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Starbucks, never a corporation to shy away from being late to the party, is now offering "Blonde roasts." According to the web site, they're "lighter-bodied and mellow", and they "awaken the senses gently." I haven't tried any of these coffees, and I haven't had a Starbucks coffee in years, because I never liked the roast profile. Will this cause any Starbucks non-lovers out there to give them a try?

My friend wants to find a source for GOOD quality fresh roasted coffee beans in NYC. We've tried Fairway. He likes the Kona blends. any suggestions? thanks. susan

After having reasonable luck with my last batch of coffee liqueur, I was hoping that someone here could help me select a more suitable sort of bean. I don't drink a lot of coffee (it gives me indigestion), but I love the flavor in desserts and cocktails. My previous attempt used a dark roast coffee that was quite sour - sort of like what you'd find at Starbucks. The end result had a very potent coffee flavor with a less processed taste than Kahlua, but much like the raw ingredients, it was a lot more sour. I'd like to fix that. What should I look for in a roast? I wouldn't mind using a nationwide distributed variety, but being able to find something locally would be nice as they can grind it very, very fine.

My daughter, who estimates that she has made well over 100,000 coffees at work, showed me a new tamping method last weekend. Basically, you dose the basket as usual and then do a normal straight tamp (doesn't need to be high pressure). You then roll the edge of the tamper around the inside lip of the basket - I looked it up and this is called a nutating motion (think how a coin rolls around its edge before it settles flat). Then polish the top with a rotating tamp motion, brush off any residue, and start the pour. It seems to give a nice even pour, good crema and, if you drink ristretto, seems to accentuate the sweeter notes. It's also fixed a problem that I was having with uneven extractions (more coffee coming out of one spout than the other). Interested to see if anyone else uses this or if you have a method that gives you a good result.

Coffee and tea has both been my favorite beverages over the many years. However, I still prefer the classic taste of tea, and I never fail to drink at least 3 cups of tea a day! I'm also aware that tea is a much healthier option to coffee. (Not Really Entirely Sure Of How Coffee Is Healthy, perhaps anyone can comment about this?) I enjoy drinking mainly green tea such as Matcha, or Longjing Green Tea. However, i truly enjoy the unique taste of rooibos tea as well. What about you? Do you prefer drinking coffee or tea?

So, like many people I've been trying to get better at producing the right kind of pourable "latte art" milk foam over the years. This has involved such refinements as installing a three-hole steam tip on my Rancilio Silvia and switching from the "standard" 20 ounce milk pitcher to a much smaller 12 ounce milk pitcher. Both had a notable impact on my ability to consistently produce high quality milk foam. But still, perhaps depending on the quality, age and fat content of the milk I used, I wasn't able to get the creamy pourable microfoamed milk I wanted. Until now. One day I was making cappuccino for myself and Mrs. slkinsey and realized we were out of clean demitasse spoons. And I figured that since we would ordinarily put a touch of sugar into the cup, why not add the sugar to the pitcher and steam it in to the milk. Well, this made a tremendous difference. The milk foam was the best I've made. I've continued this practice, and the consistency and quality of my milk foam has increased greatly. Anyone try this? Observe this? Have any ideas why this might be so?

I just came across this new-to-me-item while browsing the internet. Has anyone tried this? As far as I can tell from my browsing, the only place I can find this is from a supplier in Utah. Before I go out on a limb and order some (and pay the attending no doubt frightful S & H) I'm wondering if anyone on this forum has tried it and if so, how they liked it. It sounds like it tastes like a dark chocolate drink but is brewed like coffee. Thanks!

Firstly, thank you for all the input in the other post, I am still reading the responses and digesting them. From the other post, I wanted to save some money in the long run by not buying coffees outside (not completely not buying out, but not EVERYDAY lol). But I still wanted good coffees, I am willing to buy some reasonable priced equipment to make good coffees at home, and then possibly pour it into a thermo and bring to work or something.... ***** Now....speaking of making of good coffees, I guess I have to go back to the basics.... that is: How to make coffee out of those coffee beans? In cooking perspective: How long should I cook them in "water"? What the temperature should be? Does temperature matter? What should be the ratio of coffee to water to milk? etc.... ***** Then if making good coffees require XXX amount temperature, duration, ratio, .... then which equipment gives best results? And what are these equipment advantages and disadvantages? ***** Thanks =) (btw, I am going to a coffee shop now and going to do some work with a nice cup of coffee =) )

