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

I can't help but notice, it's been a while since my last  tech blog. In fact, I'm pretty sure the last time I wrote something, my shiny new iPhone G3 was only a glimmer of a possibility rather than the shiny distraction I may or may not have with me at all times. Many people attest that their most important brewing tool is their frothing pitcher, or a bottomless portafilter. I'm a little nerdier than that...I have to say it's my iPhone.

I'm crazy, you say? Crazy for technology, I say! Where else can I time my shot, practice grinding and tamping, or even locate a great cafe, all in one place?  I'll say it— for anything coffee, there's an app for that.

It seems, all sorts of companies are getting on the app bandwagon. Lots of these apps are free, and the rest won't cost more than $0.99 to download. The app that started it all for me was the Espresso Drinks app. You may have seen the espresso drinks chart poster before— this version is strictly mobile. All you do is tap on the drink you want (from espresso to caffé mocha, there are 9 basic drinks to choose from). The chart will flip over to reveal a larger, detailed drink icon with approximated ingredient amounts labeled "espresso", "steamed milk", etc. If you're a coffee novice with any version of the iPhone, this is definitely the app to get you started.

Even if you're more of a one-touch coffee maker user, there's an app for you. Fans of  Nespresso single serve espresso machines will appreciate the Nespresso Stock Checker. Keep track of your Nespresso capsules, and always be ready to brew.

What's your favorite iPhone espresso or tea app? Let me know, and maybe I'll review it next time!

Rachel
Web Department

I'm sure you've heard of the term "coffee breath." People who drink a lot of coffee and reek of coffee are normally known to have coffee breath; but that's not necessarily a bad thing, if the people around you happen to enjoy the smell of coffee. Everybody thinks that coffee causes bad breath and it's often true, because coffee, which has a dehydrating effect in the mouth, becomes potent when mixed with milk, and can ferment into smelly substances. Similar to some juices, coffee also contains a lot of acid. If you're unable to function without your daily dose of caffeine, you could try tea or a low-acid coffee such as Café La Semeuse Classique—which can noticeably eliminate harsh coffee breath smells.

If you're really concerned about smelly breath, you might want to consider loading up on gum, mint, or mouthwash to take away from the potent taste in your mouth. Maybe even try carrying a toothbrush and some toothpaste with you; I hear it also helps take care of tartar as well!

Brian
Sales Department

It sounds odd, but it's not really that strange if you think about it. Coffee and beer (generally the darker styles) actually share a lot of flavor or aroma characteristics. You can have beers or coffees that are bitter, chocolaty, smoky, sweet, or any other of a plethora of descriptive terms for even the slightest unique flavor notes.

So why not combine the two great tastes that go great together? There are micro and craft brewers that offer beers infused with coffee or that simply showcase coffee flavor tones without actual coffee in the brew. Check out Brooklyn Brewery's "Intensified Coffee Stout" or Lagunitas' upcoming Cappuccino Stout. For something with coffee notes but no additional brew in your brew ;-) check out Stone Brewing's Smoked Porter.

If there are any others out there that, like me, like brewing both espresso and beer, you can always make your own brew-within-a-brew...brew. Just take a darker style beer recipe or kit (porter, stout, etc.) and add about 16 oz. of freshly brewed espresso into the wort before you pitch the yeast. Then comes the long, hard wait for fermentation...but you can relax and enjoy many a homebrew (espresso or beer) until it's ready for bottling.

-Milan
Whole Latte Love Technical Support

>>>Read part one

Let’s be real. Weddings are crazy expensive! I know this because I am planning one and I have not bought a new outfit or cute pair of shoes in what seems like forever! Aargh! The sacrifices the Bride must make!

Ok! In all seriousness, not shopping for cute things and joking aside, the reception, photographer, cake, dress, tuxes, favors, etcetera, etcetera and of course flowers add up. If you are doing this yourself, before you know it you are living on ramen noodles until after the wedding! Not everyone has Mommy and Daddy paying for their wedding! Sometimes it is just cheaper to do things ourselves!

Being the newest wedding expert on the planet, I have been thinking of things to budget without skimping. How do you do this when everything is so important? The first thing I thought of was flowers!

Still using the all popular rich brown with gorgeous pastel colors, I am keeping my coffee beans theme! These ideas are so easy for the Do-It-Yourself Bride! All you need are your bridesmaids for help!

For the Out-doorsy Bride on a Budget
There is nothing like a cute outdoor wedding, but even those can get totally out of hand money wise! I can help you budget your flowers without skimping on the fabulousness! Check out the picture here that I got from theknot.com.

All you need to do is borrow a bunch of mason jars from your friends and family. Everyone has mason jars lying around! Do they all need to be the same size? Absolutely not! In my opinion, the different shapes and sizes add to the sheik outdoor look! The best thing about mason jars, THEY ARE FREE!

The only 2 things you need to buy are flowers and coffee beans! Carnations are the new roses and are also great for a bride on a budget! They also come in every color imaginable! I found carnations for $190 for 300 stems! You could buy 6lbs of Whole Latte Love Ethereal for $59.95 for your whole coffee beans! If you were doing 20 tables that is $12.50 a table!

For the Sweet and Simple Bride on a Budget
Some Brides really do not want to be bothered with the idea of flowers. Some Brides find flowers important and some don’t. The ones that don’t are splurging on their photography or even the food! The picture on the right is something for the bride that really can’t be bothered at $8.12 a table (based on 15 tables)! All you need is…

1) Clear vases. I found some as cheap as $1
2). a large pillar candle. I have found some as cheap as $3!
3) Thick ribbon of your choice. I found some on clearance for $2 for 5 yards!
4) Coffee Beans. You can use 6 LB of Whole Latte Love Ethereal for $59.95. If you have 15 tables that is $4 a table!
5). The best bridesmaids in the world to help put them together!

Stay tuned for some more great wedding ideas! Post a comment if you have any unique wedding ideas to share!

Maria
Whole Latte Love Sales