Coffee Addiction

Health Effects of Coffee Addiction

Coffee is undoubtedly the most cherished hot beverage of many developed countries, particularly those in North America and Europe. For quite some time, health-conscious individuals and researchers have been worrying about the health effects of caffeine (the active chemical component in coffee) and the craving for coffee that has come to be called ‘coffee addiction’. The findings of these studies suggest the need to keep the intake of coffee in moderation due to the harmful effects of caffeine.

Harmful Effects of Coffee Addiction

Coffee is a stimulating drink and its immediate effect on the body and mind is invigorating-augmenting both physical and mental energy. The later effects of coffee are, however, quite the opposite and even dangerous. Coffee stimulates the brain by causing the body to release stress hormones in the blood. The presence of these hormones induces an unusual alertness and practically robs the body and mind of their energy by excessive stimulation. The result is an irritable mood with feelings of fatigue and bouts of depressed mood. To make things worse, coffee also interferes with the night sleep and perpetuates the feelings of fatigue. To regain the vigor, one needs to take more coffee and hence the problem of coffee addiction. Before long, the coffee addict faces other health effects like acidity (heartburn), irregular heartbeat, and dark circles around the eyes. Other health effects of coffee addiction are also being verified by researchers.

Symptoms of Coffee Addiction

Common symptoms experienced by coffee addicts include excessive craving for coffee (the primary symptoms), a feeling of fatigue that lingers throughout the day (except when taking coffee and some time after it), heartburn, irritability, sleep disturbances (lack of restorative sleep), and stiffness or discomfort in the neck, shoulders, back, stomach, hands, and legs. Anxiety, constipation, heaviness, difficulty in concentrating, dizziness, and pre-menstrual syndrome, or PMS, (in women) are other symptoms of coffee addiction.

Coming Off Coffee Addiction

It is important for coffee addicts to reduce their daily coffee intake or give it up altogether. For one thing, quitting coffee is not so easy since the drink is an addiction for many people and cause disturbing effects if left or brought down suddenly. Withdrawal symptoms of coffee addiction include fatigue, nausea, headaches, difficulty in concentrating and poor orientation, increase in the intensity of PMS (in women) constipation, and frequent memory lapses. To avoid the severity of withdrawal symptoms, it is advisable that one tries to come off coffee gradually. This would mean taking half as much coffee daily as one is addicted to in routine; the missing half being replaced by green tea or herbal tea that is good for health. The remaining daily intake of coffee should be gradually reduced to two cups of coffee, or less, by replacing with herbal tea, soup, or fresh fruit juice.

Flavored Coffee

Flavored Coffee: Your Favorite Beverage With A Special Twist!

Coffee lovers everywhere no longer have to settle for the same old flavors when choosing a blend of their favorite beverage. Moving beyond the darkness and mildness of coffee flavor, coffee manufacturers are beginning to offer flavored coffee in several different varieties. These coffees are now available in dozens of different flavors, and can be purchased at your local grocer, as well as online. Our expert team of coffee lovers went on a taste testing spree of some of the more popular varieties of flavored coffee. Once the caffeine rush wore off, and they were able to get a few hours of sleep again, they sat down and reported to us what their favorite types of flavored coffee were.

The "Typical" Flavors

Of course we're certain that you've heard of the most common types of coffee. Even though the flavors may not be new to you, they were still among the top choices in our panel. Flavors like hazelnut and amaretto topped the list when our panel was asked their all time favorite type of flavored coffee; but lesser know flavors such as Irish cream (all the flavor with none of the kick!) and cinnamon were also quite popular.

Dessert Coffees

Next on the list of favorites were the dessert coffee types. Of these, the chocolate and raspberry combination seemed to be the most popular, with peppermint flavored coffee a close second. Both blends were dark and rich as a dessert coffee should be, and carried all of the flavor their names bespoke. Other popular flavors were caramel and toffee flavored coffee, as well as the ever popular French vanilla.

Fruit Coffees

Some of the more unusual types of flavored coffee we found were available in several different fruit flavors. These unusual flavors came in varieties such as Blueberry flavored coffee, orange chai coffee, and even apple flavored coffee.

With so many different flavors to choose from, you may spend years tasting thousands of different flavors before you find your favorite. There are classics like chocolate flavored coffee, and more modern flavors like maple pecan. Whichever you choose as your favorite, you're sure to be pleased with the many different varieties available. And if you have a coffee lover in your life, you can also purchase gift baskets with several different varieties of flavored coffee inside, so that he or she can choose their favorite flavor, as well.

Starbucks Coffee

Starbucks Coffee Wakes Up The World

Starbucks Coffee started small, but the company soon expanded to many cities and towns in the United States. Starbucks Coffee now has shops all over the world. Like other fast food outlets before, Starbucks Coffee is available in most of the large cities of the world. In Europe, Arabia or the Far East, travelers should be able to find the same Starbucks Coffee that they can find in their own hometown. The Starbucks Coffee sign and logo can be seen on many of the great streets in the world. Some of the outlets offer some local favorites, but all of the outlets offer the worldwide favorites.

