Drinking Mexican Coffee in Cancun

Is It Safe to Drink Coffee in Mexico?

Necta Coffee Machine- How I Got Good Coffee in Mexico

This question was on my mind as I prepared to go to Mexico for a week-long vacation- is it safe to drink coffee in Mexico?  I have read lots of warnings not to drink tap water in Cancun because parasites in the water cause diarrhea also known as "Montezuma's Revenge".  At the Cancun Airport, there were even signs on the bathroom mirrors warning people not to drink the water.

But a week without coffee would be tough.  Especially in a place that has potential for good local coffee beans.  Some reading on the Internet convinced me that hot coffee should be OK- the high temperature kills the parasites that I have mentioned.

It turned out that the resort I was visiting had treated water, so even the tap water at the resort was probably safe- although I didn't trust it.  I used bottled water for drinking and even to brush my teeth.  I really didn't want to have problems with amoebic dysentery.

Since the resort had treated water, and then this water was heated, I felt OK to try the coffee.  They may have even used bottled water to make the coffee- we noticed that the water glasses they served at dinner were filled from jugs of bottled water.

Mexican Coffee in Cancun

I had read some travel reviews that said it was almost impossible to get a good cup of coffee in Cancun- the coffee at the hotels is terrible and the only hope is a Starbucks.  The resort I stayed at was actually about an hour south of Cancun and finding good coffee there was no problem.

The resort had an Italian Necta coffee machine.  It was loaded with whole coffee beans and had settings to brew shots of espresso or Caffe Americano.  This machine could also brew cappuccino and other drinks with milk.  The menus on the machine were in a foreign language, either Spanish or Italian, so I sometimes ended up with a surprise.  Sometimes the machine would not brew, so I simply moved on to a different machine since I was not sure what the problem was.

During my stay, I noticed that some of the machines had a small sign that said "decaffeinato".  I am not an expert on Spanish, but I think that means decaffeinated.  I am pretty sure most people did not notice the small sign.  I tried both the regular coffee and decaffeinated.  It was an espresso roast, strong and fresh.

Overall, I would rate the coffee I had in Mexico as quite good, but your experience could vary quite a bit depending on what your hotel has to offer.


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

Huckleberry Roasters Blue Orchid Blend- A Great Light Roast

Huckleberry Roasters Reivew

A small package arrived at my house a few days before Father's Day.  My wife scooped it up and it disappeared.  I suspected that this could be a Father's Day present, but I couldn't be certain.  The package was the size and shape of a small book, and my wife gets a book once or twice per month.

Huckleberry Roasters
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

It turned out that this package was my Father's Day gift.  I should have guessed it was coffee since this is an obvious gift choice for me.  I usually get 16 oz packages of coffee, and since the box was smaller than this, I just assumed it was something else.

What I got was 10 oz of Huckleberry Roasters Blue Orchid Blend.  This is a light roast, and I have been drinking mostly medium or dark roast lately.  I peeked at the invoice- the cost was $15 for 10 oz of coffee, which works out to $24 per pound.  So this would be the most expensive coffee I have ever tried.

At $15 for 10oz, Huckleberry Roasters Coffee Costs About $24 Per Pound
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

According to the description of the blend, they change the formula based on a rotating blend of Latin American beans that are available.  This makes sense to me, so they can keep the quality up as different types and qualities of coffee beans are available on the market.  The visible appearance of the beans made it clear that this was a light roast, and they were not oily.  I was ready to give the Blue Orchid Blend a try.

Huckleberry Roasters Blue Orchid Blend
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

This light roast packs a lot of flavor.  Some light roasts have a bit of a sour flavor, and this one has some citrus notes, but overall has a great coffee flavor.  This roast has some complexity, you can tell that it is not a single origin blend.  It has some of the chocolate and nutty flavors of a darker roast.  I would certainly try Huckleberry Roasters Blue Orchid Blend again, or perhaps a medium or dark roast from Huckleberry Roasters.

Huckleberry Roasters Blue Orchid Blend (Light Roast), with flash
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Huckleberry Roasters Blue Orchid Blend (Light Roast), no flash
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

This coffee costs more than twice as much as Starbucks whole beans or other whole bean coffee that you can buy for about $10 to $12 per pound.  Is it twice as good?  I'll leave this as an exercise for the reader...

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