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I'm not sure if my system is changing or if there is truly a difference in the amount of caffeine found in a perked cup of coffee vs a cup of coffee made from one of those individual coffee filters that attach to the top of your mug?? Can anyone tell me if its the same amount and I'm doomed to drinking decaf from now on or if I will find coffee more soothing to my tummy if I perk it?? Thanks Stacy

Hey all I"m new here and found a thread on coffee, one of my favorite things. At home we roast our own coffee, and it's by far the best tasting coffee I've ever had. It's super fresh all the time, and we get our coffee from a couple of different places who gets their supply from all over the world. So we get coffee beans from great crops, and it's also a lot less expensive this way. I don't know if this topic had been covered before but it didn't seem like it. Has anyone else on here tried roasting coffee? Or have you tried it from someone else? What do you think? Thanks! Jeanine

Hello Everyone, Well I am usually in the Baking and Pastry forum but I decided to jump the gap so we could discuss something....I am a chocolate expert and actually do pairings...yet most of the time that involves wine and chocolate. I really think the coffee and chocolate were made for each other when it comes to eating/drinking together or pairing. I was hoping to meet some coffee connoisseurs in here and learn a little bit about coffee and maybe try to match up some different origins of coffee and chocolate...I hope to learn some more about coffee and how it could go with chocolate...

Hello to all the Coffee Lovers out there, I have a question for you from someone(me) that doesn't know a lot about high quality coffee... What kind of quality do the larger coffee chains have? poor, ok, good, or great quality coffee products... I'm interested in the chain stores like starbucks, coffee bean and tea leaf, peets coffee, etc.... I would love to hear your opinions on who is the best out of those three or other big chains and why... Thank you for your help in advance,

Coffee and chocolate is, of course, one of the great flavor pairings of all time, and one of my personal favorite treats. Lately I've begun drinking tea occassionally in place of coffee, and this afternoon decided to try a bit of chocolate with it. Neither was a very exotic variety, Earl Greys and Baronie Bittersweet, but they certainly didn't enhance each other. Is this just a peculiarity of mine, a general rule of thumb, or are there some tea-chocolate combinations that work well? SB

A while back, a co-worker offered to get me a cup of coffee and asked if I wanted milk or sugar. "A little milk," I replied. He brought me a cup that was pale tan in color and had to have been 40 percent half-and-half. To me, it was undrinkable -- lukewarm and unpleasantly mouth-coating; yet another co-worker who got a virtually identical cup proclaimed it "perfect." (I ended up pouring half the coffee out and refilling the cup with straight coffee, at which point it was almost okay.) Since then, I've been paying attention to milk in coffee, and I believe I'm in the minority. Most people who drink milk or cream in their coffee seem to like much more than I do. I also prefer whole milk; although half-and-half is acceptable, it's much easier to overpour. "Reduced fat" milk is okay if I'm desperate, but non-fat is worthless in coffee. (And forget non-dairy "creamer" -- I'd rather not drink coffee than use it.) What kind of milk do others prefer? How much? Steamed or cold?

I saw a Dualit Coffee Maker in a store for the first time yesterday and wondered if any members here are familiar with them. This one was of a large, squared, chunky design, much like some espresso makers. Probably about a 10 - 12 cup capacity.

I thought this video might be of some interest. Hearts in a cappucino would be too easy for that artist. FYI: It has almost no sound, so it would be safe for work watching while muted. And, save your sanity and avoid the comments on that site *shudder*

Hey all, Thought I'd inform those of you who travel through or to the Capital District are about a new coffee cafe called Mocha Blend Espresso Bar and Panini Cafe. It is located in Brunswick Plaza on Hoosick Rd. I have yet to check it out but then again I'm not a coffee expert as most of you on this site are. So what I think is good may taste like swill to you ??? But I'm just happy there is a place on my side of the river that MIGHT be worth frequenting?? So, I'll let you know what I think for what's worth?? Stacy