Travelers will also find some shops in their airport. The Starbucks shops are convenient, and many of the Starbucks Coffee shops provide great beverages for their customers. There are now Starbucks Coffee outlets that provide drive through service although their outlets are more inviting to the customers inside. Some of the shops have special facilities for the customers. Many customers like to visit a shop to do their work, and some of the outlets now provide facilities for those using wireless equipment. There is special music in some of the shops, and other shops provide warm food for those hungry as well as thirsty.

Starbucks Coffee Comes Hot Or Cold

Starbucks has some great coffee at all of their outlets, and now customers can get both hot and cold drinks. There are many types of coffee available, and the company strives to find the best coffee beans from around the world. The company has regular blends of coffee made with their select beans, but they also add some special flavors to their coffees for special treats. There are blends with white chocolate, hazelnut and caramel. Many people get a serving of whipped cream on the top of their favorite beverage at Starbucks Coffee.

Starbucks Coffee also offers some special teas, and these are served hot and iced. The company strives to find tea made with superior tea leaves to keep pace with their fabulous coffee beans. The company also strives to make sure that they are using the freshest tea leaves and coffee beans available. Starbucks Coffee usually has a staff that is most pleasant to all customers. The corporate leaders have worked to train their employees to provide a welcoming atmosphere for all customers. The corporate leaders have also tried to provide help for the communities around the world in need, and their sales of bottled water contribute to a fund to help the least fortunate people.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty Coffee – Some Very Interesting Facts

When you say specialty coffee you would be talking about a very different type of coffee - the definition says that this coffee has an exceptional flavor and absolutely no defects. This coffee is often hailed to be a gourmet coffee or premium coffee as it is commonly known. In order to get the label of specialty coffee growers from all over the world agree to abide by the strict and stringent rules laid down by this defintion.

You would expect that such a cup of coffee would be exorbitantly priced; however, in reality a cup of this exceptional coffee costs less than a bottle of water (about 24 cents).

What Makes The Specialty Coffee?

The specialty coffee is made from the best quality green coffee beans which are roasted to perfection by specifically trained craftspeople. About thirteen percent of the total population of USA drinks this type of coffee on a daily basis and there are a total of 300 million cups of coffee consumed every evening. Out of these million cups of coffee, aboout75% are home made.

First time the term 'specialty coffee' was used was by a B.C. Ireland employee, Erna Knusten who mentioned it in her feature article, 'Tea & Coffee' which was published in 1974 in a dedicated journal by the name of 'Tea and Coffee Trade Journal' of the same year. At the time Knusten had tried to describe the perfect coffee, especially cultivated by micro climates.

Learn About The Specialty Coffee Association Of America (SCAA)

The SCAA is basically a trade association for the overall specialty coffee industry which is growing at an amazing pace. This association includes farmer - producers, coffee retailers, importers, exporters, roasters and so on. This association also covers the manufacturers of all type of equipment that is used to make the coffee.

The SCAA, which is the world's largest coffee growers association, keeps a close watch on all the farmers that have registered with them and ensure that they are indeed using the best possible beans for making the organic base coffee. This organization has laid very stringent rules that qualify the specialty coffee and have spread all over the Europe.

The SCAA has got representation in more than 40 countries across the globe covering all the fields that contribute to the making of this wonderful cup of coffee. The mission of this organization says it all – it aims to be the authority on particularly this type of coffee while at the same time providing a common platform and forum for the promotion of the excellent of specialty coffee and its sustainability.

Single Cup Coffee Maker

Single Cup Coffee Maker For Those Frugal Moments Of Instant Recharge

The single cup coffee maker may seem like too less for many, but do not write it off before you find out its advantages. It is true that many coffee addicts cannot dream of having just one cup brewed at a time. However, there are distinct plus points to this contraption as you will find out here.

Have Coffee Always Fresh, As Many Times You Want It

It is true that dripolators and other home coffee makers can instantly offer you an excellent cup of coffee and continue to do so for as many encores you want. Depending upon your coffee beans and settings, you would be able to have as many perfect cups of coffee as you would wish for.

However, what if you have to travel a little? Consider yourself with an assignment that has you on the move for some time. Being addicted to your morning and mid-morning (and a few other cups before lunch) you would seek to have a cup from time to time. How? Most of the offices have infernal coffee machines that spew out black hot water in the name of coffee. The solution would be your single cup coffee maker that would have traveled with you.

Being small, the single cup coffee maker would be able to give you exactly the cup of coffee you wanted at the snap of fingers and you are as good as new. You may be aware that coffee is addictive (though not in a harmful way, unless you consume gallons per day) and if you miss it at the time you are used to have it, you would most likely become cranky and restless unable to concentrate on the task at hand, among others. Hence, carrying the little single cup coffee maker would definitely make sense.

Would You Like Quality Or Quantity When It Comes To Coffee?

Definitely quality. You would be able to have excellent quality over quantity here. The single cup coffee maker is definitely small but there is absolutely no scope for compromise on quality here. You would be having perfect cups of coffee every time as many times you would wish for it. This is a boon when you have to work late nights and you are counting on a hot and invigorating cup of coffee to help you keep going with the required concentration and tenacity.

