The New Complete Coffee Book: A Gourmet Guide to Buying, Brewing, and Cooking
I am almost done with the book I have been reading for the past week so I thought it was time to search for some new interesting reads. I ran across this book on Google Book Search (as usual – I just love this Book Search!) and from what I have read in the preview, it looks like a good buy.
The book is quite short – a little over a hundred pages – and has 5 main chapters (introduction not included). The chapters are:
History
The Bean
The Roast
The Brew
Recipes
I think that The New Complete Coffee Book: A Gourmet Guide to Buying, Brewing, and Cooking would be perfect for your coffee table – something to browse through on a lazy Sunday morning as you sip your cup of joe while watching TV or whatever else it is that you do on lazy Sunday mornings. There is a lot of information on coffee within the pages of the book and you can get a lot of ideas for unique meals using coffee.
On the other hand, I felt that something was lacking. Sorely missing were the most basic of information, like, how to make cappuccino, latter, and the like. I know, perhaps the authors purposely left information out in order to focus on the more advanced aspects of coffee but it would have been nice to have it in the book as well.
Anyhow, I am still thinking of whether or not to buy the book – we’ll see this weekend.
Hilary And The Coffee Machine
This is a blog about coffee and NOT politics. God forbid that I start talking about politics! I actually make it a point not to dip into that pool – but this is just too funny to pass up!
You’ve probably heard something about this already – there are countless copies of the video circulating on the Internet today. So a potential president of the US can’t figure out how to coax coffee out of a machine, huh? Priceless.
Starbucks And iTunes Show Love
Starbucks and Apple are perhaps the two brands that I like the most – well, perhaps is the operative word here. In any case, these two groups have teamed up to bring more pleasure to their customers. Sometime last week, Starbucks proudly announced its new program – the Pick of the Week.
Yes, it is true that the name for the promotion could have been more creative. (Come on now guys, you make millions! You can surely pay someone to come up with something more than “Pick of the Week!”) However, the idea is quite an interesting one.
Imagine yourself sitting at your favorite spot in your regular Starbucks hang out. You spend a relaxing hour or so sipping your favorite coffee drink, doing whatever you are doing, and listening to your favorite music on your iPod all the while. Perhaps you don’t even need to imagine this – it is reality!
YOU are the target clientele of Starbucks and Apple. With the Pick of the Week, loyal Starbucks and Apple customers can enjoy free downloadable content. How?
I don’t know the exact details (obviously the Starbucks nearest me does not seem to have this promo running yet) but the idea is that people who buy coffee from Starbucks will receive a Pick of the Week download card. This card can then be used to redeem a free song or music video from the iTunes store. Users have up to 60 days to claim the song or video but can also download on the spot with WiFi access.
Coffee Etiquette In Italy
I sure am not headed to Italy any time soon (though the partner and I are planning a trip next year) but I found this blog post on The Road To The Horizon very informative and funny as well.
Did you know that Italians mostly drink their coffee at the bar standing up? If you drink your coffee at the table, then you are probably marked as a tourist (not always a good thing in my book).
How long does it take you to finish off an espresso? For me, it depends. Sometimes I finish it off really fast, sometimes I take my time. In Italy, espresso is meant to be drunk in a jiffy – 3 sips at the most.
As I was reading these interesting bits of trivia, I was thinking – would anyone really care if I didn’t follow the Italian customs when it comes to coffee? Well, I suppose that when you’re in Rome, you have to do as the Romans do. The blog post explains:
It is a habit, no, more a culture, strong: a religion, in Italy, not to drink any coffee with milk in it after breakfast. Cappuccino or Caffe Latte orders after 11 am are often laughed at or joked with.
While coffee bar tenders in the big cities will frown when you order a Caffe Latte in the afternoon, and exchange a glance of “Ah, tourists!” with the people standing at the bar, they will still serve you - all be it - reluctantly.
