Coffee

This happens to be a perennial argument among coffee lovers or even those who just need some caffeine jolt – what is the difference between instant coffee and regular coffee? At one look, you’d say to yourself that it is perfectly the same so for coffee addicts like you, instant would be the one that comes in a bottle or pack that you usually buy in the supermarket and when you get home, just add hot water and it’s ready to drink. While the regular coffee would mean that you even though you could buy it at supermarkets, groceries or specialty coffee shops, you have to brew it before you could drink it.

In a nutshell, that would be the simplest definition should you encounter such a question on what is the difference between these kinds of coffee? You will be amazed by the big difference of these two ways to enjoy a decent cup of coffee.

Starting with the Instant Coffee – did you know some people are saying that it is fake coffee? That you only get to smell the so-called coffee beans but when you taste it, it has this weird metallic aftertaste to it? The process of this kind of coffee is done in a different way. It goes through a lot of process such as roasting, grounding, brewing and then it gets spray dried or with what others call it freeze dried.

The reason for the so-called “fake” taste is that you need more than a teaspoon of this kind of coffee to achieve that full bodied taste. When you do so, you will not be able to sleep at all or worst, you will have this severe palpitation.

Coffee drinkers who have already tasted and enjoyed a freshly brewed cup of hot steaming coffee would love to banish Instant Coffee from their vocabularies. Their reason here is that they think that coffee should be enjoyed another way and that where no other additives are present. If you don’t have the buying power to go to expensive coffee shops for their brew of the day then commercially dried coffee would work just fine due to its convenience.

Moving on to the underlying question regarding what is the difference, the latter type still goes through the process of roasting, grounding as well as brewing. The advantage of the regular coffee is that the aroma is stronger and it has the full-bodied flavor that you are looking for without having to go through a bad series of acid reflux.

The technique to a better taste actually is dependent on the equipment used as well as the barista brewing the coffee for you. The higher the quality of the coffee beans, either Robusta or Arabica, the fuller its taste becomes. Then what is the difference? The answer boils all down to the preparation, process and last, the execution of serving a perfect cup of hot coffee.

To learn more about the different techniques of brewing your morning coffee try visiting also single serve coffee maker reviews, where you will find this and a lot more tips including facts and buying tips to choose the right Senseo single serve coffee maker that suits your personal needs.

Author: Pierre Smith
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Coffee has been a major part of every person’s lifestyle. Since the earliest centuries, it has became one of the most popular beverages around the world. So how can we make a good cup of coffee in our own home? Do you want to know how? But first, let us have a brief formal presentation of what is a coffee, where it originated and how to make a good coffee in any forms that you would like may it be cappuccino, espresso, latte, etc.

According from its meaning, coffee is a beverage made from the seeds of the coffee tree. It is derived from the Ottoman Turkish kahveh and the Italian word, caffe. It is believed that coffee can lose one’s appetite. As a result of its caffeine ingredient, coffee gives an energizing result to the body. It originated from the lands of Arabia and through time reached the country of Europe.

Coffee has many varied benefits but should follow moderate intake a day. Studies and researches shows that it reduces many health risks for example, diabetes, Parkinson’s, colon cancer, gallstones and even tooth decay. It is advised that three cups a day can help decrease the possibility of having ailments or diseases.

However, consumers needs a limit of consumption a day and regulation in drinking coffee. We should watch out for somethings that we may overlook. For example, too much intake of coffee may cause agitation, anxiety and rapid heartbeat. Pregnant women, people who have heart related problems and those with osteoporosis should inhibit drinking such beverage.

Why people love coffee? It became well-known because of its great taste and aroma. It has survived for years and years of generation. In fact, numerous coffee shop exists almost in every city streets to cater the demand of the coffee lovers.

It gave me an idea on how about making it just in our home, in our own benefit? Could it be possible? Yes because technology always aid people to make things easier and faster in a convenient way. In short, the great tasting coffee that is offered by the coffee shops can be achieved in our homes. How? That is very easy. Let us find out the secret of most coffee shops in town.

Coffee shops have their own coffee machines which brew their best tasting coffee products. What about we buy our own coffee maker machines? These machines are programmable which means that they can make coffee whenever we like to have it in any specific time of the day. So how about that? A new coffee maker machine for the best cup everyday.

