Coffee

Buying coffee can be challenging. Why? There are so many coffee brands. If you know good tips on how to shop for coffee, you will be able to find a brand that you truly enjoy. I’d like to share with you some suggestions on what to look for when getting the most out of your next coffee purchase.

But first, let me explain how I learned about buying coffee. When I first tried an inexpensive brand of coffee, I almost spit it out. I thought, “How can people drink this stuff and enjoy it?” Since I was not after the caffeine effect, it was a long time before I’d try another cup of coffee. But I worked in a retail shop that was close to a gourmet coffee shop. I bought many flavored beverages from the shop. One day, I decided to try a flavored coffee. Luckily, I really enjoyed it. If I hadn’t, I don’t know if I would have ever tried coffee again. But drinking a regular cup of coffee didn’t appeal much to me. I became kind of a “fun coffee” kind of person, trying different flavors whenever I felt like a change. It also helped that I was married to a ‘coffee lover’ and learned valuable insight from him. He told me that I shouldn’t have to flavor coffee to get a good taste that I enjoy. My husband is a bit of a coffee snob but he has sort of earned that right. He grew up traveling to Guatemala with his parents to visit relatives. His grandfather immigrated to America from Guatemala and became a citizen of this great country. Because of this connection, my husband would visit the Guatemalan relatives on the family coffee farm as a boy and as an adult. Personally, I have visited Guatemala twice, to meet family, visit the family farm, and learn about coffee production. As you can imagine, coffee drinking is big in his family.

Nevertheless, here are the tips I have learned when looking for a good coffee:

1) Smell the coffee in the bag if you are able. Make sure it has a desirable aroma.
2) Check out the source of the coffee. Where is it from? Is it Estate Grown coffee of a high quality or is it a blend of “leftovers”?
3) How was it processed before it got to the roaster? Was it sun dried for a higher quality?
4) Buy whole bean for the ability to see the beans before your grind. If the beans are broken, have wholes in them or are all inconsistent sizes, don’t buy.
5) What kind of roast is it? Vienna, French or Espresso? Be sure to buy the correct roast for your taste buds or you may get a false impression of the coffee. Vienna is a lighter roast, French is a little darker and Espresso is a very dark roast.

Once you figure out which coffee you like, make sure the brewing is done correctly so that you ensure a smooth delicious flavor. Now you can sit back and really enjoy that coffee taste. Enjoy.

Article written by Michelle Falla, Coffee Distributor for Serenity Cup Coffees. Visit http://www.serenitycup.com for more details.

Author: Michelle Falla
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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For those who love coffee, you know that you can distinctly tell the quality of the coffee just by the aroma you get from the brew. But for the average coffee drinker, brand names usually reign supreme when it comes to sipping their favorite cup of Joe.

With the growing market of delicious coffee, people continually search their local area for the best coffee that’s convenient. While some may argue that Whole Food has everything you need for the perfect brew, there are gourmet coffee brands that some might dismiss.

It would help those looking for a great brew to experiment and try these higher ticketed beans to get a better sense of what is out there. This article will cover the top five brands of coffee in America today. Some range from the everyday to the premium merchant names that we have all come to admire.

Starbucks

Coming in at number one, Starbucks still remains at the top of the list. With loyal followers nationwide, some argue this is the best coffer brand worldwide. However, this fame to glory can also be attributed to the marketing and public perception of Starbucks Coffee. Its trendiest and cozy couches do help draw in customers day in and day out.

Coffee is embedded in daily culture and it’s no longer a breakfast thing. It’s has become a social engagement as well. It caters to both young and old, across all demographics.

With humble roots back in Seattle, Starbucks has grown internationally with over 16,000 stores worldwide. They also have expanded their product line for coffee lovers to experience the prefect brew at home. One of their more famous creations is the latte and blended coffee being sold in sachet packs.

Pee’s Coffee

Another homegrown coffee brand from Seattle, Peet’s coffee has grown into a 500 million dollar business as of 2009. Its coffee is also sold in groceries stores nationwide. A little history shows a relationship with Starbucks coffee house.

The founders of Starbucks sued to be able to for Peet’s and ended up introducing their own specialty coffee blend.

Dunkin Donuts

On the other side of the coin, Dunkin Donuts ranks in the top five of coffee brands in the United States. The allure of a simple plain good ol’ cup of black coffee has its appeal. Made fresh daily and consistently, Dunkin Donuts still brews a favorite fresh cup of java for its loyal and frugal customers. Some argue it’s just as good as the fancy Starbuck brand.

