Coffee Tips

Buying Tip
When purchasing coffee, always ask when it was roasted. Many common misconceptions exist when it comes to judging the freshness and optimum time to experience a roasted coffee at its peak of perfection. Generally coffee is best if used a day or two after roasting, and if kept in an air tight container, flavor should not diminish significantly until after seven to ten days. Old coffee beans may appear very oily, will have little or no aroma, or will take on a somewhat unpleasant aroma.
Grinding Tip
Never grind more coffee than you will use for immediate brewing. Once the beans are ground, the flavorful oils are exposed to the damaging air. As these oils dissipate, so will the flavor of your coffee. Once ground, coffee will begin to lose its flavor almost immediately. Different methods of brewing will require different grind consistencies. Typically, coffee used for drip brewing should be ground to a consistency similar to granulated sugar. The complete drip cycle should occur within four to six minutes. If the drip cycle is completed in less than four minutes, grind your coffee finer. If the cycle takes longer than six minutes, grind your coffee coarser. When using a French press, the coffee will need to be ground extremely coarse. Espresso requires an extremely fine grind...almost powder-like with a slight grittiness. The key to the proper espresso grind is the extraction time. After the proper dose and tamp, one ounce of espresso should be extracted in approximately 25 to 30 seconds. Like drip coffee, if the one ounce extraction occurs in less than 25 seconds, grind your coffee finer. If the extraction occurs in longer than 30 seconds, grind your coffee coarser. Talk to you local coffee professional for additional information.
Storage Tip
Never store your coffee in the refrigerator. Coffee will absorb flavors and aromas from other food products in your refrigerator. Freezing coffee can also have a damaging effect, and we do not recommend this practice unless you will not use-up your supply of coffee for a prolonged period of time [two weeks or more]. Coffee should be stored in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool, dark place.
Dosage Tip
When making brewed coffee, allow 2 to 2 1/2 level tablespoons for each 6 ounces of water [3 tablespoons for 8 ounces]. For espresso, allow 7 to 8 grams for a single shot, and 14 to 16 grams for a double shot.
French Press Tip
You will want to grind or have your coffee ground to a very coarse consistency for this method. If your grind is too fine, you will over extract your coffee and a bitter flavor may result. It will also be difficult or impossible for you to push the plunger down in your pot if the grind is too fine. Now here is an application for your French press that you probably don't know about. Heat a cup of milk [non-fat works best] in a sauce pan on your stove or in a microwave. It should be heated just until it is too hot to put your finger in it. Don't overheat or you will scald the milk. Next, pour the milk into your clean, empty French press. Insert the plunger, and pump the plunger up and down like a butter churn for several minutes. The milk will expand and increase in volume by three or four times, creating beautiful frothed milk for cappuccinos and lattes.
Moka Pot Tip
It is an old Italian secret to mound the coffee grounds high in the filter basket of the Moka pot before screwing the two pieces together. Do not compact the coffee! To ensure a tight seal, be sure to wipe the rim of the bottom of the pot with your finger to remove any grounds. When the top half of the pot is screwed on, the grounds will be compacted by the filter screen. You should end up with a dry, compacted puck of coffee grounds at the end of brewing.

Filter Drip Tip
Be sure to use a filter, which is designed to fit your filter basket. Bleached white paper filters are most common, however unbleached brown filter papers are usually available. Permanent gold-plated wire mesh filters also work very well and are environmentally friendly.

Espresso at Home Tip
When selecting a machine for home, look for one that will drive the water through the coffee with the aid of a pump vs. a steam driven machine. A good pump machine will usually cost $200 to $1,000, but the investment is worth it if you are serious about enjoying tasty espresso. It is our opinion that a steam driven machine [the typical $49 model] will not produce a palatable product. We suggest you use a Moka pot if you have a limited budget to invest in equipment. Beautiful milk froth can be created for cappuccinos with a plunger pot.



