• Home
• Espressozone.com
• Starbuckstore.com
• Coffeeforless.com
• Links

Grinding Coffee Beans With Your Own Coffee Bean Grinder

May 14th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

When you are making coffee on a regular basis, quality and taste are important.  There are some key benefits of using a pure form of coffee for the standard cup each day, as opposed to the commercial-grade grounds found in most supermarkets.  Grinding coffee beans will help provide maximum flavor, a lasting finish, and plenty of healthy oils in conjunction with potent taste.

A high quality taste for your coffee can be achieved by purchasing fresh roasted coffee beans from your favorite vendor and grinding the beans at home.  You can get that fresh coffee-shop quality right at home with the use of a coffee bean grinder.  The best tasting coffee is made within two minutes of grinding; this means you need to transfer those grounds to a coffeemaker, espresso machine, or cup as soon as possible.  Having an in-home coffee bean grinder can help with this process.

Coffee beans go through multiple chemical changes during the brewing process, and you can make the most of flavor and texture for each type of brewing method.  Espresso machines require a very finely ground coffee, and you can achieve this with the right setting on a quality coffee bean grinder.  Drip coffee makers will require a medium coarse size, and you can also adapt the right setting on your coffee bean grinder to optimize the grind.

Burr coffee bean grinders are the most popular type of grinders available, and can be used with a variety of fresh coffee beans and purposes.  Burr coffee bean grinders can be hand-cranked or electric, and offer a variety of features according to each manufacturer.  Blade coffee grinders are the least expensive models, and make use of a motorized blade inside the hopper.  These can be used for regular drip coffee makers, but will not be as consistent as the burr models.

Making the perfect cup of coffee or espresso is easy with a quality coffee bean grinder.  By grinding coffee beans at home, you are maximizing the flavor and freshness of every single cup!
 

The Appeal Of The Automatic Espresso Cappuccino And Coffee Machines

April 12th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

In modern coffee times, automatic espresso cappuccino and coffee machines that can consistently deliver more flavorful and robust coffee all the time have often replaced coffee makers and percolators. Consumers will surely be astounded by the wide variety of automatic espresso cappuccino and coffee machines available on the market, ranging from the more affordable stove devices to the more expensive automatic and super automatic types. Among these choices, the automatic espresso machine has attained slow but steady popularity among consumers.

An automatic espresso machine is an electric device that requires users to grind, dose and tamp coffee into portafilters that the machine brews into a pre-determined volume. The automatic espresso machine will then exert the required pressure to extract the full flavor and richness of the tamped coffee puck for a full shot of espresso. Saeco, Gaggia, Krips, Rancillio and Solis are some of the popular manufacturers that make high quality and dependable automatic espresso machines that consumers turn to for dependability and function.

 Varieties Of Automatic Espresso Cappuccino And Coffee Machines

The automatic espresso machine is essentially divided into several types based on price, function, and frequency of use. However, it may be true that the automatic espresso machine is a sign of the owner’s love for coffee and the prestige and style of having one displayed on the home’s countertop. These days, automatic espresso machines are not only limited to commercial coffee houses, but are slowly and steadily finding a spot in homes and offices. The convenience and ease of use for quick coffee brewing are some of the popular reasons behind the popularity of the automatic espresso machine.

There are different types of automatic espresso machines that function based on tested principles to provide rich espresso with every use. A basic automatic espresso machine has a built-in flow meter that regulates the amount of water needed to produce espresso. The same device is pre-programmed to work with a pump that automatically turns off at the right time to release the ideal brew through a solenoid valve. An automatic espresso machine employs the user to manually grind and tamp the coffee into a coffee puck for brewing.

However, the most popular automatic espresso machines are the semi-automatic types patented by Achilles Gaggia in the late 1930’s. Semi-automatic espresso machines have integrated the electric pump system into the espresso machine without the built-in flow meter. This machine also requires the manual grinding and tamping of the coffee for flavor extraction. Semi-automatic machines are also designed to offer ideal pressure to force water through the coffee with the push of a button or a lift of the lever. The same mechanism allows semi-automatic espresso machines to produce consistently rich and full-flavored espresso with every use.

