Coffee

[Michaelangelica]

A coffee/caffeine Quiz

(which simplifies things alittle I think)

http://www.abc.net.au/science/quizzes/caffeine/

 

Just read in "Medical Observer" 10/Nov/06 that coffee drinking lessens the risk of diabetes,

now I can't find it, so don't remember what type etc

but they must have been quoting some research paper

 

Starbucks here does not make good coffee and I am told it has just been talken over by "Hillsong" church. Two reasons not to go there

[Monomer]

Starbucks here does not make good coffee and I am told it has just been talken over by "Hillsong" church. Two reasons not to go there

 

Are they not making enough money from Gospel music?! Taking over Starbucks is just the beginning...

 

 

I don't drink coffee because I was brought up by my health obsessed parents to believe it was bad. I heard it was toxic and weakens heart muscle, and I've tried it and disliked the bitter taste. I do however think that coffee has one of the best aromas.

 

Here is some information I found on the effects of coffee:

 

Coffee can improve short term memory and reaction time - http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8401

 

Coffee's good for a bunch of things - http://www.anti-aging-guide.com/41coffee.php#1

 

Coffee's not so bad for the heart - http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/coffee_health_risk.htm

 

Coffee contains acrylamide - http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?id=71639

 

I would drink coffee if I could find one that didn't have that bitter after-taste. Can any coffee lovers and experts out there recommend something I might enjoy?

[Celeste]

Originally Posted by Monomer:

I would drink coffee if I could find one that didn't have that bitter after-taste.

 

My parents taught us that adding just a pinch of salt to a cup or a few pinches to the grounds before brewing helps reduce the bitterness alot.

Adding salt will also perserve the freshness of the "just brewed taste" if you make a whole pot and want it to last over several hours.

 

Some tips:

 

Buy fresh roasted. Coffee that is exposed to the air starts to lose its delicate aromas and the flavor oils begin to stale and cause bitterness. Supermarket brands can sit on the shelves from months to years and the taste rapidly deteriorates once opened.

 

When the coffee is done brewing, take it off the burner. Burners literally burn coffee, which leaves it sour or bitter. Put freshly brewed coffee in a carafe. Once coffee has begun cooling, its chemistry changes, allowing the bitter oils and flavors to dominate the taste.

 

Don't put coffee in the refridgerator or freezer. Store your fresh ground roast in a airtight container at room temperture for no more then 1 to 2 weeks.

[EWright]

 

I would drink coffee if I could find one that didn't have that bitter after-taste. Can any coffee lovers and experts out there recommend something I might enjoy?

 

Try adding a couple dashes of ground cinnamon (sp?) to the grounds before brewing. Then add enough International Delight's French Vanilla creamer to cover the bottom of your coffee mug before pouring the freshly brewed coffee. If you're using a taller travel-type mug, add double the amount necessary to cover the bottom of it. Also, start out with a breakfast blend as opposed to a stronger blend of coffee. If it still tastes a little bitter, add a bit more creamer. You can't go wrong with this stuff! As you grow more accustom to it, you'll notice any bitterness less and less and can reduce the amount of creamer and/or try bolder blends of coffee.

[Monomer]

Thanks for the tips Celeste and EWright! That's some interesting information.

[Michaelangelica]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monomer

 

I would drink coffee if I could find one that didn't have that bitter after-taste. Can any coffee lovers and experts out there recommend something I might enjoy?

If you are buying espresso coffee and it has a too bitter or burnt flavour The establishment you have purchased your coffee is at fault. They have not cleaned their machine correctly and bits of coffee get caught in the mechanism resulting in a burnt flavour. Get you money back and go somewhere else where they care for their machine

You can buy many varieties of coffees some bitter, some not so bitter. Again bitterness can be caused also by poor macine maitence.Shop around until you find something you like. Personally I like it strong with a slight bitterness.

 

As for adding flavours to coffee this is blasphemy and sacrilege and the coffee god will be avenged upon you. You have been warned (Sound like a moderator don't I?):)

 

The diabetes that coffee helps you not-get is Type II ( see previous post)

[Turtle]

Let's not forget how important the roasting is. :) Even the best beans, grind, coffee-maker, yada yada yada, can't compensate for under or over roasting.

 

Old saying: It's not the sugar that makes the coffee sweet, it's the stirring. :eek:

[Michaelangelica]

Let's not forget how important the roasting is. :hyper:

Yes:doh:

Roasting increases the number of aromatic chemicals enormously.

The reason flavour chemists have not yet been able to make an authentic, artificial coffee flavour.

[Turtle]

Yes:doh:

Roasting increases the number of aromatic chemicals enormously.

The reason flavour chemists have not yet been able to make an authentic, artificial coffee flavour.

