Coffee

Most iced coffees can be bought from your favorite coffee house, but if you know how to make iced coffee, it can be easy as making an ordinary warm brew. Of course, you would have to add ice, cream, and a few toppings, but making this iced concoction is so easy and fun that you wouldn’t mind the extra work needed. Here are a few guidelines on how to make iced coffee right at home.

Choosing your coffee first

1. Depending on whether you are choosing brewed or instant, you would need to prepare the strong coffee first. Strong coffee is important since you will be adding ice in this cold beverage, plus sugar and cream. For a glass of iced coffee, you may need ½ cup of very strong coffee.

2. If you want to brew your choice coffee beans, it will be better to go for a dark-roast blend. Moreover, if you’re planning to make a creamy frapuccino, using espresso is best. For an extra-strong brewed coffee, double the amount of coffee you would put in the usual amount of water. If you’re used to putting one teaspoon per cup, make it two teaspoons per cup. You can brew the coffee using a traditional coffee pot or any coffee maker.

3. Coffee can also be cold brewed, although for this you might need a cold-brewing equipment. However, cold brewing your coffee can be manually done, too. Here are the easy steps:

* Take a pound of coffee, place it in pitcher or carafe, and pour an initial 2 cups of water into the grounds.
* Once the grounds are thoroughly wet, gently pour an additional 8 cups into the carafe.
* Cover the container and place in room temperature for 12 hours.
* Carefully strain the coffee brew after 12 hours, making certain that there are no loose grounds mixed with the liquid.
* Place the pitcher in the refrigerator and let cool before making into an iced beverage.

4. Instant coffee works just as well, but you would want it extra-strong just the same. You can put a mix of 2 tablespoons of instant coffee, 1 teaspoon sugar, milk, and 3 tablespoons warm water in a jar, and shake it until the mixture becomes frothy. You can add as much milk you like but 6 ounces or more will often suffice.

Adding ice to the blend

Once the strong coffee is prepared, you can now fill up a tall glass with ice cubes. Pour the coffee over the prepared ice. Add cream or milk, or additional melted sugar according to the demands of your taste buds.

Picking out the flavors you want Cream is a common ingredient in iced coffee, as well as ordinary milk. Many people also prefer using sweetened condensed milk so as to do away with the powdered sugar. If you are using sugar however, you need to mix it in while the coffee is still warm. This helps dissolve the sugar much easily.

Chocolate, cinnamon, and other flavorings can be added to the iced beverage as well. Caramel, honey, or a shot of Bailey’s also works wonders. You can experiment to your heart’s content, and reward yourself with one unique blend after the other. Once you know how to make iced coffee from your very own kitchen, you’ll realize that doing so is not merely convenient, but a lot of fun as well!

Mr Coffee coffee makers have a range of iced tea makers which are capable of making a perfect glass of iced coffee along with the iced tea.

Yogi Shinde offers coffee maker reviews on various brands of helping you find the best coffee maker to suit your needs.

Author: Yogi Shinde
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Make PCB Assembly

If you want to taste coffee in a whole new way, try making it with a French Press coffee pot. Most people are used to their coffee being brewed in an electric, drip coffee maker a la Mr. Coffee. This method has one flaw in the brewing process that takes away from the true essence of coffee: the paper filter. The paper retains some of the coffee essence, and deprives you of coffee’s true potential. Granted, we cannot simply dump ground coffee into a cup, pour in hot water and start drinking; the grounds must be separated from the liquid that is consumed. Coffee grounds are bitter, gritty, and stick to your teeth. The French Press method removes the grounds, but lets all of the flavor of the coffee come to life.

Although French Presses come in various shapes, sizes, materials and manufacturers, the Chambord model by Bodum is a good example of a ubiquitous style found throughout the industry . The handle attaches to the holder for the glass carafe. The carafe holds the coffee and hot water. The carafe looks like a beaker from a chemistry lab, with a spout for easy pouring. The “pressing” apparatus of the French Press sits atop the beaker. It consists of a dome which covers the coffee as it brews. The plunger is a skinny metal post with a plastic ball at the top that slides through a small hole in the middle of the dome. At the bottom of the post is the filter, a wire mesh disk.

A quick note about ingredients. A cup of coffee is made of coffee beans and water. Therefore, start with freshly roasted whole beans ground just before brewing. Whole beans maintain their freshness twice as long as ground coffee. The water is just as critical: make sure it is cold, fresh, and filtered.

Let’s assume a 12 oz. cup is being prepared. Using 1-1 ½ tablespoons of whole beans, set your grinder to coarse. This produces the largest grounds possible, and allows water to extract the maximum flavor from the coffee. It also reduces the amount of smaller grounds that will end up in the bottom of the cup.

Dump the ground coffee into the carafe. Before adding hot water, take a moment to inhale the aroma of the dry coffee. The aroma of freshly ground coffee will take you to a better place.

