Volunteers Needed for 4th of July Fun!

As dedicated supporters of the American Cancer Society, we at Andiamo Coffee would like to pass along the following call for volunteers for their July 4th event:

The American Cancer Society is looking for 30 volunteers to help at the "Long Island City Fireworks Festival" that will benefit the Society's efforts to help children with cancer. Those of you who volunteer will not only be helping to fight cancer, but will also have one of the best views of the Macy's Fireworks.

The event will take place on Monday, July 4, 2005 at Borden Avenue at 5th Street (in front of the Waterfront Crabhouse) in Long Island City, NY. This block-party style event will give the thousands of people who attend unparalleled views of the fireworks. Volunteers are needed to arrive at 4 p.m. to help sell donated hot dogs, direct parking, direct participants, work admission, etc. The event will end at 10 p.m.

If you can help, please contact the American Cancer Society's director of special events, Leslie Orlovsky at (718) 263-2225, ext. 26 or send her an email. Let her know Andiamo Coffee referred you to her.

National Coffee Drinking Trends

The National Coffee Association of USA, Inc. recently published their latest edition of "National Coffee Drinking Trends", which tracks consumption patterns in a wide variety of situations and categories over five decades. If you're interested in the coffee business, this document details just about everything that has to do with the industry, both from an owner and a consumer point of view and serves as an excellent resource for you to add to your coffee library arsenal.

The organization has tracked coffee trends since 1950, making it the longest running and largest statistical resource focusing on coffee drinking patterns. In addition, their large sample size insures accurate data and will provide you with details into this consumer market not found elsewhere.

From single serve brewer usage data, to the drinker's definition of gourmet coffee, there's no better way to learn about consumers attitudes towards coffee and health and what gourmet coffee means to customers and industry professionals alike.

But beware, the publication is not cheap. You can order the document online here for $350. Look at it this way, give up 100 cappaccinos at Starbucks and you get the report for free!

Andiamo Coffee Makes Great Wedding Favors

It's too late for Alicia Silverstone, but maybe not for you. The 28-year-old "Clueless" star wed longtime boyfriend Christopher Jarecki at Lake Tahoe on Saturday. I'll bet she didn't even have a clue that Andiamo Coffee offers bridal blend wedding coffee, which can be easily ordered online.

These 2 ounce personalized coffee packs are customized with the bride and groom's name and the wedding date. Each package makes 8-10 cups of coffee and makes for excellent wedding giveaways for all in attendence.

So if you or anyone in your family has a wedding date in the future, contact us at Andiamo Coffee about providing you with the best tasting gourmet coffee for you and your guests. And Alicia, if you're reading this, we'll give you a pass on this one...

Andiamo Caters Gala Luau Cocktail Party

On June 16, 2005, Andiamo Coffee had the pleasure of participating in the Gala Luau Cocktail Party at the Ederle site at Meadow Lake, Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Guests not only swayed from the tropical storm that hit, but actually experienced live music, hula dancing and were awed at the fire-eating show while enjoying cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and of course Andiamo Coffee's famous Iced Coffees, Teas, and chocolate covered espresso beans.

Event Chairman Stephen Mills (the President and CEO of New York Hospital Queens) along with Honorary Chairperson Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, honored Con Edison, New York Community Bank, and Queens Center Mall.The event proceeds benefited Unisphere, Inc. of Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Summertime Coffee Catering

Summertime's here and that can mean only one thing - outdoor BBQ's and parties! If you're thinking of entertaining your friends and family at your own home, or wherever for that matter, may we suggest you consider Andiamo Coffee as your coffee catering resource.

Andiamo Coffee can provide iced and hot gourmet coffee and decaf coffee, along with gourmet ice tea and all miscellaneous items associated with surperb catering services, including staffing if necessary.

All for a reasonable price that will leave your guests saying "When's the next party?" So please contact us for a detailed catering quote for your next event.

Daily Grind

What's the sense of purchasing custom roasted gourmet coffee if you can't enjoy 100% of its flavor? That's why grinding just enough whole bean coffee that you'll need is so important. Once whole beans are ground, the flavorful oils get exposed to the air. The result is a gradual loss of taste, and coffee connoisseurs can certainly tell the difference.

Different methods of brewing require different grind conditions. If you're drip brewing your coffee in a machine, the whole beans should be ground to a consistency similar to granulated sugar. A good indicator of success is the time it takes for the drip process to complete, which should be in the 4 to 6 minute range. Less than 4 minutes tells you to grind your coffee finer, while longer than 6 minutes means your whole bean coffee needs to be ground coarser.

But if you remember in a previous post, the ONLY way to drink coffee for its truist taste is through the use of a French Press, which requires the ground to be extremely coarse. For you espresso drinkers, you'll need an extremely fine almost powder-like grind. That said, the key to the perfect espresso is the extraction time.

The extraction time of one ounce of espresso should be approximately 25 to 30 seconds. You can use time as a test similar to the drip coffee example mentioned above. Grind your coffee finer if the one ounce extraction takes less than 25 seconds, and grind coarser if it happens in more than 30 seconds.

When you ground your own gourmet coffee correctly, you'll definitely notice a significant taste improvement. Try purchasing Andiamo Coffee's Naples Blend espresso in whole bean form, grind it yourself as indicated, and sit back and enjoy. Great coffee... Salute!

Andiamo Coffee Does It - You Should Too!

Whatever you do for a living, it goes without saying that a website is a necessity in this day and age. Chances are if you're reading this coffee blog, you most likely arrived here as a result of the search engine marketing that Andiamo Coffee has been doing since its site inception.

Our website developers have mastered the art of search engine placement and marketing avenues. Andiamo Coffee comes up high in just about all areas the company's known for, such as coffee catering, >coffee private labeling, coffee fundraising, and coffee of the month clubs.

How'd they do it? Well, for the most part, it's all about utilizing the strategies found in just about every search engine optimization manual. But for starters, create your own Yahoo Search Marketing account and you'll be well on your way on driving targeted customers to your site, no matter what your business is - and perhaps even reading your blog as well!

Tips on Storing and Brewing Coffee

Okay, so you've already purchased coffee from our online store. Now, how do you actually make that perfect cup? And how do you store the rest?

For starters, remember that water accounts for 98% of your actual drink, so if you really want to brew that perfect cup, use a water filter or bottled water rather than water from the tap. If you live in a city where the drinking water may not be up to par, you should notice a significant improvement following this step alone.

Grind your coffee according to your preferences. Too fine a grind results in a more bitter taste while too coarse a grind makes for weak coffee. Use two tablespoons of coffee for every six fluid onces of water. When brewing one of our flavored coffees, use just a little more coffee grinds.

Another important component of a great cup of coffee is temperature. The water should be between 195F and 205F degrees. Many times, temperature is the culprit of a coffee lacking real taste. Once brewed, keep it in an airpot or thermal carafe to maintain the coffee's flavor and heat.

Ground only the amount you'd like to use and keep the rest in whole bean form if possible. Make sure you store your coffee in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place, away from strong smelling odors such as garlic or onions as coffee will pick up odors from other foods. Coffee stored in this manner should remain fresh for about 14 days, while ground coffee will stale after 5 or 6.

Please feel free to contact us about any of the information above. I hope these guidelines will help you to consistently serve and enjoy our freshly roasted gourmet coffee.

Lesson Learned from CoffeeFest Las Vegas

Too much caffeine can cause you sleepless nights. That's the lesson I learned from attending three days of the Coffee Fest Las Vegas trade show. But what an amazing three days it was! Besides sampling coffees from a variety of roasters on display to learning more about the Swiss Water Decaf process, I couldn't help but think how amazing it was that the coffee industry drives so many other applications.

Take advertising for one. How about putting your logo on a coffee cup? Or how about on a coffee cup sleeve? Maybe a table top? Or perhaps on a bottle of water? There were exhibitors at the event that could do all of that for you.

Need a roaster? You could have picked one up at the show. Perhaps reading articles about coffee interests you... there were 3 magazine publishers, newsletter services and newspaper publishers there as well. Where else could you go to a coffee show, and come home with a subscription to the New York Times?

