In Italy, there are just about as many kinds of coffee as there are kinds of pasta. Maybe there should be a required course about Italian coffee before a passport is accepted. There are many coffees as well as many coffee traditions in Italy, and unless you want to be labeled a maleducato (a rude or ill-mannered person), you need to know that it is ESPRESSO and not EXPRESSO (an expresso is a fast train).

If you want to have a little fun, you can ask a group of Italians how to make a perfect cup of stovetop espresso. Then you can just sit back and watch the fur fly, so to speak. You can bet the discussion will be a little more than just heated. Every one in the group will have their own individual method for making that perfect cup of stovetop espresso.

There are so many types of espresso machines that it is difficult to keep track. There are automatic espresso makers, pump-driven espresso machines, lever piston espresso machines, and, of course, the classic aluminum espresso coffee maker (a moka pot or The Moka Express). That one was invented back in the 1930s.

But we have only begun to scratch the surface of Italian coffee here. The choices of the kind of coffee to order at what time of day and under what circumstances can be more confusing that a Starbucks menu. Usually coffee is only served with breakfast. At other meals, coffee is ordered after the meal is over and you should never order an espresso after a meal. It is correct to simply order "a coffee, please." If you are brushing up on your Italian that would be, "un caff่, per favore."

Coffee and all of the traditions associated with the drinking of coffee are an important part of Italy. You need to know before you go.

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The aroma of freshly ground coffee beans is like no other aroma on earth. It is almost intoxicating, and certainly warm and inviting. That aroma that has an underlying nutty essence is unquestionably one of the most pleasant odors on earth.

That wonderful aroma is likely one of the reasons that so many people now own coffee bean grinders and grind their own beans to make every pot of coffee.

Grinding coffee isn't a new thing. In the old days, people actually used a bowl and pestle to grind coffee as well as wheat and corn. Using a bowl and a pestle to grind coffee required muscle power and time…a lot of time. As mankind got smarter, hand grinders were invented that made the task of grinding coffee much less physically challenging as well as quicker.

Manual coffee grinders were used for many, many years. In most of the old western shoot-em-ups, if you look closely at the general-store scenes you will be able to spot an old-fashioned manual coffee grinder.

Mankind continued to progress. Electricity was harnessed and, of course, coffee grinders became electrified. The old-fashioned hand grinders and the more modern electric grinders operated on basically the same principle. There are two plates. One plate is stationary while the other plate is moveable. Coffee beans are routed between the plates and crushed or ground.

The best of the modern coffee grinders still operate on that same basic principle, but now the plates have burrs, which make the coffee grounds uniform in size. Burr coffee grinders are the best kind to buy, but they aren't the only choice today.

There are coffee grinders that use blades that chop and re-chop coffee beans until they are chopped fine. The burr coffee grinders produce coffee that is more uniform than the blade coffee grinders.

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Every morning sunrise in America means that coffee is being brewed in almost every kitchen across this great country. Coffee is the traditional morning drink for the greatest majority of American citizens. The coffee that is brewed each morning is just coffee. There isn't anything exotic about it.

The coffee is usually made from coffee that has been purchased at the local supermarket. It is most often made in automatic drip coffee makers, but there are still a few of us who use percolators. We don't want anybody to do anything exotic to that first cup of morning coffee, but as the day progresses, we get more adventuresome and we like to try "stuff" that will make coffee more interesting.

Syrups are available in some really exotic flavors that can be added to a plain cup of coffee to give some added body, zest, and interest. You can purchase syrups in such exotic flavors as pumpkin pie, lavender, Granny Smith apple, and a whole host of other flavors, some of which are exotic and some are not. You can get vanilla and chocolate, too.

The makers of powdered coffee creamers are jumping onto the exotic coffee drinking band wagon as well. You can now purchase flavored powdered coffee creamers in a variety of flavors that will add zest and imagination to that plain cup of coffee.

Even the instant coffee makers want to get in on the act. You can purchase instant coffee in a variety of very exotic flavors, and these instant coffees can be

It isn't wise to fool around with that first cup of morning coffee, but after that, all bets are off. You can now make a plain cup of coffee as exotic as your taste buds will allow.

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You might have visions of Mardi Gras and Bourbon Street when you think about coffee with chicory. The coffee served in New Orleans and all of south Florida comes in two flavors; with and without chicory. The coffee is always strong, and only tourists add anything to the coffee. It is usually served in demitasse cups (4 ounces).

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Some people mistakenly believe that the coffee with chicory is stronger and bitterer tasting than coffee without chicory, but that is a misconception. Chicory makes the coffee blacker, but it does not make it stronger or bitterer. Actually, the chicory makes the coffee a little less bitter and a tad sweeter.


Chicory leaves have long been used as a salad green all over the country. They have a distinctive and pleasant taste and add another dimension to green salads that many people find very enjoyable. Chicory root is the part of the plant that is used to make the chicory that is used in coffee. It is kiln-dried and ground. Chicory has no caffeine, and coffee that contains chicory actually has less caffeine than coffee without caffeine.

The people in south Louisiana didn't discover chicory. Chicory has been around for more than 4,000 years. It is mentioned in writings dated to the days of Cleopatra and Napoleon. These ancient writings praise chicory and extol its medicinal properties. It is said to work wonders on the digestive tract and digestive tract problems. The governor of Massachusetts introduced chicory to the colonies back in 1785, and it quickly became a very common household item. It was used to make a drink that was hot, and it was also used as a vegetable that was served either hot or cold.


Chicory in coffee is most often associated with south Louisiana, but chicory has been used for many purposes and it still is being used today.

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If coffee is what turns you on, you might be interested in joining one of the many, many coffee clubs that are offered on the Internet. Or, if you know someone who really, really enjoys their coffee and has adventurous taste buds, you might consider giving them a coffee club membership as a gift for Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day or Father's Day.

There are several "coffee of the month" clubs that are available. There are gourmet coffee clubs, as well as flavored coffee clubs. You can even hoose specialized coffee gift baskets for the real coffee connoisseurs on your gift list.

Many different kinds of coffees are sent out each month to coffee club members. Depending upon the kind of coffee club membership, coffees that might be the "coffee of the month" are:

Cinnamon or American Roasts: These coffees are made with lightly roasted coffee beans. The longer beans are roasted, the more volume that they lose, so Cinnamon or American Roasts are the least expensive coffees to produce.

City Roast: This kind of coffee is made from beans that are the very lightest roast. City Roast coffees are a tiny bit acidic, but the bean flavor is still fully realized.

Full City Roast: This kind of coffee is made from beans that have been roasted longer. They are darker than City Roast coffees and have a kind of caramel taste.

French Roast: These beans are roasted a very long time. All of the acidity has been removed, and there is a burned taste which many people like. (Think south Louisiana.)

Italian Espresso Roast: This is the darkest possible roast. The beans are actually burned to a crisp. Italian Espresso Roasts are used for making espresso and cappuccino.

Those are the roasts. Many flavors can be added to each of them to make different and unusual coffees.

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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 of the taste goes with it. Coffee that has had its caffeine removed is called "decaffeinated," or "decaf."

There are at present two basic ways in which caffeine is removed from coffee. The two processes for decaffeination are known as (1) European Process; and (2) Swiss Water Process.

The European Process uses methylene chloride to wash the coffee beans. The chemicals absorb the caffeine. The beans are then washed to remove the chemical, roasted, and ground. The European Process actually leaves more flavor in the coffee beans, but there are those (surprise) who object to the use of chemicals.

The Swiss Water Process for removing caffeine from coffee beans is a multi-step process that only uses water and steam. The Swiss Water Process, however, removes more than just the caffeine from coffee beans. Many of the oils are also lost in the process, and the coffee made from beans that have been decaffeinated using the Swiss Water Process is pretty much tasteless.

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There was a fellow that I talked to not long ago that I hadn't seen in a good many years. The first thing that he said to me was, "I remember a cup of coffee that I had at your house about twenty years ago. It was the best cup of coffee that I have ever had in my life!" Of all the things that he could have said, that would have been my last guess. But that is exactly what he said.

