"CoffeeMeister" news and stories

Spring rains got you down? Need a little extra oomph in your coffee, but without all the frou-frou vanilla or hazelnut syrup? Maybe it's time for some dark-as-night, rich chicory coffee -- that should cut right through those low-hanging clouds.

Chicory, a member of the endive family (I know, right?), has long been used as an additive or even a substitute for coffee. When baked or cooked, the chicory's roots take on a dark-chocolaty bitterness not unlike darker-roasted coffee -- very handy during hard times like the Great Depression, when coffee was an out-of-reach luxury for many Americans. Although it isn't caffeinated, chicory's roots (and edible leaves) can be potent enough to snap unsuspecting taste buds to attention, and because the roasted root is more water soluble than ground coffee beans, the resulting brew tends to be quite a bit thicker than your average cup of joe.

How do you make chicory coffee? Read on after the jump to find out.

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.

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.

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.

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.