Wine Article

Roasting your own coffee beans is far easier than making wine at home. You can achieve excellent results.

There are many varieties of roasters available
but it can be done in a popcorn maker or frying pan. However
you must assure that your equipment is spotlessly clean. There is nothing worse than coffee infused butter or fish oil.

Get good quality beans. Darker roasts have a lot less caffeine than the lighter ones
but they are not as acidic.

Heat your beans between 223ฐC to 262ฐC
and be fully prepared to have plenty of smoke. Ventilate your room using a fan or your stove’s exhaust. There should be no real odour
but you may also want to open your windows wide and make sure no one else is home.

Add your beans
espresso maybe and turn the heat up. Don’t forget to disable any smoke detectors.

Some roasters have thermometers
but having a portable one is best for using a frying pan. Try a candy thermometer.

As the roasting progresses
your beans will start to turn a yellow colour and then go brown. How dark they get is your choice.

As your beans get hotter
they release water and oil. This will cause pressure within the bean. You will hear loud cracking sounds. This perfectly normal
but to ensure perfect roasting
to not over roast or burn some of the beans
continuously stir them. This will happen after about 4 to 7 minutes.

Your beans will start caramelising inside as the sugars begin to burn. Check the colour about every 30 seconds
but the degree of brownness is up to your personal taste.

If you keep roasting for enough time
you may hear a second very loud crack. The beans will be overdone and very dark. If you continue you will not be roasting
but burning them
removing the sugars. Most of us would not be able to stomach coffee made from this.

Empty your roasted beans into a colander
preferably metal to cool down. Jostle them a little to help cool them. You will notice that the beans’ thin skins will detach as you jostle them. These will need to be removed
usually using a cooking screen (meshed).

Experiment a little with small amounts of beans at a time to get varied levels of darkening and time. This will help you to develop the flavour that you prefer. However
stop the roasting process early
as the beans will continue to roast due to the heat that they still contain inside.

If you opt for the popcorn maker
get a machine that lets you jostle the beans to keep the air circulating and prevent them from sticking to the sides. Alternatively
use a cast iron frying pan for stovetop roasting. However
this method requires lots of watching and stirring. Once the roasting begins
it will continue rapidly. However
once your beans are cooled you can throw them into your coffee grinder and prepare that perfect homemade cup of delicious coffee.

When exposed to air
coffee beans will oxidize. Coffee grounds suffer this more so because they have a larger surface than the beans and lack the beans’ protective skin. Home coffee grinders allow you to stop the level of exposure and produce the freshest grind. Most importantly
grinding can be done when you need it.

Everything has a price
though. Picking the best grinder can make the messy and long process of grinding much more rewarding.

There are three main types – blade
crusher and burr. The crusher is the ancient way of using a pestle and mortar to mash the beans. This process is difficult and gives an uneven grind because it just crushes them – not highly recommended. Blade grinders chop. The blade whirls
slicing the beans into small grounds – still not the best because the grains are not the same size and not all the oils are released
varying the flavour and dissipating a lot of the flavour. However
burrs use motorised plates with teeth that are pyramid in shape
allowing for the perfect grind. Better burrs allow for varied grain sizes because the speed can be adjusted accordingly.

The burr allows for the perfect brew. Speed control keeps the heating of the beans low.

Burrs have two categories. Professionals prefer the conical. It is noisy however. Good ones can go up to 500 rpm. Top quality ones go up to speeds of 10 thousand rpm
with their blades spinning at about twenty to thirty thousand rpm. This allows for fine grinds for Turkish coffee
for example. Some come with a dial for continuous speed adjustments. Others have buttons for some varied 40 different speed adjustments.

Beyond that you should look for ones that are solid in construction
easy to clean and preferably less noisy. They should also include a brush for cleaning and easy to remove upper type burrs (blades). Beware of construction materials that cause static electricity. This can let the grounds stick to the blades and the container.

Other useful features include a timer and an auto-switchoff. It also helps to be able watch the beans as the grinding takes place. Without this you cannot decide if the grind is ready. So
try to find one that doesn’t use glass or darkish plastic as this hinders your view. You should be able to judge the grind by its colour
but if you cannot see them then this is a problem.

Finally
do your research and read all the reviews you can find about each grinder that interests you before you buy it. When you find the right one
you will be pleased with the fresh and flavoursome cup of coffee you produce.

We all need that jolt of caffeine that you get from a good cup of coffee in the morning. But many times
during the day
the urge for a nice cup of tasty coffee hits
and of course we frequently like a relaxing cup after dinner. Some people can't drink coffee at night because the caffeine keeps them awake
and for others it is worth having
even if they are going to be tossing and turning and staring at the clock. I am sensitive to caffeine
so even a can of soda after a certain time of night will have me counting sheep. The only solution for me and others like me is to make sure we have decaffeinated coffee in the kitchen. The coffee urge can be satisfied by putting decaf in that old coffee maker
without paying the price of a sleepless night.

If I find I am out of decaf coffee
there is always the local Dunkin Donuts. A quick stop at the local Dunkin Donuts yields a cup of coffee that is every bit as good as caffeinated
but doesn't have the same effect on the body's system. A nice change of pace on a hot summer evening is iced coffee
but if
like me
you will be bothered by the caffeine
you can get decaffeinated iced coffee.

