The Phillips Senseo coffee maker has been rated by far the most popular pod 1 cup coffee maker on the internet. From espresso to great tasting chocolate this single cup coffee maker will make you a piping hot brew with the simple press of a button. These coffee makers are very simple to use, so you do not have to be a coffee connoisseur to brew a cafe latte or espresso for the early morning coffee when it’s hard to wait for your first fresh coffee for getting you going for the rest of the day. The use of Senseo coffee pods has simplified the procedure of brewing connoisseur variety coffee latte. These pods have all of the ingredients that are needed for the specific mixture and flavor, you just add sugar to taste. With coffee capsules there is no measuring or weighing different ingredients, it really is like having an instant coffee, but one that taste authentic and with a robust aroma of freshly made cappuccino. This automatic coffee machine is incredibly “fool proof” its actually hard not to brew a perfect tasting espresso each time. In actual fact it is fail-safe that your beverage will taste the exact same on every occasion, this really is the big advantage of using coffee pods. Then the brewing process begins with either one or two cups. The water tank holds enough water to brew five cups of coffee,there also is a dual capacity water reservoir available as an option. To make cleaning up easy, the detachable parts, including pod holders, reservoir, coffee spout, plastic drip tray, and metal cup tray all come of for cleaning. One of many difficulties with conventional filtered and espresso automatic coffee machines is cleaning the coffee machine after wards is a big hard work and you will be most certain to have spent coffee grounds everywhere and clogging up your sink. With this automatic coffee machine for the reason that all the ingredients are enclosed within the sealed pod, all you will have to do is dispose the used capsule straight into the rubbish bin. There is no reason to be having to cope with messy used coffee grounds. On the whole automatic espresso machines are expensive and can cost hundreds of dollars. Not the Senseo, it is one of the cheapest pod automatic coffee machines on the market. Made by Phillips you can rest assured that you a buying a quality made product that will last for years. This single cup coffee maker not only creates the best tasting hot beverages, but it also feels like a piece of modern fine art. You can use the Seneo coffee pods or make your own. You’ve got the traditional four original blends, Mild, Medium, Dark, and Decaffeinated. In addition you can select from Vanilla Bistro, Irish Creamery, Vienna Hazelnut and Senseo Cappuccino. The Cappuccino pod has coffee with a separate layer of creamer in the sealed capsule. Gourmet coffee made by you at the press of a button.
Have you ever wondered what a touch of vanilla would taste like in your cappuccino or how about adding a splash of mango to your vodka. The combinations are endless; with this range of tasty syrups you can add an interesting twist to your regular drinks. Torani syrups,Monin Syrups and Da Vinci Syrups are well known brands that have been available worldwide for sometime and are made with non-fattening low cholesterol ingredients. Each of these different brands comes with their own options, which set them apart. Torani Syrups: This brand of syrup will suit people that want a sugar free option, but with the same amount of varieties as the other syrups. It uses an artificial sweetener that will appeal to diabetics and people with specific dietary needs. A few of the flavours offered by this brand are, coconut, pineapple, mango, hazelnut and even roasted marshmallow. You will have to use your imagination when mixing these syrups into your drinks; for example, I wouldn’t particularly enjoy a ‘pineapple coffee’, but a hazelnut latte sounds amazingly delicious. This is where the fun starts, as the combinations are endless, inventing and naming new drinks is all part of the fun of syrups. Torani syrups are available in a standard sized twenty five-ounce bottle.
Depending on your needs, but it is recommended that you buy the three-bottle value pack as it will give you the most value for your buck. Monin Syrups: These specialized flavours are specifically designed with coffees, teas and fruit smoothies in mind. They are made from natural ingredients and extracts to give you a strong authentic taste. People have found that drinks made with these syrups are very close to the taste of professionally made café bar drinks. Again the combinations that you use are left to you and you can be as creative as you like. Da Vinci Syrups: This is another healthy option and contains no calories. This syrups uses the sweetener brand splenda to add an artificial taste that won’t harm your health. Even though it is healthy doesn’t mean that it isn’t just as delicious as the other brands mentioned. Davinco syrup come in a similarly wide variety of colourful flavours for you to play with. So now that you have a taste of what to expect from these wonderful syrups you may be wondering where you can buy them or find more information about these delicious products. They are easily bought to order online from several stores one website that will help to enlighten you this will list all available products prices and even the latest sales offers and promotions. So what are you waiting for, get yourself a few bottles of flavoured syrup and start inventing original drinks to name after yourself.
