Category — Drinks

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Anyone who has a Keurig one cup brewer knows you can find the best coffees and flavored blends in K-Cups. You’re probably familiar, too, with Green Mountain Roasters Seasonal Limited Edition coffees and K-Cups. Some of these blends quickly become big favorites and you’ll hear consumers pleading for them year round. This spring saw coffee lovers cheer for the return of Fair Trade Island Coconut, with its creamy coconut tones and mellow body. Spring Revival is the kind of flavor that sparkles in the cold mist. Savor the sunny days of summer with two new blends from Green Mountain Roasters: Fair Trade The Perfect Peach and the Fair Trade Summer Safari Blend.

Fair Trade The Perfect Peach

This is a delightful blend of beans from Central America, lightly roasted and aromatic. The combination of coffee and peach brings out a complex blend of tasteful aroma. It is a subtle blend, not overpowering but it leaves a smooth seet finish in your mouth. The Perfect Peach is a delicious choice to perk your day; best served with ice. Don’t miss this one!

Fair Trade Summer Safari Blend

This Fair Trade coffee is an Extra Bold blend of South American beans with ones from East Africa. This is a rich-blend coffee peppered with zesty berry flavors of Africa and the subtle sweetness of South America. The coffee has a sweet balanced tone and is delicious hot or over ice.

Fair Trade Coffee

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters supports the efforts of local farmers in coffee growing areas of the world. Coffees marked as Fair Trade Certified would mean that the farmers who raised and processed the coffee beans receive a more equitable portion of the sales price. A coffee importer must comply with international standards to be able to earn this certification. In addition to paying the farmers more fairly, the importer must assist with the transition to more organic methods and provide them with much needed credit for purchases. Coffee importers, like Green Mountain, assist these farmers in their efforts to improve the health, education, and development of the people living in their small villages.

Each cup of The Perfect Peach or Summer Safari Coffee not only lets you experience the freshness of the coffee beans but also you help in improving the community of the farmers. In 1961, according to the Pan American Coffee Bureau, “Good coffee is like friendship: rich, warm and strong.”

A word to the wise – STOCK UP NOW! If these blends are going to join the group of ‘must haves, buy them now when they’re available. Then, on those cold winter mornings, you can once again savor a warming cup brimming with sweet memories of summer.

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Personalized Wine Glasses can be a fun gift for many occasions. Consider giving Personalized Wine Glasses as a gift for weddings, graduations, anniversaries, or birthdays.They also make excellent gifts for bridal showers and engagement parties.

There are various different styles and colors of Personalized Wine Glasses that you can find.Just remember to keep the recipients personal style in mind when you are choosing a gift for them.

You can find Personalized Wine Glasses in specialty gift shops but internet is the place that you can find many more options.You should decide what you want to have engraved onto the glass before you purchase Personalized Wine Glasses for a wedding gift.

For graduations consider getting Personalized Wine Glasses in the school’s color. In general, a lot of individuals do not consider about purchasing items, like wine glasses until they really require them.You can give a set of Personalized Wine Glasses for a graduate they are certain to appreciate them whenever they open a new bottle of wine!

The traditional gift for the 15th anniversary is crystal. A set of personalized crystal wine glasses will make a fantastic gift for anyone who is celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary.

Consider having the couple’s anniversary date or a favorite love quote engraved on the wine glasses.Crystal wine glasses are stunning and the recipient will be quite impressed with their gift.

Birthdays are the perfect time to give Personalized Wine Glasses as a gift. Try to think of something special and unique to have engraved on their wine glass. The glass can be engraved by poem or unique quote if you want. Any wine enthusiast will be happy to have a personalized wine glass as a gift.

Remember that Personalized Wine Glasses should be personal.You could also search the internet for ideas on what to have engraved on a wine glass. Gifts that come from heart are actually appreciated and you can give an engraving wine glass to tell your loved one just how much you care.

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There is no better tasting cup of coffee than that which is made with freshly ground beans. A Capresso Burr Grinder gives you perfectly ground coffee every time, so that you can easily enjoy a great cup of coffee in your own home.

Grinding Beans at Home

It’s not good enough to grind your own coffee beans because it requires a long process and the end results were doubtful. Now, though, with electric coffee grinders, like a Capresso Burr Grinder, the process is made simple.

