Coffee Guide

Italians are unique to the world when it comes to coffee. They aren?t content to just drink it the old ordinary way. They love it so much that they also enjoy tinkering with the recipe.

It started with the unique thick coffee invention known as espresso. Later, Italians came up with cappuccino, which is similar to espresso but not as heavy, yet loaded with power. Eventually cappuccino?s flavor spawned other coffee conceptions, such as desserts (you ever have cappuccino ice cream?), frappuccino and others. But cappuccino is quite a popular worldwide drink itself.

Cappuccino is normally made using the rich and heavy espresso as its foundation. As a rule then, milk that has been steamed is added to the espresso, and finally a lovely foamy cream tops off the mixture. Naturally there are several deviations from this idea, such as equal parts of all 3, or a huge amount of foam to tower over the cup, or a smaller amount of milk for a stronger cappuccino.

In America, we usually will drink cappuccino after dinner, as a coffee substitute. But in Italy, it is often enjoyed during the breakfast hour. When it is made strong, it can really wake you up for the day ahead. The cappuccino Americans enjoy is not quite so strong, rich or bold, but still quiet pleasant.

Nowadays there are many coffeehouses that will serve cappuccino drinks at anytime of the day. Also cappuccino can be enjoyed at many of the finer restaurants, whether Italian or not. Many places such as bookstores that feature caf?s serve many varieties of cappuccino as well as coffee. For sure, cappuccino has become a stronghold among the coffee drinkers of the world.

And I must admit, I love cappuccino far more than coffee. It is richer, has more flavor, and I just love to hear that unique sputtering sound of when a cappuccino maker is adding the frothy cream to the top. It makes me feel that the restaurant is making something special just for me.

And cappuccino doesn?t stop with its drink in the cup. You can get cappuccino ice cream as mentioned earlier, and cappuccino cheesecake and cappuccino cookies. There is no limit to the variations of delicacies made with the cappuccino flavor and texture.

The Italians have come a long way with improving on the tropical born drink known as coffee. And as cappuccino testing continues, there will be even more wonderful versions of this lovely drink to come.

Jim Konerko is the publisher of http://www.coffee-craze.net where he provides interesting articles such as How To Buy Coffee, and other advice, tips, and information about coffee.

Coffee is one of the oldest drinks to connect itself to a social activity, the social activity of drinking together as a group is in fact it an almost uniquely human activity, drinking is essential to survival and at one point in human history the habit of drinking together has become one of the most acceptable forms of human interaction and socialization all over the world.

The drinking of coffee together probably dates back a few hundred years ago when Muslims had started using rituals in their coffee preparation.

Almost every adult on this planet has visited a coffee house at some point of his life, even those who do not like coffee or do not even drink coffee are aware of the coffee house being a place of socializing and meeting. It is interesting that it is coffee, one of the worlds most popular drink, one that is consumed in such large quantities in different parts of the world would become a center of gathering for people.

The main quality of coffee is in its caffeine, that makes the drinker more alert and enjoy a feeling of energy regeneration and awakens, but coffee is not only drunk for the propose of keeping awake, it is consumed at all times of the day and in many cases in direct relation to a social meeting of sorts.

The coffee house can be found in most cities in the world, it is one of the truly international habits of people, and you will also find that many nations and individuals value their local favorite coffee as a national treasure, from Africa and the deserts of Arabia to the samba dancing streets of Brazil you will find different views on drinking coffee. The cultural differences between nations in the regard to coffee is intriguing, some people will say that drinking coffee with milk is feminine, others gaze in wonder when they see a full cup of coffee drank in front of them, others are installed by the fact that coffee is produced from boiling water that came out of an electric kettle.

In Europe the coffee houses became much more than just a meeting place for drinking coffee, the coffee houses became establishments by themselves, in England many of the places that sold the coffee later contributed to coffee becoming a commodity that is traded until today in the stock markets around the world. In France the coffee houses joined the leisure philosophy and combined with the world renowned deserts and cakes and in Austria the coffee houses have become establishments of unquestionable seriousness and professionalism, serving the best coffee and food with full respects to privacy and solitude of the drinker.

Today the coffee house is a much more relaxed version of the ancient coffee house, the corporate world stops for a moment when drinking coffee to enjoy the company of other people, most of them strangers that happen to enjoy a cup of coffee on the end of a working day or on their way to some other place. No matter how you examine it, coffee is still binding people together in one way or the other.

Celia Namart an avid traveler has collected her thoughts and ideas during her many travels around the world, back from a recent trip to Asia Celia writes about Coffee House and natural health remedies.

