Friday, September 27, 2013
The Lingo of Coffee
Writing about Coffee is kind of tough when the terms differ from the actual definition most people would assume it mean. For example, when using acidity to describe coffee, it has nothing to do with pH balance. Mild is another example. It does refer to the taste but not in the sense of strong or light taste. With these different terms and meaning, reading a coffee review might be a bit confusing. Here I list some of the more common terms and the meaning in coffee lingo. For coffee reviews go to www.infohut.net.
Acidity:
Refers to the liveliness of coffee flavor, not the acid or pH level. With out it coffee will be a bit dull.
Bitter:
This actually means bitter as in one of the 4 basic taste (ex: sweet, sour, salty, bitter). A little bitterness in coffee is actually good, it brings out the flavor. Dark roast usually is more bitter than their medium roast counterpart. Though I do find the Hawaiian Isles Kona Sunrise to be a uniquely flavored dark roasted coffee when compared to other dark roasted coffee because it has a strong tangy aftertaste in the end.
Body:
Refers to the thickness of the coffee when it is in your mouth. Is it thin like water? Is it thick like whole milk? Kona coffee, to me, is medium bodied, somewhere between water and whole milk.
Complex:
Refers to the taste or the aroma of a coffee that has many aspects.
Mild:
A coffee that is balanced and sometimes has an acidity or sweetness to it.
Thanks for reading. Want to see some coffee reviews? Go to www.infohut.net.
Acidity:
Refers to the liveliness of coffee flavor, not the acid or pH level. With out it coffee will be a bit dull.
Bitter:
This actually means bitter as in one of the 4 basic taste (ex: sweet, sour, salty, bitter). A little bitterness in coffee is actually good, it brings out the flavor. Dark roast usually is more bitter than their medium roast counterpart. Though I do find the Hawaiian Isles Kona Sunrise to be a uniquely flavored dark roasted coffee when compared to other dark roasted coffee because it has a strong tangy aftertaste in the end.
Body:
Refers to the thickness of the coffee when it is in your mouth. Is it thin like water? Is it thick like whole milk? Kona coffee, to me, is medium bodied, somewhere between water and whole milk.
Complex:
Refers to the taste or the aroma of a coffee that has many aspects.
Mild:
A coffee that is balanced and sometimes has an acidity or sweetness to it.
Thanks for reading. Want to see some coffee reviews? Go to www.infohut.net.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Godiva Coffee
Godiva, the name that brings memories of wonderfully delicious truffles that melts in your mouth. Fortunately there is also a coffee with the same name and the same wonderful taste. A part of me hoped that the coffee would taste like the candy but nope, it taste just like how it is advertised, flavored coffee. The coffee has no added sugar and dairy free. Even though this coffee taste great on its own, it's even more wonderful with milk and sugar. It comes in a variety of flavors so go ahead, give this coffee a try!
For more reviews on coffee check out www.infohut.net.
For more reviews on coffee check out www.infohut.net.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Hawaiian Isles Coffee, Always a Favorite
Ahh yes Kona coffee. My favorite coffee because it is smooth
and mild with an earthly aroma. 100% Kona coffee is expensive. The
blended ones are actually pretty good. I like the Hawaiian Isles Kona
Coffee brand because it does not have that bitter after taste like other
coffees. It comes in different flavors, Classic, Sunrise, Chocolate Macnut, Hazelnut. My favorite is the chocolate macnut.
It has a wonderful chocolate aroma and the chocolate flavor can be
tasted in the end. This is a very good coffee and I highly recommend
this coffee to people who like their coffee mild. Here is a site with a
review on the coffee, www.infohut.net.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Simple and Tasty Chow Mein
This is a very simple chow mein recipe and yet delicious.
Ingredients:
2 packages of chow mein noodles.
3 tablespoons of oyster sauce (if you like it salty add a bit more but use caution oyster sauce is really salty.).
1 teaspoon of sugar (some people like to omit the sugar for a salter noodle taste.).
1 to 1 1/2 cup of chopped meat (Char siu, chicken, pork, beef, luncheon meat or what ever is left over in the fridge).
16 oz package of frozen stir fry vegetable mix or 2 to 3 cups of chopped stir fry vegetables (carrots, onions, broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, green onion, baby corn, sugar snap peas, bell peppers.).
4 cloves of garlic, chopped.
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
1 teaspoon of sesame oil for taste (optional).
Some people want more meat, others want more vegetables, feel free to modify the recipe towards your taste.
