Cafe' Martini

Cafe' Martini ♥ (Bangkok)

2009-03-26T00:54:00.001-07:00

*All pictures and details from this blog are copy right ©
by Amy (ams ams) All rights reserved.

Cafe Martini est. 16 March 2009 .... " The First Coffee and Martini Bar in Town"

Cafe Martini is a one of a kind coffee and martini bar. Located in Bangkok, Thailand, the moment you walk through the door, you'll feel inspired by the delightful aroma and special ambience escaping your mind and body, freeing your hidden creative inspiration.
"Savor the rich flavors of our world-class coffees. Entice yourself with our delicious martini selections, and indulge in our freshly handmade gourmet pastries that will delight your palette and "sparkle your imagination." ....... sha rules + ams ams

Current Promotion update ! 2011
coupon promotion

Feb,2011 "Super Pink Promotion" down load coupon with sanook.com
http://coupon.sanook.com/127_?utm_source=Video&utm_medium=Banner&utm_term=300-250&utm_content=Deal-127-CafeMartini&utm_campaign=Coupon-PR

In House Promotion

Monday - 100 Baht Drink Night: Refresh yourself from the case of the Mondays with 100 bht Martini and Cocktail Night.

Tuesday - Ladies Night : Celebrate the power of sisterhood. Ladies drink 50% off on all Martinis and Cocktails.

Wednesday - Couples Night : Spend your romantic evening at Cafe Martini. Couples order a bottle of wine and receive complimentary slice of delicious cake.

Thursday - Mens Night Out ( 2 + 1 ): Party with the boys. Order any 2 Martinis or Cocktails and your 3rd one is FREE.

Friday - 4Some Night ( 3 + 1 ): Celebrate with the gang at Cafe Martinis. Order any 3 Martinis or Cocktails and your 4th one is FREE

Saturday - Happy Hour : From 6:30pm - 8:30pm at Cafe Martini. All Martinis and Cocktails are 100 Baht.

Celebrate your Birthday with us. Buy and Martini or Cocktail and receive a slice of cake on us. ( Must show ID )

Current Event update ! April 9. 2010

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

“Black and White T shirts, body painting, Music, DJ Party”
@ Café Martini Time: April 9,2010 7.30 pm till midnight.

Meet our special Artists "AOS crew": Peap, Aaron, Ghesol, and other AOS crews from NZ, AUS, USA.

Activities:
AOS: paint on wood panels or Canvas
Music: DJ+Rap
Peap Birthday party
T-shirt painting
Painting on Canvas
Painting on Body
Meet and greet the artists
Limited edition T-shirt with drink at special price (550 baht)
Try "Black-ish-tini" only this Party at Cafe Martini!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Hi everyone....... it's our pleasure to be your friend.

cafe' martini 's members.

♥ a must try " Cafe Latte & Cappuccino "

Our own,proudly present: world class coffee bean from the Northern Part of Thailand.

♥ Our signature"Cafe Martini - tini" - Vodka+Dark Choco+Mint+Cheery
for chocolate lover

The Combo set for this rainy season " Green Bliss + Flush Brownies "♥

Style ♥
Design / Style: My own Tone (sha rules style) -- modern, funky, edgy, hip, trendsetter ! name it!
- Logo / paintings / menu board / menu / has been created by ams ams
and sha rules (Thai-Canadian Artists)
- Signature Drinks, All drinks, and every items on the menu: only be served here at cafe martini

♥"Cafe Martini Latte" : the signature non-alcohol (serve chilled)

♥"Italian Creamosa" : Only here at Cafe Martini
"Ice Cocoa" (our proudly present home made cocoa for chocolate ♥ lover)

WHERE TO "Try" US?

204/24 Sukhumvit 77 (On-nuj, Next to Carrefour)
Phrakhanong Nua, Wattana,
Bangkok, Thailand, 10260
Tel: 02-730-3119 or 087-507-0796 (amy) ♥
email: thecafemartini@gmail.com

Facebook: search for Cafe Martini

♥ PR/ MEDIA & Event : Cafe Martini ♥ ♥ ♥

2009-03-26T00:53:00.003-07:00

♥ Events ♥ (happening)

“Black and White T shirts, Live painting, Rap Music, DJ Party”
@ Café Martini Time: April 9,2010 7.30 pm till midnight.

Meet our special Artists "AOS crew": Peap, Aaron, They&BiBi, Ghesol & Shannon, and other AOS crews from NZ, AUS, USA, ML.

Outdoor event/ Cocktail Catering

Cafe martini on the go @ The Argentinean Ambassador's Cup Polo Tournament 2010: Sat 27,2010 2pm-11pm

Valentine: Strawberry lover Feb2010

♥ Celebrate Valentine Special with Cafe Martini ♥
Strawberry fetish?? !!
Strawberry Daiquiri-tini
Strawberry Wine
Strawberry Italian Soda
All month long

X-Mas Party ......... Friday Dec. 25.09 (5 pm - dawn)

X-Mas Party Friday Dec.25.09 5pm-late
Enjoy delicious Martini, snack, and Live Performance by

"Mini Fusion Band" at Mid night.

