Do you enjoy the refreshing boost you get from your morning cup of coffee? Well welcome to the party! Does the hectic nature of your life cause you to always purchase the same sort of coffee? Perhaps you should take some time to explore other choices. Read the below article and consider its tips the next time you have some coffee.
If you want great coffee at home you have a couple choices. You can invest in either an espresso machine, or one of the new single serve coffee makers. The espresso machine will require a bit of a learning curve as you learn to properly brew espresso and steam milk, but can be a great way to impress your friends.
It is a bad idea to let coffee sit on a hot burner after brewing. Keeping the heat on will cause your coffee to “cook,” and will ruin its freshly-brewed flavor. Instead, unplug your coffee-maker or other appliance, or transfer the coffee to an insulated pot to keep it hot.
Do not reheat leftover coffee. It is not dangerous to drink, as some believe, but the taste suffers. Certain components will begin to chemically break down shortly after the coffee is brewed. The longer coffee is heated after it is brewed, the more bitter it will taste.
To make the best coffee, you need the best water. Consider putting in bottled H2O; while you may cringe a little at the thought of spending money for water, it will make a big difference in the way your coffee tastes. You may also want to get a water purifier if you don’t go the bottled water route. Although it is different than bottled water, your coffee will taste better when you use purified water than when you just use tap water.
If you can’t or don’t want to put a lot of sugar in your coffee, consider the following alternatives. There are artificial sweeteners but you can also go natural and use agave nectar. Stevia and Splenda are two examples of low cal sweeteners that remain relatively stable when they are placed into hot liquids, and it is permissible to use them in coffee too.
To get the best possible coffee, look for the ones that are made of 100% Arabica beans. These beans are of top quality and will give you the best taste after you are finished brewing. Furthermore, these beans preserve their freshness longer so that you can have great coffee for a very long time.
For those individuals who do not want to consume caffeinated drinks, but love the flavor of coffee, they can enjoy decaffeinated coffee. Some people do not have a problem with a little caffeine, and half-caffeine coffee is a good choice for them. There is no appreciable difference in the flavor between full and half-caffeine coffee.
Freshly roasted beans create the best coffee. When purchasing whole beans, always take a look at the expiration date to see when the beans were roasted. It’s best to buy coffee beans from specialty stores or coffee shops instead of your grocery market.
Protect the beans if you want to buy coffee in bulk. When exposed to heat and light, beans will lose their flavor while absorbing others. Store them in an airtight container with a translucent coating.
Do not use hot water to make your coffee. Many people think this is the best way to make their coffee hot; the truth is that the only thing this does is diminish its flavor. You should be using water that is not only cold, but charcoal filtered if possible.
To get the strongest cup of coffee, only grind your beans immediately before you brew them. While grinding is fun and fills your kitchen with the enticing aroma of fresh coffee, it also immediately releases the flavor of your beans, limiting their shelf life. To get the freshest brew every time, invest in a coffee machine that both grinds and brews.
Avoid using pre-flavored and packaged coffee beans. These beans are sprayed with extra oils that are very difficult to clean out of grinders and coffee machines. That oil stays in the machines and mixes with later batches causing strange-tasting coffee. They also tend to make the coffee smell better than it tastes.
If you want to drink excellent coffee while helping out developing countries, you should consider purchasing fair trade coffee. Fair trade coffee is usually slightly more expensive than other brands but you will find it tastes much better. You will also have the satisfaction of knowing you did something to better the world.
If you notice that you are buying the same type of coffee, try buying in bulk. This will help to maximize your investment, especially if you stick with a particular brand. Check online to see if you can buy a large bag or bucket of coffee beans, which will help reduce your expenses during the year.
If you are planning to grind your own coffee beans, you should know that the type of grinder you choose can make a big difference in taste. Experts recommend using one that features flat grinding burrs. Blade grinders can actually generate enough heat to burn or scald the coffee beans and ruin the flavor.
Even if you cannot afford designer coffee beans, you can get a more flavorful brew by choosing coffee beans or freshly ground coffee over packaged ground coffee. Because grinding the beans instantly releases their flavor, you want to brew ground beans as quickly as possible. Coffee that is already ground when you buy it is probably past its flavor prime.
Remember that coffee does have calories. While it is true that a good jolt of caffeine right before a workout can enable you to exercise more intensely and hopefully burn more calories, that is not carte blanche to drink as much coffee as you want. Each cup still adds up to your total caloric intake.
This article should have given you the information you need to experiment with your coffee choices. Consider which varieties of coffee that you would like to sample next. Do your friends like coffee? Why don’t you take him or her out to the store and enjoy some happy coffee hunting.