Next, heat your water (12 ounces). The optimal brewing temperature is 195-205 F. If you don’t have a thermometer, simply bring your water to a boil and wait thirty seconds.

Pour the water into the beaker and stir for a couple of seconds. This will agitate the mixture and allow the coffee to brew more completely. Place the plunger apparatus on the carafe, but do not depress. Set a timer for four minutes. This amount of time allows all of the flavor and oils to be extracted perfectly from the coffee.

At four minutes press down the plunger completely, then pour the freshly brewed coffee into your mug.
Look at the coffee before adding any condiments. The coffee will appear more complex (richer) than if it were brewed in a drip coffee maker. There will even be a thin layer of crema (light brown froth) resting on top of the liquid. Put your nose close to the cup and breathe in the aroma. The smell is stronger, more pure than if the coffee passed through a paper filter. Taste the coffee before adding sugar etc. When you reach the end of the cup you will notice some residue. These are simply micro-grounds that made it through the mesh filter.

You can purchase French Presses that double as travel mugs. There are also double-walled glass, and stainless steel thermal units as well. Some are beautifully crafted and look like museum pieces. The reason for this is that coffee made in this manner is the height of the coffee brewing experience. So, if you love coffee, you owe it to yourself to purchase a French Press and make the best-tasting coffee in the easiest possible way. Prices start at around 13 dollars for a two cup (12 oz.) unit.

Brent Kloster is co-owner of Falls River Coffee, which sells fresh roasted coffee, loose leaf tea, and brewing equipment online at http://www.FallsRiverCoffee.com.

Author: Brent Kloster
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Excise Tax

The word “coffee percolator” was derived from the word “percolate,” which means “to cause a solvent to pass through.” The percolator is often used in camping and many outdoor activities.

A coffee percolator works by keeping the boiling water up through a tube, then poured on coffee grounds. This process is repeated until the desired result is achieved.

First put water in the carafe and follow it with coarsely ground coffee beans in the basket. The basket should be covered before heating the coffee. The basket is then used in order to keep the coffee dry, from being deposited inside the container. The glass top determines the amount of coffee done. Once the process is completed, you can discard the coffee grounds.

Percolators have three versions, namely electric, stovetop and microwave percolators.
o Electric Coffee Percolator is the most common type using electricity. It gives out a more consistent brew by stopping it automatically when the coffee is done. It then switches to a warming mode when completed. An electric percolator has a built-in heating element that can be cordlessly used.

o Stovetop Coffee Percolators can cause over-boiling, and therefore a tendency to release the bitterness of coffee. This requires more careful usage.

o Microwave Coffee Percolator is more effective, using 42% less electricity.

Three of the popular percolators are the Faberware FCP412 Cup Percolator, Cuisinart 6-12 Cup Classic Electric Percolator Model PRC-12 and the MEDELCO PK008 8 cup Glass Stovetop Percolator

The two basic types of coffee percolators are the pressure type and the gravity type percolators.

Pressure Type

The pressure type is usually made out of metals that can be screwed together when used. It has three main sections:

o Lower Section – The water section.
o Mild Section – The place for the raw coffee grounds.
o Upper Section – The place for the resultant coffee.

Some versions of the pressure type have no upper section. The upper tube can be bent in order to deliver the coffee directly into the cup.

How it works.
The pressure type percolator is then placed on a heat source. If the water reaches the boiling point, a steam is formed. It creates a kind of pressure and forces the water into the coffee grounds through a tube. The mixture passes to the upper section for a concentrated coffee result.

Gravity Type

The gravity type percolator continually cycles the boiling brew through the grounds. It uses gravity to acquire the desired strength of coffee. The components comprises mainly of:

o A small chamber filled with water at the bottom.
o A vertical tube from the bottom chamber to the pot top.
o A perforated chamber with a coarsely grind coffee at the end of the tube.

How it works.
The pot is placed on a heat source with water. The water should be below the bottom of the coffee chamber where it can pass through the vertical tube over the perforated lid. The water is then seeped through the grounds, leaving the coffee chamber. It will drop back into the lower half of the pot and force it upward. The process repeats as it approaches the boiling point. Finally, the perking action stops.

Different types of coffee percolators are enjoyed with great popularity. It is the favorite brewing method that is both convenient and easy to use. Despite the different varieties that have fallen out with some coffee lovers, coffee percolators still offer a distinct brewing quality and nice aroma of coffee.

For more information on Best Coffee Percolators and Coffee Making Tips please visit our website.

Author: David Urmann
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Programmable Multi-cooker

Cuisinart coffee maker brewing fresh coffee is nothing great, in fact, that is what they have to do since people like us are paying good money to get their machine! But, better than the rest of the machines, giving you the freshest coffee is quite a claim, don’t you think so?

To begin with, for a Cuisinart coffee maker to brew you fresh coffee, it must have the ability to keep your coffee fresh (which is hot). And that means no warming plates, or any heating elements! If you want your coffee hot and not bitter, then it has to come with a thermal carafe.