Without a doubt, coffee production and consumption is a major business throughout the world. Coffee production has the second largest commodity ranking in the world (oil production is first), and coffee is a major foundation among family circles worldwide. But when exactly did this worldwide love affair with coffee start? When was it first realized that the innocuous little coffee bean would cause so much enjoyment?

There are several conflicting stories about the origin of coffee. One such story involves a goat herder in Ethiopia around 800 A.D., who noticed that when his goats ate certain beans from a bush, they became more animated than normally. So he ate some himself and got the same reaction, and so he passed some around to his fellow herders, and pretty soon the coffee bean became a rage.

That story is probably untrue, and we really don?t know exactly where or when coffee was discovered and who discovered it. We do know that the coffee plant was originally found in Ethiopia, and the plant?s beans were eaten as is. We know Ethiopia later exported the beans. Also we know that by the first millennium, coffee was very well known in most parts of the world. Arabs were probably the first to discover the ability to roast the bean and drink the resulting mixture.

Eventually coffee became very popular throughout the world as an energizing drink. By the 1500s, in Istanbul, coffee houses were first created. They became so fashionable that other European countries soon followed suit, including France and England. Of course, these houses, just like the drink itself, were probably nothing like the trendy gourmet coffee shops we have today.

A man named Edward Lloyd set up one of the first coffeehouses in England, and that house later became the famous insurance carrier Lloyd?s of London. Of course when the British came to America, they set up coffee shops throughout the 13 colonies.

And the coffee beans were found to grow in different southern climates. Columbia started growing the plant in the early 1800s, with Brazil soon following suit. Of course today Columbia is one of the most famous and largest growers of the plant, as is Brazil. But also soon Hawaii got into the act with their Kona coffee, and of course the Indonesian island of Java became so widely known for their coffee, that one slang word for coffee is ?java.? And today there are many different types of flavored coffees to choose from, for all sorts of gourmet coffee lovers

So all together it took about 1000 years for coffee to start from a possible humble beginning as goat energy snack food, to becoming the 2nd largest tradable commodity in the world. Millions of tons of coffee are produced every year, and there is no doubt that the industry will continue to grow by leaps and bounds.

Jim Konerko is the publisher of http://www.coffee-craze.net where he provides interesting articles such as ?How To Buy Coffee?, and other advice, tips, and information about coffee.

Coffee Shop Diners a thing of the past? Nah! Drive down US Route 40 or Route 66 through America, and you?ll see gleaming, stainless steel diners in almost every town and city. These restaurants may seem like a relic of a bygone era, but they almost always have cars outside and people inside.

How can it be possible that such places still hold a piece of the American Dream? No one really knows, but after almost 150 years, coffee shop diners are still a strong piece of Americana.

The classic coffee shop diner got its start back in 1858 when a man by the name of Walter Scott started selling sandwiches to people in Providence, Rhode Island. By the late 1800?s, diner owners bought old, decommissioned street cars and turned them into diners, adding a counter, some stools and a kitchen.

Then came the 1950?s, and diners were transformed into the form recognized today ? lots of stainless steel, large windows, and art deco d?cor.

Over the past fifty years, diners have disappeared and changed hands many times over. Journalists have frequently extolled about the impending loss of the diner. But it never seemed to happen.

Instead, the diners keep going year after year, with new owners serving the same great customers and travelers who are just passing through.

Today, coffee shops and diners are located in towns and cities, airports and bus and train stations. Most offer a fairly large menu with a wide variety of standard American food–chicken, hamburgers, eggs, bacon, and pancakes.

? Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved.

Randy has more articles on coffee and coffee beans at Coffee Information, beans, history and products such as Do coffee colonics really work?.

Around 850 A.D it is thought that a lone shepherd and his sheep happened upon a strange and mysterious plant growing upon a secluded and forgotten hillside. Before he could stop them some of his herd had began to gnaw away at this unusual berry. After about fifteen minutes or so the herder started to notice that his sheep were behaving in an odd manner. Not only were they unusually alert but they also appeared to be extremely hyperactive. Now being a little weary and extremely tired the shepherd decided to try the berries and see if the end results would be the same for him as they had been for his flock. To his pleasant surprise the shepherd began to feel wide awake and he too became very alert. After a few hours had passed along came a wandering monk who, after being informed of the plants amazing qualities proceeded to scold the poor shepherd and lecture him on his foolish indulgence. After he had finished telling the shepherd just what a sinner he had been the monk set upon his journey but not before he had added a little something to his backpack and supplies.

