India produces two fine coffees, but even among coffee devotees at least in America they remain relatively unknown and un-drunk. That’s too bad. They deserve to be extolled for the romance attached to them, if nothing else; happily, they also taste pretty good as well.

According to legend, coffee was discovered in Ethiopia. The first big coffee craze, though, occurred in Arabia, where by the 13th century Muslims were brewing and drinking huge quantities of it. Travelers from Arabia took the beans with them wherever they went beans deliberately made infertile, allegedly, by parching or boiling. Because of this strict export control policy, it is claimed that no coffee seed sprouted outside Africa or Arabia until the 17th century.

Enter (or exit, as the case may be) one Baba Budan one of the great heroes in the history of coffee, in my opinion. Wrapping up a pilgrimage to Arabia from his native land of India, Budan left Mecca with several fertile coffee beans strapped to his belly. From those beans sprouted the first coffee trees to be grown in India, as well as an agricultural industry that could no longer be contained to one small part of the world.

For romance, though, nothing in the world of coffee, to my mind, beats the story of Monsooned Malabar, one of the two coffees for which India is known today.

The British began the modern commercial cultivation of coffee on the hills of southern India, along the Malabar coast, a century-and-a-half ago. The coffee grown there was packed raw into the holds of wooden ships and sent on a six-month trip, around the Cape of Good Hope, to the coffee houses and shops of Europe. On such a long journey, and in such vessels, the beans inevitably became exposed to almost constant humidity. That humidity turned the beans pale gold and leached them of their acidity. When the coffee finally reached its destination it had been considerably mellowed and Europeans loved it.

Progress eventually intervened, though, to temporarily deny the coffee drinkers of Europe their beloved aged Indian bean. The opening of the Suez Canal made the trip from the Malabar Coast much shorter. And, the coffee began to be shipped in modern steel vessels. These developments conspired to deprive the coffee beans of the prolonged exposure to humidity which had been responsible for their distinctive flavor.

To meet the demand for the old style of coffee from Malabar, some growers hit on a simple but ingenious solution. They would duplicate the moist conditions of the old sea voyage by exposing their beans to the Indian monsoon. Thus, Monsooned Malabar.

The monsooning process is a long one and actually fairly labor intensive. First, the coffee to be monsooned is stored in a special warehouse to await the monsoon season. When the time comes, the sides of the warehouse are opened, allowing the wet monsoon winds to circulate around the beans. The beans may also be raked or hand-turned on the floor of the warehouse to assist in the process. Monsooning takes 12 to 16 weeks. During this time the beans swell to twice their picked size and turn that signature pale golden color.

The taste of Monsooned Malabar coffee is usually described in terms such as musty, earthy, corky and woody. Some writers have called it mellow yet aggressive at the same time! All agree that it has a polarizing quality you’ll either adore it or detest it. Maybe I just haven’t had enough cups yet to really judge, but in my opinion the taste is not as idiosyncratic as all that. Musty, maybe, put not off-puttingly so. I think that many people would enjoy it, not just those of us who enjoy seeking out the more unusual offerings of the coffee world. And again, for my part, the fascinating story behind this particular coffee makes up for any deficiency in the cup.

Unfortunately, you still can’t find Monsooned Malabar just anywhere. Ordering it by mail is still the best bet for most of us. Oddly enough, until very recently it was easier to acquire green (unroasted) Malabar coffee beans than roasted ones. My first cup came from beans that I roasted at home, myself, in a popcorn popper. There are many resources on the Web for anyone interested in getting into home coffee roasting, an enjoyable hobby in its own right.

There are a few coffee sellers on the Web now who offer roasted Monsooned Malabar and similarly exotic or hard-to-find beans. In the case of Malabar (as opposed, say, to geunine Kona or Jamaican Blue Mountain), the price actually compares quite favorably with more mundane or normal coffees. If you like traveling the world in a coffee cup and especially if you’d like to drink something with a bit of romance to it you owe it to yourself to get your hands on some Monsooned Malabar. By the way, if you drink a lot of espresso, you might have had some Malabar coffee without knowing; some expresso producers include it in their so-called exotic blends.