Hello all eG coffee forum members. After a long hiatus I have renewed my membership. I am interested and curious as to what your best specialty coffee experience may be? No restrictions, can be any experience...... Cheers! Spence

Has anyone either installed a new thermostat or upgraded one on a Francisfrancis X5? Or, for that matter, know of anyone who has? Mine is going, the boiler is cycling on and off every second in the espresso mode, and taking about three times greater than normal to reach steam temperature. I searched the net this afternoon with little luck specific to this model and learned after calling Illy, that the minimum charge will be $100 just to look at it. And that doesn't include the parts that they won't sell to individuals. I found a posting online that refered to a group of finatic X5ers that live for parts failures so they can modify their machines. Unfortunately, the site gave me no way to contact the person. I posted a similar topic on coffeegeek this afternoon, but have not gotten any replies back yet.

A wonderful thing happened today. Cafe Kubal opened in Eastwood, a neighborhood of Syracuse. Four blocks from our house. They're doing small batches of coffee in a 1904 roaster and serving a nice, basic set of coffee drinks and teas. They also serve pastries that are made by some Austrian guy in Geneva, NY. To get those pastries, they bring coffee beans to a customer in Weedsport and this person, who goes regularly from the Geneva pastry-maker's place to Weedsport, hands over pastries. Because Cafe Kubal is run by it's owners, the cafe is able to cater to local tastes, pay attention to important little details, and still offer coffee that is quite possibly superior to anything else being currently roasted in Syracuse. (Lots of pictures in the slideshow here) My question: We travel for food and coffee. Where are the other truly great cafes in the Northeast... outside of New York City? (Okay, include it if you must.) I'm looking for places from Toronto to Buffalo to Albany to Boston, and maybe up and down the Hudson Valley. Into Pennsylvania or northern New England would be fine, too. Anyone have their take on Muddy Cup? They're expanding rapidly! Lonnie

I had a Krups 12-cupper for a long time, 10 years maybe. It was working fine when I gave it away and bought a blue Cooks (Penney's) 12-cupper which is just OK. It cost $30 and I bought it because it's a pretty blue. However, 10 months later it is dead. Amazon reviewers like these two (both free shipping): Cuisinart DCC-1200 12-Cup Brew Central, Black and Stainless Steel $80 Hamilton Beach 43253 Ensemble 12-Cup Coffeemaker, Red $50 My requirements: 1. 12 cups 2. stand-alone and no grinder attached (I use a separate) 3. Would love one that doesn't dribble with each cup of coffee poured. Any thoughts out there? Marge

I read this here: I've check Vitamin Cottage (the local chain of health food stores) and searched online. Looks like Matcha is pretty hard to come by -- I was only able to find VitaLife offering it and/or some Japanese brand of tea. Anybody know where to get matcha?

Coffee, a well-established source of antioxidants, may also be a richer source of soluble dietary fiber than orange juice, researchers in Spain have reported. Source

Here's the article on MSN: "Bad buzz: Chinese bloggers bash Starbucks" Starbucks bashing isn't new. But that it's happening in China is new.

Reading a thread on another forum about why Reidel glasses make such a difference in tasting wine got me to thinking... Does the shape of my coffee cup affect how I taste the coffee? Is there an optimal shape, or different shapes based on the bean?

In a "SERVICE" thread in DC/DelMarVa forum Bux asked the following question Here's a place to start... Specialty Coffee Association 2005 Barista Competition press release Most of the pertinent details providing a high level overview are available there. I'll start by commenting on the question of In a word - no. The reason being that the highest quality espresso and espresso based drinks being prepared and served around the world today are coming from independent cafes and coffeehouses. I have yet to hear of a restaurant, even one operating at the highest levels of price and quality, that offers truly outstanding world-class espresso. Perhaps the two are mutually exclusive without some fundamental shifts in attituide and perception occurring? There is sometimes a tendency here at eG to discuss the coffee/espresso experience in the context of fine dining. Wouldn't it seem that the only way a true world-class barista experience could be delivered in a fine dining setting would be if a separate espresso/coffee lounge was provided that guests to could retire to after their meal? I should think that the noise of milk steaming, the on/off of the espresso machine's pump and many other factors would preclude having the actual espresso prep area within the dining room. Additionally, we might consider the issues of presentation and speed of serving. Straight espresso itself is a fragile drink with a short window of time in which to truly appreciate its wonders. Properly made milk based drinks such as a tradtional cappuccino or even specialty drinks typically are best served within no more than a minute or two (literally) of their preparation. On a separate note.... apart from encouraging young people to pursue careers and providing an incentive for skills development... do the Barista Competitions serve a higher purpose? Are they at present or could they, properly publicized and promoted, become an important vehicle for educating the public about the exciting changes that have taken place in espresso culture just within the past few years? If so how might this be accomplished?

