Showing posts with label baristas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baristas. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Mr. Coffee Versus Bunn-o-Matic - The Coffee Maker Battle Heats Up

However, if that first cup is too strong or too weak, too hot or not hot enough, you quickly find yourself spiraling into a first-class coffee crisis. If it's brewed up right, you'll feel that extra zing in your step from morning till night. That first cup sets the mood for your entire day, doesn't it? hours by a perfectly brewed pot of coffee. For coffee lovers, there are few things more appealing than being met in the early a.m.

In other words, who is the All-Time Champion of Coffee Makers? But, who makes the best coffee maker today? Sounds simple enough, right? It's simple, buy the best coffee maker on the market made especially for your coffee-drinking needs! So, how do you avoid a coffee catastrophe?

Coffee and Bunn-o-Matic - will meet in the kitchen to crown the undisputed coffee making champion of the world. Ladies and gentlemen, we'd like to welcome you to our title bout of the day where two mighty coffee making titans - Mr.

Introducing The Coffee Maker Contenders

Introducing The Coffee Maker Contenders

Coffee is in great shape with an amazing array of features and settings, including single serve, speed brew, switch, programmable, and thermal models. In fact, Mr. With makers serving up between one and twelve cups, he'll be hard to beat. Coffee currently has over a dozen models on the market retailing from between $24.99 to $89.99. Affordable with many models to choose from, Mr. Coffee - long-recognized as the undisputed champion of home coffee makers. In the green corner, we have Mr.

In the red corner, we have the Bunn-o-Matic - king of the commercial coffee making market. Found in restaurants and chosen by baristas around the world, Bunn-o-Matic is known for his professional-grade machines. With a limited variety (e.g., currently seven models, with one single serve and 6-10 cup models), judges will need to pay close attention to the details to see what kind of punch the Bunn-o-Matic packs. One thing is for sure: with a starting price of $89.95, Bunn-o-Matic definitely tips the scales as a higher-priced option for home consumers.

For those of you who are new to the clash of the coffee makers, here's what the judges will be looking for during the brew-off:

Cup size

Cup size

How many cups can your coffee maker cook up (say that five times fast)? Most brands today have single-serve and multiple cup models, with 10-12 cups being the upper limit for most home coffee makers.

Timer

Timer

If having your coffee pre-made for you when you wake up is important, then a timer is going to be key! Timers allow you to set the time when your coffee maker will start doing its thing and brewing you up your beloved coffee.

Space

Space

If you have unlimited counter space, then this criterion might not matter much to you. But, for those of you for whom counter space is at a premium, deciding upon a model that fits your space as well as your décor might be an important consideration.

But, to truly separate the two competitors, our judges will also be looking closely at the following four areas:

Ease of Use

Ease of Use

This is self-explanatory - at 6 a.m., you want a machine that is easy to use

Durability

Durability

As you know, coffee makers aren't the most pampered of home appliances. They can get pretty banged up with daily use. Choosing a hardy model is essential.

Ease of Cleaning

Ease of Cleaning

Starting with a well-maintained and cleaned pot is one of the best ways to assure yourself of a great cup of coffee day after day.

Style

Style

Yes, in the end, many of us like our coffee makers to look cool. Sure, while it's true that they are simply functional machines, we want these machines to represent our love for coffee.

The fight is on between the top coffee makers in the world. So, who wins the home coffee maker battle? Bunn-o-Matic definitely has significantly higher priced models and less of a home-based selection, but is known for superior performance and durability. Mr. Coffee has a wider range of home models to choose from and most of their machines are significantly less expensive than even the lowest priced Bunn-o-Matic.

Good luck! Remember, a great cup of coffee are winners. In the end, it's a personal choice for you to decide.

Monday, October 13, 2008

What is Espresso Coffee?

Espresso coffee is more popular today than it has ever been at any time in its history, perhaps thanks to the marketing power of coffee giants such as Starbucks. Many of the most popular drinks that we consume everyday are made using espresso, rather than the more traditional filter or drip coffee. Drinks such as lattes, cappuccinos, mochas and machiatos.

Given this strong popularity for these espresso drinks, it's surprising that many people don't actually know what an espresso is. For anyone who has never had an espresso, the first taste can be quite shocking. An espresso is very concentrated, and comes in a very small cup. However, it packs a large punch and the flavor can take some getting used to. (In other words, your first impression might be that you just swallowed something vile. But don't worry, it gets better with experience.)

Espresso is made by forcing very hot (not boiling) water through finely ground coffee. The coffee is ground more finely than filter coffee, but is not as finely ground as Turkish coffee, which is more like a fine powder.

Originally, espresso machines used steam pressure to force the water through. Today, a spring piston lever machine is used, which used a piston to generate the pressure and force the water through the coffee. It is important that the temperature does not go too high or low, as this will spoil the beverage. The ideal temperature is 85 to 95 degrees Celsius.

If the water is too hot, the espresso will be too bitter. If it is too cold, it will be too sour. As you can see, making espresso drinks is a very exacting job, and care must be taken to do it right. The people trained to do this are called baristas (which is Italian for barman).

As the water blasts through the coffee, it extracts the flavor, oils, sugars and proteins and dissolves them. This results is a very potent mixture that has a very strong, yet rich and subtle flavor. It also has all the caffeine of a large cup of filter coffee, giving it a strong kick.

To enjoy these drink at its best, it is important to drink the coffee as soon after it is made as possible, definitely within 2 minutes. If you intend to blend it to make espresso drinks, you need to do so within 10 seconds of pulling the espresso.

This is because the flavor packed volatile molecules in the drink rapidly degrade, both through contact with oxygen and as the heat leaves the drink.

The espresso is made up of 3 different parts, the heart, body and the crema, which is the delicate, creamy foam that naturally forms on the top of the drink. The crema is a sign of good espresso, and care should be taken to ensure it is preserved. To do this, some people use pre warmed shot glasses, which prevents heat loss.

There is no such thing as an "espresso roast" - you can make good espresso from light or dark roast beans. A very dark roast is a bad idea, as it can lead to a burnt, charcoal taste. The only important thing is that the coffee is ground to the correct grade, and that the beans are freshly roast.

Selecting the blend is important when making espresso drinks, as it is for any kind of coffee drinks. The factors to concentrate on are sweetness, aromatics and smoothness.

Also, the type of grinder used is important. The best choice is a conical burr grinder. This will produce a consistent grind (the particles will all be the right size), and will also make sure that the coffee does not overheat as it is ground (this would spoil the aroma).

How to make the best espresso drinks could fill books, as there are many factors to balance. This is why coffee shops spend so much time training their staff. When you find a place that serves excellent espresso, recognize that this is not just a happy accident, and recognize the skill and care that goes into making this most demanding drink.

Malcolm Blake has written more information about gourmet coffee at http://www.coffeewebinfo.com. Come and find out more about gourmet coffees .

http://www.coffeewebinfo.com. gourmet coffees

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