Welcome to Coffee Maker Journal!

Welcome to Coffee Maker Journal!

Welcome to Coffee Maker Journal
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Coffee Maker Journal is a blog about making and enjoying great coffee.  Learn tips to make better coffee, and found out about the latest in coffee makers and coffee equipment.

Popular Articles

What is the Best Temperature for Coffee?

How Many Calories are in Coffee?

Coffee Drink Names and Definitions

How to Reduce Your Caffeine Intake

Popular Topics

Coffee Makers (8 articles)

Making Great Coffee (12 articles)

Coffee Maker Journal Store

Check out the Coffee Maker Journal Store to find recommended equipment to make great coffee at home.

If you are interested in coffee, explore Coffee Maker Journal to find tips on making and enjoying great coffee.



Copyright © 2015 Dr. Penny Pincher. All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

Biodegradable K-cups: Paper instead of Plastic...

Biodegradable K-cups

I got a tip from a reader about an interesting product- it is a K-cup for Keurig machines, but it is made of a paper coffee filter material instead of a plastic cup like a typical K-cup.  This product is made by the Rogers Family Coffee Company and the brand is San Francisco Bay Gourmet Coffee.  They are currently selling for about 36 cents per cup, which is a pretty good deal for a quality K-cup.
This packaging concept for K-cups is a neat idea for two reasons.  First, it seems like this design would have better potential for flavor extraction since hot water can flow more easily through the coffee grounds.  Reviews of the strong and good flavor of this coffee seem to support this.

Biodegradable K-cups- Good Coffee, Less Chemicals

San Francisco Bay OneCup, Fog Chaser, 80 Single Serve Coffees

Second, the paper filter material is biodegradable.  The standard plastic K-cups are made from a plastic that is not recyclable.  This type of plastic is known as #7 plastic which is a mix of various types of plastic.  The paper filter is biodegradable, which means recycling is not a problem.  Plus, some people are concerned about BPA and other chemicals leaching from the plastic cup into the coffee.  With a paper filter, you don't need to worry about this.

Copyright © 2015 Dr. Penny Pincher. All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

Selecting a Good Coffee Cup- Coffee Tastes Better in the Right Mug

Finding a Good Coffee Mug

You might not think the cup you use to drink makes much of a difference.  Most of the focus is on making great coffee in the first place.  Very little attention is paid to the coffee mug itself.

What kind of coffee mug is best for drinking coffee?
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I realized that the choice of coffee mug makes a difference to me when I found myself hunting for my favorite mug before I would pour my coffee each day.  When my favorite brown mugs are not available, I fall back to using the red mugs.  My next (and last) choice is the yellow mugs.  The yellow mugs look nice and are fine for drinking tea, but I don't like drinking coffee with them.  With the yellow mugs, the coffee does not stay as hot, and it seems to have a weaker flavor.

Why Is a Good Coffee Mug Important?

My favorite style of coffee mug is a large brown ceramic coffee mugs that my wife picked up at Pier 1 Imports.  I didn't use the new mugs for a few years because I assumed they were for special occasions.  One time my wife said I could use them and I really liked the size of it and how it seems to keep coffee warmer than my other ceramic mugs.

The best coffee mug
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Since all of my mugs are made of ceramic, how could one ceramic mug keep coffee warmer than others?  I think the size and shape are the keys to this mystery.  The Pier 1 mugs are very large and hold my 16 oz of coffee all at once.  Having a lot of coffee in the mug provides thermal mass to keep the coffee warm longer.  The ceramic is fairly thick, perhaps adding slightly more insulation value.  Also, the shape of this mug seems to reduce the surface area of the coffee, slowing transfer of heat relative to other mug shapes.

How Can a Good Mug Make Coffee Taste Better?

How can one mug make coffee taste different than another?  I can think of a couple reasons.  One is that the shape of the mug can really accentuate the smell of the coffee.  My large brown mug has space at the top when filled with 16 oz of coffee so my nose is right near the coffee and that wonderful flavor is focused right on my face each time I take a sip.  Another way the mug can affect the taste of coffee is residual flavors.  I have had old plastic mugs that provided some "plastic" flavor and really held on to stale coffee flavors.  Even ceramic mugs can hold stale flavors depending on the glaze.  My new mugs have really slick glaze and are easy to clean completely so the only flavor you get is fresh coffee.

This coffee mug is too small- coffee gets cold fast
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

A few weeks ago, I went into Pier 1 with my wife- mostly to try to stop her from buying things- and I saw that they had my favorite brown mugs on clearance.  I think they were $1 each or something.  I bought all of them- literally all of them.  They only had 5 of so left on the shelf at that point.  My wife was somewhat stunned when I started grabbing the mugs from the shelf since she had never seen me buy anything at Pier 1.  So now I can have my coffee in my favorite mug every day.

A couple years ago, I upgraded my travel mug that I take with me in my car when I drink coffee while driving to work.  My old coffee mug would sometimes leak and that was no good.  I got a Contigo thermal mug that does not leak.  You can turn it upside down and it still will not leak.  It has a spring mechanism to hold coffee in and a trigger to release coffee when you want to take a drink.

Contigo thermal travel coffee mug- it does not leak!
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I prefer drinking coffee from a ceramic mug.  Having the top open allows me to smell the coffee and feel the warm steam rising from the mug with every sip.  I have tried taking ceramic mugs in the car with me, but it is not safe to try to drive with an open container of hot liquid in my hand.  The Contigo is probably as good as it gets for a travel mug- it keeps coffee hot and fresh for a long time, and does not leak.

