Famous Vienna Coffee Houses
Vienna offers quite a lot to tourists – from amazing sightseeing opportunities, to delightful treats in its large number of coffee houses. If you’re paying the city a visit and would like to try out some of the exquisite tastes presented in one of its numerous coffee houses, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Remember that the most popular coffee houses aren’t always the best ones. In some cases, smaller places that are somewhat concealed around the city’s winding streets may end up giving you a better deal and allow you to have a better time as you’re sipping from your coffee at them. Café Prueckl
, which is one of those less popular ones, is one of the best choices for newcomers to the city to experience some of its delightful coffee flavors. Try out all the special varieties they offer and don’t just stick to the first one you like though!
If you’re wondering what to make out of all the sorts of coffee offered in Viennese coffee houses, you should have a look at this great illustration of different Viennese coffee sorts. It can give you a good overview of the most popular sorts being consumed around the city, and you’ll be much better prepared when you go out to have a cup of coffee with some of your friends – or even complete strangers, who tend to be very friendly here in Vienna! So enjoy your stay and savor every moment with Vienna’s wonderful coffee!
Home Brewing: Stove Top Brewing
Stove Top Moka Pot
Based on the idea of brewing Coffee with steam pressurized water, these ‘Moka pots’ are more common in Europe, these small machines (or machinetta in Italian – another name for the devices) were first patented in 1933, and the design hasn’t changed much since then.
After filling the boiler with water, and adding the finely ground beans of coffee to the basket, the well sealed unit is then placed over a medium to medium high heat on the stove. The steam builds up and the pressure eventually forces the boiling water rapidly through the valves, up through the beans, and into the collecting chamber. You’ll be able to tell that it’s ready, as the machine starts to gurgle – meaning that the water is almost empty. As with the percolators, the coffee shouldn’t boil, and with practice, you’ll get to the point where you can estimate the time it’s ready.
Compared to Drip machines, the taste will vary greatly depending on the bean variety, the heat used and firmness of the beans, the quality you can get is very high – as the water gets very hot (often well above 100c) but doesn’t boil with the beans, the caffeine and flavour is extracted much more effectively, so you can get a stronger brew. Because of this they are sometimes referred to as ‘Stove top Espresso makers’ – which is true. They often produce coffee of a similar quality, and adding a small amount of sugar or carbonated water to the water chamber will often produce the same Crema that is produced in traditional espresso machines!
The machines require periodic replacements of the seals and filters, and a check to make sure that safety release valve isn’t blocked. Aside from this, making sure that the machine is cleaned well with hot or boiling water after it’s been used will remove the oily residue from the Coffee brewing process – but make sure you don’t use any soaps or detergents which would strip away the protective coating.
Photo Courtesy of: INeedCoffee / CoffeeHero
Coffee Mills and Grinders: What for What?
There’s two popular ways of creating your own coffee mix – Mills or Grinders. The mills are cheaper, as they slice the beans, but they can leave the beans in a less even grind, and can also leave the coffee with a slightly burnt taste, if they’re being ground for too long. Grinders are more like a pestle and mortar, in the way that they are very simple, and grind things evenly. There’s Wheel grinders, which are cheaper but spin very fast but noisy. The Conical burrs spin slower, are quieter and offer a lower likelihood of clogging, but are more expensive compared to the Wheel Grinders.
However, at the end of the day, you’ll be able to work out which will suit your needs best over a short period of time, depending on what type of coffee machine you have and what you like to drink.
Getting the right beans at the right size and texture can make the difference between a memorable cup of coffee (for the right reasons) and a memorable cup of coffee (for the wrong reasons!)
The choice of grinds will depend greatly on what you are drinking – for a percolator or cafetiere use a coarse grind so that the oils in the beans will be released, but not too fine that they will burn quite easily.
When you’re using a filter machine, it can vary depending on the type of filter that is on the machine. For example, a cone-bottomed machine will use a fine grind, compared to a medium one for flat-bottomed machines. This is because the way that the water will flow over the beans and the type of filter device used can change the flavours and brewing strength that is achieved.
For an Espresso, you want the grind to be as fine as possible. The small quantity of water that is poured through the amount of beans needs as high as possible surface area to absorb as many of the oils (which contain the flavours) as possible, and having the grind very fine means that there’s a lot more area that the water will pass through.
