Tips about coffee

    Those of you who know me well, are probably wondering what in the world I (of all people) am doing posting tips about coffee. They wonder such due to knowing that I do not like coffee. Not regular. Not flavored. (yes, numerous times I have tried different kinds of both). Not in a cup. Not in a mug. Not with sugar. Not with cream. I do not like coffee 'Sam I Am'! ;-p  In-fact, I think that adding coffee to a recipe, totally ruins what might have otherwise been a perfectly good product. And yes, I CAN taste the coffee when it's baked in goods. Honest.
    But if they pause for a moment and think about it, they will realize that while I personally do not like the stuff, I never-the-less have made and served many a cup of it over the years. M-a-n-y indeed!
    Back when I was the opening waitress at a particular restaurant, I never had any trouble remembering that the very first thing I was suppose to do after punching in, was to start the huge pots of coffee. Why did I never have troubles remembering to do so? Because while I can not stand the taste of coffee, I absolutely love the smell of brewing coffee. It's aroma is both soothing and invigorating, all in the same whiff. ;-)
    Over the years I have learned a few "tips" about coffee that I thought were common knowledge to all coffee drinkers. But experience has been showing us that that is not the case. Therefore, I thought I should do the right thing and share said tips with as many of you as possible. Oh, your welcome. It's my pleasure to do so. o;-p

  ~ Remove the filter and grounds from your pot within three to four minutes of making a pot of coffee.  (or as soon thereafter as you remember to do so)
     Why? It is the continued dripping down of the fluids left in the grounds and absorbed by the filter, which turn a good tasting pot of coffee into a bitter tasting one.
      While we were doing the fall retreat last Labor Day weekend, we had people coming in at lunch and asking us if it was a fresh pot of coffee. We would smile and say "no, but we use a special trick. Try a mouthful and see what you think. If you don't like it, we'll start a fresh pot." Almost to a one, they would marvel at the taste and ask us what the trick was. Yes, I said 'almost'. There's always somebody, isn't there? Thankfully they are usually like the fourth or fifth person down and thus we know better. So after they walk away, we chuckle and say something such as "well, that just took care of Murphy''s law for this situation" ;-p.

  ~ Like yeast and nuts, coffee too stays fresh much longer if stored in your freezer.
     Now, if your like our daughter-in-love Cyndi, your coffee never has time to settle in it's spot on the counter, let alone become stale. But those of you whom aren't interested in coffee IV's might find this tip helpful. (o;-p)
     And no, the coffee won't get all clumpy in your freezer. That is, as long as you haven't dripped water into it, and as long as the lid on it seals good. (The same things apply to storing your yeast in there - just put your bag of it in a good zip lock bag first. <-- bonus tip there ;-) )
     I have also been told that used coffee grounds are a wonderful thing to add to your compost piles.

   ~ When your suppose to make coffee some place such as church, where they have either a fifty (50) or one hundred (100) cup pots, keep in mind that said pots take forty five (45) minutes to one (1) hour to brew. Yup, a long time!
      And it's usually best to put an upside down styrofoam cup over the spigot until the pot is done. Then people will pop their heads in and question if the pot is done, rather than filling their cup full and then INFORMING you that it taste horrible. (insert eye roll here).

   ~ The rule of thumb for figuring out how much coffee to use in those big pots is - eight (8) ounces of coffee for every twenty (20) cups. (We recommend using an 8 oz. styrofoam cup to measure in.)
    You then multiply accordingly.
       [see clairifer in comments section]

   ~ If your event is before 6 p.m., serve regular coffee. If your event is at 6 p.m. or later, serve decaffeinated coffee.
    That is, unless your serving both kinds. If you are serving both kinds, make more of the regular kind if it's before 6 p.m. and more of the decaffeinated if it's after 6 p.m.

  ~ Strive to avoid using excessively soapy water when washing out your coffee pots.
     In-fact, it's really best to not use soap on them at all. Just rinse excessively well with extremely hot water, and let drain / air dry upside down.

    Yup, only six little 'tips'. But 'tips' that you will hopefully find helpful. ;-)

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    Seeings how it's now the first of March, our blog has been redecorated for St. Patties Day. :-)

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    Need (or just enjoy) a good laugh? Check out this posting! :-P

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  I 'plan' on linking this particular posting up to:

~ "Making Your Home Sing Monday('s)", are hosted by Nan, at 'Mom's the Word (I love to hear)' (http://momstheword--livingforhim.blogspot.com/).
~ "Homemaker Mondays ... Yours, Mine & Ours", are hosted by Jen, at '11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven' (http://rtheyallyours.blogspot.com/).
~ "Market Yourself Monday", are hosted by Sumo, at 'Sumo's Sweet Stuff' (http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/)
~ "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday('s)", are hosted by Lisa, at 'Blessed with Grace' (http://blessedwithgrace.blogspot.com).
~ "Tuesdays at the Table", are hosted by Cole, at 'All The Small Stuff' (http://allthesmallstuff-cole.blogspot.com/).
~ "Kitchen Tip Tuesday('s)", are hosted by Tammy, at 'Tammy's Recipes' (http://www.tammysrecipes.com/).
~ "Tasty Tuesday('s)", are hosted by Jennifer, at "Balancing Beauty and Bedlam" (http://www.beautyandbedlam.com/)
~ "Whatever Goes Wednesday('s), hosted by Michelle, at 'Someday Crafts'
(http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/)
~ "Full Plate Thursday('s), hosted by Miz Helen, at 'Miz Helen's Country Cottage' (http://mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/)
~ "(Foodie Friday's)", are hosted by "Gollum" (aka: Michael), at 'Designs by Gollum' (http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/)