Kona Coffee: the Pride of Hawaii

Coffee is one of the most important commodities the world over. This byproduct of coffee cherries and coffee beans has remained one of the most popular beverages.

From the time that it originated from Ethiopia centuries ago, coffee has become a household basic - something that people cannot do without.

There are two basic coffee variants: one is the traditional Arabica, and the other is Robusta coffee. Many coffee enthusiasts agree that the former has a stronger flavor than the latter, so it tastes better.

This is because Arabica coffee contains beans in its purest form - rather than Robusta coffee which only has half of the caffeine amount that can be found in Arabica coffee variants.

Due to the high demand of Arabica coffee in the industry, many rare coffee variants found only in certain places have found a niche market.

Hawaii's Kona Coffee

Aside from the gorgeous beaches, lush forests and warm people, another thing that Hawaiians are proud of is a coffee variant that is solely produced in their islands, which is the Kona coffee.

Kona is a part of the Hawaiian archipelago where this special coffee variant is grown. Kailua-Kona is the largest town in the district, and it has two districts: the northern and southern districts of Kona.

On the Dry Side of the Island

The word Kona literally means on the dry side of the land. Kona coffee if therefore grown on the dry side of Big Island, which is the largest among all the Hawaiian islands.

There are two districts which divide Kailua-Kona, and Kona coffee grows primarily on the West side of the Hawaiian archipelago.

This location, as well as the climate, makes Hawaii an ideal setting to grow Kona coffee, which has become a world-class coffee variant.

What makes coffee plants in Kona unique from other coffee plants in the world are:

1. The ideal location

Hawaii is basically a group of islands formed by volcanic slopes. Kona coffee if grown along the rocky volcanic slopes of Mount Lona and Mount Hualalai.

2. The ideal climate

Due to the tropical climate in Hawaii, the mornings are almost always warm and sunny. During the afternoon, there is a slight mist which befalls the islands, further nurturing the coffee plants.

3. The meticulous care of coffee farmers.

Most of the coffee farmers in Hawaii rely on the basic hand-picking method, ensuring the freshness of the freshly-gathered coffee cherries.

Some coffee producers use modern machinery to ensure fast harvesting when the coffee cherries are mature enough. However, a machine cannot give out the personal touch that farmers can give during harvesting.

A machine may not recognize overripe or immature coffee beans, and put them all together once harvested. This results in an impure coffee blend once the beans are processed.

On the other hand, a hand-picked batch of coffee cherries is assured of almost 100 per cent quality.

Kona coffee is also an Arabica blend, making it a truly premier coffee variant that Hawaiians can proudly offer to the world.

Dave Poon is an accomplished writer who specializes in the latest in Food and Drink. For more information regarding Kona Coffee please drop by at http://www.hotcoffeeplus.com/

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Coffee Bean Roaster

The flavor and freshness of coffee is at its best when it is roasted in small batches at home. The coffee bean roaster is fast becoming a "must have" in today's kitchens.

It spells disaster for specialty coffee beans creating stale, flavorless coffee. Roasted coffee is very susceptible to oxygen damage when it sits on store shelves and in café bins for days or weeks at a time.

It is the beginning of a new era in coffee history and a major step in the return of great tasting coffee. Today, the coffee bean roaster is a coffee enthusiasts dream, bringing the freshness and quality of roasting fresh gourmet coffee at home.

Once you experience the flavor of fresh gourmet coffee like this you'll want to share it with everyone you know. You'll be surprised to learn how easy and fast it is to roast your own specialty coffee beans at home.

There are basically two types of home coffee bean roasters: fluid bed roasters and electric, radiant heat drum roasters.

Fluid bed roasters work like hot air popcorn poppers. They have a glass-roasting chamber so you can watch as the coffee beans are roasted and stop at the desired roast. These are good for beginners and a great way to get started in home roasting.

The radiant heat drum roaster is more like the professional coffee roasters use. These do not allow you to watch as the beans are roasted so you have to roast by smell or sound.

How about having a roasting party with friends or the family? Home roasting is a lot of fun. You can try some of the best coffees in the world and roast them just the way you like them. What's even more fun and tasty is creating your own custom blends.

So if you haven't tried home roasting, get ready for an amazing treat. Your coffee drinking experience will never be the same once you taste the fresh gourmet coffee you made with your home coffee bean roaster. "Enjoy"

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Gevalia Coffee Maker for the Perfect Coffee Cup

Gevalia Kaffe is a company which prides itself in producing the finest of European coffee beans and premium tea blends. For over 100 years now, Gevalia has satisfied the selective taste buds of coffee enthusiasts around the world.

They sell customized coffee beans which are packed right after roasting to ensure maximum freshness.

Gevalia now has a wide array of coffee bean varieties and premium tea blends to suit your taste. Along with the coffee and tea products, they also offer a wide array of fun and unique accessories and gift packages for the coffee addict in you.

'Gevalia Coffee Maker'

One of the hottest products that coffee enthusiasts will enjoy from Gevalia is their twelve-cup coffee maker.

This model features a brewing mechanism which will extract the full flavor from the coffee grind. It also comes with a "pause and serve" feature, as well as a round-the-clock programmable timer.

This is especially useful so that you can pre-brew your coffee cup the night before, and you will wake up to the aroma of a freshly-brewed cup.

Some coffee maker owners at home find it such a chore to prepare and clean their coffee brewing machines. With Gevalia's swing-out basket, adding a paper filter is a snap and brewing coffee has never been easier.

Its water chamber can brew up to twelve cups of coffee. Gevalia coffee maker comes in an elegant black or white model, and is available for only $59.95. They also offer a package which includes the coffee maker with a set of four specialized Gevalia coffee mugs for $74.95.

