Sharing another Blogger's Work

I came across a really neat little coffee blog and I wanted to share one of their posts with you. (With their permission of course). So here goes (anything italicized is my thoughts or additions):

Paper coffee filters can be used for more than just filtering coffee.  Here are some uses and ideas that we have come up with for coffee filters.

1. Kid's crafts - with some markers, paint, and a wood clothespin, you and your children can make some neat butterflies using coffee filters. This would be great at a daycare or elementary school
2. Apply shoe polish. Lint free coffee filters will leave behind no lint pieces on your shiny shoes. This one I've actually tried, it works!
3. Sprout seeds. Use a damp coffee filter, place seeds inside, put inside a zip lock bag and leave until they sprout.
4. Out of cotton balls? They can be used to remove fingernail polish.
5. Use to clean LCD screens.  Comes in handy if you have misplaced your lint free cloth that typically comes with these electronics. Hmmm...I'm gonna start keeping a few coffee filters in my laptop bag.
6. Use as a disposable spoon rest while cooking. No counter mess, and no extra dish to wash.
7. Put baking soda in one, close with a twist tie, and use in closets, shoes, etc. to keep down odors.
8. Use them in a plate to soak up grease from foods. (Bacon, Fries, Chicken Nuggets, etc.)
9. Use while sewing as a backing for appliques, etc. It is easy to tear away when you are done. Need to tell my mother about this one! It'd come in handy with her quilting.
10. Cover dishes when microwaving food, no splatter to clean up!

So that is coffeemakeroutlet.blogspot.com 's big list of things to use coffee filters for. What do you think? Have you tried any of these tips? Or have any tips of your own to recommend?

Source for paper coffee filters and other coffee accessories: http://www.coffeemaker-outlet.com/Coffee-Maker-Accessories.htm

How to Grow a Coffee House Plant

I want to put a little green liveliness into my living-room and I have decided that as much as I love my coffee that I might as well invest in owning a coffee tree as a houseplant. Now, I know that it can take several years for the coffee plant to mature enough to start producing beans (well actually they are technically fruit), but I’m not so much into harvesting beans as I am just wanting something green and growing in the house. And for me a coffee plant just makes sense.

I have found some wonderful info on ehow.com about growing your own indoor coffee tree:

1. Have patience. The most important thing to remember about growing a Coffee Tree is that it takes years to mature to a bean growing state.
2. Enjoy the dark shiny leaves of the Coffee plant. When taken care of properly, the tree grows beautiful fragrant white flowers.
3. Plant your Coffee Tree in a good potting soil. Keep the soil moist, but not over watered. Pot in an ordinary planter with good drainage is best.
4. Keep the plant in 60 to 70 degree F. temperatures day and night. Live in a warm climate; keep the Coffee Tree outside during summer months.
5. Fertilize your Coffee Tree every 2 weeks from March to October. Continue fertilizing monthly during the rest of the months. Use of an all-purpose fertilizer is fine.
6. Prune your tree if it gets too tall for your home. The Coffee Tree can grow 10 feet tall in a large pot. Reduce its size to the height you want by pinching it back or by cutting branches down near the base.
7. Pick coffee berries when they are dark red. Berries will not ripen if picked when green.

Tips

• The Coffee Tree takes six years to mature enough to grow bean producing berries.
• Each Coffee Tree berry contains two coffee beans.
• Roast beans before grinding them to make coffee.
• If leaves turn yellow or fall off, the container you’re growing your Coffee Tree in is too small.

I’m hoping that my coffee plant will work well in the large white planters that I have, they are urn planters and are very beautiful I love the antique feel that they give to my sunroom, but I’m tired of them being empty. Time to plant some coffee!

Retro looking Gourmet Coffee Grinder

My sister saw my last post which was about the Mr. Coffee Coffee Grinder. She informed me that I hadn’t experienced freshly ground coffee until I’ve tried her coffee grinder. So she invited me over and off I went, camera in hand.



Now how cool does that grinder look? She keeps it in her kitchen on the counter because it is so pretty. She said it is called a Gourmet Coffee Grinder, and is made by Universal.

After talking to my little sis some more I found out that the Universal Gourmet Coffee Grinder:

• Grinds your coffee beans from course to very fine by the metal adjustment knob on the side of the unit. Grinds coffee for all types of coffee and espresso makers.
• Also grinds nuts, spices and other beans
• Made from cast Iron and Wood for long lasting use
• Just dump your coffee beans into the cast iron covered bean hopper it‘s perfectly sloped chamber
• Allows the beans to be to be evenly and efficiently loaded for perfect grinding
• Ground coffee empties into the wooden drawer and allows enough ground coffee for up to 10 cups of fresh brew.