To know more about the best coffee machines, do not deprive yourselves but instead, enjoy the taste of coffee every single day of your life. Come and visit http://www.bestcoffeemachines.org/. You can find the best coffee machines that will make each and every cup a pleasure.

Author: Kristoff Morris
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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A coffee grinder is a must have for anyone who loves coffee, for two simple reasons:

1. Freshness
2. Control over the Coarseness of the Grind

Freshness

To keep coffee as fresh as possible you need to minimise its contact with air. Air is one of coffee’s worst enemies as it destroys delicate flavours by turning the natural oils present in coffee rancid.

If you have a coffee grinder at home you can grind your coffee beans as and when you need them. This preserves their freshness, as a whole coffee bean has a much smaller surface area than that of a ground bean and therefore is less exposed to air.

The actual process of grinding releases many of the coffee’s aromatics; as you grind you can smell this in the air. If you don’t quickly use these grounds then you are going lose this aroma and deprive your cup of valuable flavours. This is another good reason to only grind coffee on demand.

Control over the Coarseness of the Grind

Different coffee makers require a different coarseness of ground coffee. For example: an espresso machine, which has a short brewing time (less than 30 seconds), needs a very fine powder-like grind; whereas a cafetiere, which has a long brewing time (3-4 minutes), needs a much coarser grind.

With your own coffee grinder you get to control the coarseness of the grind as you can adjust the grinder’s setting. So if you find that your coffee tastes bitter, a result of over-extraction, then you can adjust the grind to a coarser setting; and if your coffee tastes flat, a result of under-extraction, you can adjust the grind to a finer setting.

Blade Vs Burr Coffee Grinders

Coffee grinders come into two categories:

1. Blade Grinders
2. Burr Grinders

A blade grinder works in a similar way to a food processor: there is a set of spinning metal blades which roughly cut through the coffee beans. The coarseness of the grind is determined by how long the grinder is left running. Coffee ground by a blade grinder is inconsistent in size as some beans will be sliced through more times then others.

Rather than chopping the coffee beans into tiny pieces, a burr grinder crushes the beans between two pieces of burred metal. A burr grinder produces a much more consistent size of grounds as the coarseness is controlled by how close the two pieces of metal are set to each other: i.e. a smaller distance for fine grounds and a larger distance for coarse. For this reason, burr grinders are far superior to blade grinders.

Why is Consistency Important?

The ultimate aim when making coffee is to extract the maximum amount of flavour whilst leaving behind bitter compounds and caffeine. This is why different coffee makers require a different coarseness of grounds. However, if your grounds are inconsistent then the larger particles in the grounds are going to be under-extracted, leaving behind flavour, and the smaller particles are going to be over-extracted, releasing bitter compounds and further caffeine into the cup. Unfortunately, the two don’t balance each other out; instead you have a flat, bitter coffee that will keep you awake for hours.

Choosing a Coffee Grinder

The coffee grinder you choose should depend on for what type of coffee maker you’re grinding the coffee. If you’re using a cafetiere or stove-top espresso maker then a hand grinder is perfectly adequate, although they do require plenty of physical effort to get results.

However, for an espresso machine a good quality electric burr coffee grinder is essential. As making an espresso is a pretty intense process (its all over in less than 30 seconds) the margin of error for the grind is very slim. This is why you need a grinder which allows for minuscule adjustments to be made so you can get the grind spot on.

James Grierson is the owner of Galla Coffee – UK based retailer of espresso machines, coffee makers, grinders and cups for the home.

View the original article in its context at: Guide to Coffee Grinders

Author: James Grierson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The coffee bean roaster is fast becoming a “must have” in today’s kitchens. The flavor and freshness of coffee is at its best when it is roasted in small batches at home.

Roasted coffee is very susceptible to oxygen damage when it sits on store shelves and in café bins for days or weeks at a time. It spells disaster for specialty coffee beans creating stale, flavorless coffee.

Today, the coffee bean roaster is a coffee enthusiasts dream, bringing the freshness and quality of roasting fresh gourmet coffee at home. It is the beginning of a new era in coffee history and a major step in the return of great tasting coffee.

You’ll be surprised to learn how easy and fast it is to roast your own specialty coffee beans at home. Once you experience the flavor of fresh gourmet coffee like this you’ll want to share it with everyone you know.

There are basically two types of home coffee bean roasters: fluid bed roasters and electric, radiant heat drum roasters.

Fluid bed roasters work like hot air popcorn poppers. They have a glass-roasting chamber so you can watch as the coffee beans are roasted and stop at the desired roast. These are good for beginners and a great way to get started in home roasting.

The radiant heat drum roaster is more like the professional coffee roasters use. These do not allow you to watch as the beans are roasted so you have to roast by smell or sound.

How about having a roasting party with friends or the family? Home roasting is a lot of fun. You can try some of the best coffees in the world and roast them just the way you like them. What’s even more fun and tasty is creating your own custom blends.

So if you haven’t tried home roasting, get ready for an amazing treat. Your coffee drinking experience will never be the same once you taste the fresh gourmet coffee you made with your home coffee bean roaster. “Enjoy”

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This article is supplied by Best-Coffee-Makers-Online.com where you can easily shop and compare coffee makers so you can purchase exactly what youre looking for at great values.

Author: Gary Gresham
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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For years, the idea of roasting your own coffee beans has been kept a mystery by the coffee roasting industry. It had been deemed “too hard” or “too complicated”. Well these are new times and the truth is out; it’s easy, fun and economical and it can be done in a number of ways using items you probably already own!

There is nothing like a cup of coffee that has been freshly roasted, ground and brewed to perfection. There are a growing number of enthusiasts who are roasting their own coffee beans and enjoying the benefits of truly fresh coffee at about one-third of the price of beans from your local coffee shop.

All that is needed to roast your own coffee beans at home is green coffee beans, available from a number of sources, an oven, cookie sheet, oven mitt, metal colander and a wooden spoon. Preheat your oven to 500F, spread raw beans evenly one layer deep on a cookie sheet, place on middle rack of preheated oven and watch them roast. In about 8-10 minutes there will be a crackling noise and smoke with a coffee essence. At this point the roast moves quickly and you need to pay close attention. About 2-3 minutes after the crackling, your coffee beans should be at the shade you like them. Carefully (using the oven mitt) remove the cookie sheet from the oven and pour the beans into the metal colander. Stir the beans with the wooden spoon to help cool quickly. Do this over a sink or outside, as there is chaff that comes off the beans during roasting. And remember; NEVER leave your roasting coffee beans unattended.

Almost any appliance used to pop popcorn can be used to roast coffee beans. The hot air poppers are great, however, you may want to roast outside or in your garage as they blow the chaff out and can be messy. There are a number of manufacturers of home coffee roaster, including several that use a gas grill and rotisserie.

The internet is full of sources to purchase raw beans, but you want to make sure that the supplier you use knows their beans and “cups” their coffee before selling it to you. One of the most reputable sources for green coffee beans is U-Roast-Em, Inc., a high quality, no frills supplier with 30 years in the industry. They can be found at http://www.u-roast-em.com on the web. Many other sources can be found using your favorite search engine. If you’re interested in using a gas grill to roast your beans, check out http://www.rkdrums.com or http://www.buzzroasters.com. For electric, countertop-type coffee roasters, visit http://www.freshbeansinc.com.

Green, raw coffee beans last for years when properly stored. This allows you to build a collection of fine coffees to choose from as well as buy larger amounts of the great coffees and save more money. Keep your bean collection in a cool, dry place out of any direct sun light and they will last until you roast them. As coffee ages it loses acidity and becomes more mellow. Many like the rich mild cup of a coffee that has had a couple years to rest and mellow. More important than the year of the crop is the quality of the bean, the preparation at origin, transportation and warehousing in country of consumption. If all of these things are done correctly, your green coffee will last for years. Suppliers who know how to cup samples of coffee beans are able to determine if all of these criteria are done correctly before they purchase the beans.

Home roasting is one the fastest growing hobbies in the country and for good reason. It’s fun, easy, saves you money and delivers a cup of coffee like you never thought was possible. Join in the fun and start roasting your own coffee beans.

Jim Cameron is a 30 year veteran in the specialty coffee roasting industry. Jim has authored many articles on various aspects of the industry and traveled abroad to speak at international gatherings of coffee proffessionals. Semi retired, Jim now writes on the subject of roasting and makes green coffee beans available to the home roasting market at his web site: http://www.u-roast-em.com

Author: Jim Cameron
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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