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America’s Coffee Culture Enters the New Java Millenium
The American coffee craze enters the new millenium.
As I sip my extra hot, nonfat vanilla latte I realize that my Chico State University days are now just a faded, distant memory. Seven years have passed and the late night cramming sessions...
Coffee Storage Myths; Freeze Your Fresh Roasted Coffee and Other Popular Misconceptions
So you are finally fed up with that bland black liquid, you once called coffee, brewed from the finest can of generic supermarket grinds. You are finally outraged at the price of a single cup of designer coffee shop coffee. It's now time to take...
Flavored Coffee Syrup Adds A New Dimension To Beans
Flavored coffee syrup is a popular addition to any coffee beverage and a welcome change for any regular coffee drinker. Whether you are looking to satisfy a sweet tooth or just want something different, flavored coffee syrups put a great kick into...
Gourmet Espresso Coffee Gifts? Mmm, Mmm Good!
Do you know an espresso drinker that you want to get a gift for? Perhaps you’d like to get yourself some gourmet espresso. Well, buying gourmet espresso coffee gifts is easier than ever. With more and more stores online selling gourmet espresso at...
Two Coffee Substitutes from Plants Around Us
The American Beech Tree's nuts when taken out of the husks, roasted until dark and brittle, then ground, will make a fine coffee. Store this in an airtight container. They are best collected after the first hard frost when they normally drop to the...
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Choosing That Perfect Cup Of Coffee
There used to be three choices for coffee lovers at their local supermarket: Folgers, Maxwell House, or the store brand. But in today’s world of Starbucks and the countless imitators it has spawned, how do you tell the difference between truly gourmet coffee and overpriced coffee barely above the store brand standard? How do you pick between all the different exotic flavors? How do you keep your coffee fresh once you’ve bought it? Below are some tips to help you brew that perfect cup.
1. First, if you’re going to pick what you like, you have to know what you like. It sounds obvious, but many coffee drinkers don’t know what “dark,” “full-bodied,” “nutty,” etc. actually taste like.
2. Speaking of what you like, did you know that the coffees that have “European names” (ie, “French Roast”) has nothing to do with the country of origin but the coffee style? French Roast coffee is generally bittersweet; Italian Roast is even darker and more bitter. Not surprisingly, American Roast is considerably less dark and less bitter. Many people enjoy darker roasts, but the darker the roast, the less you will enjoy the subtle flavors.
3. By contrast, coffees with “non-European” names are from that country. So Sumatra coffee, for example, is from the island of Sumatra, and so forth. The coffees from different areas all have slightly different flavors based on the different soil types (level of acidity and other factors).
4. Which is better – whole, or ground? A better question to ask is: How fresh is this coffee? Whether it is ground or not makes less difference than how fresh the coffee is. Choose a coffee (whole or ground) packaged in an airtight container. Porous containers, such as paper bags, will
allow coffee to go stale quickly. Once you open that container, your coffee starts to lose its freshness. This means if you’re buying coffee in bulk but you’re only drinking a cup per day, your coffee will be flavorless in six months’ time.
5. If you’re picking out whole beans at your local market, stay away from beans that are split, broken, or cracked.
6. And what about decaffeinated coffee? Can you still enjoy the same flavor and body as its caffeinated cousin? Although some restaurants serve a weak cup of decaf this is not a result of the coffee but of improper brewing. Allowing the coffee to sit out for a long time on the burner also causes it to become bitter and flat. By brewing a decaf cup in the proper way and by consuming it before it turns bitter, you can enjoy your cup of joe without the caffeine side effects.
7. And by the way, before you brew that perfect cup of gourmet coffee, make sure your coffee equipment is clean! There’s nothing worse than the residue of old coffee smell mixing in with your newly bought gourmet coffee. This is true for your coffee grinder as well as for your coffee maker – and especially if you enjoy testing different flavored coffees. If you do not clean your equipment regularly, your “hazelnut” coffee might just taste a lot like the “vanilla” coffee you had last week.
Enjoy!
About the Author: Rachel Medlock is a long-time coffee lover and runs the informational gourmet coffee site http://www.MyGourmetCoffees.com.
Source: www.isnare.com
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| Starbucks Homepage |
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| Fair Trade Coffee |
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| Gevalia.com - Gourmet Coffee & Tea Collections |
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| Dunkin' Donuts Coffee | Buy Coffee Beans Online |
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| Over The Coffee |
| Top Ten Coffee Producing Nations Brazil Colombia Indonesia Vietnam Mexico Ethiopia India Guatemala Cote d'Ivoire Uganda. |
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| INeedCoffee - Monthly Caffeination Information |
| This coffee brewer guide is meant to assist buyer to choose the ideal single cup ... I found coffee paradise. The best coffee city is Auckland, New Zealand. ... |
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| Coffee Forums Coffee Discussion about Espresso, Coffee Beans and ... |
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| Green Mountain Coffee Roasters: Organic, Fair Trade and Signature ... |
| Gourmet coffees and specialty coffee accessories and gifts. Shop online for Fair Trade and Organic coffee, single-cup coffee, decaf and flavored coffee, ... |
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| Equal Exchange: Fairly Traded Coffee, Tea & Chocolate |
| Dedicated to fair trade with small-scale coffee farmers in the developing world. |
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