When it comes to popular world drinks, coffee is definitely on the top of the list. Because of our morning ritual involving coffee as well as coffee shops turning up everywhere, espresso machines have become in high demand! There are three things to keep in mind when purchasing an espresso machine. One, what it really takes to make a good cup of coffee, two, the time it takes to make, and three, what it takes to maintain the machine.

It's absolutely key you don't forget these factors when looking into purchasing one for yourself. An espresso machine should be used with finely grounded coffee beans, and spring or aerated water. And many espresso machines have a filter built-in, to make the water taste a bit cleaner. There are a variety of espresso machines, and some have two dispensers. It's considerably more expensive to have the dual model, and that also tends to be the model fitted with the water filter.

One important thing people forget when purchasing an espresso machine is cleaning. Make sure you can easily and effortlessly clean your machine after each days use. If you decide to neglect cleaning, all the old bits will become stale over time and make your coffee taste horrible. So how does it work? It shoots 90 degree centrigrade water, and has it pressured into freshly ground coffee. The resulting oils are removed and used to create a syrupy liquid. In an ideal world, an espresso machine could turn out a double shot in around 20 seconds.

Another element of a great espresso making is ensuring you are roasting very, very lightly. If the roasting isn't done extremely carefully, the sugars and rich aroma will be lost. If you roast your espresso too dark, expect liquid charcoal, cause that's what it's going to taste like.

What's critical in a good espresso is using a great espresso blend. It's a must that the coffees are specially blended to become smooth and rich. The blend should be freshly ground and brewed within 4 days from actually roasting.

There's a variety of espresso machines available, not just one. There are piston-driven ones, steam espresso machines, pump-driven ones, stovetop machines, automatic makers, as well as super automatic makers. You shouldn't have to spend too much of your time and energy maintaining the machine, especially if you get one with a built in water tank, that way you can avoid plumbing costs and you can move the machine whenever you need.

A lot of people know how to make a basic cup of Turkish coffee, but these are some not so common Turkish and Greek coffee recipes:

Greek Coffee Recipe with "Ouzo"

This is a traditional coffee recipe of the Greek monks in the sacred "Agio Oros". You will need:

2 teaspoonfuls of Greek coffee

2 teaspoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of "ouzo" (traditional Greek alcohol drink)

2*3oz cups water

After you prepare your coffee add the Ouzo inside, and serve.

With "Koniak"

This is a traditional coffee recipe of Greek seamen. It's the same as the previous recipe with the only difference that you use Koniak instead of Ouzo.

With "Honey"

This is an old Greek coffee recipe from Smirni. Prepare your Greek-Turkish coffee, and then add one teaspoon of honey. It's delicious!

With "Cardamom"

This is sort of Arabic version for Turkish coffee recipe. Use a dark coffee blend ground for Turkish. Get some cardamon, and grind it or use a mortar. 2 seeds per cup is enough.

Cardamon is used to spice up and give aroma to the coffee. You will need:

2 teaspoonfuls of coffee

1-2 teaspoons of sugar

as much cardamon as you want

2*3oz cups water

Prepare coffee as usual. You will get a delicious exotic coffee, which is very different from anything you've tasted before!

With "Mastich"

Same as the above recipe but instead of cardamom you must use mastich (only produced in Chios island, Greece)

Turkish Coffee Recipe with "Fennel Seeds"

Same as the above recipe but instead of cardamom you must use fennel seeds.

So, go ahead and enjoy great coffee!

Turkish coffee is one of the simplest ways to make delicious coffee. This is a guide to help you avoid the most common mistakes when making Turkish coffee.

Using the wrong proportion

One of the most common mistakes is using the wrong proportion of coffee to water. If you use too much water or too much coffee the result will not be drinkable! The most common rule is one demitasse cup of water with one teaspoon of coffee. If you want your coffee strong you can use two teaspoons but don't use more...

Using the wrong grind

In order to make Turkish coffee you must use very fine ground coffee. If you use coarser coffee then you will not be able to extract the delicate coffee flavours. You will also fail to create the special coffee foam on top which is highly prized in many Middle East and Balkan countries. This special foam resembles the espresso crema and it is known as kaimaki in Greece. So, make sure that you use very fine ground coffee.

If you want to grind your own coffee, use a high quality burr grinder (manual or electrical). You can also use a mortar and pestle.

Boiling coffee

You must use a Turkish coffee pot to prepare the coffee. Stir the coffee with the sugar a bit to help them mix with the water.

After you light up the fire and you start heating the coffee in the pot, it is very important to watch carefully as the coffee comes slowly to a boil. It's imperative that you don't let it boil!

