but how good will th coffee be and at what cost?

To operate, first you need to manually pump the gadget until it reaches the green zone in its pressure gauge. You then fill the small water tank with boiling water and put ground coffee into the even smaller filter,

which can be messy. Screw on the lid, turn the machine over and press the release button, and pressurised air drives the water through the coffee and into your cup.

The idea behind this on the go gadget is great, but unfortunately it fails to deliver good quality coffee. The espresso is very weak, with little crème and large air bubbles released towards the end of the operation. The water in the tank doesn’t maintain the desirable 87°C-93°C long enough. As a result, the temperature of the coffee in the cup is lower than ideal, resulting in under extracted coffee. Additionally you will need access to boiling water when travelling or camping
Our verdict on the Handpresso
Given the Handpresso’s high price tag along with a lack of coffee quality, we really couldn’t recommend it unless you just really want the latest toy.Hanpresso Demo
Price $199
Contact or

(no sense of humour, though — a bit of a problem — but makes up for it on the dance floor, so the rumour goes!!)

You can see more of Onba (if not Amy) at http://www.Onba.com.au

Duration : 0:3:31

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You and Starbucks. Its bigger than coffee.

Limit one per person. Good while supplies last. Void where prohibited by law.

© 2008 Starbucks Coffee Company

********UPDATE********
The song in the song is called, “Trillium Glance” by Michael Montes, for those that are asking.

Duration : 0:1:1

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Episode 1 “All About Food”
Includes the following short films:

“60 Cups of Coffee” by David Ward & Robbie McCallum

“Return to Menu” by Matthew Dressel

“Life of Crime” by Daniel Scheinert & Justin Becker

“Hot Spaghetti” by Tim Rutherford & Cody Kennedy.

View these films in their entirety at our blog post: http://indymogul.com/3rb

And don’t forget to leave me a voicemail: 646-274-4625.

Are you on FACEBOOK? Join our Facebook fan page here (and let people know you support the show!): http://www.indymogul.com/3rc

PS. Buy Bobby’s new DVD here: http://www.bobbymillerdvd.com/

Duration : 0:5:17

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Duration : 0:4:4

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I love to check out recipe blogs (as well as blogs that just include the occasional recipe). So many very talented cooks and so many incredible sounding (and looking) recipes! Here are five “must try” recipes that I discovered this week:

1. Roasted Radishes with Soy Sauce and Scallions|24Boxes

24Boxes is an interesting blog concept: Blogger J. Noelle belongs to a community shared agriculture program and gets 24 boxes of fresh produce each year. She tries to use everything in the boxes and posts the recipes on her blog. I like raw radishes, but have had them cooked before and they are indeed very tasty. I can’t wait to try this out!

2. Green Bean and Chicken Salad|Wisdom Nutrition Blog

Sara R had some health issues, so she used her science education to develop a way of eating that is low-carb, gluten free, sugar-free, and based on whole foods. Fortunately for all of us, Sara seems to like food that is tasty, as this wonderful sounding recipe demonstrates.

3. Ginger Tea|GroupRecipes.com

GroupRecipes.com is a recipe exchange site currently in beta.  User Pennycandy shares her family’s recipe for a tangy, spicy ginger tea, which sounds to me like a great home remedy for whatever might ail you!

4. Hot Sensuous Coffee|Sensuous Wife

A yummy cold-weather take on coffee. Non-alcoholic.  Incidentally, Sensuous Wife is NOT a food blog, but a blog on intimacy for Christian women.

5. Golden Crusted Brussels Sprouts|101Cookbooks.com

Heidi Swanson’s gorgeous blog always includes amazing recipes along with truly beautiful photographs of what she has been cooking.  Brussels Sprouts are my favorite veggie, and this very simple recipe is a must-try.

Several months ago I picked up a book called The Ultimate Tea Diet. While it may sound cliche’, the truth is that this book really did change my life. Not only have I dropped several dress sizes since following the advice of the book’s author, Mark Ukra, but I have made tea (drinking and educating others about it) my hobby.

In his book, Ukra (also known as Dr Tea), argues that coffee consumption is bad for people who want to lose weight, as its high caffeine levels can cause insulin spikes. (While he is not alone in this caveat, I should note that not everyone agrees with him.)

