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Starbucks Coffee
Buying Bulk Coffee
Remember the old movie, "Cheaper by the Dozen"? The point was that quantity cut costs. Well, there are other "points" made in the movie of course, but you get my drift here. The fact is that you can save money by buying almost everything in larger quantities.
There is a good reason why this is true. Packaging costs decrease, transportation costs decrease, and handling costs decrease, so larger quantities of almost anything can be sold for a smaller unit cost than smaller quantities of the same item. And coffee is no exception to the rule.
The secret of buying in bulk and making it cost-effective is that you must store bulk coffee in an airtight container. Air is what degrades coffee, whether the coffee is in a whole bean form or has already been ground. You know that smaller quantities of coffee are packaged in vacuum containers. The reason that they are packed like that is for the purpose of preventing the air from degrading the coffee.
Storing coffee in the refrigerator isn't a good idea either. The best way to store coffee that has been bough in bulk is by using one of the airtight food sealing products that you can buy. There are many brands of this kind of product. The best known brand is called "Seal-a-Meal," but it isn't the only one out there.
When you buy coffee in bulk, you should seal it in portion sizes that are the best for you by using one of the airtight food sealing products and then store the packages in a cool, dark place to prevent degradation of the coffee flavor and freshness. After all, if you buy coffee in bulk to save money and then the coffee loses its flavor and freshness before you can use it, you really haven't saved any money at all.
See Also:
Your Michigan Connection: Sanders Coffee Klatch Forum
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The Daily Coffee Grind
Coffee with a Twist
When I think of a cup of coffee (which is often), two pictures come to mind. The first is me pouring my first cup of coffee out of my automatic coffee maker first thing in the morning, and the other is a picture of the waitress at my favorite coffee shop handing me a cup of coffee over the counter. There isn't anything fancy about the coffee in either situation. It is coffee….good, hot coffee.
However, I have discovered that coffee doesn't have to always be just plain coffee. Plain coffee is terrific, but you can make coffee as fancy as you want to make it.
For example, hot coffee in cold weather is great, but hot coffee in hot weather isn't. Iced coffee in hot weather is better…much better. The trick to making good iced coffee is to brew the coffee well in advance. Let it cool to room temperature and then refrigerate it in a very tightly sealed container until you are ready to serve it.
But wait…you can make it even better by using one of the many flavored syrups that are on the market that are specifically made for use in coffee (either hot coffee or iced coffee). These flavored syrups can be purchased in regular flavors like vanilla, chocolate, and the usual fruit and nut flavors, but they can also be purchased in some really exotic flavors as well. Flavored syrups like lavender, gingerbread, Granny Smith apple, eggnog, pumpkin pie, and cheesecake are available.
You can also add flavored whipped cream to coffee that really gives the coffee a festive air and a different taste. Flavored whipped cream recipes are available free all over the Internet, and flavored whipped cream can be purchased as well.
Coffee is great as just plain coffee, but coffee with a twist can be fun and interesting. |
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Coffee Clubs
Home Coffee Roasters
There are people out there who really prefer to roast their own coffee beans at home rather than buying coffee that is already ground and ready to put into a coffee maker. These people swear that home-roasted coffee beans make a far superior cup of coffee than any pre-roasted and pre-ground coffee bean ever dreamed of.
Coffee beans can certainly be roasted using a regular stove or even a popcorn popper, but if you are serious about roasting your own coffee beans at home, you should probably invest in a coffee-roasting machine. You will have far better control of the temperature and other conditions.
The prices of coffee bean roasters seems to range from a low of about $70 to a high of about $595. The smallest and least expensive coffee roaster will only roast enough green coffee beans to make one 10-cup pot of coffee at a time. The most expensive coffee-roasting machine that I located would roast about nine ounces of green coffee beans at a time.
There are varying aspects of coffee-roasting machines that you will want to consider before you purchase one. For example, you will want to know just how long it will take to roast coffee beans, how many coffee beans can be roasted at a time, and how much control you will have over how long the beans are roasted. Some coffee roasting machines (the more expensive ones) will give you greater control over the coffee bean roasting process than the less expensive ones.
However, before you invest any big bucks in a coffee roasting machine, it would probably be an excellent idea to start out with the least expensive variety and work your way up.
Related Topics: Home Coffee Roasters,
Coffee Grinders, Is Coffee Good or Bad for You
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