Can you answer Agent S’s question about Coffee?:

I recently purchased the turkish coffee pot and a bag of the finely ground coffee used for making it. I’m already about to run out of the coffee and I’m wondering what kind of roast I should get. The last coffee I got was actually imported from turkey. Is it necessary to use a blend of coffee that is imported from turkey or is it the way the coffee is made that makes it turkish? Any suggestions from people who know what they are talking about would be helpful.

Coffee Green Beans

How to Create An Easy Diet Latte

It’s an incredibly straightforward process to make an amazing latte, but you do need to know the tricks to transform an average latte into to an amazing one. I’m going to give you some tips on how to create and an easy diet latte with an incredible taste. My coffee latte will give you lower calories, great taste and hopefully the most pleasure out of brewing your next cup. Please follow the subsequent advice.

How to Store Your Coffee

Firstly make sure you have a good quality coffee, preferably a gourmet one. Then you need to ensure the coffee is well shielded form moisture, heat and light. Put your coffee in a sealed box, jar or re-seal able bag. Put it in the freezer for maximum protection, or a dark cupboard that remains cool.

The Right Way to Grind Your Coffee

Before you brew your easy diet latte you should only grind enough coffee as necessary, as any excess that’s unused will taste bad later. The reason this happens is that coffee begins to oxidise and lose its taste. There are two types of coffee grinder, I recommend the burr kind over the blade kind as the consistency seems to be better. Always use the correct grinder for your coffee maker. You should use a French press to make your easy diet latte, the coarse grind being the best choice.

Always Use Fresh Milk to Make Your Easy Diet Latte

If you don’t use fresh milk you can end up with a bad latte, so no using day old milk. For this recipe you should only use skimmed milk, which is low on calories but still gives a rich flavour. Do not use filtered milk, it reduces the natural flavour.

Determining the Right Amount of Coffee

The best ratio of milk to coffee is 6 ounces of skimmed milk to 2 tablespoons of coarse ground coffee. You can adapt the quantity of coffee to your taste further if you like it stronger , but make sure you do this bit by bit. Always use a good quality accurate measuring jug before you put everything in the French press. Measuring is essential for making great lattes taste greater. However you must also remember that some types of coffees can be stronger or weaker, so use sound judgement.

Take The Time to Brew Your Coffee

Badly brewing the coffee affects the taste more than the quality of the beans you’ve chosen. Top methods of brewing include the vacuum pot, manual drip, or French press. For the easy diet latte we shall use the French press. The French press is simple, elegant, and effective for the desired results. Pour the hot (not boiling) skimmed milk into the French press along with the ground coffee stir and wait at least 6 minutes before pressing and pouring yourself a cup of heaven.

If you want to keep your latte warm, you can place it on the burner, but be warned more than 18 minutes and your silky cup of heaven can turn into a bitter cup of hell. For the best easy diet latte, brew for 6 minutes, then start drinking. A sealed flask will keep the taste of your easy diet latte for travel, or for maintaining multiple cups throughout the day, although I recommend drinking it freshly made.

Final Preparation of Your Latte

While a lot of drinkers like their latte really creamy, it can increase your waistline. However if you still want it creamier, simply substitute the skimmed milk with semi-skimmed (half fat) milk. Also you can heat the skimmed milk longer which can make it richer in flavour but without adding cream fat. To sweeten with the lowest calories possible you can use Sweet and Low or Splenda. However, artificial sweetener means artificial taste. Personally I recommend fructose (fruit sugar), as it is sweeter than sugar, lower in calories and tastes superb. That’s it! Follow these tips and you’ll have the perfect easy diet latte.



Thanks to David for contributing this article to our Coffee blog:

Illy Coffee Beans

Can you answer epic_laydown’s question about Coffee?:

I’ve thought of using them to grind some coffee, but am concerned about what other types of coffee or other stuff that it’s been used for. For all I know, there could be molded cheese in those things. Should I trust those in store grinders? or just invest in a coffee grinder? or stick to buying ground coffee? Thanks.

Green Coffee Beans

Home espresso machines have become more popular than ever in the past few years. With the cost of stopping for an espresso skyrocketing, more and more families are opting for buying a home espresso machine.

