Every “aficionado” is on the quest to prepare the perfect cup of coffee. They search the stores for various beans, experiment with different roasts and an assortment of different methods of brewing, all with the intent to achieve the perfect cup of coffee. Now your quest is ended, you have found exactly what you need to know in making a delightful cup of coffee.

To begin with, wash out all your coffee making equipment thoroughly. This includes the grinder and the coffee maker, from top to bottom. Residue from previous cups of coffee can turn stale and subtly change the flavor of your next brew. If you clean the equipment after every use, you will avoid this problem and will have made the first step towards brewing your perfect cup of coffee.

Next, buy from a top quality supplier the freshest coffee beans that they have. That does NOT include your supermarket! There are many coffee suppliers that can be recommended who have the freshest, high quality beans available. It is also important that you don’t buy too many beans at a time. While you may get a discount for buying in bulk, the beans will be too old by the time you get around to using them, so stick to small quantities that you can use up within a month or less.

Another very important factor in how your coffee tastes is the water used. Tap water will pass on any taste that it has to your beverage. To get the best results, use distilled water. This will also prevent the buildup of minerals in your coffee maker. If you do choose to use tap water, let it run for a few minutes to clear out any impurities that might be stored in the pipes. If at all possible, start with the coldest water available.

If you want that perfect cup then grinding your own beans is really the only way to go. The oils that are released when a coffee bean is ground are very volatile and tend to dissipate very quickly. For this reason, it’s best to grind the beans right before they are used. There are plenty of small, inexpensive grinders that can be used to make your daily cup of coffee ‘ or you can purchase a combination coffee grinder/maker where the beans are ground “in situ” and deposited directly into the container underneath, and then the coffee-maker takes over.

To spread the tiny particles of coffee evenly through the brew you must stir the pot of coffe before serving, then you will provide the perfect cup each time you pour. You will find many people who will tell you that most coffee lovers actually drink their coffee in a diluted form. The correct ratio of coffee beans to water is exactly 2 tablespoons of coffe beans to one cup of water.

By following the above steps, you will have accomplished the “piece de resistance” of the coffee world — a cup of coffee that is just right, perfect in flavor, in texture and in color.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/how-to-brew-the-perfect-cup-of-coffee-390082.html

About the Author:

The author of this article, Brian Hill, is one of those coffee “addicts” mentioned in the article, and runs a virtual store online at http://infosource.biz/coffeestore/

Feel free to distribute this article as you please, as long as you include this resource box.

Is drinking coffee a languid morning ritual or something you do on-the-go? Do you prefer an uncomplicated cup of black coffee or an espresso with a light crema layer? To help you decide on the ideal brewer for your lifestyle, here is a rundown of popular coffee machines, from single cup Keurig coffee makers to the more elaborate espresso makers:

Drip Coffee Maker

You can’t get more traditional in your approach to coffee brewing than by using a drip coffee maker. Introduced for home use in the 1970s, these machines work by letting water pass through coffee grounds held in a paper filter or plastic filter. The clear, light-bodied coffee then collects in a brew pot.

Drip coffee machines range in size, but typically brew eight to twelve cups at a time. Many models have a heating element which keeps the pot warm. Coffee left sitting in the heated pot for too long may develop a burnt or bitter taste.

Benefits: Ease of use. Brew multiple cups in a single pot.

Drawbacks: Moderate brewing time. Need to clean up used grounds and coffee pot.Single Cup Coffee Maker

Single cup coffee machines are among the newest trends in coffee brewing. These machines use individual portion packs of coffee to brew one cup at a time. Simply fill the water reservoir, pop a portion pack of your favorite coffee in the holding chamber, and press the brew button. In under a minute, you’ll have a fresh cup of gourmet coffee.

While the most common type of portion pack is the coffee pod – a paper filter containing coffee grounds – some brands of single cup coffee maker call for the use of their own proprietary portion packs. For instance, single cup brewing systems from Keurig use K Cups and those from Tassimo use T-Discs.

Prices for single cup coffee makers range from less than $50 to more than $300, depending on the size and model. Many models can brew tea and hot cocoa as well as coffee. Some high-end models are capable of producing coffee with a crèma layer. A single cup coffee maker is a great choice for someone who’s always on the go.

Benefits: Quick brewing time. Minimal clean up.

Drawbacks: With the exception of some high-end models that take loose ground coffee, you must use portion packs.

Percolator

Coffee percolators are a type of drip brew coffee maker. Highly popular in the early twentieth century, percolators have resurfaced as a nostalgia item in many homes.

