Make sure the luck of the Irish is with you this March by heeding our seven coffee dos and don'ts!
Don't Let them catch you with your finger in the coffee or littering with Earth-unfriendly disposable stir sticks.
Do Stir in style! Elegant stainless steel stirrers such, as these engraved stirrers from Illy, won't litter the landfills or burn your fingers.
Don't Resort to instant coffee on the road, yuck!
Do Pack a Handpresso. #11 of the "Top 100 Things that are Getting Better," according to Oprah; the Handpresso will keep you brewing on the go. Go with the Handpresso Wild for pods and the Handpresso DomePod for ground coffee.
Don't Swear off coffee because of a sensitive stomach.
Do Treat your tummy to gentle java, like Whole Latte Love Malabar Gold or Maromas Orphea, which have lower acidity levels.
Don't Let your beans go bad.
Do Store them in airtight containers like these Bodum Yohki Glass Jars with Stainless Steel Lids or the Vacu Vin Vacuum Coffee and Tea Saver to keep from losing precious flavor and aroma. Your favorite coffee will stay fresh much longer with a little TLC.
Don't Run out of steam.
Do Check out what's under the hood, when you're buying an espresso machine. Double boilers will allow you go straight from brewing to steaming with no downtime. Make sure your machine has enough oomph, especially if you like your lattes! One of my favorites is the Gaggia Baby Twin Espresso Machine.
Don't Spend all your time in front of an espresso machine.
Do Consider a super automatic model, if you're the type that likes to entertain. One-touch controls, the machine will do all the heavy lifting while you're free to be the life of the party. A bonus for latte and macchiato drinkers...integrated milk solutions, like Gaggia's Milk Island.
Don't Let a good machine go bad.
Do Use pre-filtered water to cut down on scale buildup and remember to stick to a regular cleaning/maintenance schedule; your machine will thank you for it!
Have an espresso no-no that we missed? Share it here!
-Tho
Writing Department

The Seattle Times recently ran a piece on the city's dwindling coffee cart presence. It seems, the city at the center of the American coffee craze, is down to only one sidewalk coffee stand.
My mouth always waters at the sound of a vanilla or hazelnut flavored espresso drink. And when strolling through the supermarket I've begun to notice more and more the many varieties of coffee beans available. Flavors from French roast to raspberry to chocolate... all with flashy, yummy looking labels to lure you in. But, it's only because I know better that I don't buy them. These beans get their flavors through oils that are added during the roasting process. If you were to purchase a package and take a look at the beans, you would notice that they are shinny and slippery. This is because of these flavor oils. Most people wouldn't think anything of it, but if you use flavored beans in your Super Automatic espresso machine or with your home grinder, you'll be quick to notice that the constancy and quality of brew will diminish. As the beans are ground to an espresso fineness, the oils cause the grounds to be more paste-like than powdery. In a Super Automatic machine, you'll start to experience a much slower brew, or clogging of the machine. You'll have to adjust your grinder to a coarser grind more often to insure that the beans move fluently through the machine. This will diminish your brew quality, thus wasting the money that you've spent on these seemingly scrumptious beans. Instead, I would recommend purchasing a nice medium roast or blended roast bean like our
