Powered By Blogger

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Bunn Home Brewer Coffee Maker - White

Built for speed and crafted for quality, the Bunn Home Brewer Coffee Maker is a true original! The first in a series of innovative machine, this Home Brewer introduced Bunn-O-Matic's exclusive brewing system.

Modeled after commercial coffee makers, Bunn machines brew up to 10 cups of steaming coffee in just three minutes. That s less than half the brew time of other top brands. How do they do it without sacrificing flavor? Bringing cold water up to brew temperature is the most time consuming step in the brewing process. Bunn-O-Matic coffee makers cut out the wait with a unique water reservoir that constantly holds water at optimum brewing temperature.

Please note: Bunn products are shipped directly from our supplier, therefore gift wrap is not available for this item. We cannot ship this item to P.O. Boxes, APO/FPO addresses, or to any address outside the 48 contiguous states.

  • Stainless steel tank
  • Advanced sprayhead design
  • Brewing system thermostat
  • Vacation switch
  • Hot water always available
  • 800 watt tank heater, 900 watts total
  • 10 cup decanter, coffee funnel, deliming spring and filters included

Manufacturer:Bunn
Model:GRX-W
Material:Plastic housing and trunk, glass carafe
Size / Capacity:10 c.
Width:6 3/4 inches
Depth:12 3/4 inches
Height:14 1/2
Volts / Watts:900 watts
Cleaning / Care:Dishwasher-safe carafe
Warranty:3 year limited

Customer Review: Well worth the price.
I have owned Mr. Coffee's and various types of perculator type coffe makers over the last 38 years, but I have never had a coffee brewer/maker that made coffee as good as the Bunn home brewers. The first one I bought lasted over 10 years. I discovered that I could have fixed it myself with a new top water resevoir after I had bought a new one. As long as you clean them regularly, they will last a long time. One hint to good coffee from the Bunn, use filtered or distilled water if you live in the city. Chlorine will make the coffee taste bitter, regardless of the coffee brewer.


Continuing with our Green Bean Series, this month we're going to take on defects in wet processed Arabica coffee beans; their cause, how to identify them and the effect they have on the roast.

Our "Roasters Tools - Green Bean Series" is a five part evaluation of how the characteristics of green coffee beans affect the outcome of the roast.

Roasters who consistently purchase strictly top grade premium coffees may have only rarely been confronted with defects, while the majority of roasters run across them much too often, even when presented with what is being sold as "Specialty" grade coffees.

The fact is, any one of these dozen defects will negatively affect the quality and alter the taste of the coffee you're producing. These defects are both identifiable and preventable.

The defects in this article are different than the "formation" defects we talked about in a previous article.

With that in mind, we aim to give you a very straightforward, to the point identification of what these defects look like, their causes, and how they can affect the profile of your roast.

The Twelve Key Defects To Look Out For:

  1. Faded Beans
  2. Amber Beans
  3. Coated Beans
  4. Green Water Damaged
  5. Pulper Damaged
  6. Insect Damaged
  7. Immature Beans
  8. Foxy Beans
  9. Triple Center Cuts
  10. Stinkers
  11. Over-Fermented
  12. Diseased

FADED BEANS

Faded beans can be a result of either over drying or absorbing excessive moisture, depending on the environment. Either way, faded beans have a low resistance to environmental factors.

The effect on the roast is that they give a dull roast regardless of the roasting profile. The result is a soft bean with musty and woody flavors in the cup. And, the percentage moisture loss will be very high. The color of these beans is pale, whitish brown.

Normally, they result from beans that have a high moisture content (11% - 13%) and when stored in a warehouse, they'll tend to dry out. In the process of drying out, and because they are not in contact with direct sunshine, these beans tend to fade.

Instead of drying, these beans are actually rotting and developing molds inside. It's these molds that cause the beans to dry excessively, producing their pale to whitish brown color.

In addition, during the drying of wet or dry processed beans, the coffee can be negatively affected if not properly exposed to sunshine at the appropriate stage in the drying process.

Another cause is when coffee has been over-hulled using a hammer mill. In this case, the beans will come out with a dull color as a result of the outer cells being bruised and microscopic dust permeating the outer layer of the beans.

One final factor that can contribute to the fading of coffee is from older coffee that has been kept in a warehouse for two to three years or more, causing the beans to dry out, develop molds and other negative consequences.

AMBER BEANS

These beans have a bright shiny gold color. The cause is due to mineral deficiencies in the soil (including iron).

When you roast these beans, the cup will be lacking in acidity, with a flat harsh body and a bitter flavor. Also, the roast produced by these beans will be very dull in color.

COATED BEANS

These beans have a sticky silver skin caused by either overbearing or from being drought affected. The characteristics of these beans look whitish, rough and display microscopic lines from the silver skin.

In the process of roasting, you'll experience soft beans with excessive chaff. The roast can result in negative effects in the cup, including excessively high grassy, hay, earthy, woody, greenish and potato flavors.

GREEN WATER DAMAGED

These are fully processed beans that, when hulled, get in contact with water where a chemical reaction takes place, turning the beans a greenish color. This situation results in the beans becoming moldy and toxic.

