Coffee

If you’re not familiar with Vacuum coffee makers then a written description of how they work may have you a little lost. How ever, to those that own or use vacuum coffee brewers you know what a great cup they make, and what a joy they are to watch.

If you’re a fan of using a French Press to brew your coffee each day, then you’ll love the coffee made in a Vacuum maker. It works on a similar principle of boiling water flowing over freshly ground coffee beans then filtering the grounds out of the water leaving behind a wonderful tasting and smelling cup of coffee.

There’s something to be said when a paper filter isn’t used with coffee grounds, it allows all the acids and aromas from the beans to transfer into the water and create a very special tasting cup of coffee. One that can’t really be compared to what your regular drip coffee maker makes.

So how does a Vacuum coffee maker work?

Well unlike some of my friends who thought a vacuum coffee maker was a combo vacuum coffee brewing machine it’s actually quite a small glass or sometimes plastic appliance. There are both electric and stove top models available (For a great electric or non electric vacuum coffee maker check out the Bodum Santos).

There are two compartments an upper and lower. The lower one has fresh water added to it, and the upper fresh coffee grounds. The two are connected with a plastic or glass tube which has a filter in the center. Once heat is applied to the lower area either via stove top or an electric element the water begins to boil. Once boiling that water travels up to the upper chamber where the coffee grounds are stored. The two then mix together and the brewing process begins.

It’s really quite amazing to watch the water move up and spill over the coffee, it’s a lot more interesting then watching the drips come from your regular old peculator. Now this is the real amazing part, after a short period of time the mixed coffee then beings to transfer back to the bottom chamber once all the water has boiled away. The coffee grounds are separated from the coffee via the filter that is in the tube connecting the two chambers.

Depending on the size of the holes in your filter and the coarseness of your coffee grounds you may get a bit of sediment in your coffee. Once all of the coffee has transferred to the lower chamber again you’re done and ready to enjoy. Sounds like quite the process to brew a pot doesn’t it? In real time all of this happens quite quickly, and it isn’t any longer to make then what a French press would be.

If you’re a real coffee enthusiast I highly recommend you either try out the coffee made in a vacuum maker, or consider purchasing one for your own kitchen. While it may not take the place on weekday mornings of your regular drip coffee maker, I’m sure it’ll be the treat for weekends, and you won’t be disappointed.

To learn more about Vacuum coffee [http://www.espresso-and-coffee.com/coffee-makers/vacuum-coffee-maker-interesting-and-tasty-coffee] and other coffee accessories take some time to browse our coffee and espresso [http://www.espresso-and-coffee.com/] website.

Author: Ian Henman
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Can you imagine starting the day without a cup of hot coffee to perk you up? A breakfast get-together with friends or an early business meeting will not be complete without mugs of coffee being passed around.

Coffee if one of the most popular beverages in the world. Its origin can be traced back centuries ago, from Ethiopa where it made its way onto Egypt and Europe. From then on, the preparation of coffee has become a tradition as well as a craze in the modern pop culture.

This stimulant drink is made of coffee beans, roasted to perfection and blended into the perfect hot or cold drink. There are basically two kinds of coffee plants: Robusta and Arabica.

Arabica is the older kind of coffee, which many think tastes better than the other variant.

Robusta, which contains almost half as much caffeine as an Arabica is much bitter tasting than its predecessor.

A lot of farmers in Central America, Africa, and Asian countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia depend on coffee planting as their main source of livelihood. Brazil is the largest coffee-producing country in the world.

Here is a quick run-through on how this addicting beverage is prepared:

1. Coffee plants are grown and once they mature enough, they are picked and harvested.

2. Once the coffee beans or coffee cherries are picked, they are sorted and dried. This is where the term ‘first pick’ came from.

3. After the coffee beans are sorted, they are either dried or aged, depending on the variety of coffee.

4. Then, the beans are either roasted or ground to make instant coffee, or the beans are sold by themselves for coffee to be made in your own home.

There are a thousand and one ways to prepare your coffee. You can use instant coffee and dissolve it in hot water for a quick, reviving cup during a long day.

It can also be prepared using the good old coffee machine where ground coffee is steeped through a paper filter, combined with hot water, to come up with the perfect brew.

There is also the more complicated espresso machines, which give the drinkers an added punch to their caffeine fix. These machines combine steam or boiling water with the ground coffee beans to produce a stronger aroma and flavor.

‘Go Loco over Latte Coffee’

When you go to any establishment specializing in coffee preparation, if you are not a coffee enthusiast, you might get confused with the unique language.

Terms like espresso, macchiato, java, espresso, shot, skim, whip, dry and foam are casually thrown around. They all relate to one’s personal preference on how they like to take their daily caffeine fix.

Café latte is one popular flavor of gourmet coffee.

This refreshing drink has three layers. First, one serving of espresso is poured over the cup or mug. This is followed by a generous serving of steamed milk. Lastly, a spoonful or more of foamed milk or cream adds the final touch to the perfect cup of café latte.

No matter how you prefer to take your coffee, be it black, with cream, or gourmet like cafe latte with all the exquisite and creamy toppings, there is no doubt that this beverage’s popularity will not wane anytime soon.

