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Posts Tagged ‘Espresso’

Before there are Starbucks, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaves, most people in the region of Singapore and Malaysia know only kopi, a Baba Malay language for coffee.  Kopi is basically robusta coffee.  Espresso and cappuccino are extravagant coffee in the early days, meant for the rich, and only available in hotels.

Today, a cup of espresso coffee or any other gourmet coffee still costs a few dollars, and a cup of kopi is only between 70 and 90 Singapore cents.

Latte or long black is unknown in local coffee stalls and kopi tiam.  Tiam means shop in Hokkien, a Chinese dialect.  Instead it is commonly called kopi, kopi-o, and kopi-c.

Kopi is not brewed in coffee maker, but steep in a tall metal pot with a long spout with a cotton coffee filter, a long cone bag, within.  Milk and sugar are not served separately on the table.  When you order your kopi, you have coffee with condensed milk, a sweetener, and sugar, already added.

Kopi-o is black coffee, with sugar added.  O sounds like black in Hokkien.

Instead of condensed milk, Carnation evaporated milk is added to kopi-c, with sugar.  The c stands for Carnation, a brand, even though some have replaced it with other brands.

Most of the early kopi tiam are started by Chinese who are Hainanese.  Today their lingo still stays.  Ask for kopi-c siu tai, it is coffee with evaporated milk and less sugar in the cup.  More sugar, ka tai.  But for no sugar, it is kosong, a Malay word which means nothing.

Sarabat stalls are coffee stalls run by Indians and Malays.  They are famous for their teh tarik.  Teh means tea, and tarik means pull back.  A cup of tea with milk and sugar added is then juggled between two cups at an altitude.  The original purpose is to lower the temperature of very hot tea for easy drinking on a hot day, for the climate in Singapore and Malaysia most of the year is of summer.  However, the action has also produced a foamy top for the tea, much like cappuccino.  This spurs the creation of kopiccino, using the same method but instead of tea, it is coffee.

Many migrants came from China in the old days.  Chinese meal will always have a cup of Chinese tea besides their food.  It is not surprising to find in the local coffee shop and food court, too, that coffee and tea are usually ordered together with meals, much like having a cup of Chinese tea, or ice water in western meal.  But for some, hot kopi is still best reserved after a meal.

Nevertheless, for those who still crave for a piece of cheese cake with gourmet coffee, it is still Starbucks, hotels, or café.  For others with a budget, Ikea offers value for money for a cup of brewed coffee with cheese cake.

Any opportunities to travel to Singapore and Malaysia, kopi with roti kaya is a must.  Roti is bread in Malay, and kaya is a coconut egg jam.

In times gone by, everyone made their coffee the same old way. Put the percolator on the stove and wait for it to start to bubble up through the basket of coffee grind.
We all got used to sitting around and watching for the coffee to bubble up and be ready to drink. Now we know that boiling coffee like that is not the best way to brew coffee, but it was all we had then.
Then came the seventies and everything changed, in the coffee world and many others as well. The drip method became the most popular way to brew coffee because it was fast, easy and good. Just put the coffee grounds in a bucket, drip the water over it into a glass pot and you had a great cup of coffee.
Now we have coffee makers with pods that hold the coffee in self contained packets that make it easier and neater, the materials in coffee pots and carafes have changed, we can adjust the brew, and new kinds of spouts that spread the water more evenly, and temperature controls that maintain a perfect 200 degrees F (93C).
Then came the 90′s, when the combination of the influence of European culture and American ingenuity led to inexpensive, easy to use espresso machines that produced the same great results. In an espresso machine, hot water is forced through a special blend to produce a unique coffee full of aroma and flavor.
If you add steamed milk to this concoction, you now have cappuccino, or latte. Latte has more milk than coffee. All of these improvements have been a boon to those who love to experiment with coffee.
It sounds awful, but it makes great coffee. The French plunger is becoming popular among those who like European style coffees. A rod, with a handle on one end and a filter on the other goes through a cylinder. The coffee grounds are placed in the container and boiling water poured in; the grounds seep in until the plunger is pressed and yields a dark strong coffee brew.
Another innovation is the vacuum brewer. There are two bowls on top of one another. Heat will force the water up through the top bowl and when the heat is removed, it flows back down into the lower bowl. It creates a nice fresh coffee, and you can serve it directly from the lower bowl.
In actuality, these methods we now consider new hark back to the first days of coffee making. Ibrik, from Turkey, is the first form of coffee making. Heated water is added to ground coffee through a handle with a grooved tongue. Since it is simply water mixed Wit coffee, it es very strong, but the Turks love it.
You can make a great cup of coffee with any of these methods, so try them all and find out which one suits your taste the best.

