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Coffees From Africa and the Middle East

Coffee beans are produced all around the world in tropical regions. Here we discuss the characteristics of those produced in Africa and the Middle East.

ETHIOPIA

Ethiopia is the true birthplace of coffee. The original coffee plant originated here as well the first brew. Ethiopia today is the fifth largest producer of coffee in the world growing mainly the best arabicas. Ethiopian dry-processed coffee (Harrar), tends to be medium-bodied and strongly acidic with fruity, winy tones. ‘Yirgacheffe’ coffee has floral and citrus characteristics and is light bodied. Dry processed ‘Djimah’ is a popular bean that a exhibits medicinal taste. ‘Ghimbi’ is a wet-processed bean from western Ethiopia. Limu is the market name for a well-respected fragrant, floral and fruit-toned wet-processed coffee from south-central Ethiopia.

UGANDA

As the 11th largest producer of coffee in the world, Uganda has some fine arabica coffees which display the much favoured winy acidity and other desirable flavour characteristics of the best East African coffees. About 90% of the coffees produced are of the robusta variety, which are mainly used for blending and in the manufacture of instant soluble coffee. ‘Bugishu’ coffee from the slopes of Mount Elgon is the best known coffee from Uganda.

IVORY COAST

As the third largest producer of coffee on the African continent, the Ivory Coast grows mainly rich and strong robustas used in soluble coffee production.

TANZANIA

Tanzania produces mostly robusta coffees much of it grown on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro from which these Kilimanjaro coffees get their name. Some arabicas are grown further south in the country the best known of which is ‘Mbeya’ coffee. The best coffees from Tanzania have a full body and rich flavour, with classic acidy that make them resemble the best coffees of neighbouring Kenya.

CAMEROON

Due to its high altitude, rich volcanic soils and ample rainfall coffees from Cameroon are of good quality. They are full-bodied flavour with a well-rounded finish with chocolate characteristics.

KENYA

Kenya produces excellent quality Arabica coffees that are renowned for their consistent high quality. Although mainly produced by smallholders the harvested beans are pooled and processed under strict conditions by the Coffee Board of Kenya. The beans are carefully graded by the board into categories. PB or peaberry is considered the best, followed by AA, A and B. The peaberry plant only produces a single bean, rather than the usual ’split’ bean found in all other varieties.

Kenyan coffees have deep winy acidity with subtle fruit and berry tones.

MADAGASCAR

The island of Madagascar produces over 700,000 bags of coffee per year of both robusta and Arabica varieties. It’s most celebrated coffee ‘Kouillou’ has a highly distinctive flavour and is rated very highly by the French.

YEMEN

The name ‘Mocha’ often synonymous with coffee comes from the Yemen port of the same name, which was used as a main trading point for coffee beans. Yemeni beans are known for their rich, winy, aroma and strong chocolate tones.

Visit our Coffee School to learn all about coffee and coffee related topics.
http://www.cafebar.co.uk

Coffees From Africa and the Middle East / Author: Fenton Wayne

Keep your scooter going with a battery test

If you have a battery operated wheelchair or scooter in which you depend to get around, you need to make sure that the battery operates properly all of the time. The batteries that are used in electric powered vehicles are sealed lead acid batteries. They are rechargeable and are a natural evolution of lead acid batteries that were invented in the late 1800s.

Batteries store energy. Rechargeable batteries can be recharged so that they never have to be replaced. If properly recharged and maintained, there are many rechargeable batteries that never need replacing. In order to take proper care of your batteries, you need to test them to make sure that they are properly charged.

Most people know to recharge the battery for the electric vehicle but may not know the right temperature that the vehicle must be stored, how long to recharge the battery or the fact that overcharging the battery can do harm. They may end up finding that their scooter or wheelchair is not working properly and that they seem to run out of power all of the time. They may blame the chair or scooter and think that it is defective. In most cases, however, it is the battery that is defective and not the electrical device.

If you run a sealed lead acid battery quick capacity test, you can easily diagnose problems that are occurring with the battery. There is usually a handbook that comes with the testing device that allows you to ascertain what is wrong with the battery. This can be a great tool instead of constantly replacing batteries.