If you want to try a different coffee mug, here are some features I would recommend:

• Get a large mug so you can put a lot of coffee in it and still have some room at the top to smell the coffee and feel the warmth from it as you drink.
• Get a mug that is shorter and wider to help keep the thermal mass of the coffee less spread out, reducing surface area exposed to room temperature.
• Get a mug that has a neutral color inside so you can see and enjoy the color of your coffee.
• Go for a thicker mug that will help keep coffee warm.
• Get a big handle so you can easily control your sip.

Copyright © 2015 Dr. Penny Pincher. All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

Ideal Coffee Temperature for Brewing and Serving Coffee

Ideal Coffee Temperature Experiment

What is the Ideal Temperature for Coffee?

Measuring the Ideal Temperature for Coffee
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Brewing temperature is important for great-tasting coffee.  Brewing at too high temperature can result in scorched tasting coffee.  Brewing at too low temperature can result in weak flavor.

The serving temperature is also important.  Coffee that sits on a burner that is too hot can make good coffee taste scorched.  Coffee that is too cool does not taste as good.

I think almost everyone would agree that temperature is important for brewing and serving coffee- but what is the ideal temperature?

Measuring the Temperature of Great Coffee

I decided to use my Christmas present to find out exactly the ideal brewing and serving temperature for coffee.  My present is a non-contact infrared thermometer.  It has dual lasers to identify the area of measurement and a nice digital display with the precise temperature measurement.  This is a really nice instrument, and as you can imagine I lots of fun measuring the temperature of all kinds of things around the house.

Measuring Coffee Temperature in the Cup at Serving Temperature
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I used my Melitta thermal coffeemaker as the ideal temperature source.  This coffeemaker makes great coffee, and the reviews emphasize that this coffeemaker is especially good at brewing and serving at the ideal temperature for coffee.




I measured the coffee temperature in the following places:

1. In the coffee cup, just after pouring
2. In the thermal pot, just after brewing
3. In the filter basket, just after brewing
4. On the surface of the burner

Measuring Brewing Temperature of Coffee- Coffee Grounds in the Filter Basket
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Ideal Coffee Temperature

Here are the temperature measurements:
The cup of coffee, ready to serve was at 138 F
The coffee in the thermal pot was at 152 F
The grounds in the filter basket were at 158 F
The burner was at 205 F

Note that these temperatures may not match what is shown in the photographs since I made the measurements in the photos later after the coffee has cooled down a bit.  Also, it was difficult to aim the non-contact thermometer correctly and hold my cell phone to take the picture with my other hand at the same time...

So, the ideal brewing temperature for coffee is 158 F / 70 C

The ideal serving temperature is not so clear.  Some people would think 138 F is not hot enough- some restaurants serve coffee at 200 F.  I would say the ideal serving temperature for coffee is a matter of taste.  At 138 F, the coffee is still hot and I can taste a lot of the subtle flavors in the coffee.  The problem with serving at 138 F is you need to drink it pretty fast because it starts to seem cool when it gets much below 138 F.  I think 200 F is too hot- you can't really taste the coffee.

One discovery from making these temperature measurements was that the burner is at over 200 F / 93.3 C.  So, even in the excellent Melitta thermal coffee maker, you might want to pour the coffee from the thermal carafe fairly soon after brewing to avoid scorching it.


I tried leaving coffee in the pot for a few minutes after brewing was complete and noticed that it heated up to 147 F.  It makes sense that the coffee would heat up since it is sitting on a burner at 200 F.  It seems that you can pretty much choose your coffee temperature by controlling how long you leave it on the burner.  Pour it immediately, and the coffee is at 138 F.  Leave it in the carafe and it will heat up, reaching 205 F after perhaps 15 minutes.

I'm going to pick 158 F as my ideal temperature for serving coffee.  Ideally, you could keep the coffee at the ideal brewing temperature and serve it at that temperature.

Copyright © 2014 Dr. Penny Pincher. All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

How to Warm Up Cold Coffee?

Problem: Cold Coffee

Today, I made a great cup of coffee as usual.  I used my coffee grinder to make fresh coffee grounds from whole bean coffee.  I used filtered water, and brewed my coffee in a coffee maker with a cone filter for maximum flavor extraction.  Here are details on how to make a great cup of coffee.

I got distracted in my workshop, and found that I had about 1/4 cup of cold coffee.  I like my coffee hot.  I have tried heating up cold coffee in the microwave, but it tastes terrible.  What can I do to warm up cold coffee without making it taste bad?

My coffee got cold- how can I warm it up?
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Solution: How to Warm Cold Coffee without Making it Taste Bad

When I end up with cold coffee that I want to warm up, I make a sort of "Cafe Americano".  I heat up a small amount of water to boiling, and add the boiling water to the cold coffee.  This does make the coffee a bit weaker, but the flavor is still good, and the coffee is hot again.

Put a small amount of water in a coffee mug

Heat the water in the microwave

Add the hot water to your cold coffee
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I use an amount of water slightly less than the amount of cold coffee.  For the cold coffee shown in the pictures, I microwaved the water for 1:30 to get it boiling a little, and then poured it into my cold coffee.  It was a little weaker than the original coffee, but still drinkable.  Give this method a try next time you end up with cold coffee that you want to warm up.

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

Custom Coffee- Blend Your Own Coffee

Make Your Own Custom Coffee Blends

1) Blend Hot Coffee To Make A Custom Coffee Blend

Blend Hot Coffee To Make Your Custom Blend
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

The first time I realized that you could blend hot coffee was years ago at a small coffee shop.  I ordered a large coffee, expecting to get a house blend that was a medium roast.

The barista asked if I wanted a light roast or a dark roast- those were the only options.  I didn't pick one of those choices, instead I said I was looking for a medium roast.

The barista said, "no problem, I can make you one."  She proceeded to fill a cup 1/2 full of light roast and then topped it off with dark roast.  I was a little surprised, but gave it a try and it was pretty good.