The amazing fresh ground beans and aromatic fresh ground coffee retains flavor that may really increase the rich flavor of your coffee.

Capresso Burr Grinder Types

Capresso offers many options in burr grinders. The types of Capresso Burr Grinder are conical burr and burr. The conical burr grinder is be inclined to create an excellent and consistent grind. Burr grinders grind very quickly for a fast cup of coffee.

How To Find a Good Grinder

If you want to involve knowing what to look for in a grinder you have to find the right grinder first. Here are the main things that you should expect from a grinder:

• Capresso Burr Grinders operate quietly and are among the quietest grinders on the market.
• The safety features have been built in by these grinders.
• These grinders are easy to use and clean.

How To Use a Grinder

It’s easy to grind beans at home with a Capresso Burr Grinder, but if you do not follow a few simple rules your efforts will be lost. Here a few things to keep in mind:

• Tap the grinder lightly before opening to ensure grounds do not fly all over when you open the grinder.
• You will get the freshest flavor when you only grind what you want.
• Store beans in an air tight container to retain freshness and flavor.

With these things in mind, your Capresso Burr Grinder should help you to get the best tasting cup of coffee right in your own home.

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Caffeineis very addictive. Learning how to overcome caffeine addiction can be extremely difficult. Compared to alcohol, tobacco, and even cocaine you might be suprised to hear that caffeine is actually more addictive. This doesn't mean that the effects are more damaging, just that the substance will develop into a habit which will be harder to overcome.

We don't really view caffeine as a dangerous substance, however, in larger quantities it will impact negatively on your health. Many of us drink coffee every day, and it is easy to drink a few cups a day, however before we know it we need 3, 5, 8 cups of coffee a day. This is when it does have more serious effects on the body. It will impact on your levels of alertness and also on your internal organs and even your heart.

This article will offer several tips to help you overcome caffeine addiction naturally:

• Gradually cut down your caffeine intake. Cut your consumption down by one cup per day for the first week, and then reduce it by another cupthe next week and so on until you are at a reasonable level.
• Get a substitute. Try getting your sugar from a low calorie biscuits instead - this will give you the energy your crave without needing to have caffeine.
• If you drink coke why not substitute this for a different drink which does not contain caffeine. Any drink containing sugar will keep you alert and boost your concentration.
• Drink tea! tea still contains a little caffeine and as a hot drink it can be a great substitute for a cup of coffee.
• Eat fruit. Fruit acts as a natural energy booster, and contains natural sugars. Eating fruit will help you early on when withdrawal symptoms appear - it will give you a solid base of energy in your body.
• You can also try alternative remedies - such as positive self affirmations, hypnosis or perhaps subliminal messages. Our caffeine addiction treatment subliminal cd will project positive statements into your mind to help you handle your addiction, and stay strong against withdrawal and caffeine cravings.

Technorati Tags: caffeine addiction, coffee addiction, overcome caffeine addiction

What Wine Goes with What Food?

For many dinner hosts, trying to figure out what wine goes with what food can be a major dilemma?  We all think that we are going to break some rule of etiquette or embarrass ourselves if we serve the wrong wine. Don’t panic! It’s a common worry when entertaining, but needn’t be. Here are some tips and suggestions on a wine for every meal.

Traditionally, red wine can be used for poultry, beef, veal, ham, pasta, lamb, and pork. What kind of wine? For poultry, ham, pork and veal, try a red Zinfandel or Beaujolais. For beef, pasta and lamb; a cabernet sauvignon or merlot would work well.

White chardonnay would compliment strong cheeses, pork, poultry and seafood, including shellfish.  A white Zinfandel or rose wine could accompany appetizers, mild cheeses, desserts, ham, lamb, poultry, and seafood.  Sparkling wine such as Spumante or Champagne could also be served with appetizers, mild cheeses, and desserts. The rule of thumb when serving wine for a particular meal is selecting a light-bodied wine with lighter food and a full-bodied wine with heartier, more flavorful dishes.

