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Anyone know of a place to get real cuban coffee near Grand Central???? I'm from Miami, and I miss it so. Note: moved to the Coffee and Tea forum in hopes of getting a response for "cupojoe"

http://www.singleestates.com/ i went to school with ananda (the man behind the operation), so i am biased, but he knows his tea--the family's been at it for almost a century (if not more). the store's not open yet but the site's a great resource for information on indian teas.

It's time to incorporate a pinned glossary of coffee and espresso terms in the Coffee & Tea forum. We're looking for ways to distinguish ourselves from other online coffee resources and one thing has become quickly evident regarding the glossaries that currently exist: 1) They are usually either very broad based with inadequate detail or woefully short. The better ones try to cover every conceivable aspect of coffee and espresso terminology from bean and roast characteristics to cupping terms, drink preparation methods and names etc. but are very US-centric 2) None have any differentiation to account for regional, local or international variations We have a relatively upscale user community that includes many people who travel and try to integrate a meaningful food and beverage experience as part of both their personal and business travel. Coffee terms in general and espresso terms in particular have significant variations from one country to another - possibly even regional variations within a country. Wouldn't it be great to know the right lingo in advance before you travel so coffee and espresso ordering will be fast and painless? Here's your chance Here's where help is needed: the plan is to initially focus just on the terms commonly used to describe coffee and espresso drinks, as one would order them in a restaurant or cafe. I have a good handle on the US terminology (which is still open to variation as most of it has already been Starbuckized) but I'm not familair with many of the terms used in other countries. My exposrue to US terms is limited to the Northeast and the Northwest - folks with regional or local US terms should pipe up. This includes those problematic phrases such as "coffee regular" which in diner-speak means coffee with cream and sugar ("coffee light" is cream only and "coffee black" is just plain coffee). Anyone with specific knowledge of a country and or region.... please offer your input to help us make this the premier resource for caffienated drink names. At the present time we will not be including "Moolatte" on the list for well known reasons American drinks to consider: Drip coffee Americano (espresso mixed with water) Press pot coffee (aka French Press) Espresso Double shot espresso ( do they call it doppio anywhere in the US other than Starbucks? Cappuccino Latte Espresso con panna (topped with whipped cream) Lungo (long pull espresso - longer pull time than regular shot and more liquid) Ristretto (restricted pull espresso - ground finer and same pull time as regular shot but less liquid) Cafe Crema (coarser grind and slightly longer pull - like a drip coffee made in an espresso machine) Machiatto (espresso shot "stained" or topped with a small amount of foamed milk) Depth Charge or Red Eye - drip coffee with a shot of espresso added in I'm aware that terminology varies from place to place - Italy, Spain and France have their own variations while Australia has a whole raft of other terms (e.g. a "flat white"). We also have the issues of discrepancy within the industry in the US itself - Starbucks calls any drink with extra milk foam a cappuccino and any drink with no extra foam a latte but they vary wildly in the espresso to milk ratio depending on drink size. The more savvy specialty independent espresso purveyors here in the US know how to create pourable microfoam with the milk - there is no separate foam to scoop on or leave off - the foam is integral to the milk. In these establishments the differentiation between cappuccino and latte is solely one of the espresso to milk ratio (cappucino's have a 1 to 2 or 1 to 3 ratio and lattes are a 1 to 4 or 1 to 5 ratio). Any and all help appreciate including just pointing me to some existing online resources that may already have some of this info.

Cna anyone enlighten me to the use of regional logo's for proof of origin for Indian teas. I'm in Canada and have not seen this as of yet.

I've always loved this drink and am interested in feeding my cravings for it more frequently at home. What's your favorite recipe? And is there a specific brand of tea that I should use? thanks!

I read somewhere in a book on Chinease Energy medicine that Pu Ehr tea works like grapefruit juice in your system clearing away fats etc. I enjoy this tea as a substitute for coffee . Does anyone know anymore about it? I usally buy a medium grade that my pocketbook can afford. Some of the other grades seem a little pricey.

