Grinding the coffee beans

There are many different types of espresso machines on the market today and some of them will grind the espresso coffee beans for you while some of them will not. It is up to you whether or not you want to grind the beans yourself or have the machine do them, but it would be a good idea to at least try to hand-grind the coffee beans in order to fully understand the quality of espresso at different points of the grinding process. There are a couple principles about grinding espresso coffee beans that one should know as well. For example, if you don’t grind the beans enough then you’ll probably end up with a weak espresso beverage. The key to having a great tasting espresso is mainly in how fine or coarse the beans are ground. As mentioned, your espresso will be weak if you don’t grind the coffee beans enough, but the drink will also be quite bitter if you grind the beans to pure powder!

On some of the espresso machines that you can buy there are different levels and settings of how fine or coarse you would like the coffee beans to be ground for your espresso. These settings usually range from low to medium to fine and they each have distinct tastes when the espresso comes out of the machine!

Another thing that one should pay attention to is just how much espresso they squeeze out of the machine. As everyone who loves espresso knows the espresso shots that come out of the machines are typically 1-ounce in a small espresso shot glass. With practice every time you make espresso from the machine you will get better at judging, but being able to tell when to stop pouring espresso out of the machine is crucial to having the best tasting espresso!

There are also plenty of ways one can make an espresso latte drink. Lattes are very popular throughout many parts of the world, but the main characteristic of a latte is the chocolate that’s added to the espresso. An example of how one could easily make an espresso latte would be to pour just over an ounce of chocolate syrup in their glass and pour the espresso on top of it. Stirring the entire drink from the bottom of the glass up will ensure that the chocolate is thoroughly mixed with the espresso! For a finishing touch you can even be creative and put a dab of whipped cream on top! Altogether, thought, making your own espresso and latte is not hard, but it just takes practice and determination to make the best combinations!

If you haven’t noticed, big store names like Folder’s and Maxwell House have taken a beating lately. The notion of fresh coffee is in their face and they don’t have much to say on the topic. After all, their coffee is ground and compressed in a can or bag. Who knows how long it sits in there before it’s actually used in a drip pot! It could be months or even years. That is NOT fresh coffee. Heck, it’s not even close. This coffee should have been tossed out long ago. Although many avid java drinkers don’t know it, coffee has a life span once you roast it. Have you ever actually smelled freshly roasted coffee beans? The aroma is incomparable. The trick is to find quality beans that have recently been roasted. It’s preferred to purchase beans that were roasted and bagged a mere day or two ago. This way you’ll have about ten days to consume them. You’ll get that outstanding fresh coffee you deserve. You don’t even have to buy them ground anymore. In all honesty, you shouldn’t. Purchase your fresh coffee whole. Then only grind the portion you’re using at the time. This makes for a phenomenal cup of coffee. The smell alone will send your senses flying.

I turn to the local coffee house for fresh coffee beans. This place in particular is great because they have beans roasted and shipped in weekly. The date they were roasted and bagged is written on them. Try to find this at Starbuck’s! God knows how old their coffee beans are. I couldn’t even begin to guess. If you do not have a local shop that supplies fresh coffee, you can always turn to the web for plenty of options.

Cappuccino is Generic

Perhaps one of the reasons that many people consider cappuccino to be an espresso drink is because cappuccino has traditionally been a coffee drink that has had some espresso in it. Even though cappuccino is more of a regular coffee consistency the first form of cappuccino was made partly from espresso. Nevertheless, though, since cappuccino isn’t 100% espresso then they naturally have very different tastes. On the other hand many people who dislike regular espresso will often turn to cappuccino for a spruced up version of many of the coffee brands that they drink! For this reasons, though, some individuals may refer to cappuccino as a generic form of espresso considering the fact that it has much less espresso than the real thing!

Espresso Characteristics

When trying to distinguish between cappuccino and espresso perhaps the most defining characteristic of espresso is the fact that the drink is much thicker than its cappuccino or coffee counterpart! Much of this is due to the fact that espresso has to be made from an espresso machine whereas coffee and other types of cappuccino can either be handmade or placed in a coffee percolator that will give them the desired result. Perhaps, however, this is one way that many people are able to distinguish between espresso and virtually every other type of coffee anyway. Espresso machines are typically depicted as large machines that have many parts to it, but there is a long process that the espresso goes through in order to be just right for the person drinking it!

Cappuccino and Espresso Lovers

What are some of the reasons, though, that espresso may be liked over cappuccino or vice versa? One of the reasons that many people like cappuccino is because it is less thick than regular espresso. Many people’s stomachs may not be able to handle all types of espresso, which is the reason that cappuccino may be more readily available in restaurants and other coffee shops than espresso is.

Altogether, though, it’s important to realize that there indeed is a difference between the two coffee drinks. Espresso and cappuccino are two very different drinks in nature and have very different defining characteristics, as well as attract two different types of coffee drinkers as well!

