Coffee

All About Coffee

When you are making gourmet coffee at home, you will need to use whole coffee beans, grinding the beans just before brewing insures the freshest coffee as if they are exposed to the air for too long the coffee beans will oxidize, thereby potentially ruining the taste. Of course, you don’t have to grind your own, if you prefer you can purchase coffee already grounded. Personally I really prefer to grind my own, and remember to only grind just enough for the amount you’re brewing.

Grinding The Coffee Beans

Widely considered to be one of the best types of coffee grinders is the burr variety, the coffee beans are loaded into a holding hopper which feeds them into the bean grinding mechanism, or burr’s as they are commonly known. The burrs provide a slow grinding of the coffee beans which is perfect for best results. Blade grinders, on the other hand, use razor sharp blades that spin, grinding the beans in the process. Although these are pretty good, the cheaper models do suffer from irregular grinding.

What Type Of Coffee – The Arabica

All Kenyan coffee is of the Arabica variety, grown on rich volcanic soils in the highlands of Kenya. There are two main species of coffee plant – Arabica and Robusta. Gourmet coffee houses serve the smooth and very palatable Arabica coffees, while the worst cup of coffee you ever had probably came from a pot of bitter Robusta coffee that had been sitting around for hours.

What Type Of Coffee – The Robusta

Traditionally Balinese coffee was of the robusta variety. The origins of Robusta can be traced back to the beginning of the 20th century or earlier

Robusta tends to be higher in caffeine and can be grown in climates and environments were Arabica would not be profitable, Its also typically more bitter and acidic in flavour. In contrast most Italian coffee is brewed very strong from the lower-quality Robusta bean, which might suggest why Italy gave us such innovations as cappuccino (coffee with steamed milk) and flavoured coffees.

What Type Of Coffee – Jamaican Coffee

There is a huge demand for Blue Mountain Jamaican Coffee, and a very limited supply. As a result, genuine, 100% Blue Mountain Jamaican coffee is sometimes not available, at any given price.

For more information on the various types of coffee beans and how to make the perfect cup of coffee. Make sure you visit The Coffee Makers today…

Author: Robert Funge
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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For those who are coffee lovers, it may just be about time for you to start grinding your own coffee. In order to grind your own coffee however, you have to learn and this article is here to instruct you on the finer points of coffee grinding. Before you start however you should have access to some fundamental information such as the major types of coffee grinders which are blade grinders and burr grinders

Coffee grinders which are called blade grinders operate by grinding your coffee beans in an uneven manner. Because they grind coffee this way, there is a tendency for unevenness in the nature of the grind. There are also no settings to be regulated on a blade grinder as well and if you aren’t skilled in the use of blade grinders the process can get quite disorderly and cumbersome too.

Burr grinders are the faster and easier version of coffee grinders to use; they especially suit people who have just started in the process of grinding their own coffee. These burr grinders come with settings that you can use to ensure some form of uniformity in your own coffee grinding process. Most times such grinders are usually used for espresso grinds but it is highly possible for you to use them with a number of other grinds too.

If pricing is an issue for you to consider then you won’t be that disappointed either. Blade grinders cost a whole lot less than burr grinders and they go for around $20 per grinder. Burr grinders on the other hand cost nothing less than 3 times the price of a standard blade grinder. Some burr grinders costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 too. It’s usually best to opt for a burr grinder and enjoy the benefits of a great cup of coffee without the associated stress of blade grinders.

Different forms of coffee may be brewed using different grind sizes. Some forms of coffee such as drip coffee may require something smaller such as a medium grind. Espresso on the other hand requires a finer grind. Brews such as the French press may require a substantially larger grind. This is a general guide that describes the different basic grind descriptions that may be used in most coffee making devices.

Coarse grind

Such grinds are used with percolators. What the percolator does is that it boils the water and forces it over grounds in different metal filters that have holes in them. If you require the best flavor, you’d best avoid this sort of grind as it extracts too much acids and bitter oils.

