General Coffee Tips-Part II

1. Freshly ground coffee makes a wonderful potpourri. The smell of coffee will mask the "foulest" of odors. So now you can replace those aromatherapy scents with something that a true coffee lover appreciates, that wonderful smell of freshly ground coffee. 

2. Since heat intensifies the sweetness of sugar, use less sugar or syrup in a hot espresso drink than a cold one. 

3. If you enjoy iced coffee at home, pour coffee into ice trays and freeze them to use in your iced coffee drinks. This will prevent your iced coffee beverage from getting watered down as the ice melts. 

4. If you are wondering what to do with those leftover coffee grounds, try using them as compost in your garden or sprinkle them around your plants. 

5. Serving your coffee is as important as the brewing. Clean everything from your brewer to your cups with a mixture of baking soda and water. 

6. If you are going to drink coffee from a Styrofoam cup, be sure to rinse it before you use it to remove any loose particles that might affect the taste of your coffee. 

7. A good test for freshness of a coffee bean is to actually bite into the bean. If it has a crisp bite and a strong, full-flavored aftertaste, it is fresh. However, if it is chewy or bitter, it is not. 

8. Syrups and sweeteners are best dissolved if poured into the cup before the espresso.