Ways To Making Great French Press Coffee

Oct 17th, 2010 Posted in Coffee Making, Coffee Quality, Gourmet Coffee | No Comments »

Anyone can produce a good cup of french press coffee. The ingredients as well as the equipment required are not that difficult to get. Here are some suggestions that you should remember while preparing French press coffee.

1. The very first thing should be to obtain a good French press coffee maker.  There are several of these for sale in home appliance shops so you should do your homework first in regards to the manufacturers and get familiar with the features and benefits of each one.

2. The most important component in making good coffee are the coffee beans. It is strongly recommended that you purchase a quality type of bean such as Kona coffee beans so they can be ground prior to use. This can be tedious rather than placing a spoonful into a cup but it’s a change you will learn to like.

3. Believe it not, the water which comes out of the faucet or a plastic container has a certain taste. This is because it is affected by the filtration process that makes it safe for people to consume. So, make sure you use good clean fresh water.

4. The general rule for brewing is that there must be two tablespoons of coffee for every 6 oz . of drinking water.

5. The french pot should be cleaned regularly. Using soap and water can do this, however if you still find coffee grinds from the last batch then vinegar or baking soda could be used.

It is not that hard to make a great cup of french press coffee. Just take the time to find a good coffee press and some quality beans that can provide a rich taste and your on your way to a gourmet cup of coffee.

Want to do something healthy? Have a cup of coffee!

Oct 17th, 2010 Posted in Coffee and Health, Coffee Making, Coffee Recipes, Gourmet Coffee | No Comments »

Why is it that everything that tastes good seems to be bad for our health?  While there is little hope for old favorites like pizza, sodas , and fried-anything…we now know that some of our favorite “guilty pleasures” are actually good for us.  Wine and dark chocolate are so good for you that they’re practically medicinal (don’t get carried away though!).
While most of us don’t have wine and dark chocolate everyday, we do indulge daily in another vice-turned-health food…coffee.
A cup of cancer-fighting, antioxidant rich, fiber supplying super-fuel: How to make coffee work for you!

Well it’s really pretty simple…you just drink it!  More and more evidence suggests that moderate coffee consumption (a few cups a day) can help fight off or prevent Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, liver disease, skin cancer, Parkinson’s disease and much more.  It has a positive result on cognitive abilities and physical performance.  Green tea is always on everyone’s list of top health foods because of it contains a ton of disease fighting antioxidants.   But cup for cup, coffee actually has 4x the amount of antioxidants as green tea!  Add to this an average of 1.5 grams of fiber for every 8 oz’s of coffee and you really do have an extraordinary drink.

Disclaimer:  Not all coffee drinks are created equal.  Just because it has coffee in it does NOT make it healthy.   For instance, Starbucks Venti White Chocolate Mocha contains 580 calories, 22g’s of fat, and 75g’s of sugar.  That is seriously like eating half a dozen doughnuts!   Use your head, and drink real coffee for coffees sake!

Because we’re so excited about the health benefits of our favorite “guilty” pleasure, we’ve decided to share some ways to prepare it that you may never have tried.

How to make coffee drinks: 3 recipes to try.

Cafe con Miel

Honey has a wonderful flavour, as well as adding some natural sweetness to your cup of coffee. It doesn’t take much to change the whole feeling of your cup.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups hot coffee
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 4 tbs honey
  • 1/8 tsp cinnamon

Preparation:

Heat everything until warm, but not boiling. Stir well to dissolve the honey, and serve.

Mediterranean Coffee

The anise and orange add a noticeable tropical flavour to this wonderful coffee drink.

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbs coarse ground coffee
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp cocoa
  • 1 tsp anise seed
  • pinch of dried orange peel

Preparation:

Combine ingredients, and brew by your favorite method. Using a french press is traditional for this coffee recipe.

Arabian Coffee

A lightly spiced coffee made traditionally , without any filtering. It takes a bit of practice to serve unfiltered coffee while keeping the grounds in the pot.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pint water
  • 3 tbs ground coffee
  • 3 tbs sugar
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Preparation:

Heat all ingredients in a saucepan until foam starts to form on top. Serve immediately. To keep it traditional, don’t pour coffee through a filter.

The healthiest way to take your coffee is a fresh, plain black cup…which happens to be our favorite. So although our daily choice of brew is still most likely to be a cup of strong black coffee with a little cream, we often enjoy one of the recipes above.  After all, we love coffee for the smell, the taste, the feeling, and the whole experience.  That it happens to be good for us?  Well, we’ll drink to that!