Medium-coarse grind

This type of grind is mainly used with a French press or coffee makers that are called metal mess. These types of coffee makers usually send the grounds to the base of the canisters after leaving them in a mixture of hot water for a number of minutes. Again this sort of grind isn’t really desirable if you’re looking for optimum flavor. It tends to extract too much bitter oils and acids and it makes for a bad percolator.

Medium grind

This sort of grind is used with drip coffee makers. These sorts of coffee makers usually work just by pouring over the water on the grounds in a filter that has a flat bottom. If you use an electric maker on the other hand you may have to experiment with the particular grinds that you have. By doing this you control the coffee extraction better.

Fine grind This kind of grind is the one which is used with espresso machines. These sorts of machines are usually the best sort for brewing.

Extra-fine grind If you have an older version of an espresso machine or you use vacuum pots these sorts of grinds are the best to use.

Getting the best coffee extraction is all linked to grinding your coffee beans properly. If you grind you coffee freshly you can get the best coffee possible. However remember that you should never grind your coffee for more than 2 minutes before you start brewing.

Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, winemaking enthusiast who writes for CaffeineZone.com, MyLowCarbPages.com, and CoffeeZen.com

Author: Darren Williger
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Grinders – Two Basic Types

The perfect cup of coffee depends not only on the bean type and the coffee machine you use but also the machine you use to grind the bean.

Some of the best grinders available today are easy to use and easy to clean up. Most coffee grinders made for home use are simple and easy to operate grinding the coffee beans in a jiffy.

You can choose from a wide variety of coffee grinders available in the market in all sorts of shapes and sizes. In simple terms most coffee grinders will be spilt into two camps – blade grinders and burr grinders.

Coffee grinders improve the taste of coffee because they release the oils and aromas of the coffee beans immediately before you brew your coffee. The best types of coffee grinders that will grind your gourmet coffee beans ideally are burr grinders, but we’ll discuss the blade grinder first.

Blade Grinders

The pros of this method are that blade grinders are affordable. Blade grinders are the most common in home coffee grinders.

Blade grinders use razor sharp blades that spin, grinding the beans in the process. The spinning blades generate heat by the friction of the blade hitting the coffee bean at high speed.

It’s the resulting heat that can cause the problem with blade grinders. The heat actually destroys some of the flavor of the coffee beans.

Burr Grinders

A burr coffee grinder is a coffee grinder that relies on the grinding method to produce ground coffee from coffee beans. For coffee lovers requiring more caffeine, a burr grinder is ideal if you don’t mind the work involved in cleaning the appliance. The conical burr grinder works best in maintaining the aroma and flavor of the coffee.

The down side to a burr grinder is the fact that they are noisy and slow. But you can grind as much or little as you require and get a reliably consistent result.

Also, 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. Therefore, the best way to get the real thing is by using a burr coffee grinder.

Conclusion

Whether you decide on a blade grinder to save money or go for a burr grinder for a better tasting coffee, the internet is an excellent place to shop for either one. There you will enjoy a great choice of grinders offering an excellent array of features. Many sites offer reviews of different brands, and many even rate each grinder. It’s also a great way to compare prices.

Carol Stack has written numerous articles and reviews about coffee and related items. She lives with her husband, three children, and various dogs and cats in the United States. Carol and her sister Barbara are constantly adding to their website dedicated to the enjoyment of coffee. Visit it at: http://www.coffeeloversportal.com

Author: Carol Stack
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The first step in creating incomparable coffee in your home of office is to grind the coffee beans yourself. Freshly ground coffee has had less of a chance to oxidize, and thus the flavor is preserved. If you’ve walked past a busy coffee shop, you’ll notice the strong aroma of freshly ground and prepared coffee. Nothing beats it, and this freshness contributes to the flavor of the final cup.

Finding a coffee grinder that will prepare the quality beverage you’re after is another matter though. It helps to understand the different types of grinders available, as they produce quite varying qualities of brewed coffee.

