How To Make a Proper Cup of Tea

Posted by Karen on 26 Jan 2009 | Tagged as: Tea, Tea Tips & Tricks

In different cultures there are very specific ways to make a cup of tea. In some cultures there is a method to whom is served first and tea leaves must be added to the water a specific way. In other cultures there is some debate as to whether tea should be served with milk or lemon. Depending on where you live and what traditions and practices you follow, your cup of tea may very greatly from that of your neighbor. But if you’re searching for the way to a divine cup of steaming tea, you should take the time to do it right - or at least close enough.

Boil Water
Unless you are using an automated coffee maker or hot water dispenser to provide your hot water, you’ll want to put a kettle on to boil. Even if you have the option of obtaining your hot water from more conventional means, there is a great satisfaction in boiling water in a tea kettle anyway. It feels homey and warm - everything a great cup of tea should be.

Steep the Tea
When your water is hot enough, it’s time to use your tea. Most likely you have a collection of teabags at your disposal. Now you must make an important decision. First, what sort of tea would you like to have? And second, how much tea do you want?

If you’d like to enjoy your tea the old fashioned way, use loose tea leaves rather than tea bags in your water. You can pour the water into a warm tea pot and then add about half a teaspoon of tea leaves. Allow the leaves to steep for five to ten minutes depending on the desired strength of the tea before pouring. When you pour the tea, you’ll need to use a strainer to keep leaves from falling into your cup.

If you would rather fix your tea with a bit more convenience, you can pour hot water into a warm teacup and steep a single teabag by adding it to the water and draping the string over the side. Leave the single bag in the cup for three to five minutes before removing. If you’re making a pot of tea, use two tea bags and again steep for three to five minutes.

Serving the Tea
When you serve or pour the tea, you can do so with great ceremony or keep it much more simplistic. Unless you prefer your tea without any additional flavors, you’ll want to add either milk or lemon. In some cases, you might stir in honey instead. If you add milk, you should pour warm milk into your tea cup before adding the tea. Lemon can be added to tea after its poured. Usually you do one or the other, and sugar can be added to either cup.

Decaffeinated Coffee Facts

Posted by Karen on 22 Jan 2009 | Tagged as: Coffee Facts, Coffee

*Decaf coffee drinkers consume 17.7 % of annual coffee sales.

*More pounds of decaffeinated coffee are sold worldwide than organic and fair-trade coffee combined.

*All decaffeinated coffee actually contains some level of caffeine.

*Researchers have been working on a coffee tree that will produce decaffeinated coffee.

*Most of the caffeine removed from coffee is manufactured for use in other products, such as medicines and soft drinks. As a side note, many soft drinks have no inherent caffeine; it is all an addition from coffee.

*My last coffee fact is something all coffee drinkers should know. Different coffees contain varying levels of caffeine depending on their botanical variety. Robusta coffee is grown at a lower elevation, and has more caffeine than arabica coffee which is grown at higher elevations. Arabica coffee is considered “specialty” coffee for is complex flavor and character. Robusta is, for the most part, not spectacular coffee but it does have more “buzz” and is used by some roasters as a component for Espresso blends.

 

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No More Butter Coffee

Posted by Karen on 21 Jan 2009 | Tagged as: Coffee Flavors, Coffee Tips & Tricks

If you have ever experienced bitter, unpleasant coffee, it was probably over-extracted. Many people confuse over-extraction with coffee strength. So, in an attempt to avoid the bitterness, they ask for weaker coffee. As you are about to find out, this is one of the worst things you could do. A weaker brew will only result in more unpleasant bitterness.

Over-extraction occurs when the brewing process extracts too much from the coffee beans. Not only are the fine, flavoursome oils extracted, so too are the bitter oils from deep within the bean. The most common reasons for over-extraction include using too little coffee, using water that is too hot, or brewing the coffee for too long.

Instead of brewing weaker coffee, here are some tips to guarantee proper extraction. The result will be a smooth, full-flavoured coffee without bitterness.

Be generous with your coffee…

If you try to make a large quantity of coffee with a small amount of beans, the coffee will be over-extracted. The result will be a weak, bitter-tasting brew. For regular coffee, use one generously heaped tablespoon of coffee per 200ml serve. For a single shot of espresso, use 6-7 grams of tightly packed coffee grounds per 40-50ml.

Use water that is just off the boil…

If boiling water is used to brew coffee, the heat quickly over-extracts the beans. It also scalds the delicate coffee oils, resulting in a burnt and bitter-tasting brew. Instead, simply wait one-to-three minutes after the kettle has boiled. Your coffee might not be as hot, but it will certainly taste better.

