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Glass Found in 100g jars of Nescafe – Recalled

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Nestle is recalling 100g jars of Nescafe Alta Rica, Alta Rica Decaff, Cap Colombie, Suraya & Espresso. Due to the possibility of small pieces of glass in the jars. Customers should be expecting refunds. The company reports that the recall shouldn’t be needed for any other products.

The recall is getting news all around the world, which really shows how far reaching the product is. The Times Live – South Africa, CBC – Canada, Arab News, Irish Independent,  and the Voice of Russia.  There doesn’t seem to be any mention of a particular bar code, ID coded or expiration date to limit down which are OK and which are not.

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Design Artists Gone Wild on Espresso Machines

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What if we had a bunch of creative design folks that could come up with an espresso machine that worked but was also a piece of art… yup, what if.

Well, the group at YankoDesign reached out and have some real fun hardware that begs to be in our kitchens. The Design site has many fun coffee and espresso ideas. Like, cups that make a coffee in it’s self. Here are a few machines that are note worthy – we can dream…

A design by Adam Zerbib. Who said making two espressos at the same time they have to be made with the same coffee grounds. Those interesting looking cups to the right are just that, a handy stack of artsy cups. Take a look at the full write up…

Next is a All-In-One espresso maker by Soren Henssler. Sporting a bean holder for just-in-time grinding as well a water bin. This offering is nice in the office or home counter. I’m not as sure about usability with the water and beans on different sides, but then we are just dreaming here. Looks great and brags that it’s easy to clean…

Finally, while this maker is a stand alone table which you might see in an airport, it will be great anywhere in your home. The Maurizio Maiorana designed espresso maker is a stand up table that is completely self contained… it even has it’s own trash can.

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Arabic/Turkish Coffee Info

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For the years before marrying my lovely wife, I would be given Turkish Coffee by her mom when I visited. It has a ‘different’ kind of taste that is more… robust than regular coffee but not the bite of a espresso shot. I can’t believe I didn’t look before, but this morning I took some time to get a better understanding of what makes coffee from coffee beans a Arabic or Turkish Coffee.

When ordering coffee, or when offered coffee, be sure to tell the server or host/hostess if you would like sugar. Sugar is actually added during the preparation, not after the coffee is done. Arabic coffee can be tart and many people like to add some sugar to cut the tartness. There are several variations with sugar in Arabic coffee:

  • awha sada: black coffee
  • ahwa ariha: lightly sweetened
  • ahwa mazboot: medium amount of sugar
  • ahwaziyada: very sweet

I found this nice article over on About.com about making your own Arabic/Turkish Coffees. As well, food selections that go well with your coffee.

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Coasting to a Clean Coffee Table

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I’m always keeping my eyes open for fun ‘coffee’ items. A site, ‘Ponoko’, offers a service where they will use their laser cutters to make your fun ideas come true. Searching about people’s creations, I found a few coasters people call coffee coasters… while nice, they will protect your table but they say nothing about being a coffee lover. I did find this one set of 6 coasters that are the individual letters of COFFEE. I’m sure folks could use these for other beverages… but they would be missing the fun of these. They aren’t cheap, they sure will get you some attention from your visitors though.

“A set of six coasters, graphically striking and ideal in 6mm whiteboard, with its practical waterproof and wipeable surface. Each coaster is 11cm square (approx 4.4 inches), so you can actually fit a decent-sized coffee mug on it.”

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Coffee grounds give your plants the punch they love

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As I bang out the Espresso Maker’s coffee grounds this morning, I remembered back to a basket at the local Starbucks. In the basket was large silver bags of used coffee grounds. A couple came in, grabbed all the bags and headed out to their car. Hmmm… they didn’t buy a coffee drink so there must be something to this ‘used grounds’ thing.

Turns out, many of your plants share the same passion for coffee that you do. They just happen to be picky about the grounds being front a particular part of the world or how many hours ago you ground those beans.

The next time you head to the trash can to knock the grounds out of the filter, consider saving those in a bag or can. Then, after a few days, sprinkle those grounds around your plants or mix them into a bit of compost (mulch pike if you have one). According to Starbucks.com – many plants seek out acids and will really wake up by having access to such a great source as coffee grounds. Roses in particular react well.

If you do have a compost pile, coffee grounds with their 20:1 Carbon-Nitrogen ratio creates great plant food. Do not allow the used grounds be more than 25% of the content. If you have too much acid from the beans, you can always a teaspoon of lime or wood ash per 5 pounds of coffee grounds. Rather than have to get into mixing chemicals, just don’t use so many grounds or add more leaves and straw.

In the 90s, Starbucks has the University of Washington (Starbucks being from Washington state…) look into what is ‘in’ coffee grounds. The University commissioned research found that the primary nutrients include nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Then, secondary nutrients include calcium, magnesium and sulfur.

Doing a little Web browsing research, I found that many folks claim ants and cats do not like areas that have coffee grounds in the soil. And… carrots seem to respond very nicely when their seeds are planted in soil containing dry grounds. Of course, your milage may vary, but why not give it a try rather than throw those grounds in the trash?!

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