Everything Coffee

Cafes & Coffee Shops, Window on Technology Trends?

2006-10-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

I was in my local Starbuck's this morning, blearly heading to the counter for my Venti Americano (roomy), when I noticed something. First, it was a shock that I noticed something before having my brain injected with espresso caffine. None the less, I noticed a change in the lap top computers spread on tables througout the store.

I live in a college town near a major university. This means the Starbuck's I frequent is filled with studious faces, especially at this time of mid-terms. So there were all the students, the future teachers, political leaders and corporate big wigs, gulping down mass quantities of espresso coffee, busily tapping out their notes and term papers on, mostly Macintosh computers.

I am a Macintosh user, and am as passionate about them as I am about my coffee. That's for another blog though. It does explain why I noticed, and have been noticing, this shift. There was a time, even within the last year, where I was pleased to see 1 out of 7-10 of theses coffee house hounds using a Macintosh. Lately the coffee shop technology trend has been shifting and I would regularly see 2-3 out of 7 lap tops bearing the familiar glowing white Apple Macintosh logo. It's been heartening for me. Then, this morning, there were 22 laptops (I started counting when I noticed the pond of glowing white Apple's had grown to a sea) and 14 of them were Macintosh. I must say it excites me.

But it also brings a question to my mind. Are America's coffee houses and Cafes a bastion for spotting technology trends? Had I been paying attention would I have seen the shift from cell phones and dedicated PDA's to the Blackberry just by looking at what was placed alongside the many cups of cappuccino, espresso and good ol fashion jo? Maybe if I was more informed in fashion I could see a shift from Gucci to, uh, whatever? I'll be watching the coffee shops, and the business news, to see if this shift in Macintosh use is a precurser to a shift in the larger market.

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A Single Cup Coffee Maker, reat For Singles

2006-10-08T13:28:00.000-07:00

Coffee addicts don't have much use for a single cup coffee maker. For the person wanting just one for the road, however, they can be a blessing. Easy to set up and use, they can have a fresh cup of coffee blended in just a couple of minutes and the user can be on the road.

Most single cup coffee makers claim to give a fresh brewed cup of coffee in about a minute, once the unit is activated, and offer the use of new coffee pods. The pre-measured packets filled with eaxactly the right amount of coffee grounds make it easy, and mess-free, to make a cup of hot coffee.

Several options are available with a single cup coffee maker, including the use of a thermal cup. A person puts a coffee pod into the machine, fills it with water and the brew flows into a thermal travel mug ready to take on the road in about a minute. Many single cup coffee makers have two pod holders with the machine, which allows the use of specialty coffees as well.

Coffee Makers Not Just For Coffee

The Black and Decker Cup-at-a-Time personal coffee maker will brew your coffee into your own coffee mug using an included permanent filter and can also me used to make tea or hot water for instant meals, which will give the single cup coffee maker another use in the kitchen.

The advantages of a single cup coffee maker are many as they cut down on wasted coffee, helps those who want to cut down on their caffeine intake, can be used to make a measured amount of hot water for other uses and limit the mess involved in making a single cup.

The single cup coffee maker is also available in many styles and colors to fit the decorating scheme of the kitchen in which it will be used. There are some sold in a coordinated set, which include the single cup coffee maker, toaster and blender, all with the same basic design and in the same color.

There is a wide range of pricing for a single cup coffee maker. The least expensive models are under $15 and others go as high as $1,000. The brand, style and finish generally determine the price and your budget will help determine which unit is right for you.

A Gourmet Coffee Maker, Do You Really Need It To Make Good Coffee?

2006-10-08T10:22:00.000-07:00

Most coffee connoisseurs have invested some time and thought into the type of coffee you prefer (light, medium body, heavy), so you are probably familiar with all the different types of coffee makers available to you. But what exactly distinguishes a gourmet coffee maker from the rest of the pack? Do you really need to invest in one to enjoy a truly good cup of coffee at home?

Many Types Of Coffee Makers

There are just as many ways to make coffee as there are flavors/types of coffee. A drip coffee maker is the most standard home brewing method. It consists of a basket for you to place a filter and grounds, and a reservoir for you to add water. Heated water filters over the grounds into your pot.

