Tips Guides Resources

There is much to be said about the perfect cup of coffee, and yet so much is clouded by old wives tales and misinformation. What counts is simple math and physics, and as long as you understand the chemistry of coffee you can produce a perfect cup every time.

Grind The finer you grind the coffee beans, the more character you will get from each bean. In other words, more flavor can be extracted from the same amount of beans if they are ground finer. But it is the type of coffee making equipment you own that will determine what grind you can get away with.

The reason is due to the flavor compounds present in a coffee bean. GOOD flavors are extracted early in the brewing process, while BAD flavors come out later. Allowing the grounds to come in contact with too much water will lead to over-extraction and a nasty tasting brew. Your equipment will determine how much water comes into contact with your grounds and for how long.

An espresso machine, on the fine end of the scale, is designed to force a small amount of water through very tightly packed and finely ground coffee. The idea is to get a concentrate of only the best tasting flavors. Therefore, it is critical to have an even grind.

Contaminants Your cup of brew can have anything from chlorine, minerals, salts, heavy metals, and even traces of diesel in it. Ninety-nine percent of these are the fault of your water source.

Use a charcoal filter to clean the water you use to brew with. These come in models that attach to your faucet or can be installed over the intake valve of your coffee maker. Make sure you replace the filter according to the makers guidelines or when you can taste a drop in the quality of your water. It would help to purchase a small bottle of filtered water to use as your base of comparison.

If you use a drip coffee maker, use unbleached paper filters or permanent gold wire mesh filters. For the later, be sure to rinse them well in fresh water.

Quantities

One level tablespoon of coffee per cup is the standard and works well regardless of your coffee maker. We do not recommend making batches any larger than 10 cups at a time, since the higher volume of water will cause over-extraction.

Some drip coffee makers come with a dial on top of the unit that allows a portion of the hot water to go directly into the pot without passing through the grounds first. These dials allow less water to pass through the coffee, avoiding over-extraction and producing a stronger brew. It is diluted back to normal strength by the water that bypasses the coffee grounds.

Age Coffee releases six times its volume in carbon dioxide within the first 48 hours of roasting.

Green coffee is almost impervious to aging and can be stored in your cellar for years. But once it is roasted, the flavor degrades immediately and gets worse over time. If you really like the taste of coffee, know that it all comes from the skill of the roaster.

Keep a mill-type grinder next to your coffee machine and grind only enough coffee for the pot you are about to make.

Never ever use the -community grinders- present in the coffee aisles of supermarkets. Who knows what has been put through them or when they were last cleaned.

Once the coffee is brewed, switch off the heating element and serve the beverage immediately. If you find that you are brewing more than you can drink at once, consider either making smaller batches or storing the remainder in a thermal flask. Do not microwave cold coffee and do not switch the heating element back on.

The perfect cup of coffee takes practice and knowledge. DRINK UP!

Before buying a coffee maker,check out the award winning Presso at Presso America. Focusing on the area of coffee makers, and espresso makers, Anthony Sastre writes articles for Presso America

The beauty of using the coffee filter method to brew coffee is that you can opt to make a full pot, or a single cup of this popular early-morning, kick-start beverage. Here are some tips to help turn you into a world-class barista (that is coffee snob talk, for a person who serves coffee).

Coffee filters may be made from paper or metal, but the most commonly used filer is made of regular processed paper, or unbleached paper. The unbleached paper is the better choice as it will have fewer chemical additives, like bleach.

1) Start by choosing a quality coffee bean; that is a bean, not pre-ground coffee. The best coffee is made from freshly ground beans. All supermarkets give customers the opportunity to grind their own beans. Take advantage of that. Or, if you can, use a small bean grinder at home. These are available from any kitchen store or kitchen department in the larger stores.

Buy only as much coffee as you will use in a week; if necessary, store freshly ground beans in an airtight container. But NEVER, not ever, freeze your ground coffee. This will actually harm the beans flavor, not preserve it.

2) The grind quality matters very much: a fine grind (like that used for espresso) makes for an intense coffee flavor, while the medium to coarse grinds make for a weaker brew of coffee. There is usually a suggested grind on the supermarket machines indicating which quality you should choose for filtered or drip coffee.

3) Use the correct amount of grounds when making coffee, too little results in brown water; too much makes a sludge that is nearly undrinkable. A common rule is to use one LEVEL tablespoon per cup (usually defined as an 8 ounce cup, not a 6 ounce cup). You can alter this depending upon the strength of your coffee bean type. Some milder roasts may be too mild, so an additional half a tablespoon may be in order.