The simplicity of cream, sugar and coffee is a winner everyday at Dunkin Donuts and their revenue shows that. After buying the Mister Donut brand, they quickly gobbled up more of the market share.

Maxwell House Coffee

The fourth popular coffee brand on consumer favorites is Maxwell House Coffee. Many coffee aficionados claim that their coffee rivals that of Starbucks and can be it in a blind taste test. As a household name, Maxwell house continues to serve its client base every quarter. This Kraft owned brand continues to brew coffee that’s good to the last drop.

Caribou Coffee

Caribou coffee is the second largest retailer of coffee and espresso in the United States to Starbucks.

One of their popular blends is their Rainforest Blend that gives the coffee brew a unique flavor of fruitiness.

So whatever brand fills your cup of coffee, there are a wide range of taste, textures and price ranges to suit your mood. Be sure to also visit your local supermarket for additional selections.

Want the Perfect Brew?

Check out my blog for Breville Espresso and other Breville Espresso Machines. Timothy Schwartz, The Coffee Brewster, reviews and puts his tastebuds and wallet on the line.

Author: Timothy Schwartz
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Pressure cooker

The aroma of freshly roasted and delivered overnight pure kona coffee invigorates and tantalizes your senses. The first sips of your morning coffee hang in your breath and lingers until the caffeine rush overwhelms you. This is the everyday ritual of ultimate sensory enjoyment that only a gourmet coffee connoisseur appreciates.

So if your relationship with your beloved coffee spring more from a need to keep you awake and feel alive, and that you have no special preferences on any specific coffee brands, you are obviously not a coffee connoisseur and do not need to order your coffee beans direct from the roasters.

When the Gourmet coffee connoisseur orders his coffee bean direct for the roasters, great benefits abound. You are guaranteed freshness for overnight delivery and never miss a beat on promptness. As a regular client to coffee bean direct roasters, they are more willing to give better prices, especially when he buys by bulk, that is, at whole sale pricing thus giving him better value for money.

Some people simply enjoy the overwhelming coffee bean aroma which appeals to the senses and prefer to buy their coffee beans direct personally. The true blue coffee connoisseur will never buy their coffee off the shelf at any supermarket since the coffee could have been ground for months and lost its freshness.

For the less picky coffee drinkers like myself, I would give one week as my personal stamp on freshness. As coffee drinking is a very personal affair to say the least, the degree of freshness depends on how your sense of taste gauges it.

Amongst the many benefits the Coffee Connoisseur gets are quality and freshness by the fact that you get your coffee beans direct, prompt service, great value for money pricing, and wide selection. But if you simply hope to smell the coffee in the morning as a wake up clock, I am sorry to say that you probably are not a coffee connoisseur just yet.

So Have a Great Gourmet Coffee Spree at Gourmet Coffee Gifts [http://gourmet-coffee-gifts.net]. Find the Best of Gourmet Coffee Service [http://gourmet-coffee-gifts.net/gourmet-coffee-gifts-gourmet-coffee-service-for-the-true-coffee-connoisseur/] Ideas and more here

Author: Joey Logan
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Try browsing the Internet for single cup coffee makers, and you’ll find dozens of websites, all purporting that they sell the best brewers available. The problem lies in the fact that most sites don’t agree with each other, so you get as many different opinions as there are coffee making machines. One of the debates on these websites is whether it’s better to buy a brewing system that uses k-cups or one that uses coffee pods. Both have their pros and cons, and this article is going to explore what’s good and what’s bad about them.

K-cups are the ultimate in convenience. They are little pre-measured portions of coffee housed in air-tight plastic cups sealed with both plastic and foil in order to preserve freshness. A k-cup coffee maker sends pressurized hot water through the top of the cup into a filter filled with coffee grounds. You can purchase an optional k-cup carousel for convenient counter-top storage. K-cups are made by many different gourmet coffee brands including Green Mountain, Caribou, Emeril’s, Newman’s Own, Gloria Jean’s, and Timothy’s. You will find numerous distinctive flavors and roasts to suit any taste.

On the downside, k-cups are expensive. You can end up paying as much as $.63 per cup with certain brands of coffee. For example, a box of 22 Green Mountain Variety Flavor K-Cups costs $13.95. You may find a few websites that offer discount k-cups, but even so they tend to be expensive compared to other coffee brewing methods.