Many people have coffee makers but are curious what other types of coffee makers are available. Maybe you would like to try something new or your old coffee maker finally died and you need a good replacement. With hundreds of types of coffee maker on the market, you have many options available and are sure to find something that will suit your needs.

Before you buy a coffee maker you should figure out what exactly you want out of it. Are you a coffee addict who needs 10 cups a day or should you stick with a smaller single serve coffee maker? Do you need to grind your own beans and want a grinder built in? Do you want foam or options for espresso and cappuccino? Or, do you just want something cheap that will make coffee as easy as possible? These are just a few questions you should ask yourself before going to find a new coffee maker.

Naturally, the easiest and most common type of coffee maker is the automatic drip. This is where you put some water in the back or side, put in a filter, fill it with coffee, then push start. Its ease of use is one of the things that makes this type so appealing. These can make just one cup at a time or gallons at a time. It all depends on what you want to use it for. The only thing you really need to worry about is the type of coffee you want to put into it. Quality coffee beans can be ground at stores and they can even be infused with flavors you like such as hazelnut, vanilla, and cinnamon.

The second most popular type of coffee maker is the manual drip. This is just like the automatic drip except you heat up and pour the water yourself. You just pour it into the holder where the coffee filter filled with coffee sits. It drains into the pot and you are done. These also make either single cup or up to 12 cups but aren’t usually used commercially. For people who love fishing, hunting, and camping, these are a good choice as they are portable and you can heat the water however you want. You can use a stove, campfire, even a hot car engine is an option if you really need a cup of coffee immediately.

Espresso and cappuccino machines are more for a selective person who knows exactly what they like. Unlike a normal coffee maker, these are expensive and you need to practice to operate them efficiently. They utilize pressure, foam, froth, and milk depending on the type of machine you buy. Espresso and cappuccino are gaining popularity and these are becoming smaller and more affordable than ever before.

In addition to these, there are many other types of coffee maker you may be interested in. There are old fashioned percolators, vacuum brewers, French presses, and much more available if you choose to look around. You can find anything you are looking for either on line or at a local retailer.

Makes delicious espressos, cappuccinos, and lattes. Powerful milk frother. 4-Cup capacity: 20-ounce. Per shot. Removable drip tray. Easy to pour decanter. Removable frothing aid. On/off indicator light.

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While coffee-based beverages remain as popular as ever, more Americans are looking for a do-it-yourself way to enjoy high-end coffee bar style cappuccino and espresso drinks at home. Fortunately, there are many affordable products on the market to assist the home brewing enthusiast in their quest for the ultimate coffee concoction. Regardless of which product you choose, there are endless recipes and combinations of ingredients to literally spice up your daily infusion.

First you need choose the basis of your beverage: coffee or espresso. Coffee can be drip-brewed, percolated, instant or cold-pressed. Any of these methods are very inexpensive. An espresso-based beverage is more likely to satisfy the sophisticated palette of the coffee connoisseur. To do this at home however, requires more of an investment in the brewing equipment. Real espresso machines cost upwards of $1,000. An affordable and popular alternative are the single-serving type of machines such as the Tassimo, where you invest in the machine and purchase pre-portioned packages of espresso varieties to brew a serving at a time.