I have several favorites. I'll start with Camomile. I buy a bouquet at the farmers market and leave it on the dining table while I sip. Chamomile is very relaxi ng.

has anyone been to MMAee exhibit of teapots? does anyone collect teapots? joanne

So back when we got engaged -- this is like 11 years ago now -- we registered for an espresso maker. I remember reading various consumer ratings and choosing the Delonghi Caffe Espresso for some reason, though I'm not sure what that reason was. When we got it as a wedding gift, I made about six shots with it, they all totally sucked, and up it went onto a high shelf for a decade. A week or so ago, the machine resurfaced during spring (well, winter) cleaning and we decided to give it another go. This time, armed with much greater espresso knowledge and access to live expert assistance, we got very good results from this little machine. It appears to have a legitimate pump, and two separate settings for water and steam. This is good, yes? The shots we pulled had nice crema (though this isn't a great challenge to achieve with freshly roasted and ground beans) and was better than what you get at most restaurants, though not as good as a good espresso shot. We also had decent luck with steaming milk, thought he placement/height/configuration of the nozzle means you have to let part of the machine hang off the edge of the counter in order to get a decent sized vessel under it. Next project: getting the grind exactly right for this machine. First batch was probably too coarse. Second was probably too fine. Hoping to get something right in the middle for next time.

All of my friends, colleagues and others I know quickly become aware that I'm a coffee fanatic and espresso hound once they get to know me. I can barely count the number of times that someone has said "Oooh... I have an espreso machine I got as a ________ (insert occasion here) gift. I've never used it. Do you want it? After all.... you're into espresso, right?". We've all seen these - they run anywhere from $30 - $70, utilize simple steam pressure to produce a facsimile of espresso and are way too labor intensive for the average non-coffee fanatic to get involved with using. I'm not referring to the low end espresso machines that have a pump along with a switch for espresso or steam. Machines of that type, usually in the $80 to $100 range, are not great but if used properly they can make a passable cappuccino. Instead, I refer to the devices where one must add water, screw down a pressure cap, wait for steam pressure to build and be very careful about not opening the cap before pressure has gone down. Sooo... how about it.... is this quite possibly the world's most unused gift? I have been offered at least a dozen or so of these in the past few years (slight exaggeration but many) and not one of them had ever been used. I will cross post this in General Food topics due to the chance that there is some non-coffee item which might qualify for this dubious distinction.

Recently, I've taken a liking to Korean "Jelly" teas, in particular "Citron" tea, or Yujacha as it is called in Korean. This is stuff that has the consistency of and looks just like very runny marmalade, with thin slices of citrus peel in it. You add a spoonfull of it to about 12oz of hot water and stir. Very sweet. It also works really well as a sweetener for regular black or herbal tea. You can buy it in Korean supermarkets. http://store.yahoo.com/enjoyingtea/cihotea5.html http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=538 They also have other types of jellified teas as well: Omija (1) http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=409 Omija (2) http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=410 Jujube http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=537 Ume http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=539 Ginger http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=542 Plum Honey http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=543 Red Ginseng Honey http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=544 Information about Korean Teas: http://english.tour2korea.com/food/about/b...ddt/ddt_tea.asp

Tried out the Holiday Chai from the Stash Tea catalog, and it became addictive. Looks like it had a rather hesitant introduction... only sold in bags inside boxes of 20, in retail and the catalog. This stuff is really strong and of a good quality, with rum and gingerbread flavors, and really goes well with traditional milk & honey (& some ginger biscotti!) I highly recommend picking up some from the catalog (it sold out in stores well before Xmas, which is something that Stash Xmas eve and Xmas day blends cannot boast.) There's a lot of terrible chai out there, either powdered or boxed, and I really think this one's a great one to have around during the winter...

My doc wants me to use decaf green tea as an immune booster....I only seem to be able to find the kind with the demon caffeine in bulk... so either here or online....good source of good quality stuff??

Normally I work at home, but one day a week I go to one of my client's office to do some in-house work. Rather than have my own coffee before I go, I have theirs when I get there. Yes, I could buy some on the way, but I'm a cheap bastard. Anyway, they've got one of those newfangled Flavia machines, which if you haven't seen one is supposed to be an 'improvement' over ordinary institutional office coffee by making individual cups of coffee from little packets of instant coffee. Or at least I assume it's instant--it brews too fast for real coffee. It is, as a former boss used to say, not good. One of the worst things (of many) that's bad is that the coffee is very, very weak. But the packets come in all sorts of blends, including tea, 'choco' (hot chocolate, I guess), espresso and even cappucino. So I get a bit bored and think, what the hell, I'll try the espresso. You take the 'espresso blend' packet, put it in the machine, and select 'espresso shot' from the menu. A few selects later you have a cup of dark liquid that tastes, well, dark. Sort of vaguely reminiscent of espresso. It's probably about 3 ounces. No crema or actual coffee taste. Not even bitter, really, just dark. It's not really fair to compare it to real espresso, even not very good but still real espresso. Is it fair to compare it to instant espresso from a jar, such as Medaglia D'oro? Actually, no. It does not even compare to that. I am disappointed, but of course not surprised. I haven't tried the cappucino. The cappucino is made in a two-step process that involves first making a packet of 'creamy topping.' I am afraid of the creamy topping. However, this morning I have my brilliant flash. Will it work to use one of the regular blend packets with the espresso shot setting? Yes! it does! Making the coffee with half the water brings it up almost to the strength of coffee-cart coffee. I can use two packets to make one cup of coffee. Yay! I realize that this does nothing, really, to advance the state of the art in coffee-brewing, but I wanted to share my little victory over office-coffee technology.

