Brew Down

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Coffee shop arson suspect says he's not guilty

Coffee shop arson suspect says he's not guilty: "By Betty Adams badams@centralmaine.com AUGUSTA – The man charged with burning down the Grand View Topless Coffee Shop in Vassalboro in June 2009 pleaded not ...
See all stories on this topic »"

How Do I Make a Great Cup of Coffee?

How Do I Make a Great Cup of Coffee?: "27 2010 @ 9:51AM Our favorite coffee house slogan: "Drink Coffee, patriotic beverage since 1773." That's because the Continental Congress declared coffee ...
See all stories on this topic »"

Coffee Vs. Energy Drinks - The Caffeine Wars | Psychology Today

Coffee Vs. Energy Drinks - The Caffeine Wars | Psychology Today: "Culture: Few drinks can claim a place in the creation of the English, American, French and Russian revolutions, but coffee can. Beyond activating the minds of revolutionaries, coffee drinking is highly social, and for centuries ...
Psychology Today Blogs - http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog"

Twin Peaks Coffee

Indonesian Ulema allow civet coffee

Indonesian Ulema allow civet coffee: "

OK so we had this coffee in the cafe a while ago and thought it was ok nothing that special in its taste that makes people pay so much for it.

Indonesian Ulema allow civet <b>coffee</b>: Indonesian Ulema allow civet coffee
by Mathias Hariyadi
After a long diatribe, the country's highest Islamic authority has banned the 'Kopi Luwak' coffee from beans partially digested by civet cats. One of the most expensive drinks in the world.

Jakarta (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Indonesian Ulema Council - the highest Muslim religious authority in the country - has decided to allow the consumption of the most expensive coffee in the world, 'Kopi Luwak', despite being made from beans eaten, partly digested and then defecated by a small mammal, or the civet cat owl.

The discussion on the consumption of this drink has abounded in the Muslim world for years considered by the more hardlin wing 'haram' forbidden in the religious sense and therefore unfit for consumption. But after the plenary meeting, the Council decided not to publish a fatwa banning the 'civet coffee” to Muslims.

'After a long discussion, we decided that drinking Luwak coffee is not a sin,' said Ma'rouf Amien, chairman of the highest religious authority in the country. 'It is not prohibited as long as the coffee beans are passed under water to remove traces of excrement' he said.

The 'Luwak' is produced by the civet cats, small mammals similar to weasels, which eat the coffee beans. But they do not fully digest them and they are expelled, after being fermented, naturally. Once dried and roasted, they are used to prepare a traditional drink of coffee less bitter in taste with caramel and chocolate.

Worldwide, every year, just 200 pounds of Luwak coffee are produced, the price varies between 400 and 500 Euros per kilo. The civet, among others, was in the headlines a few years ago: a very common animal in Asia, it was one of the major carriers of the terrible SARS.

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A journey to the source of your coffee.

Al Pacino appears in his first-ever television ad

Al Pacino appears in his first-ever television ad: "

Monsters and Critics.com

By Grant Hodgson Jul 18, 2010, 13:37 GMT Al Pacino has made his first-ever television ad, promoting the Australian coffee brand Vittoria. ...
See all stories on this topic »"

Rebirth of burned Seattle coffee shop

Rebirth of burned Seattle coffee shop: "It was an early October morning when we watched as "The Green Bean" coffee shop and several other businesses were destroyed by arson fire. ...
See all stories on this topic »"

BP Spills Coffee

What Caffeine Actually Does to Your Brain [Explainer]

What Caffeine Actually Does to Your Brain [Explainer]: "

For all of its wild popularity, caffeine is one seriously misunderstood substance. It's not a simple upper, and it works differently on different people with different tolerances—even in different menstrual cycles. But you can make it work better for you. More »

"

Physics Buzz: Coffee Cup Secrets

Physics Buzz: Coffee Cup Secrets: "WASHINGTON (ISNS) -- Physicists from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and from the University of Bath in the U.K. took a close look downward into their mugs to find out exactly how cream blends with the coffee in a cup when ...
Physics Buzz - http://physicsbuzz.physicscentral.com/"

Astronaut Leroy Chiao's Proclaims Coffee Maker Changed His Life

Astronaut Leroy Chiao's Proclaims Coffee Maker Changed His Life: "

We know that single serve coffee has changed our lives, but has it changed it enough to make us a feel motivated to become an astronaut or scientist? According to Astronaut Leroy Chiao a coffee maker was just the thing that got him through school, and changed his life putting him on the track for space.

