Coffee Guide

A cup of good coffee on the breakfast table is always a great way to welcome the morning. Since its inception centuries ago, coffee has become the most popular beverage and the world’s most traded and sought-after commodities.

Over the years, many coffee variants have originated from different places, which paved the way for gourmet coffee to have a niche in the world market.

Aside from the basic Robusta and Arabica variants, there are other rare coffee variants which gained a good following from coffee aficionados.

First, there is the Civet coffee or Kopi Luwak, which is made from coffee berries which were eaten and excreted by the common Palm Civet. This rare process takes place only in countries like the Philippines, Sumatra, Java, Indonesia, Vietnam and India, making Civet coffee one of the more expensive variants.

Kona coffee from Hawaii, Turkish, Colombian and Maraba coffee are some other premium variants which have become popular for coffee drinkers the world over.

‘Jamaica’s Blue Mountains’

The island nation of Jamaica, situated within the Caribbean Sea, has more than just gorgeous beaches to offer.

The amazing Blue Mountains are located at the eastern side of Jamaica, and this is where the famous Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is grown.

Blue Mountains is a Jamaican region where there is a wide range of hills with an almost permanent mist covering the hills giving it a bluish hue, thus the name.

This mountain range boasts of a National Park with lush rainforests and rich vegetation. It is also home to hundreds of plants and animal species unique to the region.

The upper slopes and the summit are strictly preserved as a forest. The lower slopes, with its rich, fertile soil and ideal climate, serve as the perfect setting for coffee cherries to be grown and harvested from the Blue Mountains.

‘Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee: A Taste of Heaven on Earth’

Most coffee plants rely on the climate of the region where they are planted, and this produces the distinctive flavor found in the coffee cherries.

In the Blue Mountains, the tallest mountain range in the island of Jamaica, the following factors contribute to the unique flavor of the coffee:

- the hot climate
– the altitude of the lower mountain peaks where the coffee plants are grown and harvested
– plenty of rainfall to water the coffee plants
– the rich and fertile soil of the mountains where the plants are grown

The Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is considered to be the world’s finest and rarest coffee variant. Words cannot describe the taste of this premier coffee blend.

A 100% Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee has this distinctively rich taste and aroma. Compared to other coffee variants, this has a milder flavor which is less bitter yet a little sweet, giving it that smooth, clean taste.

Because of the high quality expected of this coffee variant, the island country of Jamaica built the Jamaican Coffee Industry Board to maintain the world-class quality of every coffee bean produced in the island.

The tedious and time-consuming labor of coffee growers in planting, harvesting and processing the Blue Mountain coffee is truly amazing.

The Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is indeed a world-class variant that coffee enthusiasts around the world can sip and enjoy – up to the last drop.

Dave Poon is an accomplished writer who specializes in the latest in Food and Drink. For more information regarding Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee please drop by at http://www.hotcoffeeplus.com/

So many people had relatively little experience when it comes to improving their own coffees and thus would be normally intimidated by the prospect. Besides, coffee is so abundantly available – just go to any street corner and you can get a cup of decent quality coffee.

The truth is, the coffee you buy in those cafes generally are not the most fresh nor highest quality. There are exceptions to this rule however, but that’s just a general observation.

You really don’t need a whole lot to get started with your own coffee. The main thing is really the quality of the coffee beans that you buy. In addition to that, some people have found that using filtered water as opposed to tap water generally allows the full flavorful taste of the coffee bean to shine out.

It’s also important to use cold filtered water, and not stale or hot water or it can distort the taste and texture of the final result. The best way to get the most bang from your coffee buck is to grind your own beans.

It is a common and popular misconception that only professionals or those with formal Barista training can grind their own beans. But in reality anyone can do this with the right tools, such as having a power grinder.

When buying beans, make sure to check the freshness date, and also if possible examine the beans for cracks and smell. Usually these are an indication of the quality or lack thereof of the beans).

With a good quality coffee bean grinder, you can grind your beans in under a minute. Feel free to play around with various blends or get a coffee recipes book to mix and match ingredients as you are processing your coffee. Pretty simple right?