Dave Poon is an accomplished writer who specializes in the latest in Food and Drink. For more information regarding Latte Coffee please drop by at http://www.hotcoffeeplus.com.

Author: Dave Poon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Manual drip coffee cones have some very tough competition right now. When it comes to making just one cup of coffee, all the attention is now focused on electronic one cup coffee makers.

With the new, high-tech coffee makers, ground coffee is pre-sealed in a K-Cup or pads, and you simply insert one of these into the machine, close the lid and start brewing.

No grinding. No messy filters to get rid of.

It’s convenient…there’s no doubt about that.

But it’s expensive too. The machines are expensive to buy, and so is the coffee. You pay dearly for the privilege of having the coffee ground and packed in those handy little containers.

So if you look at the cost of buying the machine, and buying the coffee, you’ll end up paying a lot more for every cup.

A manual drip coffee cone makes better coffee at a fraction of the cost…

If you don’t have one, your parents probably did.

A manual drip coffee cone is the original one cup coffee maker.

What are they? You’ve seen them in your local supermarket, or even your nearest dollar store. They are simply a plastic or glass cone, with a small opening at the tip, into which you place a cone-shaped paper filter.

Place the cone on a coffee mug or carafe, depending on its size, then add the coffee grinds, heat water in your kettle and pour the hot water over the ground coffee.

The coffee drips through the filter and into your mug or carafe.

And you get a better cup of coffee than with a fancy, electronic one cup coffee maker…

How come?

First, you can buy any kind of coffee you like, either ground or as whole beans. But if you buy a K-Cup or pad machine, you are limited to the coffees they package and offer for sale.

But also, and this is a simple but important tip, when you use a manual drip coffee cone, you can stir the water and coffee grinds as the drip process is taking place. This means all the coffee is thoroughly soaked, and also results in a fuller, richer tasting cup of coffee.

So…if you really want to pay big bucks, both for the machine and the coffee, go out and buy a new one cup coffee making machine.

But if you’d rather spend just five to ten dollars on the “machine”, and spend less on the coffee you buy, get yourself a manual drip filter cone.

They take up a lot less counter space too!

Nicholas H. Usborne is one of the sleuths at CoffeeDetective.com He and his colleagues take a commonsense approach to making great coffee, and give you the straight facts on coffee and coffee makers – without the marketing hype. They also write the Fair Trade Coffee News Blog

Author: Nicholas H. Usborne
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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One of the nation’s leading authorities on nutrition said most people would not have expected him to write this, but this is what he wrote in one of his books, “Coffee is a remarkably safe beverage. Its dubious health history, which stretches back hundreds of years, is more image than substance.”

The author of that statement explains that researchers produced many studies of coffee drinkers who came to a bad end. But in retrospect, these studies proved to be defective. The bad end was caused by the subjects’ smoking, not by their coffee drinking. Now experts agree that coffee is a safe and even healthy beverage. This may be good news that ranks with the recent revelation that dark chocolate (the darker, the better) is loaded with healthful antioxidants and – in small amounts – to avoid a calorie problem – is even upgraded to a heath food.

The above quote is from Dr. Walter C. Willett of the Harvard Medical School who co-developed an excellent book on nutrition with the Harvard School of Public Health entitled Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating (2001). Of course, this doesn’t mean you can consume any amount of coffee (and the caffeine it contains) without some adverse effects.

Dr. Willett writes, “Drinking too much coffee can give you the shakes, make you irritable, and keep you from sleeping. It’s also addictive. Regular caffeine consumers tend to get nasty headaches if they miss their morning cup(s). Drinking espresso, French press, or other coffee that doesn’t drip through a paper filter can increase your cholesterol a few points. And people who drink a lot of coffee may be more at risk for developing osteoporosis or breaking a bone. In moderation, though, coffee is low on the totem pole of health risks and even has a number of benefits.” They include lower chance of developing kidney stones and gallstones. In addition, in a major study, it was found that coffee drinkers had a 50 percent lower risk of suicide than non-coffee drinkers.

He notes one unresolved health issue for coffee drinkers: “One lingering concern about coffee is its potential for increasing bone loss and risk of fracture. Increased risks with four or more cups per day have been seen in several studies, but the final answer is not in. Given the body of research on coffee, it’s safe to say that there aren’t any major health hazards lurking in the murky depths of you cup. In short, when drunk in moderation, coffee is no threat to your health.”

Other authoritative experts on diet and health have taken this same view. For example, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) Complete Food and Nutrition Guide (2nd Ed.- 2002) gives coffee a clean bill of health: “No scientific evidence has been found to link caffeine intake to any health risks, including cancer (pancreatic, breast, or other types), fibrocystic breast disease (benign fibrous lumps), cardiovascular disease, blood cholesterol levels, ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, infertility, birth defects, or osteoporosis.”

The ADA does have a few special cautions:

“If you are pregnant or nursing … it’s wise to go easy on caffeine.”