• 
• Also makes a beautiful addition to your kitchen with its antique look there’s no need to hide it in the cabinet.

Directions For Use
This unit comes to you pre-assembled just place the oak handle onto the cast Iron Wheel and tighten with a straight screwdriver. Fill the hopper with your favorite beans. You should do a practice run first to get the adjustment knob were you need it for your preferred type of ground coffee (if it is to course you can run it back through so there’s no waste) The further out you adjust the knob the courser the coffee will be; the further in the knob is the finer. Just adjust a little at a time till you get it were you want it. You can grind a hopper full in under three minutes with continuous turning of the wheel. Occasionally, a whole been will slip through when you stop grinding before the hopper is empty.

I've found this coffee grinder online at http://www.coffeemaker-outlet.com/Universal-109-Gourmet-Coffee-Grinder.htm

Mr. Coffee Coffee Grinder

While I love any and all coffee, there is just something even more special about freshly ground coffee that just gets my senses up and going.  While this isn't something that I do very often, I know some of you are curious about grinding your own coffee and may even be curious as to which coffee grinder is my preferred weapon of choice.  Well that would be the Mr. Coffee Coffee Grinder.  Let me tell you a little about it:

This small but powerful coffee grinder has three grind settings: Fine, Medium and Coarse to grind your coffee just the way you like. The exclusive chamber maid clears grounds from the chamber walls. Grind 4-12 cups for brewing. The press and pour wide opening lid makes fill and dispensing easier and less messy.

Dishwasher-Safe top and grinding chamber for easy cleaning. With its auto off feature it automatically stops when grounds are ideally prepared. The convenient cleaning mechanism clears grounds from the side of the grinding chamber after each use for no messy residue and less coffee waste.

It easily adjusts for different cup settings with its easy touch buttons operates with the touch of a button.

 And it features built in cord storage in the back to neatly tuck away the cord when not in use for a tidy kitchen. Small and compact at eight inches high and three 7/8 top diameter this item is compact enough to take with you on your travels or to help maintain roomy counter top in your kitchen or break room with its 120 Vac 60 HZ 130W motor it’s powerful enough to take on any coffee bean.

Review

This thing is fast and that’s perfect for us we are busy parents who can’t survive without our morning cup my beans are ground in seconds and I think its easy to clean up, I like that the buttons light up so I can see them when I am half asleep in the morning and that it only requires one finger to operate since most of the others are busy with getting the kids ready in the morning.

I would recommend it to anyone I am very satisfied with it and it has earned a permanent place alongside my coffee pot every morning.

Debating Keurig

I have been doing a little debating lately. As much as I love my coffee, and there is proof by how many various coffee makers I own (and no I am not planning to part with any of them) I still do not own a Keurig Brewing System.  I am thinking about whether or not this would be a good investment. I saw a blog on Keurig by a friend of mine today that got me to thinking about Keurig again.

So I visited the site that she had linked to and I saw that they have several of the different models. I'm thinking that I might want to get one to use in my office at work.  I tend to not like the whole idea of a communal coffee pot. The coffee is never consistent in these situations. And it just offends my tastebuds when I get a cup that is either way too strong or the opposite, entirely too weak.

I think that one of the Keurig Mini Plus brewing systems might be just what I'm needing to remedy this situation.  I prefer the platinum one.  It has a very sleek smooth look to it.  And since I'll be the only one using this coffee pot at work, I think that the Mini would be perfect for my needs.  Also the variety of the K-cups is just amazing.  I think I might work my way up to trying all the different flavors, they even have teas. Which is perfect for me since I also enjoy the occasional cup of tea.

I'll let you know how it goes with this new coffee maker along with which flavors I try and what I think of them.  I'm going to go place my order now, I just talked myself into getting one!

A Few Coffee Tips

I don't even consider it morning until I’ve had my cup of coffee, and there are a lot of people who share this belief. I prefer making my own coffee with my Cuisinart Single Serve coffee Maker, this little machine makes some phenomenal coffee. But there are always tricks to making your coffee better.

