Coffee

Top o' the Coffee Pot to You

by Erin Meister, Posted Mar 17th 2010 @ 11:00AM

Forget the green beer -- everybody knows that Irish coffee is a much better way to wash down the St. Pat's soda bread and corned beef, right?

At least, as the legend goes, some weary American travelers thought so in 1952, when a bartender in the Shannon Airport whipped up the concoction to warm them after a hard day of difficult wintertime flight. The drink allegedly made its way back stateside through San Francisco's Buena Vista Cafe, which still touts it as a specialty of the house.

For starters, the coffee's got to be good. Don't bother ordering one at your run-of-the-mill faux-Irish corner pub -- stick to eateries and bars that you know pride themselves on good coffee. Second, if you're going green for the holiday, you may as well specifically ask for an Irish whiskey -- I go for Powers, but Bushmills also fits the bill. (Of course, what happens outside of St. Patrick's Day stays outside of St. Patrick's Day...)

But what makes the perfect Irish coffee? Read on after the jump to find out.

Filed under: Drink Recipes, Drinks, Coffee

Do Multiple Roasters Give Coffee Houses Too Much Variety?

COMMENTS 9

by Erin Meister, Posted Mar 10th 2010 @ 11:00AM

coffee beans Photo: sean dreilinger, Flickr

What if walking into a coffee shop were more like stepping into your local wine store? Imagine if you could peruse brews from different regions, processed and prepared by different growers and roasters -- just as you can scan the bottles for a spicy Spanish red or a crisp French Riesling. Would you feel empowered or overwhelmed?

Some boutique coffee shops are banking on the idea that more is more, with cafe owners adopting almost a curator's eye toward the caffeinated offerings. But is this a passing fad or the next wave in coffee connoisseurship?

Read on after the jump to hear what some coffee people think.

Filed under: Trends, Coffee

Cooking with Coffee

COMMENTS 4

by Erin Meister, Posted Mar 2nd 2010 @ 11:00AM

Coffee BBQ Sauce. Photo: ineedcoffee/coffeehero, Flickr

Who ever said coffee should be restricted to bleary mornings and lingering after-dinner drinks? Whipping up some caffeinated dishes with java gives the bean a starring role.

Read on after the jump for ideas to help put coffee on your plate.

Filed under: Recipes, Coffee

The Cleverest Coffee Maker

COMMENTS 27

by Erin Meister, Posted Feb 23rd 2010 @ 11:00AM

Photo: jakeleifer, Flickr

It seems like new coffee brewers are being unveiled all the time. Between Clover machines, Japanese siphon pots and hyper-exclusive Slayer espresso machine, it may appear that making coffee is only going to get more high-tech and complicated.

Don't worry -- we won't all necessarily need owners' manuals in order to brew a cup of joe. Sometimes the best methods and mechanisms are also the simplest. Enter the latest one-cup maker, aptly called the Clever Coffee Dripper -- a sort of hybrid between a Melitta cone and a French press.

Manufactured by a Taiwanese company known primarily for dreaming up new tea-brewing equipment, the Clever can create a sediment-free cup of coffee that still allows the beans' nuances to shine through. The grounds sit in a paper filter that's fit into the brewer (it takes standard No. 4 cones), and hot water is added directly to them, filling much of the basin. The coffee and water then typically steep for anywhere from two to four minutes, after which the liquid's drained through a small valve that opens once the brewer is placed on top of a cup or serving vessel.

Read more about the Clever Coffee Dripper after the jump.

Filed under: New Products, Gadgets, Coffee

Is Your Caffeine Addiction Your Parents' Fault?

COMMENTS 4

by Erin Meister, Posted Feb 16th 2010 @ 11:00AM

Photo: Corbis

It's no secret that what our parents eat influences what we put on our own tables, for better or worse. If you grew up eating only American cheese, for instance, you might not be inclined to reach for Roquefort -- but if you were raised on Camembert, Kraft Singles might hold no special appeal.

The same probably goes for coffee -- what we experience as kids surrounded by coffee-drinking adults may color our taste for the stuff as grown-ups. But how hard are those habits to break?

Read on after the jump to find out.

