I happened upon a restaurant that had some of the best coffee I've ever had. I've been trying to make coffee like this for as long as I've been drinking it, but to no avail. So, after pestering the staff enough, I learned that the brand was Douwe Egberts, their Kona blend. Our waiter said he didn't know much about it, but all he had to do was press the button and Viola! After searching the net, I found that Douwe Egberts (DE), only sells a Kona blend for their commercial coffee machines they call Cafitesse. After reading the description for these machines(which fit the waiters' description), it appears that the cofee is INSTANT!!

What do you know about DE and their coffee system? If you've had their coffee, did you like it?

Their website is http://www.coffeefast.com/index.htm

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2001

Answers

I've never had that, but after checking out their web site, I realize it's just like the machine we had in my office back in NYC. It "brewed" one cup at a time. You'd put a little foil-type package in the appropriate slot, put the cup under the "spout", press the correct button (depending on coffee/tea/hot chocolate/etc.), and VOILA! coffee.

Oddly enough, it wasn't all that bad. Certainly beat the old pots of commercial crapola they'd been buying. With this system, we actually had a choice of Arabica, French Roast, Columbian, "gourmet" hot chocolate, espresso, cappucino (another add on and you had this -- wasn't great, but wasn't the worst I've ever tasted), and about four different kinds of teas.

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2001

Patricia is apparently more familiar with this particular setup than I am.

I've seen one other type of system that makes good on-demand coffee; it uses a mechanized version of the "steeped" method that I talk about at my Web site. (Some of the Burger Kings back in NC had them.) The machine has a bag of refrigerated coffee concentrate (Columbian, in this case) that was mixed with boiling water at dispense time. Net result was "instant," but very good, coffee.

Of course, the original expresso machines were named that way on purpose; they used a variant of the method that Pat mentions. In an expresso machine, very hot water is forced through a small quantity of very finely-ground coffee, making "express" coffee.

I wish I could find one of the old expresso machines, the kind with the big gold eagles and other decorations. Those things are worth money now. :)

-- Anonymous, February 19, 2001

By the way, don't automatically disparage "instant." It's possible to make good instant coffee; the real problem is that the major packers don't want to spend the time or money to do it right. But if you were take top choice, freshly-brewed coffee and dessicate it yourself, it would make a palatable cup later on -- certainly not as good as fresh-brewed, but surprisingly good.

I discuss this at my Web site, too.

(For those who care and/or may wonder what I'm babbling about, the article can be found here.)

-- Anonymous, February 19, 2001

Well, it seemed obvious the thing to do was start at the source, so I e-mailed DE, and their response,(combined with yours) provided some answers. A fresh frozen concentrate is mixed instantly with hot water to make this coffee. Hence the need for the refrigeration unit in the maker, as well as a plumbed water source. This probably makes it unmarketable for home use due to equipment expense...too bad!

The top buyers of these systems seem to be hotels...Marriott, Hyatt, Fairfield Inn, Hilton, and Embassy Suites. Oh and by the way, also 5000 Burger Kings! Ring a bell? Interestingly, the restaurant where I discovered this coffee is literally about a stones throw from a Burger King! I guess I'll be trying all the local BKs to see who has this coffee, and if it is as good as the restaurant where I discovered it (which is closing down at the end of this month).

If your interested, Douwe Egberts sells their coffee by mail from the USA. I've already tried one variety, and I came close to "that taste" that's always eluded me. I guess I'll keep trying to "tweak the Bunn". I think I may be grinding my coffee too fine. Anyway, here's their address: Spice Of Life 5806 Grape Road Mishawka, IN 46545 800/837-7423 or 219/277-6887 www.bestcoffeebymail.com coffeemaster@bestcoffeebymail.com

-- Anonymous, February 19, 2001

Jerry,

That's interesting. I know that the BK machine that I tried several years ago (near Rocky Mount, NC) used Columbian, and not Kona; but perhaps this company did those, too.

If you really like the taste, don't worry about the commercial coffee maker. Choose a roast and bean, then see the instructions for "steeped" coffee on my Web page. All you need is an empty 1 gallon milk jug.

Note what I said there about "steeped" coffee: that there's very little bitterness. That may be what you particularly like about it (a lot of people do). If not, though, you could also try making a VERY strong pot of coffee in your drip machine and immediately refrigerating this "concentrate" and using it the same way.

It's a shame that good coffee has to be so much trouble, but hey; it's worth it. :)

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2001

I think maybe your right. I've read your Web page and I think I'll try the steeped method. I'm a cream and sugar coffee drinker and so far my favorite variety is just good ole Columbian, the higher the grown, the better, (but I've found that just about all brands with Juan's logo are equally good). Thanks for the input.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2001

Stephen, what is your web page address, would like to get info on how to steep coffee? Thanks

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2001

Lynne, I posted the link above. Just click on the link thingie. :)

By the way, to be accurate, I should say "COLD-steeped," not just "steeped."

