Food and Drink

Affordable espresso machines and more coffee info

The comprehensive tips book to coffee: To prepare the green coffee bean for brewing, it must first be roasted. Coffee beans are roasted with dry heat and with constant agitation to ensure even heating. The range of roasts varies from light golden brown all the way to a dark, almost black appearance. Varying the roasting time has a significant effect on the flavor, aroma, and color of the brewed coffee. Although there are several levels of roasting, they can be grouped into three main categories: light, medium, and dark.

Espressino – This is a drink made with equal parts of espresso. Cocoa powder is added at the bottom of cup and over the final shot. A layer of nutella is also spread on the walls of cup. Flat White – A double shot of espresso with steamed milk in a ratio of 1:2 is Flat white. There is no layer of milk foam on top of this drink. Cafe Au Lait – Different from other drinks, this drink has base as regular coffee made via Drip or French Press. Then steamed or hot milk is then added in same ratio. Caffe Breve – This is an American variant of a latte: a milk-based espresso drink using steamed half-and-half mixture of milk and cream instead of milk topped with foam. Antoccino – A single shot of espresso topped with steamed milk in a ratio of 1:1 is Antoccino. Cafe Affogato – Can be said as Italian coffee or dessert. It’s prepared by pouring espresso shot over a scoop of vanilla gelato. Red Eye – A cup of regular brewed coffee topped with a single shot of espresso is Red Eye Black Eye – Double shot of espresso topped on a cup of drip coffee is Black Eye. Dripped Eye – Three shots of espresso topped up on a regular coffee cup is Dripped Eye.

Let’s review some of the best electric percolators. If your budget is a little more fluid and you’re looking for a top-notch automatic espresso machine, you’re in for a treat with the DeLonghi Eletta espresso and cappuccino maker. We should say off the bat that the DeLonghi Eletta gets our vote as the best espresso machine for your office. Most reviewers seem to prefer the Jura Giga 5 espresso machine for this type of sustained use but we defend our choice of the Eletta… You see, we’re not here for a quick sale or to nudge you in the direction of a more expensive product than you need. In our opinion, the Jura Giga 5 is 3 times as expensive without delivering 3 times the quality of coffee so read on to see why we think the DeLonghi makes better sense…

When it comes to global production, Robusta coffee beans are second on the list and the most popular in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Its name does this bean justice, as it is known for its strong and often harsh flavor profile. Robusta coffees have extremely high levels of caffeine, which makes the plant far more resilient than the Arabica species. That’s because the caffeine acts as natural insect repellent, eliminating a major threat to the tree. The coffee caniphora species is also particularly tolerant of its environment, so it can be grown in any number of altitudes and climates. Because of its reputation for tasting burnt or rubbery, robusta is not generally a very popular coffee commodity, except where very strong coffee is a cultural norm. However, because it’s so much easier to grow and harvest than Arabica beans, many farmers do tend to reap higher profits when they can sell Robusta. So where is it going? Robusta might be used for discount lines like instant coffees and is sometimes used as a filler in dark roasts. By using 3 parts Arabica to 1 part Robusta in a given batch, a roaster might save up to 20% on the cost of raw beans. However, if this looks to you like sacrificing product quality for the bottom line, you’d be right. Discover more information at this blog.

Starting with a fan favorite among coffee connoisseurs, estimates for Arabica’s prevalence in the world production range from 60 to 75 percent. These plants are occasionally referred to as the mountain varieties because they are grown at higher altitudes with ample shade and steady rainfall. Overall, this is the most “delicate” or least hardy of the different types. That means that growing it in the wrong environment could severely and negatively the success of the crop. Also, they are more susceptible to diseases. (We mean plant diseases, not the flu). While there is obviously a high amount of variation among different localities, Arabica beans tend to have brighter bodies. Also, they usually have with more complex flavor profiles and aromas, which is why they tend to be more popular among serious coffee drinkers. These beans are showcased best by hot brewing, especially manual techniques like pour over. However, their depth and complexity can get overshadowed or diluted if you go for creamers and sugars or cold brewing methods.