There are a few basics that go into making a perfect cup of coffee. First your coffee maker must be kept clean. Making coffee time after time after time without cleaning the coffee maker will make the coffee bitter. All coffee makers must be cleaned regularly -- both drip makers and percolators.

There are two ways to clean coffee makers. The first way is that after every pot of coffee, the coffee maker needs to be rinsed with a little baking soda and water. Then it needs to be rinsed several more times to be sure that the soda residue is completely rinsed away.

Occasionally, a coffee maker needs to be cleaned with cream of tarter. If you have a percolator, put a teaspoon of cream of tarter into the basket with a filter, plug it in, and let it go through the whole coffee-making cycle. If you have an automatic drip pot, put a teaspoon of cream of tarter into coffee basket with a filter, as well as a teaspoon of cream of tarter into the pot, and let it run through the entire coffee-making cycle.

Another secret to a perfect cup of coffee is that the water that you use should be of the bottled variety, unless you are blessed with really good tap water. The chlorine and other chemicals in tap water do affect the taste of coffee.

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People in groups of two, three, or more stroll into coffee shops all across America and utter the phrase, "Just coffee, please" as they take their seats, open their newspapers, or converse with one another. The message that they are conveying is that they don't need a menu, and that they won't be ordering food of any kind. They simply want a cup of coffee.

These folks expect that they will be served a good cup of coffee, and that makes the coffee bean growers, those who harvest the coffee beans, those who transport the coffee beans, those who roast the coffee beans, and those who grind the coffee beans and package the coffee all smile with satisfaction at a job well done, and proves yet again that they all have job security. People drink coffee and they will keep right on drinking coffee.

The process of producing good coffee beans to getting those coffee beans made into coffee and into the cup of a coffee drinker is a long and arduous task that involves a great many people. Coffee is big business…very big business.

Coffee trees thrive only in sheltered, mountainous, subtropical climates. Coffee trees are temperamental -- they must be shaded by larger trees to protect them, and their tender fruit and coffee beans must be harvested by hand. Harvesting coffee beans is a back-breaking job that can only be done by people who can tell a ripe coffee bean from an unripe coffee bean. Ripe coffee beans must be picked, and green coffee beans must be left undisturbed so that they continue the ripening process and can be picked later.

Coffee beans must be carefully handled during transportation to avoid bruising the beans. Roasting must be done under very controlled conditions and grinding under conditions that are equally well controlled.

Think about that the next time that you say, "Just coffee, please."

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When I think of a cup of coffee (which is often), two pictures come to mind. The first is me pouring my first cup of coffee out of my automatic coffee maker first thing in the morning, and the other is a picture of the waitress at my favorite coffee shop handing me a cup of coffee over the counter. There isn't anything fancy about the coffee in either situation. It is coffee….good, hot coffee.

However, I have discovered that coffee doesn't have to always be just plain coffee. Plain coffee is terrific, but you can make coffee as fancy as you want to make it.

For example, hot coffee in cold weather is great, but hot coffee in hot weather isn't. Iced coffee in hot weather is better…much better. The trick to making good iced coffee is to brew the coffee well in advance. Let it cool to room temperature and then refrigerate it in a very tightly sealed container until you are ready to serve it.

But wait…you can make it even better by using one of the many flavored syrups that are on the market that are specifically made for use in coffee (either hot coffee or iced coffee). These flavored syrups can be purchased in regular flavors like vanilla, chocolate, and the usual fruit and nut flavors, but they can also be purchased in some really exotic flavors as well. Flavored syrups like lavender, gingerbread, Granny Smith apple, eggnog, pumpkin pie, and cheesecake are available.

You can also add flavored whipped cream to coffee that really gives the coffee a festive air and a different taste. Flavored whipped cream recipes are available free all over the Internet, and flavored whipped cream can be purchased as well.

Coffee is great as just plain coffee, but coffee with a twist can be fun and interesting.

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Now, when your feet first touch the floor in the morning and you are groggily making your way to the coffee pot, you probably aren't thinking about where coffee came from or who discovered the magic stuff. But the origins of coffee are really rather interesting, and after you have finished that first cup, you might like to know how it happened that you have a cup of coffee to get your day started off right. There are several versions of how coffee was discovered.

One story is that a sheep herder from Caffa Ethopia named Kaldi noticed that when his sheep ate red "cherries" from a certain plant, they became very active. The sheep would have been bouncing off the walls, had there been walls. The sheep herder decided to try the "cherries" himself and soon he was as hyper as his herd of sheep. A monk came along and scolded Kaldi for "partaking of the devil's fruit," but then the monks discovered that the red "cherries" helped them to stay awake while they were saying prayers.

This isn't the only story about the origin of coffee, though. There is another story about an Arabian, Omar, who was banished to the desert along with his followers to "die from starvation." There was nothing to eat in the desert, and Omar and his followers were sure to die. Then, in an act of desperation, Omar ordered his followers to boil the fruit from an unknown plant and eat it. The fruit and the broth saved their lives and it was considered a miracle from God. The residents of the nearest town, Mocha, were awed by the miracle, and the plant and the beverage were named Mocha to honor the event.

Take you pick…both stories are great. Originally the coffee plant grew in Ethiopia (Ethopia), but once it was transplanted to Arabia, it was claimed by them.

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Grinding one's own coffee beans is quickly becoming a part of the American version of the coffee drinking experience. The choices for coffee grinders available for purchase is mind-boggling, so you really do need to know a few things about coffee grinders before you purchase one of your very own.

The earliest version of coffee grinding was done with a bowl and a pestle. The beans were roasted first, then they were placed in a bowl and crushed or ground with a pestle. Then things got mechanized, and changed quickly when coffee grinders that were hand-cranked came into being. If you have ever watched old western movies, there is always a hand-cranked coffee grinder in the local general store.

Then along came electricity, and things just got easier. The first electrified coffee grinders actually operated on the same principle as the hand-cranked version. There were basically two flat plates (one stationary and the other moving) that the coffee beans were crushed between. Things have gotten better since then although the principle remains basically unchanged -- only improved upon.

Today, you can buy coffee grinders with blades that simply chop the beans into fine particles. However, these particles are not of identical size. These blade-type coffee grinders can be bought for as little as $20, but they are not the best choice.

The best choice for a coffee grinder is a "burr" grinder. The burr coffee grinders operate on the same basic principle as the old hand-cranked coffee grinders in that there are two plates. However, these plates have burrs on them, and the coffee particles of beans that have been ground in a burr grinder are all of identical size. Burr grinders are, of course, more expensive, but they are much better coffee grinders.

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To give your coffee some zing and more body, or just to add a surprise flavor to a cup of coffee, you might want to try some of the many choices of flavored coffee syrups that are on the market today. Coffee no longer has to be plain coffee. It can be flavored almost any way any body could possibly want.

There are flavored coffee syrups available in all of the flavors that you might expect; chocolate, vanilla, various fruits and nuts. But then there are flavored coffee syrups available in some flavors that you might never expect, like Granny Smith Apple, lavender, gingerbread, eggnog, cheesecake, or pumpkin spice, just to name a few.

Do you have to watch your diet? No problem, you can still enjoy many of the flavored coffee syrups on the market because they come in sugar-free and even low-carb varieties.

If you are very creative or really into the flavored coffee syrup thing, you can even make your own flavored coffee syrup. The syrups that you make can be used in coffee, of course, but they can also be used to make shakes, smoothies, or over ice cream as a dessert. You can find recipes for flavored coffee syrup all over the Internet. Here is one example of a flavored coffee syrup that you can make at home:

Stir together until fully blended:

1 ฝ cups of sugar

1 cup of powdered cocoa

1/8 teaspoon of salt

Gradually add 1 cup of water to the mixture stirring constantly. Don't beat the mixture. Simply stir it until it is blended completely.

Then heat this mixture until it comes to a full boil and boil it for a full three minutes. You must stir constantly to prevent lumping. Now, remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool, then add two teaspoons of vanilla flavoring and store it in the refrigerator.

