Author's posts
Jun 11 2024
Is Decaf Coffee a Diuretic? Caffeine, Hydration & What the Science Says
If drinking coffee seems to send you to the bathroom more often, you may wonder whether switching to decaf solves the problem. So, is decaf coffee a diuretic? For most people, decaf coffee is unlikely to have a meaningful diuretic effect. Decaffeinated coffee still contains a small amount of caffeine, but typically far less than …
Jun 10 2024
Dark Roast Coffee: What It Is, Flavor, Caffeine & Brewing Guide
Dark roast coffee is bold, aromatic, and unmistakably roasty. Its deep brown beans, sometimes shiny with surface oils, produce the bittersweet chocolate, caramelized, smoky, nutty, and toasted flavors many coffee drinkers associate with a strong traditional cup. But dark roast is also surrounded by misconceptions. Does it contain more caffeine because it tastes stronger? Is …
Jun 09 2024
How to Make Drip Coffee: Ratio, Grind, Temperature & Brewing Tips
Drip coffee is one of the simplest ways to make coffee at home. Add water, place ground coffee in the filter, press a button, and let the machine do most of the work. Simple, however, doesn’t always mean foolproof. If your drip coffee tastes weak, bitter, sour, flat, or completely different from one morning to …
Jun 08 2024
Best Espresso Beans: Top Coffees for Espresso, Lattes & Cappuccinos
Great espresso starts long before you lock the portafilter into the machine. The beans determine whether your shot tastes like dark chocolate and caramel, bright cherry and citrus, roasted hazelnuts, molasses, or something in between. They also determine how well the espresso stands up to steamed milk in a cappuccino or a 12-ounce latte. But …
Jun 06 2024
Best BUNN Coffee Makers: Models, Features & Buying Guide
BUNN coffee makers are a little different from many of the programmable drip machines lining store shelves. The brand’s signature Speed Brew system keeps a reservoir of water hot inside a commercial-grade stainless-steel tank. Instead of waiting for the machine to heat an entire batch of cold water every morning, you add fresh water and …
Jun 05 2024
Best Smeg Coffee Makers: Models, Features & Buying Guide
Smeg coffee makers are difficult to mistake for anything else. Rounded edges, polished chrome details, pastel colors, and unmistakable retro styling have turned the company’s coffee machines into design pieces as much as kitchen appliances. But Smeg’s coffee lineup now extends far beyond the familiar retro drip brewer. Depending on the model, you can choose …
Jun 03 2024
What Is Espresso? History, Brewing, Crema & Popular Drinks
Espresso is small, concentrated, intensely aromatic, and responsible for an enormous portion of the modern coffee menu. A cappuccino begins with espresso. So does a latte, macchiato, flat white, mocha, Americano, cortado, and affogato. Yet despite espresso’s familiarity, there is still plenty of confusion about what it actually is. Espresso is not a type of …
Jun 01 2024
How to Make Iced Coffee: Easy 5-Minute Recipe
You don’t need to wait overnight for cold brew—or even wait an hour for hot coffee to cool in the refrigerator—to make a genuinely good iced coffee. The easiest method is to brew hot coffee a little stronger than usual and chill it immediately over plenty of ice. You get the aromatic extraction of hot …
May 31 2024
Best Smeg Espresso Machines: Models, Features & Buying Guide
Smeg espresso machines are some of the easiest coffee appliances to recognize. The rounded bodies, chrome accents, glossy finishes, and pastel colors give many of them the company’s signature retro look. But choosing a Smeg espresso machine shouldn’t begin with deciding between cream and pastel blue. Smeg’s current U.S. espresso lineup includes several machines aimed …