Monday, July 6, 2009

Review: Capresso Coffee TEAM Therm-455 Digital Coffee Grinder/ Maker





Let me start by saying, this makes my mornings incredible. I look forward to that perfect cup of coffee that taste exactly the same each morning. My husband wanted to write his own review on this product. He is the self-made coffee connoisseur. He is also the one who wakes up at 4 or 5 am and makes the coffee for me. (I know I am lucky, but he is too)
I want to add a few pointers about Capresso TEAM Therm-455. Their grinder is not your average grinder. It grinds slowly with minimal heat to preserve the coffee beans and taste. Also, the carafe is made with a stainless steel vacuum to keep it fresh for hours. (It does work.) I have gone to the farmers market and have come back at 10 am. for a fresh cup of coffee that my husband brewed at 5 am.
This by far brews the best cup of coffee and I thank Capresso for their uniqueness and evolutionary ideas.





Here is my husbands review:


Impressive Capresso 455 Digital Coffee Grinder/Maker by guest reviewer Geoff
You all know the commercial - An extraordinarily handsome dark haired man of athletic build wakes up in his charming suburban master bedroom, beautiful wife still peacefully asleep at his side. Wow is this room clean. Sun peaking through the window treatments, pop on the slippers and la la la… The orchestral arrangement carries him softly down the stairs. Grab the brand new can of coffee grounds from the solid oak cabinet… pop, hiss, shhhh. The manual can opener releases the heavily aroma, the fix is near. Everything will be alright soon.
Short story long, the guy makes the coffee, the wife gets to wake up to a freshly made pot, everybody is super frickin’ happy. He pulls it off flawlessly. Wink, wink, from the wifey!
So true to my body type and daily life experience, sans the sun being up when I am or the slippers and the orchestra, oh and the gold metal technique which kills the winky winky, I am not flawless. Read that twice.
Just to break the ice and get the snicking out of the way - on occasion I forget to sometimes add water, coffee, filter, or plug it in and/or turn it on. The most disappointing of all these is using a palatable proportion of grounds to water. Oh, I don’t use any measuring implements either which means I “eye it“. My eyes do not focus so well like Mr Suburban Super Husband Guy. At least I grind my own beans DUDE.
Should I even be allowed to do this? Do the coffee grounds floating in my cup really add a manly protein chew? Fact - I have a co-worker that claims this to be true and that I should just be a man and drink it. So I drink. I am man.
The folks at Capresso Inc. say “stop it, that’s enough Geoff“. The New Jersey manufacturer rolls out some serious top tier coffee and espresso makers. Developed over the last 15 years, the Capresso line-up can even figure out how to engineer around my blunders, except for the plugging it in issue (pssst, work on it guys).
The Capresso model #455 CoffeeTEAM Therm™ 10-cup Digital Coffee Maker / Burr Grinder Combo was the answer for my style. The system allows you to program not only auto start, but auto grind to brew. No hands!
Fill the Bean container to the top. Fill the reservoir with water. No filter needed. Plug it in. Program for cups, strength, and grind size. Once the grinder knows it has processed the correct consistency and amount, the filter assembly automatically swings over the stainless steel carafe, and blub blub. Coffee. The fastest at that.
The coffee will still be hot 10-12 hours later in the insulated carafe. I know, I just cleaned it, it was hot.
No heating element = No more turning the family truckster around because she forgot to turn it off.
We decided to give the device at least a one week tryout and I am glad we did. This process was difficult at first. I am used to the cheap ol’ Dr. Coffee, the coffee mangler maker. I never spent more than $50 on one. My Mom spends $150 + and they still don’t cut it, they look pretty though. The process has not evolved in that world.
It is so simple that you over think it. You scuttled the automation! Get your hand out of the way stupid!
Two mornings later and I was a Pro. Being a Pro will set you back $300 for this exotic, however you have to spend $2 for 16 oz. this good at JohnnyAllStarBucks (trademark pending). That’s a three month payback in my world. Put that in your cup and chew it. http://www.capresso.com/

Review: Marin French Cheeses



This was a very interesting and unique product to review. Marin French Cheese Company also known as Rouge et Noir was created in 1865 and are still creating amazing Artisan Crafted Cheeses. You can find this company in Northern California near Sonoma Wine Country. Not only do they create distinguished and incredible cheeses, but they also offer tours, cheese tasting and a deli at their facility and 700 acre grounds.



The Marin French Company has created many award winning cheeses. In 2005 Rouge de Noir won three gold award in the World Championship Brie at the World Cheese Awards. One of them is the Triple Creme Brie. It is one of the best soft ripened cheeses in America. It is incredible with strawberries and fruit. Marins French Gold also won a gold award. Marin Gold French is known for its a little sharp, buttery and creamy texture. Then the Marin French Company created the Marin French Blue. It is also a gold award winner at the London World Cheese Championships. It is made with Jersey Sow milk and it makes it peppery, yet sweet. The Melange Brie won a award at the World Cheeses in 2008. It is made with goats milk.
Lastly there is the Yellow Buck Chevre. It won the Americas Notional Trophy in 2005 for Best American Cheese. This is the Marin Cheese Company's original. I must admit this was one of my favorites. It is also made with goat cheese and it has an incredible nutty and delectable taste. There has been many other awards granted to this amazing craftsmanship and I am sure there is more to come.

For me, this was my first time trying Brie. I must admit, I am a huge fan. My favorite was the pesto and jalapeno flavored brie that Marin Cheese Company made. I am a fan of mild blue cheese, but Marin Blue Cheese was a little to strong for my taste. I served this to some of my husbands co-workers who greatly enjoyed it. By far my favorite is the Yellow Buck Chevre. I will pitilessly admit that I ate the entire thing myself with good sausage and peperoni.
If you are interested in Marin Cheeses you can locate them on Foodbuzz.com and also their site at:
http://www.marinfrenchcheese.com/

Here are some of the AMAZING Brie Recipes that I have found:

Cookin Canuck: http://cookincanuck.blogspot.com/2009/07/baked-brie-strawberries.html
This would be perfect with the Triple Creme Brie.

Foododelmondo: http://www.foodbuzz.com/recipes/1221180-cedar-plank-brie-with-peach-chutney
Yummy...This would also be great with many of Marins wonderful Brie Cheeses.