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Coffee Tips

Read these 164 Coffee Tips in 19 categories ranging from Brewing Coffee to World Coffee Growers. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Coffee tips and hundreds of other topics. Become a Guru or Become an Advertiser.

A Coffee-Lovers Love Of Espresso

Espresso grounds, according to Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, feel almost like confectioner's sugar in your hand and can be compressed with little effort. The brew from these grounds is heavily extracted and tastes rich and heavy.

Green Mountain's Dark Magic Extra Bold K-Cup offer the rich aromatics and flavor qualities of espresso, but they are designed for the K-Cup.

If cappuccino is your drink, texturing milk for lattes and cappuccinos is something of an art. The right tools include a 20-ounce steaming pitcher is perfect for steaming and stretching milk for one to four espresso drinks.

Made of durable stainless steel, it features a reverse bell shape — with walls narrowing toward the rim — which helps keep steamed and stretched milk in the pitcher during spinning and twirling. A pouring lip directs textured milk and foam, making it easier to control your pour.

When texturing milk for coffee drinks, start with ice-cold milk and an ice-cold pitcher, too.

Need more milk? Invest in the Bodum Frother, which froths milk quickly and easily. Insert the whip end into cold milk and then push the button. The frother whips into action, creating a nice froth that will last in hot beverages. It works best with cold milk.

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Making Coffee Decaf

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Tip: Decaffeinated coffee starts with the green coffee beans. The methods of removing caffeine can include heating, steaming, soaking or exposure to chemicals, according to a recent Los Angeles Times article. How do you know how much caffeine you are drinking? Federal regulations require beverage companies to list caffeine on product labels when it is added as an ingredient but there is no requirement to list the precise amount of caffeine present, according to the American Beverage Association. However, ABA member companies have provided caffeine content information through their corporate toll-free numbers and Web sites. Single-serve coffee, like Green Mountain Coffee Roasters K-Cups helps you keep your caffeine intake low by controlling the amount of coffee in your cup. There are many decaf K-Cups to choose from. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters also offers a variety of coffees that are "water process" decafs. This method of decaffeinated the coffee is chemical free and involves soaking the beans in water to remove the caffeine. The water is treated with a solvent, which never touches the beans, and is heated to remove both the caffeine and solvent. The water is then returned to the beans, which dry and reabsorb the flavors.

Give The Gift Of Gourmet

The increasing popularity of gourmet coffee has made gourmet coffee gift baskets a popular gift for any occasion, from a birthday to the holidays.

Specialty coffee shops in shopping malls dedicate more space to coffee-related products than they do to the beans or the coffee counter. These include prepackaged gifts at the holidays.

Specialty coffee companies sell their gourmet signature roasts and blends, but many go beyond the bean to provide gifts that complement the coffee. Some also sell food, mugs and products made in the countries that produce gourmet coffee beans.

Are you buying a gift for a dessert coffee drinker? Gourmet coffee companies make it easy to pair it with chocolates, dessert baking mixes, hot chocolate and a mug to drink their evening beverage in.

Gourmet coffee has made coffee a more personal gift because of the many different roasts, flavored coffees, whole beans, fine grinds and coarse grinds. Getting just the right beans shows that you know something about the person to whom you are presenting the gift. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has gourmet coffee gifts for people who drink a little or a lot of coffee, coffee enthusiasts, coffee drinkers who like to make their own mocha by combining coffee and hot chocolate. There is a better world gift basket with organic and fair trade products, coffee cakes, insulated glasses, coffee presses and more.

Replacing An Old Coffee Pot

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Tip: If you're tired of dealing with the typical coffee maker and coffee pot, why not try a single-cup coffee machine? They are as good as having a coffee shop in your home, because single-cup servings come in more flavors than you will find at many shops. If one family member loves the rich taste and medium acidity of breakfast blend, another likes a hearty dark roast and another craves the aromatic appeal of baked gingerbread, there is no need to battle for the coffee pot. Single pot bags of coffee have improved the taste of homemade coffee because there is no fight over whether to make coffee strong or weak. Stock your kitchen cabinets with traditional favorites and festive seasonal flavors by ordering K-Cups from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. With single-cup brewing systems, everyone can have his or her favorite flavor or blend and a fresh cup of brewed coffee.

You Are Not Alone In Your Love Of Gourmet Coffee

If there is any question whether gourmet coffee is growing in popularity, check to see how many coffee houses are in your town.

Seattle, Wash. gave birth to the café or latte culture in the 1970s to a café or 'latte' culture. This has improved the general quality of the coffee Americans drink, according to the National Coffee Association.

Coffee franchises no longer focus on major metropolitan areas. Today, most public place have at least one coffee cart. Suburbs outside cities, as well as those in more rural areas have some major chains serving coffee. It just took a little longer to get to t hem.

The specialty coffee sector has improved the image of coffee in the eyes of American consumers.

In 1991 it was estimated that there were just 500 gourmet or specialty coffeehouses. By 2005 there were an estimated 10,000 or more. This number excludes coffee carts, kiosks, vending machines and cafes in bookstores, sporting arenas and transportation facilities, which have also grown.

The National Coffee Association predicts that gourmet coffee consumption grew from 12 percent in 2003 to 14 percent in 2004, according to 2004 National Coffee Drinking Trends . Consumer awareness of the origins they drink does lead to product loyalty and the development of a brand image, which only leads to the belief that the gourmet coffee drinking public may continue to grow.

