Drinks - Page 232

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7 facts you didn't know about coffee production
March 20, 2018

7 facts you didn't know about coffee production

If you haven't been keeping up with NPR's Coffee Week lineup of stories, you're missing out on a whole bunch of new insight into the cup of coffee you drink every day. NPR's Coffee Week coverage is dripping with news and facts about the culture of coffee, from the journey of coffee production from fruit to cup to the threats facing coffee plant genes, and more. It's not often that we think exactly about how our coffee ends up in our cup, and it's a long, lengthy journey. As writer Dan Charles explains, the coffee exports from the "coffee belt" of the world help prop up many of the tropical countries, where exports of green coffee beans add up to $15 billion per year. And considering that one Arabica coffee tree produces only 1 to 1.5 pounds per year, it takes a lot of care to keep up with the demands of coffee drinkers (in Nordic countries, it can reach up to eight cups of coffee per day). And the complexities of the coffee bean — and the leaf rust that's threatening to wipe out coffee farms worldwide — make coffee as interesting of a crop as any other. And more importantly, as writer Allison Aubrey notes, is how third-wave coffee production is not just giving drinkers a better-tasting cup of coffee; it's allowing farmers to reinvest in their farms and provide better working conditions for those producing the coffee. From sorting and drying the beans to just getting the beans to a port to be shipped to the U.S. and other countries, the process of coffee is labor-intensive. Aubrey puts it best: "So, next time you sip on a latte, remember: It's not just the face of the barista behind those coffee beans." We asked Charles and Aubrey to share with The Daily Meal the most surprising facts they discovered about coffee production; you can click ahead to find out more eye-opening tidbits about your coffee. Let's just say, you'll appreciate your morning caffeine jolt that much more.

How good is George Clooney’s tequila?
March 20, 2018

How good is George Clooney’s tequila?

Say the word "tequila" to just about anyone over the age of 21 (actually, probably over the age of 16 these days, but never mind), and you’re likely to find an array of reactions: Disgust. Joy. Nostalgia. Horror. Everyone has that one story, that one experience, that one (too many) shot of tequila that lives on as legend in their minds. Either it’s the best drink you’ve ever had, or the worst. You either never want to even smell it again or you can't wait for your next one. We're in the latter category, so naturally we were interested in the new Casamigos tequila, produced to the specifications of George Clooney and his friend Rande Gerber, which has been getting lots of buzz and rave reviews (we think those commercials starring Cindy Crawford — Mrs. Gerber — may have helped). According to the company press releases, Clooney and Gerber have often blind-tasted the Casamigos tequilas (there are two, a blanco and a reposado) against other brands, and the results suggest that theirs is "a truly special tequila." So does the Clooney tequila live up to the hype? We conducted our own blind tasting of the Casamigos blanco against some of the biggest tequila names on the market: Patrón, Don Julio, Milagro, and Cuervo Tradicional (a dark horse in the competition, as everyone has memories of Cuervo). You can click ahead to see the results, in ascending order of our preference; then, find out what one tequila expert, Mat Resler from Empellon Cocina and Empellon Taqueria, thinks about Casamigos and our tested tequilas. You may be surprised.

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America's best coffee shops
March 20, 2018

America's best coffee shops

Has the coffee market become oversaturated? Some say not at all; coffee consumption actually reached its peak in 1946, when Americans consumed about 48 gallons per year. (Can you imagine how many pourover coffees that would be today?)  We scoured for the best independent coffee shops and chains that have changed the way we drink coffee. Our criteria? The best quality in coffee and food, atmosphere, customer service, and the "unique" factor. We then asked our coffee experts — coffee bloggers, roasters, shop owners, baristas, and educators — to nominate the shops they loved. Our panel then voted on a list of nearly 150 coffee shops from coast to coast. In the end, we narrowed down our list to the most highly ranked (and most talked about) 33 shops and chains that are riding into the fourth wave of coffee and beyond. Some of the coffee shops you may know well; Stumptown, Intelligentsia, and Blue Bottle all made the cut for an overall quality that’s hard to beat. And many of the shops on our list serve roasts from Stumptown and Intelligentsia, proving that they're the roasts to beat. (Another roaster we saw over and over again on our list? Counter Culture Coffee Co., based in Raleigh, N.C. While Counter Culture doesn’t operate any storefronts and instead focuses on supplying shops and educating the public, it too is a winner in our eyes.) Some of the shops have added on roasteries for a true "farm-to-table" approach. And some of our shops operate under a multiroaster model, serving a selection of roasts from the big guys, like Stumptown, and the local providers. Here's a list of the top 10:

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