Specialty Coffee Site

Here are some quick tips on how to best store your coffee. Following these tips will result in the best cup of joe for you down the road.

Start by buying freshly roasted beans. You can get these at your local coffee shop. Look for ones that roast in house whenever possible.

Next, it’s important that you buy your coffee as whole beans. Yes, it’s more convenient to buy your coffee already ground, but it looses it’s flavor and aroma much more quickly this way. Believe me, it is well worth the extra two minutes of your time that it takes to grind your own coffee in the morning.

Coffee will keep about 2 weeks. When possible, buy your freshly roasted whole beans vacume packaged. Once you open the pack, be sure to use it up within two weeks.

Store your coffee in a cool, dry place. I like an airtight container that I then keep in a kitchen cabinet. Do not stick your coffee in the fridge or freezer.

When you’re ready for your cup of coffee, grind as much as you need to make that pot, and brew away. You’ll be amazed at the difference in flavor of this coffee compared to a cup brewed with already ground coffee from the grocery store.

photo credit: INeedCoffee / CoffeeHero

Tags: how to store coffee, storing coffee

Here’s another great cold coffee recipe. This one is for an easy coffee shake.

Coffee Milk Shake

• 2 c Milk
• 2 tb Sugar
• 2 ts Instant coffee
• 3 tb Vanilla ice cream
• Strong coffee; cold

Add ingredients in blender in order given and mix at high speed for 5 minutes or until blended. Pour into frosted glass.

I usually use coffee leftover from the morning for this quick afternoon pick-me-up. You can easily mix it up by using different types of ice cream for different flavor. Using chocolate ice cream for example gives it more of a mocha type of flavor. It’s also really good with cookies and cream or strawberry ice cream.

If you want to get fancy you could top your shake with a little whipped cream and some chocolate shavings.

photo credit: rick

By the way, if you don’t want to get your blender out, just scoop some ice cream into a tall glass, pour cold coffee over it and add a little sweetener to taste and top it with whipped cream. Yum!

Tags: coffee milk shake, coffee shake

Do you ever wonder how much caffeine there actually is in a cup of coffee? I came across the following list at Wikipedia and thought I’d share.

• Drip coffee: 115–175 mg (560–850 mg/L)
• Espresso: 60 mg (2000 mg/L)
• Brewed/Pressed: 80–135 mg (390–650 mg/L)
• Instant: 65–100 mg (310–480 mg/L)
• Decaf, brewed: 3–4 mg
• Decaf, instant: 2–3 mg

These numbers are for an average cup of coffee or espresso. As you can see using the drip method seems to get the most caffeine out of the ground coffee beans.

In case you are wondering, it is usually considered safe to consume up to 300 mg of caffeine per day, which would be the equivalent of about 2 cups of coffee. Women who are pregnant may want to consume less than that or completely give up caffeine just to be save.

Speaking of giving up coffee… our bodies develop quite the physical addiction to caffeine and you can expect some withdrawal symptoms if you have been consuming it regularly. They include headaches, muscle aches and irritability. These symptoms should stop after a few days without caffeine.

Here are some other things that contain caffeine, just for the sake of comparison:

• Black Tea 45 mg
• Green Tea 20 mg
• Coca Cola 34 mg
• Dark Chocolate (1oz) 20 mg

photo credit: EverJean

Tags: caffeine content, how much caffeine

After all this coffee history and news talk, it’s time for another yummy coffee recipe. Since this is July and it’s pretty hot outside, I thought a cool coffee drink would be just the think. And let me tell you did it ever hit the spot after a hot afternoon of chasing the kids in the yard. Depending on the time of day you may want to leave out the brandy.

Cappuccino Shake

• 1 c Skim milk
• 1 1/2 ts Instant coffee
• 2 pk Artificial sweetener
• 2 dr Brandy or rum flavoring (optional)
• 1 dash Cinnamon

In a blender, combine milk, coffee, sweetener and extract. Blend until coffee is dissolved. Serve with a dash of cinnamon.

photo credit: jesswebb

Tags: cappuccino shake

Ok, I admit that’s a weird title, but basically I was wondering what countries produced the most coffee. Here’s a list from 2007 which is the most recent one I’ve come across.

1. Brazil
2. Vietnam
3. Colombia
4. Indonesia
5. Ethiopia
6. Mexico
7. India
8. Peru
9. Guatemala
10. Honduras

I was surprised to see Vietnam and India on the list. I guess I just haven’t come across to many coffees from those regions. The rest I would have guessed would be on a top then list. I’m glad to see Ethiopia pretty highup there since coffee originated from there. The business of coffee has certainly become a global affair.

Just for fun and comparison, here are the top coffee drinking nations:

1. Finland
2. Sweden
3. Switzerland
4. Germany
5. France
6. Italy
7. Brazil
8. United States
9. Japan
10. Britain

Interestingly Brazil is the only country that appears on both lists.

photo credit: futureatlas.com

Tags: top coffee nations

Do you ever wonder when people first started making coffee from coffee beans? I was pondering that question the other night and did a little research. Apparently the consumption of coffee can be traced back to the ninth century when a goat herder in the mountains of Ethiopia noticed that his goats were always extra perky after chewing on the seeds of the local coffee plant. He biled the seeds and thus made the first cup o’ joe.

From there the consumption of coffee slowly spread throughout northern Africa and the Middle East. Due to much trading with the east, the first coffee in Europe came to Italy, probably through the Port in Venice. From there it quickly spread throughout Europe and later North America. Today it is of course consumed all over the world and many of us couldn’t get going in the morning without our coffee fix.

photo credit: INeedCoffee / CoffeeHero

Tags: coffee, coffee origin, history of coffee

I feel sure you’ve heard of black forest cake. It’s actually my favorite cake in the world, so when I came across this recipe for black forest coffee, I just had to try and … and let me tell you, it’s simply divine and very easy to make. I usually have all the ingredients in my fridge, and it took no time at all to whip this specialty coffee up.

photo credit: catlovers

Black Forest Coffee

• 6 oz Fresh brewed coffee
• 2 tb Chocolate syrup
• 1 tb Maraschino cherry juice
• Whipped cream
• Shaved chocolate/chips
• Maraschino cherries

Combine coffee, chocolate syrup, and cherry juice in a cup; mix well. Top with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and a cherry.
And yes, it looks just as pretty as it sounds. I wish I’d taken pictures, but we drank these much to fast. I’ll try to remember next time. Definitely a great drink if you want to impress company and a yummy after dinner treat.

Tags: black forest coffee

I was looking up some quotes the other day and came across quite a few of them that talked about my favorite beverage… coffee. Here are a few of my favorites.

Coffee, the finest organic suspension ever devised.  ~Star Trek: Voyager

and here’s another one from the same show.

“I don’t want anything better, I want coffee.” ~ Captain Janeway Star Trek: Voyager

This coffee falls into your stomach, and straightway there is a general commotion.  Ideas begin to move like the battalions of the Grand Army of the battlefield, and the battle takes place.  Things remembered arrive at full gallop, ensuing to the wind.  The light cavalry of comparisons deliver a magnificent deploying charge, the artillery of logic hurry up with their train and ammunition, the shafts of with start up like sharpshooters.  Similes arise, the paper is covered with ink; for the struggle commences and is concluded with torrents of black water, just as a battle with powder.  ~Honore de Balzac, “The Pleasures and Pains of Coffee”

Caffeine isn’t a drug, it’s a vitamin!  ~Author Unknown

Mothers are those wonderful people who can get up in the morning before the smell of coffee.  ~Author Unknown (in case your wondering… yes, I’m a mom).

Tags: coffee quotes

The purpose of the Melitta Take 2 Coffee Brewer is to provide a convenient way to make fresh coffee on the go.

The Melitta Take 2 Coffee Brewer has two stainless steel cups that fit perfectly into the coffee holders in cars. Each of the two cups holds a full fourteen ounces of coffee. That’s enough to keep yous supplied for awhile.

The Melitta Take 2 Coffee Brewer brews coffee directly into either of the fourteen ounce cups. No pouring is necessary. No fuss and no mess! You’re going to love the convenience. The Melitta Take 2 Coffee Brewer uses a #2 cone filter and the brewer features dual spouts, which detach for easy cleaning. (You will love that feature!)

The Melitta Take 2 Coffee Brewer is a neat little product that will make an excellent gift for on-the-go coffee drinkers. It is a very good value.

Tags: Melitta Take 2 Coffee Brewer

I don’t know about you, but there are quite a few mornings where I won’t drink all the coffee I’ve brewed. I used to pour the leftover down the drain, but it seemed like such a waste. Plus I like some sort of coffee drink in the afternoon as a quick pick-me-up.

Now I pour the leftover coffee into a large mug, let it cool and then stick it in the fridge. When I’m ready for an afternoon (or anytime really) coffee treat, I take out the mug, add some ice and liquid creamer and I have myself a nice iced coffee.

Another idea is to blend the cold coffee with vanilla ice cream for a yummy coffee shake.

Tags: cold coffee