Lee here. Just wanted to share with the world that my favorite coffee related beverage. It would definitely be an Iced 5 pumps (which is one less pump than normal for an iced Venti at Starbucks) white mocha, 1 pump mocha latte with non-fat milk, easy ice, and with no whipped cream. The White Mocha is very sweet, but not so much of a chocolate taste; so I add a single pump of regular mocha to bring out the mocha side of the white mocha. And shouldn't mess with the nutritional facts too much, given there are still six total pumps of flavor. I would imagine that Mocha would be less in everything compared to the White Mocha.
But I'm a sweet tooth. There are all kinds of combinations that you can come up with. Tell me what you like and we can come up with a year round menu for your coffee delight! They will be Geared more towards Starbucks, because that's what I know. I'm a Starbuckian for life. But the recipes could work at all kinds of places, depending on ingredient availability.
Well, that's mine. What's yours?
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Great Coffee For You
Coffee is Coffee, right? Not so much. There are many many types of coffee. Notice that I said types, and not flavors. Depending on where on the globe the coffee tree is grown, tells you, for the most part, what that coffee's dominate flavors are. BTW there are only a hand-full of countries that can grow coffee, and those countries lie around the equator. So a coffee bean grown in eastern Africa will generally have more of a citrus like undertone. And Asian coffee beans will be more of a dark, robust, and smooth mouth feel to it. Finding the right coffee for you is crucial.
Try to stay away from the pre-ground coffees. Not saying that they don't taste good, but there is way better out there. Did you know that once you grind coffee, after 7 days it begins to stale. Check the date on your coffee can and you do the math. Is it really just coffee in there? So a burr grinder might need to be on your next Holiday Gift List. So you can grind on demand. Which is wonderful, especially when your spouse or significant other doesn't prefer the same type of coffee.
The way your coffee is ground has a lot to do with how weak or strong you like your coffee. The terms weak and strong have to do with the taste of the coffee, not necessarily the amount of caffeine. Coarse grind allows the water to flow faster through the grounds not leaving a while lot of time for the coffee grounds to brew into the water. So, in turn, you will have a weaker tasting coffee. With Fine grind it allows the water to hang out a little longer and letting the brewing process take a little longer for a stronger cup of Joe. Think of it as, Water flows more quickly through pebbles than sand. You can play around on different grind settings for different machines to get the perfect mixture for you.
Using distilled or filtered water instead of tap water makes a world of a difference. You know tap water tastes different, no new news here, the Chlorine taste, yeah. Some coffee makers and espresso machines out there come with a charcoal, or some other, filtering systems built in! WOW!
Try to stay away from the pre-ground coffees. Not saying that they don't taste good, but there is way better out there. Did you know that once you grind coffee, after 7 days it begins to stale. Check the date on your coffee can and you do the math. Is it really just coffee in there? So a burr grinder might need to be on your next Holiday Gift List. So you can grind on demand. Which is wonderful, especially when your spouse or significant other doesn't prefer the same type of coffee.
The way your coffee is ground has a lot to do with how weak or strong you like your coffee. The terms weak and strong have to do with the taste of the coffee, not necessarily the amount of caffeine. Coarse grind allows the water to flow faster through the grounds not leaving a while lot of time for the coffee grounds to brew into the water. So, in turn, you will have a weaker tasting coffee. With Fine grind it allows the water to hang out a little longer and letting the brewing process take a little longer for a stronger cup of Joe. Think of it as, Water flows more quickly through pebbles than sand. You can play around on different grind settings for different machines to get the perfect mixture for you.
Using distilled or filtered water instead of tap water makes a world of a difference. You know tap water tastes different, no new news here, the Chlorine taste, yeah. Some coffee makers and espresso machines out there come with a charcoal, or some other, filtering systems built in! WOW!
Who am I, and why should I know?
As a barista for 3 years, I have seen a lot of "the good, the bad, and the just plain ugly." And I believe that the more educated people are about coffee, the more they are able to enjoy its riches. So, I'm here to discuss different techniques and to just talk coffee. But I have to say, my expertise is in Espresso. I was a Shift Supervisor with Starbucks Coffee Company for 3 years and have trained many many of our local, Rogers and Bentonville, AR, Baristas. And also was a trainer in Espresso Excellence. I am pretty sure I can answer a lot of different coffee questions, and if I can't we can find out together and we both learn something new!
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