Recognizing that many people have a strong love for coffee, Dr Tea set out to create a coffee replacement from tea. Coffee Tea, as he calls it, is a blend of oolong tea which has been roasted like coffee and hojicha de la creme, a green tea which has also been roasted and then blended with vanilla.

“But wait!”, I can hear you saying, “Doesn’t tea have caffeine too?” Yes it does, however, the amount of caffeine in tea is considerably lower than that which is in coffee. In addition, tea has other properties that can counteract the effects of caffeine.

Having tried several of Dr Tea’s other “craving teas” (flavored teas that are designed to help banish cravings for sweets), I decided to give the Coffee Tea a try.

The burning question: Does it taste like coffee? Will it actually help tame a coffee craving?

My answer to this is mixed: Does it taste exactly like coffee? No. Does it even taste a lot like coffee? No. Does it taste like tea? Not really. Does it have coffee characteristics? Most definately.

What I taste in Coffee Tea is an element of “roastedness”. The vanilla (which is pretty strong) blends nicely with this roasted quality to create a toasty, slightly sweet beverage with no hint of bitterness. It blends nicely with milk and works well hot or over ice.

Will it help tame a coffee craving? It could. I have a fondness for iced latte, and I did find that iced Coffee Tea shaken with milk made for a decent (though not by any means identical) replacement.

My Recommendation: While I don’t think that Coffee Tea truly tastes like coffee, it is a really delicious beverage in its own right. I drink huge amounts of tea during the day, and while I truly love tea, sometimes I want something different. The Coffee Tea is “different” enough to satisfy that desire.

I only have two real complaints about this tea:

1. The Cost. A four ounce can of Coffee Tea is $30(US). While one will get a lot of mileage out of that much high-quality leaf tea, the fact is that $30 is a lot to spend at once, particularly if one isn’t sure if they will even like the stuff. A better option might be to purchase one of Dr Tea’s loose leaf sampler packs, for $18.95, as it contains a sample of the Coffee Tea (along with several other Cravings Teas) for you to try before committing to the purchase of a full can.

2. My second quibble has to do with the can that the tea comes in. I understand the necessity of an airtight container that will keep the tea fresh. Really I do. But when removal of the lid requires such force that the (very expensive) tea flies all over the place, there is a problem. My suggestion is that when you first open this can of tea, you do so with the can, and your hands, inside a bag so that you can easly return the tea to its receptacle.

Well at first it just looks like your run of the mill chocolate bar with the normal smooth delicious chocolate that they are known for then you need to bite in to see what is different in the centre.  Wow its sugary and sweet, there’s a flavour of caramel and crunchy bits of caramelised sugar.  This is a really interesting new chocolate, it’s not your classic Brulee but it is a nice after dinner snack with a tea or coffee. Well the jury has judged and I must admit I had trouble keeping the teenage daughter and wife out of the samples, but I did manage 2 rows and I tell you if you can get this at your local I suggest give it a try it’s for those who love a little variety in the your chocolate.

I would have to say that you need to forgive the caramel finish as true devotees of Creme Brulee hunger for that creamy finish you find in a well rounded set dessert.

Chocolate originally a native of South America was first domesticated during the Mayan and Aztec civilizations. Today chocolate is enjoyed by people the world over, with some 2.5 billion pounds of chocolate consumed in the US alone each and every year. That amounts to almost 11lbs/ person.

Chocolate is made from the beans of the cacao tree. Cocoa butter and chocolate liquor are two of the components that are processed in various ways to produce everything from baking or cooking chocolate to cocoa powder.

Big names that have shaped chocolate from it’s infancy to what we know chocolate to be today are Conrad Van Houten, Henri Nestlé, Rudolph Lindt, Milton Hershey and James Baker.

That short history lesson brings me to something I read last week in a magazine at the dentist office. These studies they referred to were conducted over the past few years and the results have found that chocolate with a 65-75 % cocoa content protects against heart disease and boosts energy.

This good news for chocolate lovers and the health-conscious has set a new trend. It has brought dark chocolate to the top of the ‘kind-of-good-for-you’ snacks.

