Being Grand, Food Choices, Cooking, Recipes, Eating Healthy Food ...

Today's is son Tim's birthday. It was a lucky day for me the day he was born, because through the years this boy to man has gifted me with so much joy that I can't begin to thank him. He is one of those sons that moms hope and wish for. Tim feels deeply and is kind and sensitive. He's willing and eager to help. He has a big heart. Tim makes his mother proud every day. He is a good son, and today is the day we celebrate his birthday.

Tim loves a hot cup of coffee, and this got me thinking.

• How Do You Make a Great Cup of Coffee?
• Coffee Grounds or Beans?
• How to Best Store Coffee?
• Is Drinking Coffee Healthy?

How Do You Make a Great Cup of Coffee?

Making a simple pot of coffee has haunted me for years. My coffee just doesn't turn out well. It's usually too weak or too strong. Now these two problems can probably be remedied fairly easily with a little try-and-testing of measurements. BUT? my coffee is also bitter, not so good to the taste buds. I discovered that coffee making, coffee storage and a bit of salt makes a huge difference.

The National Coffee Association reports that the quality and flavor of coffee is not only determined by the brewing process and storage, but also by the type of coffee you select. That makes sense. Buy cheap coffee and get a cheap cup of coffee taste. Hmmm

Here's what the NCA recommends:

1. You want a good coffee maker
2. Fresh roasted coffee
3. Fresh ground coffee from beans you grind
4. Filtered or bottled water
5. Right balance of coffee to water
6. 3 to 5 minutes of brewing time
7. Serve in warmed coffee cup or mug

Time-Tested Recipe on How to Make a Great Cup of Coffee

Ingredients
36 ounces filtered water
12 tablespoons freshly ground coffee
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
Pour water into the water chamber of the coffee maker. Place coffee into an unbleached paper filter and sprinkle with salt. Turn coffee maker on. Wait until all the water has filtered through and the pot is full.

Makes six (6-ounce) cups of coffee

After coffee brews, remove it from the pot and store brewed coffee in a thermos or air-tight container if you don't plan to drink it up within a short time.

Coffee Grounds or Beans?

We are busy people. That's our excuse for only using our coffee grinder on days off and holidays. The rest of the time, we use bagged coffee that's already ground. I love Dunkin Donuts coffee, and my honey loves Starbucks brew.

Unfortunately coffee begins to lose its freshness as soon as it's roasted and you open the bag. That's why bagged ground coffee is best consumed within one to two weeks. Whole beans are best within one month of roasting. To keep your ground coffee or your coffee beans fresh as long as possible, you want to store your coffee properly.

How to Best Store Coffee
There are popular misconceptions in regard to how coffee should be stored. The bitterness of roasted coffee comes from moisture, air, light and heat. Storing your coffee away from these elements keeps it fresher longer. Therefore, an airtight container stored in a cool, dry, dark place is the best environment for your coffee.

Freezing Coffee. Some people store their coffee in the freezer thinking it is going to keep the coffee fresh. Not a good idea. When you break down the oils in coffee by freezing, you are removing the flavor.

Think about it...if coffee tasted better and fresher from the freezer, then you would buy it in the frozen food section, your local coffee shop might look more like an ice cream parlor, and our power bills would be through the roof trying to maintain a meat-locker the size of a warehouse.

Best Coffee Storage Locations. Cool, dark, dry places (such as pantries and cabinets) are best for coffee storage. Warm spots, like above/next to the oven or in cabinets that get hot from exposure to sunlight or cooking equipment. Countertops that are away from direct sunlight and other sources of heat can be appropriate if you use opaque, airtight storage containers.

If you buy a larger quantity of coffee, store the bulk of it tightly sealed in an airtight container in a cool, dark area and keep a smaller quantity in a smaller container for daily use. Only open the large container to refill the smaller container. Storing coffee this way reduces air exposure for the larger portion coffee.

Coffee Container Types: Once coffee?s original packaging is opened, coffee loses its freshness quickly. Glass, ceramic or non-reactive metal containers with airtight gaskets are ideal for storing coffee.

Coffee can be stored fresh in clear, glass canisters or clear plastic ware only if the canisters are kept in a cool, dark place. For countertop storage, opaque, airtight containers are best.

Is Drinking Coffee Healthy?

Researchers investigated regular coffee drinking to see if it helps people live longer. For the study, they looked at 485 people with high blood pressure (BP) or hypertension between 65 and 100 years. Hypertension stiffens arteries and reduces elasticity, increasing the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes, the study said. This is one of the reasons we stopped drinking coffee all day long, which ended up with a coffee consumption of 10 or more cups of coffee a day. Yikes!

Luckily for us, the study also revealed that those who were moderate coffee drinkers, consuming between one and two cups a day, had the best arterial health with their blood vessels having the elasticity of younger people. That's me and my honey. We now limit our coffee to two cups a day. We've been keeping this limit now for about three years.

Thanks for following my blog. Happy birthday son.

Being Grand is a blog about family cooking, food choices, recipes, and eating healthy food tips. If you enjoyed this post, please post a comment. Thanks.

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