Coffee

Gourmet coffee is good, gourmet coffee drinks are fabulous. Using your own gourmet flavored coffee or espresso as a base you can make those tasty treats at home and save yourself a lot of money while impressing your friends at the same time. Gourmet coffee drinks can vary from lattes and cappuccinos to exotic ice cream drinks. There are also alcohol drinks that feature coffee which can be very relaxing after a stressful day at the office.

Gourmet Coffee Recipes

Chocolate Cappuccino: For the chocoholic who loves their coffee this satisfies both desires.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Vanilla syrup
• 4-6 oz. Chocolate Milk or Chocolate Soy Milk if lactose intolerant
• 4 oz. Espresso or Very Strong Coffee – can use gourmet chocolate flavored coffee if desired
• Chocolate Shavings
• Whipped Cream

Directions

1. First pour the vanilla syrup into a cappuccino mug.
2. Now add your fresh brewed espresso or coffee to the vanilla syrup and blend the two ingredients together.
3. Next, steam your chocolate milk to 160 degrees F. (Use a candy thermometer to test the milk).
4. Add to the coffee mixture.
5. Top with a dollop of whip cream and chocolate shavings.

Variation: For a relaxing after dinner drink, add a 2 oz. Shot of Godiva Chocolate Liqueur or other chocolate liqueur.

Iced Latte with Flavor Variations: The traditional latte served up cold and creamy for those hot sultry days when you need a boost.

Ingredients

• 2-4 oz. Espresso or Strong Coffee
• 4-6 oz. Milk
• Ice Cubes
• Flavorings as desired (see variations)

Directions

1. Pour the espresso and milk into a cocktail shaker.
2. Add ice cubes and shake until well chilled. For variations use one of the following flavors. Note: For frozen latte, use a blender instead of cocktail shaker.

Variations: Add any one of the following flavorings to the blender or cocktail shaker. *Coffee syrups available in coffee section of grocer or at coffee shops.

2 oz Vanilla Syrup

2 oz. Chocolate Syrup

2 oz. Hazelnut Syrup

Iced Mint Mocha: This is a wonderful coffee drink for those hot summer days. For a spirited version you can add a liqueur such as Bailey’s Irish Cream.

Ingredients

• Ice
• 1 oz. of mint chocolate coffee syrup
• 2 scoops of mint choc chip ice cream
• 2-4 oz. espresso shots or strong coffee
• Cold milk
• Whipped cream
• Chocolate shavings/sprinkles

Directions

1. Place ice in blender, add mint chocolate chip ice cream and mint chocolate syrup.
2. Pour in milk based on how thick you want the drink to be.
3. Blend to desired consistency.
4. Top with whip cream, chocolate shavings or sprinkles.

Fall Cappuccino: This coffee drink with a touch of cinnamon and cloves invokes those autumn nights when there is just a hint of chill in the air.

Ingredients

• 4-6 Whole cloves
• 1 Cinnamon Sticks
• 4-6 Whole Green Cardoman
• 3 tsp. Brown Sugar
• Whipped cream
• Chocolate Shavings and Ground Cinnamon
• 2-4 oz. Espresso
• 4-6 oz. Steamed Milk

Directions

1. Add 2 cups water to small saucepan.
2. Add all spices to the water and heat to boiling.
3. Allow to boil for 3-4 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, steam 4-6 oz. of milk to 160 degrees F.
5. Pour the espresso into a cappuccino mug, add the spice mixture and stir well. Top with the steamed milk. Decorate with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and sprinkled cinnamon.

Variations: For more of a coffee drink, you can replace the espresso and steamed milk with 6-8 oz. of strong coffee.

For an adult beverage, add 2 oz. of your favorite brandy

Gourmet coffee drinks can be made without just about any flavorings you can imagine. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination. Using coffee syrups available online and at your local coffee shop combined with flavorings and spices in your kitchen you can serve up an array of gourmet drinks that would rival even the fanciest of coffee shops.

Sharon V Chapman writes on the joys of coffee and provides information on gourmet coffee drinks for Gourmet Coffee Guide – your number one online resource for gourmet coffee!

Author: Sharon V Chapman
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The history of coffee can be traced to as early as the 9th Century. Early stories of the discovery of coffee have been told when it first came to the town of Mandi in the Ethiopian highlands. As the story goes, there was said to be a lowly goat herder by the name of Khalid who had observed that his flock of goats tended to become lively every time they eat the berries off the coffee plant. Quite intrigued by the effect, the goat herder himself tried boiling the coffee beans and thus became the first discovery of coffee as a drink.

The popularity of coffee as a drink later on spread from Ethiopia to Egypt and Yemen where they were sold by merchants. Early version of coffee had the beans directly boiled and then drank. It was in Arabia that the coffee beans were first being roasted and brewed that has become the practice still today. The popularity of this beverage soon spread to other countries. By the 15th Century, coffee drinking has spread to the rest of the Middle East as well as to Persia, Turkey and Northern Africa.