Though these contraptions are small, they have all the necessities that would help you get the exact cup of coffee you wanted. They are automatic, programmable and can be pre-set at the temperature and strength of coffee as per your liking.

Organic Peruvian Coffee

What Is The Organic Peruvian Coffee?

You must have heard a lot of about the organic Peruvian coffee as this is one of the best organic coffees in the world. However, very few people know anything about Peru, the farmers who grow this coffee or the coffee itself (other than its exquisite taste).

A Few Words On Peru And The Coffee Production In This Country

You will find Peru located in Western South America between Chile and Ecuador gifted with all types of climate from the below zero frigid cold in the Andes Mountains to the purely tropical weather in the Eastern side to the purely arid desert climate in the Western side.

Peru started producing coffee as early as 1700 AD. Today, after more than two centuries have passed, Peru is still a major coffee producer with about 110 thousand coffee growers which produce about sixty percent of the total exported coffee.

The specialty of the organic Peruvian coffee, as the name amply suggests is that it is among the very few places in the world where coffee is grown organically, in the shade. The organic Peruvian coffee comes from Arabica plants. The other popular coffee plant is the Coffee Robusta.

The farms are usually primitive and bereft of the trappings of the modern world. In a way maybe this is the reason why the organic Peruvian coffee is still among the best in the world. The modern world has not had a chance to spoil it yet with advanced technology and inputs.

Since the farms are small – about two to three hectares – each one is set up with micro-wet-milling operations, which has been instrumental in maintaining the waters of Peru clear and unpolluted.

The coffee plants are grown in shade and their ripe cherries are picked from May to September after which they are passed on to trained for the purpose people who pulp them and put them into fermentation tanks. The beans that result from this process are transported by mules or by foot to the nearest market which would be about a few hours from the farm.

The price of the beans however depends upon the demand available. When there are few buyers (sometimes there would be only one) the price of the beans falls rapidly as there are no warehouses to store the beans and without storing facilities the beans would deteriorate fast and would have to be thrown.

Over the last decade, more than 25 percent of these unorganized sector farmers have joined the cooperative movements which in turn have linked with the Fair Trade organic networks to propel the organic Peruvian coffee growers onto the place of the second largest coffee suppliers in the world after Mexico. Now they get both the right price and he right recognition.

Organic Flavored Coffee

How Organic Flavored Coffee Is Made

Coffee in itself already has great flavor but some people would like to add some other flavors to it to achieve greater taste and body. Organic flavored coffee is a great way to start one's day or end it especially fit he flavor is to your liking. Some of the more traditional organic flavored coffee flavors are hazelnut, Irish cream and vanilla. There are other organic flavored coffee but these three are among the top favorites.

The word organic means that the product was grown, processed and produced in such a way that no harmful chemicals or procedures were used to process the product. This is important to the environment because inorganic process and growing of plants or animals can harm the surroundings of the farm and ultimately reduced the productivity of an area. In the case of organic flavored coffee, both the flavoring and the coffee beans are organic.

Adding Flavors To Organic Flavored Coffee

Before the flavor is added to the organic coffee beans, they are initially cleaned after being taken out of their fruit or berry. After the organic coffee beans are cleansed, they are roasted to the desired roast and right after that, the organic flavoring is added for better absorption. Many manufacturers of organic flavored coffee claim that their coffee beans are of the highest quality but some skeptics say that the exposure of the coffee beans to another element might actually compromise the coffee flavor. The organic flavored coffee might smell great due to the added flavor but in actuality, the quality of the coffee is not as good.

Making Your Own Organic Flavored Coffee

Coffee enthusiasts can actually make their own organic flavored coffee. The key is to be able to get your hands on organic coffee beans. The vanilla or cinnamon flavors can be added to your organic roasted coffee beans after they are ground and before brewing. Organic flavored coffee needs to have organic flavors added to it to maintain their being organic. Organic coffee helps the environment as well as sustains the farmers who grows them by protecting the environment.

You can actually grind your own organic vanilla beans or cinnamon stick to be sure that the powder is organic. Making your own organic flavored coffee is actually quite easy and not as tasking as you might think. The satisfaction of perfecting flavored coffee according to your taste and preferences can actually make you an avid coffee enthusiast as well.

Benefits Of Choosing Organic Coffee

The Benefits Of Choosing Organic Coffee For Your Morning Cup

With so many different blends for coffee lovers to choose from for their morning (and afternoon, and evening…) cups of coffee, it doesn't occur to many people to question the origins of their favorite beverage, or the impact that particular brew may be having on the environment. But with the world's awareness of the need to protect our natural resources as much as possible growing at an exponential rate, more and more coffee companies are now offering organic coffee blends in an attempt to do their part for the environment.

Why Organic

Organic coffee is one of the newest additions to the many different products that are changing in an effort to help the environment. Unfortunately, most people do not realize that the production of coffee actually has one of the highest levels of pesticide and chemical use out of any food manufacturing process. The coffee plants are treated with ultra-strong pesticides which leak into the soil and ground water, thus killing out plant and animal life; and then the coffee beans are treated further with even more chemicals during the processing of the beans.

