Making a superb gourmet coffee all starts with beans. Gourmet coffee beans are mostly Arabica because of their supreme robust flavor and smooth texture. Arabica beans are considered the premium bean in the coffee industry and the demand is high which makes it much pricier than other beans. Arabica coffee beans are the most prominently grown and provide approximately 60% of world coffee production. One reason the beans are so expensive is that the Arabica plant is very sensitive to unfavorable conditions such as frost, pests and disease. What leads people to wait in long, long lines for a cup of gourmet-brewed coffee beverage? Just what are espresso, cappuccino and macchiato?

Espresso coffee is one of the most popular coffee drinks in the world. This type of coffee goes back about 100 years and since its birth people have found that this is a delicious, yet intense way to enjoy the flavor of coffee. Espresso coffee is characteristically thicker in consistency than drip coffee having a higher amount of dissolved solids than drip coffee in the same amount of volume. The serving size is usually measured in shots which are around one fluid once in size. Espresso coffee is much richer and more concentrated than filter coffee and is the base for a cappuccino or latte.

Cappuccino is a delicious, luxurious coffee beverage that is enjoyed by coffee lovers the world over, combining creamy, frothy texture with distinctive espresso flavor and aroma. Cappuccino is named for the resemblance of its color to the robes of the monks of the Capuchin order. Cappuccino is a cup of espresso coffee with fresh milk and milk foam bubbles burst on the top of cup. The milk foam bubbles burst acts as the insulator and keep the heat of the coffee for a longer time.

A Cafe Latte is simply a fancy name for a cup of coffee with milk though. The milk is steamed and that is what gives it such a smooth and creamy taste that people tend to really enjoy. A Latte is the way that most Americans prefer their espresso, and is quite easy to prepare. Start with a single shot of espresso in a 6-8 ounce cup. A latte is as per usual smaller in rate than a cappuccino and has a smaller aerate layer than a cappuccino.

A Mocha or mochaccino is an espresso and steamed milk mixed with chocolate and served with whipped cream on top. Despite being chocolate flavored, these are not terribly sweet. If you don't want to taste the espresso, ask for flavor syrup or sugar to be added, or try one of the other mocha drinks instead.

Cafe Amricano or simply Americano is a style of coffee prepared by adding hot water to espresso, giving a similar strength but different flavor from regular drip coffee. The strength of an Americano varies with the number of shots of espresso and the amount of water added.

Now here is an interesting variation which would probably be more appealing to American consumers; cafe corretto. This is an Italian espresso that is modified by adding grappa, an Italian liqueur or brandy. This results in a coffee beverage that provides a distinctive flavor sweetened by the addition of the alcohol. When making this beverage, any liqueur can be added to the espresso to modify the taste. This drink is typically served as an after dinner drink. Its main purpose being to aid in digestion of heavy meals.

Knowing how to prepare gourmet coffee drinks is a fine art. A barista is someone who makes espresso drinks for a living, and is usually highly trained and has a thorough understanding of how to work with coffee. Similar to a bartender, a barista specializes in making drinks from almost any incarnation of the coffee bean.

Specialty coffee is a matter of choice, not a beverage of chance. The definition of specialty coffee or gourmet coffee begins at the origin of coffee, the planting of a particular variety into a particular growing region of the world. Specialty coffee is distinguished by quality rather than volume. Therefore, higher grades of coffee have typically been grown on smaller farms using more natural methods of cultivation. Gourmet coffee is a booming business in the U.S. Just looks at the ubiquitous Starbucks, whose net revenues were up 22 percent in 2007 on sales of $7.8 billion. And now it appears that McDonaldss is positioning itself to capture a piece of the specialty coffee market on a global scale.

Espresso coffee is all about hot water and coffee beans. But it's the way these two ingredients are put together that spells the success of this drink. Espresso coffee is prepared by a special extraction method which produces a very concentrated, strong coffee in a short amount of time. Softened water at a temperature of 90-95 Degrees C is forced through finely ground and specially roasted coffee at high pressure. Since the hot water is quickly forced through the fine grounds it usually only takes between 25 and 30 seconds to brew a cup of espresso.

CAPPUCCINO is an Italian word that does not translate directly into English. This traditional beverage of Italy is a popular morning beverage made from just two things: espresso coffee and milk steamed into puffy foam. The American version is quite similar, a coffee-based drink prepared with espresso, hot milk and milk foam.

