The Lello Ariete Burr Coffee Grinder is the very definition of a user-friendly, adjustable grinder which can produce the best-quality results, time after time by dialing up the appropriate quantity and grind setting and reliably waiting for it to turn itself off. The result is a picture-perfect grind, repeatable to an exactitude that is impossible with a hand-held operation.  Measuring 6 by 11 inches, this extremely well-constructed grinder has a 16-grind setting from drip coffee to pump espresso. With 100-watts of power, it grinds coffee for 2 to 10 cups then stops automatically depending upon the setting chosen. A little-known feature but one which can interfere with coffee taste sees this unit’s low RPM speed motor grinding evenly to prevent beans from burning. The hopper holds up to 1/2-pound of whole beans and removes easily for cleaning, making it not only easy to operate but also easy to clean, insuring freshness at each use.

For more product information and for delighted user reviews, click here.

Organic Camano Island Coffee Roasters Sumatra Coffee offers a rich, complex and dark roasted bean with a fruity, sweet and full bodied, slightly smoky and zesty flavor. I was looking for Organic coffees and, after reading about this one – which I cannot say I have tried – I consulted my long-time coffee “expert”, El Gourmando, who mentions that almost any Sumatran coffee is “top notch”! He says he has had this particular brand before and that it is an incredibly full, rich coffee. When he saw the price and the shipping amount offered here, he also nodded sagely and opined: “Good deal, too.”

User reviews are quite pleased with this whole bean coffee, commenting on the freshness of the roasting and packaging as well as its wonderful coffee aroma while perking. That it is organic I find useful and interesting, especially inasmuch as it will please the entire gamut of potential users.

For user reviews from happy drinkers and for product information, click here.

Today’s featured coffee: Whole Bean 100% Kona Coffee. Hand-picked, sun-dried and micro-roasted to ensure the finest quality and the winner of the Hawaii Governor’s Export Award & New & Innovative Product at SIAL, the world’s largest gourmet show. This stuff is good!

Moving along, I thought it might be interesting to deal with some facts which many of us may not be aware of in the brewing and – more importantly – the storage of coffee. The storage issue reveals that ground coffee becomes “stale” long before beans. The assumption is that air is an enemy of freshness which, come to think of it surprises no one at all, although we so often conceive of coffee as somehow indestructible. Far from it, in fact. The essential thing to remember is that our storage systems pay when they are vacuum packed or at least less liable to the intrusion of air and its spoiling qualities. There are ceramic or glass containers designed to be airtight. These are available from kitchen stores for spices, beans, and many cooking ingredients. That have a metal latch that creates the airtight seal, which should consist of a rubber hand underneath the lid in place to seal with the container when the latch is closed.

Another under-reported fact is the water quality of what we use as our mediums. Since coffee is 99% water, it obviously matters – and far more than we suspect. Purified water makes the most excellent water for brewing.

Overheating coffee is the single most destructive element to its taste. While sitting on a platform where the coffee maintains heat, it actually burns in place. After 20 minutes of coffee sitting on the coffee machine’s heat plate, consider that coffee to be beginning to burn. After 40 minutes, the difference in taste will be noticeable. Some coffee makers have adjustable heat settings on the plate itself. Try and find those which have a “low” setting which will make the good coffee last a bit longer.

I am positive there are no surprises here. Yet, taken together, these little tips can improve that coffee making skill. With particular regard to the coffee-making machine and some emphasis on storage in air-tight containers, you will have already upgraded both knowledge of the process as well as the taste.

For some cool information about our featured coffee, and to buy – click here.

Keurig One Cup Gourmet Coffee Maker is a pampering device, utterly devoted to the truest extraction of the oils, taste and body of fine coffee for the true connoisseur of real gourmet coffee. It has a fine heating system, attuned to a perfect brewing temperature. To wit: For full control over brewing time and temperature, it allows for choosing from the standard brew temperature of 192 degrees F or a cooler 187 degrees F. It includes programmable features including a Digital Clock, Adjustable Temperature and Auto On/Off. The 48-ounce removable water reservoir holds up to eight cups before refilling which means refilling the K Cup reservoir is the only task involved in the next brewing cup o’ Joe. The heating unit takes a minute to warm up, then it brews the cup in around another minute. Pretty much simply open the lid, insert a K-Cup, close the lid, and select a cup size. Three brew-size options include a 5-1/4-ounce robust cup, a 7-1/4-ounce regular cup, and a 9-1/4-ounce travel mug.

This is an extremely attractive model with chrome and modern curved lines which add to kitchen or office decor positively.  User reviews are pretty much universally praising of the system and of the final result. This is also a very popular model among those who inhabit the yummy realms of fabulous coffees.

For a look at those user reviews and for more product information, click here.

For the life of me, I cannot imagine a coffee blog which omitted Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Beans. Legendary and amazingly well spoken of, this coffee bean was the premier bean from long years ago til now. Other notable beans have since surfaced as competition in the ‘Best Ever’ sweepstakes, but Blue Mountain is always and forever considered one of the premier coffees in the world.

These beans come ready-to-grind. They do require some science, actually, as there is a perfect level of concentration one wants for their cup o’ Joe with this stunningly tasteful, rich product. The oils and body of Jamaican Blue Mountain contain a breathtaking quality of taste and sensation one has to sample to believe. There are good coffees and their are Great Coffee’s. Jamaican Blue Mountain is the Great Coffee of legend. Not cheap, either. But, like so many things, once in a while, pampering ourselves can be a good thing. I recommend this for coffee fanciers the world over. Pamper, drink. Drink, pamper.

For more product information about this particular variety and for user reviews of it, click here.

It was T.S. Eliot who once said: “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons. ”

If you can relate to that, then welcome to my new coffee blog!

Why blog about coffee? Well, except for what Eliot said, here are three facts about coffee to convince you it’s well worth a blog:

1. Coffee is one of the most popular beverages worldwide. Americans spend twenty billion dollars a year on their coffee. About half of that is spent in the retail market and the rest in the food service sector.
2. Green (unroasted) coffee is one of the most traded agricultural commodities in the world.
3. Coffee is good for you. Medical evidence shows it could lower your risk of diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and colon cancer, lift your mood and treat headaches and even lower your risk of cavities.

So, let’s jump right into coffee with a nice hot splash!

Coffee smells like freshly ground heaven.  ~Jessi Lane Adams