I had a few machines before, but the game changer was a Salton Three-for-All, that I acquired back in 1984. In addition to regular coffee, it could also brew espresso, and given a little talent for controlling the limited amount of steam it generated, one could also make a cappuccino of sorts. This machine served my roommates and me well during my graduate student days.

So - perhaps we all need to look at that single serve coffee maker in our lives, and realize it's probably doing more than just making us caffeinated. It might just motivate us to the moon and back.

Via Gizmodo and learn more about Leroy Chiao here.

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Latte Art Method of Production with Liza Whitacre

come preparare una moka a regola d'arte

Worlds Best Cappuccino MOVIE

Does Coffee Have Any Antioxidant Benefits? | Health News

Does Coffee Have Any Antioxidant Benefits? | Health News: "Before we get all excited over the recent news about coffee being our new antioxidant, we need to take a look at the entire picture. Is there.
Health News - http://healthnew.org/"

Holy City TNT 7.20.2010 at Metto Coffee Mt. Pleasant

Holy City TNT 7.20.2010 at Metto Coffee Mt. Pleasant: "

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From Lifehacker :Brew the Best Possible Coffee Without Breaking the Bank

Source Lifehacker

Brew the Best Possible Coffee Without Breaking the Bank

Whether you're the kind of coffee drinker that slugs back the swill in the break-room coffee pot at work or savors exotic coffee on sleepy Sundays, there is always room for enhancing your java.

Photo by visualpanic.

Consider yourself forewarned however, once you begin brewing better coffee it becomes increasingly difficult to go back to enjoying crappy coffee. Raised in a family of non-coffee drinkers I simply accepted that the coffee I intermittently experienced in diners and donut shops across America was the entirety of the coffee experience—scalding hot, bitter in taste, and certainly not as pleasant a caffeine delivery system as Mountain Dew. All of that changed when I started drinking more coffee to survive life on the graveyard shift and decided that there had to be a way to make coffee taste good without adding so much sugar into it that I may as well have kept drinking soda.

You won't always be able to use all of the following tricks to brew a great cup of coffee—not all of us have access a local coffee roaster or the a well stocked local market—but applying even a few of them to your coffee routine will boost the quality of your coffee drinking experience.

Know Your Varieties

Nearly all the coffee in the world comes from two types of coffee plants: Arabica and Robusta. Arabica has roughly half the amount of caffeine and a more mellow taste. Robusta has more caffeine and higher acidic content which creates a significantly more bitter flavor. Many people experience mild stomach aches from the combination of higher caffeine and acidic content of Robusta beans, certainly many a potential future coffee-drinker has sworn off the stuff because of such an experience with cheap Robusta beans. It often isn't all that much more to buy Arabica over Robusta and with careful label reading you can often get Arabica coffee for the same price as Robusta based blends. Photo by SDCDeaCerte.

Buy Whole Beans

When you smell coffee—whether you're smelling whole beans or already ground coffee—you're essentially breathing in some of the flavor. The oils and chemical compounds that give coffee its distinct flavoring are in constant flight from the bean. The more you can do to preserve the integrity of the beans and the delightful flavor inside right up until the moment of brewing, the better the coffee will be. Keeping the beans intact for as long as possible helps immensely. If possible where you live, try to buy locally roasted beans to benefit from the freshness. Barring that, buying whole bean coffee is vastly superior to buying pre-ground coffee. Photo by FreeWine.

Grind Your Own

You've got whole bean coffee, now what? There are two principle types of coffee grinders on the market. A basic blade grinder costs less than $15 at any kitchen store or big box grocer and looks a lot like a tall and narrow food processor. There is a flat blade at the bottom of the chamber you put your coffee in that spins and grinds up the beans. The other kind of grinder is a burr grinder and prices for a quality model start at $200 and rise rapidly. Burr models use two interlocking metal burns to create extremely uniform coffee grounds—imagine if you will two cone shaped gears that fit together like nesting dolls. Coffee aficionados will balk at my suggestion that a blade grinder is adequate, but it's better to have irregularly but freshly ground coffee than it is to have no coffee at all because you blew $500 on a premium coffee grinder! Grind the coffee as closely to the time it will be used as possible, ideally right before you use it. Photo by Collin Anderson.

