Buying Coffee For Your One Cup Coffee Maker

When brewing your own coffee from how, you don't have the benefit of a corporate hand stepping in with all the information and pre-taste tested knowledge that you don't have. Not to say that Starbucks has the greatest coffee in the world, but they've tested it and it sells in thousands of locations all over the globe. You just ask for a cup of coffee and they know what they're doing, for the most part.

When you get your new single cup coffee maker home or fire up your old espresso machine, you'll be wondering what exactly you should go and buy to get the most out of it. You could always go the cheap route and stop at your local Starbucks and grab their brew of the season, but how often is blindly trusting Starbucks a good idea? No, you'll want a basic idea of where to start; what you're getting, where to get it, and how much to get.

First off, don't buy too much coffee. Try buying in bulk first and going for as small an amount as you can. If you have a grinder, all the better; just buy enough to brew a cup or two and give it a shot. If you do this with a few different varieties, you'll have a general idea in no time.

Know where you're going. If you stop at the local grocery store, you may or may not get the kind of options you're looking for. It depends on the size of the store honestly, but if you go to a specialty grocery store, a Whole Foods or Fred Meyer, where options are what make their brand name so important, you'll find a huge array of different coffees.

Don't be afraid to try the canned stuff. Folgers and friends don't have to be all bad for everyone. There are some people out there who are perfectly happy with their standard coffee bought in a four month tin can. But, don't buy a tin and stick with it. Give yourself some options by trying the better stuff too. You might find that you like the price of one but the taste of the other. Now, alternate a bit and give yourself a treat every now and then.

Try those Starbucks and Tully's brand coffees. They're not all gems, but occasionally a special blend (I personally enjoy the Starbucks Christmas blend) arrives that will sit well. If you fall for something seasonal, you may want to back up your supply by picking a few extra up before it's out of stock. The act of brewing coffee at home is a liberating one for the avid coffee drinker. You're left with the options to try what you want, when you want, without a corporation telling you what is "in" this season. Take advantage of it and you just might find that perfect blend of at home coffee.

Is Caffeine a Hero or a Villain in Your Life?

Many sober, law abiding people who would never dream of knowingly taking a mind- altering drug, actually consume one every day. Chances are that youâ??re doing it too! What is this drug? â?" Caffeine!

Caffeine is so pervasive in our culture and in many other cultures that we often forget it is literally a drug that affects our brain. Caffeine is present in coffee, tea, many cola drinks and over the counter medications.

The real question isâ?"is caffeine a bad drug, or is it â??okayâ??? Is caffeine even better than â??okayâ??, does it do good things for us?

The verdict on caffeine, particularly when taken in the form of coffee, seems to be mixed. There are nutritional advisers who claim that coffee makes us age faster, wears out our adrenal glands, and causes all sorts of untold damage to our cells. Other researchers claim that coffee, especially if itâ??s freshly roasted and ground, is full of antioxidants, and therefore good for us. Most doctors say that drinking one or two cups of coffee a day is probably not harmful. And of course there are others who say we ought to avoid caffeine altogether.

Many of us feel that we cannot really get going in the morning until we have had our first cup of coffee. We often continue to use it throughout the day whenever our energy appears to be flagging and our brain seems to need additional help to think more clearly.

Does caffeine really enhance mental performance, or is that just a myth? Yes, caffeine does give a temporary boost to brain cells. But the amount required to improve mental performance is not very high. Even half a cup of coffee will be enough to give your brain a boost that lasts several hours.

Oddly enough, more caffeine is not necessarily better. In one test done when high-level executives were given the equivalent of fourteen cups of coffee in a day, they made their decisions faster, but the decisions were not of very good quality.

Not every person reacts to caffeine in the same way. Some people experience greater mental clarity, alertness and productivy after a cup of coffee. Others become jittery, anxious, or depressed. Although caffeine will keep most of us awake if taken at night, it does not have this effect in everyone.

In some older people, coffee or tea can improve memory and alertness enough to partly offset the effects of aging.

It is true that caffeine is mildly addicting for most people. Some people can quit using caffeine with absolutely no withdrawal symptoms, while others will feel headaches, fatigue, and experience cravings for caffeine for weeks.

Caffeine works by blocking one of the neurotransmitters--adenosineâ?"which normally tells brain cells to calm down. Brain cells that have been affected by caffeine will remain excited and on high alert for several hours.

The most noticeable negative effect of caffeine is that it can interfere with sleep. In most people, drinking coffee, tea or cola in the late afternoon or in the evening will cause insomnia. The quantity and quality of sleep will be greatly reduced, setting in motion a vicious cycle, where the person affected will feel so tired all the next day that he drinks a lot more coffee in order to try feel awake.

If this is happening to you, cut back on the amount of caffeine you consume each day. You may experience fewer withdrawal symptoms if you cut down gradually. You may wish to substitute green tea for some of your cups of coffee. Green tea has some caffeine, but not as much as coffee.

Better yet, consider substituting exercise for some of those cups of coffee. If you canâ??t leave your workplace, at least get up from your chair periodically. Do a few stretches, walk around a bit, and jump up and down a few times. Take some deep breaths. A little exercise break can revitalize your brain without giving you the caffeine jitters.

