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A fully automatic coffee machine is the perfect product for anyone who loves the variety of coffee specialties. But can he also prepare a classic filter coffee? We give the answer.

How is coffee prepared in a fully automatic machine?

Coffee is prepared in a fully automatic coffee machine using a pressure brewing system. The coffee powder, which is usually freshly ground for each brewing process, is filtered through a sieve. The method can be compared to the preparation with the portafilter.
The end product, whether espresso or coffee, is influenced by the amount of coffee grounds and water. If little water is pressed through the sieve in relation to the amount of coffee powder, an espresso is created. A normal coffee is also possible, but this is not filter coffee because the preparation works without a filter. If you have a normal coffee prepared from a fully automatic machine, you will receive a drink that can best be compared to coffee from an espresso maker.

There is therefore no classic filter coffee from the fully automatic coffee machine, as these work with a sieve, but there is a “normal coffee”.

What tastes better: coffee from the coffee machine or filter coffee?

There is no general answer as to which method of preparation makes the coffee taste best. That depends in particular on your personal taste. If you want a full and intense coffee taste and like to drink pure coffee without milk anyway, classic filter coffee is probably more recommended. On the other hand, if you love variety and like to grab a latte macchiato or cappuccino, a fully automatic coffee machine is the ideal solution for getting the drink you want quickly.

How good a coffee tastes depends not only on taste preferences, but also on the choice of components such as the beans and the amount used.

How do I get black coffee from the coffee machine?

You can prepare a classic black coffee with almost any fully automatic coffee machine. Even if you use espresso beans in your device, there are various options for this.

Black coffee: Almost every fully automatic coffee machine has a button for black coffee. If possible, set your machine in terms of grinding degree and throughput time so that it tastes good to you.
Espresso Lungo: Behind the Espresso Lungo is an espresso that is brewed with twice the amount of water. As a result, it is extracted significantly more. This means that the water is pressed through the coffee powder for a comparatively long time. This creates a very strong coffee taste.
Americano: An Americano is a double espresso that you dilute with hot water to get the same volume as a regular coffee.

Conclusion

In summary, a filter coffee is not possible due to the construction of a fully automatic coffee machine. Instead of using a filter, pressure and a sieve are used. The extraction time is also different. Nevertheless, a black coffee is one variation among many that a fully automatic machine can prepare. The basic process remains that of an espresso, only the amount of powder and water is changed. Even with this coffee preparation, a normal coffee from the coffee machine tastes aromatic and intense. The decisive factor is always the choice of coffee bean and the right settings. If you don’t value high-quality processed coffee, you shouldn’t expect a wow experience.

Cooking Tips

From the Origin of Coffee: A Shepherd Staring at Goats

“Once upon a time in the Ethiopian highlands…” – this is how the legend of the origin of coffee begins. Here you can find out why we can be grateful to curious goats and their bright shepherds for allowing us to enjoy our delicious Italian coffee today.

The discovery of coffee

The Kaffa region in south-west Ethiopia is considered to be the region of origin of coffee. This is also where the legend about the origin of coffee is set. It has been passed down orally in various forms for centuries, the most well-known version goes like this:

More than 1,300 years ago, the boy Kaldi tended his goats and observed a very strange behavior in them. Whenever they ate from certain bushes with red and green round fruits, they then romped around wildly and were almost impossible to tame. This behavior lasted until late at night, so that Kaldi could hardly get any rest. Finally he tasted the fruits himself and felt their invigorating effect.

To share his discovery, he brought some fruits from the bush to the monks at a nearby monastery. Out of curiosity, they made a broth out of it. But the drink tasted so bad to them that they threw the rest of the fruit into the fire. However, when these burned down, an extremely pleasant aroma filled the air – the first coffee was roasted.

The monks then repeated their experiment and now prepared the drink with the roasted seeds of the plant. The clergy loved the taste and were able to pray all night long without getting tired.

From Ethiopia to Yemen

Since this myth was passed down orally, no one can say with certainty where and when people first drank coffee. What is certain, however, is that coffee arrived in Yemen from Ethiopia in the 14th century. The slave trade probably contributed to its spread. The first coffee plantations were created in Yemen. The most important transhipment point was the port city of Mokka – which gave the drink its name. From there, coffee spread further in the Arab world and finally worldwide.

Already knew?

Incidentally, initially people poured hot water over the leaves and dried cherries of the coffee plant, similar to tea. It was only when coffee from mocha spread further in the Arab world that the preparation changed: the beans were roasted, finely ground and repeatedly boiled in water.

Coffee cultivation initially top secret

Yemen and some other Arab countries have long held the coffee trade monopoly. Accordingly, those involved kept the cultivation of the coffee top secret. To prevent trading partners from growing beans themselves, they were scalded with hot water, for example. That should germinate them. But in the 17th century, Indians managed to illegally bring germinable beans back home. A little later, the Dutch also stole plants and began to grow coffee in their colonies. This broke the monopoly.

Although the Coffea Arabica plant was not cultivated in Italy, it was already known at the end of the 16th century thanks to the doctor and botanist Prospero Alpini. He was personal physician to the Venetian consul in Cairo and described the coffee plant in detail in his work “De medicina Aegyptiorum”. The consul himself obviously valued coffee, which was used as a medicine at the time. The first beans quickly made their way from Egypt to Venice, where the history of Italian coffee began.

Cooking Tips

Grilling Watermelon: Recipe for Refreshment From the Grill

Bring freshness to your grill: grilled watermelon tastes wonderfully fruity and is refreshing on hot summer days. You can find out how to grill watermelon here.

Watermelon is the quintessential summer fruit and grilling is the quintessential summer activity. So why not combine these two things? Grilled watermelon is refreshing and super easy to make.

Grilling watermelon: You need these ingredients

What you need to be able to grill watermelon:

1 watermelon
3 tbsp oil, for example olive oil
a pinch of salt
We recommend that you use organic ingredients. In this way you can be sure that the food is free of chemical-synthetic pesticides, which supports species protection and soil protection. When shopping, look out for the organic seals from Demeter, Naturland and Bioland – these each follow stricter criteria than the EU organic seal.

Grilling a watermelon: It’s that easy

Slice the watermelon. Note our tricks for slicing melon. If you want, you can cut off the peel right away. You can also leave them on and only remove them when you eat. Don’t throw away the rind: This is how you can use the rind of the watermelon.
Place the slices on the grill for about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Don’t leave the melon on the grill for too long or it will become mushy. You can place the watermelon directly on the grill or use a grill container. You can find out how to do this sustainably in our article on grilling without aluminum foil.
Remove the watermelon from the grill, drizzle the grilled slices with some oil and sprinkle with a little salt.

Tips for refining your grilled watermelon:

If you like it sweeter, you can rub or sprinkle sugar on both sides of the watermelon before grilling. The sugar caramelizes with the heat.
If you want, you can also crumble feta (there is also vegan feta) or herder’s cheese and sprinkle it over the watermelon after grilling.
Fresh lemon or lime juice is also recommended. Drizzle a few drops over the grilled watermelon.
Chop up herbs like basil or lemon balm and serve with the melon.
Chopped nuts or seeds such as almonds or pistachios, sesame or sunflower seeds give the fruit a bite and a nutty note.
If you cut the grilled watermelon into smaller pieces and add the above ingredients and mix everything together, you will have a delicious watermelon salad.
If you serve the watermelon with ice after grilling, such as homemade vanilla ice cream, you get a summery dessert.
Test a savory version and season the watermelon with salt and pepper after grilling.

Food

What is a Macchiato and How Does This Coffee Specialty from Italy Work?

A cup of macchiato promises coffee enjoyment like in Bella Italia. But what is the difference between an espresso macchiato and a latte macchiato – and how can the specialties be perfectly prepared?

The fine difference between espresso macchiato and latte macchiato

Espresso macchiato and latte macchiato sound similar in name, but they are two different drinks. The espresso macchiato (also known as macchiato for short) is a genuine Italian specialty. With this type of coffee, the espresso is “stained” with milk (macchiato). It is characteristic of the drink that the barista only adds a little milk froth to the espresso.

The latte macchiato, on the other hand, consists of espresso and significantly more milk. Conversely, with this variant, the milk is “stained” by the espresso.

How do you make latte macchiato?

The perfect latte macchiato is served in a glass, because this is how the color nuances of the espresso and the milk can be seen. The hot drink consists of a total of three layers: the milk is at the bottom of the glass, then the espresso follows in the middle and the relatively firm and creamy milk foam is enthroned at the top.

How can the layers be separated? Quite simply: When pouring espresso and milk froth, caution and the right order is required.

First pour the milk into the glass.
Now add the milk froth.
Finally, carefully pour the espresso through the milk froth.

