Espresso Makers for Less

by mike912mueller

Choosing a Good Coffee Syrup

Coffee is far more than a cup of Joe. There are almost infinite ways that this beverage can be prepared and, depending upon your tastes, its flavor can be altered to be sweeter, bolder or most anything else. The entire process starts, however, with a properly-brewed and high-quality cup of coffee. Just as refrigeration will not make a lousy beer taste like a German masterpiece, a bit of syrup will not make a lousy cup of coffee anything except, of course, a lousy cup of coffee with a few interesting flavor notes.

Coffee syrup is generally dispensed from bottles with shot dispensers: the same type that is used in a bar. You’ll find, in fact, that coffee—at least at the most artistic levels—uses many of the same techniques as does drink mixing. The elements have to be added in the correct order and the beverage has to be created in the correct proportions. Coffee syrups are generally very sweet, so moderation is much more a concern than anything else when you’re preparing these beverages. Whether you’re serving espresso drinks or good old fashioned drip coffee, remember to use these flavoring sparingly. You still want to be able to taste the coffee!

Coffee syrup comes in a variety of flavors. There are a few, however, that are consistently the most popular. Vanilla is among those popular syrups. Vanilla makes and excellent complimentary flavor to lattes and other espresso drinks. Another popular flavor is hazelnut. This is a bitter flavor that adds a bit of bite to the coffee. It is very popular in drip-style coffee, where it adds a bit of body to what is sometimes a watery drink, at least relative to latte. Cherry is also popular, as are a host of other flavorings.

Remember that, while coffee syrup can be expensive, a bottle will probably last you a long time. It’s not likely that you’re going to want every latte to be a vanilla latte and, combined with the fact that it takes little syrup to flavor the coffee to begin with, you’ll find that a bottle of syrup goes a very long way. Add your syrup after your coffee beverage is finished and ready to drink. You generally don’t have to mix these syrups into the coffee too much, which helps maintain the proper layering of milk and foam in espresso drinks.

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by avlxyz

The Coffee Lovers? Handy Guide

They say there’s an awful lot of coffee in Brazil – and there is! But the sheer variety of drinks it can be made into can cause confusion among those of us who just fancy a nice cup, and want something a bit different.
So, when you do venture into your local coffee shop or cafe, how do you know what to ask for? Should it be an americano, a filter, espresso or double skinny latte?  … unless you happen to be a real aficionado you could be forgiven for giving up, going home, and just unscrewing a jar of instant.
Well help is at hand; here is a quick guide to the most common choices, so you can order with confidence.
Espresso: these are those little cups with two mouthfuls in. Generally very strong they are made by forcing boiling water through ground coffee in a machine.
Filter: made using gravity, because the boiling water falls through the ground coffee, extracting the flavour.
Cafetiere: coffee is made by brewing the ground coffee and boiling water together, and a filter can be pushed down when the coffee is ready to be drunk, to separate the grains from the liquid.
Cappuccino: espresso coffee with frothed milk added to it, and cocoa powder shaken on top.
Latte: an espresso made with hot milk (skinny uses semi skimmed milk, double skinny uses skimmed, and a double latte just means double the amount of milk)
Americano: an espresso made with a lot of hot water, and so less strong than usual espresso.
But why stop there?
Apparently 70 per cent of us put sugar in our coffee. Many of us are also discovering there’s an interesting alternative to sweetening our coffee – flavoured syrups. They’re an easy and enjoyable way to customize a coffee and experiment with tastes.
The syrups come in a vast array of flavours to complement your coffee. Some sweet and others more subtle. It is even possible to get sugar-free versions. Most good coffee shops will offer a range of flavours to choose from.
The most popular coffee syrup is probably vanilla, and a small glug of this in your latte makes a really fantastic drink. Ginger was very popular over the winter and is likely to carry on being so. If you are very sweet-toothed you could try caramel coffee syrup, or even cinnamon coffee syrup. Nut fans might like hazelnut syrup and there is also coffee’s perfect accompaniment, amaretto syrup.
If you lack the confidence to go and order one – or just prefer to stay in – then you can actually buy a wide range of coffee syrups over the internet which you can add to homemade coffee. Many are imported from Europe but if you search you can get excellent, top quality British-made coffee syrups. Don’t forget they work in instant coffee too – a nice addition to your Nescafe!
And if you get bored with coffee, try adding them to pancakes or ice cream to brighten up a dull dessert.