^^^coffeeuniverse.com

Coffee May Help Diabetics

Previous studies have affirmed that a high consumption of coffee may lower the risk for type 2 diabetes, and now another study on 15 overweight men was performed, focusing on two specific compounds found in coffee, chlorogenic acid and trigonelline. The researchers examined the effects on both glucose and insulin concentrations and found a significant reduction in glucose and insulin 15 minutes after the oral glucose tolerance test, a two-hour procedure commonly used to diagnose diabetes. They believe that these specific compounds contribute to the overall beneficial effect of coffee on the development of type 2 diabetes.



ineedcoffee.com

I had coffe once.
Kept me up 4 nights.
Never again.

carra63,

You had me at "Coffee . . . anyone?"

Please make mine 100% Colombian,
because my daughter Ruth is 100% Colombian.

This is Ruth as she grew up. She will be 24 on the 15th of this month. She lives in Colombia.

LOL, why not???

Finding the Coffee that fits your Style

by Michelle Faber- ineedcoffee.com

What sorts of coffees do you prefer? Everyone seems to find a certain flavor profile most likable to their taste. Once you know that taste preference, you might enjoy an exploration of some of the coffees grown throughout different regions of the world. Please allow me to be your guide...enjoy the adventure!
"I love my coffee…Strong"

"Strong coffee" can mean several things…dark color, a robust aroma or a smooth yet full body and flavor.
Dark color

French Roast- The darkest of the roasts, offering you an intense cup with a rich lingering flavor.
Marrakech- dark coffees sourced from western Morocco roasted to velvety standards that create a complex hearty cup with a spicy aftertaste.
Kenya- A dark roast assuring a sharp acidity, a stoic solid body and smooth winy penetrating flavor. (Characterized: Winey/Bold Body/High Acidity)

Robust aroma

Guatamala- Aromatic and fragrant with a medium body. Offering you a unique smoky flavor is well balanced with the "spicy twist". (Characterized: Winey/Light Body/High Acidity)
Smooth and Full

Sumatra- Expect a low-key acidity and a heavy, almost syrupy, body with a concentrated and complex flavor. (Characterized: Smooth/Heavy Body/Low Acidity)
Panama- Complex flavors, medium – Volcanic soil grown with bold intensity and incredible clarity and brightness. (Characterized: Smooth/Heavy Body/Low Acidity)
"I love my coffee…Mild"

Galapagos- Organic, Rare and Exotic flavor with a delightful, medium body, balanced, coffee with an intriguing finish. (Characterized: Sweet/Light Body/Low Acidity)
Mexico- Enjoy a medium body, a fine acidity, and a satisfying flavor that is mild and sweet with a wonderful bouquet. (Characterized: Sweet/Light Body/Low Acidity)
Brazil- Experience a low acidic, light bodied brew, with a pleasant aroma and a mild, smooth flavor. (Characterized: Sweet/Light Body/Low Acidity)
"I'd like a coffee light on the stomach (low in acid)"

Panama- Complex flavors, medium – Volcanic soil grown with bold intensity and incredible clarity and brightness, low acid.
India- Malabar (Monsooned)- "Monsooned" beans are exposed to nature's salty ocean elements during the processing stage, producing a most unique flavor and making for a quite distinct coffee. Look for a light body and low acidity with a mellow and soft flavor. (Characterized: Sweet/Light Body/Low Acidity)
Mysoor coffees- This is the location of the gold fields in India. This Rare and Exotic coffee is sweet, spicy, and super rich with a light body and full aroma. In India, this coffee is sometimes mixed with boiled milk, cardamom, and citrus. (Characterized: Sweet/Light Body/Low Acidity)
Custom Low Acidity Blends - If you experience heartburn, upset stomach, or indigestion from regular coffee.
__________________

Wow...she is pretty!
oh by the way how can i post a picture here? I mean when I post on my threads? help me pls anyone?

Coffee for MASSAGE?

By Steve Goodman


Go to your typical doctor's office and you are likely to find coffee in the waiting room. Go to your typical Massage Therapist's office, or MediSpa, and you're increasingly likely to find coffee in the treatment rooms!