The coffee was not really a medium roast, since it contained no medium roast coffee.  It was a mixture of the dark, smokey flavor of a dark roast and the lighter, citrus flavor of a light roast.  This was interesting- as simple as it seems, I never thought to mix hot coffee to make my own blend.

A variation of this is Cafe Americano, which is prepared by blending a shot of espresso with hot water to make a cup of coffee.  Sometimes I get a decaf made this way.  It is always fresh and always good.  Also, you don't have to wait for an entire pot to brew.

Lately, when I get coffee at the coffee shop at work, I make a blend of 3/4 cup of Seattle's Best Level 3 decaf and 1/4 cup of Level 4 which is a dark roast.  At this coffee shop, you pump your own coffee, so it is easy to try different hot coffee blends.

2) Blend Coffee Beans Or Coffee Grounds To Make Your Own Coffee Flavor

Another way to make your own coffee blend is to mix coffee grounds or coffee beans to get the coffee flavor you want.  My Mom blends Butternut coffee grounds with a couple other brands in a certain proportion.  When she lived out of state for a few years, she could not get Butternut at the local stores, so she would buy large quantities of it when she came back to visit.  This was the only way she could keep her blend the same, just how she likes it.

Blend Light Roast, Medium Roast, and Dark Roast Beans to Make Your Custom Coffee Blend
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Some people like to blend other flavors into their coffee grounds, such as chickory to make New Orleans style coffee.  My sister-in-law likes flavors like hazelnut flavored coffee.  Flavored coffee has flavoring added into the grounds or beans.  To me, flavored coffee tastes like chemicals and is hard to drink at all.  I once gave her a perfectly good bag of expensive coffee grounds because they were butterscotch flavored and I didn't notice this when I bought it.

I blend different coffee beans together sometimes, usually when I only have a few coffee beans left in a bag.  I have made some really good tasting blends.  My favorites are mostly medium roast with some dark roast beans mixed in.

Another popular blend is to mix regular coffee with decaf coffee.  A mix of half regular coffee and half decaf is known as "half caff" coffee.

Blend Coffee Beans or Coffee Grounds to Make a Custom Coffee Blend
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Recommended Reading
Here is my article on coffee terms- learn more about coffee terms such as Cafe Americano.

Learn about coffee alternatives and coffee substitutes that have less caffeine than coffee.  There are many options for low caffeine or caffeine free coffee beyond decaf or half-caff!

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

Why Does Decaf Coffee Taste Bad?

Why Does Decaf Coffee Taste Bad?

Decaf Coffee- It Doesn't Taste As Good As Regular Coffee!
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I guess saying that decaf coffee tastes bad is a bit of an overstatement.  I would say decaf coffee is drinkable, but it is not as good as regular coffee.

If you believe the decaf coffee advertising material, you would think decaf should taste like regular coffee.  But it doesn't.  The green coffee beans must be processed to remove most of the caffeine.  This is a very invasive process and changes the flavor- and not for the better.

What Does Decaffeinated Coffee Taste Like?

I drink one 16 oz cup of regular coffee brewed from fresh ground coffee beans every morning, and then switch to decaf.  I drink several cups of decaf every day.  Usually a couple of Keurig k-cups of decaf varieties such as Dark Magic, Tully's, Newman's Own or Donut Shop.  It is not fair to compare coffee brewed from fresh ground beans with Keurig coffee- fresh ground beans make better coffee.  It is also not fair to compare regular coffee to decaf coffee- regular coffee tastes better.

Keurig k-cup decaf coffee
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I also buy ground decaf coffee or whole bean decaf coffee to brew at home.  This makes for a fairer comparison between regular and decaf coffee.  Regular coffee tastes better, even comparing similar roasts and coffee preparation methods.  Regular coffee has a richer, fuller flavor.  Decaf has more of a burned flavor and is missing some of the complex flavor of regular coffee.  It's sort of like the difference between listening to music in stereo, and then listening to the same song in mono.  Both sound similar, but the one in stereo is much more satisfying.  Why does regular coffee taste better since you can't taste caffeine?

Why Does Decaf Coffee Have Less Flavor?

The process of removing caffeine also impacts the flavor of coffee.  When coffee is decaffeinated, green coffee beans are processed to extract most of the caffeine.  In the old days, chemical solvents were used.  Some of these solvents were toxic and these are not commonly used anymore.  The two common methods of coffee decaffeination today are:

• Water Extraction: Hot water is used to extract caffeine, but also extracts flavor compounds.  Water containing flavor compounds is used to try to replace the flavor in the "Swiss Water Process".
• Supercritical Fluid CO₂ Extraction: Carbon Dioxide is used at controlled temperature and pressure to penetrate the green coffee beans and dissolve the caffeine so that it can be extracted.

I think the flavor of decaf coffee is negatively impacted by the processing needed to remove most of the caffeine.  There is potential for a variety of coffee trees to be grown that produce decaf coffee beans with no processing required to remove caffeine.  This could be accomplished through finding coffee plants with a natural mutation, or through genetically modified coffee plants that have the chemical pathway to produce caffeine disrupted.

Wouldn't It Be Great If You Could Grow Decaf Coffee?
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

How to Get the Best Decaf Coffee Possible

Given the shortcomings of decaf coffee due to the processing required to remove most of the caffeine, what can you do to get the best possible cup of decaf?  Follow the same principles that are used to make a great cup of regular coffee:

• Use fresh decaf coffee beans
• Choose lighter roasts for decaf- these will have a better chance of producing good flavor
• Grind the beans just before brewing
• Use filtered water
• Use a coffee brewer with a cone filter
• Use a coffee brewer with a thermal carafe to avoid adding burned flavor

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

No More Coffee Beans at Walmart!?

No More Coffee Beans at Walmart?

No More Coffee Beans at Walmart?
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

My wife buys my coffee beans for me when she buys groceries most of the time.  She know my favorite kinds.  I like dark roast Starbucks from Walmart or City Kid from Target.  I have made coffee from whole beans for over 15 years now, and am on my 3rd coffee grinder.  Grinding fresh coffee beans just before brewing means you'll get a fresh cup of coffee with great coffee flavor.

I came home from work to learn from my wife that Walmart did not have and coffee beans for sale.  They had removed their bulk dispensers and did not have any prepackaged whole beans either.  What's up with that!

Is Keurig Replacing Whole Beans?

Are Keurig k-cups replacing whole coffee beans?
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

My first thought is the Keurig k-cups may be replacing whole coffee beans.  There is more profit to be made selling k-cups than selling whole beans.  If you figure out how much ground coffee is in a k-cup and how much it sells for, you'll see the opportunity for profit.  It takes a lot of shelf space to offer lots of different kinds of coffee beans, and the bulk coffee bean dispensers also take a lot of room.  Walmart must have concluded that they could make more money from that shelf space by selling something else.

Do People Have Time for Great Coffee Anymore?

Consumer demand must also be a factor in Walmart's move to stop selling whole coffee beans.  Walmart must not be concerned that people will shop elsewhere to be able to buy whole coffee beans.  This is probably a reasonable conclusion.  The grocery bill is significantly lower at Walmart, so the hassle of picking up coffee beans at another store is not that big of a deal.

Do people have time for great coffee anymore?
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Perhaps not that many people grind coffee beans at home these days.  There is a Keurig machine at my office, and it is very convenient.  I would say the coffee quality is good, but not great.  Keurig coffee is a step below what I can make at home from fresh ground beans, or what you can get in a coffee shop.  But convenience is important to most people:

• You can just pop a k-cup in your Keurig and get coffee in about 1 minute
• You can try different roasts and flavors easily
• You never have to see or touch a used coffee filter
• There are no coffee grounds to store, measure, clean-up, etc.

There are certainly advantages to Keurig, but I'm staying with my coffee beans.  Here's how I use whole coffee beans to make great coffee at home every day.

Update:  I checked Walmart today and found that they have a small set of coffee bean dispensers (9 varieties) and a few bags of whole coffee beans available.  So you can find coffee beans at Walmart just not much selection.  Times are changing in the coffee world.  I will shop where I can get whole beans or order online!  It is surprising that whole bean coffee is not popular enough to merit much shelf space.

Walmart has only a few whole bean coffee choices
Image source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

K Cup Coffee

What is K Cup Coffee?

What is K Cup Coffee?
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

K Cup coffee is coffee made using a Keurig brewing machine.  Keurig brewing machines use coffee pods that contain ground coffee.  The first generation of Keurig machines use coffee pods called K-Cups.

A K Cup Coffee Pod is used to brew K Cup Coffee
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

A K-Cup is a type of coffee pod filled with ground coffee and a paper coffee filter.  The K-Cup is a small plastic cup that is sealed with an air-tight lid to maintain freshness.

How Do You Make K Cup Coffee?

You need a Keurig coffee brewer and a K-cup to make K Cup coffee.  K Cup coffee is easy to make:

• Place an empty cup under the Keurig brewer 
• Open the Keurig K-Cup compartment
• Place the K-cup inside
• Close the K-Cup compartment lid on the Keurig brewer
• Press  the "brew" button

In about one minute, you'll have a hot, fresh cup of K Cup coffee.

Keurig brewers use K-Cups to make K Cup Coffee
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Where Can I Get K Cup Coffee?

K Cup coffee is not sold in restaurants of coffee shops.  Keurig brewers that make K Cup coffee are used in homes and offices.  If you want to try K Cup coffee, but do not have a Keurig brewer, you might be able to find one in a break room at work.  Another option is to see if any of your friends have a Keurig brewer at home.  Most people with a Keurig brewer are excited to show people their machine and let them experience K Cup coffee.

How Much Does K Cup Coffee Cost?

The Keurig coffee brewing machine costs about $75 to a few hundred dollars, depending on the model and features of the coffee maker.  Some Keurig machines use K-Cups and some use Vue coffee pods.  The first generation machines use K-Cups: you'll need a Keurig machine that takes K-Cups to make K Cup coffee.

Once you have a Keurig brewer, you need a K-Cup for every cup of coffee you brew.  K-Cups cost about 65 cents each for premium brands and about 50 cents each if you know how to find cheap K-Cups.

You can also get refillable K-Cups that you fill with your own ground coffee that cost much less than buying K-Cups.  However, one of the main advantages of K Cup coffee is the convenience of being able to quickly pop in your favorite coffee flavor and brand, quickly brew the coffee, and throw the K-Cup away with no clean-up required.  If you use refillable K-Cups, you need to take time to load the refillable K-Cup and also need time to wash and clean the refillable K-Cup for the next cup of coffee.

What Does K Cup Coffee Taste Like?

K Cup coffee is always hot and fresh since it is made one cup at a time.  K Cup coffee is popular in break areas at work for coffee breaks because everyone gets a fresh cup of coffee.  A regular coffee maker leaves coffee sitting in the pot and it gets stale quickly.

You can choose your flavor of K Cup coffee.  You can get light roast, medium roast, dark roast, decaf, and flavored coffee.  You can also get K-Cups to make other hot beverages with your Keurig brewer like hot tea and hot chocolate.

How Does K Cup Coffee Compare to Regular Coffee?

You can make a better cup of coffee than K cup coffee.  Fresh ground whole coffee beans taste better than ground coffee.  I would say the flavor of K Cup coffee is similar to coffee you can make using ground coffee that is not fresh ground from whole beans.

K Cup coffee is definitely faster and more convenient than regular coffee.  Since you heat water for only one cup of coffee at a time, K Cup coffee is very fast.  Almost no clean-up is required for K Cup coffee- just throw the used K-Cup away after brewing and you are ready to make the next cup.

It is really easy to try different flavors and brands of coffee with K Cup coffee.  You can buy assortments of K-Cups to make it easy to try new kinds or to find something that anyone in your home or office would like.



Copyright © 2013 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

How Many Calories are in Coffee?

Does Coffee Have Calories?

How many calories are in a cup of coffee?
Image Courtesy of Julius Schorzman-CC-SA-20

One reason I started drinking coffee is that it is a low calorie beverage.  A 16oz cup of milk has about 250 calories, and a 16oz soda has about 180 calories.  A big cup of coffee lots of flavor and zero calories- or so I thought...

Many years later, I saw a sign at a cafeteria with nutritional facts about a cup of coffee.  I was surprised to see a number listed for calories.  Does black coffee really contain calories?

How Many Calories are in Black Coffee?

The bad news: Yes, even plain brewed black coffee with nothing added does contain some calories.
The good news: Coffee contains only 1 calorie per 8 oz of coffee.  This is almost zero calories.

How can coffee contain calories?  Hot water absorbs flavors and compounds from coffee grounds to become coffee.  These compounds become suspended in the water.  If you evaporate all of the water in a cup of coffee, you are left with a small amount of solid compounds.  If you burn these solid compounds that are contained in coffee in a calorimeter, you will find that the amount of energy contained in a cup of coffee is 1 calorie per 8 ounces.  Your body can convert this material into a small amount of energy, and therefore coffee does contain a small amount of calories.

Brewed black coffee contains almost zero calories.  If you drink your coffee black, you can basically ignore calories from coffee because it contains so few calories.  But many people don't drink their coffee black.

How Many Calories Does Coffee with Cream and Sugar Contain?

As soon as you start adding things to your coffee, you start to add calories and fat.

Of course you can add artificial sweeteners that have almost zero calories.  Popular artificial sweeteners for coffee include:

• Sucralose-based Splenda 
• Aspartame-based NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure
• Saccharine-based Sweet'N-Low
• Stevia-based Truvia

Zero calorie sweeteners: Splenda- yellow packet, Equal- blue packet, and Sweet 'N Low- pink packet.  Sugar at 50 calories per tablespoon is in the white packet.
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

All of these artificial sweeteners have much lower calories than sugar.  However, I don't really like the idea of consuming artificial chemicals with my coffee.  One thing I like about coffee is that it is completely natural- just roasted coffee beans and water.

If you add natural sweeteners such as sugar or honey or creamer such as milk, cream, or coffee creamer you start to add a lot of calories and even fat to your coffee.  For example, adding 1 tablespoon of sugar adds 50 calories to a cup of coffee.  If you have a big cup of coffee or drink multiple cups of coffee with sugar throughout the day, you could be adding hundreds of calories per day to your diet.

As far as milk and creamer, a tablespoon of heavy whipping cream adds 50 calories plus 5g of fat.  Half and half adds 20 calories and 1.8g of fat per tablespoon, and skim milk only 5 calories and no fat.  Coffee-mate coffee creamer has 20 calories and 1g of fat per tablespoon.  If you can switch from cream to skim milk, you can make your coffee contain much fewer calories.  Many coffee drinks contain much more than one tablespoon of cream, so coffee drinks such as lattes and cappuccinos are actually high in fat and calories.

Half and Half coffee creamer has 50 calories and 5 grams of fat per tablespoon
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

The table below shows the calorie content for black coffee and for coffee with sugar, coffee with cream and sugar, and coffee with spenda and skim milk:

Black coffee:
16oz: 2 calories

Coffee with spenda and skim milk:
16oz with 2 tablespoons of splenda and 2 tablespoons of skim milk: 12 calories

Coffee with sugar:
16oz with 2 tablespoons of sugar: 102 calories

Coffee with cream and sugar:
16oz with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of cream: 202 calories

If you are watching calories, try to switch to black coffee or at least switch from cream to skim milk if you are adding creamer.  I like to add honey as a sweetener rather than sugar.  I think the calories are similar, but for me honey has a complementary flavor to coffee.

Copyright © 2013 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

How to Quit Caffeine or Reduce your Caffeine Intake

How much caffeine are you getting?

I was surprised to learn how much caffeine I was getting every day.  I was drinking two 16 ounce cups of strong coffee brewed from fresh ground coffee beans.  From this caffeine table, I learned I was getting about 400 milligrams (mg) per cup, a total of 800 mg of caffeine every morning.  That is a lot of caffeine!  For reference, a Five Hour Energy has 200 mg of caffeine and a 20 oz Mountain Dew has 90 mg of caffeine.

Should you quit caffeine or reduce caffeine consumption?
Image by Icey, ClockworkSoul- Public Domain

As they say, caffeine is slightly habit forming.  I didn't feel right if I didn't get my 2 big cups of coffee promptly each morning.  I decided to reduce my caffeine intake to a more manageable level.

How much caffeine is too much?

Caffeine affects individuals in different ways- some people metabolize caffeine more rapidly and can tolerate higher levels of caffeine better.  For me, I would say 800 milligrams a day was too much.  One issue was the logistics of getting that much caffeine.  I would brew and carry two cups of coffee with me.  Sometimes I would need to stop to use a restroom on drive to work.  When travelling it was sometimes not possible to get that much coffee before the day started.  Once when visiting my brother, who is not a coffee drinker, I was climbing the walls until he took me to Einstein Brothers for a couple cups of coffee.  He was pretty amused by how badly I wanted some coffee.