But when you purchase organic coffee, you can rest assured that this has not been the case. Organic coffee is grown in shaded environments, underneath the trees which are indigenous to the area in which the coffee is being grown. This provides homes for the many birds and other small animals which need these trees to survive; and the large bird population eliminates the need to use any type of pesticides, as they keep the bug population to a minimum.

And while many organic products are priced too high for the average consumer, this simply isn't the case with organic coffee. The majority of manufacturers of organic coffee offer blends ranging from mild breakfast blends to richer, darker dessert blends, all at an affordable price that isn't cost prohibitive to the typical consumer.

You can purchase organic coffee in the majority of grocers these days, and especially at your local health food store. There are just as many makers of organic coffee as there are the more commercially popular brands, so you shouldn't have any problems finding a blend that will suit your tastes perfectly. If you want to do your part to help the environment, and if you are already a coffee lover, then switching to an organic coffee blend will be a very smart choice. If you aren't a coffee lover, but you know someone who is, purchasing one of the many organic coffee gift baskets that are available will make a wonderful gift for any time of the year!

Kona Coffee

Growth and Popularity of Kona Coffee

The name Kona coffee is used to refer to various kinds of Arabica coffee that is grown on the slopes of the Hawaiian district of Kona for commercial production and sale. The weather conditions prevailing in Kona are near ideal for the healthy growth of Arabica coffee plant, i.e. bright sunlight in the morning, humid afternoons with rainfalls, and a moderate temperature at night. These climatic conditions result in the production of coffee that is regarded as one of the world’s best coffee, known in the market as Kona coffee.

The Origin of Kona Coffee

Arabica coffee plant was introduced in Kona by Samuel Reverend Ruggles who took cuttings of the plant from Brazil to Hawaii in the 19th century. Kona coffee was not very popular until the late 19th century when plantation owners gave their lands to workers on lease whose cultivation resulted in large coffee crops of high quality. Most of the workers cultivating coffee were Japanese families who, along with European, American, and Filipino workers, continue to grow coffee as ‘family farming’ in Kona.

Growing Kona Coffee

Coffee plants cultivated in Kona bloom in the months of February and March. However, it is not until August when the fruit of the coffee plants is ripe enough for picking. Hand-picking of ripe cherry (coffee fruit) start in August and continue until January, each coffee plant yielding up to 30 pounds of cherry. Beans are separated from the pulp of the cherry and subjected to the processes of fermentation, rinsing and drying, and roasting.

Types of Kona Coffee Beans

Kona coffee beans are of two main types, known as Type 1 beans and Type 2 beans. Type 1 beans are flat on one of their sides and oval on the other side; two beans obtained from a single coffee fruit. Type 2 beans are rounded and one bean occurs in each coffee fruit. Based on other properties like size and moisture content etc, each of these two types of Kona coffee beans are further divided into subtypes like Kona Prime, Kona Fancy, and Kona Number 1 etc.

Kona Blends

Pure Kona coffee is still a rare commodity and this fact has led most retailers to sell Kona blends. Majority of these blends contain a proportion of 10% of Kona coffee and 90% of other coffee beans that are usually of inferior quality and cost cheaper than Kona beans. Kona blends are thought to be responsible for the recent decrease in the popularity of Kona coffee.

Keurig Coffee Maker

Keurig Coffee Maker – The Varieties

Keurig makes a variety of high quality coffee makers that have been designed for the home as well as for the office. They have an attractive appearance and provide a great cup of coffee for you to enjoy.

The Keurig coffee maker Elite B40 sells for a little under a hundred dollars and comes with two different brew sizes. It features an automatic off function and it also includes a 48 ounce water reservoir that is easily removed. The Platinum B70 costs a little less than two hundred dollars and brews coffee in four different sizes. It features a programmable LCD and a water reservoir that can hold cup to sixty ounces of water and is easy to remove. The model also features the quiet brew technology. The Keurig coffee maker B100 sells for about two hundred and fifty dollars and has been designed for use in the home as well as in the office and is provided with a sixty four ounce water reservoir.

The Keurig coffee maker B60 Special Edition gourmet single cup home brewing system sells for about two hundred dollars and can be found at lower prices on the internet and stores. This model can make a great cup of gourmet coffee as well a tea and cocoa. It utilizes K-cups to brew the coffee and is provided with a water reservoir that has the capacity to hold 48 ounces of water. It features a programmable LCD display which contains a clock and an on and off timer. The drip tray is removable and the model is provided with eighteen k-cup packets containing various types of coffee.

One Touch Technology

This Keurig coffee maker model has the ability to make a quality cup of coffee in about a minute. It features a patented one touch technology which offers very precise brewing and you don’t have to spend time cleaning up a mess that typically occurs with other types of coffee makers. All you have to do is open up the lid and place the K-cup into the machine and then decide which size cup of coffee you want. This Keurig coffee maker features three different brewing sizes. The machine has a standard temperature for the brewing process however the coffee maker has been designed to allow you to adjust the temperature.

Coffee Makers for the Office

The Keurig machines also come in models that have been designed for office use. The B140 Keurig Brewing System was designed for offices that have less than fifteen employees and it features three different brewing sizes. The Keurig coffee maker model B200 is a great choice for offices that have thirty employees or less. Keurig makes some quality coffee makers for the home as well as the office.