♥ Halloween Hipster Party .... Oct 31.2009

Where Hipsters and Scary Creatures of the night meet for Martinis.
Hipsters and Scary Creatures Fight,
Drinking Martini's Together on Halloween Night.

Dress up and join us at Cafe Martini for a night of Halloween fun.
Prizes for best costumes.

♥ Yummy food and drinks to satisfy the hungry mummy in you. ♥

Gypsy Night: Friday Jul 10, 2009 ♥
Being a part of the beginning of your future. "I predict you will have lots of fun".
500 bht including free drink and 1 hr of tarot reading

♥White T-Shirt BBQ Party♥: Sun.Jul 19.09
Come join us at Cafe Martini for a yummy BBQ and Refreshing drinks.
Wear your coolest stylish white t-shirt and join the fun and win prizes.
BBQ: shrimp, beef, pork, chicken, veggies, salad, chips, beers, cocktail.... and yeah! MARTINIS! ♥Please call to RSVP !!!!

♥ PR & Media ♥

♥ TV show (Ch.9)-- shooting (Jul 23.09)

Cable TV ( Live TV) : Program Interview 29 Jul 09♥ (air Aug 21.09)

RS TV "Go Go Guide ( U Channel - TV show Interviewing 29 Nov.09) -- air Dec. 14.09

BK Mag.

Feat. on BK magazine (issue July 29.09)
http://bkmagazine.com/feature/caf-martini

Post Today

Feat. on "Hang out" section -"Post Today" Newspaper, Aug Fri, 28,09
promo with post today (from 1 Sept-30 Sept,09) = customer refer from post today "buy first Martini, with the 2nd Martini half price" !

http://www.posttoday.com/magazine.php?id=64000

MIX magazine section "Drink" Dec.09

Filming short film movie Dec 2009

My ♥ "Own Style" has no definition,

"I called a combination of all of your inspiration, passion,
interests, hard word, learning, open your mind, independent,
positive, and of course free style." (amy-ams ams)♥

copy right © 2006-2010 Amy (ams ams) All rights reserved.

9 rules (perfect result) of making a cup of coffee !
Passion . Machine . Water . Blend . Grind . Tamp . Pressure . Temperature . Time
My trick is trying to combine all of these, and you won't be surprise the perfect cup of you espresso.

((((((hugs))))))))
amy

Cafe' Martini : Coffee and Martini Lingo

2009-03-26T00:53:00.001-07:00

♥ Leaning with Cafe' Martini

--- Meaning of Coffee Lingo:
Often, the drink names and terms used in a coffeehouse can be confusing. However, this is not our intention. Nearly all the drink names used in a coffeehouse are Italian. Here is a list of some drink names and terms:
How we can create own coffee house lingo such as

Americano (esp with hot water added to dilute it. Similar to drip coffee, except it is made to order with your esp machine)
Breve(espresso with half-half),
Cafe’ con panna( esp shot with dollop of whipped cream),
Cafe’ Corretto(esp with cognac of some other spirit added),
Cafe’ freddo(esp served in a chilled glass, mostly over ice,
Cafe’ macchiato(a shot of esp with teaspoon or two of foamed milk) macchiato mean marked so you are marking the esp with a touch of foamed milk
Cafe’ medici (a double esp with chocolate and touch of whipped cream. Usually, made with chocolate syrup, but occasionally a brista may use a small chunk of real chocolate in the bottom of the cup, the brew the esp on top. It will melt some of the chocolate-but not all of it-leaving a nice chocalate treat at the bottom.
Cake in a Cup ( A double shot of esp with double cream and double sugar)

Crema ( The caramel-colored foam that comes to the surface of the espresso-much like the head on a beer, only slightly thinner. The crema is vital to a good esp. It is made up of the solubles that pass through during the brewing process.
Demitasse ( A small esp cup. It should be only large enough for single esp. This attractive cup is for the straight esp with nothing else added.
Cafe’ latte (A shot of esp with steamed milk topped with foamed milk
Cafe’ Au Lait (Drip coffee with hot or boiled milk poured into a cup at the same time.
Cafe’ Mocha ( A cafe’ latte with chocolate added, it just have the foamed milk on top, or have whipped cream with chocolate sprinkle
Mochaccino (like cafe’ Mocha except on cappuccino instead of latte)
Espresso Ristretto – An Italian-style espresso. American espresso is usually defined as two 1.5 ounce shots pulled in 25 seconds from a 14-16 gram dose of coffee. An espresso ristretto is usually a single 1 ounce shot pulled in 25 seconds from a 14-16 g dose. A ristretto shot contains mostly the whole sugars, the acidity, and the volatile aromatics of the espresso, as the carbonized sugars and other chemicals come through later in the shot. Because this type of shot requires a different grind, most coffeehouses will simply cut off their american shot at 1 ounce. From Italian meaning “coffee restricted”.
Steamer – A drink containing steamed milk and a flavoring syrup.
Wet / Dry – A modifier that changes the amount of foam on a drink. Wet indicates less foam, while dry indicates more foam (i.e., a dry cappuccino).
Skinny – A modifier indicating the use of skim milk.
Size-Short = 8 ounce cup, Tall = 12 oz, Grande = 16 oz, Venti= 20 oz.
(my place only serve in 8 oz. for hot coffee, and 16 oz. for cold drink )

......... More to Learn..... with Amy (ams ams)

--- Knowing Martini with Cafe' Martini ---
by ams ams ♥

Basic info.( from ams ams's own research)
The martini is a cocktail made with gin and dry white vermouth, although substituting vodka for gin is now common. It is often described as being "crisp" or "astringent". Over the years, the martini has become perhaps the most well known mixed alcoholic beverage.