-- Anonymous, February 23, 2001

CAFFEINE--A DANGEROUS DRUG

When I announced in Health Tip #168 that we were going to speak on the subject of caffeine at our support group meeting on February 13, I received many requests to share this information on caffeine with our Health Tip subscribers. Since so many asked, hopefully many will find the following interesting:

The most commonly used DRUG in America is CAFFEINE! Eighty percent of Americans consume it daily. Fifty tons of caffeine are consumed by Americans each day. Yet very few realize that caffeine is highly addictive, or that a dosage equal to 75 cups of coffee placed into the body at one time would kill a person.

Coffee drinkers usually start out by drinking one or two cups per day. But over time it is not unusual for the habit to increase to between five and ten or more cups per day. "I need a cup of coffee" becomes a common sigh by the coffee drinker. What they don't realize is that the morning coffee is more than a ritual; rather, it is a "caffeine fix" needed by the body to rebalance the blood that is out of balance because of the previous day's caffeine intake.

Ask any coffee drinker what happens when they abstain from caffeine for a single day. The answer is often headaches, fatigue, sleepiness, stomach pain and irritation. These are withdrawal symptoms! The major addictive substance in coffee is caffeine, a white crystalline alkaloid that stimulates the brain and artificially and chemically lessens fatigue. But in reality caffeine is a POISON!

Injected into human muscles, caffeine will cause paralysis, while ten grams of caffeine accumulated suddenly in a human body would result in death. Fortunately, coffee ingested in the common manner of a single cup at a time is not fatal because the kidneys work overtime to eliminate this toxin and prevent accumulation.

However, continuous use of caffeine devitalizes the body to the point that the body cannot function without it, because the adrenal glands have been so over-stimulated that it takes a high level of caffeine just to feel normal. Thus a vicious cycle is created, as the very thing that created the problem becomes the cure, and thus perpetuates the problem.

While not causing paralysis or death, small doses of caffeine do cause bad things to happen within the body. For instance, caffeine causes stomach temperature to rise 10 to 15 degrees, makes the stomach more acidic, and years of over-acidity can lead to stomach ulcers. Caffeine causes the heart to beat faster, lungs to work harder, and the blood vessels leading to the brain to narrow, while increasing the body's metabolic rate. Studies show that caffeine consumption is related to increased bladder and stomach cancers, elevated blood pressure, aggravated diabetes, and damaged stomach lining.

Many people do not realize that most soft drinks are loaded with caffeine, while chocolate and many over-the- counter drugs also contain high amounts of caffeine. Following is a partial list of some commonly consumed products that contain caffeine. The amount of caffeine is in milligrams per 7-ounce cup of coffee or 12-ounce can of soda.

Drip coffee 115 - 117 Brewed coffee 80 - 135 Instant coffee 65 - 100 Decaf coffee 2 - 4 Tea, iced 70 Mountain Dew 55 Coca-Cola 45 Dr. Pepper 39 Pepsi Cola 37 Chocolate bar 30 Stay-awake pill 100 Cold tablet 30 - 200 Diet pills 100 Excedrin 65 Midol 32

Children who drink soft drinks containing caffeine, weighing half as much as adults, are three times more sensitive than the adult to the caffeine. One can of cola in a child is equivalent to three cups of coffee in an adult. This caffeine, combined with the approximately eleven teaspoons of sugar found in each 12-ounce can of soda pop, creates very unmanageable youngsters--not to mention all the physical damage it does in a child's body.

Caffeine penetrates deeply into vital tissue. Reports indicate that caffeine may be linked to male infertility as well as birthing defects, and can even be passed through mother's milk into the nursing child. And when a person realizes that coffee and tea and soda pop have absolutely no nutritional value, that person should certainly question its use.

Following are some words from Kurt W. Donsbach, Ph.D., D.Sc., N.D., D.C.: "Blood sugar can be raised by coffee, heart rates increased, gastric secretions of hydrochloric acid quadrupled, lungs stimulated, kidneys worked overtime, and changes take place in the blood vessels in the entire body.

"Can there be any benefit from such stimulation? If we feel fatigued, the body is trying to tell us something. We may need rest or food to replenish the fuel supply needed for energy. When we use a chemical substitute for either, we are whipping a tired horse. The result will be a temporary speeding up, but eventually the horse will collapse. Sooner or later we all have to accept the laws of nature.

"Intensive tests of caffeine indicate that the effect on the brain and nervous tissues [is] more serious and destructive than doses of morphine. Would you use a small amount of morphine every day? Is it possible that your nervous system could work better without a constant bombardment with a destructive drug?

"Would you agree that everything you put into your body should be for the benefit and use of the body? Coffee does not come in such a category. It has no positive function. It furnishes no vitamins, minerals, enzymes or protein to the diet, but does create many problems which cause the body to expend much energy to overcome. Coffee, tea, cola drinks and chocolate all contain caffeine. There are many herb teas and coffee substitutes, which can be consumed to benefit the body. The elimination of caffeine-containing substances from your diet can be one of the most important health decisions you ever make."

-- Anonymous, February 23, 2001

"Coffee is a poison, and a slow one. I have been using it, lo, these seventy years." -- Voltaire

:)

-- Anonymous, February 23, 2001