Right Temperature For Hot Coffee

The Right Temperature For Hot Coffee

Coffee is a widely appreciated beverage that many people love to drink. It has become a social symbol and has developed into several flavors, forms and presentations. Hot coffee drink is still more popular than the modern iced coffee drinks. Despite the numerous adaptations and flavors that have cropped up recently, black hot coffee (with or without cream) is still one of the foremost beverages all over the world.

Drink It While It's Hot

The right temperature is needed for a person to fully appreciate the delightful taste of hot coffee. If the water used to brew or mix the coffee is too hot, and the drinker drinks it immediate, there is risk of scalding the drinker's tongue. Waiting for the hot coffee to cool a little can be tricky because it may cool too much and therefore diminish its taste. Letting hot coffee stand in an open container for over 30 minutes deteriorates the flavor and gives you a bitter taste.

The ideal temperature for making coffee is just off the boil. This puts the water or the coffee mixture at around 195 degrees. This is the right temperature for extracting the correct flavor from the beans that you use. This is if you make coffee without the brewer or drip coffee maker. The term just off the boil means after the water has achieved a rolling boil; you take it off the heat and wait for around two minutes before serving. Hot coffee is ideal for drinking slowly. Care must be exercised when drinking just served hot coffee because in many cases, this is scalding hot and may burn your tongue.

Ideally, the right temperature for serving coffee is 165 – 175 degrees. This is just enough to preserve the flavor of the coffee. Letting your hot coffee stand for can reduce the heat but at the same time, compromise the flavor of the brew when it is left along for too long. Hot coffee in cups cools faster than brewed coffee in a carafe or an airpot. The airpot is the best way to preserve you brewed coffee since it is airtight and does not allow the coffee to cool easily.

Drinking hot coffee is not only for mornings, many people have extended the practice of consuming the dark beverage after meals or during late afternoon. Some even drink hot or cold coffee at night after dinner. Hot coffee can be soothing for some drinkers and necessary for many others.

Hawaiian Coffee

What Makes Hawaiian Coffee Stand Out

Some people think that Hawaiian coffee is the same as Kona coffee but these two kinds of coffee are actually different from each other. The difference lies in the regions that they are grown. Hawaiian coffee is a term used to loosely describe all the coffee grown in the state of Hawaii where as Kona coffee is the product of the Kona region of the Big Island of Hawaii. Since Hawaii is a volcanic island in the Pacific, it has soil rich in minerals and all the islands enjoy great weather almost all year round. Some of the coffee plants are planted in elevated areas that promote better plant growth due to the cooler weather with almost year round sunshine. There are actually many different kinds and varieties of Hawaiian coffee.

Kona Coffee

Kona coffee is one of the most well known in the world because the beans are grown in high elevation at the slopes of Mauna Loa and Mount Hualalai. The earth here is rich and the temperature is cool. This combination makes for better coffee plants and results in beans with very rich flavor. Although, Hawaiian coffee is a very loose term that does not directly mean Kona coffee, many people think of Hawaiian coffee as something equivalent to Kona coffee. It is the most popular of all the different varieties of Hawaiian coffee.

Kaua'i Coffee

Kauai coffee is another variety of Hawaiian coffee that is specifically grown in the islands. It has a mild acidic taste compared to Kona coffee and some people actually prefer this variety of Hawaiian coffee. It is fast gaining a good reputation as one of the better coffees from Hawaii.

Other notable varieties of Hawaiian coffee are Ka'anapali Maui coffee, Haleakala Maui coffee and Moloka'i coffee. These Hawaiian coffee varieties are not only sold as pure coffee but also come in many different blends. Some are flavored as well and many reach up to the far corners of the world.

Arabica coffee is probably the most sought after coffee beans but where they are planted also play a huge role in making the beans more flavorful and rich. The Hawaiian coffee varieties are among the best in the world. This makes them more expensive than other coffee beans grown on lower elevations. The coffee beans from Hawaii are sometimes blended with other coffee beans to offset the expense from getting the great beans from Hawaii.

Green Mountain Coffee

Choosing Green Mountain Coffee For All Your Coffee Needs

The Green Mountain Coffee company has been serving the coffee needs of the United States since 1981. Offering everything from specialty coffee roasters to fresh ground organic coffee, the Green Mountain Coffee company started as a small coffee café in the beautiful Vermont mountains. Not long after the Green Mountain Coffee company first opened their doors, the demand for their top quality brews grew so quickly that they were forced to expand beyond the four walls of their small café, and soon became the multi-million dollar mail order coffee business.

Million Dollar Brews

As wonderful as their coffee may be, the Green Mountain Coffee company has never quite attained the status of its well known counterpart, Starbucks. But even without having the superstar status of the Seattle coffee chain, Green Mountain Coffee has been quietly winning the hearts of coffee lovers around the world. Offering everything from specialty coffee roasters to organic coffee blends, the Green Mountain Coffee company has even branched into a monthly, mail order coffee club that will ensure coffee lovers will never have to go without their favorite brew.

