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10 Mistakes That Will Ruin Your Coffee

Posted on September 5, 2011 by zamzam

1. Bad coffee often starts with a poor grade bean. If you buy super cheap, that’s probably what your coffee is going to taste like.

2. Beans have to be kept in air tight containers so the minute you take home your bag, transfer it to a container that will keep the goodness in and the air out.

3. If you buy ground coffee you will want to know this tip… the longer your coffee sits around in the can it was purchased in, the staler it becomes. Did you ever notice how much stronger your coffee will be the morning you open the can. A few days later and there is a huge difference. You might want to look for a container with a clamp down lid.

4. Coffee should always be stored at room temperature. We used to always store ours in the freezer. I have no idea where I heard that, but apparently it is one of the worst places to store coffee.

5. If you want your coffee to taste its best, try using water in a carbon based filtration system. It’s nothing fancy but a water jug that can store water right in your fridge. Tap water alone just won’t cut it… even though that’s what I have been using for my coffee for the past few years. Off to look for a water jug containing charcoal. I’m really curious to see how much of a difference it can make!!

6. Are you tired of throwing out your used paper coffee filters every morning? Apparently there is such a thing as a cloth coffee filter and yes, the coffee actually tastes better.

7. Continuing with this idea, to get a white filter takes a lot of bleaching. If you like paper, it’s probably better to go with the unbleached alternative which is simply a brown colored filter. Just remember that a cheap filter will give you a poor cup of coffee.

8. Okay, so you don’t have time to drip your own coffee in the morning and instead will reach for a jar of instant. They are certainly better than they used to be and of course convenient in a pinch, but it is the temperature of the water that can ruin your cup of coffee. Boiling water is a definitely no-no!

9. Here’s one that you might be familiar with. You have made a pot of coffee and it sits on the warming plate for a couple of hours. It’s called “stewed coffee” and it’s pretty gross. That’s why coffee shops make fresh coffee on a regular basis. Coffee can’t sit around… as much as I wish it could.

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The Long Complicated Road to a “sophisticated” Coffee

Posted on September 5, 2011 by zamzam

We don’t see as much plain coffee these days as we used to. What could be the reason for it? It’s probably because it is very easy these days to brew up a cup of gourmet coffee for your family, friends, and acquaintances. There are now coffee clubs and coffee social areas where coffee is taking on the look of a social group. These meeting places can take place within the shops and community or on the Internet.

Gone are the days when you just went to a coffee shop to get a regular cup of coffee.

This is a happening because of an obsession by coffee fans all over America for the gourmet or specialty coffee. These people visit all the coffee specialty stores and order it from catalogues or the Internet. They love grinding the coffee beans themselves. And when they take trips to places like Costa Rica, they look for and bring back the specialty coffees. Now we have “coffee tasting” events much like wine tasting.

There is even interior design products and furniture coming on the market touting a coffee theme — great gifts for the coffee fan.

Coffee had its beginnings as a stimulant in 900 A.D. It has also had its beginnings in a variety of uses such as a medicine and a wine. Nothing is much different today.

Coffee is one of the few untouched products over time but that is quickly changing. People are coming up with all sorts of ways to improve its flavor and aroma and will probably keep doing it well into the future.

And coffee shares a good chunk of the world’s market. It is second only to oil in dollar volume as a world commodity.

People also these days are constantly trying to reduce their caffeine intake. A pound of coffee has half the caffeine as a pound of tea yet we get more caffeine in a cup of coffee? Why? It is because a pound of tea will give us 160 cups of coffee and a pound of coffee only gives us 40. This may disappoint those of you who have to drink decaffeinated coffee but hate the taste of it.

Also, it is interesting to note, that when you grow coffee at high altitudes, the result is less caffeine. This is probably one of the advantages of gourmet coffee in that it is grown at much higher altitudes than the standard grocery store blends.