In restaurants, though, you might get occasions where the waiter will simply not serve you a coffee with milk in the afternoon or evening. The more remote the place, the more “mama and papa”-type the restaurant, the more chance of getting accused for “sacrilege”, turning that ‘friendly hospitable waiter’ into a rude tiran who wants nothing better than to see your backside as you walk out of the restaurant, while all you wanted was a “Cappuccino”.
Ok, ok I get it. Well, not really. I have to read this blog post over and over again – and take notes – before I even think of going to Italy.
Coffee Pot Meth
Ok, I have to warn you – this post is a bit weird. I have never heard of this “myth” before until I ran across I Need Coffee’s archive of articles. One title caught my eye – Coffee Meth Myth? Coffee and drugs? A bomb of a combination, isn’t it? So what is it all about?
Apparently, last year, a rumor circulated around the Internet that coffee pots in hotels were being used to make home made meth. As such, some people got really skittish about using the coffee pots provided in their hotel rooms. You never know – you just might be drinking something more in that coffee of yours, right?
Yet is there any truth to this? If you read the article, the author presents statements from various law enforcement officers. Though there is no hard proof for this “myth,” it seems that it is indeed possible to make meth using a coffee machine (at the hotel or at your home or wherever there is one). An officer even said that he had run across this situation several times in his career. Shall we take this for truth?
The author draws these inferences:
• Methamphetamine can indeed be cooked in a coffee carafe.
• A small coffee maker can be used to make meth through the “Nazi method.”
• Meth is sometimes cooked in motels or hotels.
• It wouldn’t always be possible to look at a carafe and determine whether it was used to cook meth.
I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to be careful. I honestly can’t make myself believe this, though. I mean, maybe it has happened. Maybe it is happening. Yet I can’t stay away from that coffee machine on something as vague as this. How about you?
Coffee Rush!
I don’t remember if I have shared about my passion for video games, which is, I think, at the same level as my passion for coffee. Those two go hand in hand as far as I am concerned. Anyhow, I recently finished playing this casual game called – you guessed it – Coffee Rush. The moment I received an e-mail from one of the popular casual game sites informing me of this new game, I got all excited. What do you get when you put gaming and coffee together? Coffee Rush!
I know that some of you may not share my passion for video games but humor me for this post, please.
Coffee Rush is a fine blend of puzzle action (finding patterns on the board) and eye and hand coordination (it’s a time management game as well). Your role is an up and coming coffee shop owner set on bringing down an evil coffee chain which cares only for profit and does not care about its customers. You have to serve your customers their favorite drink by finding the ingredients on the board and forming combinations in order to complete the number of needed ingredients. You can upsize drinks and serve side dishes in order to earn more money. The bottom line is to serve your customers what they want as fast as you can – basically what we coffee lovers want in real life, right?
So anyhow, if you feel like spending some of your time on an easy but fun video game, I suggest you try Coffee Rush. You’ll definitely be wanting some java while you play!
Choosing Between Espresso and Infused Coffee Brewing
For the coffee veterans, the manner of preparation of their brewed coffee means a lot. Brewed coffee is entirely different compared to the usual concoction that people consume from the manufactured coffee powder anyone can buy in the nearby stores and supermarkets. Espresso and infusion of quality roasted coffee beans offers a more delightful experience for the top tasting coffee that every coffee addict is looking for.
The beauty of espresso is that aside from it regular preparation, it can be combined with other drink such as latte and cappuccino. Espresso preparation pressures the heated water through the coffee grounds and producing the said espresso brewed coffee drink.
Infusion is where the coffee grounds are saturated with fine water to produce the soluble flavors that brewed coffee preparation has today. Infusion caters more to the standard manner of preparation where coffee maker machines are used to produce the quality coffee drink in most homes and some establishments as demanded by the avid coffee drinker today.
Technorati Tags: espresso, infusion, coffee, coffee preparation
Coffee as a Socializing Tool
Whether a person would set an appointment for a meeting or a casual get together, chances are the first place that would come into mind are the local coffee bars that house the finest coffee blends today. There is no concrete reason for such coffee places to be the preference of most people. It just so happens that they seem to mix with meetings and functions for professionals who want to discuss and mingle for a couple of hours at any time of the day.