Creating A Better World - One Cup At A Time

Organic coffee isn't the only thing that the Green Mountain Coffee company is offering to help better serve the world. The Green Mountain Coffee company is also benefactor to dozens of charities and charitable causes; including the March of Dimes, the Epilepsy Foundation of Vermont, and the United States Olympic Committee. In an effort to do even more for the environment, the Green Mountain Coffee company has even been instrumental in organizing river clean up days in their local area; doing their part to help keep the Winooski River clean.

In addition to their efforts in their local Vermont community, the company has created a special Wildlife Blend coffee. This special blend is organically grown under canopies of trees native to the areas of Mexico and Peru where they are grown; and which provide homes to the many native birds who help to keep the bugs away from the plants, thus eliminating the need for pesticide use. This special blend was created in conjunction with the National Wildlife Federation.

Whatever your tastes in coffee, and whatever your coffee needs may be, the Green Mountain Coffee company has a little bit of something for everyone. Their prices are more than reasonable, and you can order a catalogue simply by visiting their website. If you or someone you know is a coffee lover, check out the Green Mountain Coffee company today!

Green Coffee Beans

Roasting Your Own Green Coffee Beans

Coffee starts out as berries which turn red when they are ripe for the picking. Usually, these berries are handpicked and then brought to a machine that separates the pulp from the beans. The green coffee beans are then washed thoroughly and prepared for roasting. Some producers of coffee beans do not roast their green coffee beans but sell them ready for roasting. This is because some individuals prefer to roast their own green coffee beans in their homes or some coffee companies prefer to do their own roasting to be able to control the way the coffee beans are prepared.

How To Roast Green Coffee Beans At Home

Commercial roasters use commercial methods to roast green coffee beans. The length of time that the coffee beans are exposed to roasting dictates how strong the coffee flavor is. Shorter roasting time allows the coffee beans to retain the flavor that specifies where they are grown and produced, such as Hawaiian Kona, Blue Mountain Jamaica, Kenya and Java. If the green coffee beans are roasted for a longer period of time, they lose their intrinsic natural flavor indicative of their origin. Instead, coffee beans roasted for a longer period of time become more full bodied and darker.

Initial roasting time for some coffee drinkers is seven minutes. This kind of roast achieves a light roast wherein the green coffee beans double in size and the flavor achieved is somewhat sour or grassy. Around nine to eleven minutes of roasting, the coffee beans achieve medium roast. This kind of roast gives coffee drinkers a sweeter roast compared to the light roast. The flavor is more full bodied also. In both light and medium roast, the green coffee beans are still dry and just slightly browned. They have not excreted the oil that usually comes out in the darker roasts at these times.

After about 12 – 13 minutes of roasting, the green coffee beans will have turned a slightly darker brown compared to the earlier roasts. At this point in the roasting process, the beans will have started to poop and turn a little bit shiny due to the oils escaping the surface. This dark roast has a richer body and can also be a bit spicy or chocolaty in flavor. After 14 minutes of roasting, the darkest roast is achieved. This tastes primarily of roasted coffee beans rather then the inherent flavors of a specific bean. The green coffee beans at this time are now a very dark brown color and are oily to touch.

Roasting your very own green coffee beans can be very satisfying for those looking for the perfect cup of coffee according to their tastes.

Gourmet Flavored Coffee

Gourmet Flavored Coffee – What is it?

When making gourmet flavored coffee the first part of the process is applying oils to the coffee beans that have already been roasted. The oil used has been specially made for adding flavor to the coffee beans. The best types of oils for gourmet flavored coffee are made from natural ingredients. They cost more than the synthetic varieties of oils however the natural varieties of oils are useful for preserving the natural flavor of the coffee. Gourmet coffee is one of the more popular types of coffee. The sophisticated, rich flavor of the gourmet beans is enjoyed all over the world.

There are a large variety of gourmet flavored coffees including mint, raspberry, vanilla, hazelnut, chocolate and numerous other tasty varieties. When you are selecting flavored coffee beans it’s a good idea to buy high quality coffee beans. They cost more than the typical flavored coffee beans but typically you will notice the better flavor that is provided with the quality beans.

Arabica Coffee Beans

The Arabica tree produces about seventy percent of the coffee beans for the world. Gourmet flavored coffee that has been produced from Arabica beans provide the coffee drinker with a great taste. The typical cool environment as well as the abundance of moisture where Arabica coffee beans are grown creates high quality beans. The soil in the Arabica producing areas also provide some of the rich flavor that is found in gourmet flavored coffee.

The Arabica tree is thought to have originated from the northeastern portion of Africa and the trees are now found all over the world. Gourmet coffee beans that have been produced from the Arabica bushes are typically taken from the bushes three times each year for approximately thirty years.

Robusta Coffee Beans

The Robusta coffee beans are primarily grown in an environment that is more humid as well as hotter than the typical environment for the Arabica beans. The Robusta coffee beans are mostly grown in Central America, portions of South America and the southeast portion of Asia. The Robusta beans are typically blended with the beans from the Arabic trees. The blending provides a more complex and richer flavor to gourmet flavored coffee.