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There is much debate over how people should store their coffee beans. This article hopefully address some of these issues for you in a clean cut and straight forward manner.

So you’ve read a great article in your local town’s newspaper telling you of all the benefits of home ground and made coffee. So you took the insights found in the article and went ahead and bought some coffee beans of all varieties, from Vietnamese, to Jamaican, and others.

But the question now is, how are you going to store all of these coffee beans without causing it them to suffer in quality and taste? Unfortunately it is widely practiced where coffee beans are stored in a freezer in hopes to retain it’s freshness.

However the opposite normally holds true. The best environments to preserve beans are in a dark, moisture-free, and cold place. The problem with freezers is that it doesn’t fulfill the moisture-free criteria. Placing your unused coffee beans in a freezer will result in it’s natural oils being tarnished and even destroyed as a result of the surrounding moisture seeping in.

Your best bet is to not buy in bulk, but to buy in smaller quantities. An amount that you can finish in a week in other words.

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You may be wondering, just what is a burr coffee grinder? Simply put, a burr coffee grinder is a coffee grinder that relies on the grinding method to produce ground coffee from coffee beans. It is the most common type of coffee grinder available, compared to those coffee grinders that rely on the chopping method to produce ground coffee.

The burr style of grinding is renowned for its ability to produce uniformly ground beans. This is very important since uniformly ground coffee offers an even surface area to extract from while brewing your coffee. In addition, when brewing espresso, the burr coffee grinder supplies uniformly ground coffee that allows for an easier wetting and packing of coffee grounds in the espresso machine.

What can a burr coffee grinder do for you? Well, conical burr grinders can grind quite finely at a consistent pace while keeping aroma intact the most. The sophisticated design of its steel burrs permits a high gear reduction to reduce grinding speed. Aroma is preserved at an optimum level since less speed means less heat filters to the ground coffee.

Burrs are the main feature of a high-quality grinder with the conical burr type being the best. Burr coffee grinders are ideal for any kind of coffee machine (such as French Press, Percolators, Drip and Espresso) due to the variety of grind settings. You may opt to buy higher-end conical burr grinders to create Turkish coffee since these grinders have an extra fine grind to them, with grinding speed usually below 500 rpm.

Those burr grinders featuring disk type burrs have a faster grinding speed compared to conical burr grinders. Though they do produce more warmth in the coffee by using speeds of 10,000 to 20,000 rpm, these grinders are deemed the most economical at producing consistently ground beans via a comprehensive range of applications. They are perfect for the majority of home pump espresso makers. Still, their grind is not as fine as those produced by conical burr grinders.

You should also consider ease of cleaning, safety, noise and static when shopping for a burr coffee grinder.

For ease of cleaning, some models feature removable upper burrs and a cleaning brush so the grinding chamber can be reached.

For safety reasons, certain burr grinders will not start grinding until beans have been placed in the grinding chamber, whether or not the grinder is open or closed. Others will not grind until the bean container has been set properly in place.

You may want to select grinders which are not so loud since the noise can be quite annoying.

As far as the static cling of the ground coffee is concerned, there are 2 steps to follow: when removing the grounds container for any type of burr grinder, tap it gently and take it out slowly; then when removing the blade grinding lid, again tap the top of the grinder and take away the lid slowly.

By analyzing these details and following them, you may be able to find the burr coffee grinder that is just right for you.

Dave Poon is an accomplished writer who specializes in the latest in Food and Drink. For more information regarding Burr Coffee Grinder please drop by at http://www.hotcoffeeplus.com/

If you are a coffee aficionado or if you are the type who only enjoys a cup of coffee occasionally, you know that a shot of espresso is a sure-fire way to perk you up.

An espresso is prepared using a specialized coffee machine which uses high pressure to extract the essence of the ground coffee.

Water is poured onto the espresso machine’s water chamber, then ground coffee and paper filter is placed to start brewing the coffee.

The ground coffee used for an espresso machine is made from coffee beans specifically selected for this coffee variant. The beans or the ground coffee itself can be bought from coffee specialty shops.

If you are an avid espresso buff, then you might want to consider buying a good espresso machine so that you can brew a perfect cup right in your own home.