It's important to prep the noodles and ingredients:
Before doing any cooking, prepare the ingredients a head of time. I highly suggest reading the chow mein noodles directions on the package on how to prepare it. Some chow mein noodles would have the words "ready to eat" on the package. Naturally, people would assume that the noodles can be fried out of the package with out any preparation. Unfortunately, I was one of those people. In a bad case scenario the noodles would come out hard (not crispy) after frying them because they weren't prepared properly. To properly prepare them, you can put them in boiling water for a few minutes, about 3 to 5 minutes, or until soft. Do not leave the noodles in the water after you are done preparing it or they will get soggy. The goal is get the noodles soft not soggy. Drain them of the water and set it aside.
Time to cook the meat and vegetables:
After preparing the noodles, heat up the wok, or large frying pan if you don't have a wok, and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil into the wok. After the oil is heated, put the meat into the wok. When the meat is heated and cooked thoroughly, transfer it to a bowl and set it aside. Then stir fry vegetables into the wok and stir fry it until it is soft. When the vegetables are soft, transfer it to a bowl and set it aside.
Fry the noodles without breaking them:
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil into the wok. Wait until the oil is heated and then add the 4 cloves of chopped garlic. Stir the garlic for about 30 seconds before adding the chow mein noodles. Be careful how you handle the noodles, it breaks really easily. I recommend using two long chop sticks and toss or swirl the noodles in a loop while cooking. Add the oyster sauce and sugar to the noodles. Swirl the noodles in a loop for about a minute or so and then add the meats and vegetables that was set aside into the wok. Swirl the noodles in a loop again for about a minute or so to mix the meat, vegetables, and noodles together. Finally add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil into the noodle mixture and swirl the noodles again for about a minute or so to distribute the oil throughout the mixture. The sesame oil is just for the taste. If you don't like sesame omit the oil.
Well that is all there is to making a very simple yet delicious noodle dish. Just remember, the longer you fry the noodles the crisper they get, just don't over do it because burnt noodles aren't very tasty. I hope you enjoy preparing this dish. If you have any questions or suggestions please post a comment below.
Ingredients:
2 packages of chow mein noodles.
3 tablespoons of oyster sauce (if you like it salty add a bit more but use caution oyster sauce is really salty.).
1 teaspoon of sugar (some people like to omit the sugar for a salter noodle taste.).
1 to 1 1/2 cup of chopped meat (Char siu, chicken, pork, beef, luncheon meat or what ever is left over in the fridge).
16 oz package of frozen stir fry vegetable mix or 2 to 3 cups of chopped stir fry vegetables (carrots, onions, broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, green onion, baby corn, sugar snap peas, bell peppers.).
4 cloves of garlic, chopped.
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
1 teaspoon of sesame oil for taste (optional).
Some people want more meat, others want more vegetables, feel free to modify the recipe towards your taste.
It's important to prep the noodles and ingredients:
Before doing any cooking, prepare the ingredients a head of time. I highly suggest reading the chow mein noodles directions on the package on how to prepare it. Some chow mein noodles would have the words "ready to eat" on the package. Naturally, people would assume that the noodles can be fried out of the package with out any preparation. Unfortunately, I was one of those people. In a bad case scenario the noodles would come out hard (not crispy) after frying them because they weren't prepared properly. To properly prepare them, you can put them in boiling water for a few minutes, about 3 to 5 minutes, or until soft. Do not leave the noodles in the water after you are done preparing it or they will get soggy. The goal is get the noodles soft not soggy. Drain them of the water and set it aside.
Time to cook the meat and vegetables:
After preparing the noodles, heat up the wok, or large frying pan if you don't have a wok, and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil into the wok. After the oil is heated, put the meat into the wok. When the meat is heated and cooked thoroughly, transfer it to a bowl and set it aside. Then stir fry vegetables into the wok and stir fry it until it is soft. When the vegetables are soft, transfer it to a bowl and set it aside.
Fry the noodles without breaking them:
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil into the wok. Wait until the oil is heated and then add the 4 cloves of chopped garlic. Stir the garlic for about 30 seconds before adding the chow mein noodles. Be careful how you handle the noodles, it breaks really easily. I recommend using two long chop sticks and toss or swirl the noodles in a loop while cooking. Add the oyster sauce and sugar to the noodles. Swirl the noodles in a loop for about a minute or so and then add the meats and vegetables that was set aside into the wok. Swirl the noodles in a loop again for about a minute or so to mix the meat, vegetables, and noodles together. Finally add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil into the noodle mixture and swirl the noodles again for about a minute or so to distribute the oil throughout the mixture. The sesame oil is just for the taste. If you don't like sesame omit the oil.
Well that is all there is to making a very simple yet delicious noodle dish. Just remember, the longer you fry the noodles the crisper they get, just don't over do it because burnt noodles aren't very tasty. I hope you enjoy preparing this dish. If you have any questions or suggestions please post a comment below.
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