Customizing your Twitter background need not be complicated. In fact, you can easily change your background, even have it automatically changed daily, by using a service called InstaBG. InstaBG makes use of Instagram photos to generate Twitter backgrounds that you can use to liven up your own Twitter account. To get free Twitter backgrounds from InstaBG all you need to do is log in to the website using your TwitterID, tweak the options, preview your background image, and click on “Set this image to Twitter” to see the changes on your Twitter page.

InstaBG-generated collage using “coffee” as tag

InstaBG-generated collage using “caffeine” as tag

What’s even better is that you can choose the theme/tags of the Instagram photos that will be used as part of your Twitter background, just like the caffeine and coffee photos I used to come up with collage above. You can also choose the background color, tile size, and spacing between photos.

So why settle for a boring Twitter page when you can liven things up with a coffee-themed background?

Twitter backgrounds generated using InstaBG

Oh, that wonderful time of the year when everything tries to spook everyone else. From witches to ghouls to zombies – people finally have the chance to look horrible and be proud of it! And of course, there is the candy! Even those who are too old to go trick or treating still somehow get some candy in their hands!

If you are well into your Halloween preparations (or even if you’re not), all this candy goodness will excite you even more!

The History of Halloween Candy by Recipe Finder

]]> http://www.brewed-coffee.com/fun/the-history-of-halloween-candy/feed/ 0 http://www.brewed-coffee.com/accessories/how-to-make-coffee-with-a-single-tweet/ http://www.brewed-coffee.com/accessories/how-to-make-coffee-with-a-single-tweet/#comments Sun, 23 Jan 2011 04:51:18 +0000 Amy http://www.brewed-coffee.com/?p=1192 Some say that technology has turned us into a bunch of lazy people, but I say if things can be made easier, why not give it a try? I stumbled upon a really cool video which shows how you can instruct your coffee maker to brew you a pot of nice hot coffee with a single tweet. Now, people who are continuously on Twitter will certainly feel the excitement that I felt when I first read about the hack. If you are not into Twitter (how can you not be?), then you might think this silly. But, hey, being silly on a Sunday morning is allowed!

So, how does this thing work? You’ll need a little bit of knowledge – both about hardware and software. The things you will need are a coffee maker, a computer, a Twitter account, a mobile phone, and Arduino. Okay, I have to admit that it doesn’t look like the average joe will be able to pull it off, so I will stick to the concepts instead of the specific instructions on how to set it up.

The idea is to hook up the coffee maker to a computer, which will serve as the switch (albeit a complicated one) to turn the coffee maker on. If you do things right, you can simply send a tweet and the coffee maker will have your coffee ready when you want.

Hooking up household appliances to Twitter is not a new idea. A couple of years ago, some guy had too much time on his hands and hooked up his washing machine, toilet, and toaster to Twitter. Pretty soon, tweets from the threesome were flying from the guy’s house, through Twitter’s data service centers, to countless people’s Twitter accounts.

The latter “experiment” is a bit less useful than this coffee maker project, but it is no less cool, is it? Then again, cool and fun is one thing. I would much rather have a coffee maker that will not require me having to clean it and fill it with water and coffee grounds – on top of not having to switch it on. (Who said something about being lazy?)

If you still want to give Tweet-a-Pot a try, though, here’s the video. You’ll at least have a kick out of watching it.

Sadly, no prizes, except the recognition and hundreds of fans screaming your name everywhere you go (okay, I slightly exaggerate on the second part!!!). Of course, the winner will be decided and published in the next months post.

The first challenge is a simple one – head to your nearest (or favourite) coffee shop, and get a photo of the most ornate, fancy cup. Patterns on the outside, weird and wonderful handles, over-sized or even under-sized – All is fair in love, war, and the Coffee Break Challenge!

Once you’ve got the image, all you’d have to do is upload the image to your favourite image-sharing site (PhotoBucket, TwitPic and Imageshack are a few examples of popular services that can be used), once they’ve been uploaded, just post a comment with your name, where you’re from, and where the cup is from.

So, the deadline for this challenge is the Monday 13th December, at 11:59am EST – just to make sure that the time is obvious, and no confusion between midday and midnight!

Get snapping and get sharing!

I was pleasantly surprised and amused when I read about skin care companies experimenting with coffee-based products, though. Does coffee have skin care properties? Though I have not really seen or tried these products, it seems that in the US and other world markets, coffee-based skin products were released last year.

The idea is that caffeine perks you up – thus my dependence on that morning cup. Skin care companies think that if applied topically, their coffee-based products could perk you up as well and make your skin look and feel better. I don’t know about this, but it could work.

Then again, if you are thinking of using coffee-based skin products to perk you up, I doubt that it will be as effective and as enjoyable as simply brewing a pot of coffee and drinking a cup or two. For one, though the products may contain caffeine, I doubt that there is enough there to give you a jolt. Another thing is that these products are applied topically. That means that if the caffeine is to enter your blood stream, it has to go through the skin – that takes a while and the amount is probably small. The bright side is that you will smell like coffee all day long!

In any case, these products should be worth a try, don’t you think?

There is a Turkish proverb that says, “A single cup of coffee is remembered for fourty years”. In the Turkish culture, coffee is always offered at the start of any visit. No true conversations begin until kahve is served. The discussions and the brew are remembered together. No wonder that Turkish coffee is unforgettable.