Some Flavors Are Natural, Others Just Taste That Way

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Tip: Most Green Mountain coffee flavors are free from sugar and alcohol, but several chocolate flavors may use vanilla, cocoa or cocoa derivatives. Some seasonal coffee flavors contain ginger, clove, nutmeg and cinnamon extracts. If you received the gift of a coffee basket or Keurig coffee K-Cups and you are concerned about whether your coffee is kosher, rest easy. Coffee is kosher. Fall, winter and Christmas flavors are available now, check out the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters website to see what is available. To sweeten your coffee and add an extra layer, add coffee mate flavors or coffee syrup flavors.

Brew Up Your Favorite Gourmet Coffee Beverage

Gourmet coffee makes a great coffee beverage. Here are a few recipes you might enjoy:

Iced Coffee Recipes

Flavored coffees and decafs make nice great iced coffee cocktails.

Nutty Rainforest Freeze

Flavors: caramel and brazil nuts

To make:

  • 1 cup (6 oz.) Fair Trade Rain Forest coffee (brewed strong)
  • 2 tbsp. cream or half & half
  • 2 tsp. Sugar, or two packets of Splenda
  • Brew fresh coffee, add sweetener to hot coffee.
  • Fill a shaker with ice, add milk or half & half over ice. Add coffee, shake, strain and serve in chilled glass.
Blueberry Rhapsody

  • 1 cup (6 oz.) blueberry coffee (brewed strong)
  • 2 tbsp. cream or half & half
  • 2 tsp. Sugar, or two packets of Splenda
  • Brew fresh coffee, add sweetener to hot coffee. Fill a shaker with ice, add milk or half & half over ice. Add coffee, shake, strain and serve in chilled glass.
  • Garnish with fresh blueberries.
Pecan Praline Dream

  • 1 cup (6 oz.) Southern Pecan coffee (brewed strong)
  • 2 tbsp. cream or half & half
  • 2 tsp. Sugar or two packets of Splenda
  • 1 tsp. coffee caramel sauce
  • Brew fresh coffee
  • Add sweetener to hot coffee.
  • Fill a shaker with ice, add milk or half & half over ice.
  • Add coffee, shake, strain and serve in chilled glass.
  • Then swirl caramel sauce into chilled martini glass before adding strained iced coffee mix.
  • Want a Southern Turtle? Swirl caramel and chocolate sauces in the glass!
For single cup brewers, brew a single cup of your favorite coffee and follow the techniques above.

Great Roasted Coffee Starts With The Beans

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Tip: There are 100 coffee-growing regions around the world. The coffee tree is a tropical plant that grows between the Tropic of Cancer which is 23 degrees north of the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn which is 23 degrees south of the Equator. The coffee trees take four years to mature. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters starts with Arabica beans. To bring out the coffee's distinctive character, the company roasts each type of bean individually. Keeping the beans separate retains the individual flavor and aroma even if that type is later combined with other beans. Then there are the blends and specialty flavors. Pay a little attention to the labels and you will wind up with a great cup of fresh roasted coffee.

What Makes A Coffee Gourmet

Gourmet, or specialty coffee, is made from beans grown in ideal coffee-producing climates. Start with checking to see if your coffee is made from Arabica beans.

Gourmet coffees tend to feature distinctive flavors, which come from the soil of the coffee growing region that produces them. Beans become gourmet during the “green bean” phase and those beans must have no defects.

Next, comes the roaster's talent. He or she must bring out the coffee's distinctive quality and it the roasted bean must be aromatic. Master roasting involves matching roast temperature and time with a given bean to maximize its potential, so that it does not obscure the coffee's origin flavors and aromas.

There are several things to look for in a gourmet coffee: fragrance, aroma, acidity or brightness that leaves a pleasant taste on the tongue, flavor, body, finish and balance. Truly great specialty coffees have distinct flavor profiles without flavor additives.

In 2005, approximately 15 percent of the adult population in America said they enjoyed a cup of specialty coffee. Gourmet coffee comes from many places. You can get it from a coffee shop, a specialty coffee company or, in come cases, the supermarket.

How Do I Care For My Coffee Machine?

For optimal brewing, it is important to keep your coffee maker clean.

The manuals of coffee makers recommend regular cleaning of the brew basket and carafe. For KitchenAid coffee makers, the recommendation is daily cleaning.

Some new machines come with cleaning needed indicators that alert you that it is time for descaling.

Descaling removes the calcium deposits, or scale, from water can build up in your coffee makers heat pump and can affect the quality of your coffee. Cleaning indicators sense the build up of scale.

To descale your coffee maker, KitchenAid says to ensure the brew basket is empty and then remove the water filter. See manual for instructions.

Run coffee maker through a brewing cycle using a full carafe of a descaling solution or a vinegar/water solution.

If your machine has an indicator, repeat this process until the light goes off.

Rinse the coffee maker by running two full brew cycles using fresh water.

Wash the brew basket and carafe with soapy water and rinse with hot water – or wash in the dishwasher if your coffee maker is dishwasher safe.

Reinstall the water filter. The filter should be replaced every two to three months for regular use.

According to manuals from a Braun coffee maker, using a water filter and exchanging it regularly might eliminate the need to decalcify. If your coffee maker takes longer than usual to brew, consider descaling.





 
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