There is a wide selection of single serving coffee machines that use pods, discs, and K Cups. Nespresso has taken the same approach to efficiently make espresso using single serve capsules.

The Nespresso CitiZ model can be used for convenient espresso brewing at home and includes a milk frother. Surprisingly, the machine makes a decent shot of espresso using a 19 bar pump, which is more than enough pressure to pull a shot of espresso. With the use of the frother, you can actually whip up a fairly decent cappuccino.

The coffee capsules used to brew espresso are quite small. There are 16 different roasts available with distinct origins to make:

• Espresso
• Ristretto
• Lungo
• Cappuccino

But is the machine worth the investment?

Clearly, a Nespresso espresso machine is beautifully designed and will complement the existing decor of any kitchen. The machine itself is also utterly convenient. All you have to do is add water and insert a capsule, and a few minutes later, you’ll have a delicious shot of espresso to sip on. You won’t have to worry about loose coffee grounds or a mess to clean up afterward.

Keep in mind that the machine isn’t cheap. And you will have limited availability in the capsules you purchase. If you’re a diehard espresso fan, this small selection of roasts may be a turnoff for you.

But if you’ve got the money to spend on a home espresso machine, the Nespresso is a great choice.

See original post: May 2, Nespresso Machines – Automatic espresso makers

Nespresso Machines: Automatic Espresso Makers with Capsules is a post from: Chuggin McCoffee

More teens than ever before are hanging out at coffee houses after school, leading parents to wonder if a coffee drinking habit at a young age could pose a problem, especially when it comes to health.

Should parents be concerned?

While parents should monitor how much caffeine their kids are drinking each day, drinking coffee in moderation is not necessarily cause for alarm.

Side Effects of Caffeine

Though the immediate effects of caffeine may not always be apparent, children and young adults are more likely to exhibit side effects after drinking caffeine habitually. Some short-term side effects of drinking coffee include heartburn, insomnia, and even withdrawal headaches. Since caffeine is a stimulant ingredient, it could also cause kids to become irritable, anxious, and jittery.

Indulge in Moderation

The truth is that kids and young adults can get caffeine from a number of sources, not just coffee. As a parent, it’s best to minimize the amount of caffeine that your child intakes each day, whether it comes from coffee, soda, or chocolate.

Most doctors would agree across the board that soda is a much bigger problem than coffee for kids. Many physicians refer to soda as “liquid candy” since it’s full of excess calories and sugar that can contribute to childhood obesity and a wide range of related health issues.

The conclusion? While drinking caffeine may not seriously endanger your child’s health, it’s important that they sip on coffee in moderation, if at all.

Is Coffee for Kids a Big Deal? is a post from: Chuggin McCoffee

If you’ve got a thing for your coffee pod brewer but wish you could use your favorite brand of coffee instead of paying an arm and a leg for a mediocre coffee pod, why not try making your own at home?

Where to Begin

Most of the ingredients you’ll need for the project can probably be found in your kitchen already. You will need a stainless steel measuring scoop that is small enough to fit into the pod basket in your coffee maker.

You will also need a glass or jar that will fit into the measuring scoop, as well as small coffee filters intended for a 4 cup machine, like a Mr. Coffee.

What to Do

• Place the jar inside the scoop with the scoop in the pod basket of your coffee maker. Make sure that everything fits together tightly for a better finished product.
• Take a single coffee filter and shape it over the end of the jar. Invert the jar and filter and press firmly into the measuring scoop.
• Press the jar and twist to get a tight edge on the filter in the measuring scoop.
• Remove the jar, leaving the filter in place. Add 2 teaspoons of your favorite coffee grounds.
• Spread the grounds evenly in the filter and fold the top over to cover the grounds completely.
• Finally, turn the scoop over and pop out your homemade pod.

There you have it! This homemade pod is much cheaper than the store-bought variety and will let you customize your single serve coffee to your favorite brand.

See original post: Make Your Own Coffee Pods

How to Make Coffee Pods at Home is a post from: Chuggin McCoffee

Although most people frequent coffee shops to get their coffee fix, there is a large number of people that go to local coffee shops for another reason altogether.

These coffee shop patrons may include those who are need of an electric socket, which has sparked a huge debate about whether or not cafés should charge customers for the use of electricity. There are also customers who may choose to use a coffee shop as a library, study hall, or even personal office.

If you’ve ever spent hours studying in a coffee shop instead of the library, you may have run into a few common issues. For starters, studying in a public place like a coffee shop is a serious distraction. If you have a hard time staying on task or are studying a particularly boring subject, you may spend most of your time people watching instead of hitting the books.

On top of that, since most coffee shops don’t cater to students and office workers, there is very limited table space to be had to spread out all your materials.

Before you give up studying at a coffee shop altogether, you may want to consider using a café in another country as the perfect place to practice your new language skills if you’re learning a second language. If you want to learn Thai in Bangkok, you can put it into practice by conversing with local patrons at a coffee shop while enjoying a cup of Joe.

See original post: The Feasibility of Studying in Coffee Shops

Is It Possible to Study in Coffee Shops? is a post from: Chuggin McCoffee

There’s no reason to feel guilty about your coffee addiction any longer. A recent study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research conference revealed that drinking a cup of Joe a day could greatly reduce your risk of developing the most common type of cancer in the world – basal cell carcinoma.

And when it comes to reducing your cancer risk, the more coffee, the better.

Women in the study who drank over 3 cups of coffee a day had a 20% less risk of developing basal cell carcinoma compared to study participants who drank very little coffee. Men who drank more than 3 cups of coffee a day had a 9% reduced risk of developing basal cell carcinoma compared to study participants who drank less than a cup of coffee a month.

Although the study can’t confirm that there is an inverse association between drinking coffee and basal cell carcinoma, it does show an inverse relationship between drinking coffee and the risks of other cancer sites. According to researcher Fengju Song, PhD, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, drinking one more cup of coffee each day can reduce your overall cancer risk by 3%!¹

The study also suggests that the inverse relationship between coffee and basal cell carcinoma is related to the caffeine content of the coffee, not necessarily other factors linked to coffee consumption. Bottom line? Decaf coffee doesn’t provide the same benefits in reducing your risk of cancer!

Sources:

1. “Coffee May Keep World’s Most Common Cancer At Bay, New Research Shows.” Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2012.

Coffee Fights the Most Common Type of Cancer: Bottoms Up! is a post from: Chuggin McCoffee

Good news for coffee fanatics as the hot weather hits: making cold brewed coffee takes almost no effort and zero heat. That’s right – and on top of that, it also tastes pretty darn good, even au naturale without adding sugar. You can find out more with this how to make cold-brewed coffee in a step-by-step tutorial.

Try it on for size and see how you like it. It could change your entire perspective on drinking iced coffee this summer.

To get started on the process, you can make cold brewed coffee overnight in a large batch, where it will stay fresh in your refrigerator for up to two weeks. Of course, if you have several coffee lovers in your house, then you know as well as I do that it won’t last you long!

For the best quality in your cold brewed coffee, start out with premium, whole coffee beans and grind them fresh. Coarse grinds are ideal if you are using a French Press, or you can brew in a large jar, pot, or pitcher. Simply add 4 cups of cold filtered water to your French Press or pitcher and stir in the coarse coffee grounds, using 1 to 2 tablespoons per cup, depending on your taste.

Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours and plunge for a delicious cold brewed coffee concentrate that you can use to make iced coffee this summer!

See original post: Cold-Brewed Coffee

Drinking Cold Brewed Coffee Just in Time for Summer is a post from: Chuggin McCoffee

If you’ve gone shopping for makeup and skin care products lately, you’ve probably noticed a rising trend in caffeinated cosmetics on the shelves. Granted, every year there is a hot new ingredient to hit the beauty industry, enticing customers with the promise of erasing wrinkles and smoothing sagging skin.

So, do caffeinated beauty products live up to their claims?

Your Skin on Caffeine

In a recently conducted study by the University of Washington in Seattle, healthy skin cells and skin cells damaged by UV rays of the sun were exposed to caffeine. Interestingly enough, after the exposure to caffeine, the damaged cells died, while the healthy cells remained intact. The findings of the study were published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

As a result, caffeine could prevent skin cancer from developing when applied topically to neutralize cells that have been damaged by the UV rays of the sun. Conclusive results still require years of testing before caffeine can be used as a skin cancer treatment.

