coffee

Ever wondered what we could do with those annoying used coffee grounds?

Engineer Martin Bacon and a group of volunteers from Teesdale Conservation in Durham, England, have been hard at work making those often-overlooked grinds into something special: gas for a speedy coffee-powered car.

This is not a joke; in fact, the car earlier this month broke a Guinness World Record "for vehicles run on gas from organic waste," according to the BBC. The coffee car--a modified Rover SD1--topped out at 77.5 miles per hour and hit average speeds of 66.5 mph after many modifications, including the removal of more than 550 pounds of excess weight from inside the vehicle.

The previous speed record in this category was 47.7 mph, set by the wood-burning Beaver XR7 in 2010. … Read more

Coffee makes you smarter. Don't believe it? Ask any coffee drinker to give it up and then ask them how smart they feel the next morning at 8 a.m. Probably kind of slow; hence, coffee makes you smarter (that's how Aristotelian logic works, right?). While a cup of coffee is all fine and good for achieving higher brain functions, the fount from which the elixir bubbles is usually as dumb as a doorknob. Most coffee makers aren't good at making one cup; they excel at making a pot. Despite the brainpower that a 12-cup carafe provides, … Read more

In the beginning, there were pressure cookers. Then, somebody figured out that the same treatment could be applied to coffee. Not only would it produce a cup of coffee significantly faster, but the end result would feature a concentrated flavor unparalleled by conventional brewing methods. As espresso became more refined (and associated machinery less bulky), the ability to grab an espresso anytime, anywhere, spread to seemingly every nook and cranny. Including the home.

The Breville BES900XL Dual Boiler continues the tradition of well-made espresso availability, bringing it into the home while offering some advanced features. Dedicated steam and espresso boilers … Read more

Full disclosure: I just finished a cup of black coffee, and it was damn fine. (And yes, I make Twin Peaks references wherever possible.)

So it is with vigorous jumping up-and-down motions, aided surely by the caffeine, that I write about a team's findings from the University of Washington and Rutgers University that caffeine can help lower one's chances of UV-associated skin cancer by inhibiting a DNA repair pathway, essentially helping cells die after exposure to sunlight.

The team reports on this "protective effect of caffeinated beverage intake" in the August 15 issue of the Proceedings … Read more

It should come as no surprise that so many variations of coffee drinks exist. After all, when amped up on coffee, the logical thing to think about is even more coffee. While regular drip coffee is always a good starting point for inspiration, to really dive in deep, the completeness of espresso is needed. When considering high-octane options, possibilities for beverage creation expand at a rate limited only by the pace of the caffeine jitters--but to get to all the great possibilities such as cappuccinos and lattes, first a method for obtaining the elixir is necessary.

The Espressione 3-in-1 Coffee Beverage System … Read more

Water is great on its own, but considering that it lacks caffeine, it can be improved upon. Luckily, the process of doing just that is quite easy. Just heat some water and add ground coffee beans or tea leaves; soon, the resulting brew will be a flavorful beverage with a kick. It being such an easy procedure for creating coffee or tea, it can be easy to get carried away with minutiae. Sometimes, all that is needed is a means to heat the water and a separate something to steep either the tea or the coffee to be. Or just … Read more

Modern times necessitate an occasional escape back to nature. However, one nice part about being able to get away from it all is the ability to bring some of it with you. While the blaring TV is always a good thing to leave behind, other modern appliances have evolved past the point of convenience to honest-to-goodness can't-live-without-them items.

The Coleman Portable Propane Coffeemaker looks and operates just like the familiar elixir-maker that lives on the kitchen countertop--except for one important difference. Powered by propane rather than an electrical outlet, the portable coffeemaker is designed for outdoor living.

Drip coffee … Read more

Making decisions isn't always the easiest thing to do in the morning. Coffee drinkers and tea lovers usually know what they want, but sometimes they want a change--coffee instead of tea or vice versa. Naturally, the process of making the newly desired brew would have to change, possibly ending with disastrous results because of the sleepy-eyed, precaffeine morning. Unless of course, the same familiar equipment was used.

Practically speaking, making a mug of coffee or a cup of tea requires different contrivances to get the job done. One could use a French press to extract all the goodness out … Read more

Coffee drinkers are a particular bunch. The easiest of the pack to deal with is, of course, the coffee drinker who prefers the beverage to be served in its natural state: black, no cream, no sugar. But when it comes to those who like to embellish coffee with particular proportions of milk, froth, and sometimes sugar, it is telling that there are names for such things, such as cappuccino and caffe latte (not to mention what the barista might mutter under his or her breath about a particularly precise concoction).

Those who would rather forgo the trip to the coffee … Read more