PITCH n DRINK
Categories: Asia Restaurant

Unleash Your Inner Sommelier With These Top Tips

The simplicity of enjoying wine starts with a foundation of knowledge. That foundation begins when you seek out an education. Your wine education can begin today by reading this article in full and gathering the advice within for your own use. This will lead to many years of great enjoyment.

If you are new to the world of wine, consider attending a wine festival. Festivals are a wonderful way to meet other people with an interest in wines and try several varieties without breaking the bank. You can also get some great ideas about pairing wines with foods. The fun and festive atmosphere also provides for a great date night out.

Keep a wine journal. Write down the names of wines that you taste and what you think of them. Over time, this will develop into a great resource for you. It is also nice to look back and see where you came from and what direction you are headed in when it comes to your wine preferences.

Build a relationship with the salesperson or owner of the wine store. Don’t be afraid of getting recommendations from them. While you may get some that aren’t fantastic, you can usually find some that are passionate about wine. They can also personally recommend certain kinds. Getting familiar with these people can also help them get to know your preferences.

When buying wine as a gift, consider pairing it with food of some sort. A nice basket containing some chocolate and wine or fine cheese and wine makes a wonderful gift. It gives the recipient some meal ideas, and can provide for a wonderful atmosphere at a festive event.

Do not write a certain wine off just because a wine tester does not like it. Just like with many other beverages, certain wines require an acquired taste. Even if he or she does not like it, you may find it to be to your liking. See if you can get a sample of it before buying a bottle.

Get to as many wine tastings as you possibly can. Taste as many different kinds of wine as you can, and you learn a lot in the process. Not only will you learn about the various kinds of wine, you also learn about wine in general and how to learn good wines from bad very quickly. Just remember that you need to spit!

When cooking with wine, let your recipe help guide your choice. If you are simply using wine to de-glaze a pan, a splash of just about anything will do. However, if wine is a main ingredient, such as in Coq au Vin, you may want to splurge a little to do the dish justice.

With all of this advice under your belt, you’re sure to know more about wine now. This will allow you to be a better sommelier in your own home, at a friend’s house or elsewhere. This will lead to many more delicate glasses of wine gracing your lips and a great deal of enjoyment ensuing.…

Categories: Easy Cooking

Ideas To Help You Select Quality Coffee

How many different ways have you had your cup of coffee in the morning? Where do you shop for your coffee? Have you ever thought about shaking up your routine? Keep reading to find out your options, and start thinking outside of the box when it comes to your brew.

Don’t grind your coffee beans until you’re ready to brew a fresh batch. Coffee might lose its flavor when you store the ground up coffee. If you grind it all in advance, it will lose the flavor before you brew it and the flavor of your coffee will suffer.

Always find out how much caffeine a certain type of coffee contains before drinking it. Espressos do not necessarily contain more caffeine than other types of coffees. If you go to a coffee shop, your barista should be able to tell you how much caffeine you are getting in each beverage, but you might have to do some research about the beans you are using if you make your own coffee.

Does your coffee get stale because you cannot drink it fast enough? You should store it in an airtight container. Put your weekly dose of coffee into a smaller container and keep it in your freezer so it stays fresh. Store the rest of your coffee in a larger airtight container and open it only when you need to refill your smaller container.

If you like a delicate flavor in your coffee, try adding some right to the pot while it’s brewing. A pinch of cinnamon or a few drops of vanilla will add flavor to the brew. Flavoring your coffee this way will keep the flavor from being too overwhelming, and you won’t need cream or milk.

For those individuals who do not want to consume caffeinated drinks, but love the flavor of coffee, they can enjoy decaffeinated coffee. Some people do not have a problem with a little caffeine, and half-caffeine coffee is a good choice for them. There is no appreciable difference in the flavor between full and half-caffeine coffee.

Iced coffee doesn’t taste so great when the ice cubes begin to melt, watering down the flavor. An excellent tip is to make ice cubes out of coffee or milk, and keeping them in the freezer in zippered bags. They will be handy anytime you want a cold drink on a hot day!

Store coffee beans with care. Coffee beans can absorb flavors from other foods, and their flavor is diminished if they are exposed to heat or light. For that reason, you should store your beans in a non-transluscent, air-tight container.

If you are buying coffee from a drive-in window, always error on the side of caution to stay as protected as possible. Typically, when you are buying coffee in this form, it will be piping hot, as you will not want to burn your hands or other areas of your body.

Oh, now you’re ready! Get to the store, or find that nice bag of brew online that you’ve been waiting to buy. It’s time to relax and enjoy your cup of morning joe. Remember what you’ve read, and take that excitement to the store on your next trip to buy coffee.…

Categories: Culinary Travel

Tips For Coffee Lovers On How To Make The Best Coffee Ever

You probably vividly remember the best coffee you ever drank. Did you make it at home, or was it at your favorite coffeehouse? Coffee can be made in numerous ways, and you have many different kinds to choose from. This article will share helpful information to assist you with buying your next coffee.

Do not leave your coffee open any longer than necessary. While preparing your coffee, don’t open the can or bag until you are ready to scoop. Immediately after scooping, close the coffee container. This will keep your coffee fresher longer. It also keeps the flavor and aroma from evaporating in the air.

There is an abundance of choices when it comes to choosing coffee. People have different ideas about what makes a great cup of coffee. Some enjoy a richer, fuller taste from dark roasted beans, and others like a mild flavor. Also, you can add different flavors to your coffee such as vanilla or hazelnut. Flavored creamers are another way to add a little interest to the flavor of coffee.

Do you enjoy the fancy beverages you can get in coffee shops? You can make most of these beverages at home if you have milk, cream and chocolate syrup. Use the Internet to find tutorials on how to make your favorite drinks and with a little practice, you will be able to make the same beverages you can get at your favorite coffee shop.

Make sure that you always refrain from putting coffee beans in the freezer or refrigerator. When these beans are placed in areas that contain food, it will absorb the smells of the food and take away from the coffee taste. This will ruin the quality of your coffee, as you should always separate beans from other nourishments.

Iced coffee doesn’t taste so great when the ice cubes begin to melt, watering down the flavor. An excellent tip is to make ice cubes out of coffee or milk, and keeping them in the freezer in zippered bags. They will be handy anytime you want a cold drink on a hot day!

Avoid purchasing beans that come in cans or in vacuum-sealed bags. Coffee beans need to be protected by valve-sealed bags to remain fresh. Besides, valve-sealed bags allow the carbon dioxide that emanates from the beans to escape, which means the beans will retain all their flavor and stay fresh longer.

Clean your coffee grinder regularly. Coffee grinds go stale quickly. As a result, it is necessary to clean your grinder often. If the grinder is not cleaned on a regular basis, old stale grinds will be mixed with your freshly ground coffee. It is best to clean the grinder thoroughly every few days.

A big mistake that many people make when brewing coffee is not using the proper amount of coffee. The proper ratio of ground coffee to water is six ounces of water for every two tablespoons of coffee. Any less coffee and you will have a weak and unsatisfying brew that tastes more like water than coffee.

As you can see, there are many different varieties of coffee. Just thinking of it is probably making you crave a cup right now. Enjoy your shopping and keep these tips in mind when browsing. Get enjoyment out of your coffee.…

Categories: Cooking Recipes

Wine Tips: What You Need To Know For A Great Experience

Do you have a friend that know about fine things? Do you want to have that same knowledge at your fingertips? There is a lot to learn about wine and you also need some time to develop your own appreciation for this beverage. Keep reading and you will find out so much about wine that you’ll soon achieve the refinement you desire.

Wine goes extremely well with pasta dishes. To choose the perfect wine remember that red wines work best with heavy sauces such as tomato sauce. Pair white wines with white sauces and salads. For basil pestos and other meatless dishes, you should opt for a complimentary wine such as a rosé.

Do you need a wine all your guests will enjoy? Instead of choosing a rare wine people might not appreciate, choose a Beaujolais, a Chilean, a Sauvignon or a Cava from Spain. These wines are easy to find and offer enough diversity to remain interesting for connoisseurs without making novices feel like they are sophisticated enough to enjoy the wine.