The Gevalia coffee maker is a suitable kitchen appliance that you can buy for your own home, and it also serves as a nice gift set for friends and family who are coffee aficionados.

'How to Brew your Gevalia Coffee'

Gevalia shares some of their trade secrets on how to brew the perfect cup of coffee. For their famous European recipe, use one scoop of Gevalia Breakfast Blend ground coffee for every six fluid ounces of water. This should be perfect to brew one cup. You can vary the measurements to suit your own taste.

The quality of coffee filter also counts when brewing coffee right in your own home. A good filter should be cone-shaped which is made of high-quality paper. A good paper filter will extract the utmost flavor, giving out the richness of the coffee.

Do not use tap water in brewing Gevalia coffee. Instead, use cold water which is filtered.

Of course, it is best to use Gevalia coffee maker in brewing Gevalia coffee. This model heats the water to high enough temperature to get the utmost flavor from the coffee beans.

If you will not drink your beverage straight from the coffee machine, store it in an airtight container of carafe. The liquid will lose its flavor if it is left on the coffee maker or a warming plate for more than fifteen minutes.

Finally, a well-maintained and thoroughly cleaned machine is critical in maintaining the quality of coffee that your coffee maker produces.

Dave Poon is an accomplished writer who specializes in the latest in Food and Drink. For more information regarding Gevalia Coffee Maker please drop by at http://www.hotcoffeeplus.com/

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Roast Your Own Coffee Beans With A Home Coffee Roaster

To a coffee lover, there's nothing like the smell of roasting coffee beans. To be honest, the average coffee drinker feels more than willing to leave the roasting of the coffee beans to the staff of their local coffee house or their preferred coffee producer. Of course, roasting one's own coffee beans has not been an option until recently with the creation of the smaller computer driven roasters. Commercial coffee roasters are not as user friendly as these newer roasters, and they come with a hefty price tag. Add to this the difficult process of roasting to insure that the beans retain their flavor, and it is no wonder that people are not lining up to roast their own coffee.

So the question is who needs a coffee roaster?

Well, there are the coffee enthusiasts who are just as in interested in all aspects of making that perfect cup of coffee as they are in drinking the perfect cup. If you are this person, then these new, smaller, computerized coffee roasters would be a perfect addition to your home. Now you can not only choose the type of bean for brewing, but can determine the right roast to obtain just the flavor you desire. The household coffee roaster makes it easier to control the amount of heat applied to the beans, and the length of roasting time.

Buyers beware though. This is still an arduous process that can leave even the most robust bean devoid of flavor. However, with a little practice and know how, anyone who considers coffee brewing not just something that they do as a morning ritual, but rather as a hobby, can take this one step further and create their own roast.

Though these roasters are not as complicated as their commercial counterparts, roasting coffee beans is time consuming, thus is still not for everyone. For those of us who are happy with the brand of coffee we purchase already roasted and ready for grinding and brewing, we can still head on over to our local supermarket or gourmet coffee house. The perfect cup of coffee can still be created without having to involve ourselves in the entire process. However, it is nice to know that there are options out there for people looking for something more than just a quick cup of Joe.

If you find yourself concerned about having the perfect bean for brewing, and would enjoy getting more involved, then owning your own roaster is defiantly the way to go. Lower cost and smaller sizes make it easier than ever to bring roasting to any home that desires it. Not only will you be able to enjoy drinking your coffee but creating it as well.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about this as well as flavored coffee at http://www.gourmetespressoandcoffee.com

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coffee pods 101 a guide to coffee pods

Before they came about, to get a single cup of coffee at home, one would have to either make instant coffee or measure out just enough grounds for an automatic drip coffee pot. Coffee pods are really a very cool invention. Coffee pods, however, eliminated this problem. Since most coffee enthusiasts don't enjoy instant coffee, people were forced to either make too much of the beverage or try to put just enough coffee grounds into the filter. Also, unlike tea bags, they're not meant to be steeped in a hot cup of water. Circular in shape, they're very similar to a tea bag, but do not have a string attached to them. Coffee pods are pre packaged ground coffee beans enclosed in their own filter. Instead, these pods are made for special coffee makers that are designed to make one cup of coffee at a time. This way, when you go to refill your cup, you don't have to resort to the last stale bit of coffee that has been sitting in a pot for hours on end. A fresh cup of coffee each time you go to get your daily dose of caffeine is a fantastic idea. Sanseo is the company that came up with the idea, and has a patented coffee maker which uses the pods. Folgers Coffee has come out with their own coffee pods, which Sanseo sued under patent laws. A judge decided to hear the case, and found that Folgers had a right to produce and market coffee pods under the coffee pod name. Sanseo had the rights to the coffee maker, but the patent did not extend to cover the pods themselves. Used just like a pre filled normal sized coffee filter, more and more people are starting to discover them. Since then, other companies have come out with their own coffee pods.

Before they came about, to get a single cup of coffee at home, one would have to either make instant coffee or measure out just enough grounds for an automatic drip coffee pot. Coffee pods are really a very cool invention.Coffee pods, however, eliminated this problem. Since most coffee enthusiasts don't enjoy instant coffee, people were forced to either make too much of the beverage or try to put just enough coffee grounds into the filter.Also, unlike tea bags, they're not meant to be steeped in a hot cup of water. Circular in shape, they're very similar to a tea bag, but do not have a string attached to them. Coffee pods are pre packaged ground coffee beans enclosed in their own filter.Used just like a pre filled normal sized coffee filter, more and more people are starting to discover them. Since then, other companies have come out with their own coffee pods.