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Summer 2009 Poll
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By N2H Give Back
Cold Drinks for Summer
With the Alabama summer heat now upon us what could be better than a large glass of something cold. Though you might be thinking of a soda or smoothie don’t overlook chilled coffees! Here are ten cold coffee & tea drinks from about.com to keep you cool this summer!
1. Iced Cafe au Lait
A simple iced coffee recipe, heavy on the milk. A quick iced coffee recipe is very handy in the summer. No reason to go without your coffee just because the heat is up.
2. Thai Iced Tea
A creamy iced tea, with some spicy hints. An iced tea recipe for all chai fans. Only a couple of spices, but enough to make a delicious impact.
3. Classic Lemonade
Lemons, sugar and water. The most simple lemonade recipe, and yet so refreshing. Your drinks don’t have to be complicated to be refreshing. Make up a jug today, and relax on the patio.
4. Cinnamon Caramel Iced Coffee
Add the cinnamon before brewing to give this recipe spicy touch. You’ll need to stir well to blend in the caramel syrup.
5. Sparkling Jasmine Iced Tea
A sparkling iced tea, flavoured with jasmine and brown sugar syrup. A change from the ordinary, with a sweet and floral flavour.
6. Thai Iced Coffee
A very smooth recipe for an iced chai coffee. The spiciness of chai isn’t only for tea, you know. It’s a simple blend that won’t take you forever to put together. Spice up your coffee today.
7. Ginger Lemonade
Fresh ginger gives traditional lemonade a new flavour. Be careful though, the ginger is a very potent ingredient. Ginger lemonade goes well with a summer lunch of Asian cuisine.
8. Italian Chocoate Soda
A sparkling drink with a hint of chocolate and cream. Even with the heavy cream, this is a very refreshing recipe for the heat of summer.
9. Suada Over Ice
You can’t go wrong sticking with the basics. Its just espresso over ice, with enough sweetened milk to mellow it out.
10. Boston Iced Tea
A wonderfully tart recipe for cranberry iced tea. The name comes from the cranberry bogs in the Boston area (so I’ve been told by a few readers). Regardless, it’s a very refreshing drink for a summer’s day.
>>If you try any of these let us know how they turn out and send us some pics of the final product!
SOURCE: Sean Paajanen, About.com
Also, Thanks to Brian Simmons for sending this article in for us to post.
Blade or Burr?
What’s the difference between the two kinds of coffee grinder?
Grinding your own coffee beans is a fairly easy way to ensure freshness in your cup of coffee. Grinders can be inexpensive, and some coffee makers or espresso machines even have them built in. There are basically two different kinds of grinders: blade or burr.
Blade Grinders
Most inexpensive grinders use a metal blade to chop up the beans. The blade cuts up the beans, and you control the fineness by how long you let the grinder run. Unfortunately, the resulting coffee grounds can be uneven in size, leading to inconsistant brew quality. Another downfall, is that if you are grinding finely, and therefore leaving the beans in the grinder for a longer period of time, there can be significant heat created by the blades. This can give your final coffee a burned taste. These are fine grinders for basic use, but that’s about it.
Burr Grinders
Burr grinders crush the beans between a moving grinding wheel and a non-moving surface. The positioning on the burr is what regulates the ground size, which allows for a more consistant grind. In the burr category, there are two different types.
Wheel Burr – The less expensive of the two burr grinders. The wheel spins very fast, and these grinders can be noisy. The higher speed rotation make these grinders more messy as well.
Conical Burr – The best grinders you can get are conical burr grinders. The burr spins slower than the wheel model, which makes them quieter and less messy. You can use a conical burr grinder for oily or flavoured coffees and it’s not likely to clog, like the other kinds of grinders. These are the best type, but you will pay the price for them.
SOURCE: About.com / From Sean Paajanen
So, do you currently use a grinder? If so what kind?
Share your opinions on grinders here in the comments or in the forums. Here’s a link to previous post that has a comment on grinders as well.
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