4) If you are making a pot of coffee, the universal rule is to fill your coffee makers reservoir with COLD water. I know, it sounds ridiculous since the water is going to end up hot anyway, but apparently there is some property to cold water that makes for a better cup of coffee.

If you are making a single cup of coffee, then the opposite is true; the water must be freshly boiled before being poured over the grounds.

As to the water source, remember that your tap water is filled with chemicals; you may want to opt for purer bottled water.

5) Tips to alter the flavor of brewed filtered coffee? Try adding a pinch of salt to the grounds, or crush some clean egg shells, and add those top the grounds. Both of these compounds have been used for nearly one hundred years, to change the taste of coffee; it is believed that these additives will reduce the bitterness in your final brew.

Oh, be sure all your coffee-making equipment (especially any metal filters) is clean. Coffee oils can build up over time, making for a very bitter brew, no matter how many of the above tips were followed. A mix of hot water and vinegar is perfect for this job. Just be sure to do several hot rinses after using the vinegar wash.

And there you have it; you are now a graduate of Coffee Brewing 101: The Filter Method. Now go and reward yourself with a steaming cup of perfectly brewed java.

Before buying a coffee maker,check out the award winning Presso at Presso America. Focusing on the area of coffee makers, and espresso makers, Anthony Sastre writes articles for Presso America

The signs are everywhere: more and more Americans are interested again in the idea of using their homes to entertain friends and associates.

An Amazon search for books on “entertaining” calls up over 468,000 hits, while - if you search “party ideas” on Google - you get nineteen million. Whereas entertaining seemed to disappear from the culture’s radar during the ultra-busy, tech-obsessed 1990s, these days you can turn on cable channels devoted almost entirely to the teaching of techniques for entertaining. You can even find, if you frequent the right bookstores, a tongue-in-cheek children’s book purporting to show your toddler how to mix a drink.

The wild popularity of all those cable TV shows about food and drink, the success of Amy Sedaris’s book I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence and similar tomes, the mega-success of Martha Stewart: all are linked by a new generation’s interest in throwing good parties, offering tasteful hospitality, and having sophisticated, grown-up fun. The same core motivators, presumably, may have led many twenty- and thirty-somethings to take up cigar smoking during the 1990s, the “boom” years of the cigar industry.

So, if you’re a cigar smoker (occasional and social, or everyday) who frequently entertains, you may be considering throwing a party that unites those two often-linked pleasures: smoking and drinking. Though there are some cigar aficionados who prefer to keep the two tastes distinct, many others find that, with a little creative blending, the right cocktail can really make a perfect warm-up (or finish) to a good cigar.

It’s always a matter of personal taste - and if you’re entertaining, your first duty, of course, is to be sensitive to the needs and interests of your guests, especially those who are nonsmokers, dislike the smell of smoke, or are allergic to it. (This might be a good reason for throwing a cigar party, with invitations restricted to those who are interested either in trying a smoke for the first time or who are already committed cigar smokers.)

As far as beverages go, good wine goes with cigars - the finer the wine, the better the mix. Wine and cigars, after all, make a lot of sense together: they’re both acquired tastes, they’re both somewhat bitter, they both need to be aged, and they both need to be savored rather than rushed. Red wine, especially port, is a good possibility. You’ll probably want to steer clear of wines on either the extremely-sweet or extremely-bitter side of the taste scale. For that reason, beaujolais nouveaux and some cabernet sauvignons won’t work. Ultra-bitter or -sweet wines, including white wines, tend to have such a strong taste that they won’t get out of the way and make room for the taste of your stogie, so to speak.

The opposite problem occurs with ultra-subtle wines that won’t assert themselves against the taste of a cigar. Also recommended: red zinfandels, Pinot Noirs, and Spanish and Italian red table wines, which avoid extremes and have a taste strong enough to interact with that of your cigar but not so strong as to dominate it.

Beers might work - if they’re well-made, strong-tasting and dark. Stouts and ales work, especially a chocolate stout with a chocolatey puro cigar.

As for liquors, try fine malt whiskey. Or consider a coffee-flavored liquer. Best of all, according to some smokers, serve a fine scotch. Single malt scotch comes especially recommended.

Like mixed drinks? Consider trying a White Russian (the Dude’s drink of choice in the slacker classic The Big Lebowski, a movie that might make a nice background entertainment during your party), or a coffee-based mixed drink such as a Mudslide. (Instructions for making these drinks are easily found online.)

