HEALTHY LIVING TIPS

We’ve all seen personalized coffee mugs for sale. Today it is easier than ever to customize your own mug in a number of different ways. Instead of buying a generic mug, consider creating your own mug to suit whatever gift-giving occasion you might have.

The Ever Popular Photo Mug

You’ve likely seen novelty booths that allow you to make a personalized coffee mug. Unfortunately these rarely turn out well. Instead of having a picture taken on the spot like you would at the DMV, try using a photo of a unique memory or vacation. Put a picture on there that means something to the person for a more meaningful gift.

Today it is easier than it has ever been to create your own personalized coffee mug even by using your own images. You can find many useful companies online that will let you upload your digital file, layout the image on the mug, and then order a mug from the comfort of your home. This is a wonderful way to create a personalized coffee mug that few people take advantage of.

Words Of Wisdom

If you don’t want to put a picture on the coffee mug then you might consider having a personalized coffee mug printed with inspiring words or a famous quote by one of your friend’s favorite historic figures. There are many options for placing text on a mug and again this can easily be done online. Whether you aim for amusing or serious text depends only on what you think the recipient would enjoy.

Personalized Coffee Mug Art

A quick and cheap way to make a personalized coffee mug is to buy a plastic mug with a built in plastic viewing layer. These mugs have been around for many years and they allow you to insert a piece of paper with whatever artwork you like on it to create a quick personalized gift. These mugs could be a bit tacky for some but they are great gift ideas for those with kids because your children can have fun decorating the mugs themselves.

For a more professional looking personalized coffee mug, consider finishing a clay mug made in an artist’s studio. Many artists will make you a mug and allow you to stencil on it or decorate it with colorful glazes. They can then fire the clay mug in the kiln and provide you with a beautiful gift.

There is no better way to have a cup of coffee than having it freshly brewed; this is how people who need an extra boost from their daily activities would prefer it, which is why coffee makers have become such popular kitchen items.

There are a number of flavors known across the globe; they are known to be produced by different countries yet are available practically anywhere in the planet. Arabica and Robusta are known to be among the most popular blends which people enjoy.

Coffee maker accessories are as vital as the actual coffee maker itself. These days, one will find it odd not to be able to see a coffee maker inside an office or one’s household. It is the best way to have coffee as it is able to provide fresh, savory brews with every pot.

Water filters are an important accessory a coffee maker must have. They are not a necessity, though for one to be able to produce a good pot or brew, this is a key step in the process. Regular tap water is normally considered as hard water as it is filled with countless minerals and can contradict with the taste of natural coffee. It is common wisdom that using filtered water is guaranteed to provide a better taste as the coffee will be able to maximize the extraction of its flavors. However, if one would rather use regular tap water, the taste may not bother them, though what they are mostly not aware of is the fact that hard water has the tendency to leave mineral deposits in the coffee maker thus shortening its life span.

Another of the coffee maker accessories are the coffee filters. These filter the ground coffee which one needs to be able to produce a pot. These are used especially in drip coffee machines; these prevent the ground coffee from getting in the rest of the brew thus making sure one does not accidentally sip any coffee residue in their cups.

Cloth coffee filters are practically the best kind there are as these are very economical and can be used over and over; one simply needs to wash it between uses to ensure that the fibers do not get clogged with the fine ground coffee. The paper coffee filters on the other hand are the most common type of filter available in the market and is the most common choice; however, as it is made from paper, there is the slight risk that one may experience a residual taste of paper in their brew. Apart from these, a rare yet reliable filter is the gold coffee filter; it is truly lined with 23k gold. This filter though does not come cheap; it is reliable and is known to last long without altering the taste of the coffee.

Another accessory is the coffee grinder or the mill; it allows a person to freshly grind coffee beans to produce fresh pots of coffee as they please. Each grinder is equipped with high powered blades to ensure fine grinding.

However one wishes to have their coffee, they can guarantee a fresh and satisfying cup with the aide of their trusty coffee maker and all the other accessories which make every cup more satisfying.

Indian Monsoon Coffee has an interesting story to tell going back many years. The monsooning of the coffee beans is something that first happened by accident.

Before Steam engines, the coffee was transported by sail ship. While the beans where in transit they started to soak up the moisture in the air. After many months at sea the beans would swell and dull in colour By the time these coffee beans reached their destination they had acquired a mellow taste and unique aroma and so India’s monsooned coffee was born.

Things have modernised considerably but India still manages to offer monsooned coffee to the world. They have had to change the way it is processed slightly but still manage to offer a mellow tasting unique coffee. This is where the stormy Indian monsoon season comes in play.

This coffee can now take anything up to 16 months to produce, once the coffee beans have been harvested. They are stored in warehouses until the monsoons arrive. When the rain falls and the winds howl the side of these great warehouses are opened and the winds and rain blows through the warehouse allowing the beans to mingle with the moisture laden air.

The beans are nurtured throughout this period, they are turned and raked which allows the beans to absorb as much moisture as possible. While this is happening the beans themselves begin to lose their traditional colour, instead taking on a much paler tone. Once the beans have been monsooned they lose a lot of the acidity found in most coffee beans.

Indian coffee is well known for its distinct characteristics such as a good body, mildly acidic with a pleasant aroma and flavour. In addition to producing many other types of coffee. Monsooned coffee is unique to India with the vast majority of these beans being produced in the Malabar region (Malabar coffee), this region has a humid atmosphere during the monsoon season and this is reflected in the beans that are produced here. This region is the home of the famous Monsoon Malabar coffee.

The History of the Monsoon Coffee

Back in the days of the sailing ships Coffee was sent to Europe often taking up to 6 months to get there, this meant that the beans sat in the damp and humid holds of the ships for quite a long time. These conditions forced the beans to lose the original characteristics and instead take on some completely new ones, the most noticeable was the increase in size and the pale colour these beans had now turned.

Europe grew to love the unique taste and aromas associated with this Indian coffee, but as time passed transport began to improve, steamships were introduced and the sail boat became obsolete, this caused a number of problems for the beans. They simply did not have the time required to see the changes that everybody loved so much.

With the Europeans now unhappy with this new tasting beverage, the Indian coffee producers had to find a way to replicate the conditions that gave the beans such a unique flavour and in Malabar they found the perfect conditions to do. Today 3000 tons of monsoon coffee is exported from this region of India and shipped all over the world while fetching a good price on the international markets.

Ethiopia is situated on the African horn and is famous for many wonderful things, the great rift valley, Haile Selassie but it is probably now most famous as being the birth place of Coffee, easily the worlds favourite beverage.

It is believed that in the 9th century, a goat herd tasted some wild, bright red berries growing on young green trees and enjoyed the strong taste and the subsequent feeling of elation.

This all took place in a region of Ethiopia called Kaffa and this is where the word coffee gets its name .From these first Arabica plants, coffee spread throughout the world, but Ethiopian coffee still remains one the best in the world today. The Coffee brewed from these beans are wonderfully aromatic and very low in acidity.

Today Ethiopia produces many different types of coffee. The flavours and aromas vary by region and the conditions they are grown in. Some regions use a wet- roasting some use a dry-roasting while regions like Sidamo use a combination of both, which produces a coffee that is rich with a full body and a light and smooth taste.

It is down to personal tastes, if you prefer a light tasting coffee you will choose a dry roasted coffee. Because of the many different ways Ethiopians use to process their coffee they have a wide variety of tastes and flavours in their coffee, Spices to fruity tones are all common in Ethiopian coffee.

One Coffee stands out as being something truly special and it comes from the beans produced in a region called Kebado. Which is nothing more than a little village situated on the slopes of the Metesio Mountains.

This coffee is smooth and fruity with wonderful aromas and is produced using the wet-processing. It does not have the grainy texture found in some of the lighter Ethiopian roasts. Kebedo coffee is quiet simply as close as you can ever hope to get to the perfect cup of coffee.

The beans are organically produced; they are vacuum packed to ensure the upmost freshness. This ensures the coffee will keep its unique characteristics even they have been shipped all over the world.

One important factor when roasting Kebado coffee and indeed all Ethiopian coffee is to try and keep it away from a dark roast. Over roasting these beans will over power the wonderful flavours and aromas of the beans and you will loose the sweet and fruity tones that these coffee beasn have become famous for.

There are espresso coffee lovers all over the world. People will pay top dollar for espresso blends. Some people go so far as to invest in an espresso maker at home. Others will visit the local coffee shop each morning for their espresso and a nice jumpstart to the morning.

Espresso will be thicker in consistency than other types of coffee that you might be used to seeing. It is brewed in a bit of a different way than other types of coffee. Pressurized boiling water flows over fine coffee grinds in an espresso machine. When brewing traditional coffee, water is brought to a boil but it is not pressurized.

