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Just like anyone looking to develop an expert knowledge of wine needs to learn a little bit about the different types and how they’re made, anyone who wants more than just a Starbucks-level understanding of all the different coffee drinks and processes out there needs to look beyond “tall,” “grande,” and “venti” to discover the way that coffee drinks really work. There’s a world of difference between a latte and a cappuccino, and this helpful guide is going to make sure you understand what that difference is.

First, though, it’s important for understanding styles of coffee to recognize some key names for when you’re ordering a coffee the next time you’re in Italy, or at a great restaurant in your own town. You’ve probably said at least one of these names before, but maybe you don’t know what really goes into the drink. Well, now you’re going to:

Caffe Latte

Also referred to as Cafe au Lait, depending on where you’re ordering your drink, this is one of the most popular styles of coffee worldwide, and is really just a fancy way of saying espresso with milk. A single shot of espresso is made with steamed milk, and then served with an extra inch of frothed milk (foam) on top.

Americano

You know how when you use your drip coffee machine at home, how the product tastes more like coffee-flavored water if you don’t put the right amount of grounds in? Well, the Americano is named, jokingly, after the sort of taste it is that Americans prefer when drinking their coffee. Basically, eight ounces of hot water is added to a shot of espresso, giving you a–you guessed it–watered down version of a stronger espresso drink.

Caffe Creme

A number of different styles of coffee just involve a couple of variations to change the end result. Here, your coffee is brewed right from the beans, resulting in a non-milk layer of foam, referred to as crema, on top of the drink itself. No dairy is involved, but the taste is surprisingly smooth, considering.

There’s more to knowing about styles of coffee than just remembering some of the key names to the drinks. It’s even more important to know some of the processes–i.e. what heats the beans. Here are a couple of the most popular:

The French Press

It’s known but a bunch of different names, but the concept is always the same. A glass container has a wire part and a plunger. The coffee goes in, almost-boiling water goes on top of it, and then you physically press the coffee with the plunger part. You use coffee that’s ground a little rougher in here, and basically are filtering the coffee to make a more delicious cup at home. Surprisingly, it really works.

The Fully Automatic Espresso Machine

This is what makes the drinks that you pay the money to buy in a cafe. Machines in some spots in Italy are over a hundred years old, and they’re worth every penny because here you have something that grinds the beans, places the right amount of ground beans into the brewer, and then highly compressed water is pumped through. Amazing, and incredibly tasty. Much better than drip coffee, any day.

Of course drip coffee, popular in offices and homes across the land, is simply when you plug in a machine that heats the water and drips it slowly over the grounds, which are located in a filter. The taste, usually, is a little more watered down than with an at-home espresso machine.

Now that you understand the difference between espresso and drip coffee, you’re ready to get out there and start trying some drinks. Remember your word roots, and don’t be surprised if you forget to say “cafe” at the beginning of “cafe latte,” that a gigantic cup of milk might show up. If so, just take it in stride and do better next time.

Il pane è uno degli alimenti base della nostra dieta e della cucina mediterranea. C’è chi preferisce la crosta e chi la mollica, ma a tutti piace questo prodotto tipico della nostra tradizione.

Anche se il prezzo del pane nell’ultimo anno ha continuato a salire, moltissime famiglie non hanno voluto rinunciare al pane sulle loro tavole. Quello del pane è infatti uno dei settori fondamentali della nostra alimentazione, è un alimento ricco di carboidrati, in una dieta equilibrata i carboidrati dovrebbero fornire il 50-55% delle calorie. Il pane come tutti gli alimenti presi singolarmente non è un alimento completo, è ricco di fibre in particolare quello integrale. Così alcuni hanno deciso di imparare a fare il pane a casa, certo non utilizzando le attrezzature per panificio, ma accontentandosi di elettrodomestici più piccoli e certamente meno raffinati.

Anche i risultati spesso non sono proprio quelli sperati ma lasciamo molto a desiderare.

Moltissime sono le macchine utilizzate in un moderno panificio, a seconda di ogni momento della produzione c’è una macchina precisa, come l’impastatrice o le spezzatrici, i dosatori e miscelatori, ma anche i diversi tipi di forno che si possono utilizzare. E lo stesso vale per le macchine da pasticceri, non è quindi certo possibile improvvisare un panificio o pasticceria. La pasticceria è un’arte che appartiene specificamente alla tradizione culinaria europea e alle tradizioni che da essa si sono generate, come quella Americana o creola. L’Alto Medioevo rappresenta un passo fondamentale verso il concetto di pasticceria nel senso oggi comune, grazie ai fiorenti traffici che portavano alcuni ingredienti fondamentali alle corti dei nobili. Tra questi zucchero di canna, cannella, zenzero, riso, sesamo, noce moscata, chiodo di garofano. A partire dalla metà del 1500 inizia quella che si configurerà come una rivoluzione del gusto. Di qui gli Europei portano molti ingredienti del tutto nuovi, tra cui il cacao destinato a trovare un posto di assoluto rilievo nella pasticceria moderna, ma anche caffè, zucchero e vaniglia. È da qui che l’arte della pasticceria ha assistito ad una vera e propria espansione, definendo la propria autonomia rispetto alla gastronomia globalmente intesa.