Health effects of caffeine is a complex issue.  From what I understand, your blood pressure does increase for a short time, for example one week, when you first start taking in caffeine- but then your blood pressure stabilizes and is no longer elevated after that.  I have also seen reports that drinking a small amount of coffee every day makes your blood vessels more flexible and actually reduces blood pressure.  But please check out health effects of caffeine for yourself- I am not a doctor.  Well, actually I am a doctor, but not that kind.

Another health effect of caffeine is sleep disruption.  This was not really a problem for me since all of my caffeine consumption was in the morning.  The half life of caffeine in the human body is approximately 8 hours, so by evening most of the caffeine from your morning coffee has been metabolized and is not going to keep you awake or disrupt your sleep.  However some people drink coffee in the afternoon, and even at night.  This is almost certain to cause sleep disruption which can have a range of negative health effects.

Caffeine in high doses can cause headaches and jumpiness.  I did experience a caffeine headache from too much caffeine once and it was not pleasant.  You can also get headaches from caffeine withdrawal- if you are not able to get your morning coffee, you may get a headache and generally feel crummy.  I also experienced this type of headache many times when my caffeine supply was disrupted for various reasons.

Cutting your caffeine intake can save you money.  If you don't "need" several cups of coffee each day, you can certainly reduce your coffee spending.  If you don't require as much caffeine to get through the day, you can choose lower cost or free beverages instead of springing for highly caffeinated coffee which goes for over $2 per cup at coffee shops.

How to reduce caffeine intake and still enjoy great coffee

So, you've decided to cut back on caffeine or even quit caffeine.  How can you reduce your caffeine intake, avoid headaches and withdrawal symptoms, and still enjoy great coffee?  You want to slowly reduce your caffeine intake, avoiding sudden changes.  I tried suddenly cutting my caffeine intake in half and this caused headaches and I felt grumpy and couldn't concentrate.  After going back to my full level of caffeine, I slowly stepped down my caffeine level over a two week period.  I was able to adjust easily to this rate of change.

There are methods to gradually reduce your caffeine intake:
Method 1:  You can just cut back on the amount of coffee grounds you use each day- and cut back on the water by the corresponding amount to gradually reduce your caffeine consumption.

Method 2: Another approach is to mix decaf coffee grounds with your regular coffee grounds, gradually increasing the ratio of decaf to regular.  This method has the advantage that you still get your normal amount of coffee all the time, which can be easier to deal with than having less coffee each day.

There are a number of coffee substitutes such as chickory, carob root, Teccino, Pero, Postum, and others that have little or no caffeine.  These can be mixed with coffee grounds, or used to replace a second cup of regular coffee.  Also hot tea (either black tea or green tea) has much less caffeine than coffee- try to substitute tea for some of your coffees.

Method 3:  Set a strict cut-off time for caffeinated coffee.  For example no coffee (except decaf) after 10am or noon, etc.  This will help you reduce or avoid sleep problems, and can help you lower your overall caffeine intake.

You may find the best approach for you is to use a combination of all of these methods to gradually reduce your caffeine intake.  If you cut caffeine too quickly, you will have withdrawal symptoms and are likely to resume your previous high level of caffeine intake to relieve your symptoms.

My goal was to cut back to a single 16 ounce of regular coffee per day, which I reached after 2 weeks of gradually reducing caffeine intake.  This seems like a manageable and moderate level of caffeine intake, and I focus on making one great cup of regular fully-caffeinated coffee every morning.  After that I switch to decaf coffee, decaf black tea, and green tea.

If you decide to go further in reducing your caffeine intake, how do you completely quit caffeine?

Quit Caffeine

The approach to quit caffeine is the same for reducing caffeine intake- keep reducing your caffeine intake gradually each day.  If you want to quit caffeine, you'll need to keep going until you are drinking only decaf or coffee substitutes.  To really quit caffeine completely, you'll need to watch out for caffeine from sources other than coffee such as soda, tea, and chocolate.

I think enjoying coffee in moderation is good for you.  As with most things, too much of even a good thing can have consequences.  It is worth considering how much caffeine is the maximum you want each day, allowing you to enjoy some coffee without negative consequences of too much caffeine.

Copyright © 2013 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

Coffee Terms and Definitions: What is a Latte?

Coffee Terms and Definitions

Coffee terms can be confusing- many are based on foreign words, and many people use coffee terms incorrectly, adding to confusion.  This article provides definitions of common coffee terms with pictures.

Coffee Drink Names and Definitions- What is a Latte?

Latte- Equal parts espresso and steamed milk

Latte- espresso and steamed milk
Image courtesy of cyclonebill CC-SA-20

Cafe au lait- Strong drip brewed or French press coffee with steamed milk added.  This differs from a Latte since espresso is not used as the coffee base.

Cappuccino- Equal parts espresso and steamed milk, topped with frothed milk foam.  May contain chocolate and other sweet flavorings

Cappuccino with leaf pattern in the froth
Image courtesy of  Sven Lindner

Frappe- Iced coffee drink with mocha or caramel, popular at McDonalds McCafe

Espresso- Strong coffee prepared using high brewing and temperature.  Espresso is used to make coffee drinks including latte and cappuccino

Steamed Milk- Milked that has been heated and increased in volume, but not frothed

Frothed Milk- Milk that has been heated and frothed with a steam wand on an espresso machine to make it foamy

Decaf- Decafinated coffee- at least 97.5% of the original amount of caffeine has been removed.

