Very cool pictures of the most common coffee drinks. http://www.lokeshdhakar.com/2007/08/20/an-illustrated-coffee-guide/

Espresso	Caffe Macchiato	Cafe Breve
Caffe Latte	Flat White	Espresso con Pana
Cappuccino	Caffe Mocha	Americano

For me it is always a headache to look for a gift for someone special. You want your gift to be special too. And nowadays to find something unique is a very hard job. But to find a unique gift for my coffee loving friend is the easiest and the most pleasurable task. Of course, coffee gift basket! The article below is great and give a lot of ideas how to make your loved one very happy.

“Gift giving can be a daunting, even nerve racking task. How do you decide what to give your office secretary or your best friend who has everything? If they drink coffee then why not give them a gourmet coffee basket? You can purchase one online or at your local gift shop or you can make it yourself and add your own special touch.

Coffee gift basket

Gourmet coffee baskets are wonderful gifts to receive. They typically contain an assortment of flavored coffees and cappuccino’s, sweet treats to enjoy with the coffee and much more. Before you start putting together your gourmet coffee basket, assemble your items.

Items

* Basket – this can be any size you want as long as it will hold the items

* Basket Fill – to make the basket pretty use a colored shredded filler. This can be purchased or you can shred your own using a shredder and colored paper.

* Basket Wrap – your local arts and crafts store should carry clear wrap made for baskets that shrinks to fit the basket when heated with a hair dryer

Coffee gift basket

* Coffees: Your local grocer or gourmet shop should carry a wide variety of flavored coffees. You can usually get them in sample sizes. Get as many as you want for the basket.

* Creamers: A fun addition to the basket, you can get individual sized flavored creamers in liquid form that do not need refrigeration or you can purchase powder forms in flavors as well.

* Sweetener: If you find flavored sweeteners, they make a unique addition to the basket; however they are not widely available. Some online coffee retailers carry them.

* Coffee Mixes: There are many companies that carry coffee and cappuccino mixes, for example General Food International Coffees. These make perfect gift basket additions.

* Sweet Treats: Everyone loves sweet treats, especially with their fresh, hot coffee. Biscotti can be found individually wrapped for adding to the basket. You can also purchase specialty cookies and individual sweet cakes.

* Flavored Stirrers: If you really want to make this basket a treat, make some flavored stirring spoons to add to your basket or buy some chocolate spoons at a gourmet store or a coffee shop. These are simple to make and really make your basket stand out.

coffee gift basket

To make flavored spoons – Melt dipping chocolate. Dip plastic spoons into chocolate. When dry seal in small candy bags (available at your local craft store). Your friends will be delighted with your creativity.

* Mugs: What coffee basket would be complete without a pretty mug to enjoy the coffee from? Choose the mug based on the recipient. For example, a coffee gift basket for the teacher might include a mug with ‘Teachers are Special”, for the golfer you might find a mug shaped like a golf ball. This makes the basket uniquely theirs and show you put thought into making it.

* Book or other novelty: Add something special to the basket. If you know the person likes books, add a novel or daily devotional. They can enjoy a cup of coffee while they read their new book.Or maybe he or she likes music. Toss in a relaxing CD. These are just ideas, this is your gift, and you can spend as much or as little as you want.”

by Sharon V. Chapman – http://www.diagolo.com/espresso-machines/gourmet-coffee-gift-baskets-the-perfect-gift-for-any-coffee-lover

Came across this article in The Street.com (yeah, Jim Cramer, right)-http://www.thestreet.com/story/10512416/1/buy-buy-baby-the-3000-coffee-maker.html

“Americans have a tendency to evolve from Neanderthal to gourmet almost overnight. Jug wine gave way to California cabernet. Meat loaf and mashed potatoes ceded its dominance to steak frites. Even kitchen counters must be granite, and all food must be kept in a Sub-Zero refrigerator.

Coffee too. Dunkin’ Donuts(YUM Quote) brew, while at the low end, at least tastes good, something you couldn’t have said about your parents’ Chock full o’ Nuts. While Starbucks(SBUX Quote) sets the standard for coffee snobs, the latest thing is high-end coffee makers for the home and office. Even Italian supercar maker Lamborghini(VLKAY Quote) has made a model. That being the case, consider the Jura-Capresso Impressa Z5, which sounds like a combination between the Subaru(FUJHY Quote) Impreza rally car and the BMW Z-series roadsters. The Swiss-designed coffee maker costs $3,000, 150 times more than the standard Mr. Coffee drip.”

Can you imagine – $3,000 for “SWISS -DESIGNED” made in China crap?

