By: Alison Cole
You often see them in countless homes, offices, coffee shops and so many other places where people convene to sip good coffee. You guessed right! It is the
old and trustworthy coffeemaker. What is the process involved in concocting those wonderful brews?
A coffeemaker is an electric appliance that makes brewed coffee automatically, consisting of a hotplate, a glass coffee pot, filter basket, and water
reservoir. It is a low-maintenance, simple- to-operate and yet efficient piece of equipment.
The hotplate at the bottom of the coffeemaker is heated in a circular motion. The heating element is a hollow aluminum tube. Upon adding water on the
reservoir, a small hole in the container’s bottom feeds a plastic hose attached to one end of the aluminum tube. When the coffeemaker is turned on, the
heating element quickly gets hot. The heat sensors make sure that the temperature is kept at 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit (90-96 Celsius). This causes the
water in the aluminum tube to boil, creating bubbles that go up the other side of the tube and travel upward to the exit hose so more water can enter the
heating element.
Hot water inside these bubbles lifts a small stream of boiling water to the coffeemaker’s top, while the exit hose ends up on the drip plate, which in turn
places the boiling water in an even amount. The water then exits to the coffee grounds below in the filter basket. The drip coffeemaker then fills the carafe
with freshly-brewed coffee.
Read more...
|
By: Alison Cole
To relax and unwind after a hard day’s work, all one has to do is take a sip of her favorite gourmet coffee and feel the tension leave her tired body.
With countless gourmet coffees in the market, one needs not only a watchful eye but a discerning taste to spot the real gourmet from the fake. But where do
gourmet coffees originate?
The Arabica coffee beans are the main source of gourmet coffees. The Robusta beans on the other hand, are known for their disease-resistance properties and
are more popularly used in commercial blends. Gourmet coffees from Arabica coffee beans boast of a finer aroma, richer flavor, and more body than those made
from Robusta beans. For commercial purposes, coffee merchants mix their Arabica gourmet coffees with Robusta beans to save on production costs.
Companies often use deception to confuse the coffee-drinking public as to the superior quality of their gourmet coffees. A typical abuse word is “blend,”
which manufacturers commonly use to describe the name of a particular brand or those from the same origin. Problems arise when, for instance, the Kona coffee
blend contains only a small amount of Kona coffee beans and the rest is from other sources such as Robusta beans, thereby minimizing the coffee experience.
Considered as the best gourmet coffees are those from Central America, Jamaica, Hawaii, Columbia, Africa, and Sumatra. Those that originated from a single
source are often blended with other sources to produce a distinctive taste. The volcanic regions create the most wonderful gourmet coffees, owing to their
rich volcanic soil, which adds a deep and flavorful taste to the coffee. These areas are home to the best-tasting coffee ever produced.
Read more...
By: Corinne Waldon
The coffee market offers a vast array of beans of every origin, in every degree of roast and grind. With so many options to choose from, how does one go
about picking the best bean for making espresso?
It is best to start with the basics. Cappuccinos and lattes are variations on espresso. They differ only in their ratio of espresso to steamed milk. Neither
requires its own separate kind of bean.
The inexperienced shopper could easily be fooled into thinking that there are countless assortments of beans to chose from and be overwhelmed. Sometimes,
unscrupulous marketers with take advantage of this common myth so they seem to have a larger inventory. In reality, there are only two types of beans
available commercially: Arabica and Robusta.
Arabica is a high altitude bean, grown at 2,400 feet above sea lever or higher, characterized by a smooth, yet slightly acidic, taste. It is usually grown in
eastern Africa and Central and South America. Robusta grows in the lower altitudes of Southeast Asia, central Africa and Latin America and has a more potent,
sometimes bitter taste.
There are many methods and opinions about the best way to roast beans, but the basic process involves exposing green, raw coffee beans to high temperatures,
usually about 480 degrees Fahrenheit, for seven to 12 minutes. The heat alters the beans, manipulating their natural bitterness and acidity. The beans become
more bitter and less acidic the longer they are roasted.
There is no one right way to roast or grind beans for espresso. In fact, espresso is usually made with a blend of beans of different colors and
consistencies. It is not uncommon for different geographical areas to favor a specific blend. For example, in northern Italy, they prefer espresso roast in
the medium range, while California tastes lean toward the darker, French roast.
Read more...
|
By: Monice Dulcinea
Coffee is the number one breakfast drink the world over. There are very few places that do not serve this staple and that is a very good thing to say the
least. So many people depend on this drink for that bit of energy in the morning to get through the day and of course there is some big business when it
comes to coffee and the coffee maker. The business that surrounds this part of the world is big and more and more people are trying to get in on it. This
means that there is more than enough competition to make the best in coffee maker products that the world has seen. This is an important thing to a good many
people as the coffee maker is the number one appliance in their home.
Bunn is the best-selling coffee maker currently on the market. For a good many years the company was not making products for the home, but instead only those
for the many businesses that served the drink. This has all changed as the Bunn company has seen the demand for their top quality coffee maker products for
the home. This has brought new levels of financial stability to the company and they are enjoying the success overall.
Read more...
By: Steve Valentino
Over five hundred billion cups of coffee are consumed each year making it the most popular drink on this earth. For centuries, this aromatic, spirit-lifting
drink has been the beverage to serve at any and all events. Many board meetings and friendships have thrived over a cup of coffee. Extracted from the seed of
cherries growing on coffee trees, coffee is grown extensively in fifty-three countries across the equator.
Specialty gourmet coffee is very popular among coffee drinkers today. As a matter of fact, statistic show that it is one of the fastest growing food
retailers netting approximately $8.5 billion a year. People enjoy the taste of the sophisticated beans used in the making of this delightful gourmet drink.
The beans are grown at very high altitudes on Arabic trees and feed on volcanic ash. A cool climate and lots of moisture result in a high quality bean group.
The soil the beans are grown in produces the very distinct flavors of the gourmet beans. Gourmet coffee has a more balanced flavor and richer taste than the
standard mass-produced coffee. The beans go through a rigorous process of certification that is very strict to help keep the quality high. To help keep
standards high, the Specialty Coffee Association of American was created in 1982, for the specialty coffee trade.
You can find gourmet coffee in most grocery stores, specialty shops, restaurants and coffee shops. If you are a true connoisseur, you might compare gourmet
coffee to a wonderful bottle of wine.
|
|
Drink
Thursday, 25 March 2010 04:31 | 