It is good to consider first the size of the machine that you want. The most basic espresso machine starts at about $100.

The size varies from a 4-cup to a 12-cup machine, depending on the volume of coffee that you want to brew.

For an espresso machine which is top of the line, you might need to dole out $1,000. You would also need other accessories like an espresso grinder, a metal hand tamper, a filter basket and a pump machine.

If you want to have your own caf? at home, you can buy a piston espresso machine which is a little bit more expensive but will surely help you in making a wonderful espresso cup.

Here is an overview of some of espresso machines that you can use to start learning the art of making the perfect espresso cup:

Gaggia

Their newest model, the Gaggia Titanium SS Espresso Machine is sold for about $1,500. The model is quite costly, but if you are an espresso addict and you want to have only the best model in your kitchen, then this is a must-have.

The parts and housing of the Gaggia Titanium are stainless steel.

It also features programmable buttons to brew, grind and prepare the exact amount of espresso to fit your tastes.

Cleaning an espresso machine has never been easier with its removable brew group.

Saeco

Saeco features the V’ Espresso Machine which sells for only $999. This automatic espresso machine offers a rapid steam feature which lets your coffee brew and steam almost at the same instant.

The V’ Espresso includes a programmable digital display and adjustable settings to control the amount and strength of the espresso that you want the machine to brew.

Kitchen Aid

The Kitchen Aid Pro Line Espresso Machine can be purchased for $899. This is a semi-automatic espresso machine with a double boiler system.

It also has a three-way solenoid valve that delivers pressure to brew the perfect espresso cup.

Nespresso

The Nespresso D290 is one of the middle-cost brands of espresso machines at only $499. However, the capsules used in these machines are specially made by Nespresso. It has programmable buttons to brew the appropriate amount of liquid, depending on the number of shots of espresso.

You can take your pick from a super automatic, state of the art espresso machine, a manual or a semi-automatic espresso maker.

No matter which brand you choose, make sure that you follow the cleaning and maintenance instructions and in no time at all, you can brew a fantastic, perk-you-up espresso cup right in your own home.

Dave Poon is an accomplished writer who specializes in the latest in Food and Drink. For more information regarding Espresso Machine Reviews please drop by at http://www.hotcoffeeplus.com/

For a change, a good cup of coffee would be nice. It does take some time and some energy to find a great cup of gourmet coffee these days. If you do know of a perfect coffee shop, you are one of the lucky ones. But, did you know that you can actually make a wonderful cup of coffee on your own from home?

Here are 7 simple steps that you can take to produce the perfect cup of coffee every time.

Start with quality. One of the most important aspects of coffee drinking is the quality of the coffee that you start off with. If you have a favorite flavor, then purchase whole beans in that flavor. If you can do this, it will allow you to get the freshest coffee available.

Grind away. Purchase a quality coffee grinder. Some of the best grinders available today are easy to use and easy to clean up. By grinding your own coffee beans, you?ll be able to only grind what you need, meaning that you will have complete freshness in your coffee.

Store It Right And Tight. It is very important to store your coffee tightly. Air oxidizes the coffee and can cause it to get bitter quickly. Metal canisters can also allow a metal taste to get into the coffee, making it taste bad.

The best solution is for a plastic or ceramic air tight container for your coffee and coffee beans. Also, store it at room temperature because the moisture in the fridge or freezer can make it go bad faster.

Getting To The Coffee

The Maker. The coffee maker that you use is also important. No matter what style that you go with, you can get a good cup of coffee out of it if you take the necessary steps to keeping it fresh.

For example, you should insure that the coffee maker is kept clean after each use. In fact, you?ll need to make sure that you detail clean it, with the help of vinegar, every so often as well. Your preferences will ultimately determine which style of coffee maker you will use. Make sure that it uses a permanent filter in it.

Even In The Water. Even the water that you use is important to the quality of the coffee you will get from it. It is essential that you use water that is free from chlorine and minerals.

Often, using bottled water rather than tap water will improve the quality of the coffee. Also, keep the water nice and hot. A good temperature for the water is about 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Provide The Right Amount. It is also important for you to use the right amount of coffee beans and coffee grounds in the maker. Too many and you will have a very strong cup of coffee and too few will make it to be too weak. Follow the directions provided by the coffee producer for the best cup of coffee.