Photo Courtesy of Ray Larabie
Home Brewing: Filter Coffee
This is one of the more common machines – a Filter Coffee Machine (also known as a Drip Brew Coffee Machine). It’s quite a recognisable design, and very simple and easy to use.
These machines work by heating water and then pouring it over a ground coffee powder, which is kept in a either a paper, plastic or metal filter and then into the large carafe, which is able to keep the coffee warm for a long period of time, whilst keeping it fresh and not burnt. The filters have been around for a long time, and have been modified to make them as easy to use, and simple to clean as possible (for the plastic and metal filters), meaning that it’s more effective and economical for producing coffee in smaller quantities.
The prices of these machines will reflect the performance, style and complexity of the systems – a basic starter machine can be as little as $30, and all the way up to over $200 for a decent Filter Coffee Machine. The difference in the price: the functions of the machine – ranging from being able to make standard Filter Coffee, through to Espressos, Lattes and Cappuccinos, including warming pads (to make sure your cups don’t crack), some machines wouldn’t look out of place in a Coffee House, as well as including a Strength Selector. The basic machines are still great – you can easily increase the amount of beans, or decrease the amount of water to adjust the strength, and can easily make and keep warm up to 16 cups with certain models.
Photo Courtesy of: Nalundgaard
Home Brewing: Cafetieres
These are incredibly simple filter devices, which were created in France in the late 1800’s (hence the other name for them: ‘French Press’). They’ve been improved and modified over the years, giving you a whole range of different options in terms of how to brew your coffee.
The beauty of a device like this is that it’s constantly brewing – so instead of the last cup being weaker (like from a Drip or Pod Machine), it can often be much stronger in taste, but you need to be careful that they don’t spoil and become bitter – beans in a ½ Litre Press tend to last for around twenty minutes after they are left in the drink once brewed. The French Press is able to create a smooth, rich tasting coffee as it doesn’t deteriorate any of the delicate flavours in the oil of the beans, which occurs when the coffee beans are exposed to boiling water for a long period of time.
This system is so incredibly simple – all you need is one of the Press’ (a cylinder made out of strong plastic or glass, with a tight-fitting lid and wire-mesh plunger), some coarse ground beans, and hot water. Because of it’s simple design and mechanism, there are so many different varieties of design that are on offer – and they look great on the table for after-dinner coffees.
The simplicity of the design, coupled with the success and popularity of it has lead to a wide variety of portable, travel designs – made out of plastic, and quite light-weight or out of stainless steel, or insulated to keep the coffee hot (in a similar way to how a thermos mug works)
Photo Courtesy of: Papalars
It’s a Fair Trade…
A large amount of you will probably be drinking Fair Trade Coffee as you read this, and may not even realise it. But you may not know much more than it’s a reasonable price paid to the farmers. There’s social benefits to the farmers, which extend further than the extra money which they are paid.
The scheme was set up in order to help the farmers of Coffee, Cotton, plus a variety of fruits by paying them a higher fee than what they were used to – for example, in August 2001, Coffee Beans were just $0.50 per pound. The current minimum price that companies have agreed to pay is $1.26 – nearly double the price of non-fair trade coffee, which is sold in Coffee Houses for the same price.
There are some requirements to the farmers with these prices, however – the money should be invested in much needed health care, education and looking after their environment – in other words, supporting the small farmers with your purchase of Fair Trade Coffee, you are supporting better in them in the long term by helping to improve their local villages and towns.
Currently across America, there are over one hundred companies with agreements to offer certified Fair Trade Coffee. They include Starbucks, Tully’s, Diedrich, plus many more local companies. All of these companies are offering you the chance to make a change to someone else’s life, by doing nothing more than asking for Fair Trade coffee.
Using Fair Trade Coffee is more than just being kind and caring to the farmers. Hopefully, it will make enough of a difference to someone’s life – improving their health and future generations possibilities.
Bukidnon Corn Coffee: A Healthier Alternative?
Coffee has received so much bad publicity in the recent years that one should be wondering why it is still such a popular drink all over the world. I, for one, do not care much for all the negative news – and I don’t really listen. If, however, you are feel differently and you have been looking for an alternative to coffee, then here is something that might interest you: corn coffee.
How can it be coffee if it is made from corn? That’s why it’s an alternative, silly!
The story is that in the Philippines, the people used to use corn kernels as substitutes for coffee beans during World War II. The reason is that the Japanese occupation disrupted the farming of coffee, while corn was still in relatively abundant supply. Hence corn coffee was born.