Tips for Finding Perfect Premium Coffee…
There is coffee and THERE IS COFFEE! You likely know about the generic quality coffees you find at the supermarket, using the inferior Robusta beans. And, in contrast, there is the alternative: the coffee regularly termed Gourmet Coffee you buy direct from roasters around the country. Popular large volume roasters, like Starbucks as well as most of the the smaller roasters dispersed about town, essentially utilize this far better grade, high altitude, shade grown Arabica bean.
That being said, and broadly known by all nowadays, how can you siphon out the crème de la crème of gourmet coffee beans to purchase?
To begin with, let’s hone in specifically on taste. Nowadays, coffee has become a “drink of experts”…
evolved into an art of reflection! We’ve begun to savor our coffee…flavor identify and define the subtle hints and nuances, as well as the qualities that identify the bean’s continent of origin. You as a coffee drinker, can begin to explore and experience the undertones of your coffee’s region, but better yet, begin to revel in the independently specific flavors of the bean defined by the specific hill and farm where it’s grown.
Coffee Cupping: Defining Coffee by its “Underlying Flavors”
There are, nowadays, a limited number of coffee roasters that independently test their coffee beans for taste observations and aromas. These beans are graded and assessed just like fine wine. This activity is called Coffee Cupping or Coffee Tasting. Professionals known as Master Tasters are the assessors. The procedure involves deeply sniffing a cup of brewed coffee, then loudly slurping the coffee so it draws in air, spreads to the back of the tongue, and maximizes flavor.
These Master Tasters, much akin to wine tasters, then attempt to measure in detail, every aspect of the coffee’s taste. This assessment includes measurement of the body (the texture or mouth-feel, such as oiliness), acidity (a sharp and tangy feeling, like when biting into an orange), and balance (the innuendo and the harmony of flavors working together). Since coffee beans embody telltale flavors from their region or continent of their origin, cuppers may also attempt to predict where the coffee was grown.
There is an infinite range of vocabulary that is used to describe the tastes found in coffee. Descriptors range from the familiar (chocolaty, sweet, fruity, woody) to the conceptual (clean, vibrant, sturdy) to the wildly esoteric (summery, racy, gentlemanly).
Following are a few key characteristics as defined by Coffee Geek. (http://coffeegeek.com/guides/beginnercupping/tastenotes)
Key Characteristics
Acidity:
The brightness or sharpness of coffee: It is through the acidity that many of the most intriguing fruit and floral flavors are delivered, and is usually the most scrutinized characteristic of the coffee. Acidity can be intense or mild, round or edgy, elegant or wild, and everything in between. Usually the acidity is best evaluated once the coffee has cooled slightly to a warm/lukewarm temperature. Tasting a coffee from Sumatra next to one from Kenya is a good way to begin to understand acidity.
Body:
This is sometimes referred to as “mouthfeel”. The body is the sense of weight or heaviness that the coffee exerts in the mouth, and can be very difficult for beginning cuppers to identify. It is useful to think about the viscosity or thickness of the coffee, and concentrate on degree to which the coffee has a physical presence. Cupping a Sulawesi versus a Mexican coffee can illustrate the range of body quite clearly.
Sweetness:
One of the most important elements in coffee, sweetness often separates the great from the good. Even the most intensely acidic coffees are lush and refreshing when there is enough sweetness to provide balance and ease the finish. Think of lemonade…starting with just water and lemon juice, one can add sugar until the level of sweetness achieves harmony with the tart citric flavor. It is the same with coffee, the sweetness is critical to allowing the other tastes to flourish and be appreciated.