Still confused about the difference between coffee and espresso? Espresso is a method, first originated in Italy, of extracting flavor from the heart of the coffee bean. The technique employs a pump-driven machine to force hot water through the ground coffee beans at high pressure in a short time frame — usually between 20 and 35 seconds. The amount of water used is only about ¾ of an ounce, and the resulting taste is described as smooth, thick, rich or sweet. So the obvious differences between coffee and espresso are 1) the amount of water used and 2) brewing or pressing time. Coffee is generally brewed for 4 to 6 minutes depending on the method and individual preferences.

Cappuccino is espresso mixed with equal parts of steamed and frothed milk. If you don’t purchase an espresso machine with milk-steaming capabilities, you will have to steam and froth your milk the old-fashioned way — on a stove. The frothing process involves skimming and stirring the hot milk. To layer the milk and espresso, allow the freshly frothed milk a moment to rest and separate (foam on top and milk on the bottom). Pour the steamed milk into your cup first, then pour in the espresso, and top it with the frothed milk using a spoon.

The creative possibilities go on from there. One of the most popular twists on the cappuccino is adding a sprinkle of powdered cocoa or cinnamon. Other combinations take their inspiration from favorite foods such as traditional desserts or candy bars. Try these super-easy recipes or experiment with making your own!

Milky Way Cappuccino– 2 shots espresso, 1 shot chocolate syrup, 1 shot caramel

Java Chai Espresso — 1 shot espresso, prepared chai concentrate, steamed milk, ½ ounce almond syrup

Cafe Corretto — 2 shots espresso, 1 shot brandy, cognac or flavored liqueur

Cafe Romano– 1 shot espresso, served with a twist of lemon or lemon peel

Rocky Road Cappuccino — 1 serving of your prepared cappuccino, 1 tablespoon hazelnut liqueur, 1 tablespoon chocolate sauce, 1 teaspoon of marshmallow crème and ¼ teaspoon finely chopped nuts

Butterscotch Creme Cafe — 1 serving coffee, 3 tablespoons butterscotch syrup, 2 tablespoons of half-and-half cream

Ginger Spiced Coffee — 1 serving coffee, 1 small piece finely chopped crystallized ginger, 1 cinnamon stick

Cafe Borgia — 1 cup coffee, 1 cup hot chocolate, 1 shot cream, sprinkle of grated orange peels

Chocolate Mint Truffle(for the non-coffee drinker) – 1 cup hot chocolate, 2 chocolate coated mint candies topped with 1 tablespoon whipped topping and 1 fresh mint sprig

Espresso Martini — 1 shot espresso cooled to room temperature, 1 shot premium vodka, 1 splash liqueur in flavor of your choice (try amaretto, Irish creme, Godiva chocolate or any favorite), garnish with 3 whole espresso beans

Mexican Coffee — your favorite brewed coffee, 2 cups whipped topping gently mixed with ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

French Vanilla Coffee– your favorite brewed coffee, equal portion of milk heated to scalding temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cinnamon stick, sweetener to taste

If you are hosting a winter party and feeling a little adventurous, you may want to try a festive twist on the usual coffee and eggnog choices. Try this Betty Crocker recipe for 16 servings of Cappuccino Eggnog:

Ingredients — 6 eggs, slightly beaten; 2/3 cup table sugar; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 5 cups milk; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 2 cups hot espresso; 1 cup coffee liqueur or brandy; 2 cups heavy whipped cream; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; ground cinnamon

Directions — Stir together eggs, granulated sugar and salt in a Dutch oven pan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over low heat 15 to 20 minutes, stirring constantly, just until mixture coats a metal spoon; remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Stir together coffee and liqueur. Gradually stir coffee mixture into egg mixture; keep warm. Just before serving, beat whipping cream and brown sugar in chilled large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Gently stir 2 cups of the whipped cream into egg mixture. Pour into mugs. Top with dollops of remaining whipped cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve immediately!