Cafe Americano- Coffee made by adding shots of espresso to hot water

Macchiato- Espresso topped with steamed milk.  You can order a macchiato topped with flavored syrup, for example a caramel macchiato

Frappuccino- Starbucks iced coffee drink- think of this as a coffee milkshake made with coffee and fruit blended with ice

Coffee Ordering Definitions- What does Venti mean?

Whip- Whipped cream added to the top of a coffee drink

Soy- Soy milk, used instead of cow's milk upon request in coffee drinks

Double- Two shots of espresso instead of one in a coffee drink

Mocha- Chocolate flavoring in a coffee drink

Sugar in the Raw- Sugar that is less processed than regular sugar.  It has larger granules and tastes like a cross between regular sugar and brown sugar

Barista- Name of the person at the coffee shop who makes coffee- "barista" applies to both males and females

Venti- The name for a 24 ounce coffee size at Starbucks

Tall- The name for 12 ounce coffee size at Starbucks

Grande- The name for 16 ounce coffee size at Starbucks

Trenta- The name for 31 ounce coffee size at Starbucks, where available

Coffee Brewing Technique Definitions- What is pour over coffee?

Pour Over- Pour over coffee is made by pouring hot water from a kettle over coffee grounds held in a plastic or ceramic cone.  Most coffee shops will make pour over coffee upon request.

Coffee dripper to make pour over coffee
Image source: Dr. Penny Pincher

French Press- French press coffee is made by placing coffee grounds in a glass canister and adding hot water.  A plunger screen is used to press the grounds to the bottom of the canister after steeping for a few minutes, and french press coffee is served.

Espresso- An espresso machine is used to brew coffee at higher temperature and under higher pressure than an auto drip brewer.  Espresso machines may have a steam wand that can be used to make steamed milk or froth for making latte or cappuccino.

Auto Drip- The most common type of coffee maker.  The auto drip coffee maker automatically heats water from its reservoir and slowly drips hot water into a filter basket containing coffee grounds to brew coffee.  The best auto drip coffee makers use cone filters and have thermal carafes.

Cowboy Coffee- Cowboy coffee is made without a coffee maker and without a coffee filter.  Add coffee grounds to hot water in a pan, allow to steep, and then carefully pour off coffee leaving most of the grounds in the bottom of the pan.

Coffee Making Equipment Definitions- What is a cone filter?

Espresso Maker- Specialized coffee maker that uses very hot water and pressure to make a type of coffee called espresso.  This strong coffee is used to make coffee drinks such as Latte or Cappuccino, or espresso may be drunk straight in small servings.

French Press- Glass pot with a metal screen and plunger.  Place coffee grounds in the glass pot, pour in hot water, and let steep for about 3 minutes.  Press the plunger to screen the grounds to the bottom of the pot and serve French Press coffee.

Coffee Dripper- Small plastic or ceramic cone that is placed over a coffee cup.  A cone filter and coffee grounds are placed in the dripper, and how water is poured into the dripper, resulting in brewed coffee.

Vault- Storage canister for coffee beans, may have vent to allow gases from the beans to vent, maximizing freshness.

Auto Drip Coffee Maker- The most common type of coffee maker.  Coffee grounds are placed in a filter basket, and hot water water is slowly dripped into the filter basket, resulting in brewed coffee.

Coffee Filter Basket- This is the plastic bowl in an auto drip coffee maker where the coffee filter and coffee grounds are placed.

Coffee Filter Types- The shape of the coffee filter basket determines what type of coffee filter you need- either Cone Filter or Basket Filter.

Cone Filter- Paper coffee filter shaped like a cone with a point on the bottom

Basket Filter- Paper coffee filter shape that is flat on the bottom, the most common shape for auto drip coffee makers.

Reservoir- The part of an auto drip coffee maker where cold water is placed for brewing coffee.

Coffee Grinder- Used to grind whole coffee beans into ground coffee.  There are 3 major types of coffee grinders: burr grinders, disc grinders, and blade grinders.

Blade coffee grinder- disc and burr grinders produce better coffee
Image source: Dr. Penny Pincher

K-cup- Small plastic cup that contains coffee grounds, used in Keurig single serve coffee brewing machines.  This article shows what is inside a K-cup and how much K-cups cost.

Single Serve Brewer- Coffee makers that use a small container of coffee grounds to conveniently make a single cup of coffee quickly and easily.  Examples include Keurig, Senseo,  and Verisimo coffee brewers.

Coffee Bean and Coffee Roasting Terms- What is city roast?

Fair Trade- Coffee beans purchased from coffee growers in a manner to ensure reasonable profits for the growers.

Single Origin- Describes coffee beans from a single country or region rather than a blend of beans from various locations.

Shade Grown- Coffee beans grown under the rain forest canopy, rather than clear cutting an area to grow coffee trees.

Dark Roast- Coffee beans roasted for longest, reaching a dark color and smokey flavor.  Dark roast coffee has less caffeine than lighter roasts.  Dark roast beans have oil on the surface.

Dark roast coffee beans are dark brown, oily, and smell smokey
Image source: Dr. Penny Pincher

French Roast- Very dark roast coffee, smokey sweet

City Roast- Medium-dark coffee roast, more smokey, sweeter, and more oily than medium roast

Medium Roast- Coffee roasted beyond first crack develops a sweeter flavor and the beans have some oil on the surface after roasting

Light Roast- Coffee beans roasted for shortest time, remaining a light brown color after roasting.  Roasting stops just after first crack.  Light roast coffee is more acidic than darker roasts.

First Crack- When coffee beans are roasted, they reach a temperature that causes the coffee bean to visibly expand and make a cracking sound.  The first time this occurs during roasting is known as "first crack".

Second Crack- When roasting continues beyond first crack, the beans will expand further and make a second cracking sound, known as "second crack"

Copyright © 2013 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

Coffee Maker Cleaner: Should You Clean your Coffee Maker with Vinegar?