i just placed an order for a selection of their new winter oolongs- http://www.shanshuiteas.com/ the samples i ordered were recommended by yahoo group teamailers- i will share my experiiences with these teas here- does any one else enjoy oolongs? ITEMS: 1 Premium Winter 2003 Boluomi 15g 1 Premium Winter 2003 Baozhong 15g 1 Premium Winter 2003 Lanyun 15g 1 Premium Winter 2003 Tie Guanyin 15g 1 Premium Winter 2003 Wulong 15g 1 Premium Spring 2003 Gaoshan Jinxuan 15g

has any one purchased the new rishi-tea glass tea and pitcher? i saw the teapot,etc. at the edgewater(nj) whole foods i use a the small jenaer teapot frequently-

What I want is probably not a reality, but I'd like to have a convenient mint flavoring for tea, hot or iced, that is not carried via simple syrup. I don't want the sugar. Of course, with fresh mint, I can add that to the tea while it is steeping, but I don't always have fresh mint around. I know that I can make a mint syrup by infusing simple syrup with fresh mint and it will keep for a good while. What I like is a way make an addition to the tea that I could keep in the fridge. Any suggestions. JudiJ

As I mentioned elsewhere, my small 20 seat cafe should be opening within the next month or two. Its focus is not on teas and I don't expect much tea business nor have I given it much if any thought. Frankly, I don't drink it and never made it. Now that you hate my guts, could I get some advice? :) What would be recommended for a low volume business? Bags? Loose tea? Equipment? thanks!

i will be attending expo on sunday- i will try to take some pictures, etc. joanne

This is another interesting topic offered by Nakagawa of Flavor coffee http://www.flavorcoffee.co.jp/index.html (Japanese only) Nakagawa is sometimes asked by customers to modify and improve their roasters. The Roaster Modification Museum page http://www.flavorcoffee.co.jp/3f/r-index.html (Japanese only) lists some of the roasters he has modified so far. Among the list is the Alpenrost http://www.flavorcoffee.co.jp/3f/3f-15.html . Let me translate part of his description of what he did about the roaster. *** Side view With the cover open Perspective view, with the cover open Heater Roasting, with the shutter closed Cooling, with the shutter open The roaster has several disadvantages. First, you cannot visually check the beans to determine when to stop roasting. Secondly, this roaster does not have the concept of murashi* (lit. steaming), resulting in light-taste coffee. I think this is its biggest defect, a fatal one. Air inlet slightly open (roasting phase) Air inlet half open (murashi phase) Close-up of the spoon with a thermometer attached Close-up of the spoon retainer I made three modifications so that the roaster allows the user to: - Vary the exhaust air at will so that the concept of murashi can be applied. I made a hole in the cover so that the amount of exhaust air could be controlled. With the hole in the cover open, the roaster sucks air through the hole, so that the exhaust air from the drum decreases. - Use a spoon to check the beans. For this particular roaster, there is a flow of air inside the cover, so I had to plug the gap between the spoon and the cover. - Check the temperature inside the roaster. I inserted a tempura thermometer into the spoon so that the temperature could be measured except when checking the beans. Results: - The exhaust air-regulating function allows the user to perform "murashi" as with a commercial roaster. By performing "murashi", the user can now prevent the coffee beans from losing flavor. - The user can check the beans with the spoon to determine when to stop roasting. - The thermometer assists in improving reproducibility. *** *Murashi (lit. steaming): With a direct-heat type roaster, it is common practice to restrict the exhaust port for some time after beans are put in and heated, so that the humidity in the roaster increases. This very initial step of the drying phase of the roasting process is called murashi in Japanese. I tried to find an equivalent term in English, but to no avail.

I love green tea, but have been primarily enjoying only Japanese teas (Gyukuro being my favourite, and Sencha a close second). Recently, after realizing I know nothing of Chinese green tea and seeing that most of the highend Japanese teas carried by the local supplier are imported from China, I thought I'd try and learn more. I've done a lot of reading on various sites found through Google and learned a bit, but I'd like to here from anyone on here who may be paticularily knowledgable about Chinese green teas. I've recently tried gunpowder for the first time, specifically Osprey Organic Gunpowder, and I found it to be a much heavier tea compared to the Japanese teas I am more familiar with. I want to try Dragon Well but will have to get to a bigger city to find a reputable importer.