Amazon.com
Housed in heavy-duty die-cast stainless steel, this attractive espresso machine features a 15-bar Italian-made pump and a ThermoBlock heating system that maintains water at an ideal 204 degrees F during extraction. Prior to extraction, the unique 15-bar Triple Prime pump automatically releases three bursts of hot water in the filter head, causing the ground coffee or espresso pod to expand. This increases pressure, allowing the machine to extract more crema, giving the c (more…)

As ridiculous as the title of this article reads, it is indeed a sad fact that I have spent the last several years spending exorbitant amounts of money on my favorite morning commute beverage. Four years of intense undergraduate studies fueled my addiction to the perfect black brew, while turning me into nothing short of a coffee snob. So instead of a normal cup of joe from the local Wawa or Sunoco, I would opt for a venti 6 shot caramel latte from Star Bucks at $4.75…and that’s without the additional shots at .55 cents apiece. Now if you are following along and doing the math that equals roughly $2536.5 a year for my morning pick me up, and will lead you to the ultimate question of how does that equal $7,000? Well, that was just my morning pick me up as I often found it “necessary” to have another one after my lunch break, to stave off an impending food coma enhanced by cubicle rot. Now to reach our final number I have to add my lovely co-addicted wife to the equation, and it is easy to see how quickly you can reach a ridiculous amount of money on a non-necessity such as coffee.

But those were great financial times for two working professionals with no children, and no diapers or happy meals to compete with our over the top coffee budget. But as gas began to climb closer and closer to the price of a venti specialty drink per gallon, and my family began to expand we had to examine our expenditures with serious scrutiny. And without rehashing the events that led to several government bailouts and their effect on… oh say a gallon of milk or loaf of bread, we found a definite need to begin trimming some of our little luxuries. So with a look of stern love and a gentle hand placed upon my forearm, my lovely wife broke the news that it was time to cut out the bi-daily trips to my favorite espresso bars. I did what any addict would do at such a brazen intervention…I cried, and when she put the actual yearly total for our cappuccino’s on paper I cried even harder. Together we decided it’d be a good idea to invest in a descent coffee and cappuccino maker to help quell our incessant desire to buy on the run. After many hours of dry eyed research I settled on a Saeco Incanto Classic Espresso Machine super automatic coffee maker. With the touch of a button the Incanto brews an unbelievable shot of espresso in minutes and even grinds the Espresso all in one shot!

So after spending a little over $700 for a second hand Incanto, and buying a pound of espresso every two weeks at $11 per lb, we now have the ability to brew what is in my opinion a superior tasting drink with a consumer level cappuccino maker. We’ve freed up much needed cash in our family budget and I’m no longer limited to two measly drinks a day. Cheers and happy brewing!

Amazon.com
Beautifully designed with a small footprint and simple-to-use controls, this coffee and espresso combination unit provides an array of convenient features. The coffeemaker side of the machine quickly brews up to 10 cups of great-tasting coffee. The coffeemaker’s water-level indicator clearly shows how much water is in the tank, while its swing-out filter holder makes it easy to add coffee grounds. For added convenience, removing the carafe from its warming plate mid brew (more…)

Have the ability to make coffeehouse quality espressos and cappuccinos in the comfort of you own home. The Mr. Coffee 15-bar pump espresso maker delivers high-quality drinks on a consistent basis. The thermal block heater makes brewing faster and a removable water reservoir makes it easier to get started.

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Amazon.com
Enjoy cafe-quality coffee drinks right at home with this super-automatic coffee and espresso center. It automatically grinds, tamps, brews, and disposes of spent grounds for exceptionally convenient operation. The unit features automatic controls and an oversized digital display, as well as a central steam nozzle for perfect cappuccino and lattes at the push of a button, without having to move the cup and without a separate milk container. A lever on the top of the machi (more…)

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