India’s other major coffee variety comes from the Mysore region (now the state of Karnakata). Called Indian Mysore, Mysore Nuggets, Mysore Straight, or simply Mysore, it makes a rich and spicy cup of coffee that at its best may be termed sweet — a word you would never hear applied to Monsooned Malabar. Interestingly enough, though, Mysore coffee also gets its unique taste from being exposed to the monsoon wind and rain, which pump up the beans with moisture and smooth out their flavor. The difference may be simply that in the case of the Malabar, the monsoon exposure is purposely carried to an extreme.

Mysore coffee is also becoming easier to find in the United States, although most people will still have to seek out a reliable seller on the Web. It’s definitely worth finding and trying some. According to some connoisseurs, Indian Mysore at its best is among the finest coffees produced anywhere.

– Steve Smith

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Coffee : Poison or Health Elixir?

By Stephen Bucaro

Computers are very complicated, so computer professionals
need to keep their brain synapses firing rapidly. To
accomplish this, many computer professionals consume large
amounts of coffee. Studies keep coming out that prove
coffee is dangerous to our health. Other studies prove
those findings to be false. Is coffee bad for us or not?

Does coffee raise blood pressure?

A 2002 study by John Hopkins University that tracked 1,000
former medical students found that heavy coffee drinking is
associated with a small increase in blood pressure, but not
enough to increase the risk for hypertension.

Does coffee cause heart attacks?

A 2000 Finnish study that surveyed more than 20,000 Finnish
men and women about their coffee drinking habits and
medical history found no evidence that coffee drinking is
connected to heart disease.

The study did find that coffee drinkers have poorer health
habits than those who drank no coffee. Those who drank
coffee were more likely to smoke and have greater amounts
of body fat.

Those who drank less than one cup of coffee a day were more
likely have back problems, constipation, nausea, gallstones,
and congestion, and deaths from heart disease were highest
in those who did not drink coffee.

Does coffee cause diabetes?

A 2003 study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public
Health found that people who drank four to five cups per
day reduced their risk of type 2 diabetes by 30 percent.
And men who drink six or more cups of coffee per day
lowered their risk of type 2 diabetes an additional 20
percent. (The additional protection did not appear for
Women).

Does coffee harm your brain?

A 2000 study by researchers in Hawaii that surveyed 8,000
men found that those who drank three or more cups of coffee
per day were five times less likely to develop Parkinson’s
disease. Coffee appears to provide strong protection from
Parkinson’s disease.

These studies prove that coffee is not bad for us, but in
fact it provides many health benefits. So computer
professionals can continue to consume large amounts of
coffee in order to keep their brain synapses firing. I
would like to expand further on the health benefits of
coffee, but it’s time for my coffee break.

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About the Author

Copyright(C) 2005 Bucaro TecHelp. To learn how to maintain
your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web
site and make money on the Web visit bucarotechelp.com
To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter visit
http://bucarotechelp.com/search/000800.asp

Many a coffee aficionado would turn up their nose at the thought of adding flavorings to their beloved black beverage. But, if you’re not an aficionado, and you didn’t pay exorbitant amounts of money for single-estate specialty coffee beans, then why not indulge in trying some of the fine coffee flavoring syrups, or flavored coffee beans available today? To help you make the most of coffee flavorings, here is a summary of the things you should know before buying.

**Coffee Flavoring Syrups**

Generally sweet, and always indulgent, coffee flavorings such as vanilla, hazelnut or amoretto can be found bottled in the form of coffee syrups. Added after the coffee is brewed, the advantage of using these syrups over using pre-flavored coffee beans is that your grinding and brewing equipment does not become tainted by flavor extracts on the beans.

About the only rule when using syrups to make flavored coffee is “don’t overdo it”. Remember, the flavor should complement your favorite drink, rather than overwhelm it.

