Italian made ceramic coffee cups
I scooped up these Italian made porcelain Nuova Point Espresso cups and saucers - unopened, from what could be 1983! These cups have a very thick wall and will have you talking with your hands in no time.
 Why pre-heating your cup is important. Coffee really is science done right.
If you take a moment to think about it, we measure out 14grams of precisely ground, expertly roasted coffee beans that have been grown and cared for by farmers and processed based on sometimes generations of experience and knowledge. We then tamp the grinds to a predetermined pressure, loaded into a precisely engineered portafilter basket that has been pre-heated on the espresso machine, under an exacting 15 bars of water pressure, heated to the perfect temperature of 91 degrees, resulting in 60 mls of deliciously smooth espresso. So while the extracted coffee has a warm and cosy path through the group head, into the grinds and out the the preheated spout of the poetafilter, if you haven’t preheated your cup, the temperature of the extracted coffee is going to be different once it reaches your lips. That in itself is not such a bad thing, some people enjoy their coffee a little coole, and that’s perfectly fine, however the problem is the coffee liquid exposed to the cool cup drops in temperature faster that the coffee toward the centre of the brew. When these two mix, you end up with a cooler coffee that will affect the flavour, usually by reducing the sweetness. I store my ceramic coffee cups on top of my espresso machine, but for the times that I forget, I’ll just rinse the cup with some warm or hot water and that will do pretty much the same job.  We’ve all heard the stories about caffeine; it’s the perfect pick-me-up but some people have difficulty getting off to sleep if they have coffee late at night.
So, what does science have to contribute? One research study found that consuming a double espresso shot 3 hours before you go to sleep can delay your natural sleep hormones by upto 40 minutes. I’m lucky in that I am not affected at all by caffeine and sleep. What about you?  I asked this question over on the Bay Beans Facebook page this week and the general consensus was all the same - a resounding “nothing”!
That’s right, we just can’t function right. For me, my day hasn’t yet started until after I’ve had a coffee. It’s much less to do with the caffeine and a lot more to do with the routine. It’s just a simple pleasure I’ve become accustomed to. What about you?  Espresso coffee and tonic water - you’ve been missing something very special! If you’ve not yet tried coffee and tonic, you’ve got just one job that needs to be done today, and that is to get on it!
This drink is so easy to prepare, it’s punching well above it’s weight. Grab a glass and extract a single shot of espresso, and set aside while you grab a bottle of tonic water from the fridge. You can add fresh slice of lemon or lime, so cut a wedge and go grab a few cubes of ice from the freezer. Drop the ice cubes in with the espresso, add the wedge of lemon and top up the glass with Tonic Water. Grab a comfy chair, sit back and enjoy your moment of sunshine in a glass.  Last minute Mother’s Day gift idea - just add coffee Are you a little bit like me in that you usually leave the gift buying until the last minute?
Here is a simple solution, and everything was purchased at my local shops. $35 spent at Aldi because they have bottles of champagne, wine, cheese, crackers, chocolate and fruit all under the one roof. I then bought a cane basket from the dollar store and a few sheets of butchers paper. Lined the basket with butchers paper, laid out the gifts and topped it all off with black grapes. Paired with a bag of Bay Beans coffee and the problem was solved in under 15 minutes, and it has that personal touch! |
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