In addition, here are some suggestions on how to serve wine.  First, quickly chill white wine by placing the bottle in a bucket of ice water for ten minutes, rather than in the freezer.  Chill sparkling wine in the refrigerator for at least four hours before serving, or chill in ice water for twenty to thirty minutes. 

Red wine should be allowed to breath before serving and this is best done by decanting the wine rather than leaving it in the bottle (after all, how much air actually gets into the top of a full bottle of wine?).

When filling a wine glass, you also need to allow the wine to breathe; so don’t fill it to the top. Filling it half way is much better (and more polite). 

If you still have a problem deciding on what wines to serve with your meals, here is a safe bet.  When choosing white wines, pick out a Pinot Grigio (deliciously light and dry), Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, or Champagne (only for more special occasions).  For Rose wines choose a Zinfandel, and for Red wines a Beaujolis, Pinot Noir or Merlot (which is a full-bodied wine perfect for any pasta dish as well).

Remember, you don’t have to spend a fortune on wine.  A simple Pinot or Merlot will suffice, and both are affordable.

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Coffee Storage
 by: Gary Gresham

Proper coffee storage makes a lot of difference in how your coffee tastes once you go to use it. Here are a few tips for storing coffee beans and ground coffee to keep your coffee tasting as good as possible.

For roasted whole bean coffee storage use an airtight ceramic canister that blocks light. The ceramic canister needs a rubber seal around the lid so air cannot get inside.

Fill the ceramic canister clear to the top with whole bean coffee to keep the air inside down to a minimum. Roasted whole bean coffee will last one to two weeks, when stored this way at room temperature.

Stay away from plastic or metal containers because they can alter the taste of your coffee. If you use a clear glass canister, keep the light away by storing it in a dark cupboard.

The truth about ground coffee is that it will only store for a few days. But you should at least keep air away by using an airtight ceramic canister that blocks light.

This is why grinding your own beans is well worth the effort and it’s also really simple. Trying to keep ground coffee fresh is next to impossible.

You’ll even hear some people suggest freezing whole bean or ground coffee but here is why that is a bad idea. Water molecules not only attach to coffee beans and ground coffee but also to the packaging.

When the water comes into contact with the surface of a coffee bean, ice forms around it. Roasted coffee beans are porous, so when the ice melts, it deteriorates the taste and quality of the coffee.

So what about coffee storage in the refrigerator? Absolutely not. The constant cold mist in the refrigerator attaches to the whole bean or ground coffee and water is coffee’s enemy during coffee storage.

Coffee storage at room temperature works well for coffee that you will use within one to two weeks of purchase if these elements can be eliminated.

Water
Light
Oxygen
Heat

If you want to always have good tasting coffee, buy whole bean coffee and grind it just before you make a fresh pot. Buy only the amount of coffee you can use up within one to two weeks.

Proper coffee storage will keep your coffee tasting the best it can possibly be.

Copyright © 2005 Perfect-Coffees.com. All Rights Reserved.
About The Author

Gary Gresham

This article is supplied by http://www.perfectcoffees.com where you can purchase quality coffee online, tea, cups, mugs, coffee makers, delicious desserts and sugar free desserts online. For a free monthly coffee newsletter with articles like these go to: http://www.perfectcoffees.com/newsletter.html

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Pina Colada Licuado

(Makes 6 servings)

Fresh coconut adds super fresh coconut taste. All you need is a tropical beach!

Ingredients

1 small coconut
1 cup non-dairy milk
1/4 cup rice syrup
2 cups pineapple chunks with juice, or about 1/2 of a large fresh pineapple
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
2 cups ice

Method

Puncture eyes of coconut with an ice pick, pour out “milk” and place in blender. Crack coconut around its middle and remove shell. With a vegetable peeler, peel brown layer from meat. Roughly chop meat and add to blender with the milk. Blend on high speed to liquefy, about 1 minute. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, pressing liquid out of pulp with a rubber spatula. Squeeze remaining liquid from pulp by hand.

Rinse blender jar. Return coconut milk to blender and add remaining ingredients. Blend on highest speed till smooth, about 30 seconds. Serve immediately in large frosty glasses, garnished with paper umbrellas.