• Be sure to store coffee beans properly: Some people freeze their coffee, but you shouldn’t do this if you are using your coffee right away, as coffee should not go straight from the freezer to steaming water.  Keep a week’s worth of coffee in an airtight container at room temperature. Keep the rest in the freezer, this way what you are using each morning isn’t frozen, while the rest is able to stay fresh in your freezer.
• Caffeine guide: Some coffee offers a rough chart on how much caffeine their brew has, but the majority do not.  Here is something to keep in mind about caffeine in your coffee: Robusta beans pack twice as much caffeine as does Arabica beans. Also drip coffee usually has more caffeine in it than espresso does. (This is a handy tip to remember if you are ordering coffee at a coffee house and want to be sure you get the amount of caffeine you need)
• Cure that Bitterness: Made a cup of coffee and it turned out too bitter?  Add a pinch or so of salt to it.  The salt tricks your tastebuds into not tasting as much of that bitter flavor.

Sources:
http://lifehacker.com/#!5312052/top-10-tips-and-tricks-for-better-coffee
http://coffeemakeroutlet.blogspot.com/2011/02/coffee-bitterness.html

Coffee Plant or Where does Coffee Come From?

The beans of the coffee plant provide us with coffee. (this is my new favorite plant, let the plant worship begin.) The most common plant used in coffee production would be Coffea Arabica. The coffee plant is a tropical plant that grows more like a bush than a tree reaching 10-12 feet in height. The coffee plant is not a winter hardy plant so it cannot be grown in temperate climate zones. Coffee requires a lot of water, fertilizer and prefers alkaline (basic) soils. The coffee beans are the seeds of the plant. Many insects and animals eat these seeds. The plant has created its on natural defense to these attacks, caffeine.

Coffea arabica is considered to have the best flavor to produce brewed coffee. Other types of coffee plants can yield a coffee that is either too bitter or too bold. Cheaper brands of coffee may have a mixture of Coffea arabica and a substandard species. You can usually tell the difference.

There are a lot of politics surround coffee production and practices. You can check that out on your own. I have my own opinions, but I’m more interested in the processing of coffee after the beans have been harvested.

Coffee has to be ripened if picked green. This is done in one of two ways, dry process, simpler and less intensive, wet process method, which incorporate fermentation yielding a milder coffee. Fermentation results in a lot of coffee wastewater. Once the beans are ripened they have to be dried. This is done either on a drying table or in the sun. The best method is to use drying tables, but unfortunately this method is used less. More modern methods have been introduced that produce inferior grade coffee. More companies are returning to the traditional methods.

Roasting the beans is the next step taken after ripening the coffee beans. Roasting can change the taste of the beverage by changing the physical and chemical make-up of the coffee bean. As the bean is roasted the weight decreases due to moisture lost. When the temperature inside the bean reaches 200 degrees Celsius the roasting process begins. Carmelization occurs as intense heat breaks down starches in the bean. This changes the starch into simple sugars that brown changing the color of the bean from green to brown. Aromatic oils are created when the acids weaken inside the beans. These oils change the flavor. One of the oils that give coffee its aroma and flavor is caffeol.

The color of the bean determines the boldness of the bean. If the bean is a darker brown it will have a more robust flavor. Once the beans have dried they will be sorted into these different grades. Darker roasts are bolder because they have less fiber content a more sugar. Lighter roasts have a complex and stronger flavor.
Decaffeinated coffee is somewhat of a myth. Because coffee naturally creates caffeine it is difficult to remove all of it. Decaffeination occurs when the beans are green. They are soaked in hot water or steamed. Then using a solvent to dissolve caffeine-containing oils the caffeine is removed. The caffeine that is removed is often sold to the pharmaceutical industry.

To store the beans, an airtight container must be used and placed in a cool, dark, and dry place. This will help to maintain the coffee's flavors. Ironically, the bags we often purchase coffee in are not the best method for storing coffee.

If you think you would like to have a coffee plant in your house, go ahead and get one! Don’t expect to get any coffee beans from it unless you live in the tropics. The flowers are beautiful though! If you live in a climate that is warmer most of the year they make a great ornamental plant.

Now after all this coffee talk I need to fire up my Melitta Coffee Maker and have a nice aromatic brew myself.

Coffee Pot as Food Cooker

Wait...What did that say?

While the only thing that goes in my coffee maker is beverages (yes I have made tea in it, but still that is similar to coffee, right?) I have stumbled across a blog that talks about making food in a coffee maker.  This both disgusts and interests me…

Food? Really?

