The Daily Grind: What Goes Into Your Favorite Cup Of Coffee

A lot of effort goes into making a good cup of coffee. After the beans are initially picked, they need to be hulled, polished and sorted before they can be processed further. And that’s not even the hardest part of the process. Many machines are used in the making of a typical cup of coffee. The machines are used to remove layers from the bean, including the entire dried husk. The beans are then polished which helps to determine the quality of the final product.

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After polishing, the beans will be sorted. This is the stage where people can check each bean for defects. Beans that don’t have the right colour or size are discarded. The remaining beans can then be traded to companies that process them even further. It’s amazing to think that all this behind-the-scenes process take place for every different variety of coffee bean you can image, all showcased online on sites such as www.ebay.co.uk.

Coffee from all over the world

According to Wikipedia, three billion coffee plants are cultivated worldwide to satisfy a demand of over 2.25 billion cups consumed every day. When the plants are cultivated they are loaded onto ships and transported across the globe.
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Homemade Hazelnut Creamer

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Coffee creamers can really kick your morning cup of Joe up a notch, but they also cost a lot. If you are hitting up the drive-through to get your fix, the cost can be even higher. Let’s say you go 5 days a week and pay $4-$5 each time. That means you are spending over $20 a month on just coffee, alone!

You can save a lot of money by making your own and it costs less than a couple dollars to do so. Along with the savings, you can also know what is going into the creamer, so you can enjoy it without added preservatives.

This coffee creamer lasts a couple days in the fridge, but is so simple to make, you won’t mind making it more often!

To make Hazelnut Coffee Creamer, you will need:

  • 2 cups of hazelnuts (you can buy these in bulk in most health food stores)
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Cookbook: Vegan Slow Cooking For Two or Just For You

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As a former vegetarian who at one time dated and lived with a vegan, I have learned to appreciate meatless meals. I also have a small family of just three of us, so I was excited to test out the book, Vegan Slow Cooking For Two or Just For You by Kathy Hester.

Vegan Slow Cooking For Two or Just for You is full of everything from entrees to side dishes and even sauces to accompany many meals.

The Good:

Vegan Slow Cooking For Two or Just for You has beautiful photos. For me, as a chef, I was taught we “eat with our eyes first”, so this is one of the most important aspects any cookbook can have. The photos really made my mouth water and my husband came in and peeked over my shoulder and didn’t even know it was a vegan cookbook.

I liked that the book also included tips for using a slow cooker as well as an explanation of some new ingredients that may not be familiar to many home cooks. There was also a section on tips for cooking for small families in general as well, which I found very useful. I think this book would be great as a wedding gift!
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Seattle’s Best Coffee

This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Seattle’s Best Coffee blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.

A good cup of coffee makes the whole day start well.  Waking up to a pot of brewing coffee has to be one of the best ways of waking up.  Coffee in our house is an odd story.  We started out as casual drinkers, meaning if it’s there we will have it.  This is usually at family functions like dinners and such, or if someone else wants coffee.  But this slowly changed into something more.  Now coffee is made every day, and at least a cup each.  Coffee in our house can last a long time or if it is good, a very very short time.  Dad usually enjoys a dark full flavored roast, black and sweet, but no milk (he likes it hot and bitter, just like Mom, lol).  Mom enjoys a sweeter approach to things, unlike in the rest of life (light and sweet, like Dad!).   Mom also gets wicked migraines, and the caffeine helps take the edge off.  True, this won’t work for everyone, and sometimes caffeine is the kiss of death for migraine sufferers, but for me?  Lifesaver. We both are quite different with what we enjoy, though we both like the odd brew every so often and like trying something new.  Luckily enough we were recently introduced to Seattle’s Best Coffee.
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National Coffee Day with Eight O’Clock Coffee

In honor of National Coffee Day on September 29th, Eight O’Clock Coffee, America’s Original Gourmet Coffee,is demystifying coffee jargon—and explaining how to make a great-tasting specialty coffee drink at home, no fancy machines needed. Behold, your guide to creating a cafécoffee experience right in your own kitchen, courtesy of Eight O’Clock Coffee!


Latte- Traditionally, this is made using espresso and foamed milk. The milk to coffee ratio is 3:1.

  • Make It At Home! Use a strong coffee, like Eight O’Clock Coffee’s Dark Italian Roast, and brew regularly. Pour some milk into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Whisk milk as it heats to make it frothy. Pour some of the coffee into a mug, add some hot liquid milk and spoon the foamed milk on top.


Café Mocha- This is simply a latte with some type of chocolate flavor added in.

  • Make It At Home! Prepare using the latte instructions. Before adding the coffee and milk, pour 2/3 cup of hot chocolate mix into the bottom of the mug, add coffee and milk and stir until the mix has dissolved.


Café au Lait- Similar to a latte, but usually uses strong brewed coffee instead of espresso and has a 1:1 ratio of coffee to milk.

  • Make It At Home! Brew Eight O’Clock Coffee’s Dark Italian Roast, steam the milk and add equal parts milk (add this first) and coffee to your mug.


Cappuccino- Usually made with equal parts espresso, steamed milk and frothed milk.

  • Make It At Home! Follow the same instructions as the latte, but pour equal parts coffee and steamed milk into the mug and top with frothed milk. It’s great with cinnamon or chocolate sprinkled on.


Macchiato- A traditional macchiato is a shot of espresso with a bit of milk foam. We usually think of the caramel macchiato, which is very popular at coffee [Read more…]

Bialetti Moka- Perfect for Travel or Entertaining

There is a wonderful complexity, yet simplicity to a good cup of coffee. For some it is a flavor or a certain creamer or sweetener, for others the bitter darkness of the coffee. Still others like the roast-y flavor of the coffee, and others just like a cup to wake them up in the morning.

There are just as many ways to make a cup of coffee as there are flavors in the coffee. One of the most enjoyable for me is Italian coffee. A seemingly inconspicuous, small cup of coffee- but upon first sip, there is an explosion of flavor, a concentrated coffee where every note is extended to enjoy the full flavor of the coffee. How can one make a cup of coffee of this caliber? Easy! Bialetti Moka. This wonderful little coffee pot can make up to 12 cups of coffee, depending on the pot bought. And is a lot of fun to make. The coffee goes into the small cup and the water goes into the bottom. [Read more…]

Just Released! $1.50 off on any ONE (1) bag of Seattles Best Cof

$1.50 off on any ONE (1) bag of Seattles Best Cof

Active Date: July 16, 2012

Expiration Date: September 30, 2012