The Devious Ad Campaign That Convinced America Coffee Was Bad for Kids - Jordan Weissmann - The Atlantic

The Devious Ad Campaign That Convinced America Coffee Was Bad for Kids - Jordan Weissmann - The Atlantic:

This is over on the Atlantic and worth a read. Coffee certainly didn't do anything to stunt my growth. If it had, I would have grown to be a monster of a person.

However, I still find it funny how this myth is still perpetuated by popular television, even Science Fiction shows like Eureka.

Recently, I also had a discussion with a friend in med school about how caffeine and coffee might not be addicting in the ways we thought.

Merry Happy!

Well, here we are in lieu of content. I've been insanely busy with stuff without much time to really dive in. We're big Community fans around here, so ...

Merry Happy!

Coffee Gear: The De'Longhi Bar 32

After some research and a request on what I would like for Christmas, I got this as an early gift from my parents.

I call it one of the baby De'Longhi machines because it is one of their lower end home units. I originally started calling it that because I thought it would be significantly smaller than it actually is. I am pressed for space, so I am struggling on where its permanent home will be in my kitchen. We're debating setting up a bit of a coffee bar in a nook of a dining room to store the machines and makers.

Now, as for this machine. It is a pump machine like I was wanting. It does produce crema. Using the same coffee I too to work, when properly prepped it produces about the same quality coffee as a lungo on the Jura Coffee Center.

The key is properly prepped. Whereas, it is easy to get heated up and ready to go, it is a manual machine. I have to get the grind right, the water amount right, and the tamp right.

I have not messed with the frother yet, mostly because I am not entirely sold on the steam based frothers. I know they are traditional, but I just do not like the effort that goes into cleaning them. I also do not like the possibility of bad milk spoiling a perfectly good coffee. I will keep with the microwave and the wand frother for now, until I can get my hands on a Nespresso Aeroccino.

Therefore, do I recommend this machine? I do. However, I have only had for a couple days and drawn about a dozen shots from it. For its price and build quality, it reviews well. It has also been on the market for at least six years, so I have some confidence in its design.

Of the two coffees I have tucked away right now, the darker roasted coffee is coming out better, the Sunrise Mauna Lao Breakfast Blend. I have got some older stuff tucked away I might try, but I cannot say its of the greatest quality. In comparison to the Pixie though, it really does not compare. However, the coffee for the Pixie is much better.

I will go back to the presses and the Chemex soon, but for now I am enjoying the espresso extractions from this machine and the Nespresso Pixie.

You can read up ion some of the specifications for the machine with the link below.

http://www.delonghi.com/en-US/products/coffee-and-espresso/coffee-makers/pump-espresso/bar-32-0132151040/

"You're the Cream In My Coffee"

Because, why not?

A Little Cream in Your Coffee?

from Modernist Cuisine.

Here's something I stumbled onto on Open Culture. They've also listed some reasons why coffee with cream cools slower than black coffee. Fascinating, but we know that real snobs only drink coffee black.

Of course, without cereal or the occasional Latte, I might not get any milk at all.

http://www.openculture.com/2013/12/the-beautiful-physics-of-adding-cream-to-your-coffee.html

Caribou!

It feels likes its been a while since I have been able to post anything, especially anything coffee related.

'Tis the Season, after all. And when you work for a company that sells things, this is prime time.

This weekend, Delle (my aforementioned fiance) and I made a little trip to Target. I needed to run into a short-lined Starbucks in order to face the rest of that afternoon. Somehow, I have developed a taste for Americanos, a variation of coffee I previous though of as being a bastard coffee. I can make a pretty good one with the Aeropress with the left over water.

Well, while winding out way to the toy aisle, I stopped into the coffee aisle to see what they had any if anything caught my eye. Given that its truly freezing outside, there are some deals out there. One of them is this coffee by Caribou Coffee.

This is their "Medium Roast," so it is mostly equivalent to a Maxwell House or Folgers in intensity level. This is made for morning drip coffee that most people will enjoy. It is smooth, fragrant. The beans are dark brown with a bit of a shininess to them. In the presses, it makes a dark coffee that is as smooth as advertised. There's a hint of boldness that comes out as the cup cools and keep drinking.

It does have that bitter cocoa flavor that isn't too strong that lingers on the palate. I do not taste the berry notes the company claims, but I have not tried it in more of a drip extraction. I haven't used it for a full espresso, yet. However, soon, I know I will.

To be honest, I was mostly drawn to the coffee by the art. They do have some amusing art. I also like how they lay out the sources for their coffees on their website. They also claim to be ecologically sustainable.

I think, I will be buying more of this coffee.

Back to Roasting

I got back to roasting this weekend. I finally got tired of the store bought roasts, and the lack of variety and taste. I still had a fair bit of green coffee beans leftover and made a nice roast with the Brazilian and Ethopian coffee.

I almost forgot how good freshly roasted coffee could taste, and even more so how good it could taste after it degassed for a couple days.

It has been decided, I will just do this with a painter's mask with HEP filters rather than endure mediocre drips. Of course the pain from the allergies is still a lot to endure, and regular dust masks aren't going to do it.

So I need a mask, and a new load from Sweet Marias...

And another load from Nespresso.

This habit is getting expensive.