According to those who have tried corn coffee, you really wouldn’t notice the difference. Maybe it’s something like saying “It tastes just like chicken!” when trying out a new kind of meat? While I am not disregarding the idea that corn coffee may taste good (it probably does – corn products do taste great), I highly doubt that the difference from real coffee is not detectable. If coffee enthusiasts can detect the subtle differences between different kinds of coffee and how they are brewed/roasted, how much more for coffee made out of other beans?
In any case, this is worth checking out. This kind of coffee is supposed to be good, free of caffeine, and organic. What more can you ask for (aside from “real” coffee, that is)?
I haven’t seen any site selling this coffee internationally, though. If you know people from Manila, Philippines, they might be able to get some for you. Anyone here who has tried corn coffee?
Photo credit: kevindooley
Grocery Stores To Get Starbucks Flavored Coffee
Pretty soon, we will be able to go to the grocery store and ask for Starbucks flavored ground coffee. I am not saying that everyone wants Starbucks for their home brewed coffee, but for those who cannot get enough of their coffee, this move is going to be a dealmaker.
According to Starbucks Corp., they are planning to release three kinds of flavored coffee to be sold at your local grocery store. This is a big step as other brands have a strong hold in this market. Think Folgers. Think Maxwell House. These are the brands that most everyone buys when they go grocery shopping.
The three flavors are vanilla, caramel, and cinnamon. The line is called Starbucks Natural Fusions, and we can expect them to be available in the market next month.
This move is part of the ongoing campaign of Starbucks to make their products more commercially viable for the average consumer. I have to admit that it makes a lot of sense. Instead of going to a Starbucks store and pay several dollars for one cup of coffee, people can buy the ground coffee and brew it at home – with more or less the same Starbucks taste. For those who brew coffee several times a day, having this product available will be a boon, especially in these hard economic times.
Of course, there will be critics and they will be heard – much like the critics of Via, the instant coffee line that Starbucks developed. If you remember, that line was surprisingly widely accepted by consumers!
While I was one of those naysayers when it came to Via, I am a bit more optimistic about Natural Fusions. What do you think?
The Quest For Real Weasel Coffee
I just realize now that I have been scammed. For all my talk about being street smart, and being able to smell a scammer from a mile away, I somehow always end up being ripped off one way or another. I don’t get scammed big time, but I do tend to fall for small scams – which have a way of adding up.
Anyway, when I was in Saigon last month, I was hell bent on buying as much coffee as I could. I didn’t particularly like the mocha coffee that my friend brought home last year, but I knew that Vietnam had more coffee to offer than the kind I originally tasted. So on my last day, I went around Ben Thanh market to take a look at the plethora of coffee beans that they sold there.
I should have known – when I saw practically every stall selling “Weasel Coffee” – that the stuff was probably not the real thing. Still, I disregarded my instinct and bought bags of the “awesome” coffee anyway. I was thinking, this is Vietnam. Everything’s cheaper here.
Now that I am drinking my nth cup of Weasel Coffee, I think that I might have paid good money for a fake. Everywhere online, I keep reading about the elusive weasel coffee and how replicas are sold all over Saigon and Hanoi; how tourists are being scammed every minute. Unfortunately, I think I am one of them.
So how do I get my hands on the real deal? Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Keep Going With K-Cups
How many cups of coffee do you need during the day to function well? This figure will definitely vary from one person to another, not to mention the kind of coffee that one drinks. But, I am sure that you will agree with me when I say that there are days when you simply have to get more than what you usually have. You know those days when you can’t seem to get your act together?
What do you normally do to deal with those days?
Here’s something that can help you from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters: revv and revv Pulse K-Cups. Just one look at the name and you know that you’re in for something GOOD!
These products can give you that energy jolt that you extremely need without packing on the calories. They can be used with ANY Keurig single-serve brewers and are made of 100% Arabica. Now, I don’t have to tell you that what this means, do I? Energy and LOADS of it!
What’s the difference between revv and revv Pulse? The former is more conventional – coffee, plain and simple – while the latter has a twist to it, courtesy of the added Ginseng and Guarana. These two ingredients are commonly found in energy drinks, as they are naturally occurring energy boosters.
The only downside I see is that if you do not own a Keurig single-serve brewer. That can be easily remedied by buying one, of course, but perhaps you can find a way around it. To buy the coffee, visit Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.