Total calories per serving: 139
Fat: 5 grams

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Food And Wine Choice Advice From An Expert Wine Taster
 by: Chris Robertson

Food and wine were meant to go together. In my big Italian family, no gathering was complete without plenty of both. Winter feasts were easy for the food and wine lovers among us – a hearty red table wine is the perfect foil for most southern Italian dishes. A pitcher of table wine drawn from the cask in the basement was the typical accompaniment to our everyday meals.

Red, white or rose, Italian table wines are meant to be imbibed in the casual atmosphere of a family dinner. They are light enough to be enjoyed even by the casual food and wine enthusiast, and robust enough to complement the full-flavored richness of smoked and barbecued food. Which leads us to the subject of this little soliloquy – mixing and matching food and wine for the barbecue. My own tastes run to Italian jug wines, and if it was up to me, I’d tell you to just go out and buy a jug of Chianti and a jug of Lambrusco. It’s what I grew up with, and I happen to love the little sparkle that a good Lambrusco (yes, they do exist!) adds to food.

In the interests of presenting a fair and educated view, however, I decided to check with an expert. Austin Liquor has been voted Best Liquor Store in Worcester for the past 5 years, mostly on the strength of its weekly wine tasting. A Friday night tradition in Worcester since the late 1970s, each tasting offers food and wine based around one or two specific vintages. I was directed to Richard Beams, Austin Liquor’s resident wine expert, and directed my question to him: “What food and wine combination would you recommend for a summer barbecue?”

I did get my recommendations – but I also got a wonderful overview of Rich’s philosophy of choosing wines, especially for fun or everyday occasions.

“I don’t think it’s necessary for people to spend more than $12 for a bottle of wine for an everyday dinner,” he told me. “For a special occasion like an anniversary dinner, sure, you can spend $20 or more for a bottle. A barbecue is a fun occasion, though. For a barbecue you can get really good quality wine for under $12.”

That may come as a surprise to those of us who have been intimidated into believing that the only true quality wines come with corks and high price tags.

Said Rich to that: “I like wine to be fun. It should be fun. Too many people try to snob it up and break down the flavors so far that it’s not fun anymore. I advise people to find something they like and enjoy it. I like to steer people to the less expensive wines that are excellent quality.”

So what does Rich recommend to go with the food at a summer barbecue?

“I like to recommend a nice, light Riesling, “ he told me. “Something crisp and fresh.”

In fact, he told me, several of their recent wine tasting afternoons have featured barbecued food and wine that complements it. He recommended several wines that he feels are ‘fun wines’ with good value.

Flaio Primitivo (Salento, Italy) Primitivo is a grape varietal grown in the heel of Italy’s boot. It’s very similar to a good California Zinfandel – in Rich’s words it’s “almost an exact copy”. It retails for about $7 a bottle and is a great accompaniment for burgers and ribs.

Bonny Doon Big House Red (California) Bonny Doon has a lot of fun with their wines, according to Rich, and he does believe that wine should be fun. Big House Red is a blend of 7 or 8 grapes. According to Bonny Doon’s own web site, those varietals include syrah, petite sirah, Grenache, barbera and malbec. It retails for about $12 a bottle and its robust licorice and raspberry-accented bouquet stands up to the spiciest barbecued ribs.

Monte Antico (Tuscany, Italy) – “very similar to a Chianti Sangiovese,” said Rich. At $12 a bottle, it’s got great fruit, balances a barbecue, holds up well, and has a very Italian looking label.” To quote Monte Antico’s own press, this wine is “Dark ruby in color, its bouquet of leather, earth, herbs, black cherries, licorice and plums is confirmed on the medium to full-bodied palate – round, spicy, elegant, attractively fruity and extremely versatile with any fare from pasta or risotto, to meat, fowl and cheese.”

Rich’s final recommendation was another ‘fun’ wine, one that he says is a great ‘food wine’. The top in his book is:

Three Thieves 2002 Zinfandel was voted #8 as one of the Hottest Small Brands of 2005. The wine comes in a 1 liter jug with a screw top, and is marketed as a ‘fun thing’, says Rich, but the wine inside is a full bodied red zinfandel that goes great with burgers or eggplant parmagiana.