Storage

The refrigerator is the mortal enemy of your coffee. Taking coffee in and out of the fridge is a sure way to suck the flavor right out of it. Coffee that will be used frequently and immediately—whole bean or ground— is ideally stored in an air tight, opaque,and glass or otherwise inert container. Coffee that will not be consumed immediately but needs to be preserved for near-future use can be safely stored in the freezer assuming it is stored in a dry and air tight container. Storing an unsealed container of grounds or beans in the cold temperatures of either the fridge or freezer is a sure way to accelerate the its journey from delicious flavor to stale bitterness. Photo by Michelodeon.

Press It

Most people would assume if they had less than $50 to spend on coffee brewing equipment that there would be no way they could get a premium cup of coffee out of the supplies they could afford. Fortunately one of the best methods of brewing coffee is the cheapest. You can pick up a Bodum Chambord French Press, the original and classic design, for $25 or less just about everywhere. Using a French press is one of the simplest methods of brewing a fantastic cup of coffee. A French press is a glass cylinder that has a lid with a piston style rod attached to a circular screen. Grind your coffee, put a few heaping scoops in the bottom, pour nearly boiling water over the grounds, wait about four minutes, press the plunger down to push the grounds down and enjoy some delicious coffee. One of the primary benefits of making coffee in a French press over a standard drip pot is that more of the coffee oils end up in your cup instead of in the machine's filter. More oils means better taste! As a bonus, a carefully cleaned French press can also double as an excellent pot for loose leaf tea. If you already have a drip pot and want to keep on using it, use a tip we've previously highlighted as a way to get better coffee out of drip coffee makers: run a pot of water through it before putting the actual coffee through to pre-heat the unit and help get it closer to optimum brewing temperature.Photo byMaggiejumps.

Use Pure(r) Water

While it might not be practical to install a reverse osmosis filter under your sink, the more pure the water you use for your coffee the better it will taste. A gallon of locally distilled water costs less than a dollar in most places and many supermarkets have cheap refills available—my local market has a machine that will refill a gallon jug for 35 cents. Even if you—for environmental or financial reasons—don't want to spend money on filtered or bottled water for your coffee you can still tweak your water. Fill up a pitcher of water the night before and set it out on the counter. While it's not the same as being filtered through the stony depths of a mountain aquifer it will allow some chemicals in the water like chlorine to dissipate. Anything that makes your cup of joe taste less like the pool at the YMCA is welcome. Photo by gilles chiroleu.

The variety of coffees and methods of preparation ensure that the above list just barely scratches the surface of tips and tricks to be shared on the subject. If you have a great tip for making a better cup of coffee, share it in the comments below and help your fellow readers make 2009 the year their coffee stops being bitter enough to kill an old cowboy.

Send an email to Jason Fitzpatrick, the author of this post, at jason@lifehacker.com.

Best Coffee Hut

Best Coffee Hut: "

Missoula Independent

Why is The Loose Caboose Missoula's best coffee hut? Because of its customer service, says barista Amber Lawson. The friendly baristas (see next category) ...
See all stories on this topic »"

Vittoria Coffee - Art of Coffee Making

Vittoria Coffee - Art of Coffee Making: "Vittoria Coffee, pioneers of pure coffee in Australia for over 40 years.
www.vittoriacoffee.com/art-of-coffee-making.html"

ILLY HOSTS 'COFFEE EXPERT' COURSE - International Culinary Center ...

ILLY HOSTS 'COFFEE EXPERT' COURSE - International Culinary Center: "Mon 7/19 - Tue 7/20 (9AM), Cost: $595 - Course Adapted from illy's Italy-based Program Open to Professionals & Passionate Coffee Enthusiasts Illy's two-day ...
newyork.going.com/event-769261"

Kenya releases new coffee variety

Kenya releases newcoffee variety: "The variety known as Batian is high yielding and is expected to boost coffee production in the country. Coffee Research Foundation (KRF) Managing Director ...
See all stories on this topic »"

Nescafé speciality coffees back on local shelves

Nescafé speciality coffees back on local shelves: "

Nescafé speciality coffees back on local shelves

The new jars of Nescafé s distinct speciality coffees, consisting of four distinct blends, namely Alta Rica, Cap Colombie, Suraya and Espresso, are being used on a temporary basis until an updated new packaging is developed.

Read more on Malta Today

Beyond Bali: Look what we’re missing

Last year almost 550,000 Australians visited Indonesia but not many went any further than Bali. It’s time to put that right.

