“You can do anything for coffee. Even to work." Microsoft founder Bill Gates said. Indeed, coffee has become an integral part of our lives. 59% of Russians drink this drink daily, another 15% of the population 2-3 times a week. 11,000 coffee houses have opened across the country, so the demand for it is growing every day.
Coffee is a drink brewed from roasted coffee beans. There are a huge number of varieties and methods of preparation. The most popular combination is coffee with milk. You can make these drinks yourself, but most often people go to a coffee shop to get them.
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True coffee lovers prefer to drink it "clean" without the addition of sugar, cream and other things, so that the taste is fully revealed. But not everyone is to their liking. Black coffee itself has a bitter taste due to tannin and caffeine, so many dilute it with milk to make it more pleasant to drink.
Few people think about the fact that milk actually reduces the negative impact on the body. It contains vitamins, fats, useful and important trace elements that are important for the cardiovascular and skeletal systems.
Coffee beans have a fairly high acidity, which adversely affects the digestive tract, especially if you drink coffee in the morning on an empty stomach, so it can be diluted with milk to reduce acidity. Of course, it is best to have breakfast first, and after a meal, drink a drink.
There are 2 main and most popular types of coffee - Robusta and Arabica. Among themselves, they differ in grain size, chemical composition, method of cultivation, roasting technique. The share of Robusta production is 30% of the entire coffee industry, the share of Arabica is 70%.
The most important difference is the taste. Arabica is more delicate and has a small amount of bitter notes, and, depending on the variety, can also have berry, spicy, chocolate, fruity or nutty flavors. Robusta is more bitter and tart.In its chemical composition, it has a higher percentage of caffeine, which makes the drink more invigorating.
Externally, the grains also have differences. Arabica beans are more elongated and large, while Robusta beans are small and rounded.
Very often, manufacturers mix these two types and write the percentage on the packaging, so be careful when choosing coffee.
Due to the fact that coffee beans include a large amount of antioxidants and vitamins, it has a number of useful properties:
A considerable number of people drink coffee drinks daily. A safe amount of caffeine is considered to be no more than 400 mg per day. The most well-known property of coffee is an increase in blood pressure. This is especially noticeable among those consumers who have pronounced hypertension.
If you do not exceed the daily allowance, then coffee drinks can be consumed even by people with heart rhythm disturbances. Moreover, if you drink coffee daily in small quantities, you can reduce the risk of myocardial infarction. But! If you abuse caffeine, then the risk of stroke is greatly increased.
In the right doses, coffee improves alertness and cognitive performance. Moderate consumption reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and cirrhosis of the liver.
Studies have shown that men who drink coffee on a regular basis have fewer erectile dysfunction problems than men who do not drink coffee. This is because caffeine improves mood, blood pressure, and stamina. But it is worth noting that this applies to those who do not have problems with the cardiovascular system.
Caffeine has a more negative effect on women, especially if you should not use it during pregnancy. Coffee affects the hormonal background, so if you have various gynecological pathologies, you should exclude this drink from your diet so as not to aggravate the course of the disease.
It is very important to choose the right coffee for milk drinks. Their taste will directly depend on the quality of coffee beans. When buying, you should pay attention to the following factors:
Cost: 950 rubles / 250 gr.
Ingredients: Arabica.
Roast level: medium.
Illy is considered a premium coffee brand. It combines 9 varieties of Arabica, which is based on Santos. These grains have flavors of chocolate, caramel, fruit and honey.
Cost: 2100 rubles / kg.
Ingredients: Arabica.
Roast level: medium.
A coffee brand from the Netherlands uses Arabica beans from Brazil. Best for cappuccino. In it, he reveals the taste of dark chocolate and nuts. It is worth noting that this coffee is quite tart and is not suitable for those who like a soft and delicate taste.
Cost: 1472 rubles / kg.
Ingredients: Arabica.
Roast level: medium.