The latest innovations in the automatic espresso machine industry are the automatic espresso cappuccino and coffee machines that offer convenience, speed and easy maintenance to tickle espresso aficionados’ fancy. Initially designed, developed and marketed for commercial use, many manufacturers have started to produce miniature varieties specially designed for home use. Super automatic espresso machines successfully integrate the dependability of a fully automatic espresso machine and the convenience of a built-in coffee grinder for maximum ease.

 

Try Flavored Whole Bean Coffee For A Quality Coffee Drink

April 4th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

The secret of a delightful coffee comes from the quality of the flavored whole bean coffee that later becomes that coffee drink. It holds a lot of stories as to their origin, preparation, and the portion that they hold in the wide market of coffee.

Flavored whole bean coffee comes from many parts of the globe. It comes from the tropic regions of Cancer and Capricorn, from the Pacific Islands, Africa, Arabia and Latin America. Each coffee from different parts of the world holds unique characteristics, each of them special in their own right.

While we are contented to a certain degree as to the taste of the coffee we prepare at home, coffee experts are not. They continuously search for what is the best from around the world. Not being contented by this, though, others resort to blending. This blending process means that they combine certain types of whole bean coffee. They are careful in putting just the right amount to come up with that heavenly taste that would later become their legacies. Established coffee chains participated in this process. This is the very secret of the luscious coffee that they sell on the market.

This process does not, however, stop in the blending of the different types of coffee alone. Coffee moguls search for the best coffee beans in the world and blend them together, carefully selecting the top quality beans among the lot; they do a lot of taste testing to accomplish this.

The roasting process is another secret. They roast the blended whole bean coffee to perfection, so that it will complement each other’s taste and texture. The proper amount of roasting arrives at a certain unique character of coffee drink that is delightful to the taste.

No wonders the coffee that we drink from coffee chains is heavenly in taste. Not worries, though, because these especially delightful coffees are offered in packages that can be prepared at home. You need not always be in the coffee chains to enjoy a great cup. Just purchase the freshly packed flavored whole bean coffee and take them home for your own convenience.

Show Your Love With A Custom Coffee Gift Basket

March 27th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Looking for a suitable gift for the coming holidays? A custom coffee gift basket is a wise choice. A custom coffee gift basket is the kind of present that many people will love. This is true simply because there are plenty of coffee lovers on this planet. It is evident by the booming coffee businesses that can be seen almost anywhere. They are highly patronized in almost every part of the globe. And why not, with the very enticing taste of coffee and the stimulating effect that it gives?

In preparing your custom coffee gift basket, it helps to know the coffee preference of the person you want to give it to as gift. If you are not sure about his preference or if he can enjoy just any type of coffee, you can make some experiments. You can make assortments of different gourmet treats and fresh roasted coffees.

Add to your custom coffee gift basket some gourmet coffee, coffee candies, and an assortment of teas. You can also add different coffee blends and flavoring to make it more fun.

Other stuff you can add is nice cups and saucers with enticing spoons to make the set really complete. Or perhaps, you want to put in some travel tumblers and thermal mugs to make the person enjoy coffee anywhere. You can also add freshly baked cookies that go well with coffee.

If you are the busy type of person with little time to personalize your custom coffee gift basket, there is a very easy solution for you. The Internet offers a great selection of coffee gift basket types that are ready for order. All you have to do is just order online or place a call for you order and they will have it delivered to anywhere you want it to go. Nice treat, no sweat.

Why Not Own One Of The Many Home Coffee Grinders

March 19th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

It hasn’t been that many generations ago that everyone would grind his or her own coffee. Of course, these days, most of us just pick up a bag of coffee that is already ground for us, or perhaps even grind it fresh in the store. However, there are still people who swear that the only way to really enjoy coffee is to have one of the home coffee grinders and do the job yourself. Here are some of the advantages of using your own grinder.

One of the most important reasons to own and use one of the home coffee grinders has to do with freshness of the coffee. True aficionados point out that professionally packaged ground coffee has to be vacuum-sealed to maintain freshness and that the minute you open the container, you begin to lose that freshness. This is not the case if you buy the beans and grind what you need as you go. Using freshly ground coffee makes a superior cup of coffee, according to those who use a coffee grinder in the home.