While producing gourmet coffee the temperature that the beans were roasted at plays an important role in the flavor of the coffee. The Europeans typically enjoy the darker types of coffee beans and the American coffee drinkers seem to enjoy the lighter colored beans. Gourmet coffee beans will retain their freshness and flavor better when they are placed in oxygen proof bags. If you enjoy coffee there are numerous varieties of gourmet flavored coffee that are available.

Gourmet Coffee

The Pleasures of Gourmet Coffee

Gourmet coffee by definition is a kind of coffee that has been judged as excessively refined and superior in flavor by experts. Gourmet coffee is found in different flavors like almond, vanilla, chocolate, peppermint, Pumpkin, Swiss Mocha etc. Coffee sellers now stock both caffeinated and caffeine-free varieties of gourmet coffee. Also, many coffee sellers now provide gentle verities of coffee that are sought by people having the problem of stomach acidity. In any case, Arabica and Robusta varieties of coffee remain the two prime candidates for gourmet coffee.

Buying and Making Gourmet Coffee

The best places to get gourmet coffee are Coffee Roasters which provide freshly roasted coffee. In contrast, roasted beans available at local supermarket are usually roasted two to three months earlier than they stock it for sale. Grinding the freshly roasted beans gives them the best flavor. It is recommended not to store gourmet coffee beans at the usual room temperature but they should be kept instead in airtight jars and stored in a fridge. In case the user means to store the ground coffee beans for a long time, without risking their freshness, they may be kept in a freezer.

To ensure the highest quality of taste for one’s gourmet coffee, the coffee maker should be kept clean. Washing the coffeemaker with water and vinegar at least once a month cleans it of any remnants of the taste of previous preparations. The amount of coffee used in a preparation also determines its taste to a significant degree. For making gourmet coffee, it is best to use two tablespoons for every six ounces of clean water. Finally, purchasing coffee from famous coffee-selling companies is a good way to enjoy the best of different tastes in coffee.

Gourmet Coffee Gift Baskets

Making great coffee for one’s own joy and that of one’s family is a unique pleasure but many people also choose to happily surprise their loved ones by sending them gourmet coffee gift baskets on special occasions or just once in a while. These gift baskets contain a collection of the recipient’s favorite coffee brands and sometimes special coffee bean roasts. Besides coffee, one may include accessory food items like cookies, chocolate, and biscuits in a gourmet coffee gift basket. Coffee lovers, especially those who work in offices and take a coffee break, are the ideal recipients for these gift baskets. But these can be presented to anyone who is fond of a good coffee beverage, especially on occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, and Christmas when fine food is the center of celebration.

Flavored Coffee Beans

Have A Different Cup Of Coffee Every Day With Flavored Coffee Beans

Once upon a time, when you heard the term coffee you knew that this meant excellent, rich, black coffee. Today that is not the case as the flavored coffee beans have changed all that. However good the coffee cup would be, sooner or later you would crave for a change.

Some people use variations created by adding milk, some add schnapps to it, some add a little cream, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, nutmeg, and so on; every variation has its own attraction. There are of course, people who would not have their coffee any other way but black – and that is a choice as well.

The Satisfaction Of A Great Cup Of Coffee

Initially, people had laid out certain rules for making coffee and stepping outside those rules was considered a sacrilege. There were unwritten lawn of how coffee should be brewed, how should it be consumed and with what. However, with the passage of time innovators kept looking for ways to improve on the taste of the daily cuppa and they came upon the idea of flavored coffee beans.

What Are Flavored Coffee Beans?

As explained earlier, people were looking for variations of their daily cup of coffee; not because the coffee was no longer excellent in taste and flavor, but simply because they wanted a change. So they added this and that experimenting with the taste until they found a flavor that suited their taste and then they used that one (or more than one) to have a change from time to time.

The downside of this process is that you might not get the exact right combination every time you make the coffee. Sometimes you might end up adding a little more and sometimes you would add a little less and so the taste would vary. In this way it would be a matter of chance when you get that perfect cup of flavored tea.

Looking at this as an opportunity rather than problem the idea of using flavored coffee beans germinated. Here the flavor is directly infused in the coffee beans which carry the exact amount of flavor for your perfect cup of coffee every time you would make it without any exception. The flavored coffee beans here would be treated with chemical solvents to give you the exact desired flavor.

In this process, the required flavor is added directly to the beans immediately after they are roasted. The flavor adheres best when the coffee beans are still hot as at that time they have the highest odor absorbing power - and this is how today you have the flavored coffee beans in all possible flavors that you could imagine.

Espresso Coffee Beans

Espresso Coffee Beans – Are They Special?

Some sellers of espresso coffee beans give you the impression the beans are special when compared to ordinary coffee beans, however espresso coffee beans are just basic coffee beans. Any variety of coffee beans can be used to make a cup of espresso. Some drinkers of espresso have the impression that you need certain types of blend of beans for espresso but you can actually make a good tasting cup of espresso from just one type of coffee bean.

Some fans of espresso think the roasting of the coffee beans is what makes the difference between the espresso beans and basic coffee beans. They have the impression that the espresso beans are provided with a very dark roasting process but espresso beans are roasted in a variety of ways and the region where you purchase your espresso coffee beans from have an impact on how light or dark of a roasting process the beans were given.

