Coffee

Coffee Drink Basics

When you enter a coffee house, you have a multitude of drink choices like lattÓ©, cappuccino, straight shot and caffÓ© mocha just to name a few. Sometimes knowing what to order can be overwhelming unless you know what you are getting. After all, who wants to pay an outrageous amount of money for a mystery drink that you may not even like? So http://www.perfectcoffees.com has come to the rescue, and after you read this, you"ll have a basic understanding of how the most popular coffee drinks are made and what they are made of. Most coffee drinks start with espresso and espresso is just coffee that is brewed a certain way. It is finely ground to almost a powder then very hot water is forced through the grounds under intense pressure. The brewing process is timed so that the flavorful and aromatic oils are extracted from the coffee and not the bitter components. This produces a strong flavored, but not bitter, concentrated shot of coffee. Straight Shot The straight shot refers to espresso coffee and the secret to good espresso is the extraction time, volume, and golden crema which is a thick light brown layer of frothed coffee oils that float on top of a properly extracted espresso. The short shot or ristretto is extracted to a volume of three-quarters of an ounce. The shorter restricted pour magnifies the essence of the coffee and the chance of any bitter elements being extracted is minimized. If you have ever ordered an espresso shot in Europe they usually serve the ristretto. The long shot or lungo is extracted to a volume of one and one-half ounces. The double shot is a 2 ounce shot using twice as much coffee in the portafilter. The correct way to serve a straight shot is to extract it directly into a warmed demitasse cup. The warm demitasse cup will keep the straight shot warm and prolong the crema. A straight shot is best enjoyed immediately after brewing. It is rare to see people drinking straight shots of espresso in the US. Most people here drink variations using steamed milk mixed with the shots to make the different coffee drinks listed here. Espresso Macchiato The Espresso Macchiato starts with a shot of espresso and then a small amount of foamed milk is spooned over the shot. Macchiato in Italian means "marked," as the espresso is marked with foam. Espresso Con Panna This is an Espresso Macchiato using whipped cream in place of the foamed milk. The drink gets its name Con Panna which means "with cream." CaffÓ© Americano The CaffÓ© Americano is a drink similar to American brewed coffee. It is made with a single or double shot of espresso combined with 6 to 8 ounces of hot water out of an espresso machine. The result is a very smooth cup of coffee that is much hotter than brewed coffee. Cappuccino Cappuccino is made with a fluffy, wet foam, mixed with espresso coffee upon the pour to create a blend of the two flavors. Cold milk is essential, as is expertise in the foaming process. Cappuccino has a large volume of foam making it a light weight drink and less filling. CaffÓ© LattÓ© CaffÓ© LattÓ© is similar to the cappuccino but with much less foam and more steamed milk. A lattÓ© is made by holding back the foam with a spoon while pouring the frothed milk from the steaming pitcher. The caffÓ© lattÓ© is completed by being topped with a small amount of the held back foam. CaffÓ© lattÓ© gets its name from the addition of coffee to milk. For an iced lattÓ©, cold milk is combined with the espresso and then the ice is added. CaffÓ© Mocha A caffÓ© mocha is made by adding powdered or chocolate syrup to a hot shot of espresso and blended. Steamed milk is then be added to the espresso-chocolate mixture and usually it is topped with whipped cream. Iced mochas are made with cold milk and the ice added after the coffee and chocolate have been blended. Flavored Coffee Drinks Some popular coffee flavors are: vanilla, Irish creme, almond, hazelnut, caramel and fruit flavors such as orange and raspberry. These drinks usually start with a flavored syrup that is mixed with hot espresso and stirred. Then steamed milk is stirred in like in a lattÓ©. An iced version of these flavored coffees made with cold milk instead of steamed makes a delicious cold drink in the summer months. So now that you know what"s in the basic coffee drinks, try one you haven"t tasted yet. Who knows, you might find a new favorite. http://www.dishadvice.com


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Coffee May Be Healthier Than You Think'
We all know that drinking too much coffee can give you the jitters, we have all been there, can"t sleep and hyper active. There is a reverse side to that though, have you ever decided to give up your coffee, or to even go decaf and you get these terrible headaches, so drinking coffee cures your headaches...joking apart there are some health benefits to be had from your "cup of Joe" Research has shown that drinking coffee can increase your life span. Coffee is not linked to heart disease, and even people who have had a previous heart attack have not had to swear off their tipple. Some research has been done in coffee versus cancer, it showed that coffee drinkers had a lower chance of certain cancers like rectal and colon. Liver cancer was shown to be considerably less in people that were coffee drinkers. Your blood sugar tends to be lower if you drink coffee than if you don"t. You have a better chance of not developing diabetes if you indulge in the bean. Research also found that drinking Coffee just reduce the risk of Parkinson"s disease. Everyone thinks of Caffeine as being the only benefit in Coffee, but there is a higher percentage of vitamins and minerals than there is Caffeine. Dietary fiber also found in your coffee which in turn could help in lowering your cholesterol. Coffee in all is not a bad drink, as long as we use caution in moderation, but is it not the same for everything ? We all know that Coffee is addictive, researches have shown that it can be like a drug and when we try and give it up we crave for it even more so. We have all used it to help study and cram for an upcoming exam or test, to enable us to burn the midnight oil. Coffee stimulates the brain and allows us to ignore the fact that we are tired and need to sleep. Coffee is not of course for everyone, pregnant women should not drink Coffee, and some people cannot tolerate the hand trembling or the high feeling that comes when too much is consumed. Research has shown that drinking Coffee can also prevent some cavities from forming due to antibacterial contents. So go ahead pour yourself a cup!!!
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