Home espresso machines are scaled back versions of the commercial ones used in coffee shops. How scaled back is up to you. You can spend a lot of money and have a top of the line, do it all machine or buy a lower end machine and still make wonderful espressos.

The basic premise is that the machine will force hot water over finely ground coffee under pressure, creating an espresso with a beautiful crema. How the machine goes about creating your espresso depends on the type of machine.

Types of Machines

Pump espresso machines are typically the most expensive of the espresso machines. Although they do create the most excellent espressos, they are typically the largest and noisiest of the machines.  Commercial machines are usually pump espresso machines although there are home espresso machines that are pump also. Pump espresso machines also require more maintenance as they can become clogged with mineral deposits.

Manual espresso machines use a manual lever and piston to create pressure. If used often they can be strenuous on the arm. These machines do not create a consistent espresso as the pressure varies based on amount of arm strength. Lever/piston machines are very quiet with few parts and low maintenance.

Steam powered espresso machines are the most common machines found in homes. They are quick and easy to use. They are small enough to fit in home kitchens. These espresso machines use steam from the heated water to create pressure. The pressure in these machines isn’t always sufficient to make a great espresso.

Another basic simple espresso machine is the moka pot or percolator. These use a pressurized bottom half to send the steam though the coffee into the top half where the espresso is collected. The main advantages are that they are very simple to use and are the least expensive of all the models.  However, they have no frothing tools or method for frothing, have less pressure than mechanical versions, which means less flavor is extracted from the coffee.

Determine Your Needs

Buying an espresso machine for your home should be considered an investment. You need to evaluate how often you plan to use the machine, if it’s an occasional use, you can probably go with a less expensive machine. If, however, you are a daily espresso drinker, you will probably want to go with a more expensive machine that can stand up to more use. You should also look for one with a good warranty.

When determining your needs you should also consider how much space you have for the machine. For occasional use you might consider a smaller machine that you can put away. Or perhaps even a coffee maker/espresso maker combo machine.

Cost

It’s a good idea to decide how much you want to spend on an espresso machine before you start hunting one. One good way to get an idea is to consider how often you purchase an espresso or espresso based drinks and figure how much you spend monthly. This will help you decide how much you can spend on a machine and have it pay for itself.

With all your information gathered you are ready to go find yourself an espresso machine made for home use. There are many reputable companies that have home espresso machines. Some are also commercial espresso makers and probably make the best espresso machines. Whatever your decision you will be delighted with your hot, fresh espresso made while still in your pajamas.

 



Thanks to Katya Coen for contributing this article to our Coffee blog:

Have you claimed your Genesis site?

So you finally got your espresso machine set up in your kitchen. Now you have the problem of providing the type of finely ground coffee that it needed to make fresh espresso. Of course you can always go the pre ground route but as everyone knows, fresh ground produces much tastier results.

Is a specialized Espresso Coffee Grinder Needed?

So will a standard coffee grinder work or do you have to buy an espresso coffee grinder, just for the purpose of creating the type of finely ground coffee that is required for an espresso machine?

Get the Right Coffee Grinder

The simple answer to that question is both yes and no. That is, that you don’t have to search far and wide to get the grinder that you need as a standard electric coffee grinder will do the trick. That is if you know what to look for in a coffee grinder.

Basic Blade Categories

Electric coffee grinders are categorized into three basic types. Those types are electric blades, conical blades and blur blades. What texture of ground coffee your espresso coffee grinder produces will depend on the type of blades that you machine uses. Also, the speed of the blades will also factor into the equation as well.

Conical Burr Blades

Espresso coffee grinders will usually not have standard blur blades in them, as they tend to only spin at a rate of between 10,000-20,000 rpm. The most effective option is the conical blur blade. While this type of system will usually have a speed of only 500 rpm it does function as an effective espresso coffee grinder due to the fineness of the powdered coffee that it will produce.

A Wide range of prices

Espresso coffee grinders come in a very wide range of process that can start out at roughly $20 and go all the way up to as much as $1,500 for a commercial model. Remember that your espresso grinder will have to be cleaned regularly, so easy dismantling is one feature that you may want to consider. 



Thanks to MarkusYannies for contributing this article to our Coffee blog:

Espresso Coffee Machines Reviews