Coffee Basics I- The Classic Coffee Drink

By Author: Heather Protz
Total Articles: 46
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Drinking tea is boring. It may refresh your mind. But nothing is as rejuvenating as coffee. Tea may have health benefits, so does coffee-it can prevent cancer. Drinking tea maybe common in every culture, but coffee is a religion. There may be innumerable types of tea in the world, but did you know they all come from the same plant? The difference lies in the way it’s harvested and the way it’s processed. But with coffee, well there are dozens of varieties and the difference arises with the coffee bean. Not only that, coffee has a great many ways in which it can be taken. Tea only has a handful.
There are two types of coffee beans that are widely recognized-the Arabica and the Robusta. Robusta has higher caffeine content than the Arabica. The Arabica is considered a superior bean variety to the Robusta. Even though Robusta has higher caffeine content, the Arabica has rich varieties of flavor. Arabica coffee could taste from mildly sweet to bitter and tangy.
The perfect Espresso contains blended proportions of these two varieties of beans. Actually, a rich coffee is obtained through pure Arabica blends. But adding ...
... the Robusta ever so slightly enhances the aroma and flavor of the coffee. Coffees containing an Arabica and Robusta blends appear creamier and are fast to prepare. When it comes to preparing the beverage, what matters the most is the way the beans are brewed and not always on the type of bean.
Espresso is every one’s favorite coffee. Although, the idea of steam-brewed coffee and the term espresso existed in the late 19th century, Espresso gained popularity during the late twentieth century. The best Espresso is made by passing a high pressured steam through finely ground coffee. The result is a dark liquid, creamy or frothy at the top. The type of blend doesn’t matter. There are dozens of Espresso blends all over the world, each with a different taste. For real coffee lovers, Espresso gives the essence of coffee-it’s the simplest coffee you can pick up and make a move.
Café latte or simply latte is a variant of the espresso with one additional ingredient: milk. It has a small shot of Espresso in a tall glass or mug filled to the brim with hot milk. A rich latte is made by non-skimmed or semi-skimmed milk. But, its skimmed versions are usually preferred as they are considered to be healthy. Although, café latte is an Italian word, the term was coined and put to use by the American coffee market. Latte is coffee to those people who don’t like the coffee taste.
Mocha is a gift to the human kind from the heavens. It is a drink that combines two of the world’s best flavors: Coffee and Chocolate. It’s brewed the same way as an Espresso, with chocolate added to the coffee blend. It’s served sweet with semi-evaporated milk as a topping.
The Macchiato is Espresso with a twist: the drink is topped with a scoop of solid, aerated milk.
Cappuccino is probably the most accepted adaptation of the coffee beverage. It is an equal mixture of Espresso, steamed or creamy milk topped with cinnamon or chocolate flakes. The milk is increased and sugar is added to reduce or completely wipe out the coffee taste for those who are caffeine intolerant.
Americano is the saturated version of the Espresso, made by increasing the quantity of water and diluting the taste at least 4 times than that of a normal Espresso. You can have the Americano with hot or cold milk or by simply topping it with cream.
Apart from the ones mentioned above, there are over 40 different types of coffee drinks. For more information regarding the different coffee drinks available, watch TLC on Time Warner Bundles.

Heather is a college student who enjoys writing. As a freelancer she likes to write about easy study methods, programming and gaming, adventure sports and other things that interest her. She loves to read books, learn about captivatingly old cultures and traditions, listen to rock music and watch travel and living programs on her cable TV provided by Time Warner Bundles