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Here is some really, really good news for all of us coffee drinkers! There is very real and reliable scientific information that suggests that coffee drinkers are less likely (far less likely) to suffer from Alzheimer's disease or dementia than non coffee drinkers.

So, the next time somebody tells you that coffee is going to give you ulcers (or some other nonsense), just tell them that you are drinking coffee for the medicinal purpose of preventing Alzheimer's disease, and that you can prove it.

The first known study of determining whether coffee drinking could prevent Alzheimer's disease was conducted in Portugal in 2002. The researchers set out to discover whether the caffeine in coffee could prevent or delay the degeneration of the brain that occurs before Alzheimer's is diagnosed. They chose 54 patients who already had Alzheimer's disease for the study. The researchers discovered that the caffeine in coffee was a significant factor in reducing the onset of the disease as well as the progression of the disease.

Another study in Berlin failed to find that the caffeine in coffee prevented Alzheimer's, but it did establish that possibility of a link between caffeine consumption and overall neurological health.

The largest study about the relationship between drinking coffee and preventing Alzheimer's was done in Canada. The Canadian Study of Health and Aging studied more than 6,000 people over the age of 65. It was found that consuming coffee was a significant factor in reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Granted, none of the studies to date firmly establish that coffee drinking can prevent Alzheimer's disease altogether, but there is enough positive information to warrant more studies be conducted in the future, and also to hand some valuable ammunition to coffee drinkers around the world.

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Calculating what the actual cost of a cup of coffee is ranks right up there with the necessary mathematical challenges of quantum physics. You might not have even considered what the price of a cup of coffee that you brew at home actually costs.

You don't buy the makings for your coffee by the cup. You buy a pound (we still say a "pound" of coffee even though that "pound" is now 13 ounces rather than 16 ounces) of coffee at your local supermarket. You take it home and store it, and then you make pots of coffee using the ground coffee, but you drink that coffee by the cup -- not by the pot or by the pound or even by the ounce.

So what is the real cost of a cup of coffee that you make at home? I have no idea, and you probably don't, either. The first consideration is the kind and brand of coffee that you buy. Then you must consider the strength of the coffee that you brew (the stronger the coffee, the more coffee grounds must be used).

Next, you have to consider waste. How many cups out of a pot of coffee are drank, and how many end up being poured down the kitchen sink?

Wait a second, Mr. Math Genius -- that isn't all. Now you need to consider the cost of the fuel that was used to make the pot of coffee, and divide that by the number of cups in the pot, and don't forget to include waste in the equation. How about the wear and tear on the coffee maker? Those things don't last forever, you know.

The fact is, we are probably going to drink that cup of morning coffee (and maybe a lot of others) no matter what the cost of it turns out to be. The truth is that the cost of the coffee that you buy at your local grocery store is going to vary from week to week, depending upon the supply-and-demand theory of economics. So just go pour yourself a cup of coffee and don't worry about it.

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There are people who have serious stomach and/or digestive tract problems who have not been able to enjoy coffee or the health benefits that are provided by coffee. Decaffeinated coffee is not an answer for people who suffer from heartburn, acid reflux, interstitial cystitis, stomach upset, and indigestion on a regular basis.

Caffeine isn't the problem for these people. The problem is the acid that is naturally present in coffee.

Removing the acid from coffee without removing the taste has been a problem. Either additives have been required that made the coffee taste bad, or an extraction process had to be used that left the coffee tasteless. Today, however, through good research and development, there are low-acid coffees on the market that most people who suffer with ulcers, heartburn, acid reflux, interstitial cystitis, stomach upset, and indigestion can tolerate just fine. Once again, they can enjoy a good cup of coffee without hurting their sensitive tummies. Now, that is good news!

Low-acid coffee is considered a premium or gourmet coffee, however, and the prices are reflective of that status. You aren't likely to find low-acid coffee on the shelves of your local grocery store or at your local discount store. You will have to purchase low-acid coffee either from a real-world coffee specialty shop or order it online from one of the many distributors.

All of the acids are not removed from low-acid coffees. There are good acids that are left untouched. Low acid coffees are LOW in acid but not acid free. The acids that aid in digestion and the ones that give coffee its unique flavor are left alone.

Low-acid coffee that tastes great and still provides all of the known health benefits of coffee is worth the added cost, however. Once again, those who suffer from stomach-related health problems can enjoy coffee.

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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 will need to have some good information before you buy. It might even be a good idea to buy a "variety" package that includes several different gourmet coffees and give yourself the opportunity to try before you buy.

Some gourmet coffees have very high acidity. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Only your taste buds can decide. Some people prefer high acidity coffee, while others do not. Is the acidity a good thing or a bad thing? Well, some say that acidity causes stomach problems, and others say that the acidity is what makes the coffee a cancer fighter of the first order and what gives it the unique taste.

Some gourmet coffees, particularly those from the islands, have an earthy taste that isn't present in coffees from other regions. Some coffees, particularly those from Jamaica, are so smooth they make you want to cry. It all depends on your own individual likes and dislikes.

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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 the coffee maker is an automatic drip coffee maker, a percolator, a fancy espresso machine, or a plain pot that will be heated over a campfire to make river coffee. The cleanliness of the coffee maker has a great deal to do with the quality of the coffee that is made. Coffee makers can be cleaned with baking soda, cream of tarter, of any of the commercially sold coffee maker cleaners that are available on the market today.

The second factor for making a good cup of coffee is the water that is used at the beginning of the coffee-brewing process. Most all of the water that is delivered through a tap has been treated with several chemicals. These chemicals affect the taste of brewed coffee. Use bottled water to make your next pot of coffee. You will be amazed at the improved taste.

The third factor for making a good cup of coffee is the ratio of coffee grounds to water. Remember that the more grounds that you use per cup of water, the stronger the coffee will be. Strength of coffee is a personal choice, so a little experimentation might be in order.

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You can find those on both sides of this issue. Is coffee a weight loss help, or a weight loss hindrance? On the one hand, coffee is a stimulant and it is addictive. There are those who even call coffee a drug. These are people who are firmly against the use of anything that could remotely be called addictive or a stimulant. They advocate abstinence from practically everything.

On the other side of this coffee and weight loss issue, you will find those who point out that there are no calories, no carbohydrates, and no fat in a cup of black coffee. Coffee has a satisfying taste that one can enjoy guilt free. These people agree that coffee is a stimulant, but they see that as a good thing. Coffee is recognized by many as a very natural appetite suppressant, which is an extremely desirable quality for those who are trying to lose some unwanted pounds.

Coffee as it comes from the pot is all natural, without any calories, carbohydrates, or fat at all. However, if you start adding "stuff" to it, like sugar, heavy cream, coffee-flavoring syrups, etc., these sterling diet qualities are lost. If you order a double latte at Starbucks, for example, you will blow your diet big time no matter whether you are counting calories, carbohydrates, or fat grams.

If you can drink coffee black or with an artificial no-calorie sweetener, then coffee can actually be a very good aid to your weight loss efforts. You will get a boast of energy and a natural appetite suppressant along with it. If, on the other hand, you insist on adding several spoons of sugar and a big gulp of heavy cream, you should probably scratch coffee off your allowed food and drink list.

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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 a particular smell of an American coffee shop that you will find in no other place on earth. It is impossible to describe this unique smell accurately. There is, of course, the smell of coffee, and maybe that is the predominate smell; but it certainly isn't the only one. Underlying the smell of the coffee is the smell that cannot be described, but that you recognize immediately when you walk into an American coffee shop. The smell is clean, warm, and welcoming and like no other.

The local coffee shop is where life happens, whether the "local" is in a big city or in a small town. People arrange to meet at the local coffee shop…lovers, business associates, friends, etc. Everybody knows where the local coffee shop is, and that it is "neutral" territory and a natural gathering and meeting place.

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"Wake up and smell the coffee" was a phrase that was made famous by the late newspaper columnist, Ann Landers. She used the phrase so often that she even shortened it to WUASTC. Ms. Landers used the phrase to mean that the reader should pay attention to the obvious or take note of facts that were right under their nose.