Do not let others influence your taste in wines. It is important you try different wines and decide what you love. Everyone has different taste buds and might not be looking for the same thing in a wine. Do not assume that drinking a wine recommended by an expert will make you more sophisticated.

Increase the shelf life of your wine by using a wine cellar. This can really be important when you spend a lot of money on a wine and you wish to have some later on. A cellar keeps wine fresh for a long time.

Not all wines age well, so make sure to take this into account when storing your wine. Research your wine and find out if it will age well. Bordeaux is an example of something that you can invest in a case of as it stores well for many years.

When you are in a restaurant, do not feel too shy about ordering a wine that is not the most expensive. Sommeliers choose great wines for the restaurants they work for, which means that the more inexpensive choices should taste just as good as the ones that cost quite a bit.

You can read as much as you like about wine, but ultimately, you have to decide for yourself if you like it or not. Price often doesn’t matter. You may like an inexpensive bottle of red wine much more than a costlier version. Don’t apologize for your tastes. Drink what you enjoy.

If you are out on a date or with someone you want to impress, do not order a wine that you have not had before. Try to order wine that you are familiar with, or know that you like. Be adventurous in your own time, when you are not out in public.

If you wish to impress others, you should now have some things that you’re able to use to achieve that. You can now purchase the best wines, mix it with food, and have intelligent conversations about wine. Follow the advice from this article when enjoying wine.…

Categories: Europe Restaurant

Tips On How To Deal With Wine Decisions

There is nothing that can compare to the delight a perfect glass of wine can bring to connoisseurs and novices alike. However, lacking a fair amount of understanding and knowledge of the topic can limit your ability to truly optimize the experience. Keep reading to learn some fantastic tips about how to enhance your enjoyment of wine each and every time.

When buying wine, do not make the mistake of believing a wine has to be expensive to be tasty. There are many wines out there that taste great and are reasonably priced. If you are not sure you like a particular variety of wine, it is a good idea to try an inexpensive bottle.

Buy only one bottle of each wine. If you find that you like a particular wine a great deal it can be very tempting to want to buy a lot of it at once to save money, but this is often a bad idea. Instead, buy only one to ensure that you do not fill your cellar with one type.

Have you ever spilled wine on your clothes? If so, find a bottle of Windex. Windex can effectively remove wine right away, and it’s much better than water and soap. Use it as soon as you can before the stain sets.

When serving wine for parties, open the Merlot and Cabernet a half hour before the party starts. This will allow the wine to make contact with the air and start “opening up.” As reds are exposed to the air, oxygen allows the tannin and flavors to activate and become more robust.

If you notice that you are drinking wine each and every night, take a few nights off. The last thing that you will want to do is become jaded with the taste of wine. After this time period elapses, incorporate wine into your regime again and watch how great it will taste.

Read up on wine during your free time. The more that you learn about wine, the better you will be at picking new wines to add to your collection. There is a lot to know, so spend time learning when you can if you want to become a true wine connoisseur.

Remember that wine shops can vary as much as wines themselves. Each one has a different set of priorities, product list and pricing structure. If you are very new to wine and setting foot in a place where the cheapest bottle is $60, you should look for a lower-end store where you can discover your palate and favorite brands.

Go global in your wine selecting process! Previously, fine wines were considered to be exclusive to certain countries. These days, however, nearly every continent is producing a delicious wine. Limiting yourself to only France or Italy will keep you from enjoying amazing new creations from places like Australia and Brazil!

Wine is something that has brought pleasure and enjoyment to individuals throughout the ages. The key to truly getting the most out of wine is to spend a bit of time and effort learning as much as possible about the subject. With any luck, the article above has provided the foundation of understanding you needed.…

Categories: Culinary Travel

Want To Fall In Love With Coffee Again?

There isn’t an adult in the world who couldn’t use a nice cup of coffee every now and then to serve as a pick-me-up. Some people can’t go a single morning without their cup of joe. The following article will teach you how to make the best tasting cup of coffee for your drinking pleasure.

For a quick and affordable brew of espresso, try using a Moka stovetop coffee pot. Mokas generally produce one or two cups of coffee in the amount of time it takes to boil that amount of water. The coffee is brewed by pressurized steam rising through a funnel of coffee grinds and then rising again into the top chamber where it is ready to be poured into a cup.

Coffee tastes much better if it is fresh brewed, and is actually lower in caffeine if consumed soon after it is made. Some people are particular about using only spring water or bottled water to make it, while others seem to think tap water works just fine for making good coffee.

Do not use tap water when you are making coffee unless your faucet is fitted with a device that will filter out all of the impurities. There are many people that have no problem with tap water, but the reality is that tap water that tastes bad will make your coffee taste just as bad.

Brewing your own coffee at home can add up to huge savings when you compare it to the costs of going to a coffee shop every day. Invest in a good no-spill travel mug so that you don’t regret your decision. Use that expensive coffee as a way to treat yourself when you achieve one of your goals.

Do not keep your coffee in the refrigerator unless it is in a container that is absolutely airtight. This is important because moisture can cause coffee to become moldy. It is best to keep your coffee in the cabinet where it will stay warm, dry and at its best quality.

Do you enjoy the fancy beverages you can get in coffee shops? You can make most of these beverages at home if you have milk, cream and chocolate syrup. Use the Internet to find tutorials on how to make your favorite drinks and with a little practice, you will be able to make the same beverages you can get at your favorite coffee shop.

Understand the amount of time that your coffee will be good for, whether it be ground coffee or whole bean. Typically, ground coffee will be good for up to a week to maximize the quality of taste, whereas whole bean coffee can last up to three weeks of time. Learn these time constraints to limit stale coffee in your home.

As was mentioned earlier, everyone enjoys a nice tasting cup of coffee, at least once in awhile. When you use the tips given in the article above, you are well on your way to making great tasting coffee that will surely brighten up your day. Just remember not to overdo it!…

Categories: Health Culinary

The Ins And Outs Of A Good Cup Of Coffee

Whether you are new to the wonderful world of coffee, or an experienced aficionado, there is always something new to learn. New information about the coffee experience is continually coming to light. Continue reading this article to find out more about the best ways to use coffee to enhance your life.

If you drink your coffee cold, think past just traditional cream and sugar. Mix entire fruits into your coffee. You can add foods like oranges, cherries and strawberries for interesting additions to the flavor. Even think about spicing things up with cinnamon or cardamom. The possibilities for you are nearly endless!

Do you enjoy the fancy beverages you can get in coffee shops? You can make most of these beverages at home if you have milk, cream and chocolate syrup. Use the Internet to find tutorials on how to make your favorite drinks and with a little practice, you will be able to make the same beverages you can get at your favorite coffee shop.

If you are making iced coffee with instant coffee grounds, you should add twice as much as you would normally add to a hot cup. This is because adding ice will dilute the coffee and make it weak if you do not make sure that you make it strong enough.

One way to keep coffee fresh is by buying whole bean coffee and only grinding as much as you plan on drinking at the time. Most coffee loses its flavor because people make more than they plan on drinking. Light, humidity, air, and oxygen can quickly decrease the flavor and aroma of your coffee by damaging its oils.

After purchasing coffee it is important to properly store it for it to retain its freshness. If you will be using your coffee within a week, store it in an airtight plastic or glass container out of direct sunlight and away from heat. If it will be longer than a week before you will use it up, consider placing the coffee in the freezer.

If you brew a large pot of coffee that will not be consumed quickly, take it off of the burner. Place it into a pre-heated storage device. When coffee is left on the burner, the taste will deteriorate quickly. A nice carafe or other storage device will eliminate this concern.

If you are planning on bringing coffee into work or to a friends house, always bring alternative flavors to inject a sense of variety in your presentation. This will give others the ability to make a choice as to which drink they prefer, which will make the most amount of people happy.

Make sure your coffee pot is clean. In order to get the freshest tasting coffee you must be sure you are using a clean coffee pot. You can clean it by using a teaspoon of vinegar with a full coffee pot of water. Run your coffee pot as though you are making coffee.

Now that you know a little bit more about coffee, you should be able to enjoy it with abandon. Discover new ways to enjoy it, and let new flavors take you to new heights. You’ll never go wrong experimenting with coffee. You can enjoy the coffee experience now matter who or where you are.…