Where does the caffeine come from. Caffeine occurs naturally in the coffee bean
and it takes a special water extracting system to remove the caffeine from the molecule. It is an exacting science
with each coffee manufacturer claiming to have their unique
and best system for creating decaffeinated coffee. I don't really care how it comes about
as long as I can enjoy my delicious cup of Java without the sleepless side effects of regular coffee.

There is little to no difference between the taste of regular and decaffeinated coffee. As a matter of fact
since I can't tell the difference
I am always concerned that I will get a cup of regular even though I have ordered decaf; since I can't taste the difference
I won't know until it is too late. That's one reason I prefer to keep my own decaffeinated coffee at home and not have to worry about somebody making such a mistake. I can't risk my much needed sleep. The opposite can also happen
that I order (and need) a strong cup of caffeinated coffee and end up with decaf because the counter girl was just as sleepy as I was. There's a real bummer
pay $4-$5 for a cup of coffee and not even get the jolt I need to start the day! Well
caffeinated or decaf
I need my coffee.

Every restaurant worker is very familiar with the entire process that goes with cleaning coffee makers. A better part of an hour at the end of each shift is spent rinsing out the coffee pitcher for both regular and decaffeinated coffee brands offered. The pitchers were cleaned at the end of the previous shift and some restaurant workers do not feel that they need to be cleaned again.

It is easy to tell which restaurants are good about cleaning coffee makers
and which ones do not put their best efforts into getting all of the pieces clean. The taste of the coffee alone will alert customers to whether people have been doing what they are supposed to do at the end of every shift. There is usually one person assigned in a restaurant to make sure that the cleaning of coffee makers is done on a regular schedule.

The coffee pitchers will give evidence that someone is cleaning coffee makers when they do not have any residue built up on the inside of the glass. Coffee contains oils and these oils will rise to the top of a coffee server and by the end of the shift the residue will cling to the sides and form a full sized ring at the top that gives evidence of how full the pitcher was most of the time during the shift.

There are sanitizing agents that restaurants use for cleaning coffee makers. Many of the parts to a coffee service can not be put into a sanitizing machine where plates and dishes are washed. The plastic on the coffee server system will melt from the high heat environment inside of this aluminum dishwashing machine.

People can use degaussing wands and bleach for cleaning coffee makers in any environment. The use of degaussing wands takes a bit of practice because they must be inserted through a special access hole in any commercial coffee maker. Cleaning coffee makers with a degaussing wand allows the inner tubing to be cleansed. Most commercial coffee makers have an automatic water line that needs to be routinely cleaned out to keep the line free and clear of lime and other deposits.

Cleaning coffee makers and associated machine parts with bleach is a relatively simple process that takes about 15 minutes to complete. All parts of the coffee machine that are removable must be submerged in a 3 to 1 bleach and water mixture for at least 15 minutes but preferably 30 minutes. The longer bleaching time will ensure that all pieces are sanitized and ready for use on the next shift.

There are granulated crystals for cleaning coffee makers that are available at Walmart and other discounted retailers. Careful use of these crystals for cleaning coffee makers is recommended because overuse can cause the gaskets inside the machine to wear out long before they are supposed to.

Some people choose not to purchase these granules that are specifically made for cleaning coffee makers
and try out the granular cleanser that they use in their automatic dishwasher. These cleansers are not formulated for this purpose
and many people find themselves back at Walmart or some other discount store looking for another coffee maker.

If a good cup of coffee was so easy to make by simply just throwing in your choice of coffee grinds into water and then into your percolator
then you could settle for just any quality of beans. Unfortunately a bad cup of coffee is so very easy to make. However
making a truly tasty and fresh cup of java every morning requires you to do things properly before you drink it.

Fresh water that is cold is your first port of call. Pour it into your coffee machine for that perfectly delicious brew. Avoid water that has been pre-boiled or comes from your hot tap. The best results come from filling your machine with filtered or bottled water
especially if your plumbing is old. This is especially important in areas where there is an abundance of highly chlorinated or hard type water.

Water temperature is another critical aspect that will affect the final results. Your water should be between 195ฐ to 205ฐ only. Overly hot water can make your coffee far too bitter. Would you drink that? Overly cool water cannot draw out the wonderful flavour
and usually no colour. You might as well drink boiled water
right?

If you use a coffee press in the morning
bring your water to a boil for a minute
add it
turn on the machine
and let it do the rest. Drip coffee machines can also benefit from scalding the pot ahead of time with pre-heated water. This simple procedure is used for tea making
too. You should pour the water into the pot and swish it around to warm it up. Then pour it out and let the coffee drip in. This further emphasises the flavour and the aroma.

Of course
the most important aspect is having the proper grind for your machine. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can use any grind. There are two main types of grinds
specially designed for the pressing pot or the electric or bunn coffee makers. Whether you grind your beans yourself or buy them locally ground
the press machine needs about 10 seconds of grinding to produce medium or coarse grinds. You can pick up fairly cheap blade grinders anywhere. Electric types and drips need grinds that have been process for fifteen to twenty seconds to get a fine to medium grind. Whichever you use you will rewarded with the perfect cup of coffee.