Even though traditional drip coffee makers are very popular, coffee aficionados argue that filtered coffee loses a lot of flavor. If you are looking to experiment with less traditional, more gourmet, coffee makers you have a few options. The least expensive option is a French Press. These are typically smaller, only brewing a few cups of coffee, but the finished product is unfiltered coffee. If you like dark, rich coffee, this is your best bet. To use a French Press you simply pour your coffee grounds directly into the bottom of the press, and then pour hot water directly over the grounds. After a few minutes you gently press down a strainer to push the grounds to the bottom of the press, and you’re ready to enjoy an incredible cup of coffee.

More expensive gourmet coffee makers include vacuum coffee pots, which infuse the coffee and hot water through a vacuum process, like the name suggests. Some people prefer this over a French Press because there is no sediment found in the finished coffee, but like a French Press the coffee is also unfiltered. The highest end gourmet coffee makers are espresso machines, like the ones you see in cafes. The actual process of brewing the coffee is similar to a drip maker, except that you are tamping the grounds into a basket for the water to flow through, and no filter is involved. You can control the pressure of the water that flows over the grounds, which produces different tastes.

Whether or not you need a gourmet coffee maker to make a truly good cup of coffee depends on your taste. Ultimately the quality of the coffee depends on the beans themselves, but different coffee makers will produce different tastes even using the same beans. Experiment with gourmet coffee makers and see which one fits your taste the best.

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Modern Coffee Tables, Many to Choose From

2006-10-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

When decorating a living room, most people insist it contain a small table in front of their couch to hold beverages and snacks, but today’s modern coffee tables do more than just hold coffee cups. They are designed to fit into most every décor and come equipped with a variety of tops.

Solid wood, glass, wire mesh and tile are just a few of the available tops of modern coffee tables and their construction ranges from cheaper laminated particle board to the more luxurious woods or even metal and glass. Wood laminates are even making in-roads into the coffee table décor.

Modern coffee tables also come in a variety of shapes and sizes to accommodate the size of the room in which they are intended. Normally rectangular, they are available in a myriad of shapes such as round, oval, square and even kidney shaped. If you need a special shape for your room, there are modern coffee tables to fit.

Coffee Tables Should Fit Into Groups

Of course, having just modern coffee tables in a living room usually is not standard as end tables, occasional tables, telephone tables are based on the same design, and they really form a perfect grouping if they match the sofa and chairs. Even people practicing Feng Shui select tables to allow the Chi freedom to flow throughout the room.

Large colonial style homes with early American furniture often feature modern coffee tables to accent and can practically be guaranteed to find one to fit into the rest of the house’s décor. The can be found in old world design or in the design of America’s early American.

From honeycomb designs to waterfall, or two-level tables, modern coffee tables can also be functional instead of just decorative. Many have storage space for magazines or other items and some have pull out drawers or shelves. There are some that hide stacking blocks to be used as occasional tables.

Glass tops on modern coffee tables may give the room the appearance of being larger that they really are, while solid tables may visually reduce the room’s size.

Depending on your home and its intended use, will play a major roll in determining what type, style, size and material is right for you, but modern coffee tables can be found in such wide-ranging materials and designs there’s one that will appear to have been made just for you.

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Spotting An Antique Coffee Table

2006-10-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

Since coffee tables did not grow into popularity until the 20th century, defining an antique coffee table can be somewhat complicated. Most early coffee tables were merely wood kitchen tables with their legs shortened to the height of sofas in order to fit their use.

Today, many antique coffee tables are just that, antique dining room tables with shorter legs and those can still be considered antiques since the table, other than the length of the legs, is still in its original form. These tables come in different sizes, shapes and styles as varied as the original tables from which they have been converted.

One of the problems with finding an antique coffee table is to first be sure it qualifies as an antique. While all antique furniture is old, not all old furniture can be considered antique. It may be just some boards thrown together and legs attached. Look for the quality of the craftsmanship.

Hand-hewn joints should be solid without gaps and the boards on the top should be tightly fitted, again with no gaps. Legs on most antique coffee tables are held on with dowels and glue, not nails or metal brackets. If your table has a drawer, the guides will also be made of wood if it is a true antique coffee table.

Consider Refinishing If Surface Is Worn

While many antique experts will tell you that refinishing will reduce the value of a piece, there are times, refinishing will be necessary. If the surface is dull and cracked removing the old finish can be done with jeopardizing the value of the antique coffee table.

