GOOD FORTUNE blend [topic: beans]

Have you ever tasted good fortune? Well let's say I tried my luck! A few months ago I was given a gift brought straight from the far away New Zealand. I was impressed with this package as soon as I laid my eyes on it. It had such a fresh look of something rather classic - coffee, what else?!

I would like to give you some feedback on this blend of coffee which I have just ground and tasted. The beans smelled nice as soon as I opened the package. Once ground, the aroma was obviously more clear and it was very close to the Arabica aroma, but certainly richer - it's Peruvian, Colombian and Ethiopian beans after all.

nicely packed, contemporary blend

Once my coffee was ready it had a rich nutty flavour. It is the type of coffee which I normally suggest after a meal - truly to please yourself as a lucky person stuffed with good food and topped up with good coffee.

I have tried this blend as an espresso and a macchiato. Both were nice enough yet the macchiato was slightly better as it lightened the taste and blended nicely with the creamy taste. I must say, I am indeed fortunate to have tasted the good fortune (sixth sense) blend. Thank you!

Stay tuned! In the mean time, keep spreading the love for the BEAN!

Why use a coffee tamper? [topic: brewing]

One of the tools which is underestimated is the coffee tamper. Among various tools, the coffee tamper helps the coffee brewing process and gives a better quality to the final product. Coffee brewing is not just transferring the aroma and taste of coffee to the water content. Coffee is much more than that especially in the texture that is produced in an espresso.

there are various shapes and sizes, yet one function

The filter basket of a coffee machine is the channel through which water passes through. Being a traditional stove top macchinetta or a pump espresso machine, the filter basket needs to be not only filled with quality ground coffee but also well tampered in order to remove any extra air from coffee granules and force the water to pass through the coffee granules with no extra air pockets that will hold water rather than allow it to pass through.

shake, tamp, brew

First, it is best to firmly shake the group handle and then tamp the coffee lightly, shake the handle again and then tamp the coffee firmly. It is recommended to use a weighted tamper so as to avoid too little or too much pressure which is the problem with light plastic tampers which are often given for free. Please take note of the size of the filter before purchasing a tamper as filter sizes differ.

Try it out and stay tuned! In the mean time, keep spreading the love for the bean.

What to do with used coffee (2) [topic: general]

Let's all go green by using the BEAN! Hi all coffee lovers, today I would like to present to you an argument which is not only good for us but also for the good of humanity at large. Try to imagine how many kilograms of used coffee granules are used across the globe and most of it goes to waste. This is only a continuation of a topic I had already started to discuss in an earlier post for those who have even a small garden or planters in a yard. It would be great to watch plants grow healthy with a product you have produced yourself in-house: - check it out here: https://goo.gl/pqed47

The environment is close to our heart

Since the end of October 2018, Malta started an initiative of collecting all organic waste for electricity generation. It is definitely a great idea to produce such a clean form of energy which makes use of this otherwise useless resource. Turning all organic waste to biogas is an innovative way to electricity production and to get rid of waste instead of disposing of it in landfills. So, if you love coffee, don't let the bean go to waste. Reuse ground coffee as compost or fertiliser or else try and make sure it is thrown in the organic waste bag for a better use.

Stay tuned! In the mean time, keep spreading the love for the bean.

Coffee Alternatives (2)

Hi there! I would like to thank many of you guys who gave us good feedback from our last post about alternatives to coffee.

This time, we're giving out another alternative, GUARANA. This coffee alternative is portrayed a more refined energy source with a smoother character and with a longer lasting energy. Interestingly, Guarana suppresses the hunger and thirst sensations.

Guarana seeds are ground, pretty much like coffee beans

The idea behind Guarana coffee production is similar to coffee whereby seeds are used in order to brew coffee, thus making the Ginseng we presented in our last post as the true alternative to seeds and beans. Nevertheless, Guarana is not as 'safe' as classic coffee or Ginseng. The reason behind this concern is the side-effects it emulges from the human body when consumed in high doses over a span of time. Unfortunately, the use of Guarana in weight loss medications as well as athletes stimulants has indeed put Guarana in a kind of bad light. However, it is indeed noticeable that whereas classical coffee kindles stress, Guarana reduces physical and mental fatigue despite having almost double the concentration of caffeine that is found in coffee. This may contradict the claim in reduction of mental fatigue.

Guarana coffee is servedsimilar to an espresso

Even though Guarana coffee exists in various forms, the best way to taste it is similar to an espresso. Bitter in taste, Guarana coffee is an acidic aphrodisiac which has been transposed from the East to the West as a coffee alternative.

For once I have to admit that I would still promote the love for THE BEAN ... if you know what I mean.

Coffee Alternatives (1)

Though not frequent, we do meet people who do not like coffee and end up giving up on the golden taste we love. Nevertheless, coffee alternatives do exist and are considered by some as healthy options - an extra advantage apart from feeling socially included in particular occasions where coffee is kind of a 'must'.

One of the alternatives I would like to portray is GINSENG. This is an alternative to coffee which instead of a bean for production, a root is used so as to give us a blend which is slowly becoming a popular demand.

Ginseng coffee, a healthy alternative

The Ginseng is a plant which has been around since time immemorial and was always considered as important for its benefits. This plant is one of the east-west bridges where the very popular west culture of coffee is linked with the eastern culture of the use of plants and roots for health benefits.

The Ginseng root has been considered for centuries as a source of energy which not only with a short term effect but also a long term anti-ageing effect as well as an aphrodisiac. Eastern cultures use the Ginseng mostly for cooking and also raw consumption (mostly chewing). Yet the western infiltration of this plant is mostly in coffee.

The Ginseng root which is used to produce its coffee element

The final product of Ginseng coffee is milk-like-coffee (though milk is not suitable to add) with a sweet taste. When ordering, there are two options: small of larger cup. Yet Ginseng is not versatile, thus not suitable to produce as macchiato, cappuccino or latte. However, garnish can be added such as chocolate flakes and or coffee beans.

Main benefits of Ginseng are stress and fatigue relief while improving memory, moods and concentration. Also, Ginseng is a well-known anti-oxidant used also to level blood sugar and boost the immune system. To date, no contraindications have been recorded.

Caffè Lungo [topic: review 16]

It is with great pleasure that I portray my new review from the European Capital of Culture for 2018 - VALLETTA!

This time I went to Cafe Jubilee from the capital city of Gozo off to the capital city of Malta. I ordered my lungo after a meal and when this happens, I always expect some things to happen and others not to happen - such as quality of service with a decent glass of water served with a decent caffè.

what an experience!

Surprisingly enough, Jubilee Cafe in Valletta got high votes with a quality of service and product. Not only was the coffee at a good temperature, cream and taste - but also after a meal I was served (as it should) with a glass of water (here's the reason behind this: https://goo.gl/xszTqM). Allow one reasonable suggestion for an ultimate quality of service in this regard -> please ask your servers to serve coffee differently than other drinks as the presentation of coffee needs to complement the rest i.e. handle with care so as to avoid coffee marks due to movement.

Nevertheless, congratulations Cafe Jubilee in Valletta for the coffee service you offer. Truly your coffee celebrates culture. Well done!

Stay tuned! In the mean time, keep spreading the love for the bean.

Caffè Lungo [topic: review 15]

Today's review is taking us to the sister island of Gozo. This time I visited the franchise called Cafe Jubilee. Ordering my caffè is always a pleasure and when this is complemented with good quality, then that is surely a pleasurable pleasure :-)

my experience ... divine!

I must say that the time between order and delivery at table was reasonable despite the amount of clients present. First appearance was also satisfying. My espresso macchiato was good-looking and timely.

The quality of the beans mix was not too high in quality but the final result was acceptable. What is surely not acceptable that such a reputable coffee place serves coffee without the water service which is the next step that I propose to this place. The quality of product is augmented with the quality of service.

Stay tuned! In the mean time, keep spreading the love for the bean.

Caffè Lungo [topic: review 14]

Hi folks. It's been a while, yet in the mean time some coffee beans have come our way to try them out at home as well as in different coffee places around. It's time for another coffee review.


This time, I visited a Sicilian restaurant in Rabat, Malta. I ordered my caffé lungo with the hope of a good ending to my meal. What else would you expect in an Italian restaurant? I ordered in a group and thus the waiting time was expected to be longer than usual, yet I have to say it was a bit too much for just 4 coffees and 3 teas. Nevertheless, my golden syrup arrived at my table ...

worth the wait

The first impression was not what I hoped for. Though the tazzina was clean in itself, the coffee presentation was not clean at all. It was as if a storm had hit the coffee on its way to my table. However, the cream was still there and the temperature too. At least that was definitely a plus, from machine to table in a quick pace (the delay must have been before that).


On the whole, the taste was exquisite and well composed with not too much coffee nor too much water despite being a lungo. What I would recommend is a good glass of water especially after a meal so as to clean the palate before enjoying the well-deserved coffee.


Good one you guys at Adelina, your coffee is worth visiting - yet please do work on it to be a better experience for the customer. Keep moving forward.


Thanks for visiting.


Stay tuned! In the mean time, keep spreading the love for the bean.