There is no ritual more important in any culture than marriage. It is a way to improve ones standing and situation in society after all. Every prospective bride is tested by the way she makes coffee. Some brides are known to have substituted salt for the sugar in order to avoid an unwanted marriage.

It was also considered an insult to spill the coffee, even just a little on to the saucer so a reluctant bride would sometimes find a way to spill coffee, not just on the saucer but on the guests. That usually ended the marriage talks.
The foam on Turkish coffee is very important. It is made as the brew sits on the stove without being stirred. A few people will tell you that it is okay to stir after the first two boiling, in fact some will say it is a must but never is it stirred once it is placed on the heat for the last time. In fact, it is said that the host who serves coffee with no foam loses face.

For those of us who’ve always wanted our future read with coffee, Turkish coffee is the brew you must try. It is the remains from this brew or fal that is used to read ones possible fututre or destiny. In fact it is still a favorite pastime in Turkey today, especially among the women.

Make yourself a cup of Turkish coffee or go find a place that makes good Turkish coffee. Enjoy the experience for yourself. Don’t forget to check if there’s someone around who can read fal.

The making of espresso is both a science and an art. Over the years they have found that precision is required to make a great espresso. There are four factors that affect the making of a great shot. They are also called the four M’s.
The first factor is Macinazione or the proper grinding of the beans. Great baristas in fact will only grind beans for an espresso right before using them. 30 seconds after they have been ground, the beans are already too stale for a good espresso. The proper grind is between fine and powdery. The grind has to be uniform in order to insure the best taste. Instant powder will definitely make an awful espresso.

The second factor is Miscela or the coffee blend. Good beans means better tasting coffee. Perfectly logical, right?

The third factor is the Macchina or the espresso machine. Thanks to many inventors, you now have eay to use tools to help you make your espresso. But it will not magically make perfect espresso if you don’t know how to use it properly. The Rancilio Silva is considered the best by most espresso lovers but feel free to shop around til you find the machine that you are comfortable with.

The last factor is Mano or the skill of the barista – that means you. More than half the battle is knowing how to use your equipment properly. You need to know how to properly fill your filter basket. Some espresso lovers will tell you to tamp the ground coffee, others will tell you not to. Like all skills, making the perfect espresso takes practice so that your every espresso shot has that beautiful crema that is the mark of true espresso.

Of course, when it comes to coffee, you ought to know the difference between myth and truth! Otherwise, you might end up with the short end of the stick. Worse, you might end up with a bad cup of coffee. Yuck. (At the very least, you might end up looking like a fool!)

So let us take a look at three coffee myths which are quite popular. I hope you haven’t fallen prey to any of these!

Myth #1: Dark roasts have higher caffeine content than light roasts.
I think the rationale behind this myth is that dark roasts have stronger flavor. But, come on, use your common sense. Dark roasts are roasted for a longer period of time. That means more is burnt out of them, right? If anything, they may have slightly less caffeine in them! The next time you need more caffeine, don’t settle for one cup of dark roasted coffee. Get two or three cups instead!

Myth #2: We say eXpresso.
Riiight. And do you say “asteriX” as well? There’s this coffee shop in a town an hour away from where I live that’s called Xpresso, but really, it’s eSpresso, not eXpresso.

Myth #3: Coffee is very very acidic.
Well, coffee does contain acids, but the truth of the matter is that it is not that acidic. In fact, the pH of coffee is around 5.0 – 5.1 – beer and other fruit juices are much worse!

There you have three of the most popular myths surrounding our favorite brew. Spread the word!

Bikini Espresso has opened in Torrance, California and it does not take smarts to realize that their highlight involves bikini clad servers and baristas. They have only been open for several days but it seems that the people in the neighborhood think that they have a hit in their hands.

Barista Chelsea Turnbo says that they are having a lot of fun and that their clientele has been varied. While more men queue up for drinks, they also get women – even old ladies!

Perhaps the fact that they are quite near to the beach adds to the accepting spirit of the customers. Then again, customers are saying that while the bikini clad baristas are the unique feature of the coffee shop, the coffee isn’t all that bad. In fact, they say that the coffee is quite good.

Still, the coffee isn’t so good that the critics have been silenced. There are still those who don’t favor the idea. It is no surprise, I think. I think that it is not that much of a big deal, though. I mean, you see people in bikinis every time. What might be more interesting is to actually work in the shop, don’t ya think? Not that I would even be considered for the position!

But I never thought that I would live to see a clothing line based on material made from coffee grounds! This is the brainchild of Jason Chen, the general manager of Singtex Industrial Company, a Taiwanese company. Chen was having a cup of coffee at – you guessed it – Starbucks when the idea came to him.

Now, Singtex gathers used coffee grounds to use in their line of sportswear. So how do they do this?

I have no idea how fabric is made, but according to The Guardian, the process is much like how they turn bamboo into a viscose-like substance:

The resultant fabric is soft, light, flexible and breathable and can also be used to produce an outer shell that is water resistant. It’s impregnated with ‘activated’ carbon, derived from coconut, which makes it UV-resistant, wicks water away, keeps the wearer cool and binds to sweat to eliminate unpleasant odours.

I don’t know how they do it but it sounds good to me! Even better, they say that you only need about one cup of coffee grounds to make several T-shirts! Amazing, isn’t it?