipes that you can find on the Internet, and have fun! Many of the iced coffee recipes will call for the use of whipped cream, and you can also find recipes for flavored whipped cream that will make your iced coffee drinks really spectacular.
Related Topics: Perfect Coffee,
Coffee with a Twist, Coffee Lovers Gift Baskets
|