If it boils then the coffee will get bitter and flat tasting. In order to make delicious Turkish coffee, you must stop the heating when the coffee mixture comes ALMOST to a boil.

At this special moment, the coffee foam forms a ring on top. This foam ring slowly increases in size, closes the gap on top and then the coffee starts rising. As soon as the foam ring closes the gap on top and starts rising out must stop the heating. If you fail to do this it will boil and the flavour will get destroyed. So, just be careful and take it slow!

Bringing to boil more than 3 times

There are some people who prefer to bring the coffee to almost boil more than once. I find this a loss of time and sometimes it can also lead to a loss of quality. Bringing the coffee to almost boil more than 3 times is an exaggeration!

Adding sugar after the boiling

If you want your coffee medium sweet add one teaspoon of sugar for every teaspoon of coffee. If you want your coffee sweet double the amount of sugar. It is important to put the sugar before the heating, to optimize the flavour. The sugar melts and becomes one with the coffee in your mouth.

Using the wrong size pot

In order to make 2 demitasse cups of coffee use a coffee pot (ibrik or cezve) that holds 3 demitasse cups of coffee. You can also measure the capacity of the pot using water. The extra cup is counted to facilitate the whole stirring and foaming process.

Now, you may ask:

"Why can't I use a 5 cup size coffee pot to make 2 cups of coffee? The bigger the better!"

Unfortunately it's not like that!

You see... if you use a much bigger coffee pot this makes the coffee foam creation rather hard. The shape of the coffee pot (conical) facilitates the creation of a special oven like effect that makes the foaming much easier and more precise.

If you use a very big coffee pot then it will be hard to make a nice foam on top of the Turkish coffee. Just try it and you will see the difference!

Using hot water to make it faster

There are many professionals who start with hot water in order to make Turkish coffee faster. Actually they have big boilers and when a customer asks for a cup of Turkish coffee, they pour hot water from the boiler inside their coffee pot, they put coffee and sugar and they boil the whole thing as fast as possible!

The result as you may guess is the destruction of all the delicate coffee flavour. This is because of basic physics and chemistry... hot water (90 C degrees or higher) interacts with the coffee and then as if this is not enough you boil the coffee some more!!!

So just use cold coffee and don't rush. Your taste buds will thank you!

Pouring fast and sloppily

When the heating is done pour the coffee slowly in order to retain the foam on top. If you do it quickly the foam may break apart.

Not letting the coffee settle a bit after serving

After you serve the coffee, the small coffee grounds float everywhere in the cup. Just let them settle for a couple of minutes (except if you like eating coffee :-) )

Not taking enough time to enjoy!

This is in my opinion the greatest mistake of all. We live in very quickly paced timed, full of stress.

Why should you also be in a hurry when drinking your Turkish coffee? Relax! Take a small sip, lay back and enjoy! Share what you learned with your friends and offer them a cup of coffee too, won't you?

Introduction

Throughout many forums and espresso groups there lies the questions of, "What espresso machine should I buy?" People than flock to answer, each giving there own advice. This advice is sometimes biased or does not give a clear cut answer, leaving the questioner with even more questions. This than leads to the mistake of buying a machine that does not meet their needs, or leads to them buying a $1500 machine that will be used once a week!

This guide is designed for those of you who are buying your first serious espresso machine. It is here to help you understand some terms that you may not know and help you find a machine that will fit your very needs. This guide will help you learn about certain types of espresso machines and their specific abilities. Those who are knowledgeable in the subject of espresso machines will not get much help hear except maybe pointing a fellow espresso lover to a new machine. So let's begin!

Cost of An Espresso Machine

When one decides that they want to venture into the idea of an espresso machine they quickly halt when they see the prices tags. Who really wants to spend $1000 dollars on a espresso machine? You may think that is absurd, but people often spend that kind of money on similar appliances. Refrigerators fall into the same price range as do quality washing machines and dryers. An espresso machine is a long term investment. It may cost $1000 dollars now, but that sucker will most likely last you a lifetime. So $1000 spread out over 20 years doesn't sound so bad does it?

Cheap machines are very tempting. I mean wouldn't you rather spend $200 than $500? I know I would. But you have to once again look at this long term. Do you want to spend $200 now and then in a year or two spend another $200 to fix something that broke? Or do you want to start off with something of a very high grade and not have to worry about it? I would go with the latter of the two, wouldn't you? In no way am I saying $500 machines are problem free, but they are less prone to have problems.

