Coffee

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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Being a coffee lover it’s likely if you are anything like me, you just cannot start your day without it?

I suspect that no matter how much you like your coffee you surely have your own opinion as to which is the best tasting coffee. Perhaps you like a shot of espresso or a latte but maybe you just want that cup regardless of what’s in it!

Generally speaking there are two types of coffee,one derived from Arabica coffee beans and the other from Robusta beans.

Coffee from the Arabica bean is the higher quality coffee and being more popular accounts for around 75% to 80% of the coffee drunk around the world. Robusta is of lesser quality but still good in taste and makes up for around 20% of the world’s coffee.Both of these beans are grown in Latin America,Southern Asia and Africa. As soon as the beans, known as berries on the plant, are ripe they are picked, dried and roasted to varying degrees depending on the desired flavors. Once roasted the coffee beans are ground and brewed to make coffee.The roasting process produces the characteristics and the flavors of coffee by expanding the green beans, changing their color, taste, smell and density. As the heat is absorbed by the beans their color changes from green to yellow and from yellow to various shades of brown. During the latter stages of roasting the surface of the bean starts to look shiny in appearance as natural oils appear on its surface. The longer the roast the darker the bean.

Lightly roasted coffee allows a lighter bodied coffee and it is easy to distinguish the taste created in the bean by the soil and weather conditions as well as the growing region and so you’ll probably be able to locate where the bean came from. Darkly roasted coffee beans however, have been roasted to the point where the dominant flavor becomes the roast itself and you’ll be hard pressed to guess where the coffee came from.

Brewing also plays an important role in coffee drinking as the better the coffee machine is that you use as a coffee maker the better coffee you can make. Since the fresher the coffee is the more aromatic and flavorful it is and therefore it’s better to grind coffee beans yourself just prior to brewing so you can enjoy the best tasting cup.

All can contribute to a great cup of coffee, but which is the best coffee? Well again that depends on personal taste and preference but here below is a short coffee guide to help you decide:

Dark Roasts

This is coffee that is roasted longer. It’s darker and has a smoky flavor. If you like this, then you’ll enjoy French coffee, Espresso Coffee or Italian Coffee, although some French roast can be considered as medium roast as well.

Medium Roasts
These are a little sweeter tasting than a lighter roast with good aromas,fully flavored and balanced acidity. You can look for American, Viennese or City roast if you like to enjoy a cup of medium roasted coffee. This is also the category for most breakfast blends in the US.

Light Roasts
This light roasted coffee contains more caffeine that other categories but they offer less taste and body than the other two types of roasts. Look for New England or Cinnamon roasts.

Truth be told no one can tell you exactly what the best coffee is for you. Some people prefer a particular type of coffee while others enjoy another. There are many producers, roasters and retailers of coffee so go out and try them all as ultimately it is up to you to decide which one suits your palate the best.

For more good advice on choosing a good coffee and a coffee machine [http://www.goodcoffeeclub.com] visit my website at, [http://www.goodcoffeeclub.com]

Author: Brian Potter
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Being a coffee lover it’s likely if you are anything like me, you just cannot start your day without it?

I suspect that no matter how much you like your coffee you surely have your own opinion as to which is the best tasting coffee. Perhaps you like a shot of espresso or a latte but maybe you just want that cup regardless of what’s in it!

Generally speaking there are two types of coffee,one derived from Arabica coffee beans and the other from Robusta beans.

Coffee from the Arabica bean is the higher quality coffee and being more popular accounts for around 75% to 80% of the coffee drunk around the world. Robusta is of lesser quality but still good in taste and makes up for around 20% of the world’s coffee.Both of these beans are grown in Latin America,Southern Asia and Africa. As soon as the beans, known as berries on the plant, are ripe they are picked, dried and roasted to varying degrees depending on the desired flavors. Once roasted the coffee beans are ground and brewed to make coffee.The roasting process produces the characteristics and the flavors of coffee by expanding the green beans, changing their color, taste, smell and density. As the heat is absorbed by the beans their color changes from green to yellow and from yellow to various shades of brown. During the latter stages of roasting the surface of the bean starts to look shiny in appearance as natural oils appear on its surface. The longer the roast the darker the bean.

Lightly roasted coffee allows a lighter bodied coffee and it is easy to distinguish the taste created in the bean by the soil and weather conditions as well as the growing region and so you’ll probably be able to locate where the bean came from. Darkly roasted coffee beans however, have been roasted to the point where the dominant flavor becomes the roast itself and you’ll be hard pressed to guess where the coffee came from.

Brewing also plays an important role in coffee drinking as the better the coffee machine is that you use as a coffee maker the better coffee you can make. Since the fresher the coffee is the more aromatic and flavorful it is and therefore it’s better to grind coffee beans yourself just prior to brewing so you can enjoy the best tasting cup.

All can contribute to a great cup of coffee, but which is the best coffee? Well again that depends on personal taste and preference but here below is a short coffee guide to help you decide:

Dark Roasts

This is coffee that is roasted longer. It’s darker and has a smoky flavor. If you like this, then you’ll enjoy French coffee, Espresso Coffee or Italian Coffee, although some French roast can be considered as medium roast as well.