PULPER DAMAGED

In the process of going through the pulping machine, coffee beans can get stuck, creating excessive pressure which causes the beans to become wounded.

These wounded beans will burst and then begin to slightly oxidize, become contaminated with water and over ferment, causing molds which result in earthy, leather and musty flavors.

In addition, the roasted beans will be uneven; some will be split, while others will appear round and mixed together with the solid beans.

INSECT DAMAGED

Berry moths inject the coffee cherry in the process of laying eggs, creating a black needle-like hole.

Antestia bugs damage beans causing them to bruise, which produces rough black to yellow-like colored spots.

Beans with these types of insect damage will give a soft roast and the beans will tend to shrink, creating dominant musty, alkaline and salty flavors.

IMMATURE BEANS

Picked under-ripe, often as a result of overbearing and drought affected conditions, the characteristics of immature beans include a rough surface and greenish color with a sticky silver skin and will usually have thin edges.

The roast will be very dull, with open center-cuts, soft beans and subsequently produce no acidity, heavy body, with greenish and grassy flavors.

These beans can also lead to Quakers in the roast; visible only after roasting by their pale appearance and flat peanut butter taste. Avoiding the purchase of immature beans is the best way to avoid contamination by these defective beans.

FOXY BEANS

As you might imagine, the name comes from the color of a red fox.

This rusty-red color is generally brought about by the beans being over-ripe. These beans tend to have a dead embryo and will give you fruity fermented and nutty flavors.

TRIPLE CENTER CUTS

These are deformed beans caused by malnourishment due to either drought affected conditions or lack of minerals, creating ragged beans with multiple center cuts.

During the roast, these beans can split open at their double or triple center cuts. They are fragile, soft and very permeable; which will over roast, creating a heavy body, a flat cup and a smoky, burnt taste.

STINKERS

Stinker beans can have a normal formation, but have a dead embryo and are yellow in color caused by over-fermentation and/or over-ripe. If crushed, broken or cut open when raw, they put off an order that's very unpleasant.

Even one or two stinkers in your roast can ruin the whole batch and give you a foul cup.

OVER-FERMENTED

These beans look soiled and have a tobacco color.

When roasted you'll get a pulpy, sour flavor and unclean, dirty cup; with a smell of rotting flesh or a cow shed aroma. If only slightly over-fermented, your roast may give sour and onion flavors.

DISEASED

These defects are brought about by the coffee being affected by various diseases like CBD (Coffee Berry Disease) and Leaf Rust.

When disease strikes a coffee farm, the mother plant will produce beans that are premature. This will affect the berry before it ripens, usually at the milk stage, and the beans will either not develop at all or only partially develop, with a very small berry or nonexistent berry inside the parchment within the cherry.

The deformed part of these beans looks somewhat brownish to very dark brown in color, often with deformities that resemble a chipped off piece where the bean is left with dark brown marks which go deep into the bean. The deformed part of these beans is generally flaky and ragged in formation.

These small diseased beans will be only partially developed, but can still be harvested and end up mixed with other beans of normal quality, then sold in the marketplace.

SO, WHAT DO YOU DO?

  • First, avoid these nasty defects when you're purchasing green coffee whenever possible.

  • Second, educate your customers about the tastes inherent in a quality cup. An uneducated palette can even get accustomed to over-fermented, moldy, musty, peanut-buttery and other flavor defects that are actually toxic when ingested into the human body!

  • AND, continue your quest to create the perfect roast!

Co-authored by Steve Josephs and Jackson Kanampiu

Copyright 2008 http://www.SpecialtyCoffeeAuctions.com - Intellidon Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reprints allowed if this copyright reference is included.

Portable Generators

Monday, January 26, 2009

Melitta 5 Cup Non Digital Coffee Maker with Removable Water Tank

Melitta On/Off power switch. Removable water tank with handle. Swing-out removable cone filter basket. Auto pause and pour. Hidden cord storage. Color: Black
Customer Review: Leaks
Makes good coffee, but the tank leaks :( And the carafe cracked on the bottom already; from the heat? Well the price was right--I paid < $7.00 for this, with free shipping. But really, it's not worth it. May be a disposable price, but I don't agree with a disposable coffee maker--it will fill up the landfills quickly.
Customer Review: Awful
I bought this item for $6.87, on the theory how much could I lose. I lost $6.87. She stopped pumping the water thru. Amazon should discontinue the item and Melitta should recall them and throw them all out.


How much does your home really say about you?

If you are like a lot of people your house has plenty of pictures and fun trinkets that represent some parts of your life, but why not take that to the next level and really show off who you are and what you like through your coffee and end tables selections.

Maybe you've never seen them before. Or, maybe you've seen them but didn't know what to do with them, but there is a whole market of display top coffee and end tables that can help you add a much more personal touch to your furniture. Consider these uses for this style of table:

Travel - If you are proud of your jaunts around the world, then you may want to look into travel display coffee and end tables for your home. Inside these tables you can show off the small trinkets you collected in each location, the tickets to and from your destinations as well as pictures, key chains or any other little things you picked up along the way.