I was told by a barista that Cimbali is better. This seems contrary to other advice I've been given. Is it a fair question to ask which one's better? I'm talking 1 or 2 group machines. I've decided to hold off for now on serving espresso at my cafe (assuming all the i's get dotted and the deal goes through.) I'll have enough to keep me occupied with my primary items, grilled cheese sandwiches and milkshakes. And it will give me a chance to judge whether or not my store will bring enough interest in espresso drinks to justify the zillion dollars it costs. Instead, I've decided that I wanna get the coffee thing right. I'd love to hear opinions on the best way to approach this. This same barista told me it wasn't necessary to get a double hopper grinder for coffee. Again, this runs contrary to other advice I was given. He recommended a Bunn G3. No? AS for brewers, everyone seems to agree on the plumbed Fetco. Yes? Finding the right company for a coffee roaster is another issue I need to tackle. It's tough not being a connoisseur, and I'm the first to admit that is not my strongpoint. While I know a good cup of joe when I have it, I'm really no good in discerning the fine intricacies - acidity and body and all that good stuff. It's a small place - 20 seats - and my business plan projects about 150 covers/day. Thanks for any advice.

A recent question posted here by Geetha about Indian coffee has left me very curious. It appears that although much of India is traditionally a tea drinking culture, there is a strong tradition of coffee drinking in Southern India. Thus far I've found only this information about the brewing device Indian Coffee Filter The description indicates that the "davras" is a two part stainless steel assembly with a mushroom shaped filter in the upper portion. The lower portion is used to collect the brewed coffee. It's unclear to me whether the entire davras sits on a heat source and pushes boiling water up and then down through the filter (as with moka coffee or American stove top and electric percolators) or whether it's simply some sort of drip device. Can any of you shed light on this? I also found reference to the desired coffee types as "Arabica from the Chikmanglur and Nilgiris mountain ranges and Robusta grown in the lower, more humid areas of Malabar, Salem, Coorg, etc.". India is known for growing some of the world's best Robusta coffee but very little of it makes it to the US market. Suggestions (these came from a variety of sources) also include roasting to a fairly dark level, even with the Robusta beans (which are not typically roasted extremely dark as it increases their bitterness). Here in the US I can obtain Kappie Royale Robusta, Coelho's Gold Monsooned Malabar AA, Pearl Mountain Peaberry, Mysore "Nuggets" and perhaps one or two other varieties. Is South Indian style coffee best made from a blend, as is often the case with espresso coffee, or do people typically make it from a coffee of a single varietal origin? To add to the confusion.... some people recommend that for those in the US market wishing to duplicate the characteristics of South Indian drip coffee, it is advised to used roasted chicory mixed with the coffee in a ratio of 30% chicory to 70% coffee. Apparently the chicory-coffee blend has been popular in South India for quiet some time but many discerning Indian coffee drinkers are now advising to just use 100% coffee with no chicory. India produces some very high quality coffee and I can see the wisdom of dispensing with the chicory. Finally... there is the question of the milk. Is it scalded on the stovetop by boiling or is simply heating it to the simmering point sufficient? I have seen reference to a technique whereby one pours the "decoction" (the concentrated brewed coffee that has collected in the bottom of the davras after dripping through) into a cup or glass and then adding the heated milk with sugar. the mixture is then poured back and forth between two glasses until a certain frothiness is achieved. Is this procedure typical and does it impart a better mouthfeel quality to the milk by introducing air or in your opinion is it really just for show? (not that there's anything wrong with that).

I know purists that will roast their coffee beans immediately prior to grinding their cup of coffee and drinking it immediately. If a shot of pulled espresso sits around at a Starbucks for more than 30 seconds or a minute, it gets dumped. However, I have a brother-in-law who will walk into my house and if there is cold coffee still sitting in my pot and there are no moldy floaties on top, he'll drink it. As I write this, I'm still sipping on a latte that Shawn made for me when I left for work this morning. He pulled the shots at 7:15 a.m. and it is now 1:30 p.m. I consistently make an entire pot of tea and re-heat cups out of it for a day or so afterwards, despite the fact that I PREFER it fresh, just having it made and ready to heat is often easier on a busy morning. What about you? How old is too old for you?

Do you think that the people who get so wrapped up in their espresso can taste the nuances of great tea? Or do you think that the two beverages appeal to entirely different personalities? Can you truly love tea and also be passionate about coffee? I'm of the tea persuasion. Betts