The Coffee Companion: A Connoisseur’s Guide to the World’s Best Brews
The Coffee Companion: A Connoisseur’s Guide to the World’s Best Brews
Remember the days when “heavenly coffee” came straight out of a vacuum-sealed can? No longer–this is the age of specialty coffees, and selecting a great bean is almost as complicated as choosing a fine wine. What’s the difference between medium roast, high roast, and French roast? Should you use a French press or a percolator to brew your dream cup? And what’s the difference between cappuccino, latte, and cafĂ© au lait, anyway? All these questions and more are answered in The Coffee Companion, a trim little volume to guide you through the coffee conundrum, from buying the beans to brewing them.
In addition to describing and rating more than 150 coffees from around the world, The Coffee Companion includes tips on roasting, grinding, and blending your own beans to create the perfect brew. There are also plenty of delectable recipes for making classic coffee beverages. So if you’re particular about the coffee you drink, don’t leave home without The Coffee Companion.
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Categories: Coffee Products Tags: BEST, Brews, coffee, Companion, Connoisseur's, Guide, world's
A Guide to Gourmet Coffee
Article by Anthony Whittard
Even a Coffee Bean or San Francisco Coffee outlet frequenter won’t be able to master the art of appreciating real 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 miniscule amount will enhance enormously this wonderful beverage and a good deal more than the supermarket owner who sells coffee that is already losing some of its finer flavours and aroma. Your enhanced appreciation of the better taste that freshly ground coffee, aroma and positive heaven that gourmet coffee fans know gourmet coffee is uniquely 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 amidst gourmet coffee, freshness says a lot. If possible, get coffee beans that have been roasted no further than 1 week before. And if you’re going to learn how to appreciate gourmet coffee, the one and only to buy is Arabica coffee.
It’s pretty hard to obtain freshly roasted coffee beans on the shelves of the local supermarket. Chances are, the coffee beans they present and you’re consuming today have been roasted at least 3 months ago. One way to counter such a problem is to buy the whole bean in batches and grind them amid a home-coffee grinding machine as and when you need it. It’s really easy with the kind of machines available today, so, if you need 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 them 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 are planning to use it soon. However, if you’re going to keep it, put the gourmet coffee beans in an air-tight container and keep it in the freezer.
You need the best grinder for the better brew. Generally speaking, you can use about 2 tablespoons of gourmet coffee powder for 6 oz of water. Adjust the way you issue out your cup of gourmet coffee according to the way you like to drink your gourmet coffee.
With wine, the country in which the grapes are grown makes a difference. With gourmet coffee, not only does the country of origin for the gourmet coffee bean make 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 learn to enjoy it, develop the smell, love the taste, experiment with it and you’ll soon see the thing that is so special about gourmet coffee. If you’re hurrying off to do something in the morning, such as getting to work, forget about gourmet coffee! During the morning rush, just stick to instant coffee. Wait until you can sit down and really appreciate that superior experience with some quality time. After all, what is quality time if it is not sitting down having a heavenly cup of coffee?
I write Gourmet International for everyone who enjoys eating out (and drinking) in restaurants which you deem to be special – for whatever reason.
I started this site in August 2008 with the aim of bringing together your reviews of restaurants, bars, cafes, bistros, etc. which deserve to be mentioned for the quality of their fine food.
Categories: Coffee Articles Tags: coffee, Gourmet, Guide
Best Coffee Machine Shopping – A Beginner’s Guide
Article by CoffeeWriter
Trying to find the best coffee machine is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Considering the variety of different coffeemakers out there, the entire experience can be more than a little overwhelming. Take time to focus on the big picture, before making any decision. There are six basic methods of making coffee. Select which method you’re going to use, then find a machine that fits.
Single Cup Coffee Machine – Not only do these appliances make coffee, they make a number of hot beverages including cappuccino, latte as well as tea and hot chocolate. Single cup coffee brewers require either a pod or capsule, one per cup. These pre-packaged ground beans come wrapped in their own filter. Produced by a number of companies, the pods are usually compatible among various brands and models. The capsules however, are not compatible. You need to buy both machine and capsules from the same company.
Drip Coffee Maker – Introduced in the early 1970s, the drip coffee maker quickly replaced the percolator as the most common way to brew coffee at home. They are economical to use and quite simple to operate. Place some ground coffee in the paper filter, pour water into the reservoir and turn on the machine. As water is heated to the correct temperature, it drips onto the grains in the filter and runs through to the glass carafe below. Be careful not to leave the coffee sitting on the hot plate for too long, as it can start to cook. One way around this problem is to use a thermally insulated carafe.
Combination Coffee Machine – The grind and brew coffee maker, also known as a combination coffee maker, is a step forward in coffee brewing. It is the integration of a coffee grinder with a drip coffeemaker. Because the beans are ground immediately prior to brewing, the coffee is very fresh. There is less potential mess to clean up since both grinder and brewer are one machine. Whole coffee beans are placed in a bean reservoir, whereupon the machine grinds the appropriate amount and dispenses it into the filter. From this point forward it operates exactly as a drip coffee machine. This type of coffee maker can be set up the night before to provide you with fresh coffee in the morning. One thing to consider is that these machines tend to be rather tall. You may find it difficult to place it on your kitchen counter, underneath the upper cabinet. So take measurements before you go shopping.
French Press – Coffee Maker The French Press Coffee Maker (or coffee plunger) could very well be one of the best coffee machines. It’s actually quite simple and some models are very aesthetic. The French Press is simply a glass beaker with a plunger and mesh filter on it. Put some coarse coffee grounds in the jar, mix in some hot water and let it steep for about three to four minutes. Then simply push the plunger down to separate the grounds from the coffee. Some people feel the flavor and essential oils are better captured because the grounds stay in direct contact with the water, and a fine mesh is used instead of a paper filter. However, because of the direct contact the coffee will become bitter fast if left to stand.
Vacuum Coffee Machine – A vacuum coffee maker is the machine with two chambers, where vapor pressure and vacuum work together to produce coffee. Admirers of this method of coffee making it feel that produces a much cleaner, crisper, richer and smoother coffee. With your you agree or not, one thing is true. This is a complicated and time consuming method of making coffee. These are not easy machines to keep clean, due to their convoluted shape. Perhaps that’s why it’s not a very popular way of making coffee.
Coffee Percolator – Prior to the 1970s, the percolator could be found in practically every coffee drinking home in North America. Whether it was a stove top or an electric model, everyone had one. They are called percolators because of the percolating action that occurs continuously. Cold water is poured into the bottom of the percolator where it warms up and moves to the top through a pipe. The water disperses onto the coffee grounds and gravity pulls it back down to the bottom of the machine. Here it heats up again and the cycle repeats. Once the coffee reaches boiling point the perking action stops and the coffee is ready to drink. These days, percolators are mostly used for larger crowds. It’s very rare to find one sized for regular home use.
Any method can produce great coffee. It’s not really a question of which one is better than the other. It’s about finding something that suits your taste and lifestyle. If you’re pressed for time, then a single cup coffee maker may be the way to go. But if you’re a fan of complexity and you have the time to learn, then perhaps a vacuum coffee maker would be more appropriate.
About the Author
Stephen Jeske is a freelance writer with a passion for coffee. A former partner in a 49-year-old family business, and a private investor for almost three decades, he holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Specialized Honors Music from York University.
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Categories: Coffee Articles Tags: Beginner's, BEST, coffee, Guide, Machine, Shopping