Milk chocolate, the up to now favorite is higher in butterfat, dairy and sugar so it is harder for the body to break down. Semi-sweet has about 45% cocoa content and the dark clocks in at roughly 60%. The popular because of its health benefits, and the newer trendy stronger flavored treats come with an approximate 70+% cocoa content.

Not only is this good health news upping the chocolate purchases but this has also added to the upswing of specialty flavored treats. There doesn’t seem to be a limit to the herbs and spices that appear on the market. Red pepper truffles, crushed chilies are added to the chocolate or the chili garlic peanut butter filled pralines are becoming quite the norm.

One more trend that needs to be mentioned is that now chocolate connoisseurs are using jargon that up till now belonged to the world of wine only. Such as ‘bold upfront notes of chocolate with underlying coffee notes that linger” or “ rich dark chocolate with spicy red wine top notes”  …subtle woodsy herbal notes …hint of nuts……… etc.

With that you might as well take it one step further and try pairing it with wine also.  A savory  wine goes well with the milk chocolate flavors, where as a dark-semi-bitter chocolate pairs just perfectly with a fruity flavored wine according to the Pelee Island Winery. They also say that Ice wines (for which Canadian wineries have a name for) make great partners for most chocolates.

So why not try a wine /chocolate tasting party at your home. Invite your guests to bring a bottle or two and find out which treat will go good with what type of wine. First taste  the wine on its own then melt a small piece of chocolate in your mouth then try the wine again. In between clear your palate with fresh fruit; naturally strawberries, also grapes and cantaloupes are perfect.

I’m not what you would call a dedicated chocolate lover, 3-4 times a year is probably my limit. I can vouch for it right now though that on those rare occasions my choice will always be dark chocolate with almonds and it will never have a chili garlic peanut butter filling. However, that wine and chocolate pairing sounds promising, I might just check that out.

I’ve added a couple of my recipes that my family and friends go “gaga” over. Hope you get a chance to try and enjoy them too.

The Perfect Cup Of Hot Cocoa Yield: 2 cups

3 tablespoons real cocoa powder                    

3 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)

2 cups 2% or whole milk (whole milk makes for a creamier taste)

·          Put 1 ¾ cups of milk to heat in a small saucepan on stove or in microwave.

·          Combine ¼ cup of cold milk, cocoa and sugar stirring to make a smooth paste or syrup.

·          Whisk the chocolate “syrup” into the hot milk.

·          Bring the mixture to a simmer and let cook about 30 seconds to the desired serving temperature.

·          Pour into cups and serve.

·          Top with whipped cream or marshmallows.

Tip: Heating chocolate over 165-170 degrees will affect both flavor and texture.

Chocolate Ganache (Sauce)

10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped or thickly shaved with a knife

8 ounces fresh, heavy cream

1 tablespoon corn syrup

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon of Brandy, Rum or Orange Liqueur

·          Using a double boiler slowly bring cream, salt and corn syrup to a full boil and then let it simmer 1 minute.

·          Transfer cream mix into a metal round bottomed bowl and let cool for 2-3 minutes.

·          Pour in the chocolate chunks and wait for it to begin to melt around the edges before using a rubber spatula to fold in the chocolate into cream mix until it’s all a uniform smooth and glossy textured sauce.

·          Stir in flavoring.

Top 6 uses for chocolate ganache or sauce

1.       As a topping for ice cream (warm slightly in microwave, do not over heat)

2.       In a fondue with fresh cut-up fruit (keep fondue heat source at low as not to burn chocolate sauce)

3.       As cake icing (room temperature then let cake cool in fridge for an hour for easier slicing)

4.       As dip for strawberries or other fresh fruit (use at room temperature dip strawberries first in ganache then into either small peanut chunks or blanched almond slices. To harden chocolate cool in fridge for a couple of hours before serving)

5.       As truffle or praline centers (pipe cold ganache into prepared chocolate ‘shells’ let sit for a couple of minutes in fridge before covering)

6.       As cookie centers (pipe cold ganache in between two cookie layers add nuts optional let harden in fridge for one hour or two)

The mixture will firm up as it is chilled. In a just right sized (so it has very little air space) tight sealing container ganache will stay fresh about a week in the fridge, and about 2 months in the freezer.

Enjoy!