Back at the abbey the monks decided to try this new magical stimulant. Soon the endless hours of praying became easy to endure. Coffee the beverage had been unleashed. Its widespread use first took hold in the Ethiopian regions before then moving on to the Arabian empire. Here it was to be held for many years as a sacred substance until it was illegally exported to the outside world by an Arab called Baba Budan. Word of its effects then began to spread and in a short while coffee was to become one of the most treasured commodities in our history. Today we drink a staggering 4 billion cups each and every year and there are many among us who would simply refuse to start our day without it.

Although coffee is mainly known as a sleep suppressant there are those who consider coffee to have many health benefits. It is thought that people who suffer from asthma and partake of the beverage have at least 25% less symptoms which may be due to a substance in coffee called theophylline. This is known as a bronchodilator and quite simply it is thought to help those who suffer with the disease to breath with a little more ease. Drinking coffee on a daily basis is also thought to help lower your chances of developing colon cancer by a figure also in the region of about 25%. This may be due to the fact that coffee helps to keep you regular. Coffee can do more than just help you get through your day.

Apart from the benefits that have just been mentioned it has to be said that simply drinking coffee as a beverage is a delight that cannot easily be surpassed. The amazing thing is that the average person has no idea of the varied tastes that this hallowed bean has to offer. One of the growing trends of recent years has to be the rising popularity of ordering coffee via the wonder we call the internet. Never before have we been able to sample such a wide variety of tastes, blends and aromas without having to endure the tedious trials of hiking around the city. I myself tend to place small orders but I always make a point to record the name, blend and of course exactly from whom I purchased.

Now that you are aware of the tale of the mystical beans I hope that if in the days to come you are considering visiting your local coffee shop you recall the story of the lowly shepherd and think about just what you might be drinking were he not to have wandered onto that bleak and lonely hillside. Why not take advantage of the internet and try the many different varieties and blends available. Not only will you impress your tastebuds, your friends will be grateful as well.

Cappuccino or latte?

Valerie Shapero is the owner of Fuzzy Coffee which is a premier source of information about coffee. For questions or comments about this article, please visit: http://fuzzycoffee.com

Even a Coffee Bean or San Francisco Coffee outlet frequenter won?t be able to master the art of appreciating true gourmet coffee unless they know the history and info about gourmet coffee. Oh, of course, you don?t have to an EXPERT to enjoy and understand gourmet coffee, but knowing a little bit more than the grocery store owner who sells instant coffee would help you appreciate the taste, smell and absolute heaven that gourmet coffee fans know gourmet coffee is absolutely capable of.

Gourmet coffee is nothing like wine. With wine, the longer you leave (some wine, anyway), the better the taste, the higher the quality and the pricier it is. But with gourmet coffee, freshness says a lot. If possible, get coffee beans that have been roasted no more than 1 week before. And if you?re going to learn how to appreciate gourmet coffee, only buy 100% Arabica coffee.

It?s pretty hard to find freshly roasted coffee bean on the shelves of the local supermarket. Chances are, the coffee beans that you?re consuming today have been roasted at least 3 months back. One way to counter this problem is to buy the whole bean in batches and grind them with a home-coffee grinding machine as and when you need it. It?s really easy with the kind of machines they have today, so, if you want to learn how to appreciate gourmet coffee, grind it when you need it.

Once you?ve purchased the gourmet coffee beans, don?t just leave out there in room temperature. What you should do with gourmet coffee beans is to store them in an air-tight container in the fridge if you?re planning to use it soon. However, if you?re going to keep it, store the gourmet coffee beans in an air-tight container and keep it in the FREEZER.

You need the right grinder for the right brewer. Generally speaking, you can use about 2 tablespoons of gourmet coffee powder for 6 oz of water. Adjust the way you make your cup of gourmet coffee according to the way you like to drink your gourmet coffee.

With wine, the country where the grapes are grown makes a difference. With gourmet coffee, not only is the country of origin for the gourmet coffee bean makes a difference, the company that sells the gourmet coffee beans matters too. Buy only from reputable companies for gourmet coffee.

And one last thing about gourmet coffee is this ? learn to enjoy it, appreciate the smell, love the taste, experiment with it and you?ll soon see the wonder of gourmet coffee. If you?re hurrying off for work in the morning, forget about gourmet coffee! During the morning rush, just stick to instant coffee.

Dakota Caudilla, journalist, and website builder Dakota Caudilla lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of http://www.coffee-tea-and-more.net on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.