Coffee was first introduced in Europe by way of Italy. Trading between Venice and the Middle East as well as Egypt and parts of North Africa began thriving. Through this route, coffee found its way to the Venetian ports and was then introduced as a drink to Italians. From there it was introduced to the rest of Europe. Its popularity became so great that it led to the establishment of the coffee houses in Europe, the first one being opened in Italy in 1645.

Coffee then spread to parts of Asia by way of the Dutch explorers who brought with them coffee seeds that they planted in their colonies in Java and Ceylon. The introduction of coffee in North America was not as widely accepted initially as compared to other countries. It was brought along the American shores along with tea by the English colonizers. But it was tea that first became the accepted beverage. Not until the English limited the supply of tea in North America did the Americans grow to prefer coffee as their beverage of choice.

Throughout history, coffee has been a widely accepted beverage and its popularity grew due to its highly stimulating effects. It is also for this reason that coffee drinking during ancient times was widely associated with spiritual practices. Coffee drinking has since become a regular ritual among many people and its popularity seems to grow bigger and bigger everyday.

Coffee Drinks provides detailed information on Coffee, Coffee Makers, Gourmet Coffee, Coffee Shops, Coffee Beans, Coffee Cup and more.

For more information visit as on http://coffee.explore-me.com

Author: Miodrag Trajkovic
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Coffee is the 2nd most consumed commodity on the planet behind water and ironically it takes water to make coffee, so in essence coffee pretty much is consumed as much as water! Not only that, but coffee is also the 2nd most traded commodity behind oil, and we all know how vitally important oil is to the world… And to think coffee is number 2 is amazing!

Does that mean that coffee, the black stuff that we drink is actually more valuable than precious metals like Silver, Gold and Platinum? You be the judge however none of those metals is traded more than coffee so you tell me! What I will tell you is that coffee being a universally accepted beverage and has been for years exclusively reserved for the elite as a business.

When you consider that in America over 255 million people wake up every day and drink 2-4 cups of coffee every day like clockwork, and they do it habitually without regard to anything else! In Canada nearly 90% of the entire country drinks coffee daily so there is next to no one not drinking coffee in that country!

What is it with coffee that people are so enamored with it they must have it multiples time in the day and they must have it every day! That to me friends is an addiction and funny enough it’s one that most people gladly share with their friends, family and loved ones. Everyone you know drinks coffee it seems and everyone you don’t drinks coffee.

The key ingredient in coffee that creates the addictive nature of the beverage is the caffeine! The c word. Caffeine is super addictive and that is evident when you consider the statistics I shared with you above. People simply must have their fix and they need it multiple times a day. In fact, coffee is so addictive that nearly all doctors recommend that their patients not drink it however the patients can’t stop. In many cases the doctor has a coffee pot in the waiting room and he/she too is an avid coffee drinker.

But more importantly than just the caffeine are the potentially negative effects from too much consumption of it. For instance, people with high blood pressure and cholesterol issues are told to stay away because of the high acidic content of coffee and the exacerbating effect it has on blood pressure and other similar ailments. Coffee also dehydrates the body of precious liquids so it is strongly recommended that you drink no less than (11) cups of water for every cup of coffee you drink!

Even decaffeinated coffee has been found to not be all that’s been cracked up to be. You see the key question here is how do they remove the caffeine from the coffee? It has been a common practice to use an acid based product to remove the caffeine but my question to you is would you like some extra caffeine or acid with your coffee. Give me the caffeine and you keep the acid!

And last but not least are the caffeine crash or jitters so commonly associated with drinking coffee. When you consider that most began drinking coffee to get that extra lift, its kind of sad that you go up temporarily only to come down even harder when its all over. And for those of you that have the jitters it simply your body’s way of telling you that it is way too amped up and needs to relax for a minute!

So with all of that going on in your favorite cup of Joe there is no secret as to why you must consume the beverage daily without regard to anything else! There is no way you couldn’t get addicted to a product with all of those things simultaneously going on inside your body once the product has been consumed!

Not long ago, a good friend introduced me to a better tasting brand of coffee that has literally changed my life! I am now no longer concerned with my caffeine intake from coffee or any of the other potentially harmful side effects all associated with coffee. In fact, since drinking this new coffee, I have seen things like my energy level go higher without any crashes or jitters and coincidentally my wife who drinks the Gourmet Mocha has lost 7 pounds in her first 8 days of drinking this new coffee! For us this coffee has truly been amazing and we are simply sharing the word with our fellow joe drinkers! Change your coffee, change your life, make the switch now!

Coffee Lovers Unite

Author: Tyron Mcdaniel
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger