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Quoted from the original article at NBC Chicago…

Because coffee beans are harvested seasonally in different regions much like other fresh produce, Michael explained that a good coffee shop will only stock beans that are in season and have been freshly roasted.  The roasting date of any beans for home use should be with a few days of your purchase.  Additionally, grinding your beans at home is also critical to capturing the best flavor.  Purchasing a good quality grinder is a smart investment.

If you want to make your own lattes and espressos at home, be prepared to spend a bit of money on the right type of machine.  For consistency and quality, espresso machines that Michael recommends range from $650 to $7,500 depending on the volume of use.

Home Brewed Coffee

But, if your goal is to brew a great cup of black coffee, the equipment you’ll need is very affordable and the process is rather straightforward.  The “pour over” method being used at Intelligentsia is the same method you can use at home.

In addition to freshly roasted coffee beans, you’ll need a grinder, ceramic dripper with filters, a collection container, a weight scale, and a method for boiling water and transferring it the dripper.  For a single cup of coffee, follow these instructions below:

Home Brewed Coffee “Pour Over” Method
courtesy of Michael Phillips, Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea Cafe

Ingredients
28g Freshly Ground Coffee Beans
12 oz Water, brought to a boil

Key Equipment
- Weight Scale
- Grinder
- Ceramic Coffee Dripper and Filter

Method

Place filter in the Dripper and wet it.

Set dripper atop a heatproof glass container.

Add ground coffee.

Place hot water in a heatproof pitcher or vessel.

Begin pre-infusion of the coffee by pouring 4 oz of water onto the grounds as evenly as possible.

Allow the grounds to “bloom”, expanding as the water is absorbed.

Once the “bloom” begins to fall, evenly pour the remaining water over the grounds in a spiral fashion starting in the center of the dripper working your way to the outer edge.

As the water in the dripper begins to transfer into the bottom container, maintain a consistent water level in the dripper.

Once all of the pre-measured water has been distributed to the dripper, allow 1 – 2 minutes for the brew to complete and the coffee to transfer into the bottom container.

Remove the dripper and pour coffee into a serving cup.

This is a great method we see Intelligentsia Coffee utelizing all the time at their local shops around town.

Looking to get started brewing at home?  Check out our Coffee Starter Kit that includes some rich Intelligentsia Coffee and a Bodom French Press!

1-Caffeine Consumption

Global consumption has been estimated to be 120,000 tonnes per annum. This is the approximate equivalent of one caffeine-containing beverage per day for each of the planet’s 5 billion plus inhabitants. So, caffeine is almost certainly the most widely consumed psycho-active substance in the world.

As a beverage the worldwide consumption of tea is surpassed only by water.  Most caffeine is drank in

2-Where Caffeine Came From

The coffee “tree” is indigenous to Ethiopia, but its cultivation and use as a beverage stem largely from Arabia. In Arabic it was referred to as gahwah, the poetic term for wine. The Turkish equivalent is kahveh, which became cafe in French and kaffee in German.

Apparently the Ethiopians mixed crushed dried coffee beans with fat which they rolled into balls and used as food on journeys. By the early 16th century the beverage made from infusing ground roasted beans was well-established in the Islamic world, although a fundamentalist element felt that coffee was an intoxicant and it was banned for a time in several places.

Coffee shops sprang up throughout Europe – coffee was the fashionable drug of the 17th and 18th centuries; its delights, and the cravings for it, were the subject of J.S. Bach’s “The Coffee Cantata”.

The British were the first to tax coffee; in 1660 a duty of 4 pence per gallon was imposed. The popularity of coffee lead to anti-coffee petitions such as “What a curse it is that ordinary working men should sit the whole day in coffee houses simply to chatter about politics, while their unhappy children are wailing at home for lack of bread!”

It’s been suggested that America owes its present day coffee habits to the famous Boston “tea-party” of 1773. As a protest against oppression and excessive taxes, citizens of Boston boarded British ships moored in the Harbour and tipped their cargoes of tea overboard. Since that time, the United States has become the major coffee-consuming nation of the world.

3-How much Caffeine is in popular drinks and foods?

It’s usually presumed that a regular cup of coffee contains 100mg of caffeine but it may range between 40 and 176 mg and the mean is closer to 85mg. There’s probably less caffeine in a cup of tea – one study showed a median of 27mg per cup with a range of 8 to 91 mg. An ounce of sweet chocolate may contain between 75 and 150mg of combined methylxanthines and a cup of chocolate or chocolate milk may contain 150-300mg.

