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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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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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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