Why You Need to Clean Your Coffee Maker

Should you clean your coffee maker with vinegar?
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

When I talk about cleaning your coffee maker, I am talking about cleaning the INSIDE of your coffee maker. Water carries dissolved minerals that are deposited inside your coffee maker. When the water evaporates from liquid into steam, it leaves mineral deposits inside your coffee maker. These deposits of lime, calcium, and other minerals result in slower water flow through your coffee maker. Some effects of mineral deposits inside your coffee maker:

• It takes longer to make coffee. A coffee maker with severe mineral deposits can take more than twice as long to make a pot of coffee.
• It can affect the taste of your coffee. One side effect of slower brewing can be that the coffee starts to become stale before you drink it, especially if it is sitting on a burner
• Your coffee maker can stop working due to excessive mineral deposits. The flow of water through your coffee maker can slow to a trickle and even stop completely. You will not longer be able to make coffee!

How Often Should You Clean Your Coffee Maker?

How often you need to clean your coffee maker depends on the hardness of the water that you use to make coffee. In my area, the water is hard- meaning it carries a lot of dissolved minerals. Even though my house has a water softener to remove some of the minerals, it still affects my coffee maker after about 1 month of brewing 1 pot of coffee per day.

If the water is not hard in your area, and you only brew one pot of coffee per day, you may be able to go 2 or 3 months between cleanings. If your water is hard and you brew more than one pot of coffee per day, you may need to clean your coffee maker more than once per month.

Should You Clean a Coffee Maker with Vinegar?

Vinegar contains an acid- acetic acid. The acid in vinegar allows it to dissolve minerals readily. Vinegar is also edible, although it has a sour taste and strong acidic smell. These characteristic- being acidic and edible- make vinegar a good coffee maker cleaner. Many coffee maker manuals suggest using vinegar to clean coffee makers.

Vinegar for cleaning coffee makers
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

However, the strong odor and taste of vinegar are factors that make it undesirable to use as a coffee maker cleaner. My wife can tell from anywhere in the house when I start cleaning the coffee maker with vinegar! It also leaves the taste of vinegar behind- you should run 2 pots of water through your coffee maker after cleaning it with vinegar to remove the vinegar taste so it won't taint you coffee.

What is the Best Coffee Maker Cleaner?

If you don't like the odor and taste of vinegar, there are other options. You can buy coffee maker cleaners that contain acid other than acetic acid. A common type is coffee maker cleaner that uses sulfamic acid. This is available in liquid form or in power form that you mix with water.

Dip-it liquid coffee maker cleaner- no bad smell!
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I tried a brand of sulfamic acid coffee maker cleaner called "dip-it". I found that it worked as well as vinegar, but without the bad smell and taste. dip-it costs about $3.50 for a 7 oz bottle of liquid that can clean your coffee maker twice.

After running 5 cups of water with 1/2 a bottle (3.5 oz) of dip-it through your coffee maker, rinse by brewing 2 pots of cold water only and you are ready to make coffee again.

You can also get the powder form of sulfamic acid in a brand called Mr. Coffee Coffeemaker Cleaner. You mix the power with water and run the mixture though your coffee maker in the same way as when brewing coffee. A box of Mr. Coffee Coffeemaker Cleaner contains 2 packets of powder- enough to clean your coffee maker twice.

Mr. Coffee coffee maker cleaner powder
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

As with vinegar and the dip-it liquid coffee maker cleaner, you'll need to rinse your coffee maker by brewing cold water only twice before making coffee.

Coffee Maker Cleaner can Fix a Broken Coffee Maker!

After 8 months of making great coffee with my Melitta coffee maker, the coffee maker suddenly stopped working. It produced only steam. Almost no hot water reached the brew basket, so I got no coffee. Believe me, it was a rough start to the day! Here's a description of how I survived making coffee with a broken coffee maker for a few days. This method of making coffee also works in a power outage with no electricity.

I assumed the failure was caused by a clogged or stuck check valve in the tube from the reservoir to the heating element. I contacted Melitta customer service with a description of the problem. I expected them to have me send the unit in for repair, or even replace the unit since it was still under a 1 year warranty.

The response from Melitta came back on the next business day. They recommended cleaning the coffee maker with vinegar. I had been cleaning my coffee maker with vinegar every month or two. I think it had been even more than two months since I cleaned it when it stopped working. Our water is hard and has lots of mineral content. But I was skeptical that deposits would cause the coffee maker to suddenly stop working.

I decided a vinegar treatment was worth a try. I filled the reservoir with white vinegar, 4% concentration, and turned the coffee maker on. At first just steam came out the top, but eventually there was a slow drip of vinegar into the pot. It took about 90 minutes to run the first tank of vinegar through. I picked up some stronger vinegar- 5% concentration. This went through in about 10 minutes! I ran one more tank of vinegar to get it really clean. I was back in business.

I didn't realize how important it is to clean your coffee maker regularly. I'm going to clean my coffee maker once a month to prevent this from happening again. I'll clean it on the first of every month so I don't forget.

Coffee Maker Cleaner Recommendations

• Clean your coffee maker with coffee maker cleaner once a month
• Use either vinegar or a sulfamic acid product
• Vinegar is cheap and effective, but smells horrible when you heat it in your coffee maker
• Use a coffee maker cleaner with sulfamic acid such as dip-it or Mr. Coffee Coffeemaker Cleaner if the smell of vinegar bothers you
• Coffee maker cleaner such as dip-it or Mr. Coffee Coffeemaker Cleaner takes up a lot less room in your pantry than a large bottle of vinegar

Recommended Reading:

How to Make Great Coffee at Home

Copyright © 2013 Dr. Penny Pincher. All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal