DuncanChamb asked:

Love Coffee? Love that first cup steaming from your cafetiere? Then this film is for you! Douwe Egberts have been growing, roasting and supplying the finest coffees for over 250 years and have learnt a thing or two about the world’s most popular drink along the way… This is the second in a series of 3 short films that charts the fascinating story of coffee and the breakthrough that truly made coffee instant and global – the filter. We also meet Etienne, the passionate tasting master behind the last 3 decades of Douwe Egberts blends. Narrated by James Nesbitt, we really hope you’ll enjoy this and the other films in the series!

Stanley Hardin asked:




An espresso machine works by condensing coffee by heating up water and then passing it through the coffee. This brings out a well-flavored coffee drink. For the latte and cappuccino flavors, an espresso machine uses the water that remains to create these flavors by turning it into steam to create the flaunting taste of milk in these flavors. If you want a coffee maker that makes good quality coffee within a short time, you should consider getting the Breville espresso machine. They can work well for your household coffee making needs for various reasons. The first reason is that these machines last long and it is easy to maintain them. These coffee machines are also stain resistant and do not break easily. The longest lasting espresso machines are those made from stainless steel. If you get one like this, you are assured that you will buy something that will not bring you worry. The price of the Breville machines is affordable and you can therefore find these machines in use at busy coffee selling premises.

When buying a Breville, it is advisable to compare prices at different stores and get the one that fits your budget for the prices will differ from store to store. The point to note here is that the features of the coffee maker should determine the price of the specific machine.

The other thing to look for when buying a Breville is how much coffee beans you need to make the espresso. The ideal machine should make the most amount of espresso without using so many beans and the type of filter used influences this characteristic. The ideal coffee filter that enhances this characteristic is one that uses a showerhead with the combination of both conical and gold coffee filters.

Looking for the features and characteristics mentioned above will ensure you select a good Breville espresso machine that you will be satisfied to use.

Liz Canham asked:




If you don’t mind instant coffee granules or powder, it isn’t that difficult to make a cup of coffee. You just put a teaspoonful of it in a cup or mug, boil some water, pour it on, stir and then serve. However, if you want “proper” coffee, not instant, the process isn’t quite so easy unless you have a coffee machine.

There are many different types of coffee machine available and which one you choose will depend on the features and the price of the appliance. In a domestic environment, you don’t necessarily need all the “bells and whistles” that a commercial enterprise would require, but if you want to make different types of coffee, you’ll want something a little fancy.

First of all, you can choose the look and size of the coffee machine. If you only have a small space available, there’s no point buying a huge machine and this may restrict the facilities that it has. For example, it will affect the number of cups of coffee which can be produced before the water reservoir must be refilled. In terms of appearance, there is either plastic or stainless steel to choose from and plastic may come in a variety of colours depending of the make of the machine.

Another early decision will be whether you want a filter machine with a jug or whether you want an espresso machine. The latter is usually more versatile but may well cost more to buy and you’ll also need to buy more coffee as by it’s nature espresso is usually stronger than filter coffee.

Filter coffee machines usually have a jug which sits on a hotplate to keep the coffee warm. This is useful if you have a lot of people drinking coffee, for example in an office, but although you can vary the number of cups you make, it isn’t really practical for a lone drinker (unless you drink far too much) because the hotplate doesn’t really keep the coffee that warm over time and the flavour becomes a bit “stewed” if not drunk within an hour or so.

Espresso machines, particularly really do come in all different shapes and sizes, from the tiny little one cup machines to the large (and expensive) types which have a large reservoir, grind the coffee, dispense and tamp it down then discards the spent coffee when the water has run through. All you have to do with one of these is make sure that there is enough water and beans then froth the milk if you want it.

Medium priced espresso machines will usually have a reasonably large water reservoir and a milk frothing system. Cheaper ones will probably only hold enough water for a couple of cups and won’t have a frother. It’s really horses for courses depending on how much and what sort of coffee you like to drink.

Many brands have similar models of the machine, so you may want to visit a few different electrical shops and compare prices, brand facilities and warranty conditions, before you make your decision.

Whichever type you buy, don’t forget that there is different ready ground coffee for filter machines than for espresso machines so make sure that you pick up the right sort in the supermarket. Either way, once water has run through the coffee, don’t even think about trying to use the coffee again or it will look and taste like dishwater!

If you choose the right machine for the job, then you should have good tasty coffee whenever you want it.

