Coffee

For the past so many centuries, coffee has delighted both the young and old alike. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. had eulogized coffee in 1891 by saying that “The morning cup of coffee has an exhilaration about it which the cheering influence of the afternoon or evening cup of tea cannot be expected to reproduce.” This is so true of most people. One cannot really start a day without the heavenly smell of this freshly brewed beverage.

Some of the connoisseurs of coffee opine that coffee has two virtues; one it’s wet and the other that it’s warm. But both give a delightful feeling and totally relax and refresh the drinker. Jesssi Lane Adams once said that “Coffee smells like freshly ground heaven. ” What else can be so heavenly other than a cup of hot coffee? And that too which you get in bed early in the morning!!

But then it is not just the older generation which is a fan of this lovely beverage. Even the children enjoy this drink very much. How can anybody miss out the joyous expression on a child’s face when he/she has had a glass full of cold coffee after a tiring play day? The expression says it all about this brew.

The children are always hyper-active and loose track of time while they are busy playing. This can easily cause them to become dehydrated. Dehydration can make them ill. In the summer season, especially, there should be a greater intake of liquids. This can be done by drinking lots of water and also some amount of milk. But to get the children to drink milk without throwing a tantrum is always a feat achieved. So the next best option is to add something to the milk and water and offer it to them.

Here enters the magical COFFEE!! Which child can resist a cup of the drink and if it is served in their favorite cartoon styled cup?

The coffee has changed forms according to the regions and the climatic conditions. In the hot and humid climate, people prefer to have a cup of iced coffee or a cold coffee. Hot coffee is also used but with the advent of the cold coffee, there have been many variations in this drink. Children love it when there is a dollop of ice-cream put in the coffee. There are many people who love to have coffee mixed with some amount of alcohol content.

There are many recipes which have been developed over the years which can be served with various kinds of meals. Some of the coffees like the Brazilian coffee and the Jamaican coffee is always a hot favorite (no pun intended).

Some of the recipes are really simple and do not require too many ingredients too. They can easily be made by children too. There are others, like the gourmet coffee which needs special care. These types of beverages are a complex mix of various ingredients like alcohol, some herbs and other spices. They can be created by experts only and have a distinct flavor and taste.

Some of the people prefer to have their coffee very strong and bitter while others like it mild. But whatever the choice, there is no escaping from this enticing drink called the Coffee and one cup a day is never enough for the coffee lovers. As some of the people who appreciate this brew say “Caffeine isn’t a drug, it’s a vitamin!!”

Therefore anyone who tries to criticize this wonderful drink, one can easily refute him be saying that “Life Certainly Begins After Coffee. “

For more information on Best Coffee and Coffee Recipes please visit our website.

Author: David Urmann
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Instant coffee bears little resemblance in taste to freshly brewed coffee. It is commonly made with inferior ‘robusta’ beans. It is the product of a complex scientific process, yet we British love it.

It may be convenient, but do we actually know what we are drinking? Have you ever wondered how they make coffee soluble? After all coffee is made using tough coffee beans that surely cannot be made to dissolve in water.

The truth is that instant coffee does not contain any actual coffee beans; it is simply a dried coffee flavoured solution that is the product of a complex brewing process. Similarly to everything else in the world of food that has been altered by science is coined ‘Frankenstein’; maybe we should start calling instant coffee, ‘Frankenstein Coffee’?

The process

Extraction: The process starts by passing water through a series of cylinders full of ground coffee beans. Each of these cylinders is heated to a different temperature and in at least one of the cylinders pressure is applied to achieve a fuller extraction. One of reasons why instant coffee is bitter is because during this extraction process the coffee grounds become burnt as they are exposed to temperatures of up to 180°C. (The widely agreed optimum temperature, among coffee enthusiasts, to brew coffee is between 90-95°C).

Filtration & Concentration: This coffee solution is then filtered to remove any unwanted particles before the concentration stage. Here water is removed from the coffee solution to increase the flavour. There are several different techniques to do this, one of which involves heating the solution further to evaporate the water.

Dehydration: In this stage the coffee solution is converted to a dry form. There are two commonly used methods; Spray drying and Freeze drying. The spray drying method is quite complex, however the basic principle is to spraying hot air through the coffee solution in order to evaporate the remaining water. Freeze drying involves quickly freezing the coffee solution into blocks which are then broken up into small particles. These particles are then heated in a vacuum where the ice is vaporised and removed.

Aromatisation: All these different stages and the high temperatures used in them, destroy most of the natural flavours that occur in coffee. The dry form of the coffee solution is therefore both stewed and bitter. So to help improve the taste, aromas produced during the various stages of this process are captured and then sprayed onto the dry coffee particles.

If that is not enough to make you switch from a cup of instant coffee to a freshly brewed cup then you may want to consider that instant coffee, in the vast majority of cases, is not fairly traded. In fact, it can be argued that the instant coffee industry, which is mainly made up of large multinational companies, is chiefly responsible for the low price coffee farmers receive for their harvest. They have the power to drive down prices and buy when the market is lowest, leaving the farmer and their family to live a meager existence.

James Grierson is the owner of Galla Coffee: http://www.gallacoffee.co.uk – UK online retailer of designer coffee accessories. Through the Coffee Knowledge section of his website he aims to help people understand more about coffee and give them tips on how to make great tasting coffee in their home.

Check out http://www.gallacoffee.co.uk/acatalog/Coffee_Knowledge.html for more articles or if you have a question send it to: coffeeknowledge@gallacoffee.co.uk

Author: James Grierson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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