What Kind of Coffee Can I Get?
Coffee is immensely popular, on an average day around 2 billion cups are consumed around the world. As with anything popular then lots of variations have started to emerge, in fact when I go into a coffeeshop now I find it hard to pick out a normal cup of coffee from the huge list! But if we ignore the new weird and wonderful variations that have emerged, what are the most popular types of basic coffee you can enjoy anywhere in the world? Here are my top 4:
Regular coffee: That's right, just plain coffee how it was supposed to be made, stewed in boiling water with milk and maybe some sugar added. Simple and tasty. My favourite way to make real coffee is using a coffee press, with that you just add in some ground coffee (pre-ground or grind your own), put some boiling water over the grinds and pop the top on. Then after about 4 minutes you push down the plunger in the lid which separates the coffee from the water, and serve. Coffee presses also look good on the table when you get the big version which can serve 8 - 12 people, they are great at dinner parties!
Espresso: This is more of an acquired taste, some people love it and some hate it. It also requires skill, and the help of a good machine, if you want to get it just right. To make it you use much more finely ground beans than with normal coffee, then you force water through them under pressure, and you use less water too. That all results in a small intense shot of coffee loaded with flavour. You can buy electric machines to force the water through for you (like you see in coffee shops) or you can use a more traditional Moka pot which sits on the stove and uses steam to force the water through. As espresso is full of flavour then it is often used as the base for more exotic types of coffee too.
Cappuccino: This is one of the most popular types of coffee made with espresso as the base. You take a shot of espresso to use as a third of the drink, then you add in a third of heated milk, then the person making the drink takes the rest of the milk and froths it up using a machine that forces steam through a 'wand' which is put into the milk. Then the bubbly, frothed up milk fills up the rest of the cup and some grated chocolate is usually put on to finish it off.
Latte: Have you ever had a milky coffee where you used more milk than coffee? That is what this is, except you use espresso as the first third of the drink, and then heated milk for the rest. As you use espresso for the base then you still get that satisfying creamy taste from having all that milk in it, but you also get a good coffee taste too because usually the milk drowns out the taste when you use normal coffee.
Those are the 4 most popular types of coffee you can find pretty much anywhere, and if you order one of those then at least you know what you are getting and don't end up with some strange variation which makes you cringe every time you take a sip but cost you a small fortune! Now I'm off to get a Latte - are you coming?
Instead of spending money on expensive coffee at a coffeeshop then you can get a 12 cup coffee maker and make your own from the comfort of your own home.
Shopping for an Espresso Machine? Here's a selection at affordable prices:
 |
De'Longhi EC155 15 BAR Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Maker List Price: $140.00 Sale Price: $79.99 Used From: $59.00  |
|
Enjoy delicious espresso made your way with De'Longhi's pump espresso and cappuccino maker. You can choose to brew ground espresso or E.S.E pods with the unique patented dual filter holder. The choice is yours, making your espresso truly made to order... |
 |
Mr. Coffee ECM160 4-Cup Steam Espresso Machine List Price: $49.99 Sale Price: $39.99 Used From: $30.00 |
|
Makes delicious espressos, cappuccinos, and lattes. Powerful milk frother. 4-Cup capacity: 20-ounce. Per shot. Removable drip tray. Easy to pour decanter. Removable frothing aid. On/off indicator light. |
 |
Capresso 303.01 4-Cup Espresso and Cappuccino Machine List Price: $59.99 Sale Price: Too low to display Used From: $38.91 |
|
Experience the full taste of espressos, cappuccinos and lattes. The Capresso 4-Cup Espresso and Cappuccino Machine features an exclusive Coffee/Steam Selector that makes it easy to control both brewing and steaming, allowing the user to adjust coffee strength to their personal taste... |
 |
DeLonghi EC702 15-Bar-Pump Espresso Maker, Stainless List Price: $350.00 Sale Price: $149.95 Used From: $139.99 |
|
Enjoy delicious espresso made your way with De'Longhi's pump espresso and cappuccino maker. You can choose to brew ground espresso or E.S.E pods with the unique patented dual filter holder. The Sempre Crema Filter, used with two measures of ground coffee, enhances the brewing process to produce a perfect crema... |
 |
Urnex Dezcal Home Activated Descaler, For Home Coffee & Espresso Equipt., 4 - 1 oz Packets List Price: $11.36 Sale Price: $2.87 |
|
Dezcal home activated descaler, 4 portion packets per retail carton |
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE, COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.
Tags: Beverages, coffee, coffee tea, Drinks, food
April 10 2010 10:50 am | coffee