Marketing industries are quick to catch on to what’s hot on the market, what sells and what consumers will pay a premium price for. Good marketing strategies tout particular characteristics of products and show them off as something exclusive, making consumers think they”re buying something special and innovative. But buyer beware! Marketing companies use mind manipulation and the general ignorance of people as tactics to help promote merchandise, boost prices and bring in sales. Don’t be one of those consumers who believe everything they read!

A perfect example of good marketing is the coffees that are low in acid. Some companies are using come-hither strategies such as pairing low acid coffee with specialized diets or medical illnesses. A quick search of low acid coffee on the internet doesn’t bring up processing descriptions but a plethora of coffee companies blaring words like “new” and ‘specially-processed.” Dig a little more and narrow down your search to find out exactly what low acid coffee is and you”ll realize it’s not any more special than the coffee you’ve been drinking for years, and certainly not worth paying extra money for.

So what is it exactly? Very simply, it’s coffee that has been dark-roasted. There’s nothing special that’s been done to the bean, and there’s no fancy process that’s been used to eliminate stomach irritants to the beans. In fact, dark-roasting is the most common roasting process used with coffee beans today. The darker the roast, the less acid the coffee bean is left with and there you have your low acid coffee. If you find coffee irritating to your stomach, and you believe that coffee gives you heartburn or you’ve been told by your doctor that you’d be best to drink a low acid coffee, don’t hit specialty aisles or look for premium priced coffee. Simply choose the darkest roast of coffee available, and you”ll be buying the same low acid coffee as the one being marketed with bells and whistles. This product is a great way to show you, the consumer, the marketing strategies out there today that only make us spend our hard-earned money on so-called exclusive items and foods we don’t need. Keep manipulative tactics in mind when you go shopping, and be leery of believing marketing catch-words that make you think you”re buying something special or new.

Stay informed whenever you can. Doing some research to know if you”re really buying something worth the extra money is very quick and easy if you use the internet. Usually it takes less than five minutes to find out if you”re buying something a cut above the rest or if you”re being taken for a ride. Marketing businesses depend on the public’s interest, laziness and general acceptance to help companies make money and boost sales, so remember the example of low acid coffee and maintain a healthy level of disbelief while you”re shopping.

Save it for Next Time! One idea to use is to save the espresso for the next time you’re craving the beverage! This is not to say that you should save your 5-day old espresso because chances are that the flavor will be drained from the beverage by then. However, if you know that you probably will be thirsty for or craving an espresso serving in a few hours or even a day then the best thing to do would be to save the espresso. Putting it in the refrigerator for the time that it’s not being consumed is just fine because it definitely won’t hurt the beverage at all. When you are ready to have a sip of that nice, tasty espresso drink all that needs to be done is to heat up the drink. This doesn’t mean that one should put the espresso in the microwave. On the contrary, perhaps a regular cup of coffee would do just fine in the microwave, but an espresso must be reheated through a steamer in order to have the best flavor possible!

Add Flavor to Your Baked Goods! Even though this is probably one of the most uncommon techniques, many people actually choose to bake the leftover espresso that they have. Many people might think that adding leftover espresso to their baked good is a turnoff, but here’s one suggestion where the espresso could be put to good use: brownies and cakes! Brownie mixes that have a touch of espresso mixture added to them will taste excellent, and cakes will as well. Of course the espresso mixture may be better off in a thicker batter like the brownies just because it may hold the espresso better, but experimenting with espresso in your baked goods also is a good idea!

Chill Your Drinks! Another way to use leftover espresso is in the drinks that you’ll have later. One suggestion that many people use is to make ice cubes! Espresso-flavored ice cubes can be a great addition to iced tea, milk, or even a cup of black coffee! Just because espresso is typically consumed as a warm beverage doesn’t mean that you’re limited to what you can do with it!

All of these things are just some of the ways in which espresso can be used as leftovers! However, realizing that espresso is good in many different ways should shed light on other possible espresso additions as well!

Which Coffee Beans?

When choosing coffee beans for your automatic machine there are two main factors to consider (& this is really, really simple).

1. Taste – Obviously you want your coffee to taste the way you want it, thats the reason why you bought your own coffee machine in the first place.

2. Usability – Yes, you must be able to use your beans. Most home bean to cup machines have quite small bean hoppers (where you put your beans in at the top) & they also generally have quite a shallow fall to the grinding element. I recently bought what looked like a beautiful 1kg bag of french roast arabica, I opened it up & boy did that aroma hit me. I poured an amount into my machine and hit the go button. NOTHING – the beans were too oily to make it down to the grinder!

TIP: DON’T BUY OILY COFFEE BEANS FOR YOUR AUTOMATIC BEANS TO CUP MACHINE!

It’s so obvious but this is the second time i’ve been seduced by nice looking/smelling beans only to find they don’t work with my machine.