The principal dietary sources of caffeine are overwhelmingly coffee and tea. Coffee accounts for some 54 per cent of ingested caffeine, while tea accounts for some 43 per cent. The remaining 3% consists mostly of caffeine ingested in the form of cocoa and chocolate products, various fabricated soft drinks and mate (a tea drunk especially in South America).

In Australia a 375ml can of Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola contains about 40mg of caffeine. Regulations allow a maximum of 145mg of caffeine per kilogram of cola-type drink (54.5mg per 375ml can). “Jolt” Cola – said to have “twice the caffeine” – actually contains the permissible legal limit of around 54mg per bottle.

In the USA, the permissible limit of caffeine in cola drinks and other carbonated beverages is 200mg per litre. The US drinks also have higher levels of sugar. Caffeine’s bitter taste acts as a flavouring agent to counteract the sweetness of the sugar.

4-Caffeine and Alertness

Too much caffeine may not be good for complex reasoning tasks, but it can improve mental speed-related tasks. These are some of the results of research by Dr Paula Mitchell, now working at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.

In 1989 Paula carried out a study which looked at 3 groups of volunteers (around 8 people in each group) divided into low, moderate and high caffeine users. The volunteers visited the lab 8 times at different times of day and night (7am, 1pm, 7pm and 1am). Before the tests began they swallowed either a caffeine capsule or a placebo capsule. In the lab they were given a series of performance tests covering short term memory, mental arithmetic, verbal reasoning (which is like logic), and a serial search task (which is a measure of vigilance).

Caffeine actually improved performance in more simple mental tasks like searching for one particular letter in a string of printed letters. Mental speed is the critical thing in this test.  Caffeine improved performance best at the 7am testing time – when the body’s 24 hour rhythm of arousal is at its lowest.  By contrast Mitchell found that the high-caffeine user group didn’t perform as well as the others on more complex tasks such as verbal reasoning.

There you have it, Caffeine improves your video game skills.  End of story.

5-Caffinated Beverages Will Help You Pass A Breathalyzer

I kid, they will do no such thing.  Unfortunately, this is one of the most enduring myths about caffeine. True, it may manage to puncture that aura of numbness and make you feel a little sharper but it’s no better at sobering you up and lowering your blood alcohol level than a glass of water.

On the other hand caffeine is a good friend the morning after. Alcohol can give you a thumping headache by enlarging cranial blood vessels. Caffeine constricts them and so may bring some relief from the hangover blues. That’s why it’s an ingredient in some over-the-counter pain killers.

See how this light blend from boutique roaster Intelligentsia Coffee stacks up…

Buy this coffee

When I read the name of this coffee, I’ll admit I was a bit wary.  I typically drink darker roasts and avoid city roasts.  I think it’s the acidity level in a city roast that I usually shy away from.  Despite this, I went ahead and gave Lil’ Bit Lighter a shot.  I’m not entirely sure this is a city roast, but it’s name implies that it is marketed at those who enjoy city roasts.

My cup was prepared with a french press and I must say I was pleasantly surprised.  The aroma is earthy with prominent chocolate notes.  At first taste, the chocolate is definitely what stands out in this coffee, but perhaps even more impressive is how well balanced the acidity is.  Up front, the coffee carries a very full body that coats the mouth, but as you swallow, the acidity creates a nutty dryness in the back of the palate.  The dryness brings out strong walnut and pecan components that will be very noticeable in each successive drink.  The natural sweetness of this coffee is also notable and somewhat surprising.

This blend is an enjoyable compromise between the more bold flavors of a dark roast and the acidic finish of a city roast.  I would recommend this coffee as a good transitional tool for someone looking to explore the bolder end of light coffees or the more acidic end of dark coffees.  I can certainly say I learned something about myself with this cup – acidity can be a very enjoyable trait when balanced in the right ways.

Buy Intelligentsia Coffee Lil’ Bit Lighter from NeedCaffeine.com

For a coffee to be considered Intelligentsia Direct Trade, there is a specific list of criteria that must be met by both Intelligentsia and their grower-partners.  In the broadest terms, these coffees should be understood as a true collaboration, with both sides investing a great deal of time, energy and ideas to produce something great.  This is what the Direct Trade Coffee process entails:

1.  Prices to growers are at least 25% above fair trade prices
2.  Growers are committed to healthy environmental practices
3.  There has to be exceptional coffee quality
4.  There must be at least one Intelligentsia farm visit each harvest season
5.  Transparency in all financial matters
6.  The growers must be committed to sustainable social practices.

At the end of this process, the coffee farmer who grows an award-winning cup is an artisan and should be regarded as such.  They belive human effort is the most critical factor in quality coffee and that the growers who do the best work should get the best price and individual recognition.

Tea can help you overcome jetlag by helping rejuvenate your blood and returning your oxygen levels to normal!  Here are some of our favorite jetlag remedies and the reasons they are on this list..

1.  Ginger Ginseng – This blend rejuvenates and features a fresh ginger flavor with a zesty finish.

2.  Herbs & Spices – I found this blend to be more exotic and it features sweeter spices from the Far East.

3.  Simply Mint – This blend was very refreshing!  It was minty, clean and a touch sweet.

4.  Sweet Chamomile – This was also a bit sweet and full bodied at the same time. It’s an infusion of chamomile and aromatic herbs.

This is the correct way to brew tea.

1.  Begin with FRESH boiled water.
2.  Pour boiling water over your tea sachet.
3.  Allow tea to steep until ready.

Based on the tea variety, the following water temperatures and steep times make the perfect cup of tea.

White teas
180* F
Steep time is 3-8 minutes

Green Teas
180* F
Steep time is 1-3 minutes

Oolong teas
180* F to 212* F
Steep time is 1-5 minutes

Black teas
212* F
Steep time is 5 minutes

Herbal teas
212* F
Steep time is 5 minutes

Best picks for premium, whole leaf teas are Harney & Sons Tea, Mighty Leaf Tea and China Mist Tea.  All are available at www.needcaffeine.com.

Mighty Leaf Tea is putting out amazing green teas.  A few of my favorites….

1.  Green Tea Tropical green tea boasts smooth green tea leaves that harmoniously blend with sweet tropical fruits to create a sensation as uplifting as a breeze off the isle of Papenoo. A healthy and refreshing blend rich in antioxidants, Green Tea Tropical makes ideal an introduction to green tea.  We sourced the finest loose leaf green tea to infuse our silken tea pouch, our twist on the gourmet teabag, with an extraordinary flavor experience.

2.  Organic Spring Jasmine green tea  is made of smooth Chinese loose leaf green tea leaves naturally scented by layers of Arabian jasmine buds. With an intoxicating aroma and a piquant yet rounded cup, Organic Spring Jasmine green tea in a silken tea pouch is our twist on a Chinese classic jasmine tea in a gourmet teabag.

3.  Organic Hojicha green tea is made of organic Japanese bancha tea, a mixture of pan-fired and slow roasted loose leaf green tea leaves that yield a rich, nutty brew. Escape and find your retreat overlooking a glistening Lake Motosuko in the Japanese Alps with this organic green tea. Within the japanese green tea category, Organic Hojicha contains lower levels of caffeine.  Savor the toasty notes in this hearty cup as infused by our silken tea pouch, our take on the gourmet tea bag.

A French press, also known as a press pot, coffee press, coffee plunger or сafetière à piston, is a simple coffeebrewing device, probably invented in France in the 1850s, but first patented by Italian designer Attilio Calimani in 1929, who made subsequent design improvements over the years, and further refined by another Italian, Faliero Bondanini.
The French press goes by various names around the world. In New Zealand, Australia and South Africa the whole apparatus is known as a coffee plunger and coffee brewed in it as plunger coffee. Its French name is cafetière à piston. In French it is also known by its brand names, notably, Melior, from an old brand of this type. In the UK, the Netherlands, and Ireland the device is known as a cafetière, the French word for a coffee maker or pot.

Design

A French press consists of a narrow cylindrical beaker usually made of glass or clear plastic, equipped with a lid and a “plunger”, made of metal or plastic, which fits tightly in the cylinder and which has a fine wire or nylon mesh filter. The simplicity of the mechanism and its potential for attractive after-dinner presentation have led to a variety of more-or-less aesthetic designs.^[2]

Preparation

A French press requires coffee of a coarser grind than does a drip brew coffee filter, as finer grounds will seep through the press filter and into the coffee.^[3] Coffee is brewed by placing the coffee and water together, stirring it and leaving to brew for a few minutes, then depressing the plunger to trap the coffee grounds at the bottom of the beaker.

Because the coffee grounds remain in direct contact with the brewing water and the grounds are filtered from the water via a mesh instead of a paper filter, coffee brewed with the French press captures more of the coffee’s flavour and essential oils, which would become trapped in a traditional drip brew machine’s paper filters. French pressed coffee is usually stronger and thicker and has more sediment than drip-brewed coffee. Because the used grounds remain in the drink after brewing, French pressed coffee left to stand can become bitter. “A typical half-liter French press is considered expired after 20 minutes.”^[4]