“Pumpkin Spice Up” Your Coffee
It’s Halloween! For sure, you have got your costumes ready, and you have all your candies and treats bundled up for the kids that will come knocking at your door. Perhaps you’ve even done your grocery shopping if you’re hosting a dinner or party of some sort. In any case, I think that your Halloween will NOT be complete unless you have coffee as part of the festivities. After dinner, some of your guests may want drinks with a little kick – wine and other spirits – but I am also sure that a lot would look for coffee at one point of the night or another.
Instead of serving good old brewed coffee or plain old espresso, why not spice up your Halloween party? For sure, you have seen all those Torani bottles of syrup that many coffee shops use to flavor their coffees. You can actually get one in pumpkin spice flavor! Try your local grocery store or supermarket OR you can do your shopping online (although it is quite impossible to have it delivered on time). I searched for pumpkin spice syrup online and found some options here.
Anyhow, what’s the trick to making pumpkin spiced espresso? There really is none. All that you have to do is make espresso the way you normally do with your machine. I suggest two shots for a bolder flavor. Pump one or two shots of the syrup (depending on how strong you want the flavor to be) into the coffee, stir, and then add your steamed milk. Optionally, you can add whipped cream (you might want to pass up on that if you’re on a diet) and some cinnamon or more pumpkin spice powder.
Home Brewing: American Trend
I actually feel vindicated. I have long been a proponent of brewing your own coffee at home. One of my main reasons has always been the financial aspect. You spend so much less by making your own coffee. Of course, that is not to say that I look forward to spending time in coffee shops every so often, but that’s a different story. More than the money, however, another reason I like brewing my own coffee is that I am in more control as to the taste and flavor of the brew. While some coffee shops get the taste right according to my preferences, not all of the ones I have visited are that good.
So anyhow, I read this news article on Reuters. It said that more Americans are brewing coffee at home. Here’s the juice:
Daily coffee consumption in the United States was steady this year compared to 2008, while the number of people making their coffee at home rose, the National Coffee Association of U.S.A. said on Saturday.
Data from the 2009 National Coffee Drinking Trends survey, which polled more than 3,000 adults in the United States by telephone in January and February, was released at the NCA’s annual convention in Boca Raton, Florida.
“Even if economic conditions cause some to alter their coffee choices, they are nonetheless continuing to enjoy coffee at levels very much on par with recent years,” he said in a release.
That’s what I am talking about. You do not have to pay an arm and a leg to get a good cup of coffee! All you need is some smarts – brew it your own way and enjoy it every day!
Photo from vanderwal
Is Grinding Your Own Beans Worth It?
I think that this question has been asked so many times that it has gotten quite old. However, the fact that people keep asking it over and over again means that it is not that clear to many how grinding your own coffee beans can make a difference in the quality of your coffee.
To be honest with you, I was one of those people who kept asking this question. I normally use my good old drip coffee machine. It is just really more convenient (prep time and clean up time) than using my espresso machine (which, by the way, is in storage – yeah I know, sacrilege!). When I did get a grinder (Krups) and tried grinding my own beans, however, I discovered what I had been missing out on.
It is hard to explain, really. All that I can say is that when you buy freshly roasted whole beans and then you grind a small amount to brew, the flavor is just so wonderful! Naturally, the quality of the drink would depend on the kind of beans that you get but given the same kind, freshly ground beans are the best.
Another thing about grinding your own beans and preserving the flavor of the coffee is that you can store the whole beans for a longer period of time than you could store coffee grounds. I have noticed that even if you store coffee grounds in a sealed container, the freshness deteriorates much more quickly than if you stored the whole beans.
So to answer that question – yes, grinding your own coffee beans is definitely worth the extra effort that you have to put into measuring out the beans, grinding them, and then cleaning out the grinder. It’s a small price to pay, really.
DIY Brewing
Talking to a colleague the other day, I realized that I have been taking making my own coffee for granted. I have always thought that it was a simple, brainless thing. I guess it’s because I have been brewing my own joe for the longest time. This friend of mine, however, has only recently started to get her act together in making her coffee. Her reason? Going to Starbucks on a regular basis is just too expensive. I think that this is a trend – gone are the days when a Starbucks a day was affordable.
So anyway, I thought I’d share the same things I told my friend about brewing your own pot of coffee. Here are some of the most important points.
Get it right from the outset – start with excellent beans.
The beans make up the essence of your drink. Get sucky beans and you’ll get sucky coffee. I do not like buying beans from the supermarket because there is no telling how long they have been there. Experts say that beans that are roasted 2 to 10 days before brewing are the best. I have to be practical, though. I cannot go get beans every 10 days so I have to make do with several weeks’ worth of whole beans.
Next up – get a grinder.
I know, it is a pain in the butt. Who the heck wants to measure out whole coffee beans into the grinder, press the button, and then transfer the grounds into the coffee machine – all within 5 minutes of waking up? But hey, you can really taste the difference.
Last, find out the grounds-water proportion that suits you best.
I have to be honest and say that I do not know the exact measurements that I use but it should be roundabouts 2 or 3 tablespoons of grounds for every cup.
That’s it – that’s all I do for my daily cup of joe made from the basic drip coffee machine.