Here are some general guidelines to help you buy only the best coffee syrups:

• Brix - the word ‘brix’ is used to describe the solids content of a syrup. The higher the brix, the higher the concentration of sugar and flavoring in the liquid. Many high-quality coffee syrups have a brix between 60 and 70 - that is, 60-70% solids. Higher concentration syrups will cost more initially, but you use less so they will last longer.
• Flavor vs. Sugar - even though a brix of 62 indicates a high quality syrup, you can’t be sure of how much of the solids content is sugar and how much is flavor without checking the label and/or taste-testing the syrup. Some manufacturers promote their syrups as adding ‘flavor without sweetness’. Your personal preference will dictate whether you prefer the sweetness. If you normally take sugar, you might find you do not need to add sugar if the syrup is quite sweet. Be aware of very thick, sticky syrups - these may be disguising a poor flavor extract with an overdose of sugar.
• Sweetener - you will find most syrups are flavored with cane-sugar. Other popular sweeteners include fruit-juice and corn sugar. Syrups that use other than cane-sugar are generally not as sweet - something you may or may not prefer. In any case, look for the “all-natural” statement on the label if you want to avoid artificial sweeteners.
• Preservatives - some syrups are preservative-free. The flavor may benefit from this - just remember that the shelf-life of these syrups will be shorter than those with added preservatives.
  Sugar Free or Low Carb - due to consumer demand, some companies are producing sugar-free coffee syrups. To be an informed consumer, you should check the label to determine whether these are unsweetened or artificially-sweetened and purchase according to your personal preference.
• Purpose - most syrups are general purpose, but some syrups will be labelled as baking, dessert or drink flavorings. They will vary in thickness, sweetness and flavoring depending on their purpose.

Once you get your syrup home, why not try:

• Combining syrups to create unique flavors
• Using syrups as dessert toppings
• Adding syrups to smoothies
• Adding syrups to soda water
• Using syrups as a glaze for meat or vegetables (fruit-flavored syrups are nice for this)
• Adding syrups to a salad dressing or vinaigrette

** Flavored Coffee Beans **

From caramel, to pumpkin pie, gingerbread, cinnamon or butterscotch, there are an abundance of pre-flavored coffee beans to sample and enjoy. Beans are generally flavored using essential oils, plant derivatives and other aromatic flavorings. The flavors are mixed with warm beans straight out of the roaster to ensure as much flavor as possible is absorbed by the bean. Most flavoring is 3% w/w (weight to weight) which is 1/2oz of flavoring to 1lb of coffee.

Here are some tips to help you buy only the best flavored coffee beans:

• You can tell the freshness of flavored beans by their appearance. Freshly flavored beans will appear glossy - very oily and wet.
• Be sure you are buying from a reputable coffee roaster to ensure your beans and flavorings are of a high quality. Some roasters may be adding flavor to low-quality beans thinking that their low-quality will be disguised by the flavoring. (This is usually not very successful - a bit like trying to cover up bad dessert with sugary syrup.)

Here are some reasons why you might prefer to try pre flavored coffee beans over coffee syrups:

• Aroma - the combination of the aromatic flavoring and the aroma of the bean itself can be quite exquisite. About 76 percent of taste is experienced through the nose, so the aroma makes for much of the flavored coffee experience. Consider it a kind of coffee aromatherapy.
• Sugar-Free / Low-Carb - most pre flavored coffee beans are flavored without using sugar. Even so, if sugar is contained in the flavoring, the amount of sugar in the final product is negligible. Being sugar-free also gives you the freedom to use sweetener of your choice.

** Making Your Own Flavored Coffee **

An inexpensive and more body-friendly (i.e. no sugar, no preservatives, no artificial anythings) way of adding natural flavor to your beans is to fill an airtight container with freshly roasted, whole beans. To the container, try adding any one or more of the following:

• Whole vanilla bean(s)
• Cinnamon Stick(s)
• Cloves and Nutmeg (use sparingly)
• Cardamom
• Citrus Peel (lemon or orange)
• Mint Leaves
• Alternatively, a simple sprinkle of cinnamon, or a dash of liqueur (Amaretto, Irish Creme) after your coffee is brewed can add the hint of flavor you’ve been craving.