The fact is, though, that the aroma of coffee is one that most Americans wake up to every day of the year. Brewing and drinking coffee is the first order of business for most of us. We wake up and we WANT to smell the coffee sooner rather than later.

There are many people who say that coffee smells better than it tastes. Well, maybe they have a point…at least some of the time. Making good coffee is part science and part art and everybody doesn't get it right. In fact, very few people really get it right. But I love my coffee and if it came down to me having to choose only one of my many vises that I could keep, I would choose coffee drinking hands down.

I have had just about every kind of coffee known to man…and I must say that I have rarely met a coffee I didn't like. The first cup of coffee I ever had was a cup of river coffee when I was about ten years old, and since then I've tried just about every other kind; espresso, latte, French press, flavored with all kinds of exotic things, plain, with sugar and without…and I liked all of them.

The aroma of coffee brewing cannot be described. There aren't any words that can convey the essence of the aroma. It smells like every morning of your childhood did. It smells like the promise that today holds.

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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 and our friendship were nearing the breaking point; there really wasn't much doubt about it.

On Thursday morning, I took the boys to the "Mother's Day Out" program at a nearby local church for the morning. It was my neighbor's turn to drive, but I offered to run the "taxi" service and she accepted.

When I returned from dropping the boys off, I looked across the street at my neighbor's house, and it had the deserted look that most homes have during midwinter. In fact, it looked sad. I looked at the pile of laundry that was waiting for my attention. I looked at the as-yet-unmade beds. Then I looked at my coffee maker and made the decision. I picked up the phone and called my neighbor.

I said, "I know we both have a long list of things that we need to do while the little darlings are gone, but how about coming over for a cup of coffee?" She was there almost before I had time to hang up the phone. We drank a cup of coffee, and we talked about how we were both so tired of being cooped up with rowdy kids. We laughed and we cried, and we mended our broken fences and saved our friendship -- all over one simple cup of coffee.

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There are people out there who really prefer to roast their own coffee beans at home rather than buying coffee that is already ground and ready to put into a coffee maker. These people swear that home-roasted coffee beans make a far superior cup of coffee than any pre-roasted and pre-ground coffee bean ever dreamed of.

Coffee beans can certainly be roasted using a regular stove or even a popcorn popper, but if you are serious about roasting your own coffee beans at home, you should probably invest in a coffee-roasting machine. You will have far better control of the temperature and other conditions.

The prices of coffee bean roasters seems to range from a low of about $70 to a high of about $595. The smallest and least expensive coffee roaster will only roast enough green coffee beans to make one 10-cup pot of coffee at a time. The most expensive coffee-roasting machine that I located would roast about nine ounces of green coffee beans at a time.

There are varying aspects of coffee-roasting machines that you will want to consider before you purchase one. For example, you will want to know just how long it will take to roast coffee beans, how many coffee beans can be roasted at a time, and how much control you will have over how long the beans are roasted. Some coffee roasting machines (the more expensive ones) will give you greater control over the coffee bean roasting process than the less expensive ones.

However, before you invest any big bucks in a coffee roasting machine, it would probably be an excellent idea to start out with the least expensive variety and work your way up.

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Buying a new coffee maker (they used to call them coffee pots) was a simple matter many years ago. You simply went to the local hardware store, told them you wanted a new coffee pot, and they showed you the 2 or 3 choices that were available. There was a drip pot and a percolator pot (large or small). They were serving espresso and cappuccino in Italy, but I had certainly never heard of it when I was a child, and I'm sure that my parents or my grandparents wouldn't have had a clue what either was.

Oh, and there was nothing automatic about making coffee or the coffee pot except for the schedule. Coffee was made first thing in the morning and again about mid-afternoon and Mama made both pots by boiling the water and pouring it into the top of the coffee pot.

Today buying a coffee MAKER is a little harder. First, you need to know what size coffee maker that will best suit your needs. You can buy them from a small 4-cup size to a large 12-cup size, and there are choices in between those extremes. You also must decide just how many features that you want your new coffee maker to have. There are simple coffee makers that have just an on/off switch, and then there are coffeemakers that have a lot of buttons, switches, dials, and options. They can launch spacecraft from NASA with fewer controls.

You will need to know whether you want an automatic drip coffee maker, an automatic percolator, or a cappuccino machine as well. There are a LOT of other choices in coffee makers. Do you want a free-standing automatic coffee maker or an under-the-counter style? Decisions, decisions!

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Tea was the drink of choice for most queens of old, while mead was the choice of kings. It wasn't until early in the 15th century that coffee was even a choice in most of the civilized countries of the world. But once coffee became a choice, it quickly became first choice.

The next time you are sipping a cup of coffee, you can remember that you are in very good company. Almost every American president has been a coffee drinker. The list of coffee lovers includes both the famous and the infamous.

Coffee is the most served beverage in America today. It is served at breakfast and dinner tables in homes all across this great country as well as in roadside cafes, the fanciest of restaurants, and in the chambers of judges and the offices of presidents. Those who do not drink coffee are a decided minority.

Today, the kings and queens of commerce are almost all coffee drinkers. Coffee has been hailed as a healthy drink, and it has suffered slings and arrows as a detriment to our health. It all depends on what "study" is being quoted. And yet, we still drink our coffee.

Fortunes have been made (and lost) in the coffee industry. Coffee futures are traded on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Coffee is a beverage that is near and dear to the hearts of both the rich and the poor, the haves and the have-nots. Starting a day with a cup of coffee is practically a universal ritual in America and around the world.

The lowly coffee bean has a lot of power! It is only right that we speak about kings and queens and coffee beans.

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Organically grown coffee is said to taste better. Coffee that is grown organically has not been subjected to chemicals of any kind. No artificial fertilizers have been used, and no toxic bug sprays have been applied. For those who are concerned about our environment, organically grown coffee is the only reasonable choice.

When coffee is grown organically, it is just so much better for the coffee farm land as well as for all of the land that surrounds the coffee farm. Water quality is improved for the entire area where organic coffee farms operate.

Of course, buying organic coffee can be a real challenge for organic coffee producing companies. Most coffee farms grow their coffee beans with the help of fertilizers and pesticides. Organic coffee farms are small and usually family operated or are cooperatively owned farms where income as well as tools, mills, mulches, and organic methods of raising organic coffee beans are shared. The idea of organically grown coffee beans is to produce higher quality coffee beans that simply produce a better tasting cup of coffee.

Organically grown coffee beans are raised in the shade. A lot of shade over the coffee trees produced by larger trees that actually make a canopy above the coffee trees means that the sun can't bleach out the nutrients that are naturally in the coffee beans. It also helps to prevent pests and prevents the depletion of the topsoil.

Those who are not very concerned about the environment still look for coffee that has been made from organically grown coffee beans for one very simple reason. The entire organic process means that the coffee beans will simply produce a better tasting cup of coffee, and a better tasting cup of coffee is a universal pursuit of happiness.

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I have a dotty old uncle who lives alone and drinks his coffee right out of the coffee pot. He doesn't bother to pour his coffee into a cup…maybe washing a coffee cup just makes more work…who knows?

Most people, however, prefer to drink their coffee out of a coffee cup or a coffee mug. It is the civilized thing to do.

When people buy place settings of fine china of just a set of everyday dishes, the thing that determines their choice is the shape and size of the cup. After all, plates, bread plates, soup or cereal bowls, saucers, and other pieces in a place setting or set of dishes are all pretty much the same. They may come in varying sizes and the patterns are different, but still they are all basically the same design. Only the cups are different. The size and shape of the cup and the handles on the cups is most often the determining factor is the selection of dinner ware.

There are different coffee cups for serving different coffees, as well. Most "regular" coffee cups hold between 6 and 8 ounces of coffee. But there are demitasse cups that only hold between 2 and 4 ounces and big coffee mugs that hold up to 20 ounces. Latte coffee cups must be large enough to hold the frothy milk.

