Coffee N’ Beans

Review of Thai Tea Syrup
My latest product review is for Thai Tea Syrup from CurrySimple.com. It’s just a simple syrup made from tea concentrate, but it sure offers a lot of flavour. Use it for either quick iced tea, or a cup of instant…

Teas of India
You may think of China first when it comes to tea growing regions, but don’t forget India. Many excellent black (and green) teas come from from India, and the different growing regions in that country produce unique flavours that are…

George Howell Interview, Part Two

The second interview transcript we did with George Howell on the CoffeeGeek Podcast. Topics this time include freezing green coffee and a lot more.
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Happy Valentine’s Day
Everyone’s favourite chocolate holiday. You can always get romantic with a warm coffee cocktail or a cup of hot chocolate. Or if you’re looking for a decadent dessert, I have some recipes that might suit the occassion: • Chocolate Truffle…

Cafe Rumba blends coffee & rum (Philadelphia Daily News)
Yo! Food got a visit this week from Tony Abou-Ganim, the drink mixologist who appears on the Fine Living Network, to learn how to make cafe rumba spiced coffee. Abou-Ganim, who lives in Las Vegas, is traveling the country to promote Equal sweetener.

Genetic engineers decaffeinate coffee (New Scientist)
Researchers create low-caffeine plants that they claim could produce cheaper and fuller-flavoured decaff coffee

Coffee craze fueling SWFL business (WBBH)
A jolt of java. A caffeine craving. Whatever you call it, if you’re like most people, you need that morning ‘cup of Joe.’ Coffee consumption is up for the third straight year, and businesses in Southwest Florida are paying attention.

Coffee trial survives insects, but not vandals (New Scientist)
Vandals have ruined the world’s first and only trial of genetically engineered coffee in French Guiana, but some results were salvaged

Nicotine in Tim Horton’s Coffee?
A friend of mine let me in on a secret: the reason Tim Horton’s coffee is so good is because they add nicotine to keep all us Canadian coffee-drinkers addicted. I looked at him with open disbelief. Sure, he said….

Changing the Way Cafe Owners Think

Thinking beyond the "barista" in you, and thinking about costs and investments instead of just cutting costs - a food for thought look at how to improve your cafe.
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Coffee-Throwing Culprit Robs UDF Store (Channel Cincinnati)
A robber throws coffee into a clerk’s face at a suburban United Dairy Farmer’s store.

Inanimate Objects Comics #23
The 23rd installment of Inanimate Objects.

Top Ways to Make a Bad Cup of Coffee
Sure, making coffee is a simple process. But there are plenty of things that can ruin your brew. Here is a handy list of ways to make a bad cup of coffee. Or you might want to avoid these things…

Popular Espresso Machine Features
Cup warmers, frothing wands, water filters and so much more. What features are important to you in an espresso machine? Did you even know that espresso machines came with so many bells & whistles? Here are the typical features that…

Happy Valentine’s Day
Everyone’s favourite chocolate holiday. You can always get romantic with a warm coffee cocktail or a cup of hot chocolate. Or if you’re looking for a decadent dessert, I have some recipes that might suit the occassion: • Chocolate Truffle…

Club-wielding man robs North Park coffee house (San Diego Union-Tribune)
SAN DIEGO, 3:01 p.m. March 27 (UNION-TRIBUNE): A man wearing a bandana over his face and carrying a wooden club robbed a coffee house early Monday morning, police said.

April Fools ‘Coffee & Skeet’ morning (Manxnet)
April Fools Day fun comes to Ramsey this Saturday. The Friends of Robert Owen House are holding a Coffee & Skeet morning in the Methodist Church Hall in Waterloo Road from 9-30am.

Coffee shops give teens a place to connect (Grand Forks Herald)
It’s 3:40 on a Friday afternoon, and the jeans-and-plaid crowd begins to march in at ChocoLat? Coffee in northeast Atlanta. Faith Khalik, 16, a sophomore at St. Pius X Catholic High School, orders a frappe, a concoction of ice, milk, coffee and syrup that looks like a bubble bath in a plastic cup by the time it’s served to her.

Nuova Simonelli MCF, Jesse Imbach

Bottom Line: If you lust for a Mazzer, but only have $300+/- to spend, this is the best choice you can make.
Read review…

Happy Valentine’s Day
Everyone’s favourite chocolate holiday. You can always get romantic with a warm coffee cocktail or a cup of hot chocolate. Or if you’re looking for a decadent dessert, I have some recipes that might suit the occassion: • Chocolate Truffle…

Study shows gene ups risk for coffee drinkers (Contra Costa Times)
An extra cup of coffee increased the risk of a first heart attack in people with a defect in the gene responsible for breaking down caffeine, researchers report.

Vibiemme Domobar Super

CoffeeGeek takes a first look at a heat exchanging, E61 equipped machine that stands out from the crowd on more than a few features.
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A good cup of Mojo
“The best cup of coffee you’ve ever had!” the sign exclaimed …

More Than Just Coffee (New York Times)
In the highlands of Nicaragua, a coffee plantation re-invents itself for visitors.

The Melitta Manual 6-cup Coffee Maker
Writers need coffee. Since absinthe isn t around any more, it is about as good as we can do in terms of stimulating our synapses. But I digress.

Top Ways to Make a Bad Cup of Coffee
Sure, making coffee is a simple process. But there are plenty of things that can ruin your brew. Here is a handy list of ways to make a bad cup of coffee. Or you might want to avoid these things…

Would Sugar by Any Other Name be as Sweet?
Do you like your coffee black or with a touch of sweetener. Or maybe a lot of sweetener? Most coffee shops offer those little packets of white sugar, but some fancier coffee houses may also offer brown sugar or even…

A Coffee A Day
A comprehensive history of health studies on coffee.

Review of Thai Tea Syrup
My latest product review is for Thai Tea Syrup from CurrySimple.com. It’s just a simple syrup made from tea concentrate, but it sure offers a lot of flavour. Use it for either quick iced tea, or a cup of instant…

Live music adds to atmosphere at The Coffee Co. (CentralOhio.com)
COSHOCTON - Live music is packing customers into The Coffee Co. and adding to an atmosphere which lets people relax and pretend they are somewhere else for a while.

Coffee shop that wants gas station fuels dispute (Detroit News)
GENOA TOWNSHIP — A battle is brewing over what to do with a drive-through coffee shop on a traffic island at the intersection of Chilson and Brighton roads.

La Pavoni PA Grinder, Peter Alicandri

Bottom Line: I like it,  I’ll buy another and I recommend it - bravo.
Read review…

The Melitta Manual 6-cup Coffee Maker
Writers need coffee. Since absinthe isn t around any more, it is about as good as we can do in terms of stimulating our synapses. But I digress.

White Chocolate and Ginger Biscotti
Winter is still hanging over us, and I’m starting to crave more warm treats. My coffee alone isn’t enough, so I’ve whipped up a batch of biscotti to dunk. So far, my favourite recipe has been this White Chocolate and…

Inanimate Objects Comics #21
The 21st installment of Inanimate Objects.