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15 Dec 09 Finding The Best Coffee Maker For You

If you’re looking to buy a new coffee maker, you obviously want to get the best one that you can. As with other consumer products though, which is “best” is dependent on your particular needs. It could mean cheapest, it could mean fastest, it could mean the best equipped, or the most modern. So, in order to establish what is the best coffee maker, it’s necessary to look at the different kinds available.

The most popular type of coffee maker is called a drip coffee maker, and you can find them literally all over the places – homes, offices, hotels, restaurants etc. They work by using a pool of hot water to pass over coffee grounds in a paper coffee filter. The fact that they are so widely used is testament to the fact that they make a good cup of coffee. However, there is a downside to them – coffee that’s left in them for more than 30 minutes has a habit of developing a slightly bitter taste, as it starts to burn. It’s not difficult to get around that issue though, as you just need to use only as much coffee as you know you will finish in 30 minutes.

Coffee percolators have been around for a while, but they’re not the best way to make coffee. They require a coarse ground like the French press, but the problem is that they keep boiling your coffee over and over because the brewed coffee spills over into the hot water reservoir. They’re classic, but not the best option. If you must use one though, try not to use an expensive coffee blend, as to a degree, it will be wasted.

The French press coffee maker is simple, elegant, and classy. It’s basically a glass cylinder with a plunger and a flat mesh filter. You put some ground coffee in the jar and douse it with hot water. After that you simply put the lid on and press the plunger repeatedly, hence the name “French press”. It makes a decent cup of coffee and requires coarser coffee grounds – much more coarse than what’s required in a drip coffee maker.

The newest coffee maker trend is one cup coffee brewers, especially coffee pod systems. They are becoming more and more popular in offices. They’re extremely easy to use and maintain because there is no messy filter or coffee grounds to fuss with. You simply pop the coffee pod (or disc) into the machine and let it brew. A minute later you have a cup of freshly brewed coffee, with just a pod to throw away.The only downside is that you can’t brew your favorite exotic blend.

So, which is the best coffee maker for you? It’s just a matter of evaluating your lifestyle and coffee habits, and establishing which type best suits your needs.

http://TheCoffeeMakerStore.com is a daily blog and e-commerce store about coffee, coffee makers, and coffee culture. Leave a comment on the blog for a chance to win a free coffee maker!

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18 Oct 09 Better Than Sodas

While I’ve always liked carbonated drinks, my favorite ones have been colas. I’m a big fan of anything that tastes like cola, and I really enjoy this sweet liquid treat.

Nothing truly refreshes me as much as a cold can or bottle of soda does, and it’s been hard coming to terms with the fact that as I’ve grown up and gotten a little older, it’s probably a habit that I should curb a little bit.

Diet soda is an alternative since it doesn’t have as many calories, but there are artificial ingredients built into it that simply can’t be good for you. Besides, it really doesn’t taste as good as the real thing.

I’ve tried club soda and while I do like it for the health reasons, I find it to be really bland. I need to be drinking something with at least a bit of flavor in it! Maybe not even soda, but something that at least tastes interesting to me.

The best replacement I’ve found for soda is something that I really enjoy the taste of. Not only that, but it’s completely healthy. It’s as healthy as eating a fruit itself, as hard as that may sound to believe.

While there may be a number of options in this drink genre, the best two that I’ve had are made by Fizzy Lizzy, and Izze, both of them with a nice variety of interesting fruit flavors. It’s hard to say which is better because they’re both great.

From a health standpoint, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them. They’re pure fruit juice mixed with sparkling water. No sugars or artificial ingredients are added to these, and that’s a great thing.

Izzes are available at Starbucks and a number of other places, and maybe you’ve come across Fizzy Lizzy’s too. I can say with confidence that these are truly enjoyable healthy treats.

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20 Jun 09 Wine Racks: Six Methods to Storing Your Wine

by Rachel Kuptz

Temperature: Wine should generally be kept at room temperature, or 55 degrees. Here’s where it gets tricky — sparkling wine should be kept in a wine refrigerator, while white wines are best kept in temperatures of 45 degrees. Temperature controlled wine refrigerators allow you to set the temperature based on the wines you most frequently store, but a simple wine rack placed in a cooler spot of your home will do just fine. Just make sure that the spot you decide to store your wine isn’t next to a heater or vent, as fluctuations in temperature can impact the taste of the wines.

Height where wine will be stored: When using a wine rack, remember to keep sparkling wines on the bottom shelf, white wines in the middle, and red wines on the top. Since heat rises, the wines that are best served cooler will do best towards the bottom of the wine racks.

Surroundings: Did you know that keeping a wine next to fruit or vegetables can cause the wine to mold? Foods that can rot may send the moldy flavors into a cork of the wine, causing the wine to have unfavorable smells and tastes.

Keep Wine Away from Sunlight: When wine is exposed to light, it can age faster and lose it’s flavor. Keep your wine racks or or any wine stored in a rerigerator away from any sources of natural light, and preferably in a darker area of your home.

Sideways: Keeping wine on it’s side will keep the wine in contact with the cork, preventing air from escaping into the wine bottle. Different types of wine racks will allow you to tilt the wine to an optimal level, allowing the wine cork to stay wet and prevent oxygen from coming in.

Air Circulation: Wine can mold. If you keep wine hidden in a closet or dark room, make sure that there is a steady amount of circulation. Just like you wouldn’t keep clothes in a moldy closet, make sure your that the place you store your wine is clean and free of mold.

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