Prepare espresso macchiato: Here’s how

The preparation of an espresso macchiato does not require quite as much skill as the latte. To serve the perfect espresso macchiato, first froth the milk. Tip: The froth is particularly firm and retains its consistency longer if you use milk with a high fat content.

Prepare the espresso separately. First pour the espresso into the cup and garnish it with the milk froth.
The delicious hot drink is available in different versions:

● Italians like to drink a doppio macchiato, which consists of twice the amount of espresso. This variation is also often served in a glass. Incidentally, an espresso macchiato tastes particularly good when the cup is warm.
● Cold macchiato is a pleasure, especially on warm summer days. This is prepared without foam. Instead, the espresso is simply mixed with some cold milk and called espresso macchiato freddo.

Cooking Tips

Fresh Herbs from Home Cultivation!

Fresh kitchen herbs, such as basil or mint, are healthy and also spice up every dish. How about a herb mousse, for example, or try making your own pesto. However, chives and the like taste best when they have planted themselves. We give you helpful tips so that you can soon enjoy fresh herbs from your own garden.

Have you already harvested the herbs? Then you will find everything you need to know about storing fresh herbs here.

Do I need a garden to grow herbs?

No, not necessarily. Herbs can be grown almost anywhere, in the bed in the garden, or in pots on the balcony. A particularly space-saving solution is the herb snail, with which many herbs that have different needs can be planted at the same time.

Appropriate planters are also required for the herb garden on the balcony. Both square balcony boxes and plant pots in various designs and sizes are used. Above all, the depth of the planters should be considered, as some herbs have deep roots, such as lovage or dill. If you observe the following tips, then nothing stands in the way of enjoying fresh herbs by growing them yourself.

The 10 most suitable herbs for the balcony

Parsely

Parsley is probably the best-known and most popular kitchen herb in Austria. The aromatic herb is missing in almost every herb garden. When watering it should be noted: This herb does not tolerate waterlogging at all, but the soil should not be too dry either.

Mint

Mint has a unique aroma and gives the mojito, for example, its characteristic taste. Due to the menthol-like scent, the mint also has a wonderfully refreshing effect. Mint is considered easy to care for and undemanding. But be careful: it spreads incredibly fast!

Chives

Few herbs are as easy to grow as chives. The growing pots need evenly moist soil. The soil should not dry out, otherwise, the green culms will begin to bend. As soon as the temperatures outside are no longer below zero, chives can also be sown directly outdoors.

Basil

Basil is a herb from the south. It, therefore, requires a bit of care to thrive in our climate. Basil likes it sunny and should therefore be grown in a warm, sunny place, for example on the windowsill.

Rosemary

Rosemary is one of the Mediterranean herbs and therefore prefers a dry, sunny and calcareous location. Rosemary should be cut regularly, otherwise, it tends to become woody. You can harvest rosemary all year round, although you should then cut off a whole branch.

Sage

The European garden sage is easy to grow. Sage likes sunny places because the essential oils cannot form in shady locations. Sage grows quickly and survives short periods of drought very well. Waterlogging should be avoided.

Lemon balm

Lemon balm is extremely easy to care for and can “take care of itself” very well. You should be careful not to spread the lemon balm too much. In a sunny location and with enough light and space to develop, lemon balm usually thrives very well.

Lovage

Lovage, also known as Maggi herb, does not require too much care and location. The chosen location on the terrace or balcony should be in partial shade if possible. Please note: Maggi plants can grow up to 2 m tall.

Marjoram

Marjoram likes it very warm. In the best case, it should also be sown in warm soil, at the earliest in mid-May. The sunniest spot on the balcony or in the garden is just right for marjoram. If the marjoram feels comfortable in its location, it will grow almost by itself.

Thyme

Thyme comes from the Mediterranean region and therefore thrives best when it is in a sunny spot in dry soil. What should be avoided at all costs so that the thyme thrives in the best possible way is waterlogging. Once the thyme is rooted, it does not require too much care.

Food

10 Facts from the Beer Country Austria

September 30th is the official day of Austrian beer

For this reason, we have compiled 10 facts from the beer country Austria. And since the beer that is so popular in Austria not only tastes great from the glass, but also from the plate, we also have the right recipes for cooking and baking with beer!

1. Regionality
Austria has 243 domestic breweries, 123 of which are pubs and house breweries.

2. Varieties
There are over 1000 different beers in Austria – the variety and variety of tastes are unique.

3. Brewery density
There is one brewery for every 37,000 inhabitants, which means that Austria has one of the highest concentrations of breweries in the world.