Floral Multicolor Espresso Cup & Saucer Demitasse set, Service for 6

• Beautiful Italian design
• Vivid images and resilient glazing
• service for six, includes cups and saucers
• gift box packaging
• hand wash, produced in Asia

This beautiful 12 piece espresso set features six different colored cups and saucers with a floral design. This set is perfect for serving and entertaining guests and makes the perfect addition to any coffee enthusiasts kitchen. Product Features 12 Piece Multicolored Floral Cup and Saucer Set Italian design Perfect size for espresso or Turkish style coffee Hand wash recommended Measurements Cup — 3″ L x 2-1/4″ H, 2-1/4″ diameter with 3 ounce capacity Saucer — 4-1/2″ diameter

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by montroyaler

DeLonghi All-in-One Coffeemakers

Delonghi makes great coffee makers, espresso machines, latte and cappuccino makers. What is greater yet is they make all these in one coffee making machine. With anyone of the following coffee makers you turn your kitchen into a coffee shop that will fill all your coffee making needs.

The Magnifica features a push-button and knob operation that allows you to prepare an espresso, cappuccino and lattes with the touch of a button. The digital control panel has programmable menu settings so you can select your strength and size of the cup you want. This machine really does it all; it grinds the beans with a conical burr grinder, the double-boiler system extracts the espresso and steams the milk with a push of a button and a turn of a knob. This double-boiler also eliminates waiting time between an espresso and a cappuccino. This machine has a cup warmer for more flavorful hot espresso drinks. The hot water spout offers hot water for other drinks such as hot tea, hot chocolate or hot cider. Ease of using this also include a removable 60 ounce water tank and an automatic decalcification light to let you know it’s time to clean the machine.

The BCO130T is an all-in-one machine can brew coffee and espresso simultaneously. It also prepares cappuccino, latte or hot chocolate perfectly. The patented frother creates perfect cappuccinos and lattes. Instant Dispenser lets you add froth by way of the patented frother right into the same cup as your coffee or cappuccino. The Vario system and AccuFlavor selector dials allow you to choose the strength of espresso or coffee to your exact taste. This coffee machine is equipped with an adjustable steam emission for espresso or cappuccino that includes a pressure safety valve to ensure safe operation. It also has an exclusive safety cap to prevent accidental opening. The warming plate is great a keeping warm your coffee carafe warm or an espresso cup while working on another drink. When making a 10 cup carafe of coffee, the drip interrupt allows you to remove the carafe so you can have a cup before the entire brewing is done.    

The BCO120T all-in-one machine can brew coffee and espresso simultaneously like the BCO130T. It also prepares cappuccino, latte or hot chocolate perfectly. The programmable digital timer has a 2 hour automatic shut-off.  This machine has the Vario system and AccuFlavor selector dials that allows you to choose the strength of espresso or coffee. You can adjust the steam emission for espresso or cappuccino when using the swivel jet frother. The drip-interrupt is great if you want an early cup when you are making a full 10 cups in the carafe. The BCO120T also includes 4 cup espresso carafe, which can be used for frothing for cappucinnos and also makes it an all-in-one coffee maker. The water tank is removable for ease of filling and it has a decalcification system. This machine is a lower lever machine and is not well rated.

 The BCO264B Esclusivo coffee espresso machine is a 10 cup coffee machine. Actually, it is a three-in-one machine that prepares coffee, cappuccino and espresso drinks. The 15 bar stainless steel boiler and patented frother easily froths milk for cappuccinos. The patented brewing system includes a permanent gold filter. Like the other machines it has a programmable timer. The machine has a commercial, 53 mm, material stainless steel / plastic handle portafilter or you can use pods.   

Why the different type of coffee espresso machines? Simple, it is to fit the needs and demands of customers. One coffee maker is really an espresso, cappuccino, latte maker that has a burr grinder and a water spout for tea or hot chocolate; another can offer brewed coffee and espresso at the same time each with a varied strength you want. Yet, another is somewhat a mirror image of the other, but does not do as well. The latter three have 10 cup carafes. The last has a gold filter for coffee and a commercial sized portafilter and takes pod for making espresso. These machines also have quite a range in what they can do; they also have quite a range in price.