There's a movement of sorts in the coffee and espresso business - not news to aficionado's or cognoscenti but some of us in the hinterlands (me!) are slow getting exposed to such things. The growing emphasis in recent years on recognizing the value of single varietals vs. blends in drip coffee has evolved into recognizing the importance of the terroir concept. This notion seems to have gained popularity in relation to wine but is equally applicable to coffee varietals. For example... in any given year there may be beans or even a specific lot of beans from a particular estate (or even a section of that estate) that have unique and desirable characteristics. Rather than getting shipped off to the growers co-op and getting lumped in/mixed with beans from other growers, subsequently to be sold under a generic varietal name (e.g. Guatemala Antigua or Ethiopian Yirgacheffe), these better lots are more increasingly becoming available in their undiluted form. Parallel to this development is a growing interest in appreciating the subtleties of such beans by producing espresso shots from a single varietal. There is a long standing tradition of using specially created blends for espresso. Various beans are combined to achieve certain characteristics that may include chocolaty undertones, fruitiness, floral notes, redolence of spices, a certain desirable bitterness etc. More recently there's been a move towards producing espresso from single varietals. If, as Caffe Vivace's David Schomer states it, "espresso should taste the way good coffee smells", we might expect to see enhanced and noticeably distinct characteristics by getting the essence of a single bean in concentrated form. Having read of these trends but being immersed in a cocoon of constant work (both my day job and my coffee job) and routine, I had not gotten around to trying Single Origin Shots. Last week, prompted by a desire to use up some of the beans in my home green bean stash, I dug out my little 1/2 lb electric Alpenroast drum roaster and did up a batch of Ethiopian Harrar and also some Yemeni Moka Ismaili. I had fully intended to roast some additional varieties and do an espresso blend but when the weekend arrived and I had a rare Saturday morning at home with no obligations attendant... I turned on the espresso machine and settled in with a good book to enjoy a few shots. In another happy accident, I found the only milk on hand to be spoiled but had a full container of fresh half 'n half. Rather than making a short cappuccino as is my wont.... I decided to foam some half 'n half and make a breve machiatto. That is... a double espresso shot topped with a bit of half 'n half foam. Wow. I'm sure that not all varietals will be as appealing in this format but the Ethiopian blew me away. The "blueberry flavor notes" that others describe from this bean but have thus far eluded my less-than-silver-palate were overwhelmingly abundant. Likewise, the sort of winey, spicy wildness of the Yemeni bean was also very distinct. If you have an espresso machine and have been happily pulling shots with blends -try some SOS for a pleasant surprise.

Fortune Elkins is a coffee and espresso aficionado in the NYC area and tireless volunteer for the SCAA consumer outreach program. Among her many activities has been spearheading efforts to get a group together for regular coffee related meetings and activites in NY. They have some cool donated door prizes at many of their functions and offer a chance to get exposure to such things as coffee cuppings etc. New York City Coffee Meetup Group If there's no such organization in your metro area it might be worth starting one (hint hint). The NYC group has a fun event coming up on March 9th that will include shot pulling sessions on a La Marzocco two group machine and door prizes including a Gaggia espresso machine (among other items). To attend please see the eGullet Event Calendar info here