There are a couple of ways you can avoid buying so many costly k-cups if you own a k-cup brewer. One of these is a reusable coffee filter you can fill with your own grounds. Using this type of filter you still have to mess with wet grounds, and reviewers will tell you they don’t make nearly as good of a cup of coffee as the originals, but they make single cup brewers much less expensive to use. You can also reuse k-cups 10 to 20 times provided you buy reusable plastic lids and put in your own coffee grounds.

Coffee pods are also pre-measured packets of all different kinds of coffee. These pods are filters that are heat sealed to keep the coffee in them fresh. They have been likened to tea bags, but the coffee they produce is fresh-brewed, because single cup coffee makers brew coffee one cup at a time. Pods are available in dozens of varieties, and where some people have complained that k-cups are very limited in the flavors they offer, there is no problem with that when it comes to coffee pods. Companies, such as Senseo, produce their own coffee pods to specifically fit their coffee makers; however, there are numerous standardized pods available that you can use also.

Once again, the problem with coffee pods is that they are expensive. Although they don’t run as much per cup as k-cups do, they are still more expensive than either a drip coffee maker or a French press. As with k-cups, there are alternatives to using the premade packets. You can buy a machine and make your own heat-sealed pods, or you can buy adapters for some brewers that allow you to use regular coffee grounds. Another negative that some people have found with certain coffee pods is that they make coffee that is too weak. To remedy this problem they use two pods per cup which doubles the price of each cup of coffee.

As with most products these days, it all depends on personal preference and budget. You will find lots of online reviews from people loving their k-cup brewers as well as reviews from those who are very happy with their coffee pod coffee makers. Therefore, it’s pretty much up to you to weigh the options and decide which type of brewing system is right for you.

Paul Julian coffee pods and k cups at http://www.CoffeePodsAndKcups.com.

Author: Paul Julian
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

Health benefits of coffee to justify my cup! Nothing beats the aroma of the flavored coffee bean going through our house. My coffee mate puts our coffee pot on at 6am and not soon after, I am enjoying my first coffee and watching the morning news and reports on tv. I love my coffee and was determined to find a good reason to justify Java and learn about the health benefits of coffee.

Once my first cup is finished, I confess to getting a second not long afterwards. However, a girl has to have some vices, and coffee is mine, although I do not drink it often during the day. I could easily cave in to temptation, but the caffeine in coffee has been known to keep me awake at night. I sometimes have an organic decaf coffee or flavored decaf coffee. Sometimes I have mixed several brands together and come up with my own Suzie Special!

So what are some health benefits of coffee? Coffee is a source of antioxidants which help your body fight your free radicals – the bad guys. Decaf coffee has the same antioxidants as regular coffee, but minus the caffeine. Moderation is the key. Daily coffee can help to lower the risk of diabetes, reduce the risk of colon cancer and Parkinsons disease, and helps long duration of physical activity. Coffee can help you stay awake, alert, improve cognitive function, help elevate moods and may stop your
headache.

As far as I know, coffee does not cause breast cancer. Women who suffer with tender breasts, discomfort and water retention might like to consider reducing their caffeine, but it is a personal choice with personal experimentation to find the right level of coffee and caffeine for yourself.

Forget coffee prices and enjoy a Java. Learn how to make coffee taste great like the ones you get in Cafes, and experiment with different types of coffee brands and flavors until you find a some you really like. Then brew up in your latest hot coffee mod con and savor the wonderful aroma.

Some things in life are simple, inexpensive and good for you. Wonderful health kitchen oils such as flaxseed oil or coconut oil, and a glass or two of red wine are a couple of life’s pleasures and your daily coffee is another! So sit back, relax, take a deep breath and enjoy your Java knowing there are health benefits of coffee!

Suzanne Early

http://www.early-detection-for-breast-cancer.com

Suzie likes to share down to earth, easy to understand information on breast cancer basics, with warmth and sensitivity. Having a friend experience breast cancer and a career in Adult Education, Suzie understands how important it is to learn about this women’s issue, in the hope that others will be encouraged and empower themselves, becoming proactive in their breast health. Visit Suzie’s website for news, stories, and related health information, shared with an occasional laugh at some of life’s experiences. Early detection is key!

http://www.early-detection-for-breast-cancer.com/health-diet-fitness.html

Author: Suzanne Early
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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