And this is what this Cuisinart carafe is reputably able to do! It is said to be able to keep coffee hot for at least 4 hours. And here is the first value add that this coffee maker brings to the table, a thermal carafe that can keep coffee for at least 4 hours.

Many people would not think much about auto shut off, but I think it is one of the important element to ensure that your coffee is brewed at the optimum condition. This would also ensure that your coffee is not burn.

We mentioned that this Cuisinart can keep coffee fresh, we all know that the freshest coffee comes from the brewing pot. So, nothing beats waking up to a cup of fresh coffee, and that is the reason why a programmable function feature is so sought after nowadays.

That is the reason why if this Cuisinart coffee machine is to claim the title of brewing the freshest coffee, then it would definitely be equipped with this function. Simply press a button, and you can wake up to a brewed cuppa the next morning.

You probably know water plays is important in brewing coffee, but do you know that it is the quality of water that is key to getting great coffee? And this is why water filter is important to coffee makers, which is what this Cuisinart coffee maker is equipped with.

Other than water filter, how coffee is being filtered is very important. No one likes to drink coffee that comes with some residue. Therefore, good coffee makers always come with a complex filter system to ensure that residue would never appear in your brew.

And one of the best filter is the gold tone commercial filter, which of course is part of this cuisinart product feature as well. Having bring you till here, I should not hold the model anymore. The model that would bring you all these benefits is the DGB-600BC, also known as the grind and brew thermal 10 cup automatic coffeemaker.

You can say that I am saving the best for the last! Other than the many features highlighted that can give you fresh coffee, this Cuisinart DGB-600BC gives you the direct grind to brew experience, the freshest coffee you can get.

Sure, Cuisinart is not the only models that comes with the grind and brew feature. There there are a few models of coffee maker that have grind and brew, but what set this cuisinart coffee maker apart from the rest are the features that are mentioned above, these features equipped it to be able to better deliver the fresh coffee experience…

Ebenezer Heng, the owner of On Coffee makers does the research for on any machines related to coffee. As long as you are looking for a machines to better your coffee experience, chances are you can find it at http://www.oncoffeemakers.com or read more about cuisinart coffee maker.

Author: Ebenezer Heng
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If you are just a coffee drinker, you probably do not know that capresso coffee maker has a model that can do cappuccino. Then, you might wonder if the quality of the cappuccino is on par with those that are done with espresso.

As with coffee makers, this cappuccino that is brewed from a capresso coffee maker would appeal to some but not to others. It is a matter of taste profile. We all know that cappuccino is 1/3 milk, 1/3 froth and 1/3 espresso. So, instead of having espresso, the cappuccino from this capresso coffee machine would have a filter coffee.

And there is nothing wrong with a filter coffee, although not as intense as an espresso, if it is done correctly, the taste can still be great and the cappuccino can still be awesome!

Oh, the capresso coffee maker that we are talking about in this case is the capresso coffeetec coffee maker. A top of the line coffee maker that not only comes with a auto milk frother, it has many other features that would enhance your overall coffee experience, and in fact, the features are important in ensuring that the cappuccino from this capresso is good.

Regardless, if it is filter coffee or espresso, burn coffee would ruin the entire coffee experience and this is something that even milk in a cappuccino would not be able to mask. And for many drip filter coffee maker, the one thing that would spoil the coffee are the warmers.

It is difficult to get the “just enough” temperature to keep the coffee warm yet not burn it. Too cold, and the coffee would go stale, too hot, and you would end up burning the coffee.

So, forget about the warmers. Capresso Coffeetec has a thermal carafe that according to feedback can keep coffee hot and fresh for at least 4 hours. Other than being able to brew great cappuccino from this coffee, isn’t it great to know that with just one brew, you can have fresh coffee for up to 4 hours?

Other than this feature, being a high end coffee maker, it comes with a complete set of programs that allows you to customized and decide how you want your next brew to be. For example, not only can you decide what time you want your morning brew to be, you can even set in how many cups to brew for your morning coffee.

You can see that I am moving away from the main point about a coffee maker that can make cappuccino, but for this capresso coffeetec, there are simply so many features that at times, I think that there heavily marketed auto-frother feature is too over-rated.

In fact, I find their spill proof carafe to be a greater selling point. Imagine, a carafe that is especially designed so that you can totally eliminated spillage and all your brewed coffee goes right into your cup for your enjoyment!

Yes, capresso coffeetec is one of the few coffee makers that are able to froth cappuccino from filter coffee, but their main selling point is the ability to brew great coffee using all its features available…

Ebenezer Heng, the owner of On Coffee makers does the research for on any machines related to coffee. As long as you are looking for a machines to better your coffee experience, chances are you can find it at http://www.oncoffeemakers.com

Check out other coffee makers that Ebenezer Heng reviewed, or learn more about capresso coffee maker in these articles.

Author: Ebenezer Heng
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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