Walking into a specialty coffee shop these days can be intimidating, to say the least. It takes a whole new vocabulary just to order a cup of coffee, with lingo that includes words like “double, skinny, no whip, 3/4 shot decaf” and more. Though it can seem excessive to a newcomer, you may find that you actually enjoy the options that you have now. Read on for some ways to decipher the meaning of these things.
Coffee can be a great addition to a healthy lifestyle. Coffee isn’t bad, it’s all the extras people add in. Natural sweeteners like honey or stevia can be added in place of unhealthy items.
It is a bad idea to let coffee sit on a hot burner after brewing. Keeping the heat on will cause your coffee to “cook,” and will ruin its freshly-brewed flavor. Instead, unplug your coffee-maker or other appliance, or transfer the coffee to an insulated pot to keep it hot.
Buy your coffee directly from the roaster. You can do this easily online these days. A lot of places are willing to ship directly to you. Your coffee will arrive within a couple of days. This is the way to get the freshest roast coffee to drink every morning with breakfast.
Buy whole coffee beans and grind the coffee yourself. Coffee that is freshly ground is much more flavorful and aromatic than pre-ground coffee. Each day, only grind the amount of coffee that you need for that day. If you have any extra, place the leftover grinds in an airtight container in the fridge.
You can re-use your coffee grounds for many items. Coffee grounds are great for getting rid of smells like garlic and onion on your hands. You can also use them on dishes that refuse to get clean with regular washing. Coffee grounds can even be used in the garden to take care of pests that threaten your plants.
The coffee itself is obviously essential to the way your beverage will taste. Look around at stores in your area. You may be able to find beans that are freshly roasted. If your area doesn’t have any, check on the Internet. It may cost a little more, but it will be cheaper than buying coffee at a coffee shop.
Do you enjoy the fancy beverages you can get in coffee shops? You can make most of these beverages at home if you have milk, cream and chocolate syrup. Use the Internet to find tutorials on how to make your favorite drinks and with a little practice, you will be able to make the same beverages you can get at your favorite coffee shop.
Make sure your coffee pot is clean. In order to get the freshest tasting coffee you must be sure you are using a clean coffee pot. You can clean it by using a teaspoon of vinegar with a full coffee pot of water. Run your coffee pot as though you are making coffee.
Coffee beans are grown all over the world, but most people think of Columbia as the origin of most coffee. There are certain regions of the country that produce the most flavorful coffee because of the climate there. Columbian coffee beans that have been roasted properly are thought to produce the best flavor of coffee.
If you like the flavor of vanilla sugar in your coffee, but don’t like the price, here’s a great tip. Purchase your own vanilla beans, and bury them in a jar of sugar for at least one week. Then, use the vanilla sugar instead of regular sugar in your coffee for added flavor.
To prevent your iced coffee from becoming watery, try making coffee ice cubes. When regular ice cubes melt in iced coffee, they can water it down. To avoid that, pour some room-temperature coffee into ice cube trays and place them in the freezer. A little later, you’ll have coffee ice cubes that will add more coffee flavor to your iced coffee as they melt.
Packaging is important when it comes to coffee. It you buy coffee beans, pay attention to the packaging they come in. Make sure you buy beans with quality packaging. Also pay attention to how long it took to package these beans and how long they’ve been sitting on a shelf. Little facts like these can make a big difference in taste.
If your kids have been bugging you for a sip of your coffee, but you do not feel that it is appropriate for them to have it, consider buying coffee flavored syrup for them to add to milk. This gives you the same great coffee flavor without worrying about caffeine.
Are you craving sweetness in your cup, without the added sugar? Warm up milk and mix it with your coffee. Warm milk is sweet. It can also be used to replace creamer. It is a healthier option as opposed to using sugar and cream.
Make it a habit to only grind enough coffee for your immediate use. When you grind a whole bag of coffee, you are speeding up the flavor shelf life. Those grounds will lose flavor within a couple of days, where the fresh beans would have held out a little longer.
If you like strong coffee, avoid using a coarse grind. This is one of the most common causes for people thinking their coffee is too weak. If you do not grind your own, you may discover that a darker roast will help you. Either way, you want to create coffee that you enjoy.
If you love the great taste of freshly brewed coffee, stay away from the grocery store. The beans you can grind on the coffee aisle say “fresh,” but have been sitting there for quite some time. Instead, go directly to the roaster’s website. Many places will ship your beans within a day or two of roasting, giving you maximum freshness!
Now that you have had a full immersion into the world of ordering specialty coffee drinks, you are ready to dive right in and order up the perfect coffee exactly the way you like it. Be bold and experiment, then sit back with a newspaper and enjoy the world’s favorite beverage.