In Italia ogni regione ha una sua propria tradizione per la panificazione. Esistono infatti moltissimi tipi di pane tipici di una regione italiana, come per esempio la “michetta” o “rosetta”, un pane di forma rotonda, con la base piatta e con la tipica incisione a stella, è vuota all’interno per effetto di una prolungata lievitazione dell’impasto. È originaria della Lombardia. Oppure la “biova”, originaria del Piemonte, che è ottenuta con un impasto lievitato a lungo, ma anche con meno acqua. La mollica in genere è molto morbida. O anche il pane di segale, il più diffuso in Alto Adige, aromatizzato con semi di cumino.

Poi anche la “ciriola”, di tradizione romana, ha una forma allungata e una mollica molto morbida all’interno, mentre la “coppia”, di origine ferrarese, ha una particolare forma a quattro punte ed è a base di pasta dura. È quasi privo di mollica.

Non possiamo non citare anche il “casarau” o “carta da musica”, di antichissima tradizione sarda, si presenta come un disco sottilissimo di colore chiaro, croccante e friabile, e si ottiene con la semola e pochissima lievitazione. Spesso ora anche questi pani regionali si possono trovare anche in altre regioni, ma se non li trovate e li volete assaggiare li troverete di certo nelle numerose e gustosissime fiere panificazione.

A cura di Martina Meneghetti

Prima Posizione Srl – Primi nei motori

Caffeine is a potentially addictive substance. For this reason, users often experience emotional and physical withdrawal symptoms when quitting.

While not as dangerous as drugs like alcohol and opiates, caffeine can cause serious problems when used excessively. Issues ranging from irritability and insomnia to stomach ulcers and heart disease have been linked to caffeine addiction by numerous independent studies and medical examinations.

While plenty of motivation to quit exists, caffeine users are often shocked by just how difficult it can be to break this habit. The first thing you need to bear in mind when deciding to quit is this:

Stopping the use of any addictive substance is going to be a significant challenge. Be prepared ahead of time and do not make the mistake of thinking it will be easy to stop cold turkey.

Once you’ve come to terms with the fact that you’re in for a challenge, the next critical step is to outline a simple plan and stick with it. The key words are both simple and plan.

Without a definite plan you are unlikely to break your caffeine habit. It’s just too easy to rationalize another cup of coffee, another canned energy drink, etc. if you don’t have a very clear plan in place.

And if you try to make your plan too elaborate or complex you will most likely become frustrated and bail out quickly when things get difficult for you. So make a plan, but above all keep it simple.

Don’t try to take on too much at one time. For example if you want to quit caffeine and lose weight you should tackle the caffeine problem first and not even worry about your desire to lose weight until you have your addiction to caffeine well under control.

And don’t set unrealistic expectations or be too hard on yourself. If you’ve been drinking two pots of coffee every day for ten years you should probably not try to stop cold turkey right this very minute.

In the above example scenario you might want to reduce to one pot for the next week or two, gaining confidence when you are able to cut back in this manner. Then, on a pre-selected date, make the jump to no caffeine at all.

You will most likely experience withdrawal on some level. This can occur as mild to severe depression, headaches, extreme fatigue and irritability, or a host of other symptoms.

Because everyone has a different physical and emotional makeup the exact nature of your withdrawal may vary from what others report. You could have very mild symptoms or a very severe experience; it’s best to be prepared by deciding to deal with the worst-case scenario.

If you relapse (start using caffeine again even after stopping) don’t make this an excuse to give up! Just return to your focus and stop again as soon as possible.

It is entirely normal for people to have to try multiple times before finally succeeding in their attempt to stop using an addictive substance.

Your plan might include a routine change or the use of a new breakfast beverage to fill the void. At the core of your plan should be the idea of taking one day at a time don’t worry about “forever” or next month, just focus on getting through the current day without caffeine.

By keeping it simple and going one day at a time you’ll find things get much easier as you go. Before you know it you’ll be totally caffeine free and you won’t even miss your old habit.