I just love those “Swiss -designed”, “Swiss-assembled” and other hidden tricks to convince buyer to buy non-Swiss, non-Italian, non-french products.

Unless you red “MADE IN SWISS” or “MADE IN ITALY” on the box do not pay $3,000 for something that cost $300 to produce.

Good article on the web:
“An espresso machine is a perfect investment or gift for somebody really passionate about coffee. You should be willing, like the coffee shop connoisseurs, to put some time and effort into making the perfect cup. If you do this, and choose your espresso machine carefully, you could be well on your way to coffee heaven!”
You can read the full post at -http://kitchen.getmy3.com/kitchen-ideas/espresso-machines-making-the-best-coffee-in-the-world-at-home/

Have to share with you.

Also watch this one too. Brilliant!

What’s the good news? The good news is that coffee is indeed healthy for the human body. If this sounds familiar, or even redundant, it’s because I still have some more good news about coffee that I wanted to share but didn’t have time to, the first time around.

Nutrition
Coffee has eight different Group B vitamins. One of the more significant things that Group B vitamins do is provide increase communication between neuron cells in the nervous system. Information recall is considerably better after coffee is consumed.
These qualities make coffee rightfully the staple drink staple at work and school settings, where brains and bodies are at work. Coffee only seems addictive when people don’t realize the context of coffee consumption. Americans often work long hours. They do not work as long as their counterparts in Asia but more than the average European. Coffee gives many people the leg up they need to stay productive. Americans are addicted to work and not coffee.

Digestion
More than 30 organic acids in coffee promote gastric secretion in the stomach. This means, as you’ve guessed, that coffee can treat constipation and indigestion. If you drink coffee after eating something that usually causes indigestion, the coffee will probably minimalize the amount of indigestion that occurs. It’s not recommended that you use coffee to treat food poisoning or indigestion that occurs because of bacterial or viral infection. It’s also not recommended that you use coffee if you have an ulcer or glaucoma. People with glaucoma are sensitive to increases in blood pressure to the eye area, which for some reason coffee contributes to. The condition is called ocular hypertension. You’ll know if you have it.

Cholesterol
I mentioned last time that coffee interferes with the formation of plaque in blood vessels.This is related to coffee’s ability to increase the amount of good cholesterol in the blood. What good cholesterol, HDL, does is carry all bad cholesterol away from the bloodstream to the liver. From there, the human body gets rid of it. Bad cholesterol ends up leaving the body in feces. This trait of HDL cholesterol is due to the high presence of a chemical called lipoprotein. Bad cholesterol has a low presence of liproptein. Therefore, bad cholesterol it stays in the bloodstream much longer where it contributes to blood vessel plaque buildup.

Losing weight
The caffeine in coffee encourages the human body to burn fat cells. This may explain the “rush” of energy that coffee tends to give human beings ,and the “crash” afterward. Coffee allows humans to burn more fat/energy than they would have otherwise.

With the being said, doesn’t feel good to be educated about a product? I may only be selling Lelit Espresso machines but I still feel that the coffee is part of the product, the same way gasoline is part part of a automobile. One needs the other in order to operate. It doesn’t hurt to have someone who sells cars to know quite a bit about gasoline now does it? Naturally, someone who sells coffee machines should know quite a bit about coffee.
When it comes to coffee machines, Lelit Espresso machines are the best you can get for your
money. Lelit Espresso machines are well designed and use the newest technology. Using these machines creates the best espresso ,cappuccino, or whatever have you. It’s what coffee connoisseurs like myself use and recommend.

Coffee gurus suggest that you buy no more than 200-250 gr of coffee at any one time. In order to maximize your enjoyment, you need to use the coffee as soon as possible. Blends lose their flavor and aroma after two weeks in non-airtight containers. Protect your coffee by minimizing its contact with the outside environment. Store the beans in a clean, dry, airtight container in a cool dark place, such as a pantry. Do not, and we must stress DO NOT keep coffee beans in the refrigerator. Coffee beans are sensitive to the low temperatures and odors. The beans will absorb the flavors of other foods while losing their own.

You may notice that some coffee comes packaged in vacuum packs with one-way valves. This allows excess gas to escape and prevents outside air from leaching the beans’ flavor. The most vulnerable beans are those whose oil comes to the surface after roasting. Take special care of these.

If you follow these guidelines you may preserve the coffee’s flavor up to 7 days in even the weakest of containers. Do keep in mind, though, that no matter your precautions coffee begins to lose its flavor after three days.

There is nothing better than a fresh cup!