Recently Roasted Beans

If you are looking for some espresso coffee beans that will provide you with a high quality cup of espresso it’s important to find coffee beans that have very recently been roasted. Some experts claim that roasted coffee beans are only good for about two weeks and afterwards the quality of the beans declines and the taste of the espresso as well as the aroma loose their quality.

The coffee beans are typically roasted at about 450F for about ten to twenty minutes. After the roasting process has been completed the beans are left alone for about twelve to thirty-six hours to allow the gases that have been created during the roasting procedure to be released. Some experts claim that about fifteen hundred different types of chemical substances are contained in roasted coffee beans which give the coffee its flavor.

Pressure Brewed

Espresso is basically pressure brewed coffee which is made from coffee beans that have been grounded into very fine particles. The brewing time for a cup of espresso is approximately twenty-five to thirty seconds. A quality cup of espresso will be provided with a dark gold colored cream on top. A cup of espresso is produced by pressing approximately one and a half ounces of water that is close to boiling through espresso coffee beans that have been grounded to be very fine and have been firmly packed.

If you have made the espresso properly you will be treated with a dark brown brew that is thicker than a typical cup of coffee and has a layer of a creamy substance on top. Espresso coffee beans come in a wide variety and make sure the beans have been recently roasted which is important when attempting to create a good tasting cup of espresso.

Decaf Coffee

Decaf Coffee Is Not 100% Caffeine Free

Many people love coffee but cannot stand the caffeine that goes hand in hand with it. Decaf coffee is the answer to this problem. The word decaf or decaffeinated gives the impression that the caffeine is taken out of the product and the product is caffeine free. Actually, in decaf coffee this is not the case. Not all caffeine is removed from the coffee beans when it undergoes decaffeination.

Standard Of Decaf Coffee

The international standard of decaf coffee is capable of removing only 97 % of caffeine from the green coffee beans. The EU standard is to have the green coffee beans 99.9 % free of caffeine by mass. Taking away more caffeine than that stated in the standard means altering the taste and flavor of the finished product. This means coffee will not be coffee anymore if 100 % of the caffeine is removed. Producers are afraid that decaf coffee will actually be different from the full coffee and not sell well at all.

Methods Of Extracting Caffeine From Coffee

Decaf coffee undergoes decaffeination before the coffee beans are roasted. The many ways of making decaf coffee are called Swiss water process, direct and indirect method, CO2/O2 method and triglyceride process.

In most methods, they usually start with steaming the unroasted green coffee beans in varying lengths of time. After the steaming process, they coffee beans are exposed to a solvent that is caffeine free coffee water or something similar to coffee without the caffeine. This exposure is repeated for several times depending on which standard is the goal for making decaf coffee.

Decaf coffee is great for those who have a negative reaction to caffeine. Caffeine has a tendency to make one more alert and perky but the downside to this is that your sense become more sensitive and more stressed due to the unnatural high from the caffeine. Decaf coffee helps those who react differently to caffeine by containing a very small amount of caffeine. This minimal amount of caffeine is negligible enough not to cause the unwanted reaction some people have to it.

You can surmise from your reaction to ordinary pure coffee is you need to consume decaf coffee instead. Things to look out for are being more stressed or tense than usual, twitching of the eyes and hands and other signs. These may also be signs of other ailments so it is best to consult a doctor if these signs occur.

Coffee Shops

Coffee Shops Provide More Than A Drink

Coffee shops are located in hotels, malls and small shopping centers. Coffee shops have become much more popular in the last few years. In a good hotel, a coffee shop will have something for everyone who is on the move. These shops have plenty of coffee in a good hotel, but these shops also have hamburgers, hot dogs and steaks. A good coffee shop is usually open twenty-four hours a day while others are open early in the morning until late at night. People can go for just a cup of coffee, but they can also go for a three course meal.

A good coffee shop serves whole meals with nutritious food, and often these coffee shops have hot fudge sundaes which are often fattening for everyone. One of these shops usually caters to a wide variety of people. Families with small children usually like coffee shops because the parents could have some great dishes, and there is usually a special menu filled with the favorites of most children. A kid’s menu often has a selection of choices that appeal to children who are away from home. Most people on the road are quite content with the food at the hotel coffee shop.

Coffee Shops Provide A Comfortable Space

Coffee shops have sprouted everywhere lately. On some corners in large cities, there might be one coffee shop on each corner. People seem to love these shops, and they feel very comfortable drinking coffee or working on their homework. People with their laptop computers come to the shops to drink a bit of coffee and accomplish their tasks in a comfortable setting. Some people may go to the shops every day to work on their tasks or watch the other people. Some people bring along a group so they might have some coffee and just chat with their friends.

The shops specialize in coffee for refreshment, but there are many variations of coffee in this modern age. First of all, there is hot coffee, and there is iced coffee. Many of the shops have coffee with many different flavors. A customer can order coffee flavored with white chocolate or French vanilla. Many people like to have a bit of whipped cream on top. Although coffee seems to be very popular, these shops also offer some great varieties of tea. Many people have to try the different types of teas, coffees and specials in order to fully appreciate the available flavors.