Japanese Pan-fired teas? Japanese Oolongs? Really? Japanese Kamairicha tea - what's that? Miyazaki - where's that? Patience Grasshopper, all will be revealed. Dan at yuuki-cha.com is providing three fascinating organic Japanese teas for this Tea Tasting & Discussion. The featured teas are grown in Miyazaki on the island of Kyushu, one of the traditional pan-firing regions of Japan. Organic Miyazaki Oolong Tea Kuchinashi Organic Miyazaki Kamairicha Sakimidori Organic Miyazaki Kamairicha Okumidori More details soon on each of these rare Japanese teas in the next three posts. How This Tea Tasting & Discussion Works Sets of the samples will go to up to three eG members active in the forums: if you have at least 50 posts anywhere in the eG Forums in the past 12 months, OR if you have at least 10 posts in the Coffee & Tea Forum, and are interested in receiving the free samples and participating in this TT&D, please read on (this post and the three following soon) and then PM me. The free 10 g samples are available to members who 1) will do at least one brewing session with each of the three teas, and 2) will begin to report on their experience within one week of receiving the sample and participate actively in the discussion with the other tasters and other members. These teas may be brewed 1) in a gaiwan, or preferably 2) in a Japanese side-handle teapot. Please avoid brewing in a mug or western style teapot - it just will not be the same. Preference will be given to eGullet Society members who have never received tea samples and participated in a Tea Tasting & Discussion, and who have at least 50 posts anywhere in the eG Forums in the past year or 10 in the Coffee & Tea Forum. This preference will last five days, until Midnight, Thursday, September 29, 2011 (US Eastern). If that sounds like you, please PM me ASAP. As always, everyone who does not receive a sample is welcome and encouraged to participate in the discussion.

Hi people! I am in a hurry, so I make this quick =) I always buy coffee outside => costing me so much money overall. My goal is to save some money, but still trying to have good coffee, so I decided to make at home. My equipments: Filter paper, cooking pot, and cups...... how do I do it??? cheers

I am really starting to appreciate a good cup of coffee. I didn't like it in the past because I was introduced to coffee through crap like Taster's Choice. I have started tasting my coffee to see if it needs sugar or milk. Its like adding salt to a dish, taste before seasoning. I only add sugar if I find it too bitter when drunk black. I do not fully understand the purpose of milk in coffee, except for flavor. Does it serve a specific function or purpose?

I have been using a coffee press for a while now and have been happy with the flavor... much better than a drip machine. I have also seen the rather funky vacuum pot. What differences will I see in the coffee between the two methods? Thanks!

Kyle Stewart, co-owner of The Cultured Cup, has contributed samples of two interesting red/black teas for this Tea Tasting & Discussion. The first is a Nepal Chiyabari Estate Black, and the second is a Yunnan Golden Tips. Sets of the samples will go to up to three eG members active in the forums: if you have at least 50 posts anywhere in the eG Forums in the past 12 months, or if you have at least 10 posts in the Coffee & Tea Forum, and are interested in receiving the free samples and participating in this TT&D, please read on (this post and the three following soon) and then PM me. These teas may be brewed 1) "western style" using a small teapot or infuser cup, 2) in a gaiwan, or 3) in a Yixing. Please, avoid tea balls like the plague. The free 10 g samples are available to members who 1) will do at least one brewing session with each of the two teas, and 2) will report on their experience within one week of receiving the sample and participate actively in the discussion. Preference will be given to eGullet Society members who have never received tea samples and participated in a Tea Tasting & Discussion, and who have at least 50 posts anywhere in the eG Forums in the past year or 10 in the Coffee & Tea Forum. This preference will last one week, until midnight June 3, 2011 (US Eastern). If that sounds like you, please PM me ASAP. As always, everyone who does not receive a sample is welcome and encouraged to participate in the discussion. As I have mentioned in other topics, I have known Kyle Stewart, co-owner of The Cultured Cup, for some time now, having bought tea from his shop for many years, at least 10 years I believe it is. For the past five years or so Kyle has been instrumental to my tea education through the T-Bar Club at The Cultured Cup. And I have reciprocated by doing presentations on Yixing tea pots and on Japanese Wabi-Sabi style teaware for the T-Bar Club. Kyle completed his three years of training with the Speciality Tea Institute in 2009 to become the first Certified Tea Specialist in Texas and one of a few in the world. I have had many pleasant times with Kyle and his staff, trading teas and sharing new tea discoveries. More than just a tea merchant I happen to buy tea from, Kyle is a culinary friend as well as a tea friend - the wonderful tea pairings at Sharon Hage's former York Street restaurant and a shared interest in Asian food.