There are a variety of different types of coffee beans — too many for this writing. Some beans we will mention are:

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Coffee And Tea Gift Baskets

Posted on September 4, 2011 by zamzam

It is true that Americans are known for multiplicity of culture and peoples, but everyone has something’s in common like tea and coffee. Some of them enjoy both while others favor one over another. If you are looking for a good gift idea, you can surely bet on tea and coffee gift baskets. You will find it very simple to put together the basket and it will be a very nice and thoughtful gift. We will look at some ideas for this tailored, but generally a very enjoyable gift.

You will get an assortment of blends at the shops that specialize in keeping all kinds of coffee, which will be a bonanza for the coffee lover. In fact you will also find a collection of exotic tea in some of these coffee stores. The big advantage of visiting the specialty stores is that the staff here is very knowledgeable about the products and they will direct you to the best coffees and also advice you on choosing coffees with definite uniqueness. To give an example, your Dad likes strong, dark roast, with a good amount of caffeine while Grandma has preference for milder blends. There is another benefit of shopping in the coffee houses, as they keep all the chic accessories for tea and coffee which will add to the uniqueness of your tea and coffee gift baskets. You can take advice from the staff regarding teas also ad they carry a good line of tea.

Distinctive travel cups, fine china tea cups and coffee mugs are some of the suitable things you can add to the coffee and tea gift basket. There are some stores which provide you with the service of designing your own coffee mugs, maybe with a picture o any other image on the mug or cup. There are items like teabag caddies, tea balls, tea strainers, French coffee presses, gold screened coffee filters, Melitta coffee makers, thermal carafes and other accessories for people who are great lovers of coffee and tea.

Metropolitan areas have bigger tea and coffee shops which also offer an excellent selection of readymade coffee and tea baskets, in all price range and an assortment of contents, for you to choose from. They are a little more expensive than when you designing your own, but they are very attractive, and have decorations which may not be available to you easily.

You can also find innovative recipes and books in the specialty shops, which will bring a complete new aspect to the coffee or tea enthusiast admiration of their preferred beverage. It is quite a delight to get coffee beans covered with chocolate, moist tea cake or coffee flavored sweets which can be enjoyed with your favorite beverage.

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Latest Shop At Home News

Posted on September 4, 2011 by zamzam

Letters to the Editor – Army Community – Army Discussions – Army Times
While I shop at the commissary because they do save my family money, I never shop at the PX. Prices are too high and they never have anything we actually need. Who needs a bunch of crystal knickknacks or clothes that are way too expensive?

Several county historic sites in danger, preservation chief says
Several could be lost in the coming months, preservationist says.

HIGHTSTOWN: Local gift shop celebrates ninth anniversary
HIGHTSTOWN — The summer solstice begins on Tuesday. June 21 also marks the beginning of a week-long celebration at local retail store Perennial Home.

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About Gourmet Coffee

Posted on September 3, 2011 by zamzam

Gourmet Coffee – Not Only Gourmet Food

Gourmet Coffee, what is not to love? For those who are hooked on coffee, Gourmet coffee is what gets the day off to a good start, and it picks us up in the middle of the day.

Coffee has been around for thousands of years. Gourmet coffee however, has been around for less than one hundred years, and it has fast become the favorite of millions of coffee connoisseurs throughout the world.

There are hundreds of different types of gourmet coffee. These include Colombian gourmet coffee which has a bold, strong flavor, with a rich aroma guaranteed to satisfy every coffee lover.

There are also flavored gourmet coffees, which include French Vanilla, Toasted Almond, Cookies and Crème, and Hazelnut.

There are so many choices, that the Gourmet Coffee enthusiast will have a difficult time choosing,

The Gourmet Coffee lover can enjoy specialty coffee such as Pumpkin Spice, a rich savory coffee that is like a slice of pumpkin pie. These types of gourmet coffees are not available year round.

There are Gourmet coffee shop in every city and town in the United States, and around the world. The most popular of all the gourmet coffee shops are Dunkin Doughnuts, Starbucks, and Honey Dew Doughnuts.

Each of these Gourmet Coffee shops offers the standard cup of coffee, and the flavored coffees but each offers a different twist of their coffees.

What about the Gourmet coffee shops that nobody even realizes is a coffee shop? The coffee stations that are in grocery stores or in department stores? These shop sell fabulous gourmet coffee, but often they are past by.

