Well the blog had to be revived after its long hiatus and what better way to do it than a post about COFFEE. The very thought of it makes you close your eyes, filling your nose with the exotic aroma of coffee seeds and you can almost feel the taste of it on your tongue (of course you have got to be a coffee addict to experience this bliss!).
All great things seem to surface from a mistake or two; well looks like coffee is no exception to that. Legend has it that coffee was “discovered” by a sheep herder in Ethiopia, who saw his sheep become hyper when they fed on the red “cherries” from a plant ( now known as coffee). This plant later went on to become an inseparable part of one and all. In any South Indian household, the day does not begin without the traditional filter kaapi and devotional songs. No better way to commence one's morning than sitting in a chair with the newspaper in one hand and hot coffee in the other.
Nailing down the technicalities, Coffee is basically a drink brewed from roasted coffee seeds, called coffee beans. Brasil is the world leading producer of this wonder drink seed. Based on the aroma, flavor and size of the coffee beans, there appears to be a classification. With a little help from Google, here is a list of the most popular ones :
Americano: A single shot of espresso with about 7 ounces of hot water added to the mix. The name for this coffee drink apparently stemmed from an insult to ‘uncouth’ Americans who weren’t up to drinking full espressos.
Black Coffee: A drip brew, percolated or French press style coffee served straight, with no milk
Caffe Latte: Essentially, a single shot of espresso in steamed (not frothed) milk where the ratio of milk to coffee should be about 3:1
Cafe Macchiato: A shot of espresso with steamed milk added where the ratio of coffee to milk is approximately 4:1
Cappuccino: Usually equal parts espresso, steamed milk, and frothed milk, often with cinnamon or flaked chocolate sprinkled on top
Espresso Con Panna: Your basic standard espresso with a shot of whipped cream on top.
Frappe: Originally a cold espresso, it has more recently been prepared putting 1-2 teaspoons of instant coffee with sugar, water and ice. The brew is placed in a long glass with ice, and milk if you like, turning it into a big coffee milkshake.
Iced coffee: A regular coffee served with ice, and sometimes milk and sugar.
And last but certainly not the least presenting our own :)
Madras filter coffee: A common brew in the south of India, Indian filter coffee is made from rough ground, dark-roasted coffee Arabica or Peaberry beans. It’s drip-brewed for several hours in a traditional metal coffee filter before being served. The ratio of coffee to milk is usually 3:1.
With this wide variety to choose how is it even possible to resist this amazing yet addictive drink. It sure does warm you up on a cold day, grinds away the rough edges after a tough night and makes the hours at work seem like minutes(personal experience!). There is always the eternal debate of how much of coffee is too much and is caffeine good, so on and so forth. Maybe too much of anything is good for nothing. But I say screw them all, get a cuppa and enjoy it :)
P.S. Anything can happen over a cup of coffee as well ;)