* Do your route representatives perform monthly maintenance?
* Are they keeping your brewing equipment clean? If not, your coffee probably tastes stale and gritty.
* Are they exchanging your coffee carafes regularly and scrubbing them out when they don't? This can also avoid build-up in your carafes that leads to sludge-like coffee.
* Are they rotating and replenishing your stock every month, without overstocking? If you haven't checked your supply cabinet lately, you may be surprised at how much or how little they leave you each month. Chances are, if they overstocked you, you may have expired product taking up cabinet space.
* Do they offer an interesting variety of beverages? A choice of coffees and teas in the break room helps avoid an exodus of workers leaving the office to satisfy their individual tastes.
* Can they provide office coffee machines that fit your break room needs? Different size offices require different machines. Single cup coffee makers may be best for one office, volume brewers for another.
* Is the route sales representative checking in with the proper contact person every month to ensure your utmost satisfaction in all these areas? Proper communication is key to satisfying your beverage and service needs year round. If they are simply asking you to sign the invoice, there may be a communication breakdown, and your team could be suffering for it. If you answered no to any of those questions, it's time to find a better service provider.

How to find a reputable coffee service company.

* Google Local is a good way to locate coffee service companies in your area. Your search term should include city and state ie: office coffee service San Diego CA.
* Research the better know names in the industry. These include Farmer Brothers,Custom Coffee Plan, Boyd's and Starbucks.
* Can the company provide more than coffee? Consolidating your break room supply service will save your business time and money. Additional products to ask for include first aid, break room paper goods, condiments, snacks and other beverages.
* Will you have a personal sales rep? A hard working sales contact assures that you will receive prompt responses to your questions and order processing.
* Can you order online? Ask to test their online ordering system. Is it easy to navigate and find the products you want? Are prices and delivery options clear?

A great espresso is not something that is just made. It is created. Many professionals have their own methods of making the best espresso. You can develop your own, but nothing is a substitute for knowing the basics of a good cup of espresso. By knowing the proper elements and some useful tips you can design your own process and ensure it will be a winning one that will have people racing to get a cup. Here are the elements of what makes a great espresso.

Good Water

A good espresso starts with good water. It should be of good quality, pure and filtered. It needs to be fresh and very hot. The best temperature is at around 203 degrees Fahrenheit. Using stale or old water can produce an off taste to the espresso. This is a factor that many people overlook. They believe that through heating the water will lose any odd flavor, but this is not true. Good water is a must to get a good cup of finished product.

Good Coffee

Next, you want good quality coffee. The espresso is strong, so you want a string coffee bean. It should be fresh as well. It should be finely ground and dark. Choose your beans wisely. Just as bad water can make its mark, bad coffee beans will ruin the whole cup. You want to choose a dark bean that is not too old. Fresh is key when it comes to a good taste. Check the look and smell of beans, too. Make sure you know how to spot a bad bean from a good bean, so you make the right choice.

Good Machine

The last element in a good espresso is a good machine. It should be of a good quality, functioning properly. It should be clean and be able to produce water that is hot enough. It needs to have a steady drip and use a heating process other than steam which can really water down the taste of the coffee.

Fresh roasted coffee is every coffee drinkers dream. Not every coffee drinker understands the process of how coffee is made, including the roasting process. To understand it a little better let's go through the basics.

Processing

A good coffee always starts with a good bean. This is where coffee starts to differentiate as far as brands are concerned. Some places use processors that will was the beans to remove the fruit of the bean and separate out the different densities of beans. Less dense beans will float to the top where they can be easily removed. Some use a slow dry process. Dry processed beans have a subtle acidity compared to the higher acidity of wet processed beans. The acidity level is what gives coffee its flavor. Without acidity it tastes flat. An important factor of good processing is that it should leave the bean with a good moisture content so that the flavors can develop in the roasting process.

Roasting

Roasting allows the beans to produce levels of acid, aroma and other flavors. The first stage of roasting turns a green bean into a yellow color and creates a smell similar to popcorn. When the next stage is reached, at 338°F-392°F, the sugar in the beans starts to caramelize. It is important that the sugars caramelize or the coffee will be too sweet once brewed. At 400°F the next stage begins and the beans double in size and lighten in weight. The temperature will rise to 428°F the bean reduce further in weight and release CO2. At 446°F the beans become oily and there is usually a pop sound. This is a critical stage where the beans can be over roasted if the roaster is not careful. The oils and aroma start to boil off and combine with air if this is overdone then the beans will lose flavor and take on a burnt taste. Achieving a balance of bitterness, acidity and other characteristics is the goal in this final stage.

The Perfect Taste

Tasting guides will often use the term 'body' to describe the kinds of proteins and fibers in the final brew of coffee. It refers to how the brew tastes on the roof of the mouth. It is determined by the roasting process. Too light of a roast will be too bitter, while too dark of a roast will take on the aforementioned burnt taste. Neither is considered the perfect roast. It should fall somewhere in the middle with a good balance.