Something in having coffee perhaps instigates everything to lure the meetings and gatherings. If a person would think about it, coffee does not have any real impact on the expected outcome of the conversation. It has just been passed through generations and has become a common tradition for businessmen to discuss certain matters, business or personal, over a cup of coffee at places where it is convenient for both parties.
Technorati Tags: coffee, coffee drinker, coffee meeting
Coffee for Two on Valentines Day
Couples spending Valentines Day dont have to look for anything that extravagant to spend the special day of the hearts. A simple coffee hangout with their favorite brews and mingling with some side order of deserts and pastries would be enough. The important thing is that lovebirds are together to savor the occasion of the hearts.
Besides, coffee shops are known to bring a sense of ambiance to most people who look for unwinding and comforting atmospheres today. Valentines is no different since it is an occasion that is not much ballyhooed compared to more significant occasions such as Christmas and Thanksgiving.
Regardless, Valentines is more about spending the quality time with someone special in your life and coffee or tea for two may be more than enough to cherish the moment. For all its worth, it would not be surprising to see most coffee shops filled with people enjoying Valentines Day celebration over a cup of coffee.
Coffee Recipes From the Food Network
Though coffee has been around for centuries, it often feels like it’s a new fashion trend because new coffee places keep popping up. These places have more than just your basic cup of coffee and definitely none of it is instant.
We have discovered that there truly are some people who are gifted with taste. They set the standard for food. They help please our palates. Thy help us become kitchen wonders just like they themselvs are. These are the chefs.
Chefs love coffee as much as we do. They use it in various recipes, not all of them drinks. The 2 recipes listed below are from the Food Network celebrity chefs that are a must try.
Coffee Granita by Alton Brown
- 2 cups lukewarm espresso or strong black coffee
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons coffee flavored liqueur
- 1 teaspoon orange or lemon zest
Directions:
Combine all ingredients and stir until sugar melts. Pour mixture into 9 by 13-inch metal pan and place on level shelf in freezer for half an hour. (Mixture should only come about 1/4-inch up the side of the pan.) Remove and use a dinner fork to scrape any ice crystals that have formed on the side or bottom of the pan. Return to freezer and repeat scraping every 20 to 30 minutes for 3 to 4 hours. Once mixture is thoroughly frozen, fluff with a fork and allow flakes to “dry” in freezer another half hour before serving. When served, the granita should look like a fluffy pile of dry brown crystals.
Scoop into goblets and top with barely sweetened whipped cream, add additional citrus zest if desired.
Cardamom Coffee Custard by Gale Gand, Host of Sweet Dreems
- 2 cups whole, 2 percent fat, or 1 percent fat milk
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons dark-roast coffee beans, crushed with a heavy skillet
- 4 green cardamom pods, crushed
- 6 egg yolks
- 2/3 cups sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4 whole coffee beans, for garnish
Directions:
In a nonreactive saucepan, bring the milk, vanilla bean, crushed coffee beans and cardamom to a simmer over medium heat. Immediately turn off the heat and set aside to infuse for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), whip the egg yolks, sugar and salt until pale yellow and fluffy. With the mixer running at low speed, mix in the cornstarch, then very gradually pour in the hot milk mixture, mixing it in as you go.
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve back into the saucepan, to smooth it and to remove the spices. Whisking constantly, cook over medium-high heat until thick and just boiling. When the mixture thickens, the whisk will leave trail marks on the bottom of the pot and the mixture will have a few large bubbles boiling up to the top. Cook just until no starchy taste or feeling remains. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until melted. Pour into 4 custard cups, ramekins, or mugs and chill, uncovered, at least 2 hours or overnight. Serve chilled, placing a whole coffee bean in the center of each serving.
Technorati Tags: coffee, recipes, food network, sweet dreams, dessert, Gale Gand, Alton Brown
