Put a Little Less Pep in Your Step
On average, tea contains less than half the caffeine found in coffee. Even so, people have varying levels of sensitivity to caffeine and its stimulative effects. Tea is often served with dessert after dinner, and that’s not always the best time for a pick-me-up. It’s important to bear in mind that a switch from tea bags to loose teas can significantly reduce the amount of caffeine that gets released into the beverage.
For those who wish to curtail the caffeine from their diet completely, loose leaf decaf tea does the trick. By the time these teas hit the store shelves, they’ve already undergone a commercial decaffeination process. It’s also possible to decaffeinate tea on your own by steeping the tea in hot water for a little less than a minute and pouring out the resulting fluid. After that, simply add more hot water – most of the caffeine will have been skimmed off by the first batch of water.
Making the Switch to Tea
Coffee drinkers love and are addicted to their coffee, and often this becomes an unhealthy addiction. Coffee drinks from espresso stands cost quite a bit of money, are often calorific and fattening, and contain a high dosage of caffeine. While one of several varieties of herbal tea are cost effective when brewed at home, taste great without whipped cream, chocolate and caramel, and contain enough caffeine to wake you up, but not enough to put you out for the rest of the day afterward.
Teas come in hundreds of flavors, and can provide specific health benefits. It has been shown that green teas act as a fat oxidizer, and drunk in place of coffee, will help you burn calories and fat.
Preparing Perfect Tea
If you’re a tea lover, it’s very likely that your shelves are filled with all kinds of tea. From bagged black tea to loose leaf green tea, a true connoisseur is stocked with all varieties and kinds of tea. If you want to prepare the best tea possible, follow some of these basic rules for tea brewing. First and foremost, don’t boil your water. Let it come to just below boiling. This will bring out the flavor of the tea better.
Also, don’t let the tea steep too long or too quickly. Too quickly, and you’ll have a weak, flavorless cup of tea. Too long, and you’ll be stuck with a bitter brew. The ideal amount of time is anywhere between two and three minutes. For many people, black tea is too bitter, even when brewed properly. If that’s the case, consider adding a bit of milk and/or sugar. When adding these products, however, add it a little at a time. You don’t want to overpower the taste of the tea.
Sumatra Coffee
Coffee is a popular drink whether it be it morning, noon, midday, or night, and can be enjoyed in different flavors, blends, and roasts. You can drink coffee hot or cold, in its pure form or with milk, with sugar or without. For the beans, you can choose among Arabica or Robusta. The way coffee beans are roasted may change the flavor, acidity and boldness of the brew.
Coffee beans may also come in various flavors such as hazelnut, French vanilla, or Irish cream. Some places are popularly known for their delicious coffees. Sumatra coffee is from the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It has a most intriguing taste that is smooth to the palate with earthy undertones. This coffee is recognized worldwide as one of the greatest tasting coffees.
The Basics of Espresso
Espresso serves as the basis of almost all specialty coffee drinks, and as such its method of preparation is especially important. Espresso should be bold, distinctive and strong. In order to make the perfect espresso, one must master a series of steps. Make even one false move during this process and the flavor will suffer. Of course you can’t expect to make delicious coffee if the beans aren’t of the highest quality. Organic espresso is probably your best bet if you want to end up with memorable flavor.
In many cases, coffee will already be blended and roasted by the time it gets to you. Such is the case with most store-bought coffees. The next step is grinding the espresso, with the intended result being consistency. If possible, prevent the coffee from being heated during the grinding process as this can detract from its aroma and flavor. Many people prefer burr grinders because the grind is kept at a uniform temperature throughout.
A Thoughtful Gift for Coffee Lovers
Like most American workplaces, my business would be much less productive if coffee were removed from the equation. From the moment the day starts, employees are lining up in the break room to get their morning dose of caffeine. I’ve noticed that my administrative assistant, Rebecca, is constantly refilling her insulated coffee thermos. It seems to bolster her chipper attitude and impressive work ethic.
That’s why I was inspired to buy Rebecca a coffee-themed gift for her birthday earlier this year. I searched online for a gourmet coffee gift basket and stumbled across one with a bold selection of beans from around the globe. Watching my assistant open the gift, I knew I had made the right choice.
Goodbye Boring Coffee!!!
Happily, long gone are the days of plain, old boring coffee. Brewers typically use Arabica coffee beans to make their delicious flavored coffee.
The flavors are almost endless and exciting and enjoyed by coffee drinkers around the globe. Some of the flavors include: almond flavored coffee, pumpkin flavored coffee, hazelnut flavored coffee, peanut butter flavored coffee, and many more to numerous to mention.
Strong Tea Flavor That Can’t Be Contained
While some people’s idea of an invigorating cup of tea involves store-bought tea bags that may or may not have grown stale in overstocked warehouses, I like to take another approach. A soothing cup of tea is one of my most anticipated indulgences after a long day at work, and that’s especially true in the chilly autumn and winter months. Since the quality of that finished product means so much to me, there’s really no substitute for loose leaf tea.
The debate between tea bags and loose leaves continues to rage in beverage aficionado circles, but I made up my mind long ago. When the leaves are broken down and stuffed into little sacks, they lose the flavorful oils that make tea such a delicacy. Tea leaves also require space to expand and contract, which just isn’t an option when they’re restricted within a bag.
Accommodate Your Dinner Guests
If you asked 10 different hosts the secret to pulling off a successful dinner party, you’d likely get 10 different answers. Still, the concepts of hospitality and accommodation would undoubtedly come up at some point. It’s up to a host to make her guests feel at home for the duration of the soiree, and that means always having scrumptious food and tasty beverages near at hand.
The hors d’oeuvres should be flavorful but not too exotic as you don’t want to put anyone off. Always ask around to see if any special dietary restrictions need to be factored into the preparation of the main course. Don’t serve a vegetarian some beef bourguignon by mistake. It’s traditional in some households to serve coffee with dessert, but not all guests like a shot of caffeine just a few hours before bedtime. That’s why you should set aside some gourmet decaf coffee just in case.