If you have a medical problem, you might want advice from your doctor on caffeine consumption. For example, in the case of stomach problems, “both caffeinated beverages and their decaffeinated counterparts” can be chancy for some, as both stimulate the flow of stomach acids, which can irritate the stomach lining.

If you are older, you should be aware that caffeine sensitivity sometimes increases with age. You should also be cautioned against letting coffee (or tea or soft drinks) take the place of more nutritious foods or beverages. What might be excessive caffeine varies from individual to individual and may depend on many factors.

The latest material I’ve seen on coffee contains an even more ringing endorsement of the drink. Bottom Line Health (June 2007) carries a column by an expert on food-based chemical compounds, Dr. Joe Vinson of the University of Scranton, with the headline, “The Amazing Healing Power of Coffee: Fight heart disease, diabetes, memory loss and more…with coffee.” Some of these benefits have been demonstrated by epidemiological studies, but further clinical studies will be necessary to confirm the first results. Here are some of those study findings:

-A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (May 2006) found that women who drink one to three cups of coffee daily are 24 percent less likely to develop cardiovascular disease.

-Another study in the same publication noted above (February 2007) found that older adults (age 65 and older) who had four or more servings of caffeine daily had less than half the risk of these who consumed smaller amounts.

-A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine (June 26, 2006) found that postmenopausal women, who drank four to five cups of coffee (especially decaffeinated), were 16 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

-A study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (August 2006) found that non-coffee drinkers had four times the mental decline of coffee drinkers.

-A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine (June 12, 2006) found that coffee might reduce the risk for cirrhosis of the liver, especially in alcoholics.

These latest findings are in addition to some of the benefits of coffee and caffeine documented by earlier studies or experience:

-Caffeine can help you stay alert and prevent fatigue.

-Caffeine may enhance mental performance by “increasing alertness and the ability to concentrate.” Readers Digest, Foods that Harm; Foods that Heal (2004).

-Many athletes claim that one or two caffeine drinks an hour before a competitive event improves performance, especially in endurance sports.

-The Reader’s Digest book claims caffeine “may abort an asthma attack by relaxing constricted blood vessels.”

-Caffeine can also boost the pain-relieving effects of some analgesics, and that’s why it is in many over-the-counter pain relievers. Caffeine may have some anti-cancer effects.

The book Nutrition for Dummies (2004) by Carol Ann Rinzler summarizes the case for coffee this way, “In moderation, coffee definitely qualifies for anybody’s list of superfoods.”

The caffeine in coffee, tea, chocolate and certain soft drinks (mainly colas) may have similar effects, but each of the four types of caffeine-containing foods has different effects on the body.

Boris Erlikh
Gloria Jean’s Coffees
http://www.gloriajeans.com

Author: Boris Erlikh
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Freshly brewed coffee is all the rage today and you have been bit by the bug. You enjoy your quick stop into the local coffee shop to order your special drink as you head to work in the morning. But what should you do on the weekends when you are staying around the house but still want that great cup of coffee without going out to get it.

The answer to this is as simple as purchasing a coffee grinder and a new Bunn Coffee Maker to use on the weekends. You can purchase one in any coffee shop, retail store, on the internet and in most hardware stores. It is relatively simple to make a good cup of coffee and people have been making this beverage for hundreds of years – whether with an old fashion percolator or over a camp fire, coffee is here to stay.

So, how do you make a great cup of coffee in your new Bunn Coffee Maker? Well you should start with clean equipment – nothing is worse than the stale oily leftover taste that old grounds can leave in a pot. Begin fresh cold water. The time to brew your coffee will vary depending upon which Bunn Coffee Maker you have.

Always use a paper filter because it will help produce a clear cup of coffee. The filters should be porous enough to allow free flow of the extracted coffee, should be made from oxygen processed paper which provides an excellent coffee flavor and should be strong enough not to break during brewing.

You have completed your research and have decided to purchase your own Bunn Coffee Maker, but what model do you need or want to have? There are a few basic questions that you can answer:

* How much money do I want to spend?

* How much noise does it make when brewing?

* Is it easy to clean after each use?

* Will I have an opportunity to use the machine and taste the coffee before I purchase it?

Keep all of these questions on when you go shopping and when deciding on which Bunn Coffee Maker you will take home. You know that the more costly the item, the better the quality of the machine-but, there is also the cost factor. Check with Consumer Reports to see how they rated each model of this coffee maker and let them help you decided which one to purchase.

It is now time to start enjoying freshly grounded and brewed coffee at home in your new Bunn Coffee Maker. You never know, you might become a coffee lover totally addicted to your new toy. And, your homemade coffee might taste better than what you were purchasing at the coffee shop every day.

Relax and enjoy your coffee. You deserve to treat yourself to the many different varieties and flavors of coffee that are available on the market today. Experiment with the different coffees and find out which is your favorite morning, evening and dessert coffee. Add special flavored creamers and you will have a delightful tasting beverage for a fraction of the cost of what you were spending at the local coffee shop.

Still looking for the perfect coffee? Try visiting http://www.AllCoffeeSite.com, a website that specializes in providing coffee advice, tips and resources to including information on the Bunn coffee maker.

Author: Candice Sabrina
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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