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Make Crushed Ice Yourself: This is How It Works Without an Ice Cube Machine

Making crushed ice yourself is easy and there is no plastic packaging. We’ll show you how to make the cool refreshment. This makes hot summer days more bearable.

You can buy crushed ice, but making it yourself isn’t difficult. Especially on hot summer days, it is a refreshing addition to drinks such as slush ice and summer (non-alcoholic) cocktails, or you can use it to cool other alcoholic drinks such as sparkling wine. All you need are ice cubes. With our tips you can easily make crushed ice yourself.

Make crushed ice yourself with a tea towel

Probably the most sustainable and easiest way to make your own crushed ice is with a clean tea towel and a solid object. So there is no plastic packaging and you don’t have to buy any additional new devices.

To do this, place ready-made ice cubes in the middle of a clean tea towel. Hold the open sides tightly together. Now you need a solid object. For example, a hammer, a rolling pin or something similar are suitable. Now break the ice cubes out of the kitchen towel with your solid object. Your homemade and sustainable crushed ice is ready.

Tip: Be careful not to break the ice cubes too small. This way you get more of your crushed ice because it melts more slowly.

Make your own crushed ice with a stand mixer

Another way to make your own crushed ice is with a stand mixer. However, this method only makes sense if you already own a stand mixer. In general, you should not buy any new equipment for the production of crushed ice to avoid wasting unnecessary resources. You can prevent this by using the dishcloth crushed ice method above.

If you already own a stand mixer, the crushed ice method with a stand mixer is the faster and less complicated method for you.

Simply put the ice cubes in a blender and crush them in batches. This makes it easier to crush the ice cubes than if you use the normal smoothie function. In addition, the blade of the blender does not wear out as quickly. Also make sure that your blender has enough power to crush the ice cubes.

Tip for sustainable ice cubes for your crushed ice

The basis for making crushed ice yourself are ice cubes. But you don’t necessarily need the classic plastic ice cube tray. A sustainable alternative is to simply make the ice cubes yourself in glasses. Make sure that you fill the water mainly in cone-shaped glasses and do not screw a lid on top. Let the ice cubes thaw briefly at room temperature before processing them into crushed ice – this is how you get them out of the glasses. Also, to avoid expanding the glass, you should only fill the glass up to three quarters full with water.

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Culture

The Professional Coffee Machine Fits the Successful Concept of the Coffee House

Coffee house culture is celebrating its global triumph. There are coffee houses all over the world. No other metropolis is as closely associated with coffee as Vienna. The countless, long-established coffee houses have charm and are visited by many tourists every day. The concept has a long history and its success proves it right. The success can possibly be attributed to the fact that modernity meets tradition in the coffee houses. The professional coffee machine is next to the hand coffee grinder. The hipster works on his new Apple MacBook while sipping a mocha that was made the same way a thousand years ago. Like the professional coffee machine, the espresso machine is now a permanent fixture in all coffee houses.

No coffee house without a professional coffee machine

Anyone who enters a Viennese coffee house often feels as if they have been transported to another, long-gone time. The smell of delicious coffee is in the air, the furnishings are often traditional, dark wood meets comfortable wing chairs and the waiter is called “Herr Ober”.

The incomparable charm of the coffee houses is appreciated far beyond the borders of Vienna. Coffee houses are spread all over the world. Anyone who still expects that preparation equipment from the coffee houses is original is mistaken. The modern, professional coffee machine and the espresso machine are used in the coffee house just as naturally as the traditional mocha pot, which was used hundreds of years ago. The espresso machine is just as indispensable, precisely because espresso is the basis for many coffee variations. Modern preparation methods meet the Viennese tradition and complement it perfectly. For this reason, the espresso machine should not be missing in any coffee house.

The coffee house has had a long history before the espresso machine was invented

Long before the professional coffee machine was invented, the coffee plant was cultivated in the Arab world and the beans were processed into an aromatic drink. Coffee has been roasted, ground and brewed since the mid-15th century.