Lastly and probably the most important aspect of getting a great cup of gourmet coffee is to make sure to enjoy your coffee when it is hot and fresh. Most restaurants are told to keep coffee for less than thirty minutes, but at home, the best coffee is the coffee that hasn?t sat for more than twenty minutes.

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People work really hard and after long of work all you want is a great tasting glass of gourmet coffee without spending an arm or leg or paying out of your you know what.

Well basically the bottom line is the better of the quality of effort you put into your coffee before hand in terms of preparation and ingredients, the better the quality of the taste. Now that’s common sense right? Well it is- so don’t be intimidated by the notion of gourmet tasting coffee. Lets see if we can put this into practice for you each and every day without a much hassle.

Conventional wisdom would state that you can’t really have both in terms of good tasting coffee while not spending a whole bunch of money. While typically this is true there are ways around it to reach a compromise so that you can have the best of both worlds. That way you won’t have to sacrifice great tasting gourmet coffee the way it was meant to be made and not spending a whole lot to cash in the process.

The keys are cleanliness and freshness. Cleanliness would apply to the coffee maker product such as the filter, and also the quality of the water you add to the coffee maker. Freshness refers to the coffee beans and how it’s preserved.

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Coffee is one of the most important commodities the world over. This byproduct of coffee cherries and coffee beans has remained one of the most popular beverages.

From the time that it originated from Ethiopia centuries ago, coffee has become a household basic ? something that people cannot do without.

There are two basic coffee variants: one is the traditional Arabica, and the other is Robusta coffee. Many coffee enthusiasts agree that the former has a stronger flavor than the latter, so it tastes better.

This is because Arabica coffee contains beans in its purest form ? rather than Robusta coffee which only has half of the caffeine amount that can be found in Arabica coffee variants.

Due to the high demand of Arabica coffee in the industry, many rare coffee variants found only in certain places have found a niche market.

Hawaii’s Kona Coffee

Aside from the gorgeous beaches, lush forests and warm people, another thing that Hawaiians are proud of is a coffee variant that is solely produced in their islands, which is the Kona coffee.

Kona is a part of the Hawaiian archipelago where this special coffee variant is grown. Kailua-Kona is the largest town in the district, and it has two districts: the northern and southern districts of Kona.

On the Dry Side of the Island

The word Kona literally means on the dry side of the land. Kona coffee if therefore grown on the dry side of Big Island, which is the largest among all the Hawaiian islands.

There are two districts which divide Kailua-Kona, and Kona coffee grows primarily on the West side of the Hawaiian archipelago.

This location, as well as the climate, makes Hawaii an ideal setting to grow Kona coffee, which has become a world-class coffee variant.

What makes coffee plants in Kona unique from other coffee plants in the world are:

1. The ideal location

Hawaii is basically a group of islands formed by volcanic slopes. Kona coffee if grown along the rocky volcanic slopes of Mount Lona and Mount Hualalai.

2. The ideal climate

Due to the tropical climate in Hawaii, the mornings are almost always warm and sunny. During the afternoon, there is a slight mist which befalls the islands, further nurturing the coffee plants.

3. The meticulous care of coffee farmers.

Most of the coffee farmers in Hawaii rely on the basic hand-picking method, ensuring the freshness of the freshly-gathered coffee cherries.

Some coffee producers use modern machinery to ensure fast harvesting when the coffee cherries are mature enough. However, a machine cannot give out the personal touch that farmers can give during harvesting.

A machine may not recognize overripe or immature coffee beans, and put them all together once harvested. This results in an impure coffee blend once the beans are processed.

On the other hand, a hand-picked batch of coffee cherries is assured of almost 100 per cent quality.

Kona coffee is also an Arabica blend, making it a truly premier coffee variant that Hawaiians can proudly offer to the world.

Dave Poon is an accomplished writer who specializes in the latest in Food and Drink. For more information regarding Kona Coffee please drop by at http://www.hotcoffeeplus.com/