Could you ever resist the craving to have a second cup of that beautiful, strongly aromatic and lazily steaming cup of coffee? Perhaps no one can do it. A passionate Gourmet?s delight, freshly brewed, thick and dark brown and irresistible coffee just brightens up your day like no other drink or anything else can do.

Why Is Gourmet Coffee So Special

One might be tempted to ask why gourmet coffee is so special. Well, here is the answer. For starters, gourmet coffee is always made by high quality fresh Arabica coffee beans which are always hand picked unlike other commercial coffees which are mostly machine graded. Hand picking of coffee beans eliminate chances for dirt such as twigs, leaves etc to sneak in and spoil your coffee.

Secondly, gourmet coffee beans are specially treated with oils after roasting which enhances its flavor to no end. The oil used for coffee bean treatment is a blend of many natural oils which do not have their adverse effect on the shelf life or stability of the ground powder unlike synthetic oils. The oils are so mixed that their characteristic flavors neutralize each other.

You can have different tailor made roast for your gourmet coffee. Deep roasted beans some what loose their natural aroma and this is why you feel the ?roasted flavor? when drinking it. Rather you would prefer a lighter roasting which retains its entire natural aroma.

Arabica coffee beans are ground to the exact perfection of fineness to get its best taste. But generally a finer grind results in a full-bodied cup of coffee, but as many would like it, coarser grinds are preferred to make coffee with coarse filters.

Finer grinds are preferred by those who like espresso but true lovers of gourmet coffee will almost invariably go with the coarse ground coffee powder as boiled water takes its own sweet time to pull out the flavor completely, especially in drip type filters.

Arabica coffee beans are never stored in warehouses as they are dispatched quickly after harvesting. It is the same story after roasting and grinding them, too. The beans from Arabica trees are, by nature, tastier than Robusta, another cheaper variety.

To its credit, Robusta coffee bean offers you higher caffeine content along with that characteristic acidic taste. Another little known fact is some marketers mix a small percentage of Robusta with gourmet coffee beans.

NamSing Then is a regular article contributor on many topics. Be sure to visit his other websites Coffee Resources, Coffee Grinder and Tea Resources

With a ?good? cup of coffee costing almost as much as a good sandwich these days, more and more people are taking to making their coffee at home from an ?old fashioned? drip coffee machine. With the influence of Starbucks and the others out there, people are demanding a better cup of coffee all of the time. This article should help you make the best cup of drip coffee possible.

Coffee from a can just doesn?t work for the general public anymore. You know what I?m talking about and it sounds as lousy to you as it does to me. The good news is that great coffee beans can be obtained at pretty much any grocery store. If you use coupons (and if you don?t, shame on you), you should do quite well if you aren?t too worried about the brand name. My tip for you ? worry about quality more than anything else. The big stores like Sams Club and Costco offer big bags of coffee beans at some very good prices. Your author?s favorite, in case you?re interested, is Kirkland brand (two pound) of Espresso Roast (Starbucks) that you can find at Costco.

Be willing to experiment with different bean types to find the kind of coffee you like best. For what it is worth, more times than not, I?ve found that a good espresso roast makes a great cup of drip coffee as well. Do experiment though, you just might be surprised at what you find.

Good beans deserve a good grind. You?d be surprised at the difference between a good grind and a bad one. If you don?t have a good grinder at home, consider grinding the beans at the store where they were purchased as the grinders there often do a great job. Burr grinders are the best, and the most expensive.

It is probably obvious but good water makes a difference as well. The more things you take out of the water, the better your coffee will taste.

A good drip machine is also a must. More than anything else, the warming element is what you need to worry about. If you find that your coffee often has that scalded burned taste, the warmer might be too hot. And, of course, there is seldom a way to change that so, ? you?ll need a new machine.

Consider the French Press alternative. French presses are dirt cheap, make an incredible cup of coffee, and never leave you worrying about overactive warmers, water tube build-up and the like. Remember that the grind for French Press is different than normal drip coffee so grind accordingly.

What about people stuck in a bad coffee situation in the office or somewhere else? Here?s a trick that can help with some issues: Bring in a cinnamon shaker and dash a little on the grinds before starting the machine. This will give the coffee a bit more taste, hide some of the bad taste and help with the aroma. Grab the coffee as soon as is brewed and, most of all, lobby for better coffee.

You?re worth it.

About The Author

Chiacchia Del is the webmaster of Yo! Coffee, the Internet’s hot spot for all things coffee. You can read more of her work at http://www.yocoffee.com.

chiacchia@yocoffee.com