Coffee cups can be purchased separately, or as part of a set of dishes or a piece in a place setting of china. Coffee cups don't all have handles either. There are double-walled cups without handles that are used to serve espresso or cappuccino.

The thickness of the wall of the coffee cup is the determining factor of how long coffee will stay hot in a coffee cup. Remember those old thick-walled white cups of roadside coffee house fame? Coffee would stay hot in those things all the way through the eating of a meal and beyond. On the other hand, coffee in a delicate fine china cup will only stay hot a very few minutes.

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It all depends on what "study" you choose to believe whether coffee (caffeine) is a good thing for the body or pure poison. Personally, I've decided to believe those "studies" that say coffee is a good thing…a VERY good thing.

I like coffee…no, that isn't exactly accurate….I LOVE my coffee!

The fact is that there is caffeine in a lot of things other than coffee. There is caffeine in tea, and there is caffeine in many sodas as well as in chocolate….and I am sure not going to give up chocolate! So just giving up coffee won't mean that you have given up caffeine. Caffeine is actually the only active ingredient in coffee. There are no calories and no carbohydrates in a cup of black coffee.

Caffeine is a stimulant. There isn't much doubt about that one. If you have a cup of coffee right before bed, you will certainly have difficulty falling asleep -- at least that is true for most people. A cup of coffee first thing in the morning certainly wakes you up and gets you going! That afternoon cup of coffee picks you up.

Coffee is said to be addictive, and maybe that is true. People who suddenly stop their usual daily intake of caffeine in whatever form will suffer from withdrawal symptoms. Headache is the most common symptom of caffeine withdrawal, but caffeine withdrawal can also put a big dent in your sweet disposition. People who are withdrawing from caffeine are just plain grouchy.

The caffeine in coffee has both positive and negative effects on the human body. The positive effects are that it relieves boredom, decreases depression, increases alertness, increases physical stamina, and increases performance on boring or repetitive tasks. The negative effects of caffeine on the human body are that it increases nervousness, affects sleep, and increases jaw tension.

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Remember the old movie, "Cheaper by the Dozen"? The point was that quantity cut costs. Well, there are other "points" made in the movie of course, but you get my drift here. The fact is that you can save money by buying almost everything in larger quantities.

There is a good reason why this is true. Packaging costs decrease, transportation costs decrease, and handling costs decrease, so larger quantities of almost anything can be sold for a smaller unit cost than smaller quantities of the same item. And coffee is no exception to the rule.

The secret of buying in bulk and making it cost-effective is that you must store bulk coffee in an airtight container. Air is what degrades coffee, whether the coffee is in a whole bean form or has already been ground. You know that smaller quantities of coffee are packaged in vacuum containers. The reason that they are packed like that is for the purpose of preventing the air from degrading the coffee.

Storing coffee in the refrigerator isn't a good idea either. The best way to store coffee that has been bough in bulk is by using one of the airtight food sealing products that you can buy. There are many brands of this kind of product. The best known brand is called "Seal-a-Meal," but it isn't the only one out there.

When you buy coffee in bulk, you should seal it in portion sizes that are the best for you by using one of the airtight food sealing products and then store the packages in a cool, dark place to prevent degradation of the coffee flavor and freshness. After all, if you buy coffee in bulk to save money and then the coffee loses its flavor and freshness before you can use it, you really haven't saved any money at all.

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I am simply amazed at the variety of coffee lovers' gift baskets that are available today. One of my real coffee-loving friends had an upcoming birthday, and I had determined that I would send him a gift basket made up of coffee and coffee items. We had shared many cups of coffee over the years, and it seemed like an appropriate and thoughtful gift for my old friend.

The idea sounded simple enough, I thought. I would just go online, find a nice coffee gift basket and have it sent to him. Problem solved! That was before I discovered how many choices there were available. It was a mind-boggling array.

I had the option of choosing a gift basket that was already made up and consisted of a variety of gourmet coffees. I had the option of choosing a gift basket that I could determine which coffees would be included. I could give my friend a membership in one of many "coffee-of-the-month" clubs that would provide him with a different gourmet coffee each month of the year.

I could choose coffee gift baskets with coffee that was already ground, or I could choose a coffee gift basket that consisted of a variety of coffee beans and a coffee grinder so he could grind the coffee himself. There were even coffee gift baskets that included an espresso coffee maker and espresso coffee cups along with the coffee. What to choose, what to choose? I had thought this coffee gift basket idea was going to be easy! Well, ordering was easy, but deciding WHAT to order was anything but easy.

I finally made a choice. I chose a coffee gift basket that had a variety of gourmet coffees in single serving packages so that he would enjoy trying different coffees from around the world and now I have a long list of future gift ideas for my friend.

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Back in the dim and dusty past, women didn't hold jobs outside the home. I know that is hard to believe, but it is true. One income was sufficient for a household to live on. Children were cared for by their mothers at home, while the father worked and earned the living to support the household. My, how times have changed!

Now, understand that running a household was a full time job in those days. The modern conveniences that we all take for granted didn't exist. Washing machines weren't automatic, clothes were dried on clothes lines, and the only canned goods that were available were those that the mother had canned and stored herself. Life wasn't easy, and social occasions were few and far between. That is why women participated in old-fashioned coffee klatches.

Coffee klatches were most often regularly scheduled events. A group of women would gather at the home of one and enjoy coffee, sweets, and conversation for a short period of time once every week or so simply for social contact.

Today, we have our modern versions of the old-fashioned coffee klatch. Today, however, men as well as women participate in them and, of course, they aren't called "coffee klatches" now. Still, coffee drinking is a social affair. It is one that is practiced all over the world in one form or another. People gather for social or business reasons, and you can be almost certain that coffee will be the beverage that is offered. There may be other beverages, but coffee is almost always included.

Perhaps the connection between social contact and coffee drinking stems from the old-fashioned coffee klatch. Our grandmothers and our grandmothers were on to something important…coffee drinking is social.

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The specialty coffee industry has actually organized itself, and there is a national organization that is known as the SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America). Even though the name specifies "of America," the organization is actually worldwide. It now boasts more than 2,000 members. The organization has been in existence for more than a decade and continues to grow every year.

The membership roll of the Specialty Coffee Association of America is made up of coffee retailers, roasters, producers, exporters, and importers, as well as manufacturers of coffee equipment and related products.

The specialty coffee industry is one of the fastest-growing segments of the food industry worldwide. Specialty coffee is sometimes referred to as "gourmet coffee" or "premium coffee." These are not products that are usually found on the shelves of your local grocery store or your local chain discount store. These specialty coffees are sold at specialty coffee stores in the real brick-and-mortar world, and they can also be found in abundance on the Internet.

Specialty coffee begins with special coffee beans. Specialty coffee is made from coffee beans that are grown only in climates that are ideal for producing exceptional coffee beans. The perfect soil and the optimal growing conditions combine to produce coffee beans that have very distinctive flavors.

Producing specialty coffee then requires special roasting techniques that use a multistep process. Beans are first roasted to a temperature of about 160 degrees to achieve the "first crack." There is a pause, and then the beans are roasted again to achieve the "second crack." The cooling of specialty coffee beans is done very quickly, using either very cold air or water so that taste is preserved.

Specialty (gourmet or premium) coffee is grown and processed so that it really is special.

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Today, just about every where you look, people are using the automatic drip coffee makers. You can hardly find a percolator on the shelves of your local discount department stores. Percolators may well be out of vogue, but there are still a few of us (me) who prefer the taste of percolated coffee and still use an electric percolator every single day (several times).

Percolators have gotten to be rather expensive, too. I remember when I could buy a percolator for about ten bucks. Today, they cost closer to $90, and that is IF you can even find one.

It is just my opinion, of course, but perked coffee smells better. There is an aroma that can be enjoyed from a distant room early in the morning. A pot of coffee perking and bacon frying is the surest way that there is to get those lazy bones out of the bed and to the breakfast table.

