Thanksgiving Coffee

Spiced Coffee

1 cup water

1 cinnamon stick

8 cardamom pods, split

8 black peppercorns

3/4 cup half and half

3 tablespoons sugar or to taste

2 cups strong freshly brewed coffee

Pinch nutmeg

Instructions

Combine water, cinnamon stick, cardamom, and peppercorns in a small saucepan over medium heat. When water comes to a rolling boil, lower heat to low and simmer for five minutes.

Strain spices and return water to the heat.

Add sugar, and stir until dissolved. Add half and half; stir well.

Combine coffee and spice mixture and heat over medium heat until nearly boiled.

Pour into four cups and add nutmeg to taste

5 of the Most Popular Flavored Coffee Syrups

Flavored coffee syrups are a popular method of changing the basic flavor of coffee. The flavor can be added directly to the gourmet coffee bean or directly to that freshly poured cup of coffee. Which ever you choose, syrup allows you to change the flavor to your own custom approval. Some of the most popular syrups are listed below and not listed in any particular order.

1. Vanilla flavored coffee syrups. Mmm, vanilla is a popular flavored syrup. Vanilla is actually a wonderful smell as well. Vanilla is popular because it is basic but adds a touch of elegance to everything it is added. Choosing vanilla is a popular choice for both beginners and connoisseurs of coffee. If normal vanilla is not quite your cup of coffee, then there are numerous other types: French vanilla and vanilla bean are just a couple.

2. Chocolate flavored coffee syrups. Almost everyone loves chocolate. Chocolate is considered a true delicacy fit for the highest of royalty. Chocolate can be either cheap or extremely expensive. However, chocolate coffee syrup is usually quite inexpensive and offers the coffee connoisseur the chance to have the authentic flavor of our beloved chocolate in our coffee. Nothing beats the flavor of chocolate in coffee. There are even specialty gourmet coffees that are mixed with chocolate: mochas.

3. Buttered rum flavored coffee syrups. Perhaps my favorite, buttered rum is mmm, mmm, mmm, delicious! Extras sweet for those coffee connoisseurs that have a sweet tooth. I have tastes some syrup that reminds me of those butterscotch life saver candies. Buttered rum is exactly that: a sweet butterscotch. Of course, many coffee syrups are also just rum flavored. These actually taste like the alcoholic rum. Usually, they do not have alcohol though. However, should you want that kick only alcohol offers, try using a bit of the real stuff.

4. Any assortment of mint flavored coffee syrups. There is a mint to suit almost anyones taste buds. Mint gives a certain "kick" to anything it is added too. In addition, mint is known for its claming and soothing natural components. Although mint alone may not be a welcomed addition to your daily cup of Java, many people love mint when mixed with chocolate. Mint is plain goodness.

5. Caramel flavored coffee syrups. Who doesn't love caramel? Caramel is an extremely popular choice in coffee flavorings. Caramel can also be added to almost any other flavor and have a creamy, smooth result. Caramel is usually the mixture of brown sugar and butter. However your favorite caramel is created, be assured that it is a bit of pure ecstasy. Caramel is delicious and a good way to add a sweetener to your cup of morning delight.

Whatever coffee syrup you desire, there is one specially created for you tastes. If you can't instantly find one, keep trying. It is out there. If you get brave, you can try to mix your own syrup. Coffee syrups offer sweet and flavor in one beautiful package.


Tana Ticer

Coffee Drinking In Finland

It's time for a cup of coffee. Finns drink coffee anywhere and everywhere. More coffee per person is drunk in Finland than anywhere else in the world.

New Way To Grind Coffee

February 21, 1909

A Mill, A Bicycle and a Pair of Feet to Do the Trick.

LATEST METHOD OF GRINDING COFFEE

A combination exerciser and coffee grinder is the latest product of the inventive genius of Curtis F. Smith, a Kansas City, Kas., grocer. On the rear porch of the grocery store at 2063 North Thirteenth street, Kansas City, Kas., a large coffee mill is connected by a belt with a bicycle which is propped up so as to act upon the principle of a treadmill.

When the Saturday orders are in, a small boy takes his stand by the coffee mill prepared to pour the coffee into the hopper. Mr. Smith mounts the bicycle and beginning slowly as though climbing a steep hill, he gradually increases his speed and bends low over the handle bars until the wheels of the bicycle and the coffee mill fairly hum. The Saturday coffee is ground in a jiffy.

Labels: bicycles, food, grocers, inventors, Kansas City Kas

Gourmet Coffee: Society's Modern Elixir

Coffee: the get-up-and-go juice of men and women around the world; the elixir every insomniac worships; and the drinkable oil that greases the cogs of our restless mind. Whatever coffee means to you, no one will argue that coffee has deep roots in the culture of our society. Coffee can bring two distinctively opposite individuals together in a ranting, super-charged explosion of camaraderie only describable as totally remarkable and inspiring. No one would dare deny that a good cup of gourmet coffee is one rung higher on that latter of inspired preeminence than an average blend of coffee.

What makes an average coffee better than average or gourmet coffee? This simple question is not so simple to answer. The process starts with a single, little, dark bean. However, that bean has an awe-inspiring story itself. The quality of a coffee bean depends vastly on where and how that particular coffee bean is grown. The cultivation process is as important as the elevation, temperature, and weather of the surrounding area of the coffee bean. Of course, the temperature and weather of the surrounding area is subject to continuous change; therefore, the quality of a coffee bean is going to change from year to year.

Not surprisingly, coffee beans are handpicked and handled with extreme care to produce the highest quality possible. After the coffee bean has reached the processor's plant, the coffee bean is separated, then is prepared for immediate roasting. The roasting process heats the coffee bean to an extremely high temperature. The longer the coffee bean is kept in the extreme heat, the darker the roast of the coffee beans. The darker the coffee bean, the less caffeine the coffee bean generates in that everyday cup of java. In addition, the darker the coffee bean is in the end, the less weight that coffee bean actually weighs. Surprisingly, Europeans enjoy a darker coffee blend than the American consumers.

Immediately after being removed from the extreme temperature of the roasting process, coffee beans are exceptionally absorbent. This is the most popular time to add additional flavorings and additives that make a good gourmet coffee. Of course, there are enormous optional factors to any gourmet coffee. Now we are going to explore these options and discuss in detail the enormous possibilities associated with gourmet coffees. Grab yourself a cup of java, relax, and let's walk, hop, or skip down this explorative path of truth as we explore the phenomenon of gourmet coffee!

by: Tana Ticer

President Obama takes a Coffee Break

Irish Coffee Recipe

• 1-1/2 ounces Irish Whiskey                  
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• Hot coffee to fill one cup or mug
• Heavy Cream

Instructions

1. Blend the brown sugar, hot coffee and whiskey in a cup or mug
2. Top the coffee drink with a quarter inch of heavy cream, but do not stir

You can top this drink with whipped cream instead of heavy cream.

The original Irish Coffee was invented by Joseph Sheridan head chef at Foyness, County Limerick.  It is a cocktail and may be considered a variation of the hot toddy.