Do you routinely enjoy a cup of coffee? You might be absolutely overwhelmed with all the ideas and choices that are out there in the wide world of coffee. Keep reading into this article, though, as there are ideas here that can simplify and enhance your coffee habit in life.
If you have diabetes or want to lose weight, try Stevia instead of real sugar. Stevia is low in calories and a natural product that does not raise glucose levels. You can find it at grocery or health food shops.
No matter how attached you are to your favorite blend, don’t be afraid to try a new variety. You don’t need to invest in a large bag to try out something new. Almost all brands will offer a single pot or sampler size to allow you to try out new flavors.
Keep your automatic coffee maker clean with white vinegar. Run a brewing cycle with one part water to one part white vinegar. After allowing the carafe to soak in the vinegar for a while, run a cycle with plain water to rinse the machine. Clean your coffee maker once every week or two to remove rancid coffee oils, mold and other contaminants.
If you’ve forgotten how much coffee to put in your machine, opt for putting in more rather than less. You can always water down your coffee if it’s too strong. But, if it’s too weak, you won’t be able to make it better. You’ll have no choice but to make a new pot.
New coffee makers should have a trial run before being used for coffee. You want to put water through it before you put any coffee through it. This helps remove foul smells and any dirt or dust that may have collected inside the machine when it was sitting on the shelf in the store.
You do not need to tip the barista at a coffee shop the same percentage as you do a waitress or a hairdresser. Your hairdresser has to understand precisely what you want and then do it, and a waitress has multiple tables to keep up with exactly everyone’s order. Your barista mixes up one cup at a time, so do not feel guilty for tipping him or her less. Still, do throw a few coins in the tip jar frequently.
If you grind your own coffee, be sure to only grind the amount you will be using that day. If you grind too much and just leave your coffee around, the elements will take the freshness and taste of it. Contrary to what many believe, storing coffee in the refrigerator does not leave it fresh.
It is not necessary to keep your coffee stored in the freezer. Coffee sometimes picks up extra smells and flavors from nearby foods. The best storage place for your coffee is an airtight, opaque canister at room temperature. If you really want to freeze it or refrigerate it, put the coffee in a sealed plastic bag.
Avoid purchasing beans that come in cans or in vacuum-sealed bags. Coffee beans need to be protected by valve-sealed bags to remain fresh. Besides, valve-sealed bags allow the carbon dioxide that emanates from the beans to escape, which means the beans will retain all their flavor and stay fresh longer.
Do you enjoy creamy coffees and rich cappuccinos? These beverages contain huge amounts of calories. Actually, drinking a cappuccino from your favorite coffee shop can be compared to eating an ice cream. Ask about calories the next time you order a creamy beverage and try drinking black coffee if you need to watch your weight.
In order to get the best tasting coffee, you should consider buying a coffee grinder for your at-home use. The sooner a coffee bean is ground, the better the flavor is. This means the whole beans you grind will taste much better than any coffee you make with pre-ground beans.
Finding high-quality beans that are fresh roasted can be difficult. Therefore, try roasting beans yourself. You can do this in several ways. First, you could use a metal bowl and a heat gun. Second, you could use a popcorn popper. Finally, you could lay your green beans on a metal tray and place it in the oven, and take it out whenever you hear the beans start cracking. Roasting your own beans can save you a big hassle.
Coffee roasts determine the flavor of your coffee. Try different roasts and blends to find the best taste for you. Dark roasts typically have been roasted for a longer period of time. They usually have a stronger and more bitter taste than the lighter roasts. A blend can give you the perfect combination for the perfect cup.
You can use coffee to bring the shine back to hair that looks worn and dull. Brew some extra strong coffee then allow it to cool. Place it on hair that is clean and dry and leave it on for 15-20 minutes. After that, rinse your hair and style it as you normally would.
If you have a lot of ants in your home, you can use coffee to repel them. Sprinkle dry, used grounds anywhere that you normally see them. You can brew a pot and pour it over any ant holes that you see in your yard and they will go away.
Add different things in your coffee to try out new flavors. For example, whether you add creamer or whole milk to your coffee can vary the sweetness. If you want something exotic, try flavored soy milks. Flavor syrups can also add new and interesting tastes to your coffee.
If you are a novice coffee brewer, don’t fall into the trap of misjudging how much water you need to add relative to the amount of coffee. Many times people don’t use enough coffee grounds for the amount of water they have. Be sure that you use around two tablespoons of coffee grounds for each cup of coffee desired.
With luck, this article has presented you with some coffee knowledge that you did not have before. The whole point of drinking coffee is to get through your day easier, right? So, hopefully this article has had a gem or two that make your coffee habit easier to manage in life.