And then there is the scientific fact that there is simply more caffeine in a pot of perked coffee than there is in a pot of dripped coffee. There is even more caffeine in perked coffee than there is in espresso or cappuccino.

Perked coffee is hotter when it comes out of the pot than dripped coffee. You can linger a bit longer over a cup before it gets too cold to drink.

And don't forget about the memories that are brought to mind when you smell a pot of coffee perking. I'd bet that your parents and your grandparents drank perked coffee. If you close your eyes and think about it, you can nearly smell that perked coffee on the back of the stove all those many years ago.

Have I convinced you? Perked coffee is just so far superior to drip coffee!

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The medical establishment has changed its view of the way caffeine affects blood pressure several times over the years. It kind of reminds me of that old song, "First you say you do and then you say you don't, first you say you will and then you say you won't…"

While it IS true that drinking a cup of coffee temporarily and very briefly raises blood pressure by a tiny bit, the caffeine does not cause the blood pressure to remain elevated for any length of time, and now almost all medical research suggests that there is no correlation between coffee drinking and an increased risk of heart attack or stroke. Furthermore, there is very good research that has determined that coffee drinking is actually helpful in preventing colorectal cancer and delaying the onset of Alzheimer's and dementia.

Actually, it would be nice if simply giving up caffeine were the complete answer and an easy fix to the problem of high blood pressure. That isn't the answer, though. You can keep your coffee mug in action, but you do need to lose weight and start exercising….see, I told you it would be easier to just give up coffee, but that won't do the trick.

Blood pressure that is constantly too high can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Those are not good things. You want to avoid those if at all possible. It is even becoming widely accepted that coffee drinking (including caffeine) can help lower your blood pressure. Drinking coffee can give you that added burst of energy that will help you do the exercise that will help to lower your blood pressure.

Coffee is a natural appetite suppressant, so it can help you lose those extra pounds and that will help to lower your blood pressure as well.

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I have friends who merely like coffee, and then I have friends who are true coffee lovers but are stuck on only one kind of coffee. I also have a few friends who are real coffee lovers and who also have adventuresome taste buds. They are the ones who go to Starbucks and order a different coffee every time. This last group is the one that I send gourmet coffee gifts to.

Coffee, you see, is a universal beverage. Coffee is served in some form in almost every country on this planet. Coffee that is served in different parts of the world bear little resemblance to one another, and yet they are all coffee. Coffees made from coffee beans that are grown in different regions of the world have tastes that are unique. For example, a Jamaican Blue coffee bears no resemblance to Turkish coffee.

Those who are real coffee lovers are much like wine tasters. They can take a taste of coffee and tell you where the beans were grown. Only real coffee lovers who have adventuresome taste buds can appreciate a gift of gourmet coffee, and they will not only appreciate it, they will love it!

Gourmet coffee gifts can be purchased at real brick-and-mortar specialty coffee shops in most large cities around the world. Gourmet coffee gifts can also be purchased online and then delivered to the recipient that you name. Gifts of gourmet coffees make wonderful gifts for coffee lovers for Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day, Father's Day, or for any gift-giving occasion.

Choosing gourmet coffee lists can even be an interesting experience for the gift giver. He or she is likely to find gourmet coffees that they will want to try for themselves as well as give as gifts to their coffee-loving friends.

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You probably never heard of Starbucks before the 1990s, but the company has actually been around longer than that. Starbucks opened their first store way back in 1971 in Seattle. The name is nautical in nature. It was taken from Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick. Moby Dick is a classic about the whaling industry in the 19th century. It is a rather appropriate name, since the coffees that Starbucks served were imported from around the world.

Then in 1982, Howard Schultz joined the Starbucks organization and while he was on a trip to Italy, he discovered the popularity of the espresso bars and decided that the idea had potential for the Starbucks Company. The rest, as they say, is history.

During the 1990s, Starbucks spread out across the United States as well as into the rest of the coffee-drinking world and soon became a publicly traded company. Today there are more than 6,000 Starbucks stores in more than 30 countries around the world, and they haven't stopped expanding.

Starbucks now offers their ground coffee beans by mail order and it probably won't be long before you will be able to purchase t-shirts and mugs with the Starbucks logo by mail as well. These items are not yet available by mail order, but they likely will be in the near future.

You don't have to look far to find a Starbucks store. They seem to keep popping up everywhere. There's a good reason…or several good reasons. First, the Starbucks organization insists that diversity really is the spice of life. The organization also insists that the very highest of standards be applied to purchasing, roasting, and delivery of every single cup of coffee that is sold. It's a philosophy that works!

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Ah, coffee! There really isn't a more pleasant smell in the universe than the smell of freshly brewed coffee especially first thing in the morning. Almost everybody loves good coffee but the definitions of "good" coffee are as varied as the people who love it.

If you are considering buying a new automatic coffee maker and you haven't bought one in awhile, you are going to find a lot more choices that you ever dreamed were possible.

The first thing that you need to decide about your new automotive coffee maker is what kind of automatic coffee maker you want. Do you want an automatic drip coffee maker or a percolator? (One drips water through coffee grounds, while the other forces heated water up a spout and over the coffee grounds.) Drip coffee and perked coffee are two entirely different tastes.

The next decision is what size automatic coffee maker will best serve your needs. If you are the only coffee drinker in the household, then you only need a very small coffee maker. One that makes a total of four cups will probably be adequate. However, if there are several people who

drink coffee, or if you entertain regularly and serve coffee, you may need a larger coffee maker.

The next decision that you must make are the features of a coffee maker that are important to you. You can find coffee makers that have more controls than NASA. You will need to determine which features are important, and which ones are not of any value to you. Remember that each added feature adds to the cost.

The price of coffee makers range between $20 and $200. It is important to buy one that is large enough, but it is just as important that you don't buy one that is larger than you need.

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There are as many opinions about what a great cup of coffee consists of as there are coffee drinkers in the world. Every coffee drinker knows exactly what he or she wants in a good cup of coffee. Some like it hot, some like it cold, but very few like it in a pot nine days old…..as the old nursery rhyme goes.

The one thing that all coffee drinks will agree on is that coffee needs to be freshly made. About the only other thing that coffee drinkers will agree on is that the best coffee is made in a clean coffee maker. The pot doesn't need to be "well seasoned." It needs to be well cleaned after every use.

There are a great many coffee-pot-cleaning products out there on the shelves of your local supermarket or chain discount store. All of them work when they are used as directed, but you honestly do not have to buy the products in order to keep your coffee maker clean. Granted, these products do make keeping your coffee maker clean much easier and will accomplish the task much quicker but there are cheaper ways.

One of the cheaper methods for keeping your coffee maker clean so that every pot of coffee will taste great is by using baking soda. Baking soda is cheap. It is one of the least expensive items that you will find on your grocer's shelves, and yet it does so much. Baking soda neutralizes the acidity left behind in your coffee maker after you have made a pot of coffee, enjoyed it, and then emptied the pot.

Only one teaspoon of baking soda is enough to clean the average coffee maker. Simply put a teaspoon full of baking soda into the pot, let it sit for a few minutes, and then thoroughly rinse the pot to remove all traces of the baking soda.

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More than a few years ago, when I was just a boy, my dad would take me to the river to fish and camp overnight. It was a very big deal to me in those days. We didn't have a tent to sleep in, and we didn't have a camp stove. Sleeping was done (what there was of it) on a blanket on the ground and cooking (what there was of it) was done over an open fire.

Such an overnight camping trip was where I had my very first cup of coffee. Dad would pour water out of a jug into a pot, put the pot over the open fire, and bring it to a boil. Then he would pour in some coarse ground coffee and let the pot sit for a few minutes. Then he would drop cold water into it to make the grounds sink to the bottom before we drank the coffee. I've never had coffee that tasted any better in my life.

Now you might be asking what all of this has to do with a French press coffee maker. Well, the principles of making the coffee are exactly the same in the French press coffee maker and the river coffee that my dad made those many years ago. Of course, the French press coffee maker is much more civilized. French press coffee makers can be purchased that are electric. Still, the coffee-making principle is the same.

To make coffee in a French press coffee maker, you put hot water into the pot, add coarse ground coffee, and let the coffee heat for three or four minutes. Then you push the plunger down and the grounds are "pressed" to the bottom of the pot. French press coffee, like river coffee, is

very strong. A little goes a long way and the measurements of French press coffee makers are based on four-ounce coffee cups.

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The question of whether coffee is good for humans or bad for humans all depends upon which of the many reports, research papers, and studies that you choose to believe. There has been a great deal of research, but certainly no consensus of agreement on the subject.

Some studies, reports, and research suggest that because coffee is a stimulant, and because it has been proven to be somewhat addictive, it is a bad thing. Coffee does increase the heart rate, but there has never been any proof of any kind that coffee contributes to heart disease or causes heart attacks. Coffee does stimulate the kidneys, but there has never been any proof that it contributes to kidney disease.

Other studies, reports, and research suggest that because coffee is a stimulant, it is a very good thing. Coffee is known to "relieve boredom, decrease depression, increase alertness, increase physical stamina, and increase performance on boring or repetitive tasks." Well, those things sound like rather positive aspects.

It is generally agreed that coffee -- or rather, the caffeine in coffee -- is somewhat addictive. Going "cold turkey" when giving up caffeine can cause some withdrawal symptoms, such as headache. Headache is the most common caffeine withdrawal symptom, but another symptom is grouchiness, which is not conducive to healthy personal relationships.

The bottom line here is that there just isn't any scientific information that firmly establishes whether coffee is good for you or bad for you. "Moderation in all things" is a good motto to live by. Drinking 25 cups of anything wouldn't likely be conducive to good health unless it was just pure water. Drink your coffee and enjoy every sip -- just don't drink too much of it.

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When you think of Jamaica, music and dance probably come to mind. Reggae is the most well known of music styles, and Bob Marley was probably the best-known reggae musician until his death in 1981. You probably think of the famous dances of Jamaica, too. The "jonkonnu," "bruckins," and "ska" are all dances that you are very likely to think about when you think about Jamaica.

Maybe you should also think about coffee. Yes, coffee!

On the eastern end of the island of Jamaica there is a range of hills that are called the Blue Mountains. (They really don't qualify as mountains, but that is the name that is used.) The Blue Mountains are about 5,500 feet above sea level. There are thick woods, and the land is a forest preserve. Just below the hilltops, there is land that is absolutely, perfectly suited for growing the world's most delicious coffee. There is a perfect rainfall pattern and a prevailing mist that supplies constant moisture to the delicate coffee bean plants.

Jamaican Blue coffee is not going to be found on the shelves of your local grocery store of chain discount store. You can find Jamaican Blue coffee or roasted Jamaican Blue coffee beans in specialized coffee shops, or you can order them over the Internet. But you had best be prepared for a little sticker shock. Jamaican blue coffee isn't cheap, but then it IS one of the world's best tasting coffees, so you have to expect to pay a premium price for it.

Jamaican blue coffee is going to cost you nearly $30 for one pound of ground coffee. Yes, thirty dollars for ONE pound. You can buy one pound of roasted whole beans for about the same price.

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I love my coffee mug! I use it everyday. There isn't anything particularly fancy or special about my coffee mug, except that is my coffee mug and it holds enough coffee to actually do some good, unlike those itty bitty cups with the tiny little handles that my wife prefers. I hate those cups. My fingers get stuck in the handles and they don't hold enough coffee.

Not that I have ever paid a lot of attention to my coffee mug. It is just there every morning. I fill it up with coffee and carry it around with me from room to room as I prepare to go to work, or it sits within easy reach as I read my newspaper. It keeps the coffee hot for awhile, and I don't have to refill it but just occasionally.

Anyway, I got to thinking about the coffee mug and wondered who thought up the perfect design. I never did find out who the inventor of the coffee mug was, but it seems that the coffee mug is actually a "take-off" of the old beer stein. When you think about the two designs, they are certainly similar.

Coffee mugs are man-sized. The smallest ones hold 12 ounces, and there are coffee mugs that hold as much as 20 ounces. Coffee mugs have also been modernized. Old coffee mugs were either made of tin or ceramic. Today, there are plastic and stainless steel coffee mugs, and coffee mugs that are insulated. There are coffee mugs that are made for travel, too. There is a top that prevents the coffee from spilling even when the coffee mug is tipped over. That sounds like a good idea.

Maybe I'll go buy one that is insulted and made of space-age plastic with a top that prevents spills.

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The debate rages, and most likely will continue to rage, about the effects that coffee drinking has on our health. It all depends on which report or study you read as to whether coffee drinking is good for you or bad for you. Everybody seems to have an opinion, and both camps are adamant that their opinion is the correct one.

There is one school of thought that says that coffee is addictive…and, of course, ANY kind of addition is a very bad thing and should be avoided at all costs. This group says that coffee is a stimulant and that it makes those who drink coffee nervous. It increases the heart rate, they say, and it also raises the blood pressure. It is true that, for health reasons, some people should eliminate or at least limit the amount of caffeine that they

consume, and I am not advocating otherwise. If you doctor tells you to lay off the coffee, then you should follow his or her orders to the letter.

Then there is the school of thought that says that coffee is actually good for you. This group of people, and the reports and studies that they cite, will tell you that coffee is a stimulant that actually increases your concentration and productivity. They will tell you that drinking coffee "relieves boredom, decreases depression, increases alertness, increases physical stamina, and increases performance on boring or repetitive tasks." That sounds like a list of good things!

Drinking coffee is often part of many social situations. We drink coffee first thing in the morning for its stimulating effect, of course, but then we drink coffee at other times of the day with friends or family as part of a ritual of human interaction. And sociability is part of human health, too.

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Those who love espresso coffee also love their espresso coffee makers. When you happen to overhear them discussing their espresso coffee makers, you would think they were debating the advantage one sports car has over another rather than coffee makers.

There are espresso coffee machine owners who believe that nothing can possibly compare to the coffee that a manual espresso coffee maker brews. There are those who swear that only the semiautomatic variety will make really, REALLY good coffee. Then there are those who wouldn't dream of owning anything other than a fully automatic espresso coffee maker. According to them, only the fully automatic espresso coffee maker can make perfect coffee every time. And so, the debate rages on!

The manual espresso coffee machine owners tell you (and anybody else who will listen) that their manual machines give them full control of the coffee-making process, and they wouldn't want it any other way. They add the water so they have control of quantity to the drop. They add the coffee grounds so they have control to the grain. They have control down to the split second of when to start the frother.

The semiautomatic espresso coffee maker owner will tell you that their machines do everything but turn themselves on and off, which is true. The only thing that the owner of a semiautomatic espresso coffee maker must do is flip the switch on and off, but according to them that is all that is necessary to obtain the perfect cup of espresso.

Those who own fully automatic espresso coffee makers don't have to do anything at all, and that is precisely how they want it. Full automation, they say, is simply the only way to go. Set it and forget it!

And the espresso coffee maker owners haven't even started to debate the advantage one brand might have over all others.

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Do you love espresso coffee so much that you thought about trying to claim Starbucks as a dependent on your income tax this year? Okay, maybe it is time for you to consider buying your own espresso maker so that you can make espresso at home and save yourself a lot of money in the process.

Granted, the price of an espresso machine is going to put a dent in your wallet but it really won't take very long for you recover the investment when you start making your own delicious coffee at home rather than buying it already made for you at those big chain coffee shops.

The first thing that you will need to decide about the espresso coffee maker that you will buy is what size machine will best serve your needs. Espresso machines are sized by the number of cups of coffee that can be made at a time. For example, there are 4-cup espresso coffee makers and there are 12-cup espresso coffee makers. A word of information: the cup size of an espresso coffee maker is of the 4-ounce variety and not the larger regular coffee cup size of 7-8 ounces.

Your next consideration before purchasing your own espresso coffee maker is whether you want the machine to be manual, semiautomatic, or fully automatic, and also you will need to decide how many "added features" you want or need. There are a lot of choices out there. You will need to know exactly what your espresso coffee maker will and will not do before you buy.

Additionally, there are a lot of different brands. A good way to determine which espresso coffee maker will best serve your particular needs is to talk to your friends who already own them and see what they like and/or dislike about their own machines.

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Coffee is a beverage in every country in the world. Granted, the coffees of different countries vary in taste (and strength), but every country has coffee of some kind. The history of coffee is long and storied, and coffee is called by many names in many lands. The Arab traders of yesteryear called it Gahwah. The Spice Islands' name for it was Java. Ancient Portuguese explorers called it caf้. That word is often used to mean a

gathering place in many countries now. It stands to reason -- coffee is most often a shared experience between friends.

Scientists believe that coffee was born in Ethiopia and was a food rather than a beverage in the beginning. Coffee was actually used as a replacement for wine. The drinking of wine was (and is) forbidden by Islamic law. Coffee was first used in religious ceremonies in place of wine and the plants were considered so valuable that removing even one was punishable by death. (I've been dying for a cup of coffee before, but that

seems a little extreme. :)

Turks pulverized coffee beans and mixed them with water and spices like cinnamon, cloves and cardamom back in the thirteenth century to make what we call Turkish coffee. It is believed that Venetian traders may have smuggled coffee plants out of the East and into Italy.

Over the centuries we have learned a lot about coffee, especially how important it is to store it in airtight containers. Air is the biggest thief of coffee flavor, whether the beans are whole or ground. Coffee should always be stored in an airtight container in a cool dark place but never in a refrigerator. Correct storage is one of the major secrets of producing a great cup of coffee with every brewing.

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Mankind (and womankind) has been drinking coffee for thousands of years. There are several stories about how the coffee bean was discovered and by whom, but it doesn't really matter much. Today coffee is brewed and severed in countries around the world.

Coffee is named many times for the region in which the beans are grown; Blue Jamaican Coffee, for example. Sometimes, though, coffee is named for the country or area that brews it; Turkish coffee, Italian coffee, etc. Coffees are varied, and so are the methods used for brewing it.

Turkish Briki: The coffee that is used in the Briki is powdered. It takes between 7 and 11 minutes to make a cup of coffee using the Briki. The coffee is very strong but clear.

Espresso Machine: Very fine coffee grounds are used in an espresso machine. It takes between 12 and 17 minutes to make 5 cups (4 oz) of coffee using an espresso machine. The coffee is very strong and muddy.

French Press Plunger: This coffee pot does not use any paper or cloth filter so there will be grinds and a white powder in the finished coffee. It takes between 5 and 8 minutes to brew 4 cups of coffee. Either regular or coarse ground coffee is used in a French press plunger.

Automatic Drip Coffee Maker: The coffee that is made in an automatic drip coffee maker is not as hot. It is clear, though. Fine ground coffee is most often used in automatic drip coffee makers. It takes between 6 and 10 minutes to make 6 cups of coffee using an automatic drip coffee maker.

Percolator: An electric percolator uses regular grind coffee. It takes between 13 and 18 minutes to brew 6 cups. The coffee made in an electric percolator is hot, clear, and has a lot of taste.

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Has anybody seen those old "Leave it to Beaver" reruns on late night TV? There is June (the mother) in full makeup and high heels without a hair out of place serving breakfast to her family at the breakfast table. Ward, the father, wearing a suit and tie, all showered and shaved, and the two boys are gathered around the breakfast table for their morning meal. June pours coffee from a coffee carafe into Ward's waiting coffee cup as they discuss their upcoming day. It just cracks me up! I'm sitting there thinking, "Yeah…right! When pigs fly!"

I figure most households operate pretty much like mine does. The words "busy, hectic and insane," come to mind. Mornings are done on the fly. Breakfast is a bowl of cold cereal (every man, woman, and child for themselves) and coffee is "to go" as we all rush around trying to get to work and school on time. My wife and I each have our own "to-go" spillproof mug so that we can drink our morning coffee as we drive.

And, yes, some mornings we have to stop by the nearest McDonalds and BUY a coffee to go if we have coffee at all because SOMEBODY forgot to set the automatic timer on the automatic coffee maker the night before.

Fortunately, technology caught up with "real life," and those well-insulated, spillproof coffee mugs made of unbreakable space-age materials are

available. I'd hate to try to drink my coffee out of the fine china coffee cup like Ward used while I drive the minivan loaded with kids through rush hour traffic while organizing the family schedule (soccer practice, piano lessons, etc.) that is more complicated than a rocket launch at NASA.

Coffee to go is a necessity in our busy world. It's either coffee to go, or no coffee at all.

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One of the secrets of making really good coffee is the filter that you use in your coffee maker. The standard paper filters are abundant, and the ones that are most often used. Barring other choices, they are at least sufficient. You certainly should not ever make coffee in an automatic drip coffee maker or in a percolator without using a filter. If you do, there will be little coffee grounds floating in the pot of coffee.

If you are going to use the paper coffee filters in your coffee maker, you need to buy the ones that actually fit your coffee maker. Paper coffee filters do come in various sizes and are made for specific brands of coffee makers. The reason that it is important that the coffee filter is a perfect fit for the coffee maker is that a coffee filter that is either too large or too small for your coffee maker will allow coffee grounds to get into the coffee -- not a good thing.

While paper coffee filters are the ones most often used, they are not the only choice in coffee filters. There are permanent filters for coffee makers that can be purchased. These permanent filters must be cleaned thoroughly after each and every use. Believe it or not, there is even a permanent coffee filter that is actually lined with gold!

The very best choice of all coffee filters, though, is the cloth variety. Yes, it does have to be cleaned after each use, but coffee made using paper filters has a slightly papery taste to it, and cloth filters add no taste at all to the coffee. Cloth coffee filters are available in the same sizes as paper coffee filters. They are more expensive initially, of course, but they last much longer. Cloth coffee filters are made from unbleached cotton, so they are environmentally friendly as well.

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This is going to come as a shock to a lot of people, but coffee is just loaded with health benefits. It is true! Because coffee tastes so good and provides so much pleasure to coffee lovers, it stands to reason that it would have to be unhealthy…like French fries or T-bone steak or a good cigar, right? Nope! Wrong! Coffee is actually good for you and it is just full of health benefits.

First, coffee has long been known to improve mental alertness and relieve the boredom of repetitious tasks, but that is not even a scratch on the surface of the health benefits that coffee provides.

Coffee has been proven to delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Those who are regular coffee drinkers are diagnosed far less often and later in life for both. There are good scientific studies that back up this claim.

Coffee also is loaded with antioxidants. There are scientific studies to back up this claim as well. Regular coffee consumption has been proven to prevent type-2 diabetes in older people. It has also been proven to prevent colorectal cancer. There is also research that suggests that coffee is helpful in fighting Parkinson's disease, cirrhosis, gall stones, and depression.

Coffee drinking can be a wonderful aid in helping reduce body weight. Yes, coffee is a natural appetite suppressant and it provides stimulant that helps people exercise more. Coffee is also a natural pain reducer, so it helps to relieve physical pain caused by exercise.

Coffee actually has so many health benefits that maybe it should be called a "health elixir." We can drink our coffee and know that we are not only not doing any harm to our bodies but actually providing health benefits for it.

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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 strength by the minute. But you can keep cold coffee cold for as long as you want. When you make a pot of coffee, immediately pour it into a container that can be refrigerated. Here is where you stir in any flavored coffee syrups, because they will dissolve well in the hot coffee. Then when the coffee cools, refrigerate it and you are all set.

To prevent a tall cold glass of iced coffee from being weakened by melting ice, you can also freeze some coffee in your ice cube trays and use them rather than regular ice cubes.

There are some ways to really jazz up the iced coffee that you serve your guests. Try one of the many iced coffee recipes that you can find on the Internet, and have fun! Many of the iced coffee recipes will call for the use of whipped cream, and you can also find recipes for flavored whipped cream that will make your iced coffee drinks really spectacular.

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