Not the actual cleaning supplies you'll need to clean your coffee maker.

This is a guest post by Jeremy Godfrey. Learn more about how you can guest post for Daily Shot Of Coffee.

The coffee maker is a wonderful appliance for saving time and money. Most machines that are available have a pre-program button that allows you to set the time you want the coffee ready. Now in the morning you can awake up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee waiting to help you start your day. If you are a fan of more complicated drinks such as espresso, cappuccino, cafe mocha, etc., you can be your own barista and brew these drinks from the comfort of your home for pennies a cup.

Like the other appliances in your home, the coffee maker requires regular maintenance and care to keep it working. The eight tips below will help you give the coffee maker the love and attention that it deserves. After all, each day it brings you happiness, why not do the same?

1. Develop a Schedule – Once a month give the coffee maker a deep cleaning to remove any of the build up from coffee grinds and spills that can happen on the inside and outside of the machine. Being diligent about cleaning will help to ensure that pot of heaven you brew will always taste fresh.
2. Eliminate Dust – You dust your home every week but have you ever dusted your coffee maker? It makes a big difference for keeping the machine running smoothly. Take a bottle of canned air which can be bought from the hardware or office supply store and use it to remove dust from the heating element, control panel buttons and other hard to reach external areas.
3. Soak Removable Parts - Take the coffee maker apart; throw the removable parts such as the brew basket, filter and water reservoir into the sink to soak for about an hour. You can use liquid soap or take a more natural approach by mixing equal parts of water and vinegar. Use a double-sided sponge or an old toothbrush and scrub off any stains.
4. Clean the Carafe – Take some liquid dish soap, put a few drops inside the coffee pot, and fill with hot water. Fill the pot until the soap suds reach the top of the pot and set it aside for about 30 minutes. Once enough time has passed, take a sponge or cloth and rub the inside of the coffee pot. Pour the soapy mixture into the sink and rinse the pot well to eliminate any traces of the detergent.
5. Clean the Heating Element/Outside – Use a solution of two parts vinegar to one part warm water and put it in an old Windex bottle. Spray the top of the heating element and the outside of the coffee maker wait about 10 minutes and any stains will be gone!
6. Cleaning the Inside – There are cleaning detergents made for coffee makers but the best approach is to use a natural cleaner – vinegar and water. Fill up the coffee pot with a combination ¼ vinegar and ¾ water and pour it inside the reservoir. Run the brewing cycle normally and let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes. Fill the pot with clean fresh water and run it through again. Continue this until the vinegar smell is gone. The acid in the vinegar will remove leftover coffee oils and/or mineral deposits that can build up inside the coffee maker.
7. Daily Duties – Between cleanings, there are a couple daily tasks you can do help keep your coffee machine clean.
   a. Spills: Any stains that occur wipe them off immediately, especially if they involve the burner. Burnt coffee will ruin the bottom of the coffee pot and the heating element.
   b. Rinse: Pour out leftover coffee and rinse the inside of the pot with hot water. Leaving coffee in the pot will end up staining the pot which overtime will cause bad tasting coffee
   c. Filters: If you use paper filters, throw both the filter and the grinds into the organic bin after the coffee has brewed. If you use a reusable filter, remove the coffee grinds and put it in the organic bin. Rinse it out with hot water and either dry using either paper towel or let it air dry. Leaving coffee grinds in the filter can cause mold to start growing and overtime can affect the taste and quality of the coffee.
8. Inspection – Take a close look at the machine for signs of wear and tear.
   a. Power Cord – Look at the power cord to see if it’s damaged and/or frayed.
   b. Plastic Components: Look at the plastic areas for and see if they are warped and/or discolored. This can indicate a leak inside the machine.

Happy Brewing!

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Jeremy Godfrey is a Community Coordinator at EasyApplianceParts. They’re a DIY resource and retailer of dishwasher partsand love to contribute to communities they care about. They are care about saving money, DIY, the environment and helping homeowners tackle their own home repairs.

Coffee Maker Maintenance Guide: 8 Tips for Keeping Your Coffee Maker in Perfect Condition is a post from: Daily Shot Of Coffee

It’s an ongoing battle: do the world’s people prefer coffee or tea? China and India, countries whose billions of citizens comprise a hefty percentage of the global population, lead the way in tea consumption. Now, however, that tradition might be changing. Coffee is not only the second most traded commodity globally (oil is the number one), it’s being brought into many Third World countries under famous American labels, such as Starbuck’s and Seattle’s Best as a ready-to-drink product.

Coffee, Tea or Both?

Tea takes the prize when it comes to the oldest beverage. Many of the world’s peoples have been drinking tea daily for more than 5,000 years. Depending on where they are located, drinkers can make a brewed beverage from just about any type of vegetation, including the most familiarCamellia sinensis plant, mint, chamomile, spices and many other herbs and roots. Flavor varies according to the type of leaves used and is often enhanced by fruit or floral extracts. Tea can be quite beneficial for a number of different ailments, with properties that purportedly cure everything from a bad cough to infection.