Finish:
While first impressions are powerful, it is often the last impression that has the most impact. With coffee the finish (or aftertaste) is of great importance to the overall quality of the tasting experience, as it will linger long after the coffee has been swallowed. Like a great story, a great cup of coffee needs a purposeful resolution. The ideal finish to me is one that is clean (free of distraction), sweet, and refreshing with enough endurance to carry the flavor for 10-15 seconds after swallowing. A champion finish will affirm with great clarity the principal flavor of the coffee, holding it aloft with grace and confidence like a singer carries the final note of a song and then trailing off into a serene silence.
Coffee Buying Caveat
Buying coffee simply by name instead of by taste from your favorite roaster (in other words buying the same Columbian Supreme from the same ”Joe’s Cuppa Joe Roaster”) definitely has its pitfall! According to Coffee Review, “Next year’s Clever-Name-Coffee Company’s house blend may be radically different from this year’s blend, despite bearing the same name and label. The particularly skillful coffee buyer or roaster who helped create the coffee you and I liked so much may have gotten hired elsewhere. Rain may have spoiled the crop of a key coffee in the blend. The exporter or importer of that key coffee may have gone out of business or gotten careless. And even if everyone (plus the weather) did exactly the same thing they (and it) did the year before, the retailer this time around may have spoiled everything by letting the coffee go stale before you got to it. Or you may have messed things up this year by keeping the coffee around too long, brewing it carelessly, or allowing a friend to pour hazelnut syrup into it.”
Your savvy coffee-buying alternative is to look for roasters who buy their beans in Micro-Lots- smaller (sometimes tiny) lots of subtly distinctive specialty coffees. According to Coffee Review, “These coffee buyers buy small quantities of coffee from a single crop and single place, often a single hillside, and are sold not on the basis of consistency or brand, but as an opportunity to experience the flavor associated with a unique moment in time and space and the dedication of a single farmer or group of farmers.”
Coffee Review: Coffee Ratings
And finally, look out for the very small community coffee roasters that will submit their coffees to be 3rd-party evaluated by Coffee Review and other competitions for independent analysis and rating. Coffee Review regularly conducts blind, expert cuppings of coffees and then reports the findings in the form of 100-point reviews to coffee buyers. These valuable Overall Ratings can provide you with a summary assessment of the reviewed coffees. They are based on a scale of 50 to 100.
http://www.coffeereview.com/about_us.cfm
Bottom line for a certain premium purchase: To find the coffee that will ascertain most flavor satisfaction, seek out beans that been independently reviewed and rated. This approach will, without a doubt offer you the advantage of being able to choose the flavor profile suits you best in a bean. What’s more, it gains you certainty in quality due to its superior rating. The higher the rating, the better the flavor. True premium coffees start from the upper 80’s. By finding a roaster that consistently rates within the 90’s will ultimately buy you the best java for your buck!
About The Author Michelle Faber is owner of Gourmet CoffeeXpress, the “Ultimate Website Gallery”, showcasing the creme de la creme in gourmet coffees, & teas, and artisan chocolates, desserts & gifts.
Within this gallery, you can find incredibly high quality items, and many designer styled products. Gourmet CoffeeXpress offers distinctive products for gift-giving and personal pleasure with world-class service. Please visit Gourmet CoffeeXpress at http://www.gourmetcoffeexpress.com
Visit http://www.gourmetcoffeexpress.com to indulge in the world’s most EXTRAORDINARY Gourmet Tea, Coffee and Desserts.
When was the last time that you were out in the elements with only the sky for the roof and the ground for the floor? How about the stars for the blanket and the moon as the pillow? How many times have you been outdoors with your family enjoying the scenery and the beauty of the wild?
During those times what did you share with your beloved wife as you reminisce the times that you two were still in high school and your spirits were high? What did you reach for in the open flame trying to make sure that everything was just right?