There is also the expense of coffee itself. One can purchase unroasted coffee beans for about a quarter of the cost of a pound of gourmet coffee. The beans can then be roasted at home, using the grinder to make fresh product when needed. Not only does this allow you to control the level of roasting, it also means the freshest ground coffee every time, and at a much lower cost than you would pay otherwise.  

Some people simply enjoy the way using a coffee grinder makes the kitchen smell. The aromatic scent let off by the beans, as the coffee is being ground is pleasant and often brings a smile to the faces of those around the house. It is just one other small way that we feel at home through our sense of smell.  This is not unlike the way catching a whiff of cooking apples or smelling a roast instantly makes us feel at home.

Home coffee grinders come in the more traditional and crank model, as well as electric models. If you enjoy coffee, a coffee grinder may be ideal for you. Check out the home coffee grinders at your local home appliance store and see what you think.

Searching Out The Best Espresso Coffee Beans…The Bean Grader’s Art

March 14th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Ever wonder why one bean makes it to your local specialty shop and another doesn’t?

Long before you sip a delicious cup of dark espresso, coffee graders make hot and tiring journeys, face insects and hostile governments and endure weeks of frustration and danger to find the best espresso coffee beans.

Ok, maybe it’s not quite as adventurous as that, but graders do lead interesting lives.

The search for the best espresso coffee beans is graded long before it makes it to the loading dock. Someone called a ‘Green Coffee seller’ carries out the task. No, that job has nothing to do with any environmental movement. It’s simply a reflection of the fact that beans are ‘green’ or fresh, before they’re made brown by roasting.

The best espresso coffee beans are carefully examined for a number of traits.

They need to be fairly uniform in size and similarly shaped. This is important to help ensure an even roast. Smaller beans roast differently than larger ones. When the size of the bean differs the roasting time can’t be adjusted properly, since some will pop and brown before others.

Graders look for similarity of color, as well. Uneven coloring suggests that beans have dried at different rates. It also indicates that beans may have been mixed from different cultivars, again leading to inconsistency in roasting and flavor.

Beans have to be separated by geographic region grown and by cultivar in order to achieve the appropriate final result. They need to be harvested, processed and dried separately for the final product to be a fine brew.

Beans are best when they’re processed soon after harvesting. Coffee beans undergo a kind of fermenting process that will initiate after harvesting. The process isn’t like fermenting wine - turning sugars into alcohol, but it nevertheless produces unwanted compounds. Drying prevents this from beginning.

Many processors will float the beans in water to separate out defective beans, since different density beans will float at different levels. But finer beans result from a more time-consuming process called ‘dry processing’.

Dry processed beans have a brown ’silverskin’, called a fox bean in Brazil. If the silverskin can be removed by simple rubbing, it’s not a defect, but evidence of this dry process. Under ripe beans, though can also have a silverskin, which can’t be removed by rubbing. Such beans will result in a coffee with a sour taste.

Drying beans is an art all by itself. Estates often boast proudly of the skill and care taken during the process. As well they might. Improper drying often shows. Economics sometimes encourages processors to use harsh mechanical drying techniques. Drying the beans too rapidly or failing to turn them frequently enough can result in beans with an uneven, mottled appearance.

Beans that have been properly dried will first spend time on a ‘patio’, to dry the skin, before they’re fed to the mechanical dryer. Truly superior beans will have spent several short stints in the dryer at around 40°C (104°F), rather than one long one. The result is an even color and just the right moisture content.

There are a few other aspects graders will look for.

Beans can have a white edge as the result of inadequate drying or being stored in too humid conditions. The result will be a bland cup and graders are on the lookout for it.

Good Arabica coffee beans, the type used in fine coffees, will have an even, bright appearance.

Lastly, they smell the beans. Good beans will have a fresh aroma, but they also try to detect what’s absent along with what’s present. Any improper processing will add a smoky or musty tinge that you don’t want in your cup.

So before you sip that fine brew, take a moment to sense the fine aroma and lift a cup in thanks to bean graders for searching out the best espresso coffee beans for you to enjoy.

— Next Page »

Copyright © 2007 Coffee Bean 101…. Coffee and Espresso Information

Credits: Make Money Online | Matteo Turchetto | Andreas Viklund