The origin of the martini is uncertain. By one widely disseminated account, the martini is a descendant of the Martinez, an older, sweeter cocktail consisting of two ounces of sweet vermouth, one ounce Old Tom gin (a sweetened variant), and two dashes maraschino cherry
Liquid, and one dash bitters, shaken with ice, strained, and served with a twist of lemon. The Martinez was most likely invented in Martinez, California.

The martini was an established American cocktail at the beginning of the twentieth century, but did not attain its pre-eminent status as. The country's classic cocktail until later in the century.

The martini's popularity waned in the health-conscious, wine-and-spritzer-drinking 1970s, but has grown since the late 1980s. During this martini renaissance, vodka supplanted gin as the most commonly requested base spirit, and new variations proliferated: the green apple martini, the chocolate martini, etc. Whether the more extreme variations of this era may truly be called martinis remains a topic of debate. The first reference to a vodka martini in the United States occurs in the 1951 cocktail book Bottoms Up by Ted Saucier. The recipe is credited to celebrity photographer Jerome Zerbe.

Martini lore and mixology:
Western culture has created a virtual mythology around the martini, in part because of the many legendary historical and fictional figures who favoured it, among them Churchill, Truman Capote, J. Robert Oppenheimer, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Cary Grant, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and the fictional James Bond. The dry martini is also sometimes called a "Silver Bullet" because it "is clear, potent and never misses its mark".

The martini has become a symbol for cocktails and nightlife in general; American bars often have on their signs a picture of a conical martini glass garnished with an olive. In Martini, Straight Up: The Classic American Cocktail, Lowell Edmunds, a classics professor and doyen of martini lore, analyzes the cocktail's symbolic potency in considerable depth.

For absolute purists the bottle of gin, the mixing glass, vermouth and martini glass are all frozen prior to mixing. As a result the dry martini pours as an oily texture and is very soft on the palate.

The classic martini was stirred, "so as not to bruise the gin." W. Somerset Maugham declared that "martinis should always be stirred, not
shaken, so that the molecules lie sensuously one on top of the other," while James Bond from the Ian Fleming novels ordered his "shaken, not
stirred", a drink properly called a Bradford. The concept of "bruising the gin" as a result of shaking a martini is an oft-debated topic. The term comes from an older argument over whether or not to bruise the mint in preparing a Mint Julep. A shaken martini is different from stirred for a few reasons. The shaking action breaks up the ice and adds more water, slightly weakening the drink but also altering the taste. Some would say the shaken martini has a "more rounded" taste. Others, usually citing obscure scientific studies, say that shaking causes more of a certain class of molecules (aldehydes) to bond with oxygen, resulting in a "sharper" taste. Shaking also adds tiny air bubbles, which can lead to a cloudy drink instead of a clear one. If the drink is used as an aperitif, to cleanse the mouth before eating, the tiny air bubbles restrict the gin
(or vodka) from reaching all tastebuds. This is why purists would claim that a martini should always be stirred. Some martini devotees believe the vermouth is more evenly distributed by shaking, which can alter the flavor and texture of the beverage as well. In some places,
a shaken martini is referred to as a "martini James Bond" or a "007."...... (research by ams ams)

Try our Signature "Café Martini-tini" ♥

Enjoy this perfect decadent - tini with rich mouth-watering Chocolate dark and cherry minty flavors sparkling your imagination.
Vodka, Dark Chocolate, Cherry brandy, Creme de minthe, Creme de Cacao

-- relaxing with an edgy funky style with Cafe Martini --

Making an easy Latte Art : by Cafe Martini

Easy Espresso at home

2009-03-26T00:51:00.000-07:00

Making a good cup of coffee does not mean you have to make from only (expensive Espresso machine) though there are a lot of way to make a good cup......(amy)

(research from some website)

FRENCH PRESS

A French press, also known as a press pot, coffee press, coffee plunger or cafetière, is a simple coffee brewing device, probably invented in France in the 1850s, but first patented by Attilio Calimani in 1931.

A French press consists of a narrow cylindrical jug usually made of glass or clear plastic, equipped with a lid and a "plunger", made of metal or plastic, which fits tightly in the cylinder and which has a fine wire or nylon mesh acting as a filter. Coffee is brewed by placing the coffee and water together, leaving to brew for a few minutes, then depressing the plunger to trap the coffee grinds at the bottom of the jug.

The French press goes by various names around the world. In New Zealand, Australia and South Africa the whole apparatus is known as a coffee plunger and coffee brewed in it is known as plunger coffee. Its French name is cafetière à piston. In French it is also known by its brand names, notably a Bodum or a melior, from an old brand of this type. In the UK and Ireland the device is known as a cafetière, the French word for a coffee maker or pot.

Because the coffee grounds remain in direct contact with the brewing water and the grounds are filtered from the water via a mesh instead of a paper filter, coffee brewed with the French press captures more of the coffee's flavour and essential oils, which would become trapped in a traditional drip brew machine's paper filters. French pressed coffee is usually stronger and thicker and has more sediment than drip-brewed coffee. Because the used grounds remain in the drink after brewing, French pressed coffee should be served immediately so as to not become bitter from over-extraction. A typical 8-cup French press is considered expired after 20 minutes.^{[citation needed]}

Coffee for use in a French press should be of a consistent, coarse grind. The use of a burr mill grinder gives a more consistent grind than the whirling blade variety. The ground coffee should be more coarse than that used for a drip brew coffee filter, and far coarser than that used for espresso, as a finer grind will seep through the press filter and into the coffee.

A French press is also more portable and self contained than other coffee makers. Travel mug versions also exist made of tough plastic instead of the more common glass, and have a sealed lid with a closable drinking hole. Some versions are marketed to hikers and backpackers not wishing to carry a heavy metal percolator or a filter using drip brew.

Despite the name, the French press is not noticeably more popular in France than in other countries. In most French households, coffee is usually prepared by drip brewing, using an electric coffeemaker and paper filters.^{[citation needed]}

A French press can also be used in place of a tea infuser to brew loose tea.

As the French press is a filterless brewing method, some compounds in unfiltered coffee are thought to lead to an increase in cholesterol. See health risks of coffee for a more detailed explanation.

MOKA POT

The Moka pot (or Espresso pot, or Moka Express), is a stovetop espresso maker, based on the principle of preparing coffee with pressurized boiling water. On their English language website Bialetti refers to their product as a coffee maker, not an espresso maker.^[1] As the beverage produced by a Moka pot is not the same as coffee or espresso the terms moka or stovetop espresso is often used to refer to it. It was invented by Alfonso Bialetti in 1933 and while there are currently many manufacturers, his company Bialetti continues to market the leading model, known by the brand name Moka Express. The original design was made from aluminium with bakelite handles.

In Italy, where Bialetti is based, the moka pot is in almost every home; elsewhere, it is known as an iconic design, displayed in modern industrial art museums, such as the Science Museum in London. Mokas come in different sizes, from one to eighteen coffee cups.^[2]

--Brewing coffee with a Moka Express--

Water is poured in the boiler (marked A in the diagram) and the funnel-shaped metal filter (B) is inserted. Finely ground coffee is added to the filter as shown below. The upper part (which has a second metal filter at the bottom) is tightly screwed on the base. By placing the pot on a heat source, the water is brought close to boiling point creating steam in the boiler. A gasket ensures a tightly closed unit and allows for pressure to safely build up in the lower section, where a safety valve provides a necessary release in case this pressure should get too high (with clean filters, that should not happen).

The steam eventually reaches a high enough pressure to gradually force the surrounding boiling water up the funnel through the coffee powder and into the upper chamber (C), where the coffee is collected. When the lower chamber is almost empty, steam bubbles mix with the upstreaming water, producing a characteristic gurgling noise.

As with percolators, the pot should not be left on the stove so long that the coffee boils. Ideally, with a little practice, it should be removed from the heat before it actually starts gurgling--usually, when only about half of the top chamber has been filled.

--Moka coffee v.s drip coffee--

The coffee produced by a moka pot is a form of espresso known as stovetop espresso. ^[3] The flavor of moka pot espresso depends greatly on bean variety, roast level, fineness of grounds, and the level of stovetop heat used. Due to the higher pressures involved, the mixture of water and steam reaches temperatures well above 100°C, causing a more efficient extraction of caffeine and flavours from the grounds, and resulting in a much stronger brew when compared to that obtained by drip brewing. However, since a typical moka cup is about 30ml, the actual amount of caffeine per serving is smaller.

--Maintenance--

Moka pots require periodic replacement of the rubber seal and the filters and a check that the safety release valve is not blocked.

After use, a coat of greasy coffee residues is left lining the interior of the stems, filters and upper chamber. This thin layer protects the coffee from contact with the aluminum wall, which might otherwise give a slight metallic taste to the coffee.^{[citation needed]}

--Variations--

Moka pots are normally made of aluminium for use over an open flame or on an electric range. However, Bialetti now makes several electric moka pots and several stainless steel stovetop espresso machines of a somewhat different design.

--Brikka--

Brikka is an improved Moka pot by Bialetti. It incorporates a weight on top of the nozzle that causes pressure to build up inside the water tank in a manner similar to old style pressure cookers. It is designed to give a crema foam similar to that of an espresso machine, although it should be noted that the crema delivered by the Brikka is different and thinner. Also the taste differs from both the Moka Express and espresso. The brew is generally considered to be more enjoyable than the Moka Express'.

--Mukka Express--

Mukka Express is a recently-introduced Moka pot by Bialetti. It has a special valve that froths milk while the coffee is being made. The result is a coffee drink similar to a latte, though the Mukka Express product is weaker than the version of the drink often made in cafés. The name, 'Mukka', is a pun on the Italian for cow, 'mucca', and moka.

AERO PRESS There’s always a better way – ALWAYS! Humans have been consuming coffee for 1200 years, the first coffee shop opened 500 years ago and coffee is the world’s second largest traded commodity, behind only oil. More than 1.5 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day with the US market for coffee machines at 20 million a year and growing. You’d think we would have already perfected the best way to produce a cup of coffee from coffee bean but several years of research by Stanford University mechanical engineering lecturer Alan Adler (the inventor of the Aerobie flying disk which holds the world throwing record of more than a quarter mile) appear to have found a better coffee machine. Independent reviews suggest the new Aerobie AeroPress delivers the smoothest, richest, purest and fastest cup of coffee (under 30 seconds) you’re likely to find and the bonus is that the AeroPress costs just US$30. And while it might look like a French Press because both use immersion and pressure, it works quite differently. Human use of coffee originated in Ethiopia more some 1200 years ago, with the first cultivation of coffee in Yemen, the world’s first coffee shop opening more than 500 years ago (in Constantinople in 1475), and the first western coffee shops opening some 350 years ago (Italy 1640, Venice, 1652 London, 1672 Paris, 1675 Vienna). Coffee has been big business for a very long time, and surprisingly, is still the world’s second largest traded commodity, behind only oil. Logically, the process of roasting and grinding coffee beans and turning them into a beverage would have long since been perfected. After all, there are more than 1.5 billion cups of coffee prepared every day with the US market for coffee machines at 20 million a year and growing. All these pieces make the AeroPress seem more complicated than it really is. It can be packed into a compact package, and you don't necessarily need to take all these items for travel.
1. Prepare the Press
Put a single paper disc in the black plastic cap, twist it onto the clear brew chamber (right). Band-Aid not included with AeroPress!
2. Grind the Coffee
Measure out your coffee using the scoop provided, 1 level scoop per "cup." Using my method, you will add 50-65% more water to the concentrate after brewing, so you will roughly double the amount you initially brew in the AeroPress. These amounts are in blue ink on the side of the press. I suggest 2 scoops to make a 10-12 oz mug of coffee. Of course, you will dilute to your personal taste, which will require some experimentation. You can use the funnel (right) to grind directly into the brew chamber. Ditting mill not included with AeroPress!	What grind to use? I prefer a medium fine; finer than French Press, a bit finer than drip filter coffee, not nearly as fine as espresso. If the press is hard to plunge, make the grind coarser.
3. Add Hot Water And Brew!
Add hot water. I recommend using the TOP of the ovals indicated on the side. I prefer to brew using 2 or 3 scoops, and using the top of the ovals marked 2 or 3 respectively. Thoroughly wet the grinds while pouring. Then stir grinds rapidly, using the stirrer paddle. Surfboard coffee mug not included with AeroPress!
How Hot Should the Water Be? Okay, here is where things get subjective. Aeropress recommends low temperature brewing with 165 to 175 f water. They say "professional coffee tasters" preferred low temperatures. I do agree that the Aeropress should be brewed with temperatures on the low end of the traditional coffee brewing window from 195 to 205 f. But if you add a small amount of hot water to a room temperature brew and room temperature ground coffee, you immediately experience a big temperature drop. I suggest adding 195 to 200 f water, begin stirring in 10 seconds, continue for 10 seconds, then go to Step 4 and start plunging ...
4. Plunge It, Dilute It.
As mentioned, this is a fast brew method. The coffee tastes overextracted if you let it steep 3-5 minutes, as with other brew methods. Steep 10 seconds, stir 10 seconds, then plunge for 10-20 seconds. I think pushing with even, light force is better than pushing hard and fast. In either case, push the plunger all the way down.	Add hot water to dilute the concentrate to a drinkable coffee. For me, 50-65% additional hot water seems right. You don't want the undesirable tastes of overly strong coffee (liquor-like flavors) nor weak, watery cup results.
Variables: Grind, water temperature, steeping/stirring/plunging times, dilution. All 4 of these are going to affect the brew results greatly. If at first you are not pleased, experiment with these variables. I think it is a good feature of the AeroPress that you control the variables and can customize your results, even if these variables may give some occasionally unwanted variability to the results.
5. Clean Up
One of the nice things about the press is clean up. Simply remove the black plastic cap from the brew chamber. Then hold it over a compost bin or trash, and push the plunger in a bit further. The puck of coffee grind and paper filter will pop out.	You can rinse the end of the plunger, and the inside of the brew chamber, but actually, you can just wipe it off with a towel too. Voila, that is it! This makes the AeroPress really convenient for use in a hotel room or office, where you want to brew coffee without a real kitchen. AeroPress says you can even heat the water inside the plunger in a microwave, if you are desperate.
Other comments
Leakage: this picture shows some dripping from a yet-unpressed batch. You are going to get a bit of coffee leaking before you press, because of a slightly coarse grind, and because of, er ... gravity. I made the grind a bit finer, but there is always some early leakage.

Coffee? You can' t go wrong with it !

2009-03-26T00:50:00.000-07:00

Coffee and Coffee and coffee and coffee ....
about coffee The art of brewing coffee is not a difficult one. It’s just a highly complicated process involving a myriad of subtle factors all of which must be controlled with precision for the result to resemble a drinkable beverage. It’s not like memorizing the dictionary but it is remarkably like brewing wine. It is an activity which, requires the touch of a master’s hand but it is yet still something that anyone can master. I would like to invite you to read my own opinions, thoughts, and painstakingly researched findings about the art of brewing coffee. The information I am sharing is my best understanding of this art. However, you must keep in mind that no set of rules, no merely rational analysis will give you that intuitive grasp of great coffee brewing that making your own coffee will give you. So while you read the following documents, I'm going to go make myself a pot of coffee…who knows? Maybe I’ll learn something! Of course, you must keep in mind that you are not dealing with Joe here. Unless your local gourmet coffee dealer in the dark alley near you just happens to be named Joe. You and I, we're serious about our coffee. We don't call it anything but caffè. Unless we're trying to show our husbands that we've stopped being coffee snobs so we won't embarass him in front of people with less discriminating tastes. We know what makes for good coffee and many people just can't understand that we're not being snobbish, we're just being honest about what we like. And we like gourmet, shade-grown, hand-picked, gently roasted Arabica beans bought at a fair price from a hard working coffee farmer to whom we would gladly offer our only daughter in marriage in gratitude for producing the heavenly bean which makes the ambrosial beverage (if we had a daughter). We aren't coffee experts but we know what we like. We like hot, thick, dark, strong coffee...and it doesn't matter if you put a little milk (or, better, cream) in it or top it with steamed milk and shavings of fine chocolate and stir in pure white sugar or if you just sweeten it a little to bring out the complexities of flavor or even if we drink it black just to revel in the sheer bittersweet, aromatic thrill of it all. We send back watered down, dull dishwater coffee. We scorn the coffee of our friends and family.

We eat drink and breathe caffè! We live the life of the inspired artist, the depressed philosopher in a black turtleneck who wonders if the chair he is sitting upon is real but has more trouble doubting the existence of her cup of black paradise, the cranky managing director at one famous advertising agency, MBA student with full time job who has to work more than 60 hrs a week plus doing master degree at night time, the crazed taxi driver, the overworked truck stop waitress, the school janitor!!! we get carried away after drinking just one too many cups of coffee and admit that all we want is to be awake for once in our lives.
Ah caffè, you bring out the worst and the best in me! How to Brew Coffee OK, I think that I've got that out of my system now. I'm ready to get down to business and actually give you my version of how to make the perfect cup of coffee. Before I describe the various common methods for brewing coffee there are several factors that I should mention that contribute to a good cup. These factors are: Quality of the Water Quality of the Beans Time Since Roasting Time Since Grinding Good Measurement Clean Equipment The quality of the water used to brew coffee is very important. If it's available you should use filtered or bottled, distilled water. This removes minerals from the water that can adversely affect the flavor of the coffee.
In addition it decreases the number of times you have to decalcify your brewing equipment. Remember that over heated water (above the boiling point) makes for bitter tasting coffee and water that is too cold makes for underextracted (weak) coffee. Real coffee drinkers never, ever, ever use tap water (unless there's a built in filter or they have a pure artesian well with no mineral content). You use tap water? Shame on you!! The quality of the beans for the most part depends on factor3and4 although there are some other important things to consider when deciding whether to call a particular batch of beans 'high quality'. And naturally I recommend the purchase of high quality beans. The factors that affect your coffee are: The country the beans come from, the variety of bean grown, the growing conditions in a particular year and the general climate, the method used to harvest the beans, how they were processed
to produce the dry, green bean without the pulp, and the storage conditions of the beans on their long journey to the roaster. All of these things have an effect on the quality of the coffee in your cup.

Coffee can be like wine or beer or scotch in its complexity of nuanced flavor and aroma and its dependence on a myriad of factors affecting the final product. People who appreciate the finer flavors of regional coffees and the effects that the weather had on a particular year's crop are the real coffee experts. I, unfortunately, do not currently know anyone like this. I don't generally concern myself with the nitty-gritty details of where my next half-pound of coffee is coming from. I'm just looking for a quality coffee roasted to perfection and prepared with finesse. But since I like to think I've learned a thing or two about coffee in my research of late, I'd like to say a few things about the pre-roast factors that affect the taste of coffee. And as with everything else about coffee, there's plenty to obsess about when it comes to choosing your beans. First of all, the country that coffee comes from is probably the single most important factor in determining the quality of your generic bean. Of course every country has growers who take pride in producing a respectable bean but on the whole each producing country has its own particular character. Different countries have different climates, latitudes and altitudes. Some countries produce strictly arabica beans. Some countries produce hybrids of arabica and robusta beans. Some produce almost exclusively robusta. Read about the differences between these two basic types of coffee and how they're used Countries that stick mostly to robusta should be avoided because they are considered inferior beans as aluded to in the SCAA's The other factors affecting coffee bean quality are differences in soil type, altitude, latitude and climate. I don't really know what particular effects these things actually have on the aroma, body, acidity and flavor of the brewed coffee, but I do know they can cause bean flavor and quality to vary widely. Information this specific is for the experts to know and is a little beyond the current scope of my few pages about coffee. But they are things to think about and to attempt to do some personal research on in the way of trying out different varietal coffees. If you're lucky enough to have a local, small roaster I suggest trying different types of beans each time you buy coffee. When you move on to reading the section on roasting (hey, if you've read this far you might as well continue) you might also consider seeing if the roaster can provide different levels of roasting, as well. As a casual, amateur lover of coffee you and I may never have a palate as educated as a professional cupper but I think it's a fun thing to do and it's easy enough to learn what you like.

Some rules of thumb when buying coffee:
1.) You should look for freshly roasted whole beans, if possible. If you're in the grocery store look for packages of whole beans that have an expiration date, since these are more likely to be fresh.
2.) If you have a local coffee roaster, ask the person behind the counter which beans they have that are the most recently roasted. If they look at you funny then you deserve it for following such supercilious advice. Actually, they'll probably be more than glad to tell you that most of their beans were just roasted that morning. That is, if you're at the roaster's establishment. If you're buying coffee from a local fine foods or specialty store, the sales person may not know unless something happened to have been delivered that day.
3.) Don't buy any under roasted, sub-standard, pre-ground, poor-excuse-for-beans coffee. My advice: stick to the brands that you think cost too much. The style of roast that is used determines a lot about how a cup made from that coffee will taste. As I understand it, there are many, many grades of roast distinguished on the color the beans become when the roasting is 'finished' and the flavor they have when brewed.

Coffee is roasted by placing the beans in a rotating drum over a heat source. The drum is rotated in an effort to keep the heat even. Different roasts are produced by timing the roasting period exactly. Better descriptions of the actual roasting process are available elsewhere so I'll not say a lot about it here. This is mainly because I'm not yet a home roaster, though I'd very much like to be. My conception of roasting may be quite flawed. Please forgive any small errors you happen to see, Even though I don't know a lot about how coffee beans get roasted, I have learned a little about what they're like after they've been roasted. So what I'm going to do is write a short description of different roasts as I understand them in terms of color and flavor.
I have come to use 7 categories (in increasing order of darkness): American, Cinnamon, Medium, City or 'Dark', Espresso, French, and Full City. You won't see these terms on cans of supermarket coffee, although you'll see a confusing profusion of roast terms that aren't at all consistent from one brand to another. You can't even trust Starbucks coffees (to name a name) to have consistent and useful descriptions of how the beans were roasted. Be that as it may, let's now move on to the various terms I have decided to use, starting with American, which is barely roasted. This is the roast most commonly found in your canned, ground, bulk supermarket coffees. I have read that lighter roasts tend to highlight the varietal qualities of a particular bean but I have always thought that this roast is too light to be very flavorful or rich. It holds more moisture than the other styles and therefore weighs more, meaning more profits for the money-grubbing coffee purveyor. None of the coffee oils come to the surface of the bean at this roasting level.

The Cinnamon roast is roasted the color of cinnamon. It has a little less moisture than the American and preserves the varietal character. There is still no coffee oil on the surface of the bean and the richness and body of darker roasts is still absent.

The Medium roast is approaching a dark roast in sort of a border area in terms of preserving varietal character with little body or richness while being a bit heavier and richer than the two previous roasts. There is still no oil on the surface of the bean. When the beans reach
City or 'Dark' roast is when I give my nod to the roaster to stop roasting. Figuratively speaking, of course. This roast level is probably the single best in my mind because when brewed this roast produces a full-bodied brew that still has quite a lot of complexity and subtlety. The beans are a dark color but still not nearly as black as the darker roasts and finally you see that glorious sheen of oil on the surface. At this point the magical chemical reactions that transform an innocent seed into the aphrodisiac drink of the gods has reached perfection. To my poor, uneducated and ignorant palate, at any rate.

Anyway, moving on to Espresso roast, which is also quite a good roast. The beans have a bright sheen of oil and are getting close to being such a dark brown that they are almost black. They are quite mellow in flavor and much of the varietal character has been roasted out, at least so I'm told.

French roasted coffee is quite dark indeed and this is the roast most people think of when a coffee is called 'dark roasted'. The flavor is very mellow and all but the poorest quality beans can taste decent at this roast level. The sheen of oil is quite bright and the brew is full-bodied. It is not yet so dark as to taste burnt but it is dark enough to have flattened out any spikes on the flavor profile of particular varieties.

The final roast category is Full City. Don't ask me what the word 'city' is doing in here, these are borrowed terms. This roast is really dark enough to be easily mistaken for black. In fact, they are as dark as you can get without lighting the beans on fire. The flavor is (I suppose, as I don't think I've ever tried it) quite like charcoal, or can be if the oils on the surface of the bean are allowed to burn off. The variety of the bean has very little bearing on the flavor in the cup if the bean is roasted this darkly and can best be described as barbecued coffee. The time since the beans were roasted is also important because (as my sources inform me) the coffee flavor begins to wane only a few days after they come out of the roaster. Personally, I've never had the opportunity to try drinking coffee made from beans roasted two days ago and compare them with similar beans that were roasted three weeks ago. Presumably the difference would be immense and the three-week-old coffee would simply be undrinkable. But I'm not sure I would know. My sense of taste isn't so highly developed that I can make a good evaluation of the differences between coffees drunk days or weeks apart. Then again, I've drunk coffee I know to be stale and it was definitely musty and bitter. What I've read recently seems to indicate that coffee is at its best about two days after roasting to about two weeks after roasting. This length of time can be strectched a bit with careful storage

*(see the section on storage on the next page in the section on grinding…can't you feel the suspense building?) The main thing to remember is just that coffee should be freshly roasted and used quickly so it doesn't go stale. Get it fresh or forget it.

--- Ams Ams --

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-- Tips and term: a lil technique that I found by accident to share --

2 hrs with coffee seminar, you will never go wrong with other people technique, just go out there, and be open to receive something new that you might have already known.

Roasting: (from weak to strong)
city roast, full city,Vienna, french

Machine Brewing Pressure = 8.5 Bar
Brewing temperature = 88-98 degree
Brewing Ratio using coffee = 7 gram
(liquid will come out = 2 oz)
extraction time (time that water run pass coffee ) = 20-30(25)
Tamping = 12-15 KG (25 pound)
Sizing of coffee grinder is matter (fine, very fine)

Make Cappuccino:
cup size = 7-8 oz. -- use double shot(2)
cup size = 5 oz. -- use 1 shot(1) (standard European size)

Make Ice Coffee:
Glass size = 16 oz.
liquid should be = 6 oz. (can be divided to 12 parts (0.5 per part)
the rest of other added sugar won't count

ex:
Ice Latte:
espresso 1 shot(2 oz.) + whole milk (4 oz)
the rest will be ice

Thai esp:
esp 2 shot(4 oz.) + condense milk (2oz)

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Cupping
try to compare 2 cup of coffee which came from different country
1. from Pakistan - very sour (acidity, sour like citrus)
2. from India - more mild and has a smell of nut, caramel
I think no one would like # 1 because of the citrus taste but #1 is way more expensive than#2 wow ha... lucky I don't like sour coffee :D

So yeah then after class they continue demo. in the showroom and I asked the staff about
how to make good coffee from french press, the answer is
rinse the french press with hot water before making coffee.. haha easy ha!
the rest are what I already knew which is pour coffee powder add water, wait for 4 min. for extraction the press
the amount of coffee is 7 gram per 2 oz. of water (or less) b/c using french press has less Pressure than using esp machine.

some people said to make espresso by not using espresso machine:
french press 10 g. of coffee + 180 g. of water
turkish pouring pot 10 g. of coffee + 200 g. of water

Also don't you know, you can use french press to make foam from keep on pressing milk about 20-30 sec.
go try and it will wow! you
--amy--

It's me AMY : I have created this blog to share with my friends
about my style, my experience of coffee and martini culture,
and I hope you guys enjoy it just like I do !

you are all welcome to contact me anytime by emailing me, or post on my blog
www.amysociety.blogspot.com
amy.sawanya@gmail.com

xoxo
amy (ams ams)

♥ Background & How did it start? & Why Amy ♥ into Coffee+Martini (in Thai)

2009-03-26T00:47:00.000-07:00

Cafe Martini ♥ finally I made it happen, Mar 16,09

Cafe Martini by Ams Ams (Amy)

Cafe Martini is one of my long time project. I have been researching and experiencing about coffee + martini + bakery + tea + art +design and the most important thing is culture, for a longest time and finally it's paid off...just great!.

I, Amy Sawanya Chansawat Thongphanith (Amy,or Ams Ams, or Wann+)
and my husband Anucha Thongphanith (Too/Sha/Thu) ♥
to form these 2 new experiences of coffee shops Cafe Martini and Moji House Café (to be launch in Toronto). Both with a strong background and experience in Creative, Design, Marketing, Advertising, PR, Media, Music, and Fashion both with a vision of bringing new trends and knowledge for people to enjoy the art of coffee and martini experience.
♥

A background in the coffee industry, and with first hand experiences and knowledge from all levels of the coffee world, from growing, to roasting, and to making that perfect cup of coffee. With a strong connection with local Thai coffee producers, we believe in helping establish and strengthen the local coffee industry to become first rate because of their willingness desire to help local producers.

With inspirational experiences from having traveled and lived all over the world, from the North America to Asia, and having tasted many coffees and martinis. Amy and Anucha hope to bring a new and traditional flavors from the coffee and martini world.

The concept of Cafe Martini, an inspirational cafe during the day and relaxed modernism of a martini bar during the night is a truly unique experiences in the way a coffee cafe and a cocktail bar is designed. The atmosphere and decoration of Cafe Martini will play on imaginative interior. Interior to inspire and personalized based on fusing designs from many important eras related to coffee and martini tradition such as Victorian, and to modern retro. Cafe Martini is looking to establish itself as high spot for engaging creative ideas, education, and shared knowledge while enjoying great coffee or a new martini taste.

All fans are welcome, so drop by anytime

♥

visit us at
Blog : www.cafemartini.blogspot.com
emial: thecafemartini.gmail.com
cell: 087-507-0796

xoxo
Ams Ams (Amy)

All pictures and detail from this blog are
copy right © 2006-2010 Amy (ams ams) All rights reserved.

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Why Amy ♥ into Coffee+Martini (in Thai) --- please contact Amy directly for more info!