November 13th, 2009 by Geoff Marks
Caffeine is a natural substance that is found in coffee. Caffeine is also found in tea, soft drinks, and chocolate. Caffeine is what helps to wake us up in the morning as we sip that first cup of coffee. It is what gives us that little added boost in the afternoon when our energy is flagging.
There is research that “proves” that caffeine is bad for us and good for us. It has been determined that caffeine is a stimulant, and some researchers see that as a good thing; while others see it as a bad thing. It is true that caffeine is somewhat addictive and there are those who are deeply opposed to anything and everything that might possibly be addictive in any way.
My point is that the caffeine might be called the “active ingredient” in coffee. So, of course, it can be removed. When the caffeine is removed from coffee, though, most …
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November 4th, 2009 by Geoff Marks
The definition of a “good” cup of coffee is relative. It all depends upon the taste buds of the person determining whether the cup of coffee is good or bad. Haven’t you ever wondered why there are so many different brands of coffee? Yep…just like horse racing, it’s the difference of opinion that makes the coffee industry tick, keeps the competitive spirit alive, and the prices down so most of us poor schmos can afford to buy coffee by the 13-ounce “pound” at our local supermarkets.
No matter what “brand” or “grind” of coffee makes the best cup of coffee in your opinion (and your opinion is the only one that counts), or whether you prefer drip coffee or perked coffee, there are a few simple things that will make your cup of coffee just taste better.
The number one “secret” of all good coffee is to begin the brewing process with a clean coffee maker. It doesn’t matter whether …
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November 2nd, 2009 by Geoff Marks
How many different kinds of coffee do you suppose are available around the world today? I don’t know, either, but there isn’t much doubt that hundreds of thousands would be a guess that was not far off the mark.
Just go look on the shelves of your local supermarket. My goodness! There are dozens of brands and several choices of roasts for each brand. There are coffees that are made especially for drip coffee makers. There are coffees that are prepackaged and ready to be put into coffee makers. There are single servings. It’s mind-boggling, and you haven’t even scratched the surface yet — the coffees on the shelves of your local supermarket aren’t even the gourmet coffees.
To find the gourmet coffees, you will need to visit a coffee specialty shop or go surfing on the web. Now the choices are REALLY mind boggling. Unless you already know which gourmet coffee you are looking for, you …
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October 31st, 2009 by Geoff Marks
Coffee shops that are very uniquely American can be found all over this great country of ours. There are coffee shops in big American cities and coffee shops in dusty little off-the-beaten-path towns that you have probably never heard of. Now I am not talking about big chain coffee shops like Starbucks here. I’m talking about the locally famous coffee shop that are the gathering places for friends or an escape hatch for those who can’t stand being chained to a desk for even one more minute.
In many of the large American cities, locally famous coffee shops offer wi-fi Internet service, sometimes even for free. In those small, out-of-the-way towns, there is rarely a wi-fi connection offered, but you can find out who is getting married, divorced, having a baby, or the going price of cows and hogs.
There is one thing that coffee shops all over America have in common, though. They all smell the same. There is …
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October 27th, 2009 by Geoff Marks
Wow! The temperatures are soaring so it must be summer. Those nice hot cups of coffee that we were enjoying fully only a few months ago now just look…well…HOT, like the weather. Hot drinks certainly lose their appeal when the mercury climbs, but the taste of coffee never loses its appeal, so the answer is obvious. Serve iced coffee! Now, there is a great idea.
Coffee is taste that is great only at extremes. Hot coffee is wonderful, and iced coffee is just as wonderful. Anything in between those temperature extremes is just awful and totally unacceptable. Luke warm coffee, tepid coffee, slightly cool coffee — they all taste bad. There may be a scientific explanation, but I have no idea what that explanation might be. All I know is that hot coffee is good, and iced coffee is good.
Now, you can’t keep hot coffee hot for a long period of time. It tends to gain …
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October 25th, 2009 by Geoff Marks
A simple cup of coffee is a powerful thing! It can mend fences and save friendships. They say that the pen is mightier than the sword, but it could be that a simple cup of coffee is more powerful than both of them put together.
It had been a tough week in the neighborhood. It was cold, and the kids had been underfoot indoors at one house or the other all week. My neighbor and I had been close friends for several years, but our relationship had gotten seriously strained over this past week. She had called me twice to complain about how my Bobby was tormenting her Shawn. She had sent him home, too, more than twice.
Now, the boys played at my house as often as they played at her house, and I was fully aware of the fact that her Shawn wasn’t the little darling that she thought he was. Our relationship …
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