Yes, believe it or not, massage practitioners may be bringing a whole new meaning to the term "coffee break," as coffee is increasingly used in various types of therapeutic massage. Coffee massage is one of the latest trends in the field of massage therapy. Coffee is being used as a base ingredient in body scrubs, lotions, oils, and body wraps. There are coffee body soaks and coffee aromatherapy candles. Take a look at the number of people lined up every morning waiting to drop more than $4.00 at Starbucks, and their can be very little doubt as to the popularity and possible healing effects of coffee.

Typically, a coffee massage involves the application of coffee grounds mixed with soothing gels or lotions to the skin by hand or with a wet cloth. Primarily, the coffee beans are used as a stimulating exfoliant to remove dead skin cells through scrubbing the skin. This is then followed by the actual massage where a coffee based lubricant or oil is used during a therapeutic massage.

Licensed Massage Therapists (LMTs) like coffee because they say it is gentle enough for facial massages. It has a cleansing and moisturizing effect and it is also loaded with antioxidants, especially when using green coffee. It can even tighten skin and reduce puffy eyes, albeit the effect is temporary. A typical coffee massage invigorates tired muscles and provides protection from oxidation and sun exposure. LMTs say these coffee based massage creams and essential oils stimulate circulation and at the same time provide aromatherapeutic effects with their rich, deep scents.

Uses of USED coffee grounds...
Soften and add shine to hair. When washing your hair, rub coffee grounds through wet hair and rinse. For brown hair, coffee grounds add highlights.
Use coffee grounds as an exfoliant for skin. Pat on skin, massage over skin, rinse.
Add coffee grounds to your skin mask beauty routine.
Make homemade tattoos (temporary) with henna and coffee grounds.
Fertilize plants. Old coffee grounds are nutrient-rich for plants that thrive in an acidic soil.
Add used coffee grounds to the pots of indoor plants.
Work used coffee grounds into your garden soil before seed planting. After your plants start to emerge, work in coffee grounds near the plants. Used coffee grounds are said to repel snails and slugs as well as adding nutrients to the soil.
Increase your carrot and radish harvest by mixing seeds with dry coffee grounds before planting the seeds.
Use coffee grounds to repel ants.
Keep cats from using your garden as a kitty box by spreading used coffee grounds and orange peels throughout flower beds.
Deodorize a freezer. Place a bowl with used coffee grounds in the freezer to remove unwanted odors. Add a few drops of vanilla to coffee grounds.
Rub coffee grounds on hands to get rid of smells from chopping or cutting up pungent foods.
Make a used coffee grounds sachet. Fill old nylons or cheescloth with dry used coffee grounds. Hang in closets to absorb odors.
When you need an abrasive cleaner, coffee grounds can be used. Be careful of any surfaces that might stain.
Remove furniture scratches with wet coffee grounds.
Got a fireplace? Sprinkle wet coffee grounds over the ashes to keep from becoming engulfed in the plume of dust ashes create when you need to remove them.
Dye fabric, paper or Easter eggs. Simply add used coffee grounds to warm water and let sit a bit to create a dye.
After you give your dog a bath, rub coffee grounds through the coat of your pet. Coffee grounds are said to repel fleas.
Keep bait worms alive by mixing coffee grounds into the soil before you add worms.
Grow mushrooms on old coffee grounds.
greendaily.com

CAFE LATTE

A caffe latte, literally "coffee with milk," is espresso with both a generous amount of steamed milk and milk foam. Although you are unlikely to see caffe lattes offered in Italy, except perhaps at breakfast, they have become quite popular in the United States, particularly those flavored with sweet syrups.
Make a shot of espresso equaling between 1 and 1 1/2 oz. (See "How to Make an Espresso" in the Related eHows section.)
Steam 10 oz. milk.
Point your steam wand towards the bottom of your stainless steel pitcher to steam your milk. To create froth, raise the tip just below the surface of the pitcher.
Pour hot milk in a 12-oz. glass until 3/4 full.
Pour the espresso shot into the steamed milk.
Dust with ground chocolate, cinnamon or nutmeg.
ehow.com

USED COFFEE GROUNDS, FUEL SOURCE OF THE FUTURE?