A cocktail that some bartenders have specifically chosen to accompany cigars is the stinger, which mixes creme de menthe and brandy. Several New York hot spots serve this cocktail with cigars.

Be creative and have fun! To round things out, try serving a hard cheese as an appetizer. Generally speaking, the stronger and more distinctive the taste, the better it will go with cigars.

CigarFox provides you the opportunity to build your own sampler of the finest cigars that include cigar brands like Montecristo, Romeo & Julieta, H Upmann, Macanudo, Cohiba, Partagas, Gurkha and many more. Choose from more than 1200 different cigars! Other cigar products include cigar humidors, cigar boxes, and cigar accessories like Zippo Lighters.

There is a well known saying … ‘not for all the tea in China.’ Now the world’s tea production is spread over some 30 countries, it is about time to modify that old cliche! Not for all the tea in Argentina; doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. Argentina currently stands as the largest exporter of tea to the United States of America, and Kenya is the largest producer and supplier in Africa when it comes to worldwide distribution. We must not forget though, that this whole tea drinking business began in China, many moons before anywhere else.

The reason such a beautiful beverage is so popular, (and with the only drink consumed more being water, I assure you it is very popular) is because of a need to sterilise water. Around 10,000 years BC, it was discovered that whilst brewing up a pot of water for purification, the leaves from the Camellia sinensis was a welcome addition. The health giving properties of the plant soon became apparent with a Taoist philosopher stating that its consumption was vital as an elixir for longevity. In the present day it has been said that the antioxidant properties of the plant once brewed is beneficial in cholesterol stability, lowering of blood pressure and strengthens the immune system.

Containing over 700 chemicals, Camellia sinensis is beneficial for a healthy gut and it’s fluorine content helps protect teeth. Catechin, a crystalline antioxidant, is also present in tea and is said to be ant carcinogenic, reduce the risk of diabetes, stroke and heart failure. So, a pretty healthy option all round. The quality of the leaves is important, and this health information only applies to drinks brewed from the Camellia sinensis plant commonly known as white, green, oolong and black teas. Herbal varieties do not come from this plant, and so will have other health benefits. Common herbals include redbush, also known as Roobois, Nettle, Dandelion and Mate, a brew which is actually more popular than coffee in South America due to a reputation as a slimming aide.

When it comes to a difference between true teas, the secret lies in way the leaves are processed. White varieties undergo barely any processing at all. The reason this particular variety is called white is because the leaves are picked, or plucked when they are still young and tender with downy white hairs. Black varieties undergo the longest process. The process is about oxidation and fermentation; after being plucked and withered, the leaves are then rolled. This releases enzymes which then break down, or ferment, the leaf. The longer this process is left to go on, the darker the resulting leaf, a bit like an apple being exposed to air and going brown. To stop the process the leaves are heated and dried.

The varieties of Camellia sinensis are graded in this order: White, Green, Oolong and Black. All however come in a huge variety of tastes and types from different parts of the world. White varieties, once plucked are left to dry in the sun for a while and then packed ready for consumption. The Green variety undergoes a bit more processing after plucking, being rolled then heated. Oolong is a semi fermented variety, and considered the best type according to connoisseurs. The longest processed, the black variety is left to ferment until the leaves have turned a dark brown and then the heating and drying takes place. There is also a variety that is post fermented, and is generally a green tea that has been allowed to compost and is a rather uncommon variety, but still as beneficial for the health as all its non composted cousins.

Shaun Parker is a leading food and drink expert with many years of experience in the industry. Find out more about Tea at All About Tea

Brewing excellent coffee - better than anything you will ever be able to buy - is easier than you think. It can be a little involved at first, but you have got to speculate to accumulate, as they say, and you will find it is worth it. Just follow these simple steps.

1. Firstly, check your kitchen cupboards. If you find a jar of instant coffee, or are under the impression that this is an acceptable substitute for the real thing, stop reading now. You are wasting your time. Instead, I suggest a course of ECT, or perhaps seppuku.

Ok, for those who pass this first hurdle:

2. Green beans. These are essential for a fresh cup of coffee. They are not easy to buy on the high street, because selling them would undercut the coffee-vendors business, but you can find them easily on the internet. Take up a hobby - perhaps karate, capoeira dancing or creative writing - to while away the time waiting for them to turn up.