Read more on thewest.com.au

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Caffe Society CS2600 Bean to Cup Coffee Machine

Caffe Society CS2600 Bean to Cup Coffee Machine: "

	Caffe Society CS2600 Bean to Cup Coffee Machine http://www.caffesociety.co.uk/ The Caffe Society CS2600 Bean to Cup Coffee Machine, showing you how easy it is to use to make various drinks and explaining the main features. For more details visit http://www.caffesociety.co.uk/ or call us on 0845 4500 500	From: CaffeSociety Views: 8 0 ratings
	Time: 04:08	More in Howto & Style

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USB Coffee-Cup Warmer Could Be Stealing Your Data [Republished]

USB Coffee-Cup Warmer Could Be Stealing Your Data [Republished]: "

Are you sure that the keyboard or mouse you are using today is the one that was attached to your computer yesterday? It might have been swapped for a compromised device that could transmit data to a snooper. More »







Universal Serial Bus - USB - Hardware - Shopping - Operating Systems

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Lastest Starbucks Coffee Ground News

Lastest Starbucks Coffee Ground News: "

Starbucks adds instant iced coffee

Yesterday, Starbucks perked up the summer by expanding its VIA instant coffee line with a powdered iced coffee. Since the excellent VIA powder already dissolves easily in cold water, I wondered how this “new” iced coffee powder would be different.

Read more on Chicago Tribune

Grounds from coffee shops being recycled

Esquires Coffee Houses aren’t wasting a single coffee ground this summer, giving away all them for garden purposes. Esquires’ three outlets in Grande Prairie repackage 55 pounds of used grounds each day.[...]

Read more on Grande Prairie Daily Herald-Tribune

Starbucks recycling cups in Chicago

Starbucks Corp. is finding new ways to use the 3 billion paper cups its customers use each year, even in cities where recycling is not popular or mandated.

Read more on Chicago Tribune

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Durham TNT at Copa Vida, Thursday, June 24!

Durham TNT at Copa Vida, Thursday, June 24!: "

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Coffee Kids, World Barista Championship Team Up for Online Auction Proceeds to benefit coffee-growing families

Coffee Kids, World Barista Championship Team Up for Online Auction Proceeds to benefit coffee-growing families: "

SANTA FE —Starting June 18, everything from a home roaster to a

programmable coffee maker will be auctioned on eBay to benefit Coffee Kids’

projects for coffee-farming families.

The auction is part of the World Barista Championship’s efforts to support

Coffee Kids, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the

quality of life for coffee-farming families. Baristas from more than 50 countries

will compete June 23-25 in London to become World Barista Champion, and

the annual event will feature multiple efforts to raise awareness and funds for

Coffee Kids.

The auction, which opens June 18 and closes June 25, can be accessed at

http://shop.ebay.com/coffeekids.

Featured items, all donated by Coffee Kids supporters, include:

• 
  
  
  
  • - Reg Barber handmade FB/80 Model for the USBC bronze trophies, made from solid maple, donated by Reg Barber Enterprises
  
  
  
  

• 
  
  
  
  • - Capresso MT600 programmable 10-cup coffee maker, courtesy of 1st in Coffee
  
  
  
  

• 
  
  
  
  • - Anfim Barista Grinder with digital timer and cooling fan, donated by Anfim
  
  
  
  

• 
  
  
  
  • - Home Brewers Dream, including kettle, scale, dripper, filters, mug, a pound of coffee and a tote bag, courtesy of New Harvest Coffee Roasters
  
  
  
  

• 
  
  
  
  • - Organic, Fair Trade, shade-grown, bird-friendly coffee, courtesy of Caffe Ibis Coffee Roasting Co.
  
  
  
  

• 
  
  
  
  • - Behmor 1600 home coffee roaster featuring smoke-suppression technology, donated by Behmor
  
  
  
  

• 
  
  
  
  • - Weekend Explorer Grill and Cooler, courtesy of REDW The Rogoff Firm Certified Public Accountants
  
  
  
  

• 
  
  
  
  • - A one-year subscription to Barista Magazine, plus Barista Magazine tote bag, donated by Barista Magazine
  
  
  
  

• 
  
  
  
  • - A Coffee Kids reception at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 24, featuring a
  
  
  
  

Other events at the World Barista Championship:

“Celebrity Barista Knockout” with past World Barista Champions

competing in a latte-art contest and a presentation by Coffee Kids

Executive Director Carolyn Fairman.