What distinguishes percolators from standard drip brewers is the way water moves through the percolator chambers – boiling first in the lower chamber, bubbling up through a vertical tube, then percolating down through the coffee grounds before re-circulating. This process gives percolated coffee a unique taste. If heated for too long after the percolating process completes, the coffee may develop a bitter taste.

Benefits: Characteristic “perking” action. Non-electric and electric versions available.

Drawbacks: Slow brewing time. Diminishes natural flavor of coffee beans.

Espresso Machine

Espresso machines offer coffee with a more European flair. The machines operate by forcing hot water through finely ground coffee beans. This process results in espresso’s characteristic crema layer. Espresso typically has a thicker consistency than drip brewed coffee and contains more sediment from the coffee grounds.

The flavor of espresso is much more concentrated than drip brewed coffee, making it the perfect base for lattes, mochas, macchiato, and cappuccinos when mixed with varying amounts of frothed milk. While espresso is higher by volume in caffeine than drip brewed coffee, the customary small serving size means that most espresso drinks contain less caffeine than a mug of coffee. This is a true luxury item.

Benefits: Trendy. Quick brewing time. Produces a variety of espresso drinks.

Drawbacks: More complicated to operate. Espresso flavor degrades quickly after brewing.

Remember, not all coffee makers are created equal. Once you’ve decided which type of coffee machine best suits your lifestyle, making a purchase becomes a matter of deciding your price range and desired features. It helps to read consumer reviews posted on the Internet before choosing a particular model. If you take your time and research all the options, you’re sure to find a coffee maker that will perk up your mornings for years to come.

About CoffeeCow

CoffeeCow.com goes to great lengths to provide the highest quality products, the fastest service, and the deepest discount prices you will find on Keurig K-Cups, coffee pods, and a wide selection of related coffee supplies. Developed by coffee professionals with over 35 years of experience in fulfilling any coffee service need, CoffeeCow offers all the coffee conveniences for your home or office. Visit http://www.coffeecow.com for more information.

Source : http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles

• 17% of the adult population consumed a gourmet beverage on a daily basis in 2008 and 14% in 2007.Drinking gourmet coffee has become a national pastime. It’s not just the explosion of Starbucks across the nation that’s fueling it, though their marketing has certainly awakened the taste buds of a whole generation. These days, you can buy your gourmet coffee at any number of places. Here are just of the few ‘new’ outlets for gourmet coffee.
  • McDonalds, which started selling Newman’s Own Organic coffee a while back, has started marketing the McDonalds Café concept, with lattes, cappuccinos and McDonalds Gourmet coffee as of January 2008.
  • Burger King’s BKJoe brand is roasted by Douwy Egberts, the second largest coffee roaster in the world, expressly for BK.
  • Target, the national department store chain, packages and distributes its own brand of gourmet and single origin coffees.
  • Store 24, a major East Coast convenience store chain, offers Green Mountain Roasters gourmet coffee in all of their stores.
  • 7-11, national convenience store chain, has made the gourmet coffee bar a central part of their new store design, and offers a wide variety of ready-to-go coffee for consumers on the run.

Another factor in the increase of gourmet coffee drinking is the popularity of single serve coffee systems, which make it easier to have gourmet coffee at home every morning. The Senseo, Tassimo and Keurig systems have all increased sales and feature gourmet coffees in their coffee lines. Here are some more highlights form the report:

• Adults 25-59 led the upswing with 19% of daily gourmet coffee drinkers. This is an increase of six percentage points from 2007.
  • In the young adult demographic, coffee drinking was down last year in that age group; with 44 percent reporting that they drink coffee as opposed to 47 percent the previous year.
  • On the other hand, 18 to 24 year olds are becoming serious coffee drinkers. In 2005, only 26 percent of young adults in that age bracket considered themselves coffee drinkers. By 2007, that figure was up to 37%, making the 18-24 year old coffee market the fastest growing segment of the market. Older adults, in the 40 to 59 year old bracket, are also big coffee drinkers. This age group increased from 59 percent to 61 percent over the previous year, and those age 60 and over report the most coffee consumers - 74 percent of adults in that age bracket reported that they drink coffee every day.