A study published by the American Chemical Society has shown the power of coffee grounds as a source of biodiesel, possibly ending America's dependence on the unfortunately named rapeseed. According to a study in the ACS's Journal of Agriculture, spent coffee grounds contain between 11% and 20% oil by weight, similar to other popular sources of biodiesel such as soy and palm seeds. Since approximately 16 billion pounds of coffee is grown each year, spent coffee grounds can be used to create as much as 340 million gallons of biodiesel. While this is barely enough fuel to cover the US for a day, it is a surprisingly cheap and easy process they say could net an $8 million average profit in the US alone. We could probably fuel a TDI SportWagen by just following Wert around for the day. Press release below.
Waste coffee grounds offer new source of biodiesel fuel
Researchers in Nevada are reporting that waste coffee grounds can provide a cheap, abundant, and environmentally friendly source of biodiesel fuel for powering cars and trucks. Their study has been published online in the American Chemical Society's (ACS) Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.
In the new study, Mano Misra, Susanta Mohapatra, and Narasimharao Kondamudi note that the major barrier to wider use of biodiesel fuel is lack of a low-cost, high quality source, or feedstock, for producing that new energy source. Spent coffee grounds contain between 11 and 20 percent oil by weight. That's about as much as traditional biodiesel feedstocks such as rapeseed, palm, and soybean oil.
Growers produce more than 16 billion pounds of coffee around the world each year. The used or "spent" grounds remaining from production of espresso, cappuccino, and plain old-fashioned cups of java, often wind up in the trash or find use as soil conditioner. The scientists estimated, however, that spent coffee grounds can potentially add 340 million gallons of biodiesel to the world's fuel supply.
To verify it, the scientists collected spent coffee grounds from a multinational coffeehouse chain and separated the oil. They then used an inexpensive process to convert 100 percent of the oil into biodiesel.
The resulting coffee-based fuel — which actually smells like java — had a major advantage in being more stable than traditional biodiesel due to coffee's high antioxidant content, the researchers say. Solids left over from the conversion can be converted to ethanol or used as compost, the report notes. The scientists estimate that the process could make a profit of more than $8 million a year in the U.S. alone. They plan to develop a small pilot plant to produce and test the experimental fuel within the next six to eight months.
Biodiesel is a growing market. Estimates suggest that annual global production of biodiesel will hit the 3 billion gallon mark by 2010. The fuel can be made from soybean oil, palm oil, peanut oil, and other vegetable oils; animal fat; and even cooking oil recycled from restaurant French fry makers. Biodiesel also can be added to regular diesel fuel. It also can be a stand-alone fuel, used by itself as an alternative fuel for diesel engines.
[Source: American Chemical Society] jalopnik.com

How to Make a Bubbly Coffee Drink

Tired of the same bland coffee every morning? Here's a delightful way to impress your friends and give your coffee a zap.
Ingredients:

Coffee (any amount, any sort - to taste)
Carbonated water
Cream (optional)
Sugar (optional)
Chocolate syrup
Steps:
Fill up half of your glass with Double-brewed coffee (so as to even out the strength).
Add any amount of sugar to taste. Do not add any if you dislike it in your coffee.
Stir until the sugar is fully mixed in.
Add cream (in whatever amount you enjoy).
Stir in cream.
Fill up the rest of your glass with carbonated water until it becomes foamy at the top of your glass.
Drizzle chocolate on top of the foam for an elegant touch.
Add a straw and just for a change, you've got bubbly delight for coffee.
wikihow.com

we drink Starbucks at work from excellent machines - no worries!

and upload your picture to photobucket.com or find one on there, then copy the img for forum posting

