The Best Cup of Drip Coffee Possible

With a "good" cup of coffee costing almost as much as a good sandwich these days, more and more people are taking to making their coffee at home from an "old fashioned" drip coffee machine. With the influence of Starbucks and the others out there, people are demanding a better cup of coffee all of the time. This article should help you make the best cup of drip coffee possible.

Coffee from a can just doesn't work for the general public anymore. You know what I'm talking about and it sounds as lousy to you as it does to me. The good news is that great coffee beans can be obtained at pretty much any grocery store. If you use coupons (and if you don't, shame on you), you should do quite well if you aren't too worried about the brand name. My tip for you - worry about quality more than anything else. The big stores like Sams Club and Costco offer big bags of coffee beans at some very good prices. Your author's favorite, in case you're interested, is Kirkland brand (two pound) of Espresso Roast (Starbucks) that you can find at Costco.

Be willing to experiment with different bean types to find the kind of coffee you like best. For what it is worth, more times than not, I've found that a good espresso roast makes a great cup of drip coffee as well. Do experiment though, you just might be surprised at what you find.

Good beans deserve a good grind. You'd be surprised at the difference between a good grind and a bad one. If you don't have a good grinder at home, consider grinding the beans at the store where they were purchased as the grinders there often do a great job. Burr grinders are the best, and the most expensive.

It is probably obvious but good water makes a difference as well. The more things you take out of the water, the better your coffee will taste.

A good drip machine is also a must. More than anything else, the warming element is what you need to worry about. If you find that your coffee often has that scalded burned taste, the warmer might be too hot. And, of course, there is seldom a way to change that so, … you'll need a new machine.

Consider the French Press alternative. French presses are dirt cheap, make an incredible cup of coffee, and never leave you worrying about overactive warmers, water tube build-up and the like. Remember that the grind for French Press is different than normal drip coffee so grind accordingly.

What about people stuck in a bad coffee situation in the office or somewhere else? Here's a trick that can help with some issues: Bring in a cinnamon shaker and dash a little on the grinds before starting the machine. This will give the coffee a bit more taste, hide some of the bad taste and help with the aroma. Grab the coffee as soon as is brewed and, most of all, lobby for better coffee.

You're worth it.

About The Author

Chiacchia Del is the webmaster of Yo! Coffee, the Internet's hot spot for all things coffee. You can read more of her work at http://www.yocoffee.com .

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The Changes You Want - "Coffee House Conversations"

Everywhere you go, you hear people talk about the changes they want to make in their lives. Certainly while your getting your coffee or tea at the coffee house you do.

"I want to lose weight."

"I want a better job."

"I want to make more money."

Maybe for you it's travel, education, meeting someone or improving a current relationship. We all have goals and changes we want that go unresolved. So we talk a lot about wanting them to change. How often does anyone really do anything about changing? In fact, after a while you'll start hearing the wants turn to complaints. Then the complaints turn into reasons why success is not possible. "I don't have the time or money or ability." There are an endless number of reasons.

As a life coach, people are always telling me why they are stuck and why they can't do certain things. "I don't like to workout." or "I'm too forgetful." Basically what they're telling me is, "I have no control over my own behavior." Here's one we have all heard from someone, "I'm not a morning person."

What if I offered a "non-morning person" a million dollars to be a morning person tomorrow morning? Most people would say, "Well, for a million dollars I could be." So in truth, it's not that you are not a morning person, or that you don't have the time or any of the other reasons you give that prevent you from the changes you want, you simply haven't found the motivation.

With the right motivation, and it doesn't have to be money, you can change and create winning actions in your life. You are not locked into any behavior. Stop placing limits on yourself and talking about the changes you want and the reasons you can't achieve them. There is no definition of you other than the definition you give yourself.

We all have the power to redefine ourselves and create the lives we want. Let me show you how powerful you are. Take a sip of your coffee or tea and let me ask you this: Right now, could anything stop you from taking that sip? Oh, you don't have a coffee or tea? Then get one or imagine you have one. Barring a sudden, catastrophic natural disaster, the answer is no, nothing can. The only thing that could stop you from taking a sip is…you!

In fact, nothing can stop you from going to the gym, eating right, getting an education, looking for a better job, paying attention to your relationships, not spending money on your credit cards or doing the things you should to make your life better. Nothing can stop you from anything you want to improve in your life except you. You are the only obstacle in your life.

We need to stop blaming outside factors for our behavior. There is no boogeyman keeping you from creating the life you want. We also have to stop looking for shortcuts. We tend to fall into the trap of wanting instant gratification and there are plenty of folks trying to sell this junk. I hate to be the one to tell you this but there are no magic pills that will make you thin, cure your life in seven days, get rich over night or have great abs in two weeks.

There is only one sure way to success and that's doing the work. This means we must get into action. Get motivated to change right now! Motivation is power and we have established here that being powerful is as simple as taking a sip of coffee or tea.

So enjoy the rest of your coffee or tea and smile while you take that sip, because right now you are powerful and right now you've decided to get into action to achieve the changes you want.

About The Author - As a life coach, Devlyn has made helping people find ways to improve their lives his personal mission and passion. He is a public consultant, a private counselor, an author and creator of Tools To Life. He has hosted his own radio shows called "Tools To Life" and "Love beat" and has been a guest on over 150 various shows. You can read his articles and advice all over the Internet. Devlyn has often been referred to as "America's Leading Life-Coach."

For Free E-books and more information visit DevlynSteele.com

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