Ever wonder how coffee came to be. The story as I have heard it goes; a shepard was out one day tending his flock when the sheep began eating a new berry. The sheep quickly began to act strange and almost seemed hyperactive. The shepard being a bit weary himself thought he would try the berry and see what happened. He a short time latter found himself to be alert and energetic. The word about this mysterious berry got out to the local monks who after some careful study discovered coffee.

Have you ever wondered if keeping you awake is the only thing coffee can do? Asthma sufferers may find that the theophylline in coffee may reduce their symptoms. Theophylline is know to be a bronchodilator. Coffee may also help reduce the risk of colon cancer by keeping a body regular.

In the summer months iced coffee is a special treat. A way to use your left over coffee and to create a delightful beverage, make ice cubes. Pour your left over morning java into an ice cube tray and freeze. You can flavor your cubes with syrup or chocolate to sweeten the drink. When you are ready for your iced coffee just substitute the coffee cubes for regular ice cubes. Your beverage will stay chilled and your coffee will not become watered down.
http://www.gourmayeats.com

About the Author

Shauna Hanus is a gourmet cook who specializes in creating gourmet meal plans. She has extensive experience cooking with easy to find grocery items to create delightful gourmet meals. Her meal plans are easy to follow and pleasing to all who eat them.
http://www.gourmayeats.com

Choosing a good coffee maker is not a decision to be taken for granted. If you are going to spend money on your favorite coffee, you will want to make sure the coffee maker you choose is of good quality and has the features you want. The majority of coffee makers are generally quite good and you will notice no difference in the taste of your coffee from one brand to another. There are some basic features to look for when choosing a coffee maker and some luxury features that may give you a better tasting cup of coffee

The first decision you must make in choosing a coffee maker is what type of filter you would prefer. You can choose a basket type filter or a cone shaped filter, the difference in the two being different contact times between the coffee grounds and the water. A basket type filter seems to provide a longer contact time between the water and the coffee grounds, so if a basket filter is your preference, make sure you use coffee grounds that are fairly large. Cone type filters are generally less prone to spillage. If you are considering a gold tone filter, it will give your coffee a richer taste, but the upkeep may not be worth the small difference.

The color of your coffee maker is not a major concern, but keep in mind that if you choose a color that is pleasing to you, your coffee will seem to taste better. The only real issue involved in the color of your coffee maker is to remember that white stains easily and tends to look old rapidly. A dark color will look new a lot longer than a white coffee maker. Coffee makers with a pot that has a long neck will be harder to clean. If you cannot easily wash the coffee pot with soap and water, your coffee will taste stale over time due to the build up of residue that cannot be cleaned easily. Make sure your entire hand can fit inside the coffee pot to make cleaning easy.

Other than the basic features, which include color, filter, ease of cleaning, etc., there are some additional features that you may want to consider. If you don’t mind your coffee grounds being exposed to air overnight, a timer is a wonderful thing to have. Timers will allow you extra time in the mornings and if you choose a coffee maker with an attached grinder, the noise would probably eliminate your need for an alarm clock. A feature that is often overlooked is the shape of the housing around the coffee pot. Many manufacturers are making the housing larger so that the coffee in the pot stays hotter. The housing area in any good coffee maker should cover at least half of the coffee pot, the keep heat in.

In general, coffee that is freshly ground tastes better. Grinders that are attached to coffee makers are a bit of a hassle. They make the coffee maker harder to clean and the coffee beans are not always ground uniformly. If you want a coffee maker with an attached grinder, look for a burr grinder rather than a blade grinder. You may also want to look into a coffee maker with a built in water filtration system. Filtered water does tend to make the coffee taste better, but purchasing distilled or purified water can serve the purpose just as well as a built in water filtration system.

For the perfect pot of coffee, the water temperature needs to be around 200 degrees Fahrenheit. In general, the less expensive coffee makers do not reach this temperature. Most of the better brand names will advertise the temperature you can expect your coffee to reach while brewing. Choosing the right coffee maker is not easy. Make sure you purchase from well-known manufacturers. You will be able to find replacement parts and will be assured of an acceptable level of quality. Choose a coffee maker that meets your basic needs and any has additional features you desire.