Many of the commenters on this blog said that during their Dorm Days they had used a coffee maker to make ramen noodles.  Here are some of the foods that Max Eddy says can be made in a coffee maker, and while I will not be trying any of them I just want to share and see your thoughts on this college dorm room phenomenon:

1. Oatmeal
2. Broccoli
3. Rice
4. Soft Boiled Eggs
5. Lemon Pepper Chicken
6. Fish Steaks
7. Chive and Butter Sauce
8. Chocolate Fondue
9. Chicken Pesto Pasta
10. Beer

Now while I would never cook food in my favorite coffee maker, I am a little curious as to how this would work. So instead of trying it i want to hear back from you… have you ever cooked food in your coffee maker? If so how did it turn out? Would you recommend this method of madness to anyone?

Bucket Ashtray for Guests

Going to be a little off topic again today, but we had a get together with some of my girlfriends this past Friday, everyone brought a desert and we had coffee to go along with it.  Now onto the ashtray dilemma:

A few of my friends that came over Friday are smokers; they know it's unhealthy, so I’m not going to lecture them about it.  Besides, I don’t really feel like I have that much room to talk since I used partake in that nasty habit. 

But I have been running into a slight problem, that since I do not smoke, my friends will excuse themselves to go outside when a craving hits.  Which I thank them for profusely. 

What I do not thank them for are the cigarette butts that were littering my yard.  Yuck!  I quit smoking so I do not want to have to go through my yard individually picking up each and every butt from someone else’s smoking addiction. (That and getting the smell of cigarettes on my fingers makes me start craving one, which is never a good thing. Must have willpower.)

But I have now found a way to solve my little dilemma.  I had a galvanized pail that a friend gave me (she’d ordered several of these metal buckets for centerpieces for her reception, and had some extra left over).  So I looked online to see what all needed to go into an outdoor ashtray.  For the most part you just fill the bucket within an inch of the top rim with sand and set it in a spot where the smoker’s will notice and use it. 

Some people put a few handfuls of charcoal into the bucket before pouring the sand, it is said to cut down on the smell, but since my bucket is outside I’m really not that worried about it.

To clean it out you can just use a kitty litter scoop or if you have an old deep fryer scoop it works too (I had ordered a few extras when I kept losing my original, I found it, so now its my cigarette butt scoop).

Broken Carafe

Not as much coffee talk today. Just a little venting.

Don't get me wrong, I love my cat I do. (look isn't she adorable):

But Java loves to jump on my counters.  And last night she thought it would be fun to push my coffee pot (just the carafe part) into the floor.  Well, tile and glass not play nice.  So now I am on a hunt for a Bunn Replacement Pot.  Luckily for Java I found one and have it ordered.  Even luckier for her, I have an extra coffee maker, its a little older and isn't necessarily my favorite to use any more.  But it beats not having my  morning cup of joe.  I just hope that the replacement I ordered is the right one.  It should be here in a week, so I'll let ya'll know if it works out for me.  Until then, hope each of you enjoys your coffee!

I found my Bunn carafe at http://www.coffeemaker-outlet.com/Bunn-Carafes.htm so if you need one you know where to go.

Tea Talk with Charlene!

Welcome back to Coffee Talk with Charlene!  Today we are going to broaden our discussion to include Camellia sinensis, more commonly known as tea.  Let me tell you about the different types of teas and some tips for brewing a good cup of tea.

Tea comes from the leaves and leaf buds of the Camellia sinensis plant.  Next to water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world.  There are several different types of tea the most common varieties are white, black, green, yellow, oolong and pu-erh.  All teas are made from the same species of plant, probably different varieties, but the leaves are processed differently.  Herbal tea is actually an infusion of leaves, flowers, fruit, herbs or other plant materials that contains no Camellia sinensis. 

Oxidation is called fermentation in the tea industry.  Oxidation occurs when chlorophyll breaks down and tannins are released.  The amount of oxidation that occurs changes the flavor of the tea when it is processed.  Tea is traditionally classified based on the techniques with which it is produced and processed. 

·         White tea: wilted and unoxidized

·         Yellow tea: Unwilted and unoxidized, but allowed to yellow

·         Green tea: Unwilted and unoxidized

·         Oolong: Wilted, bruised, and partially oxidized

·         Black tea: Wilted, sometimes crushed, and fully oxidized

·         Post-fermented tea: Green tea that has been allowed to ferment/compost

Tips for making a perfect cup of tea
Mineral deposits and residues can taint the flavor of tea.  Properly cleaning utensils and teapots before brewing will ensure a pure brew.  Kettles, teapots, cups, strainers and other tea accessories need be washed with soap or baking soda. (I like a stainless kettle best, seems to be easy to clean).

Since tea is comprised of 99% water, the type of water you use will affect the clarity and taste of your beverage. So if your water tastes good then your tea will taste good.