Years ago, batteries were all disposable. They had a certain amount of life and that was it. When the battery went dead, you replaced it with a new battery. While lead acid batteries are generally inexpensive, this is not feasible in the world of today for many reasons. For one, batteries are not biodegradable and also batteries that power larger items, such as wheelchairs, scooter and other electrical vehicles, are not cheap. It just makes better sense to recharge the battery.

Maintaining your battery for your wheelchair or other electrical moving device should be second nature. It is easy to do once you get into a routine. The first thing that you need to do is to learn how to properly charge the battery. Do this on a regular basis and make sure that you are doing it according to the instructions in the manual. You should also run a regular sealed lead acid battery quick capacity test once in a while so that you can make sure that the battery is in good condition and has full power.

Just as you properly maintain your motorized vehicle, you should also maintain the battery that operates the motorized vehicle. By recharging the battery the correct way, storing the battery in the right environment and testing it periodically, you will insure long life to the sealed lead acid battery that powers your electrical motor vehicle.

A battery tester for all lead acid batteries can be found here. For more information on batteries and battery testing visit the Battery Research Center at: http://batteryresearchcenter.com/battery_tester

Keep your scooter going with a battery test / Author: eturner

Diamond Formation

The word “Diamond” comes from the greek word “Adamas”, which means indestructible. It is the only gem known to man that is made of a single element, Carbon, besides graphite. Diamond is completely made of Carbon atoms (Chemical Composition - ‘C’) crystallized in a cubic (isometric) arrangement. Diamond is the hardest substance on Earth. Diamond crystallizes in the isometric (cubic) system, and regularly forms cubes and octahedral.

Diamond form between 120-200 kms or 75-120 miles below the earth’s surface where we have extremely high temperature and pressures. According to geologists the first delivery of diamonds was somewhere around 2.5 billions years ago and most recent was 45 millions years ago. Large diamonds particularly large diamonds with flaws are extremely rare. The flawless diamonds are very valuable as gemstones.

Types of diamond deposits

Primary deposits
Diamondiferous pipes, which are ‘pipes’ of mineral-rich volcanic rock containing diamonds, are known as primary deposits.

Diamondiferous pipes are the solidified cores of kimberlite or lamproite volcanoes.

Secondary deposits
Deposits that contain diamonds which have traveled some distance from their original source are referred to as secondary deposits.

The diamonds that are now found in Namibia, for example, have traveled over 1,000 miles from their original source in southern Africa, transported by the Orange River.
Kimberlite, lamproite and komatiite are the only types of rock known to have transported diamonds from the Earth’s interior up to the surface in significant quantities.

According to science, the carbon that makes diamonds comes from the melting of pre-existing rocks in the Earth’s upper mantle. There is an abundance of carbon atoms in the mantle. Temperature changes in the upper mantle forces the carbon atoms to go deeper where it melts and finally becomes new rock, when the temperature reduces. If other conditions like pressure and chemistry is right then the carbon atoms in the melting crystal rock bond to build diamond crystals. There is no guarantee that these carbon atoms will turn into diamonds. If the temperature rises or the pressure drops then the diamond crystals may melt partially or totally dissolve. Even if they do form, it takes thousands of years for those diamonds to come anywhere near the surface.

It is interesting to note that “synthetic diamond” is the form of diamond predominantly used in industry. The process allows the removal of impurities and produces a product with consistent physical properties; most of the carbon comes from graphite. Synthetic diamond accounts for the majority of industrial diamond consumption.

Because it is the hardest substance known, diamond will cut through any material. Consequently, it is used as an abrasive and in cutting and grinding applications. Industrial diamonds are embedded in large steel drill bits to drill into rock for wells to find water, oil, and natural gas. It is also important in the manufacture of machinery for drilling and cutting metal machine parts.

The United States is by far the world’s largest consumer and market for industrial diamonds. It is predicted that the U.S. will lead the world in diamond consumption well into the 21st century.