A “London Coffee Map” featuring London’s must-visit coffee destinations. All participating shops will collect donations and raise awareness about Coffee Kids.

What: WBC and Coffee Kids online auction

When: June 18 to June 25

Where: http://shop.ebay.com/coffeekids.

How: Bid for great items and help coffee growers in the process!

The World Barista Championship is the pre-eminent international coffee competition. The organization, founded by the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe and the Specialty Coffee Association of America, focuses on promoting excellence in coffee, advancing the barista profession, and engaging a worldwide audience with an annual championship event that serves as the culmination of events held in more than 50 member nations around the globe. For more information, visit the WBC website at www.worldbaristachampionship.org.

###

Coffee Kids Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of coffee-farming families. Coffee Kids currently supports economic diversification, education, health awareness and food security programs in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Peru. To learn more about Coffee Kids or to make a donation, please visit www.coffeekids.org or call 505-820-1443.

###

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CONGRATULATIONS MIKE PHILLIPS (USA), THE 2010 WORLD BARISTA CHAMPION!

Final Results:

1st – Michael Phillips (USA)
2nd - Raul Rodas (Guatemala)
3rd – Scottie Callaghan (Australia)
4th – Colin Harmon (Ireland)
5th – Soren Stiller Markussen (Denmark)
6th – Stefanos Domatiotis (Greece)

2010 Official Ranking Order (PDF 111 kb)

Coffee As a Culinary Medium

Coffee As a Culinary Medium: "

There’s been a lot of excitement over this year’s World Barista Championship. Many coffee professionals and enthusiasts are crowding around computers or television screens in coffee shops to watch as barista champions from over 50 countries bring their best game for the chance to win the top spot in London. But let’s face it– these 15 minute presentations, though they fly by for the competitor, can be pretty boring for even the most enthusiastic coffee professional to watch. There are only so many espressos and cappuccinos once can hear about in a given day, you know what I mean? The only things that keep the competiton remotely interesting are: 1. The music (chosen by each competitor, reflecting their personality); 2. The signature beverages (reflecting a competitor’s personal style and palate for creating interesting taste experiences). Admit it, when you watch a competition presentation, the signature beverage is what you most look forward to. Som are really complicated, others shockingly simple. Some flavor combinations might even seem weird or gross, others sound delicious. But no matter what, when you see a polished competitor perform, you think to yourself, “I wish I could try that. I wonder what it tastes like.”

Well, now you can!

On June 24, from 7pm - 9:30pm, at RBC NYC(71 Worth Street in Tribeca) five expert baristas will present the signature drink they created for regional and national competitions. Each barista will discuss the process of how they created a signature beverage and used culinary technique and flavor pairings to compliment their chosen espresso.

A limited number of $20 tickets will be issued to sample a flight of all five drinks. Partial proceeds will be donated to Coffee Kids, a nonprofit organization that provides aid to coffee farming families all over the world.

I’ll be there, bringing back a drink I debuted at the 2008 Northeast Regional Barista Competition. I never did get around to naming the drink, but it will involve a combination of goat’s milk and beets, paired with Counter Culture’s Natural Ethiopian Espresso, Michicha.

In addition, RBC will be streaming the three-day World Barista Competition live on flat screen TVs.

RBC NYC is located at 71 Worth Street in Tribeca. Hope to see you there!

Katie

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Coffee waste turns gardens green

Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Programmable Cone Coffeemaker, Black Reviews

Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Programmable Cone Coffeemaker, Black Reviews: "

Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Programmable Cone Coffeemaker, Black

• Water filtration removes up to 97% of chlorine for better tasting coffee


• 2-hour auto shut-off keeps your coffee warm for 2 hours and then automatically shuts off


• Special cleaning cycle makes cleaning your coffeemaker quick and easy


• Brew strength selector lets you choose to make your coffee stronger


• Fresh brew timer lets you know how long your coffee has been waiting for you

How you enjoy your Mr. Coffee moment is up to you! The Fresh Brew Timer lets you know how long your coffee has been waiting for you, the Brew Strength Selector allows you to make your coffee stronger, and the Adjustable Temperature Warmer Plate lets you decide how hot you want to keep your coffee. Additional features include 2 Hour Auto Shut-off, Special Cleaning Cycle, Water Filtration and Metallic Accents.

Rating: (out of 253 reviews)

List Price: $ 0.00

Price: $ 62.99

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