Bless This Hot Mess

Why we ♥ coffee

11:52:00 AM

There are a lot of reasons for someone to love coffee. It is hard to wtight all of them, so we gathered a top 10 and made a tribute to our most favourite drink in the world...

1. Its aroma and taste

If you are a true coffee lover, then you know that its aroma is priceless. It has the ability to take all of your stress away. It is impossible not to smell your coffee before taking the first magic sip.

2. Its preparation can be very creative

Latte art, is like painting with milk being your colours and the coffee your canvas. You can find creative designs, beyond every imagination.

3.There is a variety of choices for every taste

Hot or cold, with or without milk, you can choose whatever you like. The coffee or drink you choose to drink through your day can reveal your personality.

4. It is the first to share your day with

Coffee is a friend. It is always there. You owe to it a part of your social life. You wouldn't have any if you didn't drink coffee.

5. It gives you energy

There are days that feel like you can't get off bed and the only thing that can help you is coffee. It is the human-fuel.

6 For its preperation it allows us to use methods that seem to have come out from a lab

There are tons of different ways to brew coffee. Many of them are very impressive and remind us of science.

7. It has multicultural character

Not only there are is a variety of coffee quallities all over the world, but also there are different habbits of drinking coffee. So, if culture brings brings people close, coffee does it too.

8. It is the best company when reading

Is there anyone who can read without drinking a cup of coffee? It helps you focus when you are reading or working. It clears your mind and helps you concentrate.

9. It's conversational

In modern life it is very common meeting up for coffee, with friends, dates, colleagues. You can have many meaningful or meaningless conversations over a cup of coffee. I'm sure you have a kind of this memory.

10. It makes us happy

And for all these reasons, coffee contributes to our happiness. Every sip transfers you to a whole new peaceful and calm world. So, join us in this journey...

Coffee Story: How would I describe Happiness

10:59:00 AM

"Everybody has a Christmas story, that will remember for a long time. Mine includes travelling and coffee. Two of my most favourite things in the world. If you asked me to describe an ideal Sunday morning I would say: cold weather, hot coffee, books and friends, which becomes even better when it's Christmas. And that is pretty much what happened in my story.

Back in 2012 I visited with my friends a small but picturesque village in Greece. It is well known that Greece has wonderful islands, but when it comes to winter destinations it can also give you a magical experience with its landscapes. We were off to that village for the weekend. We packed our things and headed off to our imminent adventure. Of course, we stopped by a cafe to get our fuel for the roadtrip, which is nothing else, than coffee. Due to the snowy weather the journey was difficult, but we enjoyed ourselves singing in the car and having fun. We arrived late at the evening at the pansion, where the very kind hostess, named Evgenia, waited for us. ''Evgenia'' in greek means ''kindness'' and she was a pure represantation of that word. She showed us our rooms and asked if we needed anything before going to sleep. We were so tired from the trip, that we went straight to our beds.

Next morning found us ready to explore this unknown place. As we went down the stairs, the smell of fresh made coffee, and baked cookies filled the air. Evgenia had prepared breakfast for us, with all the goods you can imagine. I knew that Greeks were famous for their hospitality but her sweet and kind personality surpassed my expectations. We invited her to join us in our breakfast. She filled a cup with coffee, sat next to me and got ready to get to know us. We were talking, laughing, asked her information about the village, about what can we see, where can we eat traditional food, and she was more than helpful with her directions. She opened up about her life, and how she decided to leave Athens and settle in that small village. We had been talking for so long that we didn't even notice that the time passed by so quickly. It's about how you can connect with people even older than you and share your stories, over a cup of coffee. We finally, started exploring the village, tried the greek traditional kitchen, took a lot of photos, we drunk greek coffee and returned back to the pansion. Evgenia was there. We shared our epxerience with her and stayed up till late at night. She had the ability to make you forget about the time. We had found a friend in her and she had found a friend in us.

The next morning was our last day in the village. We had to say goodbye to our new friend till the time we were going to meet again. We thanked her for everything she did for us and the great experience she offered us. Every year this time, reminds me that it doesn't matter how much time you know someone, sometimes you meet people and it is like you have always known them.

After all, what matters in life are the little things. Merry Christmas to my dear friend Evgenia and to all of you who read my story! "

K. T.

These are not common coffee drinks!

11:46:00 AM

Coffee trends will never stop surprising us. We heard about avolatte, the nitro coffee, the goth latte... and if you thought that this was it, what else can you combine with coffee? Then hold your breath, because we are going to introduce you some really unusual coffee drinks all over the world.

1) Coffee with cheese| Kaffeost

source:the telegraph

If you like your coffee with a little bit of sugar, then why not adding a little bit of cheese? This might have been a thought in Sweden,so they invented the Kaffeost. It is a traditional coffee drink where you either dip the cheese in the coffee or drink your coffee with the cheese inside it. The cheese, is a nice Finnish Leipäjuusto made from milk cow, goat or reindeer (not for vegans!).

2) Egg Coffee| Cà Phê Trứng

source: Asia tour advisor

If you ever find yourself in Vietnam and especially in its capital Hanoi, then you will definetely see that Cà Phê Trứng is served in every local coffeehouse. It is made of egg yolk and condensed milk, whipped together until a cream is created, which is then poured over a cup of hot Vietnamese Robusta coffee. Maybe it seems odd, but people who have tried it say that it tastes like a liquid tiramisu.

3) Coffee with tonic

The first thing that comes to mind when hearing Tonic is usually, gin. But here comes the coffee with tonic. How is it made? Simply! Prepare an espresso dose and pour it into a glass of tonic and ice. Even though it started in a Swedish roastery, you can find it in many specialty cafes in the world or you can make it yourself. You can take a look here as well for more coffee cocktails.

4) Coffee with lemon or lime

source:healthy food recipes

When life gives you lemons make a coffee out of them and specifically an espresso Romano, which originates in Italy. You want to know how? Just make yourself an espresso and add a slice of lemon or squeeze it in your coffee. It looks nice, does it taste the same way?

5) Coffee with sea salt

source:the cooking of joy

On December 2008 the chefs at Taiwanese coffeehouse 85C Bakery Cafe, launched a coffee beverage sprinkled with sea salt. No he went crazy! In fact, since it first appeared, it has become the best seller of the coffeehouse. They were inspired by the habit of sprinkling sea salt on fruits in order to enrich their sweet taste.

6) Coffee- Tea mix| Yuan Yang

source: season with spice

For those who like tea as much as coffee and can never decide what to order,here is the solution for your problem, a Yuan Yang. It combines powerful filter coffee with soothing black tea milk and is extremely popular among the 7 million people in China.

7) Coffee with butter and oil

source: smartD

It is also called Bulletproof coffee, as the name of the company that launched it. The idea behind it is to garnish your coffee with a spoon of butter and coconut oil, instead of eating breakfast. This has though, dietitians disputing if it works, as it is well known that consuming too much butter can damage our health. However, is this the only problem? Does coffee with butter sounds appealing to you?

Christmas gift ideas for coffee addicts!

9:12:00 PM

Flat White vs Cappucino: Which is the difference between them?

11:03:00 AM

I rarely order a cappuccino when I can have a flat white! A lot of people ask me what is the difference and why do I prefer the flat white. So I decided to write this article and show the differences between the flat white and cappuccino.

The beginning of Flat White is originated in the 1980s, but as to the country that first created it, is still a subject under discussion. It seems like there is a small confrontation between Australia and New Zealand. The Australians claim that they were the first that invented Flat White on the Moors Espresso Bar menu in Sydney, while New Zealanders claim that it was created as a variant of the latte in 1984 in Auckland by Derek Townsend and Darrell Ahlers, being 100% sure.

So, what is a Flat White, as it can be very confusing for a lot of people? Some say that it is a smaller latte and some that it is simply a cappuccino with less milk foam. However, Flat White is a special beverage with its own characteristics, intense coffee flavor and discreet, supportive use of milk. It can be hot or iced.

First of all, Flat White has a velvety microfoam with minimal swelling and as small as possible air blisters. Secondly, it has a medium size, which means that is larger than that of a macchiato or a cortado, but less than a latte. Also, is needed a double dose of espresso ristretto and lastly, for its preparation is used the free pour spraying technique so that the milk is mixed with the coffee and there is no apparent separation.

Now, the most important ingredient is the milk. It is right the proportion of milk and coffee that make Flat White stand out for cappuccino and latte. Specifically, the process of making and pouring the milk is the notional difference between flat white and other beverages. There are created 3 different layers of milk every time you foam:

1. Hot liquid milk at the bottom of the milk pitcher

2. Microfoam in the middle, with very small air hoses

3.Shriveled milk with visible airflows

The top layer of milk is removed from the milk pitcher so as to leave only the velvety foam, which with the free pour technique is mixed with the dose of espresso and gives us the opportunity to create unique latte art motifs.

You can create a great Flat White at home as well. All you need is a decent home espresso machine and a coffee that works best for you. It's up to your personal taste. It's a perfect choice for those who like milk in their coffee but not too much of it.

Unique cafés around the world

5:13:00 PM

When it comes to the choice of the place that you are going to enjoy your coffeeA cozy environment is an important factor,.However, there are some cafés, which apart from your favorite drink offer a special visit experience! Let's get to know them...

1. Cat Cafés

huffingtonpost.com

Hooray for the cat lovers!! Cat cafe, firstly appeared in Taiwan and it spread fromTokyo, to Canada and England in the blink of an eye. These "fluffy" cafes give you the opportunity to drink your coffee while enjoying the relaxing companionship of your favourite animal!

2. Hammock Cafés

uptownalmanac.com

Relaxing in a hammock on summer afternoons is one of the little pleasures of this life. The combination of coffee-hammock can be enjoyed at any time in a hammock café, which is especially popular in Asia. Be careful not to spill your coffee all over yourself while the hammock is moving.

3. Pokemon Café

lipstiq.com

If you loved pokemon as a kid or as an adult then you need to visit the Pokemon themed Cafe in Tokyo. You should hurry though because it is only open until March. Be prepared to wait at least 4 hours to get in. But if you are a true fan it is worth the wait.

4.Ziferblat Café 

popupcity.net

Time is money, that is exactly what they thought at Ziferblat Café. Café Ziferblat started from Russia and has a unique philosophy: whatever you order is not charged, but what is charged is your time of stay! So when you enter you get a clock, you note the time you walk in and keep it with you until you leave. In England, the charge is 8p / min, so if you sit for an hour enjoying the coffee and the cozy atmosphere, you will just pay 3 pounds!

5. Robo Café

newatlas.com

Robo Cafe in Japan brings us closer to the future. You can order verbally to a Robot waiter and it will provide its services through horizontal pathways that lead from kitchen to the tables. Well, everything is possible in Japan.
6. Underwater Café

atlasobscura.com

The Red Sea Star, is the first underwater restaurant in the world and you can find it in Eliat, Israel. At this unique restaurant there is a surface and an underwater area. The decoration is very interesting, even the chairs look like jellyfish.

7.Cabmen's Shelters

thebeautyoftransport.com

As you can guess from the name this cafe serves only taxi drivers. If you have visited London you have probably noticed the green kiosk that serves coffee and snacks exclusively to taxi drivers bearing the respective green sign. Cabmen's Shelter started in 1875 and remains untill today. If you find yourself there, without a cab, do not ask for a coffee. Chances are you are not given one!

Get to know the worldwide coffee championships.

5:33:00 PM

Discovering the world of coffee through coffee events can be very exciting. Coffee events magnetize the interest of professional baristas and coffee lovers. Baristas have the chance to show their skills and promote coffee excellence. So, let's take a look to the worldwide coffee championships.

1. World Barista Championship

It is the most important organization of the coffee community. The World Barista Championship is held every year by World Coffee Events (WCE). The mission of the contest is to improve the profession of the barista and gain the interest of the general public that loves coffee.

As for the conduct of the competition, champions from more than 50 countries are invited each year to prepare 4 espresso, 4 coffee drinks with milk and 4 original signature drinks. The rules are strict and baristas must have completed the whole process within 15 minutes.

After that, judges, who are selected by the World Coffee Events, evaluate each competitor's performance based on the taste of the beverages, the creativity, the skills and its overall presentation. The top 12 contestants in the first round go to the semifinals, where 6 of them will be able to pass the final round, where one will be the lucky winner of the World Barista Championship.

2. World Brewers Cup

The World Brewers Cup contest is about the art of manual brewing. In the first round, contestants should prepare 3 beverages using coffee varieties that are given to them by their competitors. The next step is to prepare a beverage with a variety of coffee that they chose by themselves and make a presentation of the result. The 6 contestants with the highest scores from the first round go to the finals where they prepare drinks with the variety of coffee that they chose. One of them will be named World Brewers Cup Champion.

3. World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship

The World Cup Coffee Championship requires creativity and mixology skills. It promotes the creation of innovative drinks that combine coffee and alcohol.

In the preliminary round, each contestant is asked to create four drinks, two identical hot and two identical cold, based on the coffee and alcohol combination. The six contestants with the highest score will compete in the final round, where each of them has to make 2 Irish Coffees and 2 coffee alcoholic beverages. The highest rated contestant wins the title.

4. World Latte Art Championship

As the title reveals it is the most artistic championship. The World Latte Art Championship highlights expression through the creation of unique latte art beverages. In the preliminary round of the event, contestants must create an original latte design at Art Bar. They then go to the WLAC stage to create 2 identical free-pour lattes and 2 identical designer lattes with decorative elements. The scores from the Art Bar and the WLAC are combined and the top 6 contestants go to the finals. There, they are asked to create 2 identical free-pour macchiatos, 2 identical free-pour lattes, and 2 identical designer lattes.

The highest-rated contestant, based on visual features, creativity, similarity between pairs of drinks, contrast between the patterns and the overall performance of the barista, wins the title of World Latte Art Champion!

5. World Cup Tasters Championship

The World Cup Tasters Championship contest rewards cuppers demonstrating speed, technique, and accuracy in recognizing the specialties of specialty coffee.

In the first round, three coffees are placed in a triangle, with two of them being the same and one different. The contestants' cuppers need to smell, taste, and observe with attention and experience the triangle and are asked to recognize the different variety of the triangle as quickly as possible. The round is completed when each competitor has identified 8 such triangles.

The 8 contestants with the most correct answers in less time spent are going in the semifinals, while 4 of them will claim the title of the World Cup Tasters Champion in the finals.

6. World Coffee Roasting Championship

The World Coffee Roasting Championship took place in 2013 in Nice, France for the first time. It rewards the knowledge and technique of roasting coffee.

Contestants pass through 3 stages.Their performance contains recognizing the quality of unripened coffee beans, creating a roasting profile that will highlight the desired characteristics of the coffee and the result of roasting.

All the contestants and champions are distinguished after hard work and devotion to the love we all share: coffee!

Why we ♥ coffee

Coffee Story: How would I describe Happiness

These are not common coffee drinks!

Christmas gift ideas for coffee addicts!

Flat White vs Cappucino: Which is the difference between them?

Unique cafés around the world

Get to know the worldwide coffee championships.

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