Instant Coffee Sticks??? The new convenient coffee

Officially, instant coffee sticks have now hit store shelves. Will this new product replace the old jars of other brands of instant coffee? Do we need another form of freeze dried coffee?? It wasn’t that long ago that Starbucks popped a new, instant coffee product onto store shelves, and now the “Ready Brew Stick” packets have hit the shelves. Apparently, these have been touted by nescafe’s Tasters Choice as being much tastier and quite a bit cheaper than the Starbucks instant coffee.
Nescafe’s instant coffee sticks are currently retailing for about $4.00 at supermarkets, which are sold in boxes of 20, making each cup about 20 cents. Starbucks is selling their single cup instant coffee packets for around $10.00 for a dozen packets, or about 85 cents per cup.
The Chicago Tribune ran a few taste tests, blind of course, with six panelists. They served up both brands of instant Colombian coffee along with a pot of drip brewed Colombian coffee. The results were obvious. The winning cup was the drip brewed coffee, offering the ‘most complex notes’. In second place was the Starbucks instant brew. Tasters commented that the Tasters Choice coffee sticks were weak, thin bodied and had an unpleasant ‘cardboardy’ flavour. One taster commented that the Starbucks cup was bitter and sharp, and prefered the Tasters Choice cup. It was however unanimously agreed that instant coffee has come a long long way from the days of old!
The Chicago Tribune also left a few recipes to make some instant Iced Coffee seeing as its the season for cold beverages now:
Sprinkle a packet of instant coffee over your favorite soft-serve frozen yogurt, custard or ice cream for a bitter counterpoint to the sweet, creamy treat.
Empty a packet into a glass or carton of milk.
Stir a packet into a blender full of shaved ice to make an easy granita.
I must say……….you’d still be hard pressed to have me consuming instant coffee for any reason at all!



thebestcupofcoffee.com

How are decaffeinated coffees made?

Coffee is a delicious and wholly natural product that contains several hundred different chemicals and that help to define its distinctive taste and aroma. Caffeine is just one of these naturally occurring substances.

It is an extremely difficult process therefore to remove only the caffeine and leave the other chemicals intact. To all intents and purposes this is an impossible task and even the best and most carefully produced decaffeinated coffees will have its taste and aroma altered by the decaffeinating process.

Coffee comes in two major varieties: Arabica coffees and Robusta coffees. The Arabicas contain about half the amount of caffeine as Robustas.

So how do manufacturers go about removing the caffeine from the bean?

The decaffeinating process has many variations but all start with the raw green coffee bean.

A popular method is known as "Water Processing" that was originally developed by the Swiss in the 1930's.

This process involves soaking the green coffee beans in hot water to extract all the soluble and semi soluble compounds (including the caffeine) into the solution. The first batch of 'used' coffee beans are then removed and thrown away. The solution containing all the coffee compounds is then treated to remove the caffeine by passing through carbon filters in solution. These carbon filters are designed to only remove the caffeine molecules and to allow the other compounds in solution to pass through.

A new batch of raw coffee beans is now introduced into the 'filtered solution' which has been kept at the same temperature throughout the process. The 'clever' part of this process is that since the hot water solution has reached equilibrium and already has the maximum amount of coffee compounds suspended in solution, then when the new beans are introduced only the caffeine is dissolved out from the new beans and the other compounds remain in the bean as they are unable to be extracted by the hot solution that already contains them from the original batch!

The coffee beans are then removed and sent away for drying. They are then stored and shipped to market.

This process is repeated many times using the original solution, which is continually treated to remove the caffeine.

Other processes used to remove caffeine rely on similar principles as water processing but use different ways to soak the beans and different ways to extract the caffeine. For example some processes use steam instead of soaking the beans and use solvents to remove the caffeine. Other processing methods use oxygen and carbon dioxide gases.

It should be noted that there are different criteria for labelling coffee as decaffeinated: The International Standard demands 97% of the caffeine to have been removed from the beans and the European EU Standard of having 99.9% of the caffeine removed by mass.

streetdirectory.com

Little known facts about COFFEE...

Coffee Has More Fiber than Orange Juice, and
Antioxidants, Too.
Doctors tell us that fiber is good for us and that
antioxidants help keep us young and disease free.Well,
coffee delivers on both counts. In a Spanish study,
scientists concluded that “brewed coffee contained a
significantly higher amount of soluble dietary fiber…than
other common beverages. Coffee’s dietary fiber contains a
large amount of associated antioxidant phenolics...”

Coffee Keeps Your Mouth Moist.
Does your mouth sometimes get dry, such as when you
take medication?Well, to help relieve it, a research group
in Poland suggests you try drinking a cappuccino! Dry
mouth is called xerostomia in medicine, and here’s what
the doctors found: “The five-minute drinking of 15.0 g of
cappuccino coffee increased the amount of saliva,
decreased xerostomia, and improved the ability of speech.
The beneficial effect of coffee lasted from 0.5 to 4 (average
about 2) hours.”

coffeescience.org

Where's Luis at?? He's going to love the heck out of this thread!

And that Coffee ice cream looks delicious!!

Coffee In Food
Lovers of the drink know how delicious that liquid dream can be. But delights abound in using coffee as an ingredient in food preparation too.

While commonly used in desserts - and we'll look at a couple - the uses of coffee aren't limited to sweets. Barbecue sauces and glazes for meat, chili and even pot roasts benefit from a dash of the ground bean.

In any recipe, freshness is essential, so either buy freshly ground or grind your own and use right away. And if the recipe calls for brewed coffee, make it just before preparing the dish with good filtered water. And remember, most recipes call for coffee two or three times as strong as you'd want to drink.

Here are only a few of the many possibilities...

Coffee Meatloaf Sauce

Australian Meatloaf is becoming increasingly popular outside kangaroo country.

For the sauce add a tablespoon of instant coffee to a quarter cup of water and half-cup of ketchup with a quarter cup of a favorite dry red and equal amount of Worcestershire sauce. Two tablespoons of vinegar, an ounce of margarine and two tablespoons of lemon juice with some brown sugar complete the mixture.

After the meat has cooked for 30 minutes, add the sauce and bake 45 minutes more at 375F (190C).

Espresso Brownies

To make brownies surpassing even Alice B. Toklas', try this one.

Heat a cup of sugar, a quarter teaspoon of salt, and a stick and a half of butter in a sauce pan. Add a teaspoon of vanilla and four ounces of chopped, semi-sweet chocolate and stir until well melted. Now add a tablespoon of your favorite finely ground dark-roast. For an interesting variation substitute with two teaspoons of espresso granules.

Stir until everything is well mixed, then transfer to a mixing bowl and let cool for a few minutes.

While still warm, fold in three eggs, a cup of flour and pour the result into a baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes and set out to cool. Yum!

Black Russian Cake

Select a favorite dark chocolate cake mix and add a cup of vegetable oil, a package of instant chocolate pudding, four eggs, and a half cup of creme de cacao. Now add a cup of your favorite Russian coffee. (1 oz vodka, 1/2 oz Kahlua, 5 oz hot black coffee.)

Beat until smooth and pour into a tube pan, then bake 45 minutes at 350F (177C). Da!

The possibilities are endless. Muffins, cookies, breads and all manner of candy - not to mention those well known ice creams - are enhanced by the addition of coffee.

Even cocktails get a boost from the ancient bean. Besides the famous Kahlua there are a wide variety of liqueurs that can be used to enhance a pie.

There's even a recipe for coffee syrup. Mix a cup of sugar with a cup of double strength Colombian. Boil in a saucepan, stirring constantly to keep the sugar dissolved. Lower the heat and simmer for three minutes, stirring often. Then cool. Try it!

Bon cafetite!
coffee-enthusiast.com

Cutesy! My kids are half Colombian. Some of my very favorite people in the world are Colombian.