When you do a Google search for gourmet coffee, you will find that there are a variety of Internet sites that are dedicated to gourmet coffee.

The Internet sites offer specials and discount just for trying their coffee. These offers include a special type of coffee maker designed especially for one brand of gourmet coffee.

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The Top 5 Places to Shop Green in 2010

Posted on September 3, 2011 by zamzam

The effect of traditional gas emission on the environment is well known. The more driving people do, the more these gases are released into the atmosphere, thus increasing a person’s carbon footprint on the earth. Shopping green works in several ways to help save the earth, including reducing carbon emissions and choosing goods from businesses that practice eco-friendly manufacturing and handling. In 2010, everyone can make a change to shop green and give something back.

1) WorldofGood.com – This domain is owned and operated by eBay. The site offers organic clothing, recycled jewelry, eco toys and green crafting supplies. The prices are very affordable and shoppers can even learn a few eco-resolutions in the process.

2) EcoChoices.com – One stop shopping is often what pulls the consumer to major retailers. EcoChoices understands and offers their website as a green shopping alternative. The website combines green goods from more than 10 websites within on storefront so the consumer does not have to shop around and pay additional shipping charges.

3) GreenShopper.com – If you are a newbie to green shopping, this website offers plenty of options for going green. From renewable bamboo bowls to natural canvas shopping totes, there are hundreds of products to choose from. What makes this website stand out among others is the recycling program. Greenshopper offers a long list of information and links for people who want to learn more about recycling and implementing recycling programs in their community or town.

4) TheHungerSite.com – There is more to green shopping than finding an eco-friendly company. TheHungerSite is aimed at providing food for starving people. Breast cancer awareness, children’s health, literacy, rainforest health and animal rescue are all avenues for green shopping.

5) EarthLoverShopping.com – There is nothing better than a great purse or green shopping bag. EarthLoverShopping offers recycled, cotton, hemp and cruelty free leather bags. The prices start as low as .50 and clearance items offer even more ways to save.

Loving the earth and wanting to make an impact is an admirable choice. When eco-friendly seems too expensive, green shopping online offers a great way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from driving too and from the store.

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Arabica Coffee Beans

Posted on September 2, 2011 by zamzam

Who doesn’t love coffee? If you are like most of the world, you enjoy a cup of joe pretty regularly. In fact, probably every morning and afternoon. The coffee craze is certainly in full effect. There is just no escaping that absurdly great aroma of arabica coffee beans, and various other roasts sold in supermarkets and coffee shops nowadays. Today you plain and simply have so many choices when it comes to your coffee habit. It does not matter if you prefer mocha, hazelnut, amaretto, vanilla, raspberry, or coconut, there are lattes and cappuccinos out there to suit virtually everyone.

One thing everyone should know is that they do not have to settle for a coffee shop or local java house in order to get their daily fix of arabica coffee beans or locally roasted java. Try making you funky and fancy beverages at home. This is a wonderful way to get your caffeinated beverage exactly the way you like it. In fact, you have much more control over how your coffee is made if you brew it at home. You can easily buy some arabica coffee beans, and grind them in your kitchen for a coffee maker or espresso machine. This takes no time at all. Also, it can save you bundles of money!

Where are some great places you can acquire arabica coffee beans, or any other flavors you desire? Well, this is no big challenge at all. Try convenient websites, if you do not feel like venturing outdoors. You can actually order arabica coffee beans, as well as plenty of other types through websites like CoffeeBeanDirect.com, mysticmonkcoffee.com, and CoffeeAM.com. The prices vary on these different types of coffees. You can also purchase various syrup flavors through these websites. This way when you make espresso beverages and iced cappuccinos at home, you can flavor them accordingly.

Imagine how much you spend in a year when you buy all of your coffee drinks at local java houses and coffee shops like Starbucks. The last time I checked, a Starbucks coffee was somewhere between and . This is a lot when you think about it. After all, it is only a cup of coffee. They are seriously banking on your love for java and arabica coffee beans. Maybe you should consider purchasing your own equipment and coffee beans so you can make your java at home. This is not only a lot of fun, but it will certainly save you a load of money in the long run.