mmm ... coffee ...The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has stores sprinkled liberally throughout the Los Angeles area. I love ’em. Yeah, I know I’m dropping about $3.50 every day on something I could get at home for 35¢, but … I really loves me some Swiss Mocha Latte in the ante meridian, y’know? I was in line a few days ago and picked up a little bean brochure. “Our Whole Bean Story” is the title. It had a few little bits that I didn’t know, so I thought I’d share.

  • Refrigerating coffee in not recommended as the coffee will absorb nearby food odors.
  • Warm your mug first with hot water. This will keep your coffee hot longer. (I don’t know about this one. I add about a quart of milk to my coffee when I make it at home and any time I buy a cup of coffee it’s about 400° hotter than I can drink.)
  • Coffee beans hate oxygen, light, moisture, and heat. For optimal freshness, keep your coffee in an opaque, airtight container at room temperature.
  • Coffee should be brewed just short of boiling, at a temperature between 195° F and 205° F.