4. Total output
In 2016, the total output of beer was around 9.5 million hectoliters. That’s the equivalent of 1.9 billion jugs (0.5 liters)!

5. Brewing New Year’s Eve
Based on the historic Brausilvester, September 30th is the official day of Austrian beer.

6. Thirst for beer
On average, every Austrian drinks around 103.2 liters of beer a year. This puts us in second place behind the Czechs in terms of per capita consumption.

7. Nation’s Favorite
The most popular type of beer among Austrians is the Maerzen/Lager beer.

8. Beery knowledge
Austria, more precisely the Association of Breweries, was the first country to develop a certified three-stage training program for beer sommeliers.

9. Treasury

Austria’s brewers let the cash register ring. In 2016, beer flushed around €700 million into the domestic state coffers.

10. Natural product
Local raw materials are trumps! In 2016, around 180,000 tons of malting barley and around 480 tons of hops from Austrian agriculture were processed.

Food

Leftovers from Easter

After 40 days of fasting food and vegetarian recipes or even vegan recipes without any animal ingredients, you will be happy about juicy Easter ham, brightly colored Easter eggs, wonderful Easter bread with raisins, and an Easter nest full of chocolate eggs. The question that arises no later than day 43 after the start of Lent is: What do I do with the leftover Easter snack?

Leftover recipes after the Easter snack

The classic Austrian reset dishes, not only after Easter, are well-baked Schinkenfleckerln and Grenadier March. Incidentally, it is not entirely clear where the Grenadier March got its name from. However, its roots clearly lie in the k.&k. military. And the best part is that you can adapt the recipe according to your preferences or existing ingredients! We have listed our best leftover recipes for you!

If you still have leftovers from smoked meat, tongue and hard-boiled eggs afterward, we have creative recipes for leftovers for you here. The tongue and cheese salad is also a savory leftover dish, with crunchy lettuce leaves and chives the right portion of greens!

Horseradish is a delicious spread that can also be used to fill ham rolls. This is a great way to use up hard-boiled eggs and Easter ham in one go! The snack leftovers onion cake with leftovers from the Easter snack tastes warm as a main course with a salad, or cold with a snack.

Pickled eggs with herbs are something completely different – try it! The layered salad with Easter ham and Easter eggs is easy to make and easy to prepare because it tastes even better if left overnight.

The ham jelly with vinaigrette is a classic Easter snack – reinterpreted!

Food

Cookie Leftovers from the Party

Leaf to root – nose to tail – Cookie Dough to Frosting: We use all of the Christmas cookies and leave nothing behind!

You probably already have a stomach ache from too many cookies, otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading this. Yes, admittedly: vanilla crescents, coffee biscuits, and chocolate sticks – they were all irresistibly delicious! But now it’s simple enough, the body craves greens and not cookies anymore. Throwing away cookies is out of the question! All the effort, work, money, and love you put into baking cookies can’t just go down the drain!
I freeze cookies. This actually works! And by the end of February at the latest, I’ll be looking forward to Linzer Radon and Schokostangerln again. Here are tips and tricks for freezing cookies.

Old biscuits recombined

If you don’t quite trust this method, there are also ways to elegantly wrap leftover cookies in desserts.

Our top 5 cookies:

Gingerbread tiramisu is probably the classic cookie leftover recipe! Works like a classic tiramisu, but uses gingerbread instead of biscuits.
Gingerbread strudel – old, dry Christmas cookies reanimated with juicy pieces of apple and sour cream!
Speculoos Parfait

Everything tastes better with cookies! Refine fruit salads, curd cream, or ice cream with biscuit crumble! To do this, place the biscuits of your choice in a freezer bag, crush them a little with the rolling pin, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, and stir in the biscuit crumbs.
Our absolute favorite: Classic New York Cheesecake! A little tip: Vanilla crescents are particularly good as a cake base!

So give your leftover Christmas cookies a new lease of life in the New Year!

Food

Pick Wild Fruit From Nature or Grow It Yourself: Here’s How It Works

Don’t buy fruit but pick it yourself? That is possible because there is a lot of wild fruit that grows in Europe. In this article, you will find out what it is and how you can process it further.

Wild fruit in Europe: what, where, and when you pick it best

There is a lot of wild fruit in Germany that you can pick yourself. These include, among others:

Blackberry (May-June)
Elder (May-June: flowers, August-October: berries)
Pear (June-July)
wild plum (July-August)
Raspberry (depending on species; July-October)
Sea Buckthorn (August-October)
Quince (September)
Sloe (November-December)
You have probably already seen or heard of most of the varieties mentioned, but of course there are also some other varieties that are not so common.