Collections - Are you an avid collector of something small? Whether it's coins, paper money, thimbles, stamps, shells or any other small items that you have been gathering, piece by piece, why not show off the hard work you have done by putting them in a display top table? You can even help your guests know what they are looking at by labeling the individual items that are underneath the tabletop.

Family History - What family doesn't want to brag about their history? Whether it's ancient family history or more modern history, you can get away with a lot of bragging by having the items you want to show off in display top coffee and end tables in your living room. Think about all the cute family photos you have of your kids as well as their first clothes, mementos and toys. If you have a famous ancestor you may be able to find a portrait as well as tools and items from their time frame to display in the table. Either way, it will be a great personal display that will give an insight into your family.

Themes - If you are like most people, you have a 'theme' or two to your home. It could be nautical, fantasy or even old country. No matter what the theme, a set of display top coffee and end tables will do the trick to add to it. If you have small collectibles that go with your theme, you may be afraid to leave them on a tabletop, for fear they will be knocked over. In a display table, you can show them off to the world, knowing they will still be there, and unharmed, every day.

When purchasing display top coffee tables or end tables, you may be able to take the easy route and find ones that go with the furniture you already have. If not, never fret; you should be able to find some of these in a base wood that you can stain or paint to match the rest of your dcor theme.

Author Jennifer Akre is an owner of a wide variety of online specialty shops that offer both items and information on how you can easily furnish and decorate your space. Whether it's your living, bedroom, or even your deck or patio, there are many tips you can use to make those spots both functional and beautiful. Today, she offers advice on how to create a fabulous indoor area by using country fresh coffee tables and coordinating sofa tables to complete the look.

North States Playard

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Lavazza Italian "Pienaroma" Espresso Whole Beans (2.2 lb bag)

A 100% Arabica blend from the finest premium Arabicas from Brazil, the Caribbean and Central America, which produces a creamy, smooth coffee with sweet and pleasantly acidic body. Low caffeine content and delicate flavor make Pienaroma a pleasure to drink without sugar, a blend for true espresso connoisseurs.


Choosing a good coffee maker is not a decision to be taken for granted. If you are going to spend money on your favorite coffee, you will want to make sure the coffee maker you choose is of good quality and has the features you want. The majority of coffee makers are generally quite good and you will notice no difference in the taste of your coffee from one brand to another. There are some basic features to look for when choosing a coffee maker and some luxury features that may give you a better tasting cup of coffee

The first decision you must make in choosing a coffee maker is what type of filter you would prefer. You can choose a basket type filter or a cone shaped filter, the difference in the two being different contact times between the coffee grounds and the water. A basket type filter seems to provide a longer contact time between the water and the coffee grounds, so if a basket filter is your preference, make sure you use coffee grounds that are fairly large. Cone type filters are generally less prone to spillage. If you are considering a gold tone filter, it will give your coffee a richer taste, but the upkeep may not be worth the small difference.

The color of your coffee maker is not a major concern, but keep in mind that if you choose a color that is pleasing to you, your coffee will seem to taste better. The only real issue involved in the color of your coffee maker is to remember that white stains easily and tends to look old rapidly. A dark color will look new a lot longer than a white coffee maker. Coffee makers with a pot that has a long neck will be harder to clean. If you cannot easily wash the coffee pot with soap and water, your coffee will taste stale over time due to the build up of residue that cannot be cleaned easily. Make sure your entire hand can fit inside the coffee pot to make cleaning easy.

Other than the basic features, which include color, filter, ease of cleaning, etc., there are some additional features that you may want to consider. If you don't mind your coffee grounds being exposed to air overnight, a timer is a wonderful thing to have. Timers will allow you extra time in the mornings and if you choose a coffee maker with an attached grinder, the noise would probably eliminate your need for an alarm clock. A feature that is often overlooked is the shape of the housing around the coffee pot. Many manufacturers are making the housing larger so that the coffee in the pot stays hotter. The housing area in any good coffee maker should cover at least half of the coffee pot, the keep heat in.

In general, coffee that is freshly ground tastes better. Grinders that are attached to coffee makers are a bit of a hassle. They make the coffee maker harder to clean and the coffee beans are not always ground uniformly. If you want a coffee maker with an attached grinder, look for a burr grinder rather than a blade grinder. You may also want to look into a coffee maker with a built in water filtration system. Filtered water does tend to make the coffee taste better, but purchasing distilled or purified water can serve the purpose just as well as a built in water filtration system.

For the perfect pot of coffee, the water temperature needs to be around 200 degrees Fahrenheit. In general, the less expensive coffee makers do not reach this temperature. Most of the better brand names will advertise the temperature you can expect your coffee to reach while brewing. Choosing the right coffee maker is not easy. Make sure you purchase from well-known manufacturers. You will be able to find replacement parts and will be assured of an acceptable level of quality. Choose a coffee maker that meets your basic needs and any has additional features you desire.

This article has been provided courtesy of Kitchen Junkie. Kitchen Junkie offers great kitchen articles available for reprint and other tools to help you get the best bargain on kitchen appliances and more.

Bridal Shoes Sale