Lavazza is considered one of the most famous Italian manufacturers. It has a wide assortment in which you will definitely find "your" coffee. Arabica beans from Ethiopia and Colombia open up with flavors of chocolate, dried fruit and jasmine.
Cost: 242 rubles / 200 gr.
Ingredients: Arabica, Robusta.
Roast level: medium.
A blend of African Arabica and Robusta produce a high caffeine content and winey aftertaste. This coffee is suitable for preparation in a coffee machine, vending machine and you can even brew it yourself in a Turk.
Cost: 720 rubles / 500 gr.
Ingredients: Arabica.
Roast level: medium.
The German manufacturer provides a wide range of both ground coffee and beans. When drinking this drink, you will feel the chocolate aftertaste and delicate aroma.
Cost: 468 rubles / 227 gr.
Ingredients: Arabica.
Roast level: medium.
100% Arabica from Ethiopia and Latin America reveals notes of red berries and peach. This ground coffee is suitable for brewing in a cezve, coffee machine, espresso machine, French press, Aeropress and Chemex.
Cost: 508 rubles / 250 gr.
Ingredients: Arabica.
Roast level: dark.
The German company produces a wide range of coffee, including beans. It is designed to be prepared in a coffee machine or coffee maker. Fairly strong and durable.
Cost: 649 rubles. / 250 gr.
Ingredients: Arabica.
Roast level: medium.
This brand selects only the best varieties of green coffee, which are further roasted and ground. 100% Colombian Arabica reveals notes of red apple, cherry and apricot.
It is common for everyone to make the wrong choice, so when choosing coffee, sometimes people also make mistakes, thereby making a profit for an unscrupulous producer. Let's look at the most popular of them:
In fact, it is not absolutely necessary to go to a coffee shop to enjoy the wonderful taste of coffee with milk, it can be prepared at home, but provided that you have a coffee machine, coffee maker or Turk.
There are many types of milk coffee drinks, the most popular of which are latte, cappuccino, macchiato, marocino and flat white. Each of them is based on espresso, the difference is only in its ratio with milk and various additives.
Espresso is fairly easy to prepare, especially when brewed in a Turkish coffee pot. To begin with, freshly ground grains are poured with drinking water into a slightly preheated cezve. Cooking should be done on minimum heat. Boiling should not be allowed. Wait until the foam rises and remove from heat, mix the contents and return to the stove again until the foam rises again. Ready.
The most important thing is to follow the cooking steps clearly and choose quality products. It is best to choose milk with a high percentage of fat, as it whips better, gives a more delicate and creamy taste. It is not advisable to use sugar because the coffee beans themselves have a natural sweetness. Below you can find classic recipes for milk drinks.
Latte was invented in Italy. The ideal volume is 240 ml. There are 3 parts milk to one part black coffee. The temperature of the water should be between 91 and 93 degrees, and the temperature of the milk should be 60-65.
For latte, use medium roast beans. Pure Arabica is desirable, but up to 20% Robusta is allowed.
Cooking steps:
As a result, the liquids should mix, and a foam about 1 centimeter thick should form on the surface.
Cappuccino itself is a stronger coffee than latte, due to the fact that it usually uses a mixture of robusta and arabica coffee. The ratio of espresso, milk and milk foam is 1:1:1.
Cooking steps:
Macchiato differs from the rest in the ratio of milk and coffee. It is customary to use no more than ½ milk from the main volume of espresso. It is important to use the coffee in which 10-15% robusta is in the composition. The degree of roasting is better to choose medium.
Cooking steps:
This drink is suitable for the sweet tooth, because it is literally a mixture of cappuccino and cocoa. It is better to use 100% Arabica beans to keep the delicate and light taste.
Cooking steps:
Finally, there was a recipe for a coffee milk drink called flat white. It differs from others in that it does not have such a thick foam as the others, although the ratio of milk prevails over coffee. When cooking, use grains of light or medium roast.
Cooking steps:
All recipes are quite simple, so it will not be difficult for you to translate them into reality.