Do you wake up each morning and crave a pot of fresh brewed coffee? Or do you prefer to put the kettle on and steep a nice pot of tea? Chances are, you fall into one of these two camps, or both! Studies show that each of these wake up juices contain loads of antioxidants in addition to the sweet, sweet caffeine so many of us require throughout the day. When ingested, antioxidants protect our bodies against oxidants, which seek to damage cells and ultimately cause disease.

The way tea leaves are processed determines whether they yield a black or green tea. Antioxidants called flavonoids exist in all teas. Statistics show that one in five Americans takes a cup of tea in the morning, and tea is the second most popular drink in the world after water. Tea offers as many oxidant-fighting flavanoids as fruits and vegetables, and may help fight breast and ovarian cancer, as well as lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Pretty amazing little drink! It’s been around for centuries, both due to its pleasing taste and health benefits.

Coffee is no slouch, either. And it’s ooooh so good! In the United States, coffee is the most consumed beverage nationwide and has been cited by researchers as the leading source of antioxidants in Americans’ diets. Your fresh morning brew also contains key antioxidants as well as trigonelline, an anti-bacterial compound. Coffee is a heck of a fighter, too. Research shows that coffee may lower the risk of liver and colon cancer, Parkinson’s disease, type II diabetes, and gout.

It’s best to enjoy coffee or tea plain for the most rewarding health benefits. Be cautious of adding too much sugar, cream, flavorful syrups or dollops of whipped cream to your beverages. While these tasty additions sure do contribute to an exciting and sweet concoction, the health consequences can easily counter the benefits of coffee and tea in their natural state. As in all things, use in moderation.

Whether you prefer coffee or tea, you are doing your body a favor when you consume either of these beverages in appropriate amounts.

I can only speak for myself, but my favorite coffee drink is…well…coffee. A plain ‘ol cup ‘o joe does me just fine most of the time. Sometimes though (and don’t tell my macho, bearded, tattooed buddies), I feel like a more flavorful and exotic coffee drink. The world of coffee can be overwhelming to the lay person who stumbles into their neighborhood purveyor of wonderfully caffeinated beverages, even without getting into the mixed drinks. Pumpkin in my coffee? Huh? Egg nog? No way. Believe me brothers and sisters, WAY.

Step into your friendly neighborhood Starbucks sometime, stand off to the side of the counter where you aren’t in any addict’s way (watch out; they’re testy in the mornings), and just look and watch behind the counter. You’ll see your standard rocket-engine-sized vats of brewed coffees and pastries, sure. But what are all those pumps and stuff lined up along the mosaic-tiled back wall of the prep area. Those, my friends, are the key magical ingredients to some of my, er, some people’s favorite coffee drinks. Vanilla. Caramel. Pumpkin Spice (seasonally, of course, and one of my favorites). Syrups have long been used to tone up your morning wake up juice.

Lattes and mochas tend to be the big crowd pleasers amongst coffee drinks. Chocolate coffee? How could that not be good? Lattes are a great building block platform on which to build your favorite monstrosity of blitzed out, caffeinated bliss. Add pumps of this, of that, an extra shot of espresso, dollop of foam, and feel your veins pump with all the glory of your perfect personalized coffee drink. But wait! You can also have your new beast of a beverage served over ice! Mercy!

If you’re feeling adventurous, just order something blindly off the mixed drink menu the next time you’re in a coffee shop and see what you wind up with. It might just surprise you and your taste buds. There is a whole world of options out there available and even us timid, suspicious “good ‘ol joe” drinkers can dangle our toes in the pond of coffee goodness without fear.

Today’s market offers a plethora of options when it comes to coffee makers. Just as it seems there is a unique flavor out there for every individual coffee drinker, likewise there are dozens, if not hundreds, of brew machines available. And while many of these machines offer bleeding edge technology to help you create the perfect cup ‘o joe, sometimes it’s best to get back to the basics. In this article we’ll take a look at the good old basic French Press coffee maker.

Patented by Italian Attilio Calimani in 1929, the French Press’ simple brewing method is its beauty. Hot water is poured over coffee grounds in a container. Then the grounds are manually pressed to the bottom of the pot with a plunger-like filter mechanism, separating the grounds from the brewed coffee.

First, the grind of your favorite blend of wake up juice is key. A coarse grind is critical when using a French Press, ensuring that the bean particles themselves don’t sift through the press’ filter, only the precious oils and liquid goodness. Too fine a grind and you’ll wind up sipping silty coffee. See our article on grinding your own coffee beans for additional information on types of grinds.

The second and third elements of the French Press are the filter and press plunger. Once your grounds have steeped in warm water for the appropriate amount of time (4 minutes or so for a full press), it’s time to, ahem, press down and extract that pefect cup of coffee.

TIP: After steeping your grounds for one minute, stir the top “crust” to break up the full host of flavors.

French Press filters are attached to a plunging mechanism on top of the unit, the filter resting inside the press itself. It’s important when pushing down on the plunging mechanism at the onset of the filtering process to do so at a slow, steady, even speed. This allows the grind to be evenly pressed, yielding a balanced amount of full-bodied and flavorful coffee. It’s also important to not let the pressed coffee stay in contact with the grounds for too long, lest the coffee become bitter. After a few minutes enjoying a cup of two, transfer the pressed coffee to a carafe.

Is the venerable French Press better than other coffee makers? Not necessarily. There’s nothing wrong with your tried-and-true coffee maker that got you through 4 years of cramming for college finals. I will submit to you though that the French Press yields a truer cup of coffee with an air of old-world simplicity. Classy, no?

Disclaimer: much coffee was brewed and consumed during the writing of this article.

Coffee has five primary ways of being brewed. Each method has brewing variables – introduction of water, brewing temperature, and separating the brewed liquor from the coffee grounds. These five methods are called Turkish brewing, concentrate brewing, percolating, drip brewing, and French Press brewing.

“Turkish” or “Greek” Coffee

Turkish coffee or kahve is the traditional name is made in small containers directly on the flame with water and finely ground kahve comes to a boil. Often times it is brewed up with sugar already introduced. In some traditions they will pour off a little into each cup and then bring it to a second boil, pouring the rest off into each cup insuring an even distribution of grounds. In some regions they serve the kahve with added spice which is usually cardamom. The coffee is not filtered from the liquor which leaves a thick pungent and muddy brew. The mud settles to the bottom of the tiny demitasse cups the coffee is served in. In many countries they read the coffee mud after you have drank your coffee and tell you your future.

Concentrate Brewing

Concentrate brewing is very popular in Latin America and other parts of the world. It is beginning to make a come back in the U.S.. Concentrate brewing takes large amounts of coffee that is brewed with small amounts of water to brew a concentrate. To make a cup of coffee you mix some of the concentrate with hot water. The concentrate is brewed either hot or cold. When it is brewed cold you must let the coffee sit for at least a day. This method creates a mild light-bodied coffee with little aroma and a little acidity with a muted flavor.

Percolating

This procedure involves a continuous brewing of the coffee grounds using boiling water which then turns to boiling coffee liquor brewing over the grounds. This method is practical but is an insult to the coffee bean. Brewing with boiling water is bad enough, then boiling the liquor is asking for a thin, bitter and tarry coffee.

Though this produces an awful cup of coffee many people still prefer percolation. If its for you then more power to you!

Auto drip

This is the most popular way to brew coffee in the U.S.A. Pouring hot water over grounds in a filter and letting the brew drip out the bottom, simple. Drip brewing can produce an excellent cup of coffee if the proper equipment is used. One of the biggest issues with auto drip machines is they don’t brew at the right temperature. Bunn is one of the few companies which calibrate their machines to the proper temperature. If you have a good auto drip brewing machine then the next hurdle to tackle is the filter. Paper filters can deposit a flavor in the coffee and also do not allow a lot of the coffee oils and organic compounds through. A gold-plated reusable filter is the perfect option for drip brewing. It will not deposit a taste in the coffee and doesn’t trap as much of the coffee’s essence as paper filters do.

French Press or Press Pot

French Pres brewing gives you complete control. It is more labor intensive than auto drip the brewing variables can be better controlled. Coarsely ground coffee is placed in a glass carafe. The hot water is then poured over the grounds. When the brewing is complete the top is placed on and a plunger that consists of a metal mesh plate is pressed down pushing the grounds to the bottom. The coffee liquor is on top ready to be poured off. The mesh filter allows the oils and fine coffee particles through without a problem. Also because a coarser grind is required a longer brewing time is required. A general rule of thumb is four minutes for a French press. This direct contact of the grounds to water allows a more complete, controllable, and even extraction. Even with the coarse grind though a coarse grind will still produce some fine particles. A cup of French-pressed coffee will be fuller, more body, and more flavor. It will also have sediment on the bottom of the cup.

When you stop at the convenience store or at a local coffee shop for your morning cup of coffee have you ever wondered how your cup of coffee came about?  No, not how it was brewed but how it was that you are able to drink a cup of coffee.  Sure, the coffee machine plays an important role in making your perfectly brewed cup of coffee, but just how did that coffee maker first come about, or how did the first person who ever sipped the first cup of coffee discover its magic?

Legend goes back to a lonely sheep herder in Ethiopia who noticed his sheep acting strangely every time they ate certain red berries from a certain bush.  One has to wonder why he himself decided to give the berries a try.  Well that is of no consequence because since that life altering decision man has been enjoying coffee in many different cultures, different countries and different places.  Do you know they even drink coffee on the Space Shuttle?  I wonder what kind of coffee machine they have.

The one million dollar question is exactly what makes a good cup of coffee?  Does buying one of the best coffee makers lead to a great cup of coffee?  Not necessarily..  Start with great coffee beans.  You can even roast your own coffee beans with the Home coffee roaster machines.  Roasting machines allow coffee drinkers to buy premium coffee beans at discount prices and roast them at home.  The coffee drinker is in charge of the roasting level; medium or dark roast.   Coffee drinkers also advise against buying pre-ground coffee, pre-grinding diminishes the coffee flavor and aroma.  Apparently the best part of the coffee bean is found deep within it therefore pre-ground, once the package is opened loses that rich coffee aroma.  Grinding your beans before you start percolating your coffee ensures you get the most out of the bean.  Talking about grinding the beans there are also two types of coffee grinders; burr and blade grinders, both serve the purpose equally well, so the type of grinder you have does not affect your cup of coffee.

Shopping for coffee makers
There are three different types of coffee makers.  There are filter coffee makers that basically drip hot boiling water over the ground coffee beans then filter the coffee over a disposable paper filter.  Then there are the espresso/cappuccino coffee makers and finally the combination coffee makers that make both cappuccino and filter coffee.  Choose a coffee machine that suits your needs.  Take into consideration how much and how often you drink coffee.  How much you are willing to spend on seeking the perfect cup of coffee.  Remember to look online, you can find many discount coffee makers.

Whether you enjoy your coffee with or without cream or whether you enjoy a robust and flavorful cup of black coffee remember to thank that lowly sheep herder who took a risk and ate the first coffee bean.