It's not really a trick question (at least I don't think so). I think I know the answer but hope there's a fix. It's also worth noting that not one single geek over at Coffeegeek Forums replied with an answer when I posted. Surely there's an eGulleteer with the expertise to help me I've been using the smaller version of the glass manual Bodum vac pot for about six months and absolutely love the results. I typically use about 40 grams of coffee to 25 ounces of water and allow the grounds to steep in the water for about 3:00 to 3:30 minutes after the water has moved north to the top of the pot. It then takes about another 00:30 to 1:00 minute for the water to return south to the serving vessel after heat is removed. A friend just gave me a Bodum Mini-Santos electric vac pot - the orange one that's made of Lexan or some such thing. It has the same capacity as the manual pot and I use the same amount of grounds and water. The water heats up more quickly, moves north faster and then it automatically shuts off and allows the water to return south after no more than two minutes or so of steeping. The result has very consistently been slightly underextracted and weak tasting coffee. I even tried bumping up the weight of the grounds to 50 grams but with little improvement. I love the convenience of the electric pot - I can just set it up and walk away until the coffee is done but I'm unhappy with the quality of the results. Is there a way to tweak/hack the automatic timing feature to lengthen the steeeping/brewing time? Yes I've read the directions and no mention is made of such an adjustment option.

Warm weather is finally here again in the northeast (although it will plummet into the 20's tonight!). After countless experiments in the past trying to duplicate but also do better than the Starbucks frozen frappuccino drinks... I'm trying a new approach. The clone of a frozen frappuccino involved use of extra strong coffee and/or espresso mixed with some sugar. A bit of pure vanilla extract, a small amount of chocolate syrup (not enough to really be tasted as chocolate) and a dash of salt were then added along with milk. Just before blending with ice, a tiny bit of carageenan was added as a thickener (about 1/8 teaspoon per 20 oz of liquid drink total). The drink was generally pretty good but it does not lend itself to commercial preparation and the consistency was difficult to control. I have tested the Jet brand liquid milk based vanilla drink base. It's better than some - uses natural vanilla, Parmalat style milk and has beet sugar as a sweetener. But it's too sweet and too expensive. Also has too strong a vanilla flavor and the milk is not quite right to my taste. It uses guar gum, locust bean gum and carageenan as thickeners and stabilizers. Also looked at the Big Train powdered mix used by many cafes. It has the coffee (powdered freeze dried) flavor already in it (yuck!). Also has high fructose corn sweetener, powdered non-fat dry milk, hydrogenated oils to add the mouthfeel/taste sensation of fat, and lots-o-artificial ingredients. The Goal: a low-fat frozen drink that tastes great, stays together and is easy to make on the fly. Possible ingredients: for the powdered base - powdered non-fat dry milk, vanilla powder, carageenan, tiny amount cocoa or chocolate powder for the liquid - regular milk and some Toddy cold coffee concentrate for the sweetener - either confectioner's sugar mixed in with the powdered base or possibly simple syrup added by the drink to taste Questions: - are guar gum and/or locust bean gum helpful or are they in the Jet concentrate just to help the liquid ingredients stay stable in storage and before blending? - is there a natural powdered sweetener other than confectioner's sugar that might be useful in the powdered base? Ideas and /or comments?

article from Food Navigator This of interest to you coffee drinkers out there? Or will you continue to drink your java pretty much as you already do now?

I have been getting more into tea lately. Today, while trying to kill some time at the mall, I wandered into the Coffee Beanery and discovered they have a nice setup of 'Republic of Tea' teas, which I have heard good things about. Well, most were pretty plain and boring looking, earl grey, green tea, honey and ginger, etc, stuff you can find anywhere. Well, one then caught my eye, a tea called 'Lapsang Souchong' which is apparently fermented and smoked over pine wood according to the blurb on the back. I also had to pick up a tea-ball as this didn't seem to come in bags. I just had a glass, and my first impression is I really like it. It has a fully, smokey, tangy taste. I added a bit of splenda to it, but I had a few sips without and it was almost as good that way. Has anyone else had this stuff before? Are there other similar teas out there?