Coffee, although it’s younger than tea, has a flavor and aroma that are more appetizing to many people. Depending on the type of bean, coffee, too, can vary widely in its flavor, acidity and color. Much like fine wines, true coffee aficionados can instantly determine the type of bean used after just one taste.

Beverages By the Numbers

While everyone has to drink water to live, making water the true number one choice for beverages across the globe, there is definitely a preference for coffee or tea as the second most consumed drink, depending on location.

In the United States, for instance, each citizen drinks about 400 cups, or just under 27 gallons, every year (that’s 400 million cups per day or 146 billion annually). When the rest of the world is taken into consideration, it’s estimated that 400 billion cups of coffee slake thirsts on a yearly basis. In regards to caffeinated beverages as a whole, coffee comprises 75 percent of those consumed in America.

But elsewhere across the globe, tea is still the most popular beverage with an estimated 18 – 20 billion cups of it served all over the planet each and every day.

While coffee as the preferred beverage is making strong inroads in countries across the world, it seems that tea isn’t going down without a fight. It will take more than a few coffeehouses placed next to fast food franchises to topple the king of all beverages, tea.

Whichever your preference, there are health benefits to coffee and tea. Start with fresh water and a clean receptacle, then doctor it up to your liking. Chances are no matter where you are or where you travel, you can find both tea and coffee readily available for your drinking pleasure.

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Damien Higgins writes for Eden Springs, who supply office coffee machines.

Is Coffee Becoming More Popular Than Tea Worldwide? is a post from: Daily Shot Of Coffee

What Is Organic Coffee?

The official answer from Organic Trade Association is that it’s coffee grown with organic methods and materials that have little to no impact on the environment. Third party certification organizations verify that the farmers use organic methods that replenish and maintain the fertility of the soil, use little to no toxic pesticides and build a biologically diverse farm.

For a coffee to be labeled certified organic in the United States, it has to meet U.S. standards for organic production and certified by an agency accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Requirements For Organic Coffee

To be Organic, the coffee has to be grown on land without any synthetic pesticides or other prohibited substances for at least three years. That means that the fertilizer has to be 100% organic, so farmers use natural materials like cattle and chicken remains, coffee pulp, bocachi, and compost.

There must be a sufficient buffer between Organic coffee and any conventionally grown crop.

The farmer must use sustainable methods to rotate his crops to prevent erosion, depletion of soil nutrients and control of pests.

Benefits Of Organic Farming

Organic farming stimulates the environment’s own natural resources to protect against disease. Organic coffee is shade grown which promotes forest preservation, minimizes soil erosion and grows the natural habitat around the coffee plants. As the natural habitat grows, so does the bird population. The bird droppings are a natural fertilization and they also eat insects that could harm the plants.

Criticism Of Organic

There’s a lot of things for a coffee drinker to love about Organic coffee, but for the farmer it isn’t always win/win. Organic certification faces some of the same criticism that Fair Trade faces. A major criticism is the cost of the certification process. The farmer has to pay to have an auditor visit his/her farm and certify his crops. It’s an expense some farmers can’t afford.

Another drawback is that often organic methods result in smaller crops than the harvests from conventional methods. The smaller crops mean less income for the farmer, which isn’t always made up in the premium rates that they sell their coffee.

Organic Labels And Environmentally Friendly Alternatives

USDA Organic – When you see the USDA Organic label, it means that a third party auditor authorized by the USDA certified the coffee as being grown with at least 90% organic materials and methods.

Fair Trade – Fair Trade’s main purpose is to improve labor and trade standards and not all Fair Trade coffee is organic. However, Fair Trade certification does ban genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the most harmful pesticides.

Rainforest Alliance – The Rainforest Alliance is a non-government organization that examines the environmental impacts of the coffee, as well as community relations and treatments on workers. Certification is based on a score meeting a minimum number of options in a variety of categories. Rainforest Alliance coffee may not be shade grown and they don’t require organic methods and materials. Also, the Rainforest Alliance allows retailers to use their seal on coffee that contains as little as 30% certified beans.

Bird Friendly – Bird Friendly is coffee that is inspected and certified by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. Requirements to be certified include organic growing methods (no synthetic materials) and materials and shade grown with a wide variety of native shade trees.

Which Label Is Best?

If you’re interested in Organic coffee, the best bet is to do some further research and discover which label aligns most with your values. How do you like that for a non-answer? But seriously, this is one of those times where if you’re serious, you should do some reading.

Further Reading:

Quick guide to coffee certifications

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If you’re interested in buying Fair Trade, More Than Fair or Direct Trade coffee, please visit our sister site Coffee Responsibly.

Photo by counterculturecoffee.

Organic Coffee: Pros And Cons is a post from: Daily Shot Of Coffee

What Is Fair Trade Coffee?