3. Roast your beans. You can get special machines to do this (a popcorn maker will do the job) but dry-roasting them in a saucepan on the hob also works well. Use a lid as they pop, sometimes quite violently. Disable your smoke alarm or close the kitchen door while you do this, as the process creates a lot of acrid smoke. If you do not have a smoke alarm, buy one NOW. Fire safety is very important. Experiment with the heat; you may wish to turn it up high at first, then lower as the beans roast to cook them through without burning the surface. Stop when they reach a deep brown - about the color of, say, freshly roast coffee.

4. Grind your beans. Use a coffee grinder (naturally) or the grinder attachment on a blender. You can do this while the beans are still hot. Grind to a medium-coarse consistency, or whatever your coffee machine requires. Smell the freshly-ground coffee: this, more than anything, will prepare you for the treat in store for you. The sensation can actually be physically painful to your sinuses, such is the freshness and the levels of exciting volatile chemicals (known as terpenes) coming off it at this stage. If the beans are cooler this will not be so intense, though they should still find their way through to your cup in the end. Spare roasted beans can be kept for some weeks in the fridge. Unroasted green beans will keep for many months.

5. Place ground coffee in coffee maker. You may need a little more than you would normally use. A filter coffee maker is fine, but try to find one with a mesh filter, not paper, which steals some of the coffees essential oils en route to your mug. Cafetieres also work well.

6. Press the button on the coffee maker. If you cannot find the button, you are probably using a cafetiere. Enjoy the noises of brewing or, if it is a cafetiere or you never did find that button, make your own.

7. Find a mug and pour milk into it, if desired. Pour fresh coffee into mug. Carry mug outside and sit your garden patio, preferably on a summer morning. Drink coffee.

Before buying a coffee maker,check out the award winning Presso at Presso America. Focusing on the area of coffee makers, and espresso makers, Anthony Sastre writes articles for Presso America

This may not be so important for some people, but for me getting good tableware in a new flat or house, for housewarming parties or dinners is an essential part of the eating or socialising process. There is nothing more satisfying than eating out of a beautifully decorated bowl or plate, with an exquisite selection of gourmet foods of soups, neatly presented on well decorated dining table and a complimentary folded napkin shaped like a swan.

Even in the comfort of your own home, one is able to recreate that restaurant feel, without having to spend out on designer tableware, cutlery and dishware. Informal feasting in an open plan kitchen or dining room has become a trendy event, rather than spending time on putting up a three-course meal and setting the table up fit for a royal banquet. This is now something of an old heritage and it is now in with the sociable gathering of friends and family munching on finger food and helping themselves to what is placed in front of them.

However, what makes this more appealing is the continual trend for simply designed plates, dishes and tableware. During the mid-eighties and late seventies, many will remember the floral designed china that parents used to store away for special occasions that were coated with a gold or silver rim and made with an unusual texture to it. Some were even brightly coloured, painted with polka-dots and looked like it was designed for a make-believe children’s tea party.

Keeping special and expensive dishes stored away for special occasions is still something that many of us continue and have adopted from our predecessors, but gone are the days whereby everything is designed with complicated patterns and pictures telling a story of fantasy and mythical creatures. Many people prefer to buy tableware which are large, neutral in colour and made from a durable material. The general majority use fine china, porcelain plates and melamine, because they are good for long term usage and tend not to crack or chip so easily.

These days restaurants, large or small, serve their foods in a fashionable manner without even trying. Have you ever noticed how the plates are large, deep filled and come with shiny silver cutlery? There is nothing more appealing than eating out of a plain white dish, which is well-presented so as to feed the eyes as well as the taste buds. People like to see that their food is placed in such as way that makes it look interesting and stands out from the dish.

This makes for a more modern and chic look as opposed to being put off by the fuzzy fading images printed onto your plate. Some dishes are not always circular in shape and are available in a variety of sizes, such as square with a smooth edging, oval for appetisers, and large round soups with a lip, and rectangular plates for presenting finger foods. Soup spoons have also progressed from simple large and deep filled, to small porcelain ladles, taking on a traditional oriental style.

Tables are also simple in design as more people prefer to use colours of a neutral theme, with matching runners, places mats and napkins. These are usually available for cheap prices, rather than being made by designer manufacturers. Dinner parties are not necessarily an expensive event, which requires one to spend out on designer products and pricey ingredients. These can be enjoyed with the hosts looking to impress their guests with simple designed dishware and showing off their culinary skills.

Gone are the days of making dinner parties, as more and more people edge further into sociable and informal banquets. The display of foods remains an important tradition, without having to pick out elaborately designed china.

Anna Stenning loves to hold dinner parties, so she can show off her skill for setting out good tableware and displaying a talent for cooking.