About the Author

This article has been provided courtesy of Kitchen Junkie. Kitchen Junkie offers great kitchen articles available for reprint and other tools to help you get the best bargain on kitchen appliances and more.

I had the pleasure of trying two flavors of Gabby Goodies Perfect Pot Coffee from Patty King (http://www.mygabbygoodies.biz/501). They are called perfect pots because the packages contain the perfect amount of coffee for one pot. Of course, you can adjust the amount of coffee or water to meet your preference.
When I opened the package, the sweet smell of flavored coffee filled the room. The Cookies and Cream flavor is rich, with a nice aftertaste of cookies (without all of the calories!) The Almond Amaretto has a wonderful almond fragrance and a taste to match. I can imagine it would be great iced with some milk and maybe even a splash of Amaretto liqueur. Some flavored coffees I ve tried smell good, but the flavor doesn t make it through the brewing. If you like flavored coffee, I recommend trying Perfect Pot coffee from Gabby Goodies. The 2 oz. foil packets come in 19 flavors and some are available in decaf.
Gabby Goodies offers a whole range of gourmet goodies including coffee, tea, cocoa, cookies, mixes and dips. Browse around Patty s site at http://www.mygabbygoodies.biz/501 to take in the full line of products.

About the Author

Shannon Barnard is the owner of K9 Bytes, Inc. She makes gifts for pets and pet lovers including handcrafted dog and cat collars, leashes and treats. Visit her online at: http://www.k9bytesgifts.com

Today’s society is very familiar with fair trade coffee, yet it is unclear whether the true meaning behind the economic, environmental and social impact of purchasing and drinking it is understood. In order to comprehend the full impact fair trade coffee has on our society, one must learn what it means.

A small number of large corporations around the world control the production, trade, and retailing of goods and services. These large corporations firmly influence free trade, which has become the primary detriment to trading fairly. Through determination, these corporations have successfully convinced the world’s governments that loosening trade regulations and breaking down barriers to free trade will result in the rise of workers’ wages and benefits with the expanding foreign market.

The competition between large corporations to obtain control over the global market has resulted in reducing their cost by cutting jobs, wages, and benefits to workers. Corporate profits leaving the country rather than being reinvested locally hurts the workforce as well. Government and corporations have written several agreements to protect the intellectual and property rights of corporations. However, agreements to protect workers’ rights and the environment have yet to be enforced.

Coffee is a highly traded commodity in the world, second to oil. Over 25 million farmers and their families depend on it for a steady income. The fact that North American consumers pay $4 to $11 a pound for conventional coffee, which is the same coffee that is bought from coffee growers at $.80 per pound, clearly proves the coffee market is unfair. The involvement of the Fair Trade Organization has benefited these growers by helping them earn $1.12 to $1.26 per pound.

The Fair Trade Organization has been able to lower the cost by working directly with democratically run producer associations, worker-owned cooperatives, producers and growers. These efforts have resulted in the farmers and producers joining forces to achieve reduced costs, simplified credit access, fair pricing, fair working conditions and the ability to reinvest in the community.

Purchasing fair trade coffee means that you are giving a ‘voice’ to the coffee producers and farmers and empowering women and indigenous communities by returning the control of the coffee market into the their hands.

In comparing the cost of fair trade coffee to the traditional coffee, the elimination of the liaison between the growers has made the costs comparable. Even though the distribution costs of fair trade coffee is often higher in price than coffee purchased in the grocery store, the costs are equal to those of most gourmet coffees.

The controversy between corporations concerning equal pay and fair working conditions does not affect the high standards and quality of fair trade coffee. Coffee that is grown for the fair trade market receives a higher recognition in today’s market place. This is due to the coffee being developed organically (free from pesticides and herbicides). Consumers benefit from the indefinable reward of knowing their contribution helps the workers to defeat the corporations.