Addie Jakson is 25 years old, article writer by education because she loves to. In addition to writing about fashion, she is a specialist of writing articles for studs’ jewelry. She is known for great articles for studs’ jewelry. www.diamondstudsofamerica.com

Diamond Formation / Author: Addie Jakson

Hotels in Paris

Paris is a very popular city, its culture and fashion are talked about all over the world and many people choose to visit the city every year.

As a result of the huge focus and popularity of Paris there are many luxurious hotels that home many of the cities visitors. One of the most luxurious hotels is the Hôtel Plaza Athénée.

This hotel is a truly Parisian luxury building that exudes elegance and charm. On top of this it has a fantastic and ideally suited location, between the Avenue des Champs Elysees and the Eiffel Tower. This area is known for its fashionable shops and boutiques, business and a whole host of entertainment to choose from.

The fine and typically Parisian décor attracts many people to stay at the hotel which has 188 guest bedrooms including 43 suites which offer a host of different views to choose from including stunning views of the stylish avenue Montaigne, the Westside of the Eiffel Tower or the charming courtyard.

The hotel also has a claim to fame as parts of the last episode of Sex and the City was filmed inside the hotel. On top of this, the recent redecoration of the lobby has helped recapture the warmth of the hotel by following a warm colour code to make sure guests feel as welcome as possible. On top of this, guests are spoiled even more as the hotel features all of the most updated technology that is mixed together with the glamour and tradition of this hotel.

As there are many hotels in Paris, it may be difficult to decide where to stay but with the world-renowned Chef Alain Ducasse on hand to create dishes to make your mouth water as well as creating a dish that is delicious with a unique twist, it is no surprise that this hotel has many fans around the world.

However, with this being one of the most popular and stunning hotels in the city, you may find that the prices reflect this. If this is the case, you can go online and compare hotels and their prices in Paris so that you find a hotel that suits all of your needs.

As a result of the huge focus and popularity of Paris there are many luxurious hotels that home many of the cities visitors.

As there are many hotels in Paris , it may be difficult to decide where to stay.

If this hotel is a bit on the pricey side, you can go online and compare hotels and their prices in Paris so that you find a hotel that suits all of your needs.

Hotels in Paris / Author: Gill

Culinary Colleges Are Not An Easy Ride

If you are a member of the culinary community as either a chef or someone who just cooks as a hobby, then it may be mind blowing to accept the fact that some people hate to cook. Either they just hate the time spent on cooking or they simply do not know how to cook.

For those aspiring culinary students, it is a love from which they want to make a professional career. They do this by attending any one of the culinary colleges that have sprung up across the country and the world. They are willing to make the sacrifices in order to make their dreams come true.

Are you someone who loves to cook? Well if you are and you plan to attend one of the culinary colleges found throughout the world, then you need to know a few facts. It is difficult to gain admittance into the best culinary schools in the country.

You will have to have an exceptional resume, a high grade point average and a background in the culinary community. The second thing you should know is that it is not going to be easy. Be prepared for hard labor, long hours, studying and leaving your ego at the door.

Now it is time to review what you will learn at one of the premier culinary schools in the United States. The Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School is probably the one school most people have heard of through ads and watching television.

Students can expect to learn skills that will prepare them for the food service industry, such as hospitality, restaurant management, knife skills, proper food sanitation and much more. The goal for the instructors is to provide enough instruction and practice so that the budding chef is able to handle any number of potential situations.

A career in the food service arena is not one to be taken lightly. Yes, there are chefs who have not had any formal training, such as Food Network’s Rachel Ray. But there are others, such as Gordon Ramsey and Todd English who have had formal training and are now celebrity chefs.

If you should decide to check out culinary colleges, then you need to seriously evaluate your skill level and what it is that you hope to gain from attending such a school. Perhaps with enough hard work you can have your own television show on the Food Network. It is possible.

Enrich your knowledge further about culinary colleges from Mike Selvon portal. We appreciate your feedback at our cooking school blog where a free gift awaits you.

Culinary Colleges Are Not An Easy Ride / Author: MIKE SELVON