What was the one thing the two of you could share hurriedly in the morning and savor slowly and deliberately in the evening? What one thing that bonds you and your wife on the cold nights of autumn and the very cold days of winter? What is the only thing that you enjoy more than a two-inch steak?
I think you know what I’m talking about here. I think you have caught the drift…I am talking about the only potion known to man that is both powerful and soothing at the same time. Yes folks, I am talking about coffee. Coffee, the caffeine packed, antioxidant rich and most flexible of God’s entire gift to man.
Enjoying the power of coffee
Coffee has shared our lives in many ways than one. For some people, it is that first cup of coffee that they made for a special someone. For others, it is that cup of coffee they shared on a cold winter night.
I can still remember one of my friends going like this…one day I was at one of them fancy cafés outside the office building. I had a regular cup of brewed coffee in front of the piles of work I had to do for the day. I was just finishing my work when a voice came at me out of nowhere.
“Hi there! Mind if I share the table?” I looked up and saw the most beautiful face I have ever seen in my life. I said it was okay and I stood up and got her seated. Man! I couldn’t believe we talked for over an hour.
I was about to ask her a question when she excused herself. She suddenly said, “Oh! I’m sorry I’ve got to get going my husband’s here!” the thing is, I didn’t even get her name but I do remember the coffee she was having that day…Hazelnut Frapuccino. Good thing that I know my coffee, I think hazelnut frap will forever hold a very, very special place in my heart.
Given the great taste match between coffee and chocolate, no wonder there is a whole variety of sweets combining the two: chocolate candies with coffee filling, chocolate covered coffee beans, chocolate and coffee cakes and so on. You really don’t have to be a chef to prepare some of the most delicious of desserts: for instance chocolate covered coffee beans are easy to make at home.
All you need is quality coffee beans and some chocolate chips to melt. What you have to do is drop the coffee beans in liquid chocolate, take them out and let the hot chocolate cool on a waxed surface. It is usually advisable to let them harden for at least six or eight hours before serving them or even more simply than that: use the freezer!
For even more delicious flavors you may add vanilla or hazelnut powder to the liquid chocolate or you may roll the chocolate covered coffee beans through such a mix while the composition is still hot. This kind of dessert makes an excellent choice for a party treat, and you can be 100% sure the guests will appreciate it.
Chocolate covered coffee beans that you make at home could be even more special if white chocolate is used for the dripping. Chips usually come in a variety of flavors: there is dark or semi-sweet chocolate that preserves the taste of roasted coffee beans unchanged. One thing you should be careful about is that the coffee beans be high quality; buy something you are familiar with or go for the grocer’s recommendation.
Several highly effective tricks can be made when preparing chocolate covered coffee beans: first of all, there is no restriction about using two different types of chocolate for the coating. However, make sure there are no contrasting flavors used; for instance, white milk chocolate and hazelnut dark chocolate could be the perfect combination.
If you want to give the chocolate covered coffee beans a more intense cocoa flavor, you can use some extra cocoa powder to pass the candies through when they are not cool yet. Or another trick here relies on the use of mint candy powder to make the chocolate covered coffee beans a bit spicy.
Regardless of the choice of ingredients, the home making of this dessert requires a lot of care concerning the temperature of the melting chocolate in which you drip the coffee beans; sometimes a steam bath is more adequate to use once the chocolate has reached the boiling point.
Muna wa Wanjiru Has Been Researching and Reporting on Chess for Years. For More Information on Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans, Visit His Site at CHOCOLATE COVERED COFFEE BEANS
By: Muna Wa Wanjiru
Given the great taste match between coffee and chocolate, no wonder there is a whole variety of sweets combining the two: chocolate candies with coffee filling, chocolate covered coffee beans, chocolate and coffee cakes and so on. You really don’t have to be a chef to prepare some of the most delicious of desserts: for instance chocolate covered coffee beans are easy to make at home.
All you need is quality coffee beans and some chocolate chips to melt. What you have to do is drop the coffee beans in liquid chocolate, take them out and let the hot chocolate cool on a waxed surface. It is usually advisable to let them harden for at least six or eight hours before serving them or even more simply than that: use the freezer!
For even more delicious flavors you may add vanilla or hazelnut powder to the liquid chocolate or you may roll the chocolate covered coffee beans through such a mix while the composition is still hot. This kind of dessert makes an excellent choice for a party treat, and you can be 100% sure the guests will appreciate it.
Chocolate covered coffee beans that you make at home could be even more special if white chocolate is used for the dripping. Chips usually come in a variety of flavors: there is dark or semi-sweet chocolate that preserves the taste of roasted coffee beans unchanged. One thing you should be careful about is that the coffee beans be high quality; buy something you are familiar with or go for the grocer’s recommendation.
Several highly effective tricks can be made when preparing chocolate covered coffee beans: first of all, there is no restriction about using two different types of chocolate for the coating. However, make sure there are no contrasting flavors used; for instance, white milk chocolate and hazelnut dark chocolate could be the perfect combination.
If you want to give the chocolate covered coffee beans a more intense cocoa flavor, you can use some extra cocoa powder to pass the candies through when they are not cool yet. Or another trick here relies on the use of mint candy powder to make the chocolate covered coffee beans a bit spicy.
Regardless of the choice of ingredients, the home making of this dessert requires a lot of care concerning the temperature of the melting chocolate in which you drip the coffee beans; sometimes a steam bath is more adequate to use once the chocolate has reached the boiling point.
http://www.mychocolateheaven.blogspot.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Abbas_Shareef
Folgers Coffee
Most of us are familiar with the famous Folger’s slogan: “The best part of waking up is Folger’s in your cup!” Folger’s Coffee was founded by James A. Folger in the 19th century in San Francisco. Proctor & Gamble acquired Folger’s in 1963, after it had become one of the major brands of coffee in America. Folger’s not only offers several basic coffees, but has developed Folger’s several gourmet selections as well.
For those who use ground coffee on a daily basis, Folger’s Classic Roast is the most popular. Folger’s Simply Smooth collection was created for those who love coffee, but have sensitive stomachs. It comes in regular and decaffeinated. Simply Smooth is created by choosing quality coffee beans and roasting them to a level that will ensure good flavor without irritating sensitive stomachs.
The Folger’s Coffeehouse Series offers something for everyone. Starting on the mild side, Folger’s Breakfast Blend offers a mild, smooth coffee flavor. Moving on to a medium roast, their new House Blend has full flavor and a café-style richness. Heading into the medium-dark roast, Folger’s French Roast is hearty and robust in the French tradition of coffee. Also in the medium-dark range is their 100% Columbian which offers a rich and unique flavor. Folger’s newest offering in dark-roasted coffee is called Black Silk, which is described as smooth, with a subtle smoky note. Finally, Folger’s gold standard coffee is the dark-roasted Gourmet Supreme, a smooth, rich, full-bodied coffee.
Folger’s Flavors gives the coffee fan even more to experiment with. Chocolate Silk combines the richness of chocolate with a full-bodied coffee flavor that appeals to chocolate fans everywhere. Cinnamon Swirl adds a delightful hint of cinnamon to a rich coffee. French Vanilla is a very mellow coffee with the enticing scent of vanilla, and finally, Hazelnut combines a rich nuttiness to another mellow coffee.
And finally, we have Folger’s Gourmet Selections. Bistro Blend is a medium roast coffee that is available as ground coffee, perfect for drip coffee makers. Crème Brulee is a ground coffee with a unique light flavor. Lively Columbian is a rich, full-bodied medium-roast coffee available in decaffeinated, ground and in whole bean.
Morning Café is a light-roasted coffee with a delicate bright taste. It is available in ground. Caramel Drizzle is another ground coffee with a rich creamy finish. Hazelnut Crème is enticing, rich and smooth, and is available in ground and in whole bean. Chocolate Truffle is a must for chocolate lovers. It is creamy and rich with a distinctive chocolate flavor you won’t soon forget. Vanilla Biscotti is smooth and creamy with a luscious vanilla finish. It is also available in both ground and whole bean. Espresso Roast is a bold and intense ground coffee, perfect for anyone who truly loves the full flavor of coffee.
Folger’s still makes instant coffee as well… the well-known Folger’s Crystals, and now in single serving packets as well. They also make three Cappuccino flavors that make an instant cup.
Folger’s also makes Coffee Pods, which work with the Home Café system to brew one perfect cup of coffee at a time. Coffee Pods come in a variety of flavors. The pods look similar to a round tea bag, and are placed into specialized coffee makers by Krups and Black and Decker.
Administrator of Coffee Information a site providing many,many types of Coffee Information.
Melitta Coffee
Melitta’s US headquarters are located in Florida, and they are part of the Melitta Group of Minden, Germany. Their coffee roastery is in New Jersey. Melitta coffee is a well-known brand today. Melitta is named after Melitta Bentz, a German housewife who, in 1908, revolutionized how we make coffee. One day, in the hopes of reducing the sediment in her coffee, she punctured holes in the bottom of a brass pot, and lined the pot with a sheet of her son’s blotting paper. The coffee she poured in strained through very well, giving her a wonderful cup of coffee with no sediment. In July of that same year, Melitta received a patent on her “filter top device lined with filter paper.” She was soon in business, and Melitta the coffee company was born.
Today, Melitta continues to make coffee filters, and specializes in gourmet coffee in both ground and whole bean. Melitta coffee makers are also extremely well-known among coffee connoisseurs.
Whole Bean Coffees
Melitta’s whole bean selection of coffee includes a Kona Blend from Hawaii, 100% Columbian, which makes a deep, rich and robust coffee and Hazelnut, which offers a delightful mixture of coffee’s richness with a touch of hazelnut.
Ground Coffees
Melitta coffee is available in many different varieties already ground. Their Classic Roast is made of 100% Arabica beans, and has been a household favorite for over 25 years. It is also available decaffeinated. If you prefer ultra-dark, rich, full-bodied coffee, try their 100% Columbian coffee… it was judged “America’s Best” by the American Tasting Institute.
Melitta’s Classic Lite is perfect for coffee drinkers who love the rich flavor of coffee, but are sensitive to caffeine and acidity. Classic Lite features 40% less caffeine, and 45% less acidity.
Hazelnut features a delicate aroma, and a rich, mellow nutty flavor. A perfect dessert coffee, it is a sweet reward anytime. Vanilla Almond is another flavored coffee. Blending creamy vanilla with almond’s nutty flavor creates a very special coffee with complex flavors.
Lawa’i Estate is an exotic Hawaiian coffee from Kauai. Smooth and balanced, it will give the flavor of the islands. Chucaras Springs Estate is a rich, strong coffee from Costa Rica… truly unique flavors that you can only get from Central America. Villa Luz Estate is from Columbia, one of the world’s greatest coffee growing regions. Villa Luz grows a truly superior coffee.
If you enjoy different coffees throughout the day, you may enjoy this trio. Morning Bliss Organic is a light roast with a bright, smooth character. Enchanting Evening Organic is a dark roast featuring a deep flavor with a little hint of smokiness. Finally, Sun and Moon Organic is a unique blend of light and dark roasts, creating a complex coffee that is bold and rich, finishing intensely.
Melitta makes a single serving coffee maker, the One:One. Melitta’s coffee maker is made to take their Javapods and make a single cup of incredible coffee. Each cup is freshly made, and you never need to finish the pot before you make another again.
Administrator of Coffee Information A site containing many,many types of coffee information.
Bored of your usual coffee? Fed up with latte or cappuccino? Then why not try something a bit different?
In order to make your own unusual speciality coffee drinks or to produce them in your catering establishment you will need a few extra ingredients.
In addition to your espresso beans, sugars, milk and chocolate dustings that are used to make most standard coffee drinks you will need to purchase a supply of cherries, almonds, hazelnuts, whipped cream and ground cinnamon. These will probably suffice for most recipes and of course not all are required for every recipe.
The main ingredients that you will need however are flavoured syrups. These special syrup flavourings are available from good coffee retailers or can be ordered over the internet easily enough. If you run your own establishment then your usual coffee supplier will probably stock these items and can deliver them with your usual coffee order.
There are several makes of flavoured syrups available depending on which country you are from, but my particular favourite are the 1883 de Philibert Routin brand from France. The most common flavoured syrups are vanilla, chocolate, amaretto, cinnamon, caramel, Irish Cream and hazelnut, but more exotic and unusual flavours are available for more elaborate recipes.
Why not start with a couple of flavours and build up a collection as you get to know and experience various recipes.
There are many recipes freely available on the internet which you can try out as well as experimenting and perhaps designing your very own!
To get you started here’s a couple you may want to try out.
We assume you have you own espresso machine with steam wand and are familiar with steaming and foaming milk.
Mochanilla
Ingredients:
16 ml chocolate syrup
16 ml vanilla syrup
1 shot of espresso
6 oz (180 ml) cold milk
Whipped cream
Cocoa powder
Method:
Mix together the two syrups and the milk in a jug. Steam foam the mixture. Pour the espresso into a 12 oz (250 ml) glass, and add the steamed milk mixture. Add whipped cream to the top and garnish with a sprinkle of cocoa powder.
Bistro de Paris
Ingredients:
8 ml hazelnut syrup
Double shot of espresso coffee
Whipped cream
Shaved hazelnut
Method:
Into a 6 oz (180 ml) add the hazelnut syrup. Add a double shot of espresso and stir. Top with whipped cream and garnish with shaved hazelnut.
Try making these at home for a delicious change or offering them at your own catering establishment as an alternative – you may be surprised at how popular they will become.
Sometimes, what goes in your gourmet coffee can be as important as the coffee itself. In 1961 Nestle revolutionized the way we drink our coffee by introducing the world’s first non-dairy powdered coffee creamer. Borden’s followed not long after with Cremora, and powdered non-dairy creamer became a staple in many American kitchens.
In the mid-70s, Rich Foods introduced Coffee Rich non-dairy liquid creamer, marketing it as a creamy substitute for half-and-half for those who could not tolerate milk, or were avoiding dairy fats. Since then, things have not been the same. These days, half the dairy freezer at the supermarket is filled with non-dairy coffee creamers in a wide variety of brands and flavors, some especially created to accent gourmet coffee.
In 1980, a new player hit the supermarket shelves. International Delight made it easy to have delicious flavored coffees at home, without having to buy expensive flavored coffee. You could buy it in the dairy aisle in any one of three flavors: Irish Cream, Cinnamon Hazelnut or French Vanilla. Within months, Coffee-mate followed with its own line of coffee creamers, featuring Vanilla, Hazelnut and Irish Cream flavors. Since then, both companies have taken to introducing new flavors, limited edition flavors and holiday flavors on a regular basis. Take a look at what the major players in the coffee creamer market are offering.
Coffee-Mate
The first and still the biggest of the bunch, Coffee-Mate has expanded its line enormously over the past few years. Catering to their customers’ tastes, Coffee-Mate has even held contests to allow customers to choose their limited edition flavors (vanilla chai spice and coconut crème are the two most recent entries). Coffee-Mate now offers twenty different flavors, including:
Flavored
Amaretto, Chocolate Raspberry, Cinnamon Vanilla Crème, Coconut Crème, Crème Brulée, Vanilla Crème, French Vanilla, Hazelnut, Irish Crème, Toffee Nut, Vanilla Caramel, Vanilla Nut and Vanilla Chai Spice
Seasonal Flavors
Eggnog, Gingerbread, Peppermint, Mocha, Pumpkin Spice
Special Edition
Blueberry Cobbler, Pralines & Crème
However, there are many other differences between coffee creamers than just the flavors. Coffee-mate especially has introduced some innovations in packaging and in chemical makeup to enhance its brand. For those watching their fat and sugar intake, among the specialty coffee creamers made by Coffee-mate, are fat free and sugar free versions of many of its most popular flavors (in case you were wondering, all the Coffee-mate flavors have 0% trans fat). In addition, they offer coffee creamers in three different forms: powdered, liquid and the newest, concentrate – which comes in a very cool portion controlled pump bottle. Any cup of gourmet coffee will benefit from a specialty coffee creamer.
You can also buy Coffee-Mate in several different kinds of packaging. The standard liquid creamer needs to be refrigerated, but if you buy Coffee-Mate in individual serving size plastic cups (boxes of 50), you can keep them on the shelf. The powdered Coffee-Mate variety, which comes in most of the same flavors as the liquid (including fat-free and sugar-free), also does not require refrigeration.
Coffee-Mate comes in original, non-flavored versions, both liquid and powdered, and has recently announced that it will be introducing a non-dairy half-and-half in the near future.
International Delight
When International Delight introduced their portion-control liquid flavored coffee creamers, they launched an entire new category of food products. International Delight was marketed as a luxury, and it certainly tasted like one. International Delight is now available in nine different flavors, including fat free and reduced sugar versions of their most popular flavors. The International Delight flavors include:
Original Flavors
Amaretto, Cinnamon Hazelnut, French Vanilla, Hazelnut, Irish Crème, Southern Butter Pecan, Vanilla Hazelnut, Vanilla Toffee Caramel and Hershey’s Chocolate Caramel
Fat Free Flavors
Fat Free Amaretto, Fat Free Cinnamon Hazelnut, Fat Free French Vanilla, and Fat Free Irish Crème
Reduced Sugar Flavors
Reduced Sugar French Vanilla and Reduced Sugar Hazelnut.
International Delight coffee creamer is available in pints, quarts and individual portion control sizes. The pints and quarts must be refrigerated, but the individual single portion cups can be stored on your cupboard shelf until they are opened. Similar to Coffee-Mate, International Delight is non-dairy and certified kosher, though both popular non-dairy creamers contain sodium caseinate, which is made from solidified milk.
If you happen to run a coffee service or offer gourmet or regular coffee in the break room at your office, providing a variety of flavored non-dairy coffee creamers is a great way to give your customers or employees a choice of flavors without having the make separate pots of coffee to satisfy every taste.
Stephanie Larkin is a freelance writer who writes about topics pertaining to the food and beverage industry such as Gourmet Coffee
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Coffee Facts 1) Coffee is considered an aphrodisiac. Because it contains a high dose of caffeine and other various alkaloids, studies have shown that coffee can increase stamina and the overall length of intimate sessions.
2) Although coffee has been a part of the Arab culture for thousands of years, it did not become part of the western world until the 1500s. Before that time, priests believed that coffee was a drink of the devil. Pope Clement VIII finally ended this line of thinking by taking a sip of coffee and then giving it his blessing.
3) Japan’s official Coffee Day is October 1st.
4) A single acre of coffee trees can yield close to ten thousand pounds of coffee cherries. Once they are milled or hulled, there are still almost two thousand pounds of coffee beans.
5) Forty-nine of the fifty states grow absolutely no coffee. The only state that grows coffee is Hawaii. Additionally, the only United States territory that grows coffee is Puerto Rico.
6) Germany is the second largest coffee consumer in the world. Forty-three percent of Germans add sweetener to their coffee, while only twenty-seven percent of Americans (the number one consumer of coffee) use any kind of sweetener in their coffee.
7) The English word coffee is derived from the Latin word Coffee. Coffee is the Latin name for a genus of trees.
8) Every single one of the fifty-three countries that grows coffee is located along the equator, between the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn.
9) On average, people who purchase their coffee from drive-through windows before work will spend around forty-five hours every year waiting in line for their coffee.
10) Petroleum is the only product that is traded more heavily than coffee. The amount of coffee produced around the world is close to six million metric tonnes.
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