Coffee or Latte art consists of the pouring of steamed milk into a shot of espresso generating a pattern or design on the surface. The barista becomes a true designer and is able to create beautiful creations with the most common form being the“rosetta” pictured on the left. Latte art is a hot topic and there are even several competitions around the world showcasing this unique form of art.

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According to popular legend, the Greek-style frappé was invented in September 1957 at the annual Thessaloniki International Fair in the convention center of Greece's second largest city. Working at an exhibit for Andreas Dritsas, then the Greek distributor of Nestlé products, sales representative Dimitrios Vakondios made an important discovery. Reportedly there was no hot water available. Maybe he merely desired cold refreshment. Either way, Vakondios grabbed a shaker meant for Nesquik, the Nestlé cocoa drink, filled it instead with Nescafé instant coffee and a little cold water, and shook it vigorously. Not accounting for the burst of foam this action would generate, Vakondios achieved two results: The first outcome was the staining of his business suit; the second, the invention of the foamy concoction that would become something akin to the identity soft drink of Greece.

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The coffee - tree The coffee -"tree" is a variation of a tropical evergreen shrub. There are three kinds of coffee "tree", whereby all three African source are: Arabica Liberica Robusta rabica originates from Ethiopia and is best suited for larger amounts of 600m to 2200m. Liberica, which comes from the western Africa, and Robusta, which originates from the Congo, grow the best under 600m. Liberica and Robusta grow well in wooden surrounding and require fewer care than Arabicas. Liberica and Robusta trees produce of course quantitatively higher profits, but the coffee of these plants has sooner a harsh taste and their caffeine - content can up to 50% higher be in comparison with Arabica. The mostselled coffee at the supermarket usually is the less expensive Liberica and Robusta. Epicures prefer on the contrary almost exclusively on the more expensive Arabica.

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After a few weeks of unseasonably warm weather, we’re now back to the bay area standard wind, rain, and cold, which also happens to be perfect Irish Coffee weather. Drinking Irish Coffee always reminds me of traveling in Eastern Europe one January a few years back. Nearly every day we’d spend some time warming up in a cafe with an Irish Coffee or two.

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The popularity of iced coffee drinks is still booming this summer, so don't hesitate to brew some up. They are particularly nice when you have friends over. I think they are a bit more sophisticated than regular soft drinks. And all that caffeine will help a party along. Coffee Ice Cubes Don't let your coffee drinks get watered down with plain ice cubes. Freeze some coffee ahead of time in an ice cube tray. For a fancy touch, add a couple of whole roasted coffee beans to each cube. Warn your guests though. When the cubes melt, you don't want folks choking on the loose beans.

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The amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee can vary greatly, depending on its origin or the composition of the blend, the method of brewing and the strength of the brew. Instant, or soluble, coffee generally contains less caffeine than roast and ground coffee, but may be consumed in greater volume. Robusta coffees have about twice as much caffeine as arabicas. A 'cup' is usually understood to contain 150 ml (5 oz in the United States) but an espresso may be as small as 40 ml.

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Espresso originated in Italy. In fact, the word espresso is the Italian word for fast. Espresso is a drink that results from forcing water through finely ground coffee resulting in a full extraction of coffee flavor. This result was not always easy to attain, however, as espresso machines have come a long way since their beginni

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