Filed under: Coffee, Features

Coffee and Art, or Coffee as Art

COMMENTS 3

by Erin Meister, Posted Feb 9th 2010 @ 2:00PM

Photo: Mykl Roventine, Flickr

Historically, coffee and art seem to be as linked as paint and paintbrushes. Controversial French writer Voltaire reportedly downed upwards of 50 cups of the stuff daily to get his creative juices flowing; the Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro thought his brewer was worthy of its own canvas; and even Bob Dylan has pleaded, in song, for "One More Cup of Coffee."

But what about coffee as art? Some painters are using their morning brew to do more than wake up. Thailand-based artist Pornchai Lertammasiri, for instance, mixes coffee with water to create beautiful, ethereal landscapes. Costa Rican artist Saul Bolaños uses finely ground beans for his photo-realistic prints that are actually brewable. (While there's no accounting for taste, I'm betting these don't turn out as well in the cup as in the frame.) Another painter, Godfrey Caleb, actually turned his back on a day job in pursuit of coffee as art and expression.

Filed under: Coffee, Features

Who is Juan Valdez? The Coffeemeister Explains

COMMENTS 1

by Erin Meister, Posted Feb 2nd 2010 @ 1:00PM

coffee beans Just-picked coffee berries. Photo: jakeliefer, Flickr

Everybody recognizes his trademark hat and bushy mustache, but is Colombian coffee's most beloved mascot man, myth or legend?

While the name "Juan Valdez" may be relatively common in Latin America, the idol we know and love is actually the java equivalent of Paul Bunyan (joined by a donkey named Conchita instead of Babe the blue ox). That's right -- Señor Valdez is the long-standing mascot of the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, whom he has represented since being developed by an advertising firm in 1959.

Read more about the world's favorite coffee farmer after the jump.

Filed under: Farming, Coffee, News

Milk and Coffee: A Match Made in History

COMMENTS 52

by Erin Meister, Posted Jan 26th 2010 @ 3:00PM

Photo: Chaval Brasil, flickr

Enjoy a little moo juice in your coffee? Yeah, so does much of the rest of the world. But when did we all start making that delicious black liquid brown?

According to the (amazing, and available for free download) 1922 volume "All About Coffee" by William H. Ukers, it was a Dutch ambassador in 1660 who first had the bright idea to mix nature's liquid candy with the life-giving elixir we know as a cuppa joe. French doctors did one better 15 years later, when they started prescribing the following combination as medicinal: "Place on the fire a bowl of milk. When it begins to rise, throw in to it a bowl of powdered coffee, [and] a bowl of moist sugar, and let it boil for some time."

Okay, that actually sounds kind of gross. But milk's natural sweetness remains the obvious counterpart to coffee's inherent (and, hopefully, pleasant) bitterness. Read on after the jump for some other international historical takes on the light-two-sugars revolution.

Filed under: Coffee

The Truth About Coffee Lovers' Heartburn Heartache

COMMENTS 1

by Erin Meister, Posted Jan 19th 2010 @ 2:00PM

Photo: bjdawes, flickr

Many a Tums commercial hangs on the notion that guzzling coffee is as bad for your reflux as downing an entire tub of pickles. But is it really the acid content that makes coffee sour your stomach?

Surprisingly, probably not. In terms of its pH, coffee actually scores lower than beer, soda and sparkling water. According to some charts, coffee falls roughly within the same range as foods we consider relatively belly-friendly, like pumpkin or figs.

So what's the deal with "acidity" and coffee? Keep reading after the jump to find out.

Filed under: Health & Medical, Coffee

Flavored Coffee Imparts a Bad Flavor

COMMENTS 52

by Erin Meister, Posted Jan 12th 2010 @ 3:00PM

How do they get those in there? Photo: Erin Meister.

There are some things in this world that were meant to taste like hazelnut. Actual hazelnuts, for instance, and also Aunt Sylvia's famous holiday pralines. Maybe even a hot cocoa or a cookie batter that has a dash of extract in it.

But what about coffee beans?

Flavored coffee is and will likely always be a loaded topic; It's often considered the final qualifier when separating the proverbial men from the boys of caffeinated beverages. "Is it really so bad?," you might ask yourself. "What's all the hubbub?"

Read on after the jump to find out.

Filed under: Coffee