During your next visit to the grocery store, look for the Fair Trade Certified logo. This logo symbolizes that the Fair Trade Federation (FTF), which upholds the fair trade standards by requiring its members to meet strict criteria in order to achieve fair trade status, has licensed the product. Encourage your friends, family, and co-workers to purchase fair trade coffee on their next trip to the market. From the grower to the consumer, we all receive the benefits that fair trade brings to the community.

Gourmet Coffee Beans

You can be a coffee lover without knowing much about coffee beans, but learning a little bit about the different types of coffee can help you get the perfect cup every time. There are many types of gourmet coffee beans. The way they have been grown in processed has a huge effect on their taste. Here’s a little bit of information for getting the best from your gourmet coffee beans.

Coffee is a common agricultural product of many tropical countries. There are two main species of coffee plant Arabica and Robusta. Gourmet coffee beans are mostly Arabica because of their superior flavor and smoothness. Many blends, however, include Robusta coffee beans to give an edge to the coffee.

After the coffee is picked, it must be roasted. Roasting makes the green coffee beans expand in size and changes their color to a light to dark brown. Lighter roasts reveal more of the flavor of gourmet coffee beans, while darker roasts take on the flavor of the roasting process itself. After roasting the coffee should be kept in vacuum packed containers to minimize flavor loss.

Gourmet coffee beans must be ground to the correct fineness to bring out the most taste. Generally speaking, a fine grind will result in a full-bodied cup of coffee, but coarse grinds are used when making coffee with coarse filters like the French cafetiere.

Once the coffee has been ground, there are many ways to brew a cup of coffee. No matter whether you prefer espresso, drip, perked, or pressed, you need to start with high-quality gourmet coffee beans to get a good cup of coffee.

You can buy gourmet coffee beans in many types of blends. Most blends are a mixture of dark and light roast coffee beans and can be ground to suit the type of coffee maker you use. Freshness is important when making good-quality coffee. Fresh ground coffee beans will give you the best tasting cup of coffee.

About the Author

Ross is author of
the Coffee
Specials and Gourmet Basket section at Steaks-Guide.com

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world. It’s rich, full-bodied taste is a daily necessity to millions of people. Of course, coffee is not only loved for its taste. The caffeine kick is needed by many to start the day. But if you are a true coffee lover, fresh gourmet coffee has a taste that can’t be beat.

Luckily, it’s easy to get a hit of fresh gourmet coffee almost everywhere. There are coffee shops on almost every street corner and quality coffee beans are sold in many specialty shops as well as supermarkets.

Fresh is the key to fresh gourmet coffee. Coffee simply does not improve with age — it should be used within six months of production. Some of the large coffee distributors include old coffee beans in their mixes to reduce the cost. Needless to say, this practice also reduces the flavor.

Fresh gourmet coffee costs a bit more than regular supermarket coffee. That’s because it’s made from high quality Arabica coffee that has been hand-picked in processed. Commercial grade coffee is made from the cheaper Robusta coffee which has an inferior taste and texture than Arabica.

Commercial grade coffee is also machine picked and processed which means that foreign substances such as twigs and leaves find their way into the finished product. When you buy fresh gourmet coffee, you are assured of the quality and taste.

You have many choices when it comes to fresh gourmet coffee. Each coffee growing region produces a uniquely flavored coffee bean and the processing method to also determines the final taste of the coffee. The roasting method in particular determines the kind of coffee taste.

Fresh gourmet coffee should be ground just before brewing. You need a coffee grinder in your home if you want to the best tasting coffee possible. A good-quality coffee maker is also a necessity when making great tasting coffee.

About the Author

Ross is author of
the Coffee
Specials and Gourmet Basket section at Steaks-Guide.com

*******Don Veitia recipe***********

Don Veitia Dolce Cafe
Delightful sweet coffee

1 oz. of espresso Don Veitia
oz. of caramel syrup
1 table spoon of sweet condensed milk
3 oz. of steamed milk

Mix the espresso Don Veitia with the caramel syrup and the table spoon of sweet condensed milk. And finally fill the rest of with steamed milk.
You will delight with a sweet and tasty gourmet Don Veitia Coffee.

About the Author

None