You can enjoy espresso brews from the comfort of your own home by purchasing a home version. If you drink a lot of espressos this can be a good investment. They do not come cheap and so you might want to start saving some money towards your own espresso machine. An espresso machine can also be a nice addition to an office.

Brewing espresso from home is not the neatest task. It seems you always end up with ground coffee and other messes. This is not something to make when you are in a rush. You will want to carefully read all instructions that come with your espresso machine for the safest and most effective use of your machine. It will be easier than trying to figure things out without directions.

The main process of making espresso will start with filling the water tank with water that is cold not hot. You will then need to put coffee that is ground up on the filter. It is always important to tighten the boiler cap so that you do not have any problems. Place a cup or (if one was included with your maker) the carafe to catch the espresso as it brews.

Your espresso maker should come with a container to catch the espresso as it brews. Espresso will make a nice brown foam. It is ready once it stops being brown in color. Do not drip any more espresso into the cup when the color starts to whiten.

Espresso has long since been the coffee of choice in many regions of Europe. Cuba, Brazil and Argentina. Many other countries offer espresso options as high end beverages in coffee shops. This is true, for example, in the United States where a cup of espresso is expensive but a must have for many coffee lovers.

Espresso is quite different from other coffees. It is made with water that is boiled and pressurized over ground coffee. The result is a more concentrated liquid that is thick and brown. You typically do not drink espresso alone as it is used in beverages such as mochas, lattes and cappuccinos.

Some Espresso lovers have invested in espresso machines for their home. And many offices have them for the staff. Some Espresso machines come with a heavy price tag. There are moderately priced versions for home use.. In the long run, they can save an avid espresso drinker some money.

It is not always easy to make espresso from home, however. Some machines are rather complicated to use or at least they appear that way. It can be a little messy and take too much time to make espresso from home. Do not try to make a cup or two when you are in a hurry. There are a few tasks you must complete to make espresso with an espresso machine.

Keep in mind that when you make espresso, you will need to put cold water in the water holder so that it can boil and be pressured. Just don’t forget to put the boiler cap on tight enough that there is no chance of it coming off. Put the filter with ground coffee (or the espresso pod) in the filter holder and weight for the espresso to come out.

Your espresso maker should come with a container to catch the espresso as it brews. Espresso will make a nice brown foam. It is ready once it stops being brown in color. Do not drip any more espresso into the cup when the color starts to whiten.

When someone doesn’t know the many benefits of using coffee beans they often don’t understand why someone would buy coffee beans when they could just purchase a bag of regular coffee. Regular coffee is just as good, they say. But is it just as good?

The fact of the matter is that there are actually over twenty varieties of coffee beans. With that being said, they are mostly divided into two broad types of beans. Someone who drinks coffee and buys coffee beans on a regular basis might already be familiar with different types of beans that are available and their various flavors.

60%-70% of the world’s consumption of coffee comes from the Coffea Arabica coffee bean. It is also the type of coffee bean that most people enjoy drinking the most. The Caffea Arabica coffee bean is also a very expensive bean due to the strict growing conditions that are required when growing this coffee variety.

These plants need high altitude to thrive and you should be at least around 3,000 feet above sea level. In addition the temperature should not exceed the low-70s degrees Fahrenheit range.

Coffea canephora, commonly known as Robusta, is the less popular of the two coffee beans. It makes up only 30%-40% of the world’s coffee consumption. It is considered to be of an inferior quality when compared to the more popular Coffea Areabica and more times then not it cannot be bought separately. The Robusta coffee bean is grown at around the mid eighties Fahrenheit and will grow practically anywhere. This type of bean is also a bit bitter and the majority of people don’t like it as much for this reason.

Coffea canephora are often used as fillers for coffea Arabica beans, which because Arabica is expensive, are often mixed with these lesser quality coffee beans. So most of the time when you buy coffee beans it’s coffea Arabica mixed with Robusta in order to bring it within the reach of common people.

Regardless of which you prefer, the Arabica based coffees or if you prefer the Robusta varieties, the freshest and best tasting coffee is always going to be achieved by grinding up fresh coffee beans. When you buy coffee at the supermarket you can either buy ground coffee by the can or bag or more times then not you can buy coffee beans and grind them right there in the store. However, even when you buy coffee beans that you ground up in the store they will start to taste stale within the first week.

The best alternative is to purchase only small batches of whole coffee beans and grind them at home as you need them. Coffee grinders are widely available and fairly inexpensive, so it’s worth the money to buy coffee beans and grind them yourself.

Coffee drinkers know that coffee beans direct from the roaster are incredibly rich with flavor. The best part of starting a new day is that first cup of fresh coffee. The aroma alone is enough to open your eyes and make the waking up process much easier. But, there is nothing like taking that first sip of hot, fresh, flavorful coffee direct from the roasters.

In the world of coffee, there are some things that should not be sacrificed in delivering the product to the consumer. Those are freshness and flavor. Buying your coffee beans direct from the roaster provides both of those.

Coffee beans reach their peak in flavor right after the roasting process. This means that, if you want to experience the flavor and freshness of real good coffee, then buying them direct from the roaster is the way to do that. Buying coffee is much like buying a new car, fine wine, or even classic art. There is something special about real good coffee that creates almost an emotional experience. New cars have that great new car smell, great wine is about color, richness, and aroma. Even great, classic art is bought on the basis of the painter’s name and use of colors to create vivid, rich optical and emotional experiences. Buying coffee beans direct, without a wholesaler in the middle, should is the same kind of experience.

Coffee is a sensory circus that involves sight, taste, and smell. The aroma creates apprehension, the rich, dark color delivers a boldness that builds upon the aroma. All to be culminated in the taste of a fresh, robust, flavorful first sip.

In most cases, people don’t know what truly great coffee tastes like. We run to our supermarkets when the already ground coffee is running out only to pick up the cheapest can. We often receive coffee that, while ground fresh, is anything but. Once the can is open, and the seal is broken, the quality goes down from there. Coffee beans direct from the roaster is the way to better tasting coffee.

However, there is a timer involved. Once coffee is roasted, the clock start ticking and the flavor starts to dwindle. The key to buying direct from a roaster is to buy smaller quantities of coffee beans. A great rule to follow is to buy a week’s worth of coffee at a time. This way the beans aren’t sitting in a jar losing their freshness and you are assured of a great cup of coffee every time. Even when grinding beans, only grind as much as you need for that pot, or cup.

Ethiopia is one of the worlds oldest known countries, a landlocked nation located in the horn of the African continent. Ethiopia is also the country where coffee was first found, and it is from here that it traveled across the world to become perhaps the most preferred beverage today.

It did how ever have some auspicious beginnings, involving a herd of goats who found the bright red berries of on a small green tree to be delicious and the herders noticed the their goats to be quiet uplifted after eating these berries.

The region called Kaffa led to the name coffee, and the plant coffee arabica began to be grown in other places. Yet connoisseurs of coffee claim that Ethiopian coffee is better than coffee from all other places, as the blends produced in the country are aromatic without being too strong or acidic as is the case with Kenyan coffees.

Today Ethiopia produces many different types of coffee. The flavours and aromas vary by region and the conditions they are grown in. Some regions use a wet- roasting some use a dry-roasting while regions like Sidamo use a combination of both, which produces a coffee that is rich with a full body and a light and smooth taste.

It is down to personal tastes, if you prefer a light tasting coffee you will choose a dry roasted coffee. Because of the many different ways Ethiopians use to process their coffee they have a wide variety of tastes and flavours in their coffee, Spices to fruity tones are all common in Ethiopian coffee.

The most outstanding coffee comes from the region of Kebado. This is simply the best of all the Ethiopian coffee. Kebado its self is small rural village situated in Sidamo, high up in the side of Metesio Mountains.

The coffee has a fruity flavour that is smooth, rich and highly fragrant, and has the typical wet-processed aroma with no grainy consistency found in lighter roasts of coffee. Kebado coffee is considered to be the closest to the most perfect coffee ever produced.

Kebado coffee is organically produced and exported all over the world from Addis Ababa where it is vacuum packed to preserve the freshness of the coffee bean. People all over the world, love the exotic taste and the sugar-like sweetness of the brew. Its aroma is amazing even before it is ground, as it has a fruity scent to it, a blend of passion fruit, plums and berries.

If you are roasted green Ethiopian coffee beans yourself there is one important thing to remember and that is to keep these beans away from a dark roasting, this over powers the beans and you will loose some of the flavours and aromas which are what have made these beans the best in the world.