There are three ways to grind coffee. Blade grinders, which chop up the coffee beans, are the most common in home coffee grinders. They have advantages in that they are longer lasting, and quite cheap to buy compared with other grinder methods. But this trade-off is apparent in the type of ground coffee they produce.

One of the key principles in producing quality coffee grinds is that the size of the grind is even. Unfortunately, blade grinders don’t perform well here. They produce both large and small particles of coffee, as well as a type of ‘coffee dust’ that can clog up sieves in French presses and espresso machines. The coffee they produce is generally poorer in quality because the lack of uniform particle size means that the brewing method selected is unable to work optimally. Some of the coffee beans will be perfect for it, and thus the full flavor will be extracted, but a lot of it won’t, as the beans are too large or small.

Whilst the effect of coffee grind particles that are too large may seem obvious, in that flavor is left in the ground, a grind that is too fine will also contribute to poor coffee. Bitter coffee results when the surface area has been exposed to hot water for too long.

By far the best method for most types of coffee is the burr grinder. These grinders are used in coffee shops, and they produce a very even grind. There is a range of settings that can be used, so that espresso, French press, drip coffee, and percolators can be used to make the final cup. Burr grinders have another advantage in that there is less heat to change the taste of the coffee bean. Blade grinders tend to produce more heat.

The third way of grinding coffee is particular to making Turkish coffee. A very finely ground coffee is needed, and only very good quality burr grinders are able to do this. The alternative is the old fashioned mortar and pestle!

The best type of coffee grinder is the conical burr grinder, but these are also the most expensive. What is best for an individual’s needs will depend on how much they love their coffee, and their budget.

For an unusual addition to your kitchen, try an antique coffee grinder. For more coffee help, click here.

Author: Rebecca Prescott
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Wouldn’t you like your coffee the way it was meant to be? The best way to get the real thing is by using a burr coffee grinder.

You may have thought that all coffee grinders are alike; as long as they grind the coffee that’s all there is to it right? Wrong! It makes a big difference to your taste buds. There are two key types of coffee bean grinder (the burr coffee grinder and the blade grinder) and you want to make the right choice. You see, blade coffee grinders have spinning blades that generate heat by the friction of blade hitting coffee bean at high speed. That’s not good. It’s actually rather sad because the heat kills the flavoids in your coffee beans. We love those flavoids, in fact some of us are addicted to them, so we will do everything we can to preserve them. We will therefore only consider the burr coffee grinder here as our quest is for the perfect cup of java.

With the burr coffee grinder, the coffee beans are loaded into a holding hopper which feeds them into the bean grinding mechanism, or burr’s as they are known. The burrs provide a slow grinding of the coffee beans which is perfect for best results. The burr coffee grinder then directs the ground coffee into a holding pot ready for brewing. There are also some models that will send your ground coffee directly into the coffee filter.

The main advantage of a burr coffee grinder is that it delivers a more consistent fineness of grain in the coffee grounds which is very important in achieving the most flavor from the coffee brewing process. Another advantage of the burr coffee grinder is that it can operate at slower speeds so your coffee beans are not subject to heat buildup as they are being ground.

You really must go for the trifecta to create the quintessential cup of coffee. That is the best coffee beans plus the best grinding process plus the best brewing procedure. Oh yes and it’s also important to use the coffee grinds within two weeks as our good friends the flavoids start to deteriorate with time.

So if you’re over the instant ‘plastic coffee’ syndrome, get yourself a burr coffee grinder and start enjoying the sensual aromas of a real ‘caught in the moment’ experience. You can pick up a great deal on a burr coffee grinder from the many coffee specialty stores online. So if you’re convinced that the burr is the way to go, then it’s time to do some product comparison research. I think you will find that the added expense of a burr coffee grinder will pay dividends for years to come. After all, this is an investment in your lifestyle, not just a cup of coffee.

Bo Collins

Bo Collins is a coffee afficionada and publisher of Gourmet Coffee Beans A website catering to the interests of the coffee and chocolate connoisseur.

Author: Bo Collins
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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