 

Also the reason that large scale industrial roasting leaves a lot to be desired. :cup: I had a friend who was a roastmaster in a coffee house and I used to go back & watch him at work. You didn't dare get in his space because when he determined by smell and sight it was perfect he had to empty the beans quickly. The oven held about 30 pounds or so and looked a lot like the revolving drum on a cement truck. Mmmmmmm....fresh roasting coffee.....:hihi: :hihi:

[Monomer]

It sounds like it's a real art, or science, to make a really good coffee.

 

When I started drinking green tea I found it far too bitter. But I tried other brands, and also discovered that if I left it drawing too long the bitterness increased, so now I can enjoy a pleasant cup of green tea. I guess it will just be a similar experience before I enjoy a pleasant cup of coffee - hunting around for good beans, getting the brewing time just right, knowing what I can and can't add. Not that I would add flavours to coffee, Michaelangelica... :singer:

[Michaelangelica]

It sounds like it's a real art, or science, to make a really good coffee.

It is an art.

I have seen two people make a cup of coffee from the same machine. One makes a beautiful cup one terrible (I used to run a cafe). They both appeared to be doing the same thing!

The best coffee around is in France and especially Italy. Turkish and Greek coffee is good if you like eating it.

Fortunately we have lots of Italians in Australia.

The worst coffee in the world is in the USA (Did you see the long suffering French Secret Service in Godzilla? -packed me up, very funny, underrated movie LOL)

 

When I started drinking green tea I found it far too bitter.

Usually people let it steep to long or make it too strong. If you are not going to add milk or sugar to something it can be stronger.

Earl Grey Tea is best week without M&S.

Lemon Verbena Tea is wonderful (my favourite herb tea) but only when picked fresh from the plant.

Some teas need to be made week some strong. A camomile tea bag will make a huge pot of tea and many use it for just one cup and it is chunderous.

The best and most interesting teas I have tasted-including lovely, various iced teas, was in the USA.

( The Brits only occasionally make a decent cup of anything -just enough to confuse you and lull you into ordering something undrinkable again- we even had to go back (they sent us here for the sun and beaches) and teach them how to make beer!)

Not that I would add flavours to coffee, Michaelangelica... :circle:

I WOULD HOPE NOT (please imagine big, booming, Wagnerian, goddess like voice):circle:

[InfiniteNow]

So are Jameson Irish Whiskey and Bailey's Irish Cream considered flavor additives? :circle:

 

:circle:

 

:friday:

[EWright]

So are Jameson Irish Whiskey and Bailey's Irish Cream considered flavor additives? :cup:

 

:cup:

 

:lol:

 

Bailey's RULES in coffee! And don't :cup: listen to the voice behind the curtain... add International Delight's French Vanilla creamer... it's heaven, no goddess needed! :lol:

[Michaelangelica]

So are Jameson Irish Whiskey and Bailey's Irish Cream considered flavor additives? :cup:

God, being Irish, would of course not object to a little whiskey or brandy or preferably cognac for medicinal purposes..:cup:

Her favourites are Tia Maria and Kahlua.:cup:

 

But the coffee has to be good before you start adding things.:lol:

If you live in USA how are you going to manage that?:lol:

 

This may be of interest

http://www.liqueurweb.com/coffee.htm

Homemade coffee liqueurs should be served with ice, and may also be used for making cocktails.

and

Tia Maria is made in Jamaica using Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee beans.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tia_Maria

[Monomer]

The worst coffee in the world is in the USA (Did you see the long suffering French Secret Service in Godzilla? -packed me up, very funny, underrated movie LOL)

 

It's been a while, so I don't remember the scene, but I should watch it again. My sister got hooked on coffee when she lived in the USA for a while, so I guess the poor thing doesn't know what she's missing out on... If only she'd taken a fancy to ice tea...

 

Earl Grey Tea is best week without M&S.

Lemon Verbena Tea is wonderful (my favourite herb tea) but only when picked fresh from the plant.

Some teas need to be made week some strong. A camomile tea bag will make a huge pot of tea and many use it for just one cup and it is chunderous.

 

I know this is a coffee thread, but I love herbal tea, and I'm always looking for something new. I haven't heard of the Lemon Verbena Tea but I will keep an eye out for it. Iced peppermint tea is great in summer.

 

 

I WOULD HOPE NOT (please imagine big, booming, Wagnerian, goddess like voice):)

 

I'm imagining and my knees are trembling :thumbs_up

 

 

So what you do coffee connoisseurs think of instant coffee?

[Tormod]

Mixing whiskey with anything is a heresy, and I have the scientific backup to prove it. Sadly I mislaid it during a scotch bloat last week but if I find it (after drinking tons of black coffee) I might recover it. But take my word for it. Why waste a perfectly good whiskey on cheap, colored water? :thumbs_up

[Tormod]

So what you do coffee connoisseurs think of instant coffee?

 

A lifesaver for me. I drink almost nothing but these days...