Buying A Grinder? Blade vs. Burr
Recently, I talked about my recent acquisition of a coffee grinder. When I was at the stores, my main consideration was cost. I just bought myself a $40 drip brewer, and I wasn’t about to spend more than that on a grinder.
And so I got myself a small Krups blade grinder. But at that time I didn’t realize I had other options, and that these would likely give me a better coffee experience, if not for the price.
This means if I had the cash to burn, I should’ve gone for a burr grinder.
Blade vs. Burr
There are two basic types of grinders: blade and burr. A blade grinder works by spinninng a set of blades, which chop up the coffee beans. The fineness or roughness of the resulting grind is determined by how long you spin the blades. If you’re using a brewer with a cone-shaped filter, then most likely you will need a finer grind (about 30-40 seconds). But sometimes spinning blades can produce friction and exposure to heat might cause a burning taste in the coffee grind, and the resulting grind will not always be of similar consistency all throughout. Blade grinders can come as cheap as $20 for the smaller ones.
Burr grinders, meanwhile, use a circular or conical wheel, which grinds the coffee against an unmoving surface. The fineness of the grind is controlled by how close the grinding wheel is to the surface. The fineness of the coffee grind is better controlled with a burr type grinder. However, this comes at an expense of higher cost, at about $300 or so for the cheapest.
For personal use, I would say a blade grinder is probably good enough. But if you’re venturing into commercial or heavy duty use, then by all means go for the burr kind, particularly the conical-shaped ones, which are more expensive, are easier to control and maintain.
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.
Home Roasting
What? That may be the first thing that came into your mind when you read the title for this post. I am talking about roasting your own coffee beans at home as opposed to merely buying ground coffee beans from the supermarket or your coffee shop.
So why should you even think about roasting your own coffee beans? Why go through all that hassle? To be honest, I have not even tried it for myself yet but from what I have been hearing and reading from others, you do not really know what good coffee is until you make a batch from freshly roasted beans. I do not know how true it is but being the coffeeholic that I am – always in search for the best coffee – I am more than willing to give it a try.
You may be thinking that home roasting would entail a lot of effort, time, and money. Well I found this really great post from the CoffeeGeek which will allow almost anyone to roast his own coffee at home. Guess what his main tool is? A popcorn popper!
Ingenious, isn’t it? Seriously, I might not have thought of this idea had I not ran into the CoffeeGeek’s post. Well, I would suppose that a popcorn popper is not a difficult thing to acquire – plus the fact that it is quite affordable. You may even already have one at home!
If you are interested in trying this out, you should pay a visit to the step by step guide on how to roast coffee beans at home using a popcorn popper. Here’s to a successful endeavor for all of us! Happy New Year!
Alternative Uses for Coffee
Did you know that coffee is not only for drinking but can also be used for a variety of other purposes as well? I am sure that some of you already have an inkling of what I am talking about but humor me and hear what I have to say.
The other day I was at one of my regular hang outs – the smoking lounge in our building. Unfortunately, our office building is a non-smoking one and employees can only smoke in the indoor café on the 11th floor. They serve coffee – which is not so good, to be honest – and some snacks and light meals. What I normally do there, though, is simply sit down and have a smoke.
Anyway, I noticed that their ash trays were filled with a thick layer of damp grainy substance. To my surprise, it was used coffee grains! I asked them about it and they said it makes for a good way to put the cigarettes out and keep the smell down to a minimum. I was not really convinced but I thought it was a neat idea.
I also read about using used coffee grains as a deodorizer. I don’t remember exactly where I read it but the author said to dry the used grains and then place them in small sachets or envelopes. You can then put these in drawers and cabinets and they can add a different character with regards to smell. I tried it and was it wonderful!
Do you have your own alternative ideas?
Iced Coffee Not Hot?
Coffee is usually known to be best served when hot. But for the innovative and creative minds of coffee lovers, the prickly heat of seasons such as summer would get them to think of new ways to enjoy the usual hot beverage that opens the eyes of sleepy people. That has totally changed today in the world of coffee.
Everyone is aware of such new brews, especially for people who have tried out the cold Starbucks drinks like frappuccino and ice blends. These are clear examples of new ideas brought out in the market. To top it all off, they are hits in the regions and have made other coffee manufacturers and shops create their own drinks as well.
Hence the initial notion of coffee being solely good when hot has been slowly disintegrating. Hot or cold, coffee can be enjoyed depending on the preference and want of people who love to drink a good coffee brew.
Technorati Tags: coffee blends, coffee, iced coffee, frappuccino
Where’s My Coffee?
Just how do you want your coffee? What kind of coffee beans would you want? Where does it come from? All these questions would normally be in the minds of coffee addicts and most of them look towards the web to find them mainly through search engines optimized as specialized by groups as the Los Angeles SEO specializing in affordable search engine optimization practices.
While most people could care less, there are people who put premium on their coffee. Most of them would normally go through all the trouble and look for the best manufactured and produced coffee beans there is today. The main source for searching they use to find them is the Internet.
With a whole space of web and a lot of websites catering towards providing information and pertinent links towards their need, surely the best sites to soothe their demands will always come out on top of the next query they make using the web.