Medium Roasts
These are a little sweeter tasting than a lighter roast with good aromas,fully flavored and balanced acidity. You can look for American, Viennese or City roast if you like to enjoy a cup of medium roasted coffee. This is also the category for most breakfast blends in the US.

Light Roasts
This light roasted coffee contains more caffeine that other categories but they offer less taste and body than the other two types of roasts. Look for New England or Cinnamon roasts.

Truth be told no one can tell you exactly what the best coffee is for you. Some people prefer a particular type of coffee while others enjoy another. There are many producers, roasters and retailers of coffee so go out and try them all as ultimately it is up to you to decide which one suits your palate the best.

For more good advice on choosing a good coffee and a coffee machine [http://www.goodcoffeeclub.com] visit my website at, [http://www.goodcoffeeclub.com]

Author: Brian Potter
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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This form of coffee is often the choice to be used in many recipes when it comes to baking especially. The taste it affords when used in this method is comparable to brewed coffee. The biggest advantage of using the instant here is because it’s quick and easy.

This coffee goes way back to 1906. It was actually discovered by an English chemist who was residing in Guatemala at the time. This gentleman most enjoyed his coffee and happened to notice that on the spout of his silver coffee pot there was a powdery film forming. This was the beginning of the experimentation of the discovery of instant coffee. It was officially discovered by this chemist whose name was George C. Washington and he produced the very first brand called Red E Coffee.

Now once again there may seem to be a little confusion as to who really did invent this coffee or at least discover it. Others say that in 1901, a Japanese American by the name of Satori Kato was the one who invented this drink, but it was true that George C Washington was the first to market it in mass production. Years after that, Nescafe came out with freeze-dried coffee.

There are two easy methods for making instant coffee. It can be either freeze-drying or spray drying. So which produces a better cup of this type of coffee? Many would argue that freeze drying does but then like any other variation of coffee its all going to come down to personal taste. One of the supporting factors for freeze-drying being the better of the two methods is that with spray drying the natural oils of the coffee are adversely effected and more flavor is lost. This is because of the high heat that is required in the spray drying method. However many instant coffee producers prefer this method to freeze-dried because it is faster and in some ways more cost effective.

This form of coffee is often the choice to be used in many recipes when it comes to baking especially. The taste it affords when used in this method is comparable to brewed coffee. The biggest advantage of using the instant here is because it’s quick and easy.

There are some people who think they are experts when it comes to instant coffee just like there are with brewed coffee. One of the problems with this coffee is that the ingredients that are being used are inferior quality beans that don’t meet requirement for any of the coveted gourmet type coffees. Naturally, this in itself is going to affect the taste. Avid coffee drinkers believe that if you are using a good freeze dried instant , and your water is boiling hot when you add it to the coffee, you are going to enjoy a very good cup of coffee. Naturally, avid brew coffee drinks would be the first to say there is just no comparison.

Try going to http://www.coffeebeansroasting.com for more details regarding coffee, coffee growing, coffee brewing, coffee roasting, coffee types, etc

Author: Carl Da Costa
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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There is something so relaxing and lazy about sitting at a table having an aromatic cup of coffee. It is hard to stop at one cup that is for certain. However, coffee isn’t what it used to be. Since gourmet coffee has hit the shelves it is not longer just something to you do just to perk you up in the morning, it something you drink to enjoy the taste and irresistible flavor of these incredibly made coffees.

People who do not drink coffee often wonder what is so great about gourmet coffee. They ask whether it is made a certain way or it is the taste that lures you in. In fact, it is both reasons. Gourmet coffee is made from very high quality ‘Arabica’ coffee beans that are hand picked and thoroughly checked over to makes sure they are superior. Unlike commercial coffees that are machine graded, people that are experienced in gourmet coffee beans will be able to see if there is any dirt, leaves, or anything else in the beans that will spoil the taste.

The gourmet coffee beans are then treated with special oils after the roasting process which is what gives it the special flavor that is so tempting to drink. It is a blend of natural oils that are used for the coffee bean treatment. These oils are able to sustain a healthy shelf life without ever spoiling or losing it’s characteristic flavors once mixed with the blend of your favorite type of gourmet coffee. The oils and the flavors neutralize each other so you get a very smooth taste without any overpowering blend.

Gourmet coffee is then roasted in a way that customizes the coffee for your taste. Using a light roast, you will contain the natural aroma without the overcooked taste that you find in many of the traditional coffees. Arabic coffee beans are ground perfect fineness to give you the best taste that you can have in a full bodied cup of coffee. There are gourmet coffees that use a more coarser grind to give a completely different taste. It is up to your personal preference as to which level of fineness gives you the best cup of coffee.

Finer grinds are similar to those found in espresso which has a great rich taste, but most gourmet coffee lovers will lean towards the coarse ground coffee powder. That gives the grinds time to mix with the hot water and really pull out the flavor completely, especially when made with drip type filters. What makes Arabica gourmet coffee so great is that the Arabica coffee beans are never stored in a warehouse so after harvesting, roasting, and grinding they go very quickly to the store in which you buy them.

What makes gourmet coffee so great is the way the taste makes you feel. There is no burnt flavor or heavy after taste. It is just pure delight when you drink in the fragrant, warm, and rich taste of gourmet coffee.

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Author: Ivan A Cuxeva
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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