sorry for the delay

I just wanted to apologize for the long delay in blogging. Normally I'm a person that hates excuses so I want to give it to you straight. Recently things in my life haven't been going as planned. Such as job loss and GF issues all in the same period. I'm not gonna give to much information but I think that pretty much sums up what has been happening. I turned out to make my spring break a living hell. But in turn I learned to truly enjoy things in like that are simple and good. Coffee obviously has been my emotional crutch these past weeks, I take no shame in saying that if it hadn't been for coffee I probably wouldn't even be job searching right now. So expect by tomorrow a good new post on main bean coffee. I'm the king at high quality procrastination so don't just think its gonna be some 10 minute blog post. Anyway this may very well be my way of getting away so anyways keep positive everyone the economy sucks, I know. But good economy or no economy our happiness should be everlasting.

Homemade Cafe Latte

After reading a few of my comments I figured I was being to harsh on the people who love their coffee with milk and sugar and tell that I guess I do have my coffee limits too. When it comes to espresso shots there are only two reasons I drink it straight...

1. If im desperate in the morning to get out the door and have no time for a slow cup of coffee but need that boost.
   
2. On a dare.

But I really do prefer my home done lattes. But even with a latte I tend to stick to some of my favorite syrup flavors hazelnut, toffee, and vanilla sometimes I feel a little more adventurous and try something new. So I felt that I should share a recipe with you and some tips to make some home lattes on the cheap. I like a lot of people in these times am trying to save a buck or two and make it go further. I know the large syrup bottles can cost upwards of 8$ but found it that if you can find a local restaurant supply store that sell davinci gourmet syrup for 2-3$ for a large bottle and with 20 or more uses that can go a long way in your wallet. But here is my recipe and I'll explain as I go along.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 shots of espresso *
  
• 1-2 oz. Any Coffee syrup
• ~10 oz. of steamed milk**

*espresso can be substituted with same amount of very strong italian coffee or french press coffee or even drip coffee. Just make sure it plenty strong enough.
** If you don't have a steamer you can just heat milk in a small pan just before it simmers. This is a good substitute.

Directions:

• Add in a 16 ounce glass in this both espresso and syrup amount can be changed depending on your taste mix well. Then add milk. Don't worry about latte art it takes a lot of practice to get that down.

And Voila! You have yourself a homemade latte. Just make sure to share with others, you dont want to make anyone jealous. ;)

The Yin and Yang of Coffee

To me this is something that I've debated with people I know including my girlfriend. Whether or not to have your basic "cup of joe" with or without milk. To me I can't stand the taste of my coffee infiltrated with milk unless its something like a latte. The coffee seems to ask to be plain and original. Its almost as if the milk just detroys the purpose of that energizing cup in the morning. With its strong aromatic oils that drift into the nostril and command the mind to take that first sip. To me thats the only way and reason I can only have my coffee black. I frankly have the hardest time playing the devils advocate and speaking highly of the otherside because in this case (just like with politics) I can't see where the other side is coming from. Like what I said earlier I have no problem with frothed milk with my espresso to form a cafe latte. I really am curious to hear your positions on this. I'm starting to get curious about it. Is it that the taste of coffee is too strong for some? Or is it that you just love the taste of cream and sugar so much you figure "why not add this to my coffee?". Let me know maybe I'll start a poll.

Moka Maker

I recently just invested a few dollars in an italian coffee maker also known as a moka maker. I was fascinated by this process almost like my first time learning about how to use an espresso machine. The image to the right is what a moka maker looks like.

The italian coffee maker range anywhere from 10$ to upwards of 110$ I probably spent roughly 20 dollars on my aluminium one. It works by filling up the bottom half to the saftey valve (the brass button on the side) then putting the filter in and filling with coffee and sealing the two halves and put on a medium high stove for about 5 to 8 minutes until its done brewing. The small machine has some definite pros and cons.

Pros:

• Makes a small amount of espresso like coffee, which is good since it's so strong little goes to waste.
• Really easy to assemble the coffee maker.
• Also it's really easy to clean even though you don't want to use harsh soaps on it.
• Makes great tasting coffee but this can depend on the coffee used.

Cons:

• Takes a few brews to "season" the maker in most cases. For me it took one brew to do this.
• I could see the amount it makes as a con in some cases since it takes a while for the coffee to be made and doesnt make whole lot to begin with.
• After quite a few uses the rubber lip which seals the two halves wears from the heat it can be hard to find a replacement that fits right.

Overall I feel this was great little investment and could be something really fun for people who don't have a lot to spend on an espresso machine, I think this would be great to get I love mine and maybe some of you can vouch for that.

the fiend

hello and good afternoon

As with most of the people I'm guessing will later read this blog, you to have been lead here with wondering about some knowledge of coffee and anything related to coffee. I'll talk about everything from my best tips for making different coffee recipes, to random coffee related facts to reviews on brands and new tools of the trade. But right now my goal is the get the ball rolling and start out telling of this interest I have. I hope to catch some new readers and learn a few things myself from comments you all leave.


Sleep is a symptom of caffeine deprivation. ~Author Unknown