Coffee Drink Basics

When you enter a coffee house, you have a multitude of drink choices like latté, cappuccino, straight shot and caffé 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 Best Coffee Makers Online 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."

Caffé Americano
The Caffé 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.

Caffé Latté
Caffé Latté is similar to the cappuccino but with much less foam and more steamed milk. A latté is made by holding back the foam with a spoon while pouring the frothed milk from the steaming pitcher. The caffé latté is completed by being topped with a small amount of the held back foam.

Caffé latté gets its name from the addition of coffee to milk. For an iced latté, cold milk is combined with the espresso and then the ice is added.

Caffé Mocha
A caffé 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 latté.

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.

Copyright © 2004 Best-Coffee-Makers-Online.com All Rights Reserved.


This article is supplied by Best Coffee Makers Online where you can easily shop and compare coffee makers so you can purchase exactly what you're looking for at great values. For more articles like these go to: Coffee Articles.

3 Simple Tips For Making Perfect Coffee

Want to brew the perfect cup of coffee? Here are 3 simple tips that will make a difference in every single cup you drink.

Tip #1  Clean Coffee Pot

A clean pot is essential and can make a world of difference in the taste of your coffee. Old oils from previous batches of coffee and soap residue left on the pot makes coffee taste bad.
Baking soda and water work well for cleaning coffee mugs and pots. Be sure to rinse extra good so no residue is left behind.

Tip #2  Clean Filtered Water

The water you use for your coffee will affect the taste more than anything. Coffee is 99% water so use clean filtered or bottled water free from chlorine and other minerals that will affect the taste of your coffee.

Using stainless steel or gold mesh filters instead of paper filters will also make your coffee taste better. Paper filters release dyes, chlorine and bleach that affect taste. If you insist on using paper filters buy the unbleached, brown paper filters.

Tip #3  Use Fresh Quality Coffee

Quality coffee costs more but will consistently produce better tasting coffee.

For the best results use quality, whole bean coffee and grind the coffee beans just prior to use. You might think it's an inconvenience compared to ground coffee, but once you taste the difference you'll never go back.

If you still want to use ground coffee, make sure you use a good, drip grind coffee.

Use 2 level tablespoons of coffee per 6 ounces of water. This can be adjusted for individual taste preference. Make sure to spread the grounds evenly in the coffee filter so full brewing is achieved.

Drink your fresh coffee right away for the best flavor. Coffee will break down quickly if left on a heat source. Coffee should never be reheated or microwaved.

A clean, preheated air pot or stainless steel Thermos will keep coffee hot for about an hour without hurting the flavor.

If you follow these 3 simple tips, every cup you brew will be perfect coffee.

Copyright © 2004 Best-Coffee-Makers-Online.com All Rights Reserved.

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This article is supplied by Best Coffee Makers Online where you can easily shop and compare coffee makers so you can purchase exactly what you're looking for at great values. For more articles like these go to: Coffee Articles.

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Coffee Maker Buying Tips

If you are looking to replace your aging coffee maker or giving one as a gift, here are a few tips for you to consider before you make your buying decision.

The glass carafe is by far the most popular and is very easy to clean.

A thermal carafe has the advantage of keeping your coffee or tea hot for about an hour without having to keep the coffee on a hot burner and slowly degrading the flavor.

If you or your gift recipient are dealing with limited counter space, you might want to consider a coffee maker that includes a grinder.

If you frequently entertain consider a coffee maker that features dual brewers for brewing two pots of coffee simultaneously.

You can brew a lot of coffee at once or make one pot of caffeinated and one pot of decaf all at the same time.

The new pod brewers are another consideration over a standard coffee maker. They are quick and convenient, provide variety, and require very little cleanup.

Pod brewers use individually packaged pods of ground coffee, the pod machine quickly brews one cup of coffee directly into the cup or travel mug. The individual pods provide users with the ability to brew a different coffee according to tastes.

Additionally, pod brewers are also able to brew tea using proportioned tea pods.

Copyright © 2004 Best-Coffee-Makers-Online.com All Rights Reserved.

This article is supplied by Best Coffee Makers Online where you can easily shop and compare coffee makers so you can purchase exactly what you're looking for at great values. For more articles like these go to: Coffee Articles.

4000 Year Old Secrets of Green Tea

The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea for over 4,000 years. But recent studies are just starting to unlock these ancient secrets of green tea.

Today, a great deal of research is being carried out about green tea health benefits and the findings are very exciting.

Here are just a few medical conditions that drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful with:

Cancer
Rheumatoid arthritis
High cholesterol levels
Cardiovascular disease
Infection
Impaired immune function
Controlling high blood pressure
Lowering blood sugar

Researchers believe the real secret of green tea lies in the fact that it is rich in EGCG which is a powerful anti-oxidant. EGCG has been found to kill cancer cells without harming healthy tissue.

