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Category: Coffee Trends (Page 4 of 7)

What is an Affogato? (and How to make one at home)

Before I took a month break to work on my kitchen renovation project (wow that was a quick month) I wrote about the benefits of drinking coffee black and why you should give it a try. Ironically, I would now like to travel to the complete opposite side of the spectrum talk about the virtues of the Affogato; which is essentially adding lots of cream and sugar to your coffee (in the form of ice cream).

What is an Affogato?

Affogato is a simple dessert that can be easily assembled and served with a few minutes of prep (in the form of making some coffee). The two ingredients, ice cream and coffee, can be kept on hand and used to easily deploy the coffee communities (and arguably a much larger scope) most perfect dessert at a moment’s notice.

Affogato is the Italian word for drowned. The imagery being that a scoop of ice cream is drowned in coffee to make an unforgettable dessert drink. Traditionally an Affogato is made by pulling a double shot of espresso over a scoop of gelato but you will find there is a fair amount of deviations from this standard.

In an affogato, the sweet and creamy ice cream is cut by the acidity and bitterness of the coffee creating a perfect pairing. It is delicious (how could it not be) and quite simply, if you are not adding coffee to your ice cream, you are doing it wrong.

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Coffee Shop Glossary and Espresso Drink Guide

Being a manual brewing enthusiast and living somewhat far from any third wave coffee shop, I must admit I can get a little hazy on all the different espresso drinks.

The comedian Jim Gaffigan has a funny bit about working in a Mexican restaurant. In the bit, he essentially points out the fact that no matter what you are ordering at a Mexican restaurant, you are getting the same few ingredients (tortilla with cheese, meat or vegetables) presented in a different way and called something slightly different.

I imagine that the majority of casual coffee shop patrons feel the same way when they are trying to order an espresso drink at a coffee shop.

Rewritten, the bit would go something like this:

“What is a Cortado?” It is espresso with steamed, frothed or foamed milk.
“What is a Flat White?” It is espresso with steamed, frothed or foamed milk.
“What is a Cappuccino?” It is espresso with steamed, frothed or… Look it’s all the same stuff. Just say a fancy coffee shop term and I’ll bring you something delicious.

In the spirit of learning things by writing about them, I thought it might be useful to compile a concise list of the most popular beverages you encounter at third wave coffee shops.

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Travel Coffee- How to Make Great Coffee While Traveling Light

How to brew a great cup of coffee while traveling light is a subject that has vexed many manual brewing enthusiasts over the years. Is it possible to make a great cup of coffee in a hotel room (bedroom, hostel, train station) without bringing your entire manual brewing arsenal in your suitcase?

Would you believe I can fit everything I need to brew a great cup of coffee into the nylon storage bag that came with my Aeropress (with the exception of my Hario Slim Mill and a bottle of water)?

Below are a few travel coffee musings as well as my on-the-road coffee packing list. My travel coffee kit is self-contained and will hold up in nearly every scenario (save the loss of electricity). It is compact, fairly inexpensive and durable. From the curious traveler who has just sworn to never drink another hotel K-cup to the seasoned road brewer, there is a little something for everyone.

Travel Coffee Musings- Everything Boils Down to Hot Water

I’ve been thinking a lot about making coffee away from home (whether coffee outside or traveling) lately and I’ve concluded that the most limiting factor for making a good cup of coffee on the road is hot water. Without a source of clean water and a way to heat it, your options are cold brew, café or settling (or some combination of the three).

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