“The wine is excellent, and it’s about $11,” Rich added. He also added the following advice for would-be wine fanciers. “You don’t have to spend a lot to find excellent quality wines. If you find something that you like, make a note. You can go into a store and tell someone there that you liked ‘this brand’ and they’ll steer you to other similar wines for you to try.”

Final analysis? Good food and wine that’s fun are the cornerstone of a great summer barbecue. Skip the fancy labels, vintages and price tags and pick out a wine that you like. Who cares what the noses think as long as your nose is tickled pink?

About The Author

Chris Robertson is a published author of Majon International. Majon International is one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing and internet advertising companies on the web. Visit their main business resource web site at: http://www.majon.com/

To learn more about subjects like food and wine please visit the web site at: http://www.majon.com/directory/Food/

For more information and informative related articles and links about this subject matter and content, please visit Majon’s Food directory: http://www.majon.com/directory/Food

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How To Make An Espresso? The Art Of Making Coffee Cuisine
 by: Daryl Plaza

Espresso coffee is a precise art form of coffee making. There are several factors that must take place to make a quality cup of Espresso. First the fresh roasting of the coffee bean to bring out the truly gourmet coffee flavor that you expect. The grinding is the next procedure that must be done right in order to give you 20-25 seconds of extraction time. Espresso brewing requires the ground beans to be very fine in order to reach that perfect state for brewing. The next important step is the proper temperature of the filtered water that must be passed through the coffee at the specific pressure and timing that is critical to your espresso coffee.

The perfect espresso is created when:

Recipe directions: 1 ½ oz (45 ml) filtered water at the temperature of 195 oF (90oC) passes through ¼ – 1/3 oz (7-9 g) finely ground quality Espresso coffee. This water is forced through the fine coffee grounds by the espresso machine at 900 kilopascals atmospheric pressure (around 132 pounds/60kg per sq in/2.5cm2), with the water being in direct contact with the coffee for approximately 25 seconds.

What should your espresso taste like?

When you are ready to take a drink from your espresso cup, it should leave a pleasant not bitter aftertaste. The flavor should linger for about 10 minutes rolling into an almost nutty flavor.

The crown on your cup of Espresso

The topping on the espresso is know as “Crema”, which is the floating dark golden cream free of any white or light brown patches. That is the crown of the perfect espresso coffee. The Crema is formed when the emulsified oils from the coffee are released (because of the high pressure that is put on the ground coffee beans) and mixed with the oxygen in the air. The resulting finish is perfect crema that floats on top of the espresso coffee.
 

About The Author

Daryl Plaza is the owner of All About Coffee: http://www.all-about-coffee.com – a website focused on helping people to understand more about coffee. For tips and specialty coffee recipes, check out http://www.all-about-coffee.com/coffee-recipes.html. 

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Alcohol Free Party
 by: George Meszaros

Parties are fun but planning them is work. The more carefully you plan your next party the more likely you succeed. Better planning means better party. A successful party can help you entertain friends, family or coworkers. It can help you maintain or start long lasting friendships. If you play your cards right, a successful party can help you get promoted more quickly.

How much money you spend on the party is one of the most important aspects of party planning. You have to know how much money you can afford to spend per guest. The budget determines what kind of food and drinks you can serve. A large budget doesn’t guarantee a successful party and a tight budget doesn’t guarantee a disappointing party.

You can save a lot of money by serving soft drinks, and avoiding alcoholic beverages all together. If your party is during the day, you can more easily get away with no alcoholic beverages. Most people don’t drink during the day. An alcohol free evening party may be a stretch.

If it is a party with children present, you can easily explain an alcohol free party. An alcohol free party yields a more peaceful environment, and fights are much less likely. It is much more easier to control sober guests than a bunch of drunks. Baby showers provide a great opportunity for a sober party as a form of solidarity for the pregnant mother.

If you decide to serve alcohol avoid salty thirst triggering foods. Serve food before you serve alcohol. It’s better to eat while drinking than to drink on an empty stomach. Designate a friend or family member to be the bartender for the evening rather than allowing people to serve themselves. Be prepared to take away car keys, and know your designated drivers.

Not only that you save money because non-alcoholic drinks cost less, at the end of the party there are no arguments about who’s going to drive home!

About The Author

George Meszaros with http://www.partyfantastic.com. 

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