Stephanie Larkin asked:




When discussing the Tassimo hot beverage system, one thing should be made clear: Tassimo is not a single-serve coffee maker. There is a reason that they call it a ‘hot beverage system’ rather than a one-cup coffee machine. The Tassimo Hot Beverage System may just be one of the most versatile beverage makers on the market today.

The Tassimo hot beverage system is designed by Kraft, a multinational food and beverage company, and is manufactured by Saeco, which makes the highest quality coffee and espresso in the world. Distributed by Braun, the Tassimo uses a proprietary T-disc design to brew just about any type of beverage that uses hot water, and brews it perfectly every time.

The T-Disc and What Makes It Unique

Most one cup systems use little filter packets stuffed with pre-measured and firmly packed coffee called ‘pods’. There’s a wide range of espresso systems and coffee maker systems that use E.S.E. (Easy Serving Espresso) pods, which are standardized in size and volume to fit E.S.E. machines. Pods are essentially the same, no matter what their size – they consist of a pre-measured portion of coffee compressed into a puck and covered with a paper filter.

Tassimo’s closest competitor, Keurig, uses a proprietary coffee filter and holder all in one called a K-cup. The K-cup is designed to be a mini-brewer, similar to Tassimo’s T-disc, but there is one major difference.



The bar code

The true innovation behind the T-Disc, and the thing that makes every beverage brewed in the Tassimo consistently good – is the bar code technology. The Tassimo system is a smart machine. Each T-Disc is marked with a bar code that tells the machine how much water to use, what temperature to heat the water to and how long to brew the beverage before releasing it. The bar code reader gives the Tassimo system its major advantage over other one cup beverage makers – consistency. The tasters at Kraft work to find the perfect combination of water, heat and time for each new beverage – and once that’s found, every single cup of that beverage brewed in the Tassimo will always be perfect.

Versatility Plus

The Tassimo makes far more than coffee. Kraft and many other beverage makers have opted to have their beverages packaged in T-discs. You can make coffee, crema coffee, lattes, cappuccinos, espresso, hot chocolate and tea using your Tassimo T-disc system. Because the beverage pours directly from the T-disc into the cup, you can make several different kinds of beverages in a row. With a Tassimo, after dinner coffee on holidays is a snap, even if everyone at the dinner table wants a different kind of drink.

How Easy Is It?

Making drinks in your Tassimo is as simple as one-two-three:

One: Fill the water container and put it back in place on the base unit. Press the on/off switch and open the brew mechanism. The machine will turn on and the water starts heating.

Two: Put a clean cup on the cup stand. The stand adjusts so that the cup’s rim is close to the brew mechanism with a simple twist and lift.

Three: Put your chosen T-disc on the T-disc holder in the brew mechanism, clamp the brew mechanism closed and press start once the Auto Light turns on.

That’s it. Once you’ve pressed the start/stop button, all that’s left to do is wait for your drink to be done. When it’s finished, just open the brew mechanism, throw away the used T-disc and enjoy your beverage.

Customizing Your Drinks

The Tassimo also has a manual mode that allows you to customize the way your beverage is brewed. Once the machine switches from auto to manual mode, there will be a handy front panel light that says “Manual.” You can now add more water to the drink, or you can stop the brewing process immediately for a stronger drink.

What about selection?

Tassimo features a great variety of high quality coffees in T-discs, and they’re available by direct delivery or for purchase retail. Here is a quick run-through of the latest flavor lineup available for the Tassimo Hot Beverage System:

Coffee

Starbucks:

Breakfast Blend, House Blend, Café Verona and Africa Kitamu

Seattle’s Best

Breakfast Blend and Henry’s Blend

Gevalia Kaffee

Signature Blend, Signature Blend Decaf, Morning Roast, Hazelnut and Signature Blend Crema

Maxwell House Café Collection

House Blend, House Blend Decaf, Morning Blend, French Roast and French Vanilla

Mastro Lorenzo

Crema Coffee

Kenco

Kenco Classic Blend

Carte Noire

Voluptuouso, Petite Dejeuner

Nabob

100% Columbian

Jacob’s Kroenung

Specialty Beverages

Espresso

Gevalia espresso, Gevalia Decaf espresso, Carte Noire Espresso, Mastro Lorenzo espresso

Cappuccino

Gevalia cappuccino, Gevalia decaf cappuccino, Maxwell House Café cappuccino, Tassimo foaming milk creamer

Latte

Gevalia Latte, Tassimo Latte creamer, Maxwell House Café Latte, Jacobs Latte Macchiato

Chai Tea

Twinings Chai Tea

Hor Chocolate

Suchard hot chocolate