Use the correct grind size for your equipment…

If beans are ground too finely, the coffee is extracted too quickly, resulting in over-extraction. As a rule, the longer the brewing time, the coarser the grind. Always use a fine grind setting for espresso, a medium grind for drip/filter and percolators and a coarse grind for French Press (plunger).

Don’t brew for any longer than necessary…

Leaving coffee to brew for too long will result in a bitter, foul-tasting brew. When using electric machines with hot-plates, it is especially important not to let coffee stand for any longer than 15 minutes. Correct brewing times vary according to your equipment. Espresso should be brewed for 20-25 seconds and French Press for 2-4 minutes. When using the drip/filter or percolator methods, the grind-size should be such that the water takes no longer than a few minutes to pass through the coffee grounds.

If you follow these tips and find that your coffee still tastes bitter, try grinding your beans more coarsely, or brewing for a shorter length of time. Also be sure to clean your equipment to remove residue and rancid coffee oils.

 

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Healthy Tea

Posted by Karen on 18 Jan 2009 | Tagged as: Tea, Tea Facts, Health

For thousands of years, tea has been used for any number of medicinal purposes. Even today, tea is used to improve and protect our health. Unfortunately, many who could benefit from the healthy boosting antioxidants and natural ingredients in a fine tea find that drinking a hot glass of tea, or even iced tea, doesn’t fit their lifestyle or suit their taste. Fortunately, there are now more ways than ever to get the healthy benefits of tea without boiling kettles of water or dainty teacups.

Healthy Tea - On the Go
If there’s anything we love in our modern society of haste, it’s a powerful drink we can grab on the go. Long have soda can and bottled water been mainstay of those seeking a cold drink while in the car or on the bus, but in recent years, many more beverages have been offered in neatly prepackaged containers that are not only delicious, but good for you. Many are surprised to learn just how beneficial a can of tea or fruit juice concoction can be. Now with so many interesting flavors and combinations of ready-to-drink teas, drinks to take on the go have a greater variety than ever.

The Nutritional Value of Tea
Within teas, there are many different kinds, but almost all teas have nutritional and health values. Green teas are considered by many to be the healthiest, but all teas contain antioxidants. Antioxidants found in teas are called catechins, and catechins, like all antioxidants battle free radicals and repair damaged cells within the body. This promotes good health and may even prevent cancer.

When the goodness of tea is combined with fruit, there are even more natural health benefits. The tea blends smoothly with the fruit components creating a drink which is mild yet flavorful, full of vitamins, minerals and those all important antioxidants. There are precious few beverages which can claim to refresh your thirst, boost your vitamin intake, give you energy and fight cancer in a single serving.

Grab a Can of Tea
Long have we been grabbing cans of soda, and we’ve spent time grabbing cans of energy drink as well. Now, ready-to-drink teas, such as Revolution 3D, will be available along side other, less nutritious offerings in many retail establishments. This means even those that don’t have the time or patience for a hot cup of tea can still enjoy the flavor along with the health benefits.

Tea is an ancient beverage, yet one with very modern health benefits. It’s likely the health benefits of tea are even more valuable now than they were a few centuries ago. After being consumed for more than four thousand years, tea has changed very little - until now. It’s been served hot, it’s been served cold. But now tea is being served in a style that suits the most frantic lifestyle - you can get it to go.

Flavored Coffee

Posted by Karen on 14 Jan 2009 | Tagged as: Coffee Flavors, Coffee

Personally, I like flavored coffee, though I usually stick to the traditional varieties like Vanilla, Hazelnut or a good Irish Cream. I’ve not experimented with newer concoctions, like blueberry, rum raisin or candy apple. That’s just not ‘coffee’ anymore, in my opinion.I’ve heard from many faithful coffee drinkers that flavored coffees are just terrible. Not because the taste is terrible, but because the whole concept of adding flavors to coffee is disrespectful to the coffee. Coffee has such a wonderful flavor on its own, why mess with it?

How do they get the flavors into the beans, you ask? The process usually involves treating the freshly roasted beans with chemical flavorings (sometimes natural, and sometimes not). The fact that the coffee is processed with chemicals is a point against them. Since they are going to be treated anyway, quite often the beans are not of the highest quality and the roasting is haphazard. In other words, it may be a delicious drink, but it’s still poor coffee.

The aromatic nature of the flavors tends to give the coffee a very strong smell, but the flavors don’t always translate well into your cup. This is another place where quality comes in. A poor quality flavored coffee may smell great, but it won’t have much taste. If you enjoy flavored coffee, at least get some that has been made from well-roasted, quality beans.

Many folks choose flavored coffee because it’s too time-consuming to actually create a drink with a host of ingredients when you’re in a rush. But a shot of syrup can quickly and easily add a new taste to your coffee. Or add some spices to your ground coffee beforehand. A bit of cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, or other powdered spice can be added to your ground coffee. Just brew as usual.

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