Using non-chemical varnish remover, available through many do-it-yourself outlets, along with zero course steel wheel, the varnish can be removed and the bare wood finely smoothed in preparation of the application of a new finish. Replacing pieces of an antique coffee table should be left to experts with the knowledge and expertise to make any new pieces needed and to match the original craftsmanship.

Replacing parts however, can reduce the value, but the has already been greatly reduced due to the damaged pieces you want to replace. An antique coffee table, which has been painted, offers a different set of opportunities, but a high quality paint remover can be used to get it back to its original color. Once the paint is removed, inspect the surface finish and it can be replaced, as well, if needed.

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French Press Coffee Maker, The Connoisseur Coffee Cup

2006-10-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

The world is full of coffee – filter coffee, vacuum coffee, milk coffee, that coffee, this coffee – but nothing can be ever tastier than the coffee made in a French press coffee maker. Let me tell you why, if you are curious to know. To best understand why the French press coffee maker makes the best possible cup of coffee, you should get to know how the coffee is prepared in this process.

A Very Unusual Way to Protect the Coffee Flavor

It is said that the French press coffee maker creates the best coffee in the world. This is because of the process it is made with. The French press coffee maker consists of a long beaker made of glass, where sugar and coffee (freshly ground) is added. Nothing else is added to it but water, which is then heated and brought to a boil. Once the water is hot (boiling), there will be a plunger of a silver foil which needs to be slowly lowered towards the bottom of the beaker.

As the plunger goes down, the frothy, fresh and aromatic coffee will come up and the residue will be separated by the plunger. The coffee thus obtained is just amazing. It can be compared to some extent with Turkish coffee. Since the beaker has complete control over the temperature inside and out, the coffee can be served piping hot anytime you need it.

There are other names given to the coffee made by a French press coffee maker. People know this type of coffee as the cafetiere, presspot and/ or the plunger and it is a hot favorite all over the world. Because it is using hot water and freshly grounded coffee beans, it gives an exceptionally strong, rich and flavorful coffee which amply deserves the name of the connoisseur coffee maker.

The type of coffee you are using for this type of coffee is very important. Usually, for best results, coffee which is obtained from fried beans and then ground with the help of a burr grinder is used. This type of grinder grinds the coffee in a granulated form instead of powder.

Because of this, the beans will maintain the richest flavor and this same flavor will get soaked in the heated water used in the French press coffee maker. Once you taste a cup of coffee made this way, it is doubtful you will ever enjoy anything else again.

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The Evolution Of The Coffee Beverage

2006-10-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

The Evolution Of The Coffee Beverage

Coffee was so simple back in the day. You either wanted leaded (with caffeine) or unleaded (without caffeine). Today when you walk into a café, choosing a coffee beverage can be perplexing. Knowing a bit of history on coffee and the options that are out there can help you get the coffee that is right for you. Some of your choices may be: an Espresso, a Latte, Mocha, an Iced coffee, or a Cappuccino. Almost all gas stations and convenience stores offer cappuccinos and gourmet coffees with a variety of flavored creamers as well.

The coffee beverage was first introduced to the world in 1000A.D. but the first coffee shop didn’t open until the year 1475 in Turkey. It wasn’t until the year1601 that coffee finally made it to North America. In the year 1668 the coffee beverage become New York’s favorite breakfast beverage in place of beer and is now know around the world as a breakfast drink that can be enjoyed at any time of the day.

Many Different Options

There are many options available regarding the best way to make a good cup of Joe. You can buy coffee beans and grind them yourself or you can but them packaged already ground for you. The coffee beverage is also available in single packs much like tea bags, so one can enjoy just a single cup of the freshly brewed eye opener, instead of brewing an entire pot. And for those who don’t want to wait for the coffee beverage to brew, there are instant granules. This takes the guesswork out of making coffee and you can go as strong or as weak as you want to go. There are also powdered versions of cappuccinos as well.

There can be a few factors to consider when choosing the best coffee. Depending on your mood, the time of day and where you are will help you get your coffee fix. If your in a hurry and don’t have time to stop in a gourmet coffee shop then you might want to go to a drive thru. There you will get the tried and true coffee beverage. There are some coffees that are great for relaxing after a meal when you are kicking back with family and friends and there are some coffees that go best with desert. No matter what coffee beverage you choose, you are sure to get a delicious treat for your taste buds.

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