Remember that your brain wonâ??t really benefit from more than one or two cups of coffee in a day.

This article is taken from the new book by Royane Real title "How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better, and Be More Creative" You can get the paperback version or download it at http://www.lulu.com/real

Flavored Coffee Syrup Adds A New Dimension To Beans

Flavored coffee syrup is a popular addition to any coffee beverage and a welcome change for any regular coffee drinker. Whether you are looking to satisfy a sweet tooth or just want something different, flavored coffee syrups put a great kick into any drink. If you own a coffee business, these syrups are another great way to attract customers, allowing them to customize their own drinks so they can enjoy exactly the flavors that their taste buds desire.

Coffee, of course, has a wonderful taste itself, but it also acts as a catalyst for many other flavors. The growth in popularity of flavored coffee is testament to coffee's versatility and strength. People today have come to expect variety and certainly flavored coffee offers them a choice. Flavored syrups means that coffee drinkers can enjoy their beverage all day in a host of different ways.

The best flavored coffee syrups are made from all natural ingredients. The chemical additives and preservatives found in some syrups can distort or hide the flavor of the coffee, while all natural flavors will simply enhance a beverage. Although all natural syrups are more expensive, they are worth the investment as your customers will surely taste the difference and come back time after time for more.

There are four different groups of syrups. The most popular syrups are the vanilla based, which include nut and creme flavors like Irish creme and hazelnut. These flavors go well with just about any type of coffee, and can even be used to sweeten a cappuccino or latte. Chocolate is the next most popular flavoring group, followed by the fruit and spice flavors. It is always a good idea to have an offering from each group so your customers can experience different flavors (and spend more!)

Today, more than 100 different and delicious flavorings lace the coffees, espressos, cappuccinos, and frappes. To say the least, flavored coffee has become an interesting and fast growing area of the coffee market. Blends such as Irish Creme, French Vanilla, Hazelnut and even Macadamia Nut grace the shelves of both coffee specialty shops and home kitchens alike.

The concept of adding flavors to enhance the taste of coffee is, by no means, a new craze. Arabs began flavoring their coffee with cardamom hundreds of years ago, Africans experimented with citrus flavors, and South Americans enjoyed a hint of cinnamon in their cups.

Flavored coffee syrups are highly concentrated, so a little goes quite a long way â?" this makes it very cost effective for the café owner. One half-ounce shot of syrup is usually adequate to flavor an entire coffee drink. These syrups are available from most coffee suppliers; if you are a new retail or business customer, they will often send you samples to allow you to taste them for yourself; this way you can choose the best tasting syrup product for your customers. This is the fun part â?" then you have to sell them!

Looking for information about Coffee? Go to: http://www.dkcoffee.com DK Coffee is published by Julie Carter The Complete A to Z Of Coffee Resources Check out more Coffee related articles at: http://www.dkcoffee.com/archive

A Coffee Roaster For All Occasions

Coffee roasters and those who roast, brew and serve the ultimate cup of coffee are now esteemed professionals within the social fabric of our community at large. A good coffee roaster is a little like a celebrity chef these days, complete with loyal followings, highly descriptive reviews and the ability to command premium prices for their products and services. As coffee continues to grow in elevation from merely a mundane beverage to something of art form, a good coffee roaster has begun to take on a glamorous aura.

But there is a café on almost every street corner or every suburb now and every barista thinks of him or herself as the best roaster on the block. The professional barista is a now fiercely competitive industry and cafes and restaurants across the globe fight to retain the barista that can produce a coffee that will have customers returning time and time again. So, because roasting is everywhere, how do you choose the coffee roaster for you?

Your first question is whether you're looking for wholesale coffee roasters to supply your business, or retail roasters to keep you happily supplied with beans at home. But for our purposes, let's say you're looking for a retail roaster to feed your coffee habit because you are a die hard coffee lover.

One approach is to decide exactly which coffee beans you prefer. Once you have found the coffee beans that you like you can then search for that specific bean. It might take you some time to research this and you might want to join a coffee club so that you can do some extensive taste testing. They will send you a number of coffee varieties each month for a small fee and this gives you the opportunity to try out blends and pure coffees to see what you prefer.

But once you know what coffee you are after, the online suppliers can tell you which of the coffee roasters that carry the beans you are looking for, who has the freshest beans and who has most skill in roasting them to perfection. You might also want to look for coffee bean suppliers that are geographically close to you. By doing so you can be confident that the beans can be delivered faster and will therefore be fresher when they reach your door.

But before you make your final decisions, consider organic coffee as an option. Organic coffee is another choice you might want to make. This coffee is certified to have been grown and processed without chemical intervention and is becoming more and more popular with wholesale outlets. It generally has a mild nutty flavor. It is also becoming popular with celebrities who are eager to adopt the coffee cause. Organic coffee, understandably sells very well in Hollywood.

Now all that is left to do is try several brands of coffee to find out which one you like the best. Enjoy your next coffee!

Looking for information about Coffee? Go to: http://www.dkcoffee.com DK Coffee is published by Julie Carter The Complete A to Z Of Coffee Resources Check out more Coffee related articles at: http://www.dkcoffee.com/archive