The first coffee taverns emerged and became popular hotspots. At that time, the espresso machine was far from being invented. Travelers got to know coffee in the popular place of pilgrimage Mecca and brought it with them to Europe. A few years later, starting in 1645, the first coffee houses opened in the port cities of London, Hamburg, Marseille, Venice and Amsterdam. However, it took several centuries before the espresso machine could be invented. The espresso machine was only patented in Italy in 1884. It was finally possible to prepare espresso, which is an essential part of cappuccino and many other coffee drinks. The first cafe serving coffee was in Paris in 1672. Only then, in 1683, did the first coffee house appear in Vienna, although initially without a professional coffee machine.

Turkish mocha at the gates of Vienna

According to a legend about the introduction of the coffee culture in the residence city of the Habsburgs, the Turks besieged Vienna in the expansion struggles. The Turkish army was defeated at the gates of Vienna and retreated. The Turks left sacks of coffee beans as a legacy. These sacks were given to Franz Georg Kolschitzky, who proved brave on the side of the Austrians.

According to another source, the coffee beans were given to the Armenian spy Deodato, who opened the first Viennese coffee house in 1685. This was many years before the espresso machine and professional coffee maker existed. It was only much later that the professional coffee machine changed coffee preparation significantly. With a professional coffee machine, everyone has a piece of Viennese coffee house culture at home these days.

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Culture

Buying a Coffee Machine: Yes or No? – The 5 Biggest Myths About Coffee

Everyone has probably heard of the so-called coffee myths. The most diverse rumours, some with no truth content, entwine around the aromatic favorite drink of the Europeans. They are also often used as an argument by absolute opponents of coffee. Are these claims still stopping you from buying a coffee machine? coffee perfect got to the bottom of the myths and cleared up five of the most well-known rumours. So you can buy a professional coffee machine without a guilty conscience. The best way to get yourself in the mood is with a freshly brewed coffee and read why fully automatic coffee machines make sense for the office, for example.

Myth 1: Coffee is bad for our bodies

You definitely can’t make that statement. As with many things, the first thing to look at is the amount of coffee someone is consuming on a daily basis. Because it is well known that wine is good for the heart. However, this statement refers to the enjoyment of a glass and not a whole bottle.

The same also applies to coffee. According to the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), up to four cups of coffee a day can be drunk from the fully automatic office coffee machine without hesitation.

Within this framework, many studies confirm that coffee can have a positive effect on the body:

Increase in concentration and thinking ability
Reduction of pain e.g. with headaches
Protection of liver cells, e.g. against liver fibrosis
Risk reduction of Parkinson’s disease
Reducing the risk of developing certain types of cancer
So you see: the professional coffee machine makes you healthier than ill!

Myth 2: Coffee dehydrates the body

It has long been said that coffee dehydrates the body. To the delight of all coffee lovers, this has been scientifically disproved. Coffee drinkers who are now buying a coffee machine or have already done so can even add the amount of coffee they have drunk to their fluid balance.

This also means that if your company owns a fully automatic coffee machine for the office, you no longer need to have a bad conscience. Anyone who quickly visits the professional coffee machine before the meeting and takes a delicious coffee specialty with them can continue to do so. Nevertheless, one or the other glass of water should be drunk in between.

Myth 3: Espresso contains more caffeine than filter coffee

Whichever professional coffee machine you own, the same applies here that you first have to consider the amount of espresso and filter coffee that is being compared. There are also other factors that influence the caffeine content:

Type of coffee or composition of the coffee blend, roasting, ratio of coffee to water, degree of grinding, brewing time and type of preparation (professional coffee machine, filter machine, capsule machine, etc.). On average, a cup of filter coffee contains about 55 mg of caffeine per 100 ml. An espresso has about 110 mg per 100 ml. If you now look at this result, you have to say that the myth is true.

But if you relate the statement to a normal espresso with 25 ml, it looks different. As a general rule, most people who prefer a coffee to an espresso because of the caffeine content are not talking about a 100ml espresso. Looking now at the caffeine content per serving, a 150ml cup of filter coffee contains about 82.5mg of caffeine . An espresso from a fully automatic coffee machine for the office, on the other hand, contains around 33 mg of caffeine. In this case the statement of this paragraph would be wrong and the myth disproved.

The question of the truthfulness of this statement is therefore in the eye of the beholder.

Myth 4: Coffee is bad for your stomach

Whether it’s a professional coffee machine or good old filter coffee: In general, coffee isn’t bad for your stomach. However, what is often to blame for an intolerance is the roasting. Industrial roasting, in which the raw beans are roasted at very high temperatures in a very short time, is often described by many coffee drinkers as unfriendly to the stomach.

Acids and bitter substances are to blame, which cannot be broken down due to the short roasting time. In addition, the beans are nicely brown on the outside, but mostly still raw on the inside. This condition is ideal for a steak, but not for coffee. Because coffee only develops its aromas after a longer, even roasting time and releases them later when brewing in the fully automatic coffee machine for the office. Therefore, always rely on high quality when it comes to coffee beans.

On the other hand, if you use long-term roasting, you should have fewer problems with tolerability. Coffee that has been refined slowly and evenly contains less chlorogenic and tannic acids. The coffee is more digestible and aromatic. So don’t demonize the coffee, just buy a coffee machine and use whole beans from long-term roasting, for example from coffee perfect. And then nothing stands in the way of the fully automatic coffee machine for the office.

Myth 5: Coffee is addictive

That’s not true, because according to the World Health Organization (WHO), caffeine is not an addictive drug. Unlike taking drugs, caffeine makes us alert and energetic, but doesn’t trigger dopamine release or a high.

Nevertheless, a certain habituation effect occurs with frequent drinkers. If you drink a few cups of coffee from the coffee machine for the office every day and then stop drinking coffee, you can suffer from withdrawal symptoms for two to three days. Headaches, tiredness and exhaustion, trembling hands and blood pressure fluctuations can occur. Those affected feel similar to going cold turkey, but it only lasts for a short time.

Again, the amount of coffee is crucial. If you have dealt with the question of buying a coffee machine, you are now one step closer to the decision. Basically anything in a healthy amount is not harmful. So sit back and enjoy your freshly brewed coffee and let the myths be myths.

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Food

The Comeback of Coffee From the Filter Coffee Machine

The delicious hot drink from the filter coffee machine is more in demand than ever. The coffee from the filter coffee machine is celebrating its comeback. In America it was discovered in coffee houses around 2015 and consciously perfected in its preparation. This new trend is slowly conquering Europe. Countless internet blogs report on the “pour over”.

The coffee is brewed in the French press or with a hand filter

If you want to prepare a pour over at home, you should traditionally use a hand filter. Neither filter coffee machines nor coffee from the French press are used in the trendy cafés. The barista builds on his craft. These hand filters are either ceramic, porcelain or plastic. The preparation takes a few minutes because the coffee can brew better and its aroma unfolds better. Put the ground coffee in the filter bag that is placed in the hand filter and keep pouring the heated water on it until the coffee has run through. If you don’t have a hand filter to hand, you can also use the filter coffee machine, as was customary in the past. You can achieve even better results than with the filter coffee machine when preparing coffee with the French press. The coffee is just as fresh and aromatic with the French press because little bitter substances get into the hot drink with both methods of preparation.

The advantages compared to the preparation in the filter coffee machine

In the French press, the coffee can steep for minutes, just like in the hand filter, and the coffee tastes highly aromatic. The preparation of coffee in the French press has been one of the most popular preparation methods for many decades. It is fast, uncomplicated and does not require a paper filter. The taste is significantly better than when using the filter coffee machine because the water is even hotter when brewing and the coffee powder is in the water longer. This allows the aroma to unfold even better when preparing coffee with the French press than in the filter coffee machine. The preparation with the hand filter takes a little longer than with the filter coffee machine and by pouring more water manually, you can also extend the procedure in time, which also has a very good effect on the taste. The longer the coffee is allowed to steep, the better the taste. Incidentally, this is also shown by the preparation of coffee in the French press.