• Consumption of cups per day by consumers age 18-24 continued to trend higher in 2008. Young adults who drank coffee consumed an average of 3.2 cups per day as compared with 3.1 in 2007, a significant increase over 2005’s level of 2.5 cups per day.Our generation grew up thinking of coffee as a morning pick-me-up and after dinner drink for adults only. The 18-24 year old group has a different view of coffee, thanks to the coffee shop culture. Where older generations gathered at the local soda shop, these kids made the local coffee shop their afternoon hangout. Starbucks and other local chains improved their coffees with flavors, sugar and many creams. This makes their coffee more appealing to the younger crowd. As those kids graduate from high school and move on to college, they’re finding that their love of coffee moves along with them.
  • Past year consumption of iced and frozen coffee is up significantly from 2007 levels.
    Maybe it’s the heavy marketing? Nothing tastes quite as good on a hot summer afternoon as a tall glass of iced coffee, but until the past few years, who knew? These days you can get your iced coffee fix at your local McDonalds, Burger King or Dunkin Donuts, or you can brew it yourself at home. The most popular frozen and iced coffee drinks include:
  • Dunkin Donuts, who claim that they practically invented iced coffee, has been selling their coffee over ice for years. In the late 90s, they added the Coffee Coolata, which could be topped with whipped cream.
  • Wawa, a popular convenience store located throughout portions of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia is a popular location for coffee enthusiasts in these east coast states. They have sold over 195 million cups of their freshly brewed coffee. Wawa uses their own blend of coffee beans and make quality coffee a top priority.

All of these coffee trends show that coffee is a popular drink among many age groups and is part of American culture. Over the years, these trends change while coffee is introduced to new demographics. Overall, Americans enjoy coffee daily and everybody has their favorite location to get their coffee fix.

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/stephanie-larkin/54858.htm

People love coffee. They start their daily routine with a steaming cup of coffee in the early morning. But it is a question whether they really realize the benefits of coffee as a health drink. Coffee stops headache. It boosts your mood. These are the good things about coffee that all of us know. But there are more than what eyes meet in coffee matters.

1. Research has shown that coffee minimizes the risk of diabetes.

2. Believe it or not, coffee lowers the risk of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. People who drink coffee regularly are around 80% less likely to be affected by Parkinson’s disease than who do not take coffee at all.

3. Regular drinking of coffee distances you from colon cancer. Daily two cups of coffee, the risk you may get colon cancer is reduced by 25%.

4. Two cups of caffeinated coffee per day, liver cirrhosis risk is decreased by 80%.

5. Moderate intake of coffee reduces the risk of developing gallstones.

6. Coffee reduces the risk of early stage diabetes. Coffee improves insulin sensitivity and it reduces blood sugar levels. Research has shown that if you drink three cups of caffeinated coffee per day, diabetes risk is reduced by considerable amount. If you drink six cups of caffeinated coffee daily, risk of diabetes is reduced by a whopping 50%.

7. Coffee may help ward off asthma. Coffee eases out the nasal passages and improves airflow.

8. Coffee contains antioxidants that fight against viral infection. One cup of coffee contains more antioxidants than one cup of grape juice!

9. Coffee contains chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and protocatechnic acid. These chemicals show excellent antibacterial effects.

10. Caffeine present in coffee is a psychoactive substance. It improves one’s mood and enhances performance.

11. Coffee reduces fatigue effectively and it is an active stimulant.

12. Around 100 ml of coffee every hour you can stay all night awake. Coffee delays sleep and reduces sleep time.

13. Coffee makes you more alert. If you drink coffee whole day you will be alert throughout the day.

14. Coffee prevents formation of dental cavities.

But coffee has its downside as well. It is an addictive drink. People who drink coffee daily in the long run become an addict, not just to that smell and taste, but to the caffeine content. They can reach a state where seems impossible for them to function in life without a cup of their favorite coffee and its likable bitter taste. If you make drinking coffee a regular habit, it certainly presents you numerous benefits like improved mood, enhanced performance, and reduction of risks of a lot of diseases including cancer. But what if you cannot drink your coffee at the usual time you take it? You may suffer from a headache. Fatigue reaches you. You feel restless. Your mood becomes dull. Your performance gets affected. If you regularly consume a large amount of coffee and stop drinking it suddenly you may suffer the withdrawal symptoms of caffeine addiction. This results in more adverse effects. Your blood sugar level becomes imbalanced. Your blood pressure gets affected. You may become easily impatient and get easily stressed. If you find this happening to you it is advisable to reduce your regular coffee intake and ease yourself out of your strong caffeine addiction. Limiting your daily intake will reduce your dependence on caffeine.

Though coffee has its own list of health benefits, like anything else, it should be taken only in moderation. Too much coffee has its own downside. So drink your cup of coffee, but only in a moderate amount to ensure a healthy you.

Source : http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles