Coffee

There’s a lot of different ways to make coffee, the drip coffee maker sitting in the kitchen is only the beginning. They get pretty crazy with things that sound more like household items – the vacuum method, the plunger – to name just a couple. All of the methods produce a slightly different final product and just about all of them are at least worth trying once.

The most common method is with the Drip Coffee Maker, which is also called the filter method. Just about every household has at least one of these.

Coffee is made when water is poured on to grounds. The water filters through the grounds and into a coffee pot or mug below. For further instruction, please locate the nearest coffee maker in your house and take a look inside.

Another common method with enthusiasts is the French Press. They also call this the Plunger or Cafetiere.

Ground coffee is added to the bottom of this glass and metal cylinder shaped device. Hot water is poured in and then stirred around. The water saturates with the grounds for a few minutes before the plunger is pushed down to separate out the grounds. It’s said to extract the most flavor of any method.

At one point, the Percolator was the most common way to make coffee, however it was replaced by the drip coffee maker about fifty years ago. The reason that it lost it’s popularity is pretty simple, it produced horrible tasting coffee.

The Percolator looks like a kettle with an electrical cord attached to it. Water is put into a heated reservoir in the bottom, then as it heats up it cycles through the top where the grounds are. It goes through the cycle over and over until it’s ready. It makes the kitchen smell delicious, it even sounds good, but the taste has become sub par.

An increasingly popular appliance in many households is the Espresso Machine. They can be used to make espresso, but also cappuccinos and lattes.

While they can be sometimes very complicated machines, the process is simple. Hot water is injected into coffee grounds at high pressure into the waiting cup below.

Turkish Coffee or the Arab Method is the way coffee was mostly likely made originally. It produces a very dark and strong brew, so it isn’t for everyone.

It’s made by first grinding the beans by hand into grounds. Then it’s put into a pot called an ibrik with sugar and water. They bring it to boil three times, then it’s poured into cups to drink.

The Vacuum Coffee Maker is probably one of the most unusual looking methods. It looks like two glass pots placed on top of each other.

The vacuum method involves water heated up to near boiling, then it’s forced through coffee grounds into a chamber above. The mixture steeps until the heat is turned off and as it cools, the water is sucked back into the lower chamber.

If you don’t mind waiting for your coffee, you can try the Cold Water Method.

It’s a ten to twelve hour process that starts with ground coffee mixed into a large container with water. It’s left at room temperature for the day, then the grounds are removed and the extract can be mixed with hot water to make a cup of coffee.

The Neapolitan Flip may sound like some sort of ice cream desert, but it’s another interesting looking method of making coffee. It looks like two metal coffee pots on top of each other.

The two metal looking coffee pots are actually two chambers with grounds between them. The lower chamber is filled with hot water and brought to a boil. It’s then removed from the stove and flipped over. The water drips through the grinds into the serving pot below.

Some might argue that it’s not a legitimate way of making coffee, but Instant Coffee is made in thousands of cups across the country every morning.

It’s the easiest form of coffee to make, just add water, but taste is often a causality of the process.

Instant coffee is made by removing the water from grounds by freezing or heating it. That produces the powder that you can buy at the grocery store.

Growing in popularity lately because it’s so simple to use is the Single Serve Coffee Machines. Some consider it to be the future of coffee because you only have to insert a k-cup, pod or disc into it and press start. The result is a fresh cup of coffee in a few moments.

Mike Crimmins is a coffee fanatic. He’s not your traditional coffee expert or barista. He’s just your average joe, looking for that perfect cup of coffee. You can learn more about coffee at his blog http://dailyshotofcoffee.com/

See coffee maker photos.

Author: Mike Crimmins
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Have you ever stopped to think about the history behind that little cup of coffee you drink everyday? Coffee in itself is an interesting topic in itself. At one time, the average household would brew a small amount of coffee, perhaps add in some sugar and milk and call it a cup. Home percolators and brewers were the norm. Times have changed and now you can brew any type of coffee like a pro. You don’t have to go to the fancy coffee shops for a good cup of latte or cappuccino. Here is a quick look at the why people drink coffee and how drinking coffee has changed over the years.

Why choose coffee?

If you are a true coffee fan, then you probably can walk into any Starbucks and order whatever you want like a pro. You know what each word means and you know what makes your favorite cup of coffee. Those who are not big coffee fans think that some of the phrases and words used in the coffee circles sound like another language. However, there are probably more coffee lovers than not. People drink coffee for various reasons. Coffee is used a stimulant-to help you wake up in the morning. Some people say that they cannot function unless they get their cup of coffee first thing in the morning. Now coffee has changed and people drink it because they love the taste and because it is so inventive. You can add all sorts of things to your coffee instead of drinking just a plain black cup. People love their coffee and you can never convince a true coffee drinker to give up his or her habit.

Coffee of yesteryear:

Around the 50s, if you wanted a good cup of coffee, you needed to visit your local diner for a cup. However, as times have changed, so has brewing coffee at home. Old percolators made coffee, but it never tasted very good. That was about the only way to get a cup of coffee. In the 1970s, ideas changed and the new drip method was introduced. This brought about changes that helped every household brew coffee quickly and inexpensively. Filters added to the coffee makers made this process even easier. As time went on, flavors were added to coffee so that you could try out all sorts of interesting flavors.

Grab a cup today:

Now that humble cup of coffee has truly evolved. Espresso, cappuccino machines and even latte machines can be purchased for your home. If you want a unique blend or flavor, you do not have to travel far. You can do it from home, or visit your corner coffee shop. You can try out a French plunger or even the vacuum brewer, all designed to put the complete coffee making process into your own hands. Whether you enjoy a dark, aromatic black up of coffee, or a double latte with all the trimmings, you can find it. Brewing the perfect cup of coffee is both an art form and exact science. That is why people love their coffee.

Being really interested in roasting and roasting, John Bakers has been editing quite a few short articles in the area. Sharing his passion in writings, the reviewer demonstrated his expertise on information similar to single cup coffee makers and roasting.

Author: Johnathan H. Bakers
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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You just moved into a new house. You decided to replace that old small drip coffee maker you had for years. You love to drink coffee and you are just an average coffee lover who is not really into the world of coffee. It has been so long since you bought a small drip coffee maker and there are so many types out there in the market. Upon entering an electrical store, you are confused by the vast array of small drip coffee makers available on the shelves. You just cannot decide on which to get.

Does the scenario sounds familiar to you? There are quite a number of people out there who loves coffee but just not really into the subject on coffee. This means that these people just want to drink coffee and are not that much concerned on how a particular coffee maker can impact on the coffee brewed by it. They simply want a brew a decent pot of coffee at anytime of the day.

To those who are buying small drip coffee makers, here are a few down-to-earth tips that may help you in deciding which type to buy:

The first thing you may want to do, is to plan on your budget.
Think about how much you are willing to spend and come up with a range of price that you are comfortable with. You have to keep in mind about this basic rule in electrical appliances: the more expensive it is, the more functions it has. In some cases, these functions provide very useful purposes.

Secondly, you have to determine how many cups required.
Small drip coffee makers can brew from 1 to 4 cups of coffee. This is easily decided based on how many coffee drinkers in your household. Do not forget to take guests into consideration too.

Thirdly, you may also want to think about the color and design.
You may want to consider this factor as well if you are particular about matching with the color of your kitchen or any room interior in your house. You can also decide the favorite color of your choice, for example, black. Color is specially important if you are getting it as a gift for a friend or relative.

The design of the small drip coffee maker is also very important because some of them do not suit in some kitchens or rooms due to a number of factors like space. You may want to confirm this before buying by ensuring enough space for storage and operation. On top of this, make sure that you are comfortable with the hardware design of the small drip coffee maker itself. Different models have different hardware designs. Some have filter compartments either the slide out type or the swing door type.

Fourthly, the pot warmer function.
Everyone loves a hot cup of coffee so this is the essential function to look out for. Pot warming function is related to the “Determine how many cups required” factor discussed in (2). Why? In the case if more coffee is brewed than necessary, the remaining coffee can be kept warm for later consumption. Although it is rarely seen nowadays at time of writing, there can still be some small drip coffee makers with no pot warmer function.

Fifthly, the Auto Shut Off function a must feature for small drip coffee makers.
Like the pot warmer function, there are still a minority of them without auto shut off function. Auto shut off is a must for safety reasons. At times, you may have forgotten to switch off the small drip coffee maker after use, which may lead to shattering of coffee pot or even fire.

Not to forget, the small drip coffee maker must be of easy maintenance.
This is also essential because you would want your small drip coffee maker to be clean and maintained for use for a long time. This includes parts that can be dismantled for washing and easy to clean surfaces.

Next, ensure easy replacement of parts.
Worn out filters? Accidental breakage of coffee pot? More breakages? It is better to check out whether these parts are available and easily replaced. There is no point getting a small drip coffee maker that has parts so rare you cannot find them in your nearest dealer or you have to go through great lengths to get them.

Additional functions which may be useful and handy to you.
As mentioned in point (1) of these series of tips, some of the higher end models have additional functions that may or may not be useful to you. Some of the examples of these functions are:

i) Programmability, where you can set a stipulated time for the small drip coffee maker to brew coffee.

ii) Aroma adjustments, where you can choose the strength of your brewed coffee.

iii) Coffee pods compatible, where brewing coffee can be easy and convenient without much mess at all.

iv) Anti-drip, where it enables you to take out the coffee pot to pour coffee before the end of a brewing cycle.

The above mentioned are just some of the added functions on top of your average small drip coffee maker. There can be more interesting and useful functions available in other models but all these increases the price of the coffee maker. You should check out with the salesperson in your local electrical store for more details.

After considering the above eight factors, you should head out there to do a little homework before deciding on which small drip coffee maker to buy. You should inquire more with the salesperson and clear any doubts you may have. With all these, comparisons must be done if necessary and to consider what is really needed for you; not just because it has the latest function and after buying it home, you find that you hardly make full use of this particular function and you feel that your money spent is wasted.

To conclude, the tips in this article serves as a guide to an everyday coffee drinker or lover who wants to buy a new small drip coffee maker. These are more on the practical side and may help you in knowing what you want, what to expect and what to look out for without the expense of spending unnecessary money, wasting precious time and energy.

Before you buy any coffee maker, make sure you check out the award winning Presso at Presso America. Focusing on the area of coffee makers, and espresso makers, Anthony Sastre writes articles and creates videos first and foremost for Presso America

Author: Anthony Sastre
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger