Caffeine
Frequently Asked Questions - Part 2
E. Miscellaneous
1. How do you pronounce mate?
ma-tay. ma like in malt, and tay like in otay Buckwheat.
2. How do you spell Colombia / Colombian?
3. How do you spell Espresso?
By far, the most common spelling used throughout the world today is espresso. This is a shortened form of the original Italian name for the drink caffe espresso (accent marks omitted). This spelling is considered to be the correct spelling by the vast majority of of coffee consumers, vendors, retailers, and producers.
Some English language dictionaries also list expresso as a variant spelling. However, this does not mean the spelling is equally valid. (see the post by Jesse Sheidlower included below)
It was pointed out during the great espresso vs. expresso debate (spring 94) that the Italian alphabet does not even contain the letter X.
Further, it was discovered that at least three dictionaries contained incorrect definitions of the word espresso. The American Heritage Dictionary gave the following definition:
A strong coffee brewed by forcing steam under pressure through darkly roasted, powdered coffee beans.
The Oxford English Dictionary said:
Coffee brewed by forcing steam through powdered coffee beans.
The Webster New World Dictionary gives:
coffee prepared in a special machine from finely ground coffee beans, through which steam under high pressure is forced.
All three of these are wrong. In fact, espresso is a strong coffee brewed by quickly forcing *hot water* through darkly roasted, *finely ground* coffee beans.
(Some espresso makers do use steam, but only to force the hot water through the ground coffee. The steam NEVER touches the coffee. Many espresso makers use no steam at all. Instead, they use either a pump or a piston to quickly force hot water through the ground coffee.)
Once these errors and the origins of the word espresso had been pointed out, the argument that expresso is in the dictionary quickly began to crumble. The final death blow to this position came in a post by dictionary editor Jesse Sheidlower. This post is reproduced in its entirety below:
Start of quoted material
From: jester@panix.com (Jesse Sheidlower)
I find this thread fascinating. I regret that it demonstrates an unfamiliarity with dictionaries and how to use them, but no matter. I believe that I am the only dictionary editor to participate in this discussion, so let me waste a bit more bandwidth addressing some of the points made so far, and introducing a few others:
--- The OED, Second Edition, does include _espresso_ and _expresso_, the former being a variant of the latter. It correctly derives it from Italian _caffe espresso_. [Accents left off here.] Whoever claimed it derives the term from a would-be Italian _caffe expresso_ was in error.
--- There _is_ an x in Latin.
--- There are four major American dictionaries (published by Merriam Webster, Webster's New World, Random House, and American Heritage). The most recent edition of each gives _espresso_ as the main form, and _expresso_ as a variant only. The fact that _expresso_ is listed in the dictionary does not mean that it is equally common: the front matter for each dictionary explains this. The person who claimed that three dictionaries including OED give _expresso_ as equally valid was in error.
--- Dictionaries, in general, do not dictate usage: they reflect the usage that exists in the language. If a dictionary says that _espresso_ is the main spelling, it means that in the experience of its editors (based on an examination of the language), _espresso_ is notably more common. It does not mean that the editors have a vendetta against _expresso_.
--- To the linguist who rejects the authority of dictionaries: I agree that language is constantly changing; I'm sure that every dictionary editor in the country does as well. Dictionaries are outdated before they go to press. But I think they remain accurate to a large extent. Also, if you are going to disagree with the conclusions of a dictionary, you should be prepared to back yourself up. I can defend, with extensive written evidence, our decision to give _espresso_ as the preferred form.
--- In sum: though both _espresso_ and _expresso_ are found, the former is by far the more common. It is also to be favored on immediate etymological evidence, since the Italian word from which it is directly borrowed is spelled _espresso_. The form _espresso_ is clearly preferred by all mainstream sources.
Jesse T Sheidlower. Editor.
F. Coffee Recipes And Other Beverages.
1. Espresso
After living in Italy (Rome) for two years and living off espresso, Mr. X found American espresso doesn't cut it. Heres how to do it.
--- Get good dark roasted espresso beans, imported Italian brand if you can find it.
--- Pack your strainer real full. Pack it hard. your instructions will say NOT to pack it, but don't listen.
--- Don't use too much water. Espresso in Italy is as thick as syrup. Very thick.
--- Add two spoons of sugar, it's a sweet, thick liquid in Italy. Drink fast.
Enjoy.
If using a stove top espresso machine, clean after each use, paying attention to the seal and strainer.
1. For best results, get arabica beans that have been roasted dark (Italian Roast is darkest) and are oily-looking. Other roasts are for other types of brewing: espresso machines won't draw the earthy flavour of Sumatran out, for example. A small amount of other beans might add a nice note to the flavour, though (I've had surprising success adding a few of Thanksgiving Coffee's High-Caffeine Pony Express beans, which are actually robusta beans from Thailand).
2. Grind those beans until they're very fine, but not quite a powder. Put them into the appropriate piece of your machine and tamp it down (but don't pack all the grounds in tight).
3. Watch the espresso as it drips down. Does a nice layer of foam form on the top? If it does, all is well; that foam is made from the flavourful oils, and it is called crema. If not, go to the coffee roaster and demand quadruple your money back.
4. Never make more than 2oz at a time. If you're making two cups of espresso, make two separate shots. This is important. The idea is that the water rushes through and draws out only the most flavourful part of the grounds. More than 2oz and you're drawing out less flavourful stuff and diluting your espresso. If you're really hardcore, make only 1oz at a time; this is called caffe ristretto.
2. Capuccino
Disclaimer: People prepare capuccino in many different ways, and in their very own way each one of them is correct. The following recipe, which is commonly used in Latin countries, has been tasted by several of my North-American friends and they unanimously agreed that capuccino prepared using this recipe tastes much better than the standard fare in USA/Canada.
Start with cold milk (it doesn't really need to be ice-cold), use homo milk or carnation. 2% or skim is just not thick enough.
Place the milk on a special capuccino glass with a capuccino basket. (Capuccino glasses have a thinner bottom).
Aerate the milk near the top, within 2cm (1 in) of the top. Move the glass down as the milk aerates. It is a good idea to have an oscillating motion while aerating the milk.
Stop when the milk starts boiling or have it boil, let it cool down for a second or so (literally), and aerate again (it is harder to get a nice froth after the milk has boiled).
Aerating the milk in another container, then pouring in a glass and adding the foam with a spoon is sacrilege.
Anybody who has done so should make a pilgrimage to San Francisco's Girardelli's. Otherwise entry to heaven will be denied (god, is after all, Italian. At least the catholic one).
If you need to aerate the milk on a separate container, aerate exactly the amount of milk required for one cup, so no need to add foam with a spoon.
Once the milk has been aerated, promptly clean the aerator with a wet rag. Failure to do so will quickly result in rotten milk flavour coming from the aerator.
Another warning on similar lines applies to restaurant type coffee machines: leave the aerator valve open when powering the machine up and down. When the machine is off a partial vacuum is formed in the boiler that will suck milk residue into the boiler. This then coats the inside of the boiler and can cause bad smelling steam until the boiler is flushed. Some machines have a vacuum bleed valve to prevent this problem but many don't.
Wait for the steam pressure to build up again (for some capuccino makers wait time is near zero, for others it maybe as long as 60 secs).
Prepare the espresso coffee, you may add it directly on to the glass if possible or use a cup and then pour it from the cup on the milk.
According to Jym Dyer: In Italy, the milk is added TO the espresso, not the other way around, that way the milk is floating; on top, where you then add the sugar, and stir it up.
Capuccino tastes better when is really hot, and has two coffee teaspoons of sugar. (small teaspoons, like the ones in expensive silverware).
Then accompany said cappuccino with a warm tea bisquet or english muffin with marmalade, or alternatively with a baguette sandwich or panini.
3. How to make your own chocolate
Here's the recipe for making a real chocolate beverage. Important steps are in boldface.
Ingredients
--- 1-2kg (2-4pounds) of cocoa beans.
--- A manually operated grinder.
Instructions
--- Sift though the beans removing any impurities (pieces of grass, leaves, etc).
--- Place the beans in a pan (no teflon) and roast them. Stir frequently. As the beans roast they start making pop sounds like popcorn. Beans are ready when you estimate that approx 50-75% of the beans have popped. Do not let the beans burn, though a bit of black on each bean is ok.
--- Peel the beans. Peeling roasted cocoa beans is like peeling baked potatoes: The hotter they are the easier it is to peel the darn things, at the expense of third degree burns on your fingers. (Tip: Use kitchen mittens and brush the beans in your hands). If the beans are too hard to peel roast them a bit longer.
--- Grind the beans into a pan. They produce a dark oily paste called cocoa paste.
--- The oil in the cocoa has a bitter taste that you have to get used to. I like it this way, but not all people do.
Here are the alternatives:
With oil, which gives you a richer flavour:
Spread aluminum foil on a table and make small pies of chocolate, about 1/4 of an inch high, and 6 inches in diameter. Let them rest overnight. The morning after they are hard tablets. Remove them from the aluminum foil and rap them in it. Store in the freezer.
Without oil, some flavour is gone, less bitter, weaker (whimper) chocolate:
Put the paste inside a thin cloth (like linen), close the cloth and squeeze until the oil comes out. If you manage to get most of the oil out, what is left is high quality cocoa powder, like Droste's.
What is left now is either bitter tablets or bitter cocoa powder.
You can now make a nice beverage as follows:
--- Boil a liter of milk (or water, like in ancient Mexican style. Like water for chocolate, Como agua para chocolate: you know).
--- When the milk is warm (not hot) add a chocolate pie in pieces. Stir with a blender (but be careful! the blender's electric cord should NOT touch the pot or any other hot thing around it).
--- When the chocolate has dissolved add 1/2-3/4 cups of sugar (depending how sweet you like your chocolate) and blend in fast. Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved in the chocolate otherwise it would be bitter no matter how much sugar you may add afterwards.
--- Add a teaspoon of cinnamon or natural vanilla flavour (artificial vanilla flavour with chocolate results in an awful medicine like flavour) if you like, and blend again.
--- Let the mixture boil, when it starts to get bubbly quickly remove the pan from the stove top, and rest the bottom against a soaked cloth. Put again on stove top, it should get bubbly almost immediately, remove once again and repeat one last time. This aerates the chocolate which enhances the flavour.
--- In a mug, put about 1/2-3/4 of the chocolate mixture, and add cold milk, until the temperature and/or the concentration of the flavour is right for your tastes. Accompany with French Pastries. Yum Yum!!
Enjoy!
4. How to make the best cup of coffee?
The best coffee I ever tasted was while in the coffee growing regions of Mexico, in the state of Veracruz, in the town of Coatepec. The quality of the coffee was mostly due to the method of preparation than to the quality of the grains (which is at about the same level as an average colombian coffee). Here's how to make it:
--- Grind the coffee grains from coarse to very coarse.
--- Boil in a pan a litre of water (four cups).
--- When the water is boiling, turn off the stove and add 8-12 table spoons of coffee (2-3 spoons per each cup).
--- Add two-three teaspoons of sugar per cup (for a total of 8-12 spoons of sugar).
--- Stir very slowly (the water is so hot that the sugar dissolves mostly on its own).
--- Let the coffee rest for about 5 minutes.
--- Strain the coffee using a metal strainer! Like the ones used for cooking. The strainer should be like the ones used by granny for making tea. The diameter is a bit smaller that a cup, with a semi-sphere shape.
--- This coffee has grit in the bottom, even after being strained. Therefore do not stir the pot or the cup. If the coffee is shaked, let it rest for about five minutes. Needless to say, do not drink the last sip of coffee from the cup: it's all grit. If you want to add milk, add carnation.
Warning: This coffee may fool you 'cause it has a very smooth taste but is extremely strong. Caffeine content per millilitre is right there with espresso, but you can't tell!
Note: For some strange reason, when preparing this coffee I tend to have a success ratio of about one out of two attempts. I still don't know what I'm doing wrong, since, as far as I can tell, always repeat the same steps. Perhaps sometimes I don't let the coffee rest long enough.
This type of coffee is similar in nature to the French press. And in principle, you could possibly add sugar to the ground coffee, then pour water, and lastly press with the strainer.
5. Turkish Coffee From Schapira, The Book of Coffee and Tea:
Turkish coffee is prepared using a little copper pot called ibrik.
Use a heaping teaspoon of very finely ground coffee and one heaping teaspoon of sugar (to taste). Use about 3oz of coffee.
The trick of it is to heat it until it froths, let it sit a little and allow it to cool until the froth settles, heating it to the same point a second time and serving.
6. Thai Iced Coffee
Make very strong coffee (50-100% more coffee to water than usual), use something like Cafe Du Monde which has chicory in it. Pour 6-8 oz into cup and add about 1 Tbs sweetened condensed milk. Stir, then pour over ice.
You'll have to experiment with the strength and milk so you get lots of taste after the ice/water dilutes it.
My version comes from a newspaper article of many years ago, and simply calls for grinding two or three fresh cardamom pods and putting them in with the coffee grounds. Make a strong coffee with a fresh dark roast, chill it, sweeten and add half-and-half (that's what I saw the chef using at the last Thai restaurant I went to) to taste.
This is a derivation -from- memory of a recipe that I first read some two years or so ago for Thai iced coffee (that lovely stuff that I can drink for hours on end while I'm slurping down panang and pad thai):
Makes 1 8-cup pot of coffee
--- 6 tablespoons whole rich coffee beans, ground fine
--- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander powder
--- 4 or 5 whole green cardamom pods, ground
--- Place the coffee and spices in the filter cone of your coffee maker. Brew coffee as usual; let it cool.
--- In a tall glass, dissolve 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar in an ounce of the coffee (it's easier to dissolve than if you put it right over ice). Add 5-6 ice cubes and pour coffee to within about 1 of the top of the glass.
--- Rest a spoon on top of the coffee and slowly pour whipping cream into the spoon. This will make the cream float on top of the coffee rather than dispersing into it right away.
--- To be totally cool, serve with Flexi-Straws and paper umbrellas...
One other fun note: I got a fresh vanilla bean recently and put it to good use by sealing it in an airtight container with my sugar. The sugar gets the faintest vanilla aroma and is incredible in Real Chocolate Milk (TM) and iced coffee.
One final note: this would probably be even better with iced espresso, because the espresso is so much more powerful and loses its taste less when it's cold.
Another recipe:
--- Strong, black ground coffee
--- Sugar
--- Evaporated (not condensed) milk
--- Cardamom pods
Prepare a pot of coffee at a good European strength (Miriam Nadel suggests 2 tablespoons per cup, which I'd say is about right). In the ground coffee, add 2 or 3 freshly ground cardamom pods. (I've used green ones, I imagine the brown ones would give a slightly different flavour.) Sweeten while hot, then cool quickly.
Serve over ice, with unsweetened evaporated milk (or heavy cream if you're feeling extra indulgent). To get the layered effect, place a spoon atop the coffee and pour the milk carefully into the spoon so that it floats on the top of the coffee.
The recipe I have calls for:
--- 1/4 cup strong French roasted coffee
--- 1/2 cup boiling water
--- 2 tsp sweetened condensed milk
--- Mix the above and pour over ice.
I'd probably use less water and more coffee and milk.
There is also a stronger version of Thai coffee called Oleng which is very strong to me and to a lot of coffee lovers.
6 to 8 tablespoons ground espresso or French roast coffee 4 to 6 green cardamom pods, crushed Sugar to taste Half-and-half or cream Ice cubes.
Put the cardamom pods and the ground dark-roast coffee into a coffee press, espresso maker, or the filter of a drip coffee maker (if using a drip-style coffee maker, use half the water). Brew coffee as for espresso, stir in sugar.
Fill a large glass with ice and pour coffee over ice, leaving about 1/2 inch at the top. Place a spoon at the surface of the coffee and slowly pour half-and-half or cream into the spoon, so that it spreads across the top of the coffee rather than sinking in. (You'll stir it in yourself anyway, but this is a much prettier presentation and it's as used in most Thai restaurants.)
As with Vietnamese coffee, the struggle here is to keep from downing this all in ten seconds.
7. Vietnamese Iced Coffee
Same coffee as above. Sweetened condensed (not evaporated) milk Ice
Make even stronger coffee, preferably in a Vietnamese coffee maker. (This is a metal cylinder with tiny holes in the bottom and a perforated disc that fits into it; you put coffee in the bottom of the cylinder, place the disc atop it, then fill with boiling water and a very rich infusion of coffee drips slowly from the bottom.)
If you are using a Vietnamese coffee maker, put two tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk in the bottom of a cup and put the coffee maker on top of the cup. If you are making espresso or cafe filter (the infusion method where you press the plunger down through the grounds after several minutes of infusion), mix the sweetened condensed milk and the coffee any way you like.
When the milk is dissolved in the coffee (yes, dissolved *is* the right word here!), pour the combination over ice and sip.
Thai and Vietnamese coffees are very different.
Ca phe sua da (Vietnamese style iced coffee)
--- 2 to 4 tablespoons finely ground dark roast coffee (preferably with chicory)
--- 2 to 4 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk (e.g., Borden Eagle Brand, not evaporated milk!)
--- Boiling water
--- Vietnamese coffee press [see notes]
--- Ice cubes
Place ground coffee in Vietnamese coffee press and screw lid down on the grounds. Put the sweetened condensed milk in the bottom of a coffee cup and set the coffee maker on the rim. Pour boiling water over the screw lid of the press; adjust the tension on the screw lid just till bubbles appear through the water, and the coffee drips slowly out the bottom of the press.
When all water has dripped through, stir the milk and coffee together. You can drink them like this, just warm, as ca phe sua neng, but I prefer it over ice, as ca phe sua da. To serve it that way, pour the milk-coffee mixture over ice, stir, and drink as slowly as you can manage. I always gulp mine too fast. :-)
Notes
A Vietnamese coffee press looks like a stainless steel top hat. There's a brim that rests on the coffee cup; in the middle of that is a cylinder with tiny perforations in the bottom. Above that rises a threaded rod, to which you screw the top of the press, which is a disc with similar tiny perforations. Water trickles through these, extracts flavour from the coffee, and then trickles through the bottom perforations. It is excruciatingly slow. Loosening the top disc speeds the process, but also weakens the resulting coffee and adds sediment to the brew.
If you can't find a Vietnamese coffee press, regular-strength espresso is an adequate substitute, particularly if made with French-roast beans or with a dark coffee with chicory. I've seen the commonly available Medaglia d'Oro brand coffee cans in Vietnamese restaurants, and it works, though you'll lose some of the subtle bitterness that the chicory offers. I think Luzianne brand coffee comes with chicory and is usable in Vietnamese coffee, though at home I generally get French roast from my normal coffee provider.
Of these two coffees, Vietnamese coffee should taste more or less like melted Haagen-Dasz coffee ice cream, while Thai iced coffee has a more fragrant and lighter flavour from the cardamom and half-and-half rather than the condensed milk. Both are exquisite, and not difficult to make once you've got the equipment.
As a final tip, I often use my old-fashioned on-the-stove espresso maker (the one shaped like an hourglass, where you put water in the bottom, coffee in the middle, and as it boils the coffee comes out in the top) for Thai iced coffee. The simplest way is merely to put the cardamom and sugar right in with the coffee, so that what comes out the top is ready to pour over ice and add half and half. It makes a delicious and very passable version of restaurant-style Thai iced coffee.
8. Melya
--- Espresso
--- Honey
--- Unsweetened cocoa
--- Brew espresso; for this purpose, a Bialetti-style stovetop will work. In a coffee mug, place 1 teaspoon of unsweetened powdered cocoa; then cover a teaspoon with honey and drizzle it into the cup. Stir while the coffee brews; this is the fun part. The cocoa seems to coat the honey without mixing, so you get a dusty, sticky mass that looks as though it will never mix. Then all at once, presto! It looks like dark chocolate sauce. Pour hot espresso over the honey, stirring to dissolve. Serve with cream (optional). I have never served this cold but I imagine it would be interesting; I use it as a great hot drink for cold days, though, so all my memories are of grey skies, heavy sweaters, damp feet and big smiles.
F2. The Chemistry Of Caffeine
1. Chemically speaking, what is caffeine?
Chemical Indexes report:
RN 58-08-2 REGISTRY
CN 1H-Purine-2,6-dione, 3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl- (9CI) (CA INDEX NAME)
OTHER CA INDEX NAMES:
CN Caffeine (8CI)
OTHER NAMES:
CN 1,3,7-Trimethyl-2,6-dioxopurine
CN 1,3,7-Trimethylxanthine
CN 7-Methyltheophylline
CN Alert-Pep
CN Cafeina
CN Caffein
CN Cafipel
CN Guaranine
CN Koffein
CN Mateina
CN Methyltheobromine
CN No-Doz
CN Refresh'n
CN Stim
CN Thein
CN Theine
CN Tri-Aqua
MF C8 H10 N4 O2
The correct name is the first one, 1H-Purine-2,6-diione,3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl- (This is the inverted name) The uninverted name is 3,7-Dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione
Merck Index excerpt...
Caffeine: 3,7-dihydro- 1,3,7-trimethyl- 1H-purine- 2,6-dione; 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine; 1,3,7-trimethyl- 2,6-dioxopurine; coffeine; thein; guaranine; methyltheobromine; No-Doz.
C8H10N4O2; mol wt 194.19. C 49.48%, H 5.19%, N 28.85%, O 16.48%.
Occurs in tea, coffee, mate leaves; also in guarana paste and cola nuts: Shuman, U.S. pat. 2,508,545 (1950 to General Foods). Obtained as a by-product from the manuf of caffeine-free coffee: Barch, U.S. pat. 2,817,588 (1957 to Standard Brands); Nutting, U.S. pat. 2,802,739 (1957 to Hill Bros. Coffee); Adler, Earle, U.S. pat. 2,933,395 (1960 to General Foods).
Crystal structure: Sutor, Acta Cryst. 11, 453, (1958). Synthesis: Fischer, Ach, Ber. 28, 2473, 3135 (1895); Gepner, Kreps, J. Gen. Chem. USSR 16, 179 (1946); Bredereck et al., Ber. 83, 201 (1950); Crippa, Crippa, Farmaco Ed. Sci. 10, 616 (1955); Swidinsky, Baizer, U.S. pats. 2,785,162 and 2,785,163 (1957 to Quinine Chem. Works); Bredereck, Gotsmann, Ber. 95, 1902 (1962).
Hexagonal prisms by sublimation, mp 238 C. Sublimes 178 C. Fast sublimation is obtained at 160-165 C under 1mm press. at 5 mm distance. d 1.23. Kb at 19 C: 0.7 x 10^(-14). Ka at 25 C: less than 1.0 x 10^(-14). pH of 1% soln 6.9. Aq solns of caffeine salts dissociate quickly. Absorption spectrum: Hartley, J. Chem. Soc. 87, 1802 (1905). One gram dissolves in 46 ml water, 5.5 ml water at 80 C, 1.5 ml boiling water, 66 ml alcohol, 22 ml alcohol at 60 C, 50 ml acetone, 5.5 ml chloroform, 530 ml ether, 100 ml benzene, 22 ml boiling benzene. Freely sol in pyrrole; in tetrahydrofuran contg about 4% water; also sol in ethyl acetate; slightly in petr ether. Soly in water is increased by alkali benzoates, cinnamates, citrates, or salicylates.
Monohydrate, felted needles, contg 8.5% H2O. Efflorescent in air; complete dehydration takes place at 80 C. LD50 orally in rats: 200 mg/kg.
Acetate, C8H10N4O2.(CH3COOH)2, granules or powder; acetic acid odor; acid reaction. Loses acetic acid on exposure to air. Soluble in water or alcohol with hydrolysis into caffeine and acetic acid. Keep well stoppered.
Hydrochloride dihydrate, C8H10N4O2.HCl.2H2O, crystals, dec 80-100 C with loss of water and HCl. Sol in water and in alcohol with dec.
Therap Cat: Central stimulant.
Therap Cat (Vet): Has been used as a cardiac and respiratory stimulant and as a diuretic.
G. Administrivia.
1. List of Contributors
This FAQ is a collective effort. Here's a list of most (all?) of the contributors.
--- Marc Aurel (4-tea-2@bong.saar.de)
--- Scott Austin (scotta@cnt.com)
--- Tom Benjamin (tomb@panix.com)
--- David Alan Bozak (dab@moxie)
--- Rajiv (w94_bhatnaga@wums.wustl.edu)
--- Jack Carter (scjack@ausvm1.ibm.com)
--- Richard Drapeau (Richard.Drapeau@p1.f92.n282.z1.tdkt.kksys.com)
--- Jym Dyer (jym@remarque.berkeley.edu)
--- Steve Dyer (dyer@spdcc.com)
--- Stefan Engstrom (stefan@helios.UCSC.EDU)
--- Lemieux Francois (lemieuxf@ERE.UMontreal.CA)
--- Scott Fisher (sfisher@megatest.com)
--- Dave Huddle (jdh64@cas.org)
--- Tom F Karlsson (tomk@mamba.csd.uu.se)
--- Bob Kummerfeld (bob@basser.cs.su.OZ.AU)
--- John Levine (johnl@iecc.com)
--- Alex Lopez-Ortiz (alopez@neumann.uwaterloo.ca)
--- Steven Miale (smiale@cs.indiana.edu)
--- Alec Muffett (alecm@uk.sun.com)
--- Dana Myers (myers@cypress.West.Sun.COM)
--- Tim Nemec (tim@ins.infonet.net)
--- Dave Palmer (arxt@quads.uchicago.edu)
--- Stuart Phillips (phillips@healthy.uwaterloo.ca)
--- Cary A. Sandvig (sandvig@rhea.cray.com)
--- Stepahine da Silva (arielle@taronga.com)
--- Michael A Smith (msmith@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu)
--- Mari J. Stoddard (stoddard@gas.uug.arizona.edu)
--- Adam Turoff (ziggy@panix.com)
--- Orion Wilson (moria@cats.ucsc.edu)
--- Piotr Wlaz (wlaz@plumcs11.umcs.lublin.ed)
--- Ted Young (theodric@MIT.EDU)
--- Steven Zikopoulos (szikopou@superior.carleton.ca)
2. Copyright
This FAQ is Copyright (C) 1994 by Alex Lopez-Ortiz. This text, in whole or in part, may not be sold in any medium, including, but not limited to, electronic, CD-ROM, or published in print, without the explicit, written permission of Alex Lopez-Ortiz.
Copyright (C) 1994, Alex Lspez-Ortiz. alopez-o@neumann.uwaterloo.ca
Alex Lopez-Ortiz
alopez-o@neumann.UWaterloo.ca
http://daisy.uwaterloo.ca/~alopez-o
FAX (519)-885-1208
Department of Computer Science
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada
According to the author of this F.A.Q. "In spite of its apparent claim to usefulness, the Net has never been a particularly good source of anything, save persiflage and pictures of naked women."
Street Names
Some of the popular street names for caffeine include: The Caf, Bathroom Express, Piss Maker, Harry The C, and others.
Books Coffee Basics:
A Quick and Easy Guide
Handy reference with hundreds of industry truths and trade secrets. Information about coffee buying, brewing, and tasting.
You will learn about
- Basic coffee facts (origin, history, varieties)
- Methods for selecting, roasting, blending, flavoring
- Decaffeinated, organic, and espresso beans
- Specialty coffee recipes
- Lists of sources for beans and equipment
Coffee Basics Home Coffee Roasting:
Romance & Revival
If you want to learn how to roast coffee at home and a bit more, this is the book for you. It provides an in depth look at the evolution of roasting methods as well as the bean itself.
The recommended roasting methods and instructions are easy to understand and follow. Filled with sample charts, journals, and definitions. A how to manual written to guide the way to roasting your own coffee.
Home Coffee Roasting The Coffee Book:
Anatomy of an Industry
from Crop to the Last Drop
A fascinating, easy to read book about the history, social implications, and economics of coffee. Many facts, figures, cartoons, and commentary.
The book explores coffee from its first use to the 1990s. Includes info about the process of cultivation, harvesting, and roasting from bean to cup, the business of coffee, and the social history of caffeine.
The Coffee Book The World of Caffeine:
The Science and Culture
of the World's Most Popular Drug
The book provides a cultural and social history of caffeine. It examines the science and health facts surrounding caffeine and how caffeine spread around the world. The historical and social backgrounds are fascinating.
If you are only going to get one book about coffee or caffeine, consider this book. It is over 300 pages, includes photographs, cartoons, charts and graphs.
The World of Caffeine Uncommon Grounds:
The History of Coffee
and How It Transformed Our World
A huge book (over 500 pages) of everything coffee. Follow the history of coffee from its beginnings in Africa, to the worldwide business that coffee has become, to the social and environmental ramifications of coffee.
The book was written by a business writer. While being interesting and fairly easy to follow, it contains a lot of information about the business side of coffee. Some readers might find this and the large size of the book a little boring in parts, but most people will love it.
Uncommon Grounds
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