A Cafe Latte is simply a fancy name for a cup of coffee with milk though. The milk is steamed and that is what gives it such a smooth and creamy taste that people tend to really enjoy. A Latte is the way that most Americans prefer their espresso, and is quite easy to prepare. Start with a single shot of espresso in a 6-8 ounce cup. A latte is as per usual smaller in rate than a cappuccino and has a smaller aerate layer than a cappuccino.

A Mochaccino is simply equal parts cappuccino and chocolate syrup. Some of the finer coffee houses prefer the term Cafe Mocha, using a powdered cocoa mixed with diluted cappuccino and topped with a whipped cream dollop. This is a very popular alternative to a traditional hot chocolate drink, neither as thick nor as sweet.

A Cafe Americano, similar to a long black common in Australia, is a style of coffee made by pulling a double-shot of espresso over hot water . A long black is similar to an which is made by adding hot water to espresso shots, but it retains the texture and is less voluminous, therefore more strongly flavored.

Now here is an interesting variation which would probably be more appealing to American consumers; cafe corretto. This is an Italian espresso that is modified by adding grappa, an Italian liqueur or brandy. This results in a coffee beverage that provides a distinctive flavor sweetened by the addition of the alcohol. When making this beverage, any liqueur can be added to the espresso to modify the taste. This drink is typically served as an after dinner drink. Its main purpose being to aid in digestion of heavy meals.

Knowing how to prepare gourmet coffee drinks is a fine art. A barista is someone who makes espresso drinks for a living, and is usually highly trained and has a thorough understanding of how to work with coffee. Similar to a bartender, a barista specializes in making drinks from almost any incarnation of the coffee bean.

Could Coffee really be good for you? Some new studies show Coffee may aid your health.

Have you been told coffee was bad for you? You may have not drank enough!

For decades our doctors and mothers have been telling us to cut back on the coffee. It's been blamed for everything from stunted growth to breast cancer.

However, several recent studies have determined that coffee is good for you. Medical authorities like JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, have produced detailed studies showing coffee to be highly beneficial to your health.

Some of the findings are:

Multiple Sclerosis, a nerve disorder that numbers more than 300,000 people in the United States alone, can possibly be prevented by an intake of caffeine, equivalent to six to eight cups of coffee drank each day.

* Habitual coffee drinking has been associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes

* Men who drink coffee lower their risk of Gallstone disease.

* Parkinson's Disease has a significantly lower occurrence in men who drink coffee.

* Abstinence from coffee leads to "a compression of mortality rather than an increase in lifespan." I.e., if you don't drink coffee you're likely to die sooner!

Is coffee bad for your health? Drinking a lot of coffee can be bad for you, but, drinking a lot of soda or fruit juice can be bad for you too. Coffee is acidic, and drinking too much can hurt your teeth. But, it's slightly more acidic than water, and not as acidic as fruit juice or milk. People who are pregnant, or have some specific medical problems may be advised to abstain from coffee, but for most people, a reasonable amount of approximately 300 mg, about 6 cups of coffee, is perfectly fine.

Was your mother wrong? A lot of new medical reports shows Coffee may be a healthy drink.

Have you been told coffee was bad for you? You may have not drank enough!

For decades our doctors and mothers have been telling us to cut back on the coffee. It's been blamed for everything from stunted growth to breast cancer.

However, several recent findings have determined that coffee is good for you. Medical authorities like JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, have produced detailed studies showing coffee to be highly beneficial to your health.

Among the findings:

Multiple Sclerosis, a nerve disorder that numbers more than 300,000 people in the United States alone, can possibly be prevented by an intake of caffeine, equivalent to six to eight cups of coffee drank each day.

* A lower risk of type 2 diabetes has been associated with daily coffee drinking.

* Men who drink coffee lower their risk of Gallstone disease.

* Drinking more coffee has been associated with a significantly lower incidence of Parkinson's Disease

* Abstinence from coffee leads to "a compression of mortality rather than an increase in lifespan." I.e., if you don't drink coffee you're likely to die sooner!

Can coffee be harmful to your health? Well, essentially coffee is, well, vegetable juice. Coffee beans are picked, roasted, and crushed. Then, hot water filters through the crushed beans to create your cup of Joe. So, coffee really is a healthy beverage, much like tomato juice. However, just like fruit juice and milk, coffee, when consumed in excess can cause some problems.