The best type of water to use when brewing tea is filtered or bottled water (not distilled water) that is free of chemicals and chlorine. If that isn’t available and you are using tap water, run your faucet for around ten seconds and until the tap water is cold before filling your tea kettle.

For each cup of tea you prepare, you will want to heat 6 ounces of water. So if you are making a pot of tea, be sure you have pre-measured the amount of water the pot holds. The water temperature and length of steeping time varies by the blend of tea you are brewing.

One general tea brewing guideline for water temperature and steeping times is to adjust the heat and time based on your individual preferences.

If you are trying tea for the first time, you might want to try some of the teas made by The Republic of Tea.  They have some delicious flavors and are gluten-free.

Coffee Grinding and Brewing Methods

Charlene again here with Coffee Talk with Charlene!

Today we are going to talk about the different grinding and brewing methods associated with coffee. 

Grinding

There are four methods of grinding coffee beans: burr-grinding, roller grinding, pounding, and chopping. 

1. Burr mills are used to burr-grind beans.  These mills use two revolving abrasive elements, such as wheels or conical grinding elements.  The coffee beans are crushed or torn with little frictional heat between these elements.  This process releases the etherical oils that are more easily extracted during the brewing process making the coffee taste richer and smoother. 

Old time burr coffee grinders are still available to due this process manually.  I have found them for a great price at coffeemaker-outlet.com.  They have manual grinders as well as electric grinders.  I personally have a Fox run 5134 Coffee Grinder that I purchased for $17.49 plus shipping. It looks like an antique, but it brand new.  I have given one of these to all of my coffee connoisseur friends. I personally recommend the burr mill for home use.

2. In a roller grinder, the beans are ground between pairs of corrugated rollers. A roller grinder produces a more even grind size distribution and heats the ground coffee less than any other method.  But this is an extremely expensive piece of equipment and only used commercially. 

3. Pounding coffee requires that the grounds be almost powdery and you can do this with most burr grinders or with a mortar and pestle.

4. To chop coffee beans you use blades that rotate at a high speed like a home blender.  The problem with this method is that the grind is not uniform and the coffee is warmed by friction.  They also create coffee dust that clogs up sieves in espresso machines and French presses. 

Brewing

There are four main methods used to brew coffee grounds.  Brewed coffee kept hot will deteriorate rapidly in flavor.  Even at room temperature, deterioration will occur.  Electronic coffee makers boil the water and brew the infusion with little human assistance and sometimes according to a timer.  Some coffee makers even grind the coffee beans before brewing them.

1.      The first method for brewing coffee was boiling.  Simply pour boiling water over coffee grounds in a cup.  When the water cools the grounds sink to the bottom.  This is often referred to as “mud coffee.”  This is also sometimes referred to as “cowboy coffee.”  It is obvious that the grounds in the bottom of the cup will ruin the taste of your coffee, so other methods were developed.

2.      Steeping coffee is accomplished using a cafetiere or a French press.  This is a tall narrow cylinder with a plunger that includes a metal or nylon mesh filter.  Coffee or tea is placed in the cylinder and boiling water is poured in.  After a few minutes the plunger is pushed down, leaving the filter immediately above the grounds, allowing the coffee or tea to be poured out while the filter retains the grounds.  Just like there are tea bags, coffee bags can be purchased in some stores.  Using these bags will eliminate any need for extra filtering.   You can purchase a French press at coffeemaker-outlet.com.  They have them in two sizes.  They even come with a handle so you can leave the tea or coffee in the cylinder.

3.      Filters are used to “drip brew.”  This is the American method of brewing coffee.  Coffee is placed in a filter, hot water drips through the coffee grounds filter the coffee and leaving only the liquid with no grounds.  There are tons of different types of coffee makers from automated to manual, large to small and everything in between.  There are the old timey percolators that are used on a stove top.  They’re great for camping trips too.  The percolator has a bottom chamber that is filled with water, a middle section and an upside down pot placed on the top.  When the water boils, the coffee maker is flipped over to let the water filter through the coffee grounds.

4.      Pressure is used in making espresso.  Usually the water is 91 degrees Celsius and forced through a lightly packed matrix (called a puck) of finely ground coffee.  Espresso is traditionally served by itself or with dessert.  It is not usually drunk with a meal.

I love a good espresso from time to time, but you really can’t beat a good drip coffee maker!  American or not, they make a fantastic cup of coffee great for any time of day or occasion.  Next time we will look at American coffee makers and see which ones are the best for you.