The degree of grinding of the coffee powder affects the taste

Whether you prepare the coffee with the French press, the filter coffee machine or the hand filter, you will still notice big differences in taste. The preparation stands and falls with the quality of your coffee filter. You will achieve a really good taste if the coffee is ground as evenly as possible. This allows the flavors to spread evenly. If you grind the beans yourself, you should not set the finest grind, but a medium-fine grind. This is how you always succeed in making a delicious coffee.

Really good coffee is brewed, never boiled

If you prepare the coffee with the French press or the hand filter, you should make sure not to use boiling water. Ideally, the water has a temperature between 90 and 96 degrees. If you use the filter coffee machine, you don’t have to worry about the right temperature. The machine does that for you. If you brew the coffee with the French press or the hand filter and the water is not boiling, only a few bitter substances are transported into the hot drink. The taste is then mild and aromatic. However, the water should not be too cold, otherwise the aroma will be neglected.

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Food

Turkish Mocha or Espresso From the Machine?

Coffee drinkers can passionately argue about what tastes better and wakes you up. Some swear that Turkish Mocha is the strongest coffee drink, while others are convinced that espresso is the most caffeinated coffee drink. And again and again there are ambiguities as to what actually is the difference between these two coffee drinks.

The subtle difference between espresso and Turkish mocha

The difference between mocha and espresso is the composition of the coffee used and the way the coffee beans are roasted. Turkish mocha, also called Turkish, is very different from espresso from the machine or from the espresso maker. The composition of Turkish is completely different and the roasting of the coffee beans varies in intensity. If you want to prepare espresso with the machine or with the espresso maker, you should know that espresso can be a mixture of different types of coffee that are subjected to a specific roasting process. Due to the intensive roasting, the espresso has less caffeine than most coffee drinkers think. A proportion of Robusta creates the famous crema. You can also prepare espresso in mocha pots instead of in the espresso machine or the espresso maker. Then the powder must not be ground too finely, otherwise the water will draw through the powder too slowly and the taste will be too bitter. Mocha describes the coffee from Yemen and Ethiopia. The name Mokka goes back to the Yemeni city “Al Mukah”. The city on the Red Sea used to be a major coffee port. The coffee beans for the Turkish coffee are roasted even more vigorously and ground to a fine powder. The popular hot drink is traditionally prepared from the dust-fine powder. Turkish mocha is full-bodied, bold, black and has a subtle acidity.

The preparation of mocha is very different from the preparation of espresso with the espresso maker

Turkish mocha is made in the oldest way of making coffee. This type of preparation existed before the espresso machine or the espresso maker existed. Turkish coffee is poured into special long-handled copper or brass pots. These pitchers are called ibrik. You need two teaspoons of coffee powder and one to one and a half teaspoons of sugar for a cup of mocha. Mocha is prepared by adding ground coffee and sugar to the pot and pouring hot water over it. Then stir until the sugar dissolves. When the coffee boils for the first time, foam forms. Then the jug is removed from the stove and the foam is poured into each cup. The coffee has to boil up again and is then poured into the cups. Depending on the region in which the mocha is made, it is also refined with different spices such as cardamom, cinnamon or cloves. The mocha is ready, which is then served in small, flat cups. With espresso, on the other hand, 25 ml of water is brewed under high pressure in the espresso maker or in the espresso machine. The espresso is then drunk pure from very small cups. Some add some sugar to neutralize the acidic taste.

Mocha is stronger than espresso

The assumption that espresso, which is prepared in the espresso machine or the espresso maker, is the strongest coffee, is widespread and wrong. When preparing filter coffee, the water flows slowly through the filter and the coffee powder has plenty of time to release caffeine. It doesn’t have this time when preparing with the espresso maker or with the espresso machine. Both in the espresso maker and in the espresso machine, the water runs very quickly through the punched espresso powder. Therefore, filter coffee contains more caffeine than espresso. The coffee powder releases more caffeine in the filter coffee machine. A cup of espresso (25ml) contains about 33mg of caffeine, while a cup of filter coffee (150ml) contains about 82mg of caffeine. The mocha is by far the strongest as one cup (50ml) can have up to 130mg of caffeine.

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