Tim
You may drink coffee every day, but there are so many choices to make! Do you make coffee at home? Do you grab a Starbucks or a cup of Joe from the local coffee shop near me? Do you add sugar and cream? But at an even more basic level, how much do you know about the delicious beverage that you drink every day? Do you even know how much caffeine is in a cup of coffee. Do you understand the difference between cold brew coffee and nitro brew coffee? First, let’s get back to the real basics.
No one really knows the origins of coffee, but it certainly has a storied history and many legends. It is thought by many that the heritage of the world’s most famous bean and beverage dates back hundreds or thousands of years ago when a goat herder in Ethiopia discovered to power of coffee and then collaborated with a local monastery to brew the first cup of coffee. By the 16th century, coffee was being produced throughout the Middle East, and spread throughout Europe in the 17th century, before arriving in the Americas later that same century.
At its core, Coffee is a brewed beverage produced from roasted coffee beans and seeds from the berries of certain Coffee species. When the color of coffee berries changes from green to bright red, indicating ripeness, they are harvested, processed, and dried. Dried coffee seeds are roasted to various degrees depending on the desired flavor. A selection of coffee varieties are below, although these only scratch the surface of the numerous types and flavors of coffee available today.
- Black Coffee is coffee in its most basic form, made from ground beans and served hot without flavoring, milk, or sugar. An offshoot of black coffee is decaf coffee, which uses various processes to remove nearly all of the caffeine from the world’s most famous caffeinated beverage.
- Espresso is an Italian coffee brewing method that involves forcing a tiny amount of nearly boiling water through finely ground coffee beans at a pressure of 9–10 bars. Espresso can be created with a variety of coffee beans and levels of roasting.
- Instant coffee, also known as soluble coffee, coffee crystals, or coffee powder, is a brewed coffee beverage that may be made hot by simply stirring hot water or milk into the powder or crystals.
- Caffe latte is a coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk. The Italian caffè e latte, caffelatte, or caffellatte is the source of the term “coffee and milk.”
- Cappuccino is an espresso-based drink with many similarities to a Latte with a thicker frothy layer. Equal parts espresso, heated milk, and foam are the traditional proportions. In many parts of the world, it’s served in a 6-ounce cup, which is smaller than a latte cup, and it’s commonly topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon.
- Caffè macchiato, commonly known as espresso macchiato, is a coffee drink made with a tiny amount of foamed milk and espresso. Caffè macchiato literally means “stained” or “marked coffee” in Italian, since macchiato means “red” or “spotted.”
Regardless of your preferences for hot coffee vs cold coffee, caffeinated vs decaffeinated coffee, or even your views on the best coffee beans, you can always save on the best coffee beans with Coffee Cashback and Coffee Coupons! Further, there are many opportunities to save on coffee makers and other kitchen appliances when you shop online.
In the future, we may explore more about coffee and some additional educational points, as well as introducing new ways to save on both coffee shops and at-home brews. Topics we may cover include:
- How to make whipped coffee in various ways.
- What are the different types of coffee beans?
- Discover the best way to make iced coffee.
- Lean how to make cold brew coffee.
- Insights on how to make iced coffee with Keurig (and insights on how to make iced coffee at home).
- Discover the best ways to clean a coffee maker (including how to clean a coffee machine without chemicals).