Once you have found out what sorts there are, you can go and pick them. However, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

While you are allowed to pick in public areas such as parks, forests and fields, it is forbidden in nature reserves and on designated private property. Also, try not to pick along roads or next to chemically treated fields, as the wild fruit you find there may be contaminated with pollutants
Harvest only fully ripe fruit, because once picked they will no longer ripen
Only take as much of the wild fruit with you as you really need to avoid unnecessary food waste.
So that you don’t go out completely without a plan and look for possibly edible wild fruit, there is a website called Mundraub. On the website you will find a directory of different places where you can find wild fruit. Herbs, nuts and groups of other “mouth predators” are also listed. You can also look out for trees or bushes that are marked with a yellow band. As a result, the private owners invite you to pick them, as they cannot eat the entire harvest themselves.

So you can plant wild fruit yourself

Instead of picking wild fruit from nature, you can also plant it yourself. Of course you need a (Schreber) garden for that. Then think about the following:

What wild fruit would you like to plant?
In what form would you like to do this, for example a hedge or a tree?
What are the requirements for the wild fruit you want to plant and how does it grow in the nest?
Once you’ve done that, you can start planting.

If you don’t have your own (allotment) garden, just a balcony, that’s no problem either. You can also plant wild fruit plants such as wild strawberries, blueberries or cranberries on the balcony. More on this here: Creating a balcony garden: Simple step-by-step instructions and growing fruit on the balcony and terrace.

Wild fruit recipes to try

When you harvest wild fruit fresh, you often end up with large amounts of fruit. You can process them in different ways.

The most common methods are in the form of jam, compote, cake, juice or jelly. You can also boil the fruit to make it last longer.

Some wild fruit varieties also help against certain ailments in processed form. For example you can:

Dry blueberries and then use them against diarrhea
Juice elderberry, which relieves feverish colds
Prepare sloe juice, which helps with loss of appetite

Lifestyle

The Pick-me-up From the Coffee Can Increase Concentration

Many people turn to coffee as a pick-me-up when they are tired or have a drop in performance. The best-known stimulant can increase concentration. Caffeine does not have an immediate effect. It takes about 30 to 45 minutes to get into the bloodstream. Then it is distributed in the body and works for about 4 hours. In pregnant women, the breakdown of caffeine is slower and can take up to 20 hours. Learn more about caffeine and its effects.

The dosage of caffeine and the effect of the stimulant

Caffeine has a broad spectrum effect. In small doses, the pick-me-up has a stimulating effect on the psyche. Drinking coffee in moderation can increase concentration and combat fatigue. Concentration can be increased in the short term because the body breaks down the caffeine again.

An additional positive side effect is that the ability to remember is increased in the short term. You can benefit from this during examination phases. If you drink the pick-me-up in larger quantities, the caffeine also has an effect on the cardiovascular system. The heart beats more frequently and more vigorously, the pulse increases. However, this increase in blood pressure is minimal and occurs mostly in people who are not used to caffeine.

The stimulant helps against headaches

Caffeine also has an effect on the blood vessels. When you drink coffee, the blood vessels in the periphery dilate and constrict in the brain. Caffeine has a pain-relieving effect. Almost all headache medications contain caffeine. If the blood vessels in the periphery dilate, the caffeine increases athletic performance.

This can be attributed to the increased supply of oxygen to the muscles. The stimulant also increases performance by increasing heart activity. Anyone who drinks the popular pick-me-up coffee is more efficient and alert in the short term.

How the stimulant coffee can increase concentration

Caffeine can trigger an effect and increase concentration because the substance interferes with certain bodily processes. Active nerve cells consume energy. They form adenosine as a by-product. The more active the nerve cells become, the more adenosine they produce.

The substance adenosine protects the brain from overexertion by slowing down the transmission of information from nerve cell to nerve cell. Caffeine works in a similar way in the body. Caffeine docks onto the same receptors without activating them. Therefore, the nerve cell no longer receives a signal to work more slowly and continues to work efficiently. If you drink the stimulant regularly in large quantities, your body gets used to the caffeine and its effect, which reduces it. If you drink a lot of coffee, you can only increase your concentration for a short period of time, because you get used to it. It is best to drink only as much coffee as is good for you and do not intentionally try to induce concentration-enhancing effects.