Hi, I purchased some tea recently from either Walmart or another small grocery store. I think it was the best tea I have ever had but can't for the life of me remember what brand it is. I was hoping someone here could help identify the brand. Description: It is a decaffeinated tea. I have one of the tea bags tags and on it it says on one side, "Orange Pekoe and Pekoe Cut Black TEA" in green letters with a white background. On the other side it says " Decaffeinated Tea" and has a picture of a tea/coffee cup with a backwards looking "S" representing steam coming out of the cup also in green with white background. Does anyone have any idea what brand this is? It would sure be helpful is someone knows what this is. I LOVE this Tea! Thank you... PS. I can take a photo of it if needed.

Hi there! I am most often found in the pastry section, but i have a small chocolate shop in iowa and am having a hard time coping with what to offer in the summer. besides chocolates and desserts we offer a small traditional coffee bar menu (white, dk choc and caramel for hot or cold lattes) (capps, americano, red eye, mighty leaf teas, brewed coffee, chai, "real" hot chocolate and a blended hot chocolate (what we call an arctic chocolate, or frozen hot choc) well, we don't want to have to get into gelato (or lord, the start up with that!) but thought about going the route of frozen fruit smoothies (no boxed crap) and sadly, my husband thinks frappuccinos are the way to go. do you find that frappuccinos are still "hip" or do you think they are cheesy? to make a frap do you have to buy a powdered mix or whats the big deal with fraps anyway? to do smoothies, we are thinking about going the thermomix route or just getting a blend tec blender...any suggestions are very welcomed! thanks so much-

Greetings, Prepare for a long post. I have been searching all over the internet for an answer to a question and it's starting to appear that I may have to do my own experimenting. Still, I thought to ask someone (you all) who have MUCH more experience with tea than me. I have a doctorate in chiropractic and always got an A in Lab which, like cooking, I love. I also have the equivalent of a doctorate in coffee, yet not for tea....yet. For coffee I use a digital scale, a digital thermometer, stellar water (properly mineralized), make single variations every day over many weeks and record data on a spreadsheet, and incorporate my partner's opinion as well as occasional "outsider's" who say things like "this may be the best cup of coffee I have ever had!" So, here's the tea question, Question #1: Does tea taste better when "fresh brewed" like coffee does? It's well known that coffee that's more than 15 minutes old (20 tops) after brewing is not the same, and is not as good as fresh-brewed. Of course, and as you probably know, there is a LOT more going on than the post brew-time issue (water quality, grind size, type of grinder/mill, brew temp, type of roast, type of roaster, age of roast, weather patterns, dried on earth or wood, wet-dry-hot-cold processes, etc.), still I wonder if the post-brew time is similar with tea? Having just switched to tea from coffee, and while being amazed that I'm not missing coffee, I am learning a lot. How could I have almost 5 decades under my belt and be so clueless about the worlds of tea? I shudder to think of all the tea I have wasted over the decades not having any idea that a second, third or more infusions were possible. My current daily, all-day tea is Ti Kuan Yin. It does not take a Rocket Surgeon to taste the difference between infusion #1 and #5. I lengthen the steep time from the first to last infusions. Aside: I heard that tea gets cloudy when stored in a refrigerator - have not observed that yet. I read that it's a great growth media for micro-organisms. I am not trying to make kombucha - lol. My #1 priority is taste. Since the first infusion has a far fuller taste (some even recommend tossing it and using the first infusion only as a wash), and since the last infusion (#5) is quite thin in the taste department (though still good, just not as...), it occurs to me to mix the five infusions together, and heat what we want as needed over 1-2 days time. Question #2: Is mixing five infusions a good idea? (comments invited) I am mixing infusions now: I am make five infusions of 16 oz, or 2 cups each in an uncovered 4 cup Pyrex pitcher/measuring cup. Since I am using an oolong, my awesome water is heated to between 185 and 190. I am using close to 4 rounded teaspoons of tea, slightly more (a teaspoon) than most recommend. Steep times for each infusion in minutes are 2.5, 3, 4, 5, and 6. This yields a total of 10 cups steeped in 4 teaspoons tea for 20.5 minutes. Question #3: What is the difference between performing five infusions as noted above, or steeping the same amount of tea in 10 cups of water kept at 185 for 20 minutes? {?more tannins released because the tea leaves didn't get a smoke break?} Question #4: What is the effect of over-heating already brewed tea? Asked differently, what effect does taking a couple of cups of the mixed infusion up to 200, or 205, or even 212 degrees have? I'd love to find these answers, and of course, I'd love your input. Thanks in advance, Dr Carl Sir Dr. Carl, DC, OCD, ADD, PTSD, LOL

A friend of mine who is a researcher at the University of Guelph is currently embarking on a research project regarding Robusta coffee. As part of it, he's hoping to collect photos of packaging to see how it is marketed and sold, anywhere in the world. If any of you find it, could you please take some pics and DM me for contact info? Thanks very much!

Our daughter gave us a Cuisinart coffee maker DCC-120 for Christmas and it came with a little filter doohickey. We have unfiltered, untreated, hard lime water to drink straight from our well...the rest of our water is salt treated or we'd be cleaning and replacing everything constantly, but to drink we have the real stuff. Needless to say, the little filter bit the dust quite early. Is it worth trying to find replacements? Order on line? Fuggadaboutit? Your take? (Right. We are fussy about HOW STRONG we make our coffee, and not about what it's made in. Right. Completely unsophisticated. )

eGullet Society member Greg Glancy at norbutea.com is contributing free 10 gram samples of each of three interesting Japanese teas for this Tea Tasting & Discussion (TT&D). Sets of the samples will go to up to three eG members active in the forums: if you have at least 50 posts anywhere in the eG Forums in the past 12 months, or if you have at least 10 posts in the Coffee & Tea Forum, and are interested in receiving the free samples and participating in this TT&D, please read on (this post and the three following soon) and then PM me. The first Japanese tea is a Sunpu Boucha - 2010 1st Harvest Hon Yama Kuki-Hojicha. Text and image used with permission by norbutea.com. The next two posts will describe the second and third Japanese teas for this TT&D, and the fourth one one will provide additional important information on how to request the three free teas. Stay tuned!

So lately I've been noticing the price of coffee is going up, up, up. At the specialty shop where I buy my freshly roasted beans, we're talking $16 for 12 ounces of Stumptown, in a lot of cases. Is there a point where you'll just switch to tea? And, what kind of prices are you all seeing?

I saw something today I'd never seen before. A student at Johnson and Wales brought back coffee and iced tea for several people in the bread classroom (including yours truly -- more on that visit later), along with straws for all the cold drinks. However, one of the iced tea drinkers was short a straw, and when we looked around to see why, one visitor was drinking the hot coffee through a straw stuck into the little hole in the cover. I have never seen this before. Does it have some meaning of which I'm unaware?

We have a Keurig coffee machine at work. However, I think the K-cups are way too expensive, so I was happy when I found a reusable filter like this at a local store for $5.00. When I was reading the directions, it suggested to use a French press grind, and NOT to use a fine grind like an espresso grind so as not to under-extract. I used some French Market coffee, which is pre-ground for drip, for my first cup, and it turned out ok, but a bit weak. Am I wrong to think that the Keurig brews too quickly to get good extraction out of anything more coarse than drip? It seems to me that the directions are counter-intuitive.

So I was at a tea shop at the mall today and looking for a nice decaf black tea for my father, who is trying to cut down on his caffeine intake. The woman at the shop said that if I steeped the (caffeinated) tea in hot water for 30 seconds, then took it out and steeped in a different cup of hot water for the correct brewing time, the resulting cup of tea would have no caffeine, but I'm not buying it...has anyone heard this? Have I just missed out on some well-known fact by spending most of my time drinking coffee? Or was she just trying to make a sale?

My wife bought me a Chemex 3 cups coffeemaker and I was wondering how to make the best out of it. I have to wait 9 more days before I get to use it. My current set up is either an Hario V-60 dripper or a Melitta dripper. I am seeking the opinion of daily Chemex users. What is your favorite grind? etc. Cheers

I bet we'd learn a lot about culture and caffeine if everyone shared a photo and brief description of their coffee or tea set-up at work. After all, the Society is international, and surely we can learn something from the works we all use to satisfy our addictions. You game? Lousy phone photos will do the trick here. Nothing fancy needed.