A University of Purdue study recently concluded that a compound in green tea actually inhibits the growth of cancer cells.

Red wine has been long studied because it contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet.

But researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese and French men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent of them are smokers.

Research also indicates that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.

But the health benefits of green tea don't end there. Green tea has been found to inhibit the abnormal formation of blood clots which is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.

New studies have actually shown that green tea can even help you loose weight. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition performed a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.

It has also been shown that drinking green tea can give your body a greater ability to fight infection and kill bacteria.

Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay. Its bacteria-destroying abilities kill the bacteria that causes dental plaque and aids the immune system with its antifungal properties by improving digestive function.

You may be asking if other Chinese teas offer similar health benefits. But the answer is no. Although green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, the way green tea is processed is what sets them apart.

Green tea leaves are steamed, and that prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. Black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, which converts the EGCG into other compounds. This process makes oolong and black teas much less effective in preventing and fighting various diseases.

So how much green tea should you drink? There are as many answers to this question as there are researchers investigating the health properties of green tea.

While some companies selling green tea say that ten cups per day are necessary to reap the maximum benefits, a University of California study on the cancer-preventative qualities of green tea concluded that you could probably attain the desired level of polyphenols by drinking two cups a day.

The research of this ancient beverage continues, and it may take decades to unlock all of the secrets it holds. Although green tea should not be considered to be a magic bullet, researchers agree the positive health benefits are very promising.

Copyright © 2004 Best-Coffee-Makers-Online.com All Rights Reserved.

This article is supplied by Best Coffee Makers Online where you can easily shop and compare coffee makers so you can purchase exactly what you're looking for at great values. For more articles like these go to: Coffee Articles.

A Guide To Starbucks Roasts and Blends

Starbucks® Coffee knows the perfect cup of coffee starts with only the best beans. Finding and purchasing the best green beans in the world is the first step that differentiates them from the rest of the coffee industry.

They are well-known for exceptionally high quality coffees, care in selection, and expertise in roast. Each coffee is selected for the defining qualities that distinguish its origin. This careful selection process illustrates Starbucks passion for buying and roasting the world's best coffee.

Starbucks combs the world for the perfect combination of climate, soil, elevation, and agricultural practices that come together to produce a great coffee. When searching for coffees, they ask these questions. Which coffees from a given location best represent the perfect intersection of climate and skilled horticulture? It is a search for unmistakable regional flavors, what a French wine-maker would call goût de terroir, the taste of the place.

At Starbucks, coffee is a fresh produce, not a commodity. When the inevitable happens and a given coffee estate or region has an "off" year, they simply don't offer that coffee. They make this tough decision rather than offering a lower quality selection. They buy coffee solely on its performance in the cup.

The coffee Starbucks buys is truly special, spectacular coffee. Their coffee buying team evaluates over one thousand "offer samples" each year. The evaluation process includes roasting small batches of coffee and tasting these batches in a process called "cupping." Only a very few of these sampled coffees make the cut.

Starbucks coffee buyers spend approximately 18 weeks per year traveling to countries of origin. The purpose of these travels is not necessarily to buy coffee. The goal is to continue to learn about coffee and to strengthen relationships with growers and suppliers.

These relationships are critical to their future success. They solidify the company's role as champions of quality and progress at every level of the coffee business. It is because of these relationships that Starbucks gets the first pick of the best crops worldwide. And thus Starbucks is able to procure the world's best coffee beans every year.

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Harvesting Starbucks Coffee

At harvest time, coffee trees are laden with bright red coffee cherries. Ripe coffee cherries are cranberry. An unroasted coffee bean is simply the pit of the coffee cherry.


The skin of the coffee cherry is very thick, with a slightly bitter flavor. The fruit beneath the skin, however, is intensely sweet. The texture of this layer of fruit is similar to a grape. Beneath the fruit is the parchment, covered with a thin, slippery, honey-like layer called "mucilage."

The parchment of the coffee cherry serves as a protective pocket for the seed, much like the small pockets that protect the seeds of an apple. Removing the parchment, two translucent bluish green coffee beans are revealed, coated with a very thin layer called the "silverskin."

While most coffee cherries contain two beans, 5 to 10 percent of the time, only one bean is produced in the cherry. This is called a "peaberry."

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The Starbucks Roast®

Starbucks is passionate about the way they roast their coffee. It's called the Starbucks Roast®. It's more than a color: it is the cumulative, positive, and dramatic result of roasting each coffee in a unique way, helping each one reach its maximum flavor. The color can be duplicated, but the taste cannot.


All roasters, including Starbucks, roast green coffee beans by heating them in a large rotating drum. After about 5 to 7 minutes of intense heat, much of their moisture evaporates. The beans turn a yellow color and smell a little like popcorn. After about 8 minutes in the roaster, the "first pop" occurs.