I gave out business cards aplenty, and received a ton in return. That's the beauty of the coffee industry - everyone's into the same thing and competing for your coffee dollar, but in the same light, very eager to share stories, opinions, and even trade secrets. One of the core ideas of Andiamo Coffee is using coffee and coffee services to add an extra flair in whatever it is your company does. Judging from the feedback I'm getting from show attendees, our concept couldn't be more right.

Oh, and the best part of the show? The Starbucks located inside the convention center was closed. And now that's it's over, I'll try to get some sleep for a change.

Surprising Purchase at Coffee Fest Las Vegas

Day one of Coffee Fest Las Vegas is over, and I think you'll be surprised at my first purchase of the day: Infinite Aloe skin cream.

Skin cream at a coffee and tea related event? I thought it seemed strange too, but you should have seen the line of people waiting at their booth.

According to the manufacturer, customers from around the world report that InfiniteAloe™ Skin Care is the finest moisturizer they have ever tried. The list of Aloe's demonstrated benefits continues to grow as modern science uncovers hard facts to support the ancient wisdom that led the ancient Egyptians to name Aloe, 'The Plant of Immortality.'

Some of the greatest minds and most legendary beauties in history, from Aristotle to Cleopatra, have celebrated Aloe for its amazing effectiveness in enhancing beauty and in easing a great variety of skin conditions. And if it's good enough for Aristotle and Cleopatra, it's good enough for me.

Plus, they offer a 100% money back guarantee if you're not satisfied with the product in any way. For $40, I was willing to take the chance. When you're roasting Andiamo coffee all day long, and your roastery's in the Las Vegas desert, trust me when I tell you your hands can get very dry - and in this case, caffeine just doesn't do the trick.

Don't Forget Coffee Fest This Weekend

Coffee Fest is being held this weekend in Las Vegas from June 3rd to the 5th at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Paradise Road in Las Vegas. It's still not too late to make your travel plans to attend.

If you've ever attended, you'll know why it's considered a "must-attend" event in the coffee industry. Besides the exhibitors, the free classes, and of course, the free coffee samples, you'll get to meet the Andiamo Coffee team, who'll be hosting the coffee roasting workshop each day of the event on location at their Las Vegas roastery.

Coffee Fest is dedicated to the growth and proliferation of the specialty coffee, gourmet tea and alternative beverage industries. With a strong emphasis on independent retail, Coffee Fest features a complete industry wide trade show, invaluable educational programming, Free-Pour Latte Art Competition, New Product Showcase, Opening Night Reception, incredible Special Attractions and tremendous Networking Opportunities.

Contact us now if you'd like more information or need complimentary tickets to the show.

French Press your Coffee for Better Taste

We all know you won't find better coffee than Andiamo Coffee. But here's a suggestion that will make your already great coffee taste even better: make it using a French Press. A French Press produces coffee in its purest form, resulting in a deep, dark, and full flavored brew.

Coffee contains natural oils that preserve and protect its inherent taste. When you use an automatic coffee maker, these oils are absorbed in the filters the machines use. After time, the oils stick to the inner workings of the machine as well and create a residue that stales and ruins your coffee. Instead, when you use a French Press, oils wash away and leave no residue.

And using a French Press couldn't be simpler. You just add your fresh Andiamo coarsely ground coffee into the press and add nearly boiling water, (approximately 1-2 tablespoons for every 8oz. of water should do), wait four minutes, and gradually press downward to separate the grounds from the brewed batch. Once you get familiar with the process, which should take you no more than 2 or 3 brews, you can easily adjust the strength by letting the coffee brew longer or shorter, depending on your taste preferences.

The downside with using a French Press is the grind. Using a fine grind will produce a muddy coffee. That's why we recommend you use a burr grinder, or let us know you want to French Press your coffee with your next order, and we'll grind it correctly for you.

Either way, for an investment of approximately $20, you'll be amazed at how much better coffee tastes when brewed with the French Press. Try our Columbia Supremo, French Press it, then tell all your friends that Andiamo Coffee's done it again.