The Wikipedia style answer is that Fair Trade is an organized social movement and market based approach aimed to help farmers via higher prices for their products, along with higher environment and social standards.

It sounds like an answer that my economics 101 teacher in college would’ve said. Before you zone out, let me try to break it down into something that’s in English.

The Fair Trade process starts on the coffee farm, where third party auditors make sure certain environmental and social standards are met. (Keep reading for those standards.) A farmer with Fair Trade certification earns a higher price for his or her coffee, a price per pound that’s above the standard commodity price.

After the coffee leaves the farm, third party organizations track the beans as they’re processed, imported, sold to retailers and roasters in the United States. The auditors make sure environmental and social standards are kept through out the whole process and that there’s a transparency to see where the beans come from and where the money goes.

It’s really an over-simplified explanation, but hopefully if you had no idea how the system works, it gives you a basic understanding.

Fair Trade Requirements

To become Fair Trade certified, farmers have to meet the following requirements:

• Fair price and credit: Democratically organized farmer groups receive a guaranteed minimum floor price and an additional premium for certified organic products. Farmer organizations are also eligible for pre-harvest credit.
• Fair labor conditions: Workers on Fair Trade farms enjoy freedom of association, safe working conditions, and living wages. Forced child labor is strictly prohibited.
• Direct trade: With Fair Trade, importers purchase from Fair Trade producer groups as directly as possible, eliminating unnecessary middlemen and empowering farmers to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace.
• Democratic and transparent organizations: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers decide democratically how to invest their Fair Trade premiums.
• Community development: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers invest Fair Trade premiums in social and business development projects like scholarship programs, quality improvement and social empowerment trainings, and organic certification.
• Environmental sustainability: Harmful agrochemicals and GMOs are strictly prohibited in favor of environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect farmer health and preserve valuable ecosystems for future generations.

(via Fair Trade USA)

Fair Trade Criticisms

Fair Trade has it’s benefits for both the coffee farmer and the coffee drinker, but some believe that it’s doesn’t do much (or enough) to fix the problems in the poverty stricken coffee growing regions.

One of the most common criticisms is that the amount of money that farmers spend to get their farm ready for certification and for the actual certification is more than they’ll earn selling their coffee, even with the increased Fair Trade premium price.

Another common complaint is that too often the premiums that farmers earn, don’t end up making it back to the farmer or even benefiting them. A percentage of the Fair Trade premium price that farmers earn goes to the co-ops that organize the farmers and process their coffee, getting it ready to be exported. The co-ops are supposed to be transparent and democratically run, but it doesn’t always work like that.

There’s a coffee industry secret that Fair Trade coffee doesn’t always mean higher quality coffee. Fair Trade requirements speak only to the way coffee is grown and harvested, not to the quality of the beans. The example that I’ve read about several times is of farmers who sell their best coffee directly because they can get higher prices for it. Then they’ll sell their average coffee via Fair Trade because it’s also better than what they would get if they sold it directly.

To answer some of the criticisms, I talked to Jenna Larson, a PR person for Fair Trade USA, the largest Fair Trade certification organization of coffee that comes into the United States. (My questions are in bold, her answers are in italics.)

The cost of certification and preparing for certification might be too expensive for some farmers and the increase in premiums paid for their product, might not be enough to cover to their additional expenses.

Paying for certification is actually very important for the Fair Trade farmer; it means that the farmers themselves own the certificate, and are then able to sell to whomever they choose under Fair Trade terms.

Additionally, Fair Trade certification is about so much more than owning a certificate or earning a fair price. There is a value in the model that cannot be achieved through any other system of trade, a value that has prompted over 1.5 million farmers and workers worldwide to become Fair Trade Certified. The difference is that Fair Trade provides access to vibrant, global markets; it provides long-term, direct relationships between farmers and their international buyers; it protects farmers and workers from things like harmful pesticides, exploitation, unsafe working conditions, slave and child labor, etc..; and it empowers farmers and workers to invest in the well being of their families and communities through the Fair Trade premium fund (a separate fund, on top of the minimum or market price, paid to farmers and specifically earmarked for development projects, e.g. building a school, healthcare, clean water).

Fair Trade USA also does everything we can to make certification affordable for farmers. We even have a producer grant fund to help farmers overcome specific market constraints. Fair Trade USA also fundraises to generate money for projects that strengthen farming communities once they are certified. From 2006-2011 we raised $12.4 million to put into projects like price risk management training for coffee farmers in Colombia, or quality improvement training for cocoa farmers in Ghana. The higher the quality, the higher the price farmers receive for their goods.

Also, is Fair Trade just a step in the right direction or a real solution to the problems created by unfair trade?

We by no means claim that Fair Trade is the sole solution to global poverty. Poverty is an extremely complicated issue with deep roots in history, weak governments, war, and of course trade. Fair Trade is one approach in the agricultural (and textile) sector, that seeks to harness the power of the market and alleviate poverty through a more just system of trade.

We are so proud of what we, Fair Trade USA and our committed partners, have accomplished in the last 13 years. Through better prices and community development premiums, we have helped 1.5 million farmers and their families earn approximately $225 MM in additional income. Still, with 2 billion people living on less than $2 USD a day, Fair Trade can and must do more. Fair Trade has to work for far more people if we ever hope to make a significant dent in global poverty.

That is why Fair Trade USA is embarking on a new innovation strategy, aimed at doubling the impact of Fair Trade by 2015. In order to reach this goal, we are 1.) Partnering with global financial institutions, industry partners, NGO’s, leading social entrepreneurs and in-country service providers to help strengthen existing Fair Trade farming communities 2.) Innovating the Fair Trade model to include far more people, and 3.) Igniting consumer involvement to increase Fair Trade awareness and sales. We call this effort Fair Trade for All.

For years, many stakeholders have rightly criticized the Fair Trade system for inconsistencies in how Fair Trade principles have been applied. In some product categories, such as coffee, cocoa and sugar, Fair Trade certification has been limited to cooperatives. In other categories, such as rice in India, communities of small independent farmers are allowed to obtain certification. And in other categories, like bananas, tea and flowers, farm workers on large farms can also receive Fair Trade benefits. Fair Trade USA is working to eliminate these inconsistencies which exclude many farmers and workers from the benefits of Fair Trade.

To this end, we are adapting existing standards from the above categories, and applying them to farm workers and independent smallholders (small-scale farmers who, for one reason or another, cannot join or form a cooperative), and report on system-wide sales for both cooperatives and pilot farms to ensure new producers are not displacing the sales of current cooperatives.

There is currently one farm certified under these new standards in the pilot phase, a 100% organic coffee estate in Brazil called Fazenda Nossa Senhora de Fatima. The farm’s democratically-elected Fair Trade committee has already used the extra income from Fair Trade to provide eye and dental care for the 110 workers and their families. Last week, one of the older farmers with poor eyesight received her very first pair of glasses. It’s a truly inspiring story.

As we innovate, we are also extremely committed to ensuring that cooperatives remain strong and competitive into the future, as they are truly the backbone of the Fair Trade movement. Part of this effort includes the development of innovative new partnerships with global financial institutions, industry partners, NGOs, leading social entrepreneurs and in-country service providers. We call this cooperative strengthening effort ‘Co-op Link’, which focuses on increasing market opportunities; improving access to capital; creating programs to improve quality and productivity; and expanding the training available to cooperatives. For these efforts we have raised a total of $12.4 million since 2006, $5 million in 2011 alone.

Alternatives To Fair Trade

Alternatives to Fair Trade fall into two categories, certification alternatives and direct trade.

One certification alternative is More Than Fair. They aim to be a simpler and more credible certification system. Their certification guarantees that the coffee is grown sustainability and that the final product is high quality.

The members of More Than Fair are a combination of farmers, roasters and coffee retailers. They advocate transparency and work to improve the lives of the farmers and the quality of their coffee. They say that via their website coffee drinkers can connect directly with the farmers, roasters and retailers, holding them accountable for their actions and coffee.

Direct Trade is when the coffee roasters cut out the middlemen and certification organizations to buy directly from the farmer. The direct trade system. is growing more and more popular with premium specialty coffee roasters across the country. The system works in many cases because it builds a mutually beneficial relationship between the farmers and the roasters, allowing those that are unhappy with third party certifications to have more control over the bean quality, environmental issues and social concerns.

Further Reading:

Fair Trade USA: Why We Parted Ways with Fair Trade International

The Problem with Fair Trade Coffee

Does the label on the coffee bag matter to you? Are you a Fair Trade Fan?

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If you’re interested in buying Fair Trade, More Than Fair or Direct Trade coffee, please visit our sister site Coffee Responsibly.

Photo by jakeliefer

Fair Trade Coffee: The Good And The Bad is a post from: Daily Shot Of Coffee

If you are someone who has to have their daily fix of coffee, you know that no matter how much of a bad rap coffee gets, you are not going to stop drinking it. And you shouldn’t! But what if your morning cup of Joe came with a side serving of health benefits? Now you’re listening!

Organic Coffee

Organic coffee is coffee that is grown using organic farming methods with no harmful chemicals or sprays, ensuring the coffee you drink is as natural as possible. This also means you get 100% of the flavour of the coffee beans and who doesn’t want a better tasting coffee right?

Rich In Antioxidants

Organic coffee is rich in antioxidants and we all know antioxidants are so very good for us. Instead of gulping down buckets of green tea to counteract the effects of coffee drinking, get your antioxidants in your coffee simply by switching to an organic version.

Natural Energy Boost

With no chemicals and additives, organic coffee is your natural source of caffeine, giving you the best natural energy boost around.

Pregnancy Benefits

Pregnant women are usually advised against drinking coffee. Most regular coffees have a host of pesticides and herbicides and for a pregnant woman who drinks coffee, she runs the risk of passing on these ingested chemicals to the foetus. Needless to say, this is terrible. Organic coffee, free of its pesticides, is less of a health risk for a pregnant woman and her baby.

Shade Grown

Organic coffee, grown in the shade of larger trees has a much superior taste and at the same it does not contribute to deforestation of the surrounding areas, thus ensuring local flora and fauna are unaffected by its growth. This in the long term also prevents soil erosion.

Buying Organic Coffee Beans

If you are considering organic coffee, be sure not to fall for a “fake”. Be sure to look at the label carefully and only buy organic coffee beans that carry an appropriate certification. For coffee to be truly organic:

• The soil it is grown in must be fertiliser free. Organic coffee farmers use compost and manure.
• The coffee plant should not be sprayed with any artificial substances such as pesticides or chemical sprays.
• No artificial processes must be used in the growing of the coffee.
• Make sure it is shade grown coffee.

So, if you’re a regular caffeine addict, consider switching to an organic variety. It’ll do the environment good and it will definitely do you good too.

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Post comes via Byron Beans. Byron beans is one of the famous name in coffee business since 1999. We provide best organic coffee beans with no harmful sprays or chemicals

Photo by Happy Sleepy.

Why Organic Coffee Is Better For You is a post from: Daily Shot Of Coffee

This little side project started as a blog post where I planned on listing all of the Fair Trade, Organic and similar coffees that were reviewed on Daily Shot Of Coffee. However, I quickly realized two problems about trying to do that in a blog post. First, there were a lot of coffees that would fit into those categories and it would take forever just to compile them. Second, I realized that a lot of those coffees that were reviewed months and even years ago, were no longer available.

That’s why I created a whole new site where you could find a constantly updated collection of environmentally friendly and socially responsible coffees. There’s a small blog on Coffee Responsibly, but the main focus is the selection of coffee and connecting you with places where you can buy them. I believe that we can vote with our purchases for coffees that don’t harm the earth and can uplift the people that grow the beans for our favorite beverage.

The site still has a lot of growing to do, but I have some grand visions for what it could be and the differences that it could make in the coffee growing regions around the world. I hope that you join me over there today and check it out the next time you’re looking to buy a bag or two of coffee.

Coffee Responsibly features beans from premier roasters across the country with everything from light to dark roasts, single origins and blends, and even a handful of decaf coffees if you’re into that sort of thing. Most importantly, every coffee selected for the site has been chosen because it’s grown with environmentally friendly methods and/or the sale benefits the farmer and their communities more than the average commodity coffee.

I’d love your feedback on the site, how you think it could be improved, etc. Also, I hope that you’ll visit me over there from time to time, so that together we can make a positive impact with coffee.

Introducing Coffee Responsibly: Fair Trade, More Than Fair, Direct Trade And More is a post from: Daily Shot Of Coffee

Don't be afraid to make coffee so bad that only the family dog would want to drink it.

Everywhere you look, people give advice on how to make a good cup of coffee. There’s blogs about the topic and even full-length books dedicated to it.

Today, I want to tell you how to make a bad cup of coffee. Whether you’re just an average Joe or a certified coffee snob, I’ve got some advice for you. Much thanks goes out to my accomplices on Facebook and Twitter who helped me put together this advice.

The first thing to do is buy your coffee at the grocery store. It’s pretty obvious that most of those stores care only about profit margins, so you know they aren’t going to be focusing on quality coffee. If you happen to find anything decent there, they must be having an off month.

When you’re at the grocery store, look for the giant plastic tubs of coffee, preferably one that’s on sale for some ridiculously low price because who cares if the farmers can’t make a living growing the beans for our morning wake up call. For an added bonus, look for a tub that includes Robusta beans, sure they taste bitter but they have more caffeine.

I almost left this tip out because it’s so obvious, but make sure you buy pre-ground coffee! Coffee starts to go stale within fifteen minutes, losing it’s flavors and aromas, so you want to make sure you buy pre-ground that’s been sitting on the shelf at the store for who knows how long.

If you do have to buy whole bean coffee, at least use that coffee grinder at the grocery store. You know the one that’s never been cleaned and covered in old grinds and dirt! Think off all of the extra flavors that’ll come with your coffee.

If you feel the need to grind your coffee at home, buy one of the cheap blade grinders. They can add an extra burnt flavor to even the best beans. Whatever you do, don’t invest in a burr grinder. They’re a complete waste of money! Who cares if they produce even grinds. If you are one of those people with a coffee grinder, make sure you never clean it. By not cleaning it, you’ll keep all of those flavors from old beans in form of rotting grinds and stale oils from weeks ago.

While we’re talking about the ground coffee, make sure not measure it. Just throw in a random amount of scoops into your drip coffee maker or french press. Why measure it or make sure your scoops are even? That’s just added work that doesn’t make a difference. Don’t worry about adding too little, if you’re coffee looks more like tea, it’s not really a bad thing. And adding too much, I’m sure that won’t cause any problems either.

Oh and one more thing about grinds before we get too far. One grind is good for all brewing methods. Using fine grinds with a drip coffee maker won’t cause it to overflow and make a mess all over your counter. Trust me, I know this from experience! Don’t be afraid to use a fine grind for your french press either. You’ll be able to taste the difference. The coffee experts that say you should use a coarse grind for a french press are full of it.

The biggest ingredient in a cup of coffee is the water, but don’t spend anytime worrying about the quality of your water. If your water is hard, don’t worry about filtering it. Those extra minerals just add extra flavors. If you live in a community with chlorinated water, same thing, don’t worry about filtering it. Oh yeah, even if you have polluted water, water that tastes bad, don’t worry the coffee will hide all of those imperfections.

Here’s a bonus tip for you. If you’re using a filter, don’t bother to rinse it. It won’t make a difference by washing away the paper taste that you get when you’re using something like an automatic coffee maker or drip filter.

Now, what’s talk about how to brew the coffee. First off, don’t follow the instructions. Whether it’s the instructions that come with the device or instructions you find online, they’re just there to misled you. Feel free to make up your own way to use the machine, adding as much coffee and water that you want.

Here’s a couple of bonus tips for you if you’re looking to get an automatic coffee maker. Get one that doesn’t heat the water above 195 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you’re heating the water yourself, make sure to stay away from temperatures in the 195-202 degree temperature range. If you heat it hotter, like boil it, you’ll over extract the flavors. If you heat it less, you’ll under extract flavors. You don’t want to go into that range in between. Trust me again, it’s a bad thing.

Don’t feel like you have to stick to their rules for steeping time, if you’re using something like a french press. The standard might be 4-5 minutes, but think of how much better your coffee would taste if you let it steep for ten or even twenty minutes. And after your pour out a cup or two from your french press, let the rest just sit in the carafe until you’re ready for another cup of coffee.

While I’m writing about coffee sitting in the carafe, I gotta mention that letting the carafe full of coffee sitting on the hot plate for hours is a good thing. I mean seriously, just think of how world class coffee comes from grimy gas stations and greasy diners. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

If you’re coffee starts to get cold, don’t be afraid to just reheat it in the microwave. It won’t change the flavors of the coffee at all! I swear.

No matter what method of brewing you use, don’t ever clean your machine. Definitely don’t clean it on a regular basis to get rid of all of the pungent oils and molding grinds that could be hiding somewhere. Like with the grinder, those are good flavors!

And make sure you re-use the coffee grounds. Save some money, use the same grounds two, maybe even three times. I’m sure that second pot of coffee will taste just as good.

You can tell you made a really good cup of coffee by how much you have to doctor it. The more milk, sugar or flavor syrups that you have to add, the better cup of coffee you made. The coffee flavor in coffee needs to be hid by those things so don’t be afraid to bury your coffee in sugar and turn the color a pale white with milk.

If this all seems too complicated to you, I understand there’s a lot of rules to follow to make a bad cup of coffee, check out some healthy coffee from one of those shady multi-level marketing people or instant coffee from a giant corporate coffee company.

What suggestions do you have for someone who wants to make a bad cup of coffee?

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Photo by Chapendra.

How To Make A Really Bad Cup Of Coffee is a post from: Daily Shot Of Coffee

For most roasters, the test is done by a small team of quality control employees that do regular coffee cuppings as they’re called in the industry. For smaller roasters, the testing could just be the roaster and a friend. For larger roasters, it could be a whole department. But for Barista On Duty/Cush Coffee (Barista On Duty is their line of rare, small batch coffees. Cush Coffee is the line of rare and exclusive, most conscious coffee with highest certifications), that taste testing is completed by a network of coffee lovers across the country.

If you’re on the Daily Shot Of Coffee Facebook, you may have noticed that I’ve frequently posted pictures of shiny silver bags of coffee. Those regularly delivered bags of coffee are my part of the testing process for BODY/Cush Coffee.

I don’t have a business affiliation with BODY other than that of a coffee drinker and fan of their work to support farmers and veterans. As an occasional taste tester, I’m not an employee, more like a volunteer that gives feedback and criticism of the coffee that comes my way.

With emails, messages on Twitter and postings on Coffee Oath (the online community for the tasting network), Johnny Milton, the founder of BODY has told me about the the details, methods and goals of this unique coffee tasting process that replaces the traditional coffee company testing/cupping system.

He explains that the team of tasters come from all different backgrounds and review coffees not just to decide if the beans should be carried by BODY, but also to provide honest feedback to the source (not just the roaster, but also the suppliers and farmers) from a third party. To keep the system honest, reviewers are only given a little bit of background information about the bean, like where it’s from and the farm. Left out are the tasting notes and other information that can influence a person as they’re taste testing a coffee.

He informally started the review system in 2009, as a way to get feedback about the coffees, going beyond just determine if a coffee was stale, over-roasted or under-roasted. It also gives the roaster, the supplier and the farmer a greater understanding of people’s tastes and palates.

For Johnny, it’s all part of his mission to change and improve the standards of coffee.

Here’s a behind the scenes sneak peek at some of the coffees that I’ve tested for BODY and you might see in the future on their storefront. These aren’t full fledged reviews, just a little bit of the notes that I made as I was drinking them.

Costa Rica RAS

This one had a dark chocolate aroma with hints of cherries and a little bit of earthiness with hints of nuts and freshly cut wood.

It was a smooth tasting coffee with a dusty sip and a medium body. It started out mild, but got stronger. It was loaded with flavors like dark chocolate and a nutty flavor. There hints of cherry and strawberries that were ready to explode on my tongue. A red wine flavor lingered on my tongue after the last sip.

Costa Rica LAR

This Costa Rican had a dark chocolate aroma, filled with hints of caramel, a sweet fruit and cedar wood.

It was a sweet sip with a dark flavor on top. There’s a darker, slightly bitter dark roast flavor underneath with hints of pepper and other spices. My tongue was left covered in a sweet, cough syrup flavor (the good kind) that lingered on my tongue. As the coffee cooled down, more of the wine flavor came out, along with a an almost vinegar flavor.

Costa Rica Central Valley BCSL

This version had an aroma with an earthiness to it, with a chocolate and red wine mixture and a bubble gum sweetness.

The taste reminded me of a cigar, a hint of dark roast and a bit of cherry flavor.
cigar flavor, hint of dark roast, bit of cherry

Costa Rica SHB

I had no idea coffees from the same country could have such variety.

This one had a vegetable and fruit aroma, like grilled vegetables and fruit. There were hints of peaches and apricots, with a little bit of a sweet and sour mix behind that and a woody, nutty aroma that brought everything together.

It was a mostly smooth sip, with just a hint of bitterness towards the end. There was a sweet taste that was a combination of earthiness, woody flavors and vegetables. A wine/cigar taste lingered after the sip.

Sumatra Mandhaling: Semi Washed DP Grade 1

This one had a sweet honey like aroma with hints of vegetables and a mild earthiness.

It was smooth sip with just a hint of a dark roast flavor. The taste was a combination of honey sweetness and citrus tartness. At first, I didn’t think it blended that well together. But as it cooled down, I started to enjoy it more and more.

Sumatra Lingtong Semi Washed DP Grade 1

The other Sumatra had a herbal, earthy scent with hints of sweetness.

It had a sharp (or maybe it could described as trong) taste, before it smoothed out and lingered on my tongue. The sharpness mellowed out as it cooled down and I could pick up herbal flavors, an earthy taste and a drop or two of dark roast.

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Fine Print.

Photo by GServo.

Behind The Scenes: Barista On Duty Coffee Testing Process is a post from: Daily Shot Of Coffee

Buddy Brew has all of the warning signs of a good coffee shop.

Once or month or so, myself and a handful of other coffee bloggers are working together to write about a certain topic. This month’s theme is coffee shops:

What would your dream cafe have? What makes a good coffee shop?

smdlr: “it [wasn't] all just a dream” rapped biggie smalls
Snob Coffery: The 4 Habits of Highly Awesome Coffee Shops
Daily Demitasee: 10 Things to Look for in a Great Cafe’
Boise Coffee: 5 Things that make good coffee shops great
A Table In The Corner Of The Cafe: The Coffeehouse as Cultural Hub: What Makes a Cafe Great?

Several of the other coffee bloggers are baristas or from inside of the coffee industry, so they have some really amazing ideas what would make an awesome coffee shop. I’ve never professionally brewed a cup of coffee, but I do have some experience checking out coffee shops. I want to share with you some of the signs that I look for when I’m trying to determine if a coffee shop is going to brew up a good cup that I can enjoy or a bad one that will make me want to spit it out.

Before I even hit the front door, there’s a number of signs that I look for before walking into the shop.

The positive signs can start several blocks away when there’s a hint of something in the air. It’s the smell of coffee roasting, a pleasant aroma that gets stronger closer to the roaster and always brings a smile to my face.

Not every coffee shop roasts their own coffee and even those that do, they don’t roast their coffee 24-7. That’s when I literally check for signs on the window of the shop. I look for signs that announce that they roast their own coffee or highlight the coffee roasters that they carry. Those are two types of signs that I like to see.

There’s also some signs that I don’t want to see. There’s signs with typos like expresso (it’s espresso) or Columbia (the country where coffee is grown is Colombia). I’m the king of typos, but those are the kind of errors that give me the impression that they don’t care or know much about their beans, which could usually translates into them not knowing how to properly brew them or where they came from. They’re red flags in my book.

When I venture inside, my eyes race around the room looking for positive signs. Is there a roasting machine in sight? If not, do they show bags that represent the coffees that they carry? Is there a sign on the wall that lists the coffees that they carry or where they come from?

If there’s no visible signs, I don’t start to freak out…yet. Hopefully, there’s a helpful barista that knows about the coffees they use, that can tell me about the origins of the beans and a little bit about what they taste like. If the barista doesn’t know, or doesn’t show any signs of caring, I start to get worried.

When I get closer to the counter, my eyes wander to the equipment. I hope to spot a clean work area, a spotless espresso machine and a coffee grinder that looks like it’s cleaned at least on a regular basis.

I’ll never forget the scene at a now out of business coffee shop. The coffee shop had a comfortable, friendly atmosphere, but the barista scooped pre-ground coffee out of a giant metal tin, scooping it like it was a shovel, spilling it all over the counter and not paying attention to how much coffee went into the portafilter. It wasn’t much of a surprise that my drink was subpar and I ended up hiding the flavors with extra milk and loads of sugar.

Of course, all good signs might still lead to a bad cup of coffee, but I haven’t found a good cup of coffee in a shop that filled with warning signs.

What do you look for when you’re checking out a new cafe or coffee shop?

Warning Signs And Red Flags: How To Tell A Good Coffee Shop From A Bad One is a post from: Daily Shot Of Coffee

Tourists trying to grab a coffee on holiday don’t always have to search for the nearest Starbucks. In Portugal you’ll find a nation of serious coffee lovers, who are very precise about how they take their favourite drink. What’s more, prices are incredibly cheap and there are some brilliant local twists on familiar favourites. Here’s your guide to Portugal’s coffee culture, from Lisbon’s most famous café to the best pastries to have alongside your cup in the Algarve:

Main types of coffee

• Uma Bica/Um café – strong and rich espresso that can be as little as 50 cents for a cup. This is the staple coffee choice for the Portuguese.
• Café Pingado/Pingo – a small black coffee with a splash of either hot or cold milk.
• Um Galão – equal parts coffee and milk, served in a glass, much like a latte, which you can have made dark (escuro) or light (claro).
• Um Garoto – a very light choice, where the used coffee grounds are run through again with water, then topped up with milk. Generally this is for children or the elderly, as it’s so mild.
• Um Mazagram – iced coffee with sugar and a slice of lemon, which is brilliant on a hot and sunny day.
• Um café com musica – a strong black coffee made with clear Portuguese spirits known as Aguardente, or fire water. Not one to be sipped slowly! Treat it like a powerful bica.

Regional Variations

• Cimbalinho – the word for a Bica in Oporto, the home of Port wine. Cimbalin is the name of the machine that makes the coffee, which is served small and black.
• Chávena Fria/Quente – a small black coffee in Lisbon that is either served in a cold cup (Fria) or a hot cup (Quente).
• Irish coffee – obviously this didn’t originate in Portugal, but there’s a strong Irish community in many parts of the country, particularly the Algarve. Coffee with whisky and similar spirits is a great pick-me-up.

Where to find the best coffee

The Portuguese don’t tend to make theirs at home, as they prefer to go out and about. Even in smaller villages and towns there will always be a couple of cafes on hand, and you’ll find the prices are so reasonable that it becomes a habit! Most people will have about three cups a day. The poet Fernando Pessoa wrote most of his great works in coffee shops around Lisbon, such as Café A Brasileira in Chiado, which is now within the city’s shopping district. You can still visit Brasileira today, which was where the city’s intelligentsia met during the 1900s.

Typically coffee is enjoyed with pastries, or pasteleiros, so if you’re not into carbs then you may struggle. Treat yourself to some authentic Portuguese snacks and you won’t be disappointed, as they’re often laden with eggs, honey, caramel or fruit. In the south of the country, the Algarve is famous for its Dom Rodrigo pastries, which are egg-based and contain cinnamon, almonds and vanilla, then served wrapped in coloured paper. Find them in seaside towns such as Olhão and Tavira, alongside almond tart, or Tarte de Amêndoa. Meanwhile you’ll be able to enjoy Pasteis de Nata across the country, but these flaky filled pastries are originally from Belem, in Lisbon. Their exact recipe has been kept secret for nearly 200 years and was first made by monks.

So, why does Portugal have such a good reputation for producing coffee? Basically it’s down to the colonial empire. Portugal’s main colony, Brazil, is full of coffee plants and so the beans have been imported home since the 18^th Century to be roasted and ground. There are many Portuguese coffee companies that you’ll begin to recognise, as the industry is very important here, but the most important thing is to embrace local culture and experience the real Portugal through one of their best assets – the humble cup of coffee. With a whole nation of caffeine addicts to supply, there’s always a steady stream of bica on hand!

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Polly Allen is a journalist and Destination Marketer who is always on the lookout for her next hit of caffeine (preferably a cappuccino). She’s most likely to be found exploring coffee shops in the UK and Europe.

Photos by Simon Doggett and Ivy Dawned.

Everything You Need To Know About Coffee in Portugal is a post from: Daily Shot Of Coffee