The beans double in size, crackling as they expand. They are now light brown. Very sour one-dimensional flavor notes are dominant, while more complex coffee flavors haven't yet developed. Many roasters stop the roasting process after the "first pop".


After 10-11 minutes in the roaster, the beans reach an even brown color, and oil starts to appear on the surface of the bean. At this roasting time (different for each coffee, but usually somewhere between 11 and 15 minutes), the full flavor potential begins to develop in the beans, bringing all of their attributes into balance.

The "second pop" signals that the coffee is almost ready. The moment that the coffee is released into the cooling tray is a memorable one. The smell of freshly roasted coffee fills the air, along with the sound of applause created by the final clapping of the "second pop." Starbucks roasts all of its coffees to the "second pop".

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To Blend or Not to Blend


Starbucks procures both single-origin coffees and regional blends from around the world. Single-origin coffees showcase what is possible in individual coffees. Blends weave together coffees from different origins to create a taste tapestry for your tongue. Some coffees are purchased solely for blending while others are purchased as single-origin offerings.

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Single-Origin Coffees

Starbucks offers specific, individual coffees from 10 to 15 different countries. Each of these coffees displays an assortment of distinctive flavor characteristics. Starbucks calls these "single-origin" coffees.


The term "varietal" is often misused. Arabica is one species within the genus of coffee (robusta is another species). Each species has varieties ranked underneath it, and there are many varieties of arabica coffee trees.

While "varietal" is a botanical term, "single-origin" is a geographical term, and the most accurate way to describe coffees from a specific country. As green coffee beans are often grown by multiple farmers and then mixed at their place of origin, a "single-origin" coffee from a specific geographical area may have coffee beans from multiple varieties of arabica plants.


An example of a pure, single-origin coffee is Colombia Nariño (Supremo) . This Colombian single-origin comes from the province of Nariño, a rugged, mountainous area known for active volcanoes and natural beauty. "Supremo" denotes the largest bean size classification for grading and sorting coffee in Colombia. Its dry, nutty flavor and smoothness is the best coffee from this area of South America, and is exclusive to Starbucks.

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Starbucks Blends

In addition to great single-origin coffees, Starbucks core lineup also includes blends of different single-origin coffees. The blends as a group make up a significant percentage of Starbucks whole bean coffee lineup, and each is as special in its own way as the most exotic single-origin coffee. There are many reasons to blend coffee.

Starbucks strives to showcase the signature style of a particular growing region, as in House Blend or to combine various qualities found in different regions into a harmonious, balanced whole. Whatever the case, each Starbucks blend offers a cup of coffee that no single-origin coffee can duplicate.

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Dark Roast Blends

Starbucks also offers three dark roast blends: Espresso Roast , Italian Roast, and French Roast. These blends vary both in constituent coffees and roast intonation. Espresso Roast is the foundation of the company's beverage business, while Italian Roast and French Roast are among Starbucks more popular coffees.

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Starbucks Coffee Growing Regions

Most of the world's coffee is grown between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn on plantations in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Americas.

Africa and Arabia

From the mountainous eastern half of the African continent and the Arabian Peninsula come some of the world's greatest coffees. The coffees from this region are alluring and complex, sometimes causing even seasoned specialty coffee drinkers to wonder who dropped the blueberries and spices into their cup. Some of our favorites are Kenya Coffee Beans , Ethiopia Sidamo Coffee Beans and Arabian Mocha Sanani Coffee Beans. They have intense berry or floral aromas and flavors of berries, citrus fruits, cocoa, and spice.

Latin America

Central and South America produce more coffee, by far, than any other growing region. The beans grown here are generally light- to medium-bodied with clean, lively flavors. They are prized for their tangy brightness and consistent quality. Both these features make them ideal foundations for blending. Coffees from this region include: Organic Shade-Grown Mexico, Guatemala Antigua, Colombia Nariño (Supremo).

The Pacific

Often called Indonesian coffees because most of the beans from this region are grown in that country. These coffees are on the opposite end of the taste spectrum from the Latin American coffees. They are typically full-bodied, smooth, earthy, and occasionally feature herbal flavor notes. These are the 'heavyweights' of the coffee world, providing deep, sturdy 'low notes' when used in blends. As single-origin coffees, they are perennial favorites. Starbucks Indonesian coffees include: Sumatra, Sulawesi and Komodo Dragon Blend which is a blend of wholly Indonesian coffees.

Starbucks is dedicated and passionate about buying and roasting the world's best coffee.

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This article is supplied by Best Coffee Makers Online where you can easily shop and compare coffee makers so you can purchase exactly what you're looking for at great values. For more articles like these go to: Coffee Articles.

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