What we do know is that caffeine works as a vasodilator to increase circulation and the amount of nutrients and oxygen that flow to the skin. Using caffeine topically can help to refresh and rejuvenate skin by promoting healthy circulation and increased nutrient absorption.

Sources:

1. Reinberg, Steven. “Caffeine May Offer Some Skin Cancer Protection – US News and World Report.” Health News Articles – US News Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2012.

Caffeinated Cosmetics: Get the Beauty Scoop is a post from: Chuggin McCoffee

The 8 Cup Bodum Chambord costs $35 and is rated at a 9 for quality, a 10 for usability, a 10 for cost versus value, a 10 for aesthetics, and a 10 overall. This French Press is an excellent, foolproof way to make coffee. It can also be used with a wide variety of coffee grounds, even though a coarse French Press grind is preferred.

The downside to the product is that after using it for more than a year, the screen filter began to come apart. This makes it harder to clean out with a sponge, but the press still works well.

Even if you are new to coffee making, this French Press is easy to use. You can use different grind consistencies when brewing, even coffee grounds intended for a drip brew coffee maker. If you want your coffee weaker or stronger, you can adjust the amount of coffee grounds that you use to change the strength based on the coffee to water ratio.

One other consideration to keep in mind is that it is hard to make a large quantity of coffee for several people using this press. This French Press is best used for 1 to 2 people to brew robust, rich coffee with its unique design.

See original post: Bodum Chambord Press Pots, Nathan W

Bodum Chambord French Press Review is a post from: Chuggin McCoffee

You can find the perfect blend of coffee meets hot chocolate with the Mexicano Coffee chocolate discs by Taza Chocolate. Even though the weather may be warm outside, these coffee bean chocolates by Counter Culture are delicious when enjoyed plain or used to make iced hot chocolate.

You can check out the complete review of Taza’s Mexicano Chocolate here.

Coffee lovers will be happy to know that this chocolate is organic and made completely from cacao beans, cane sugar, and oh-so-delicious Counter Culture coffee. This chocolate is an interesting take on a Mocha, made with a classic flavor profile that is executed to perfection.

Each package contains two chocolate discs, which can be broken into eight different pieces. One disc can be used for each cup of drinking chocolate, or you can eat an individual section of the chocolate for a quick chocolate flavored jolt of energy.

Even when enjoying the Mexicano Coffee dry, the flavor is rich, balanced, and addicting. The chocolate has a grainy mouth feel with deep flavors of dark chocolate and a lingering aftertaste of coffee. When a disc is whisked with hot water to make hot chocolate, it boasts a rich, creamy consistency that is signature of a Café Mocha.

Bet you can’t drink just one cup…

See original post: Taza Chocolate’s Mexicano Coffee

Mexicano Coffee Chocolate Discs by Taza Chocolate is a post from: Chuggin McCoffee

Customers have been chomping at the bit for Starbucks to bring back their chocolate cinnamon bread, and with good reason. So, without further ado, Starbucks has decided to bring it back for a limited time…

You can visit a local Starbucks to enjoy a slice of the treat or check out the recipe to make it yourself at home. Starbucks has doubled the measurements in the recipe since one loaf definitely isn’t enough!

Ingredients:

Chocolate Batter

• 3 cups sugar
• 5 eggs, room temperature
• 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Dutch processed cocoa
• Pinch ground ginger
• Pinch ground cloves
• 1/4 cup sparkle sugar for decoration

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pans with parchment paper.
2. Mix the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until creamy for 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly.
3. Sift cocoa, flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Whisk vanilla, water, and buttermilk in a separate bowl. Add each bowl to the butter mixture and mix with an electric mixer on low speed, alternating between the two. Split the batter between two pans evenly.
4. Combine cocoa, cinnamon, sugar, ginger, and cloves to create the topping. Sprinkle the decorating sugar over the batter with the spice mixture on top.
5. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

See original post: Chocolate Cinnamon Bread is Back

Starbucks Brings Back Chocolate Cinnamon Bread is a post from: Chuggin McCoffee