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It was live, now it’s not, but you can enjoy it just the same

Sponsored by Puzzle Piece Productions

First things first, Thank you for 5.5 years of podcasting, the comments and feedback, the few detractors and the tons of downloads. I have some fun stats to share on the show, The CaffiNation has been growing steadily and is only going to get better from here. And I have each one of you to thank, each person who downloaded the show even once, who participated in the contests, the fun, the hijinks, an the caffeine.

Tonight was the first show in years I have been nervous about doing. And that is a good thing. We might change a couple of things going forward, and keep a couple of other things. Video is here to stay, maybe not always in live episodes, but we will be back in video you can be assured. 500 episodes… and a gentle goodbye to long running server. Orion is decommed!

Geek Cruft

• Geeky This Week
• Podcamp Philly!
• Inkling is really growing on me
• Zelda on the Marimba
• Lazy eye or duff sitting gold?
• Adult Sandbox opens in Vegas!
• Justice League Wild West, reminds me of Star Wars Western

Best of the CaffiNation!

• Three rules for your social media self
• Adopt a Newb day, the aborted celebration
• CMYK vs RGB
• Hidden Vampires Go Green
• Proper Caffeinated Cramming
• Caffeinated Fear Mongering
• Original Iced Coffee Rant
• We have had a lot of funky obsessions here, Zombies, Robots, Steampunk. But Toast takes the Cake
• What type of Tech are you?
• Its all about the zombie plan
• Coffee for company!

Thanks for Listening & Stay Caffeinated!

From the Chief Bean @ The CaffiNation Podcast

“High Octane Caffeine Culture & Technology News”

Phone 215-240-1319 | Twitter @caffination | Facebook Fan Page Subscribe via | RSS | iTunes | Zune

The CaffiNation is a Puzzle Piece Production

Tags: Caffination, Clip Show!, cmyk, Coffee, coffee burger, coffee for company, coffee steak, inkling, Mario, Paul Rj Muller, podcamp philly, rgb, Robots, scotch irish coffee, Steampunk, Toast, Vampires, zelda, Zombies

Every year I get people asking me how to prepare for the onslaught of visitors to their house. a decent percentage of the adults all drink coffee in one form or another and being the Coffee Guy I feel it is my duty to impart the 5 tips for better Holiday Coffee Experiences.

First off this isn’t a tip but relax for the holidays, they come with enough built in stress don’t feed into your own cycle of crazy, take a step back and two breaths before issuing your standard comeback or retort. Better to loose a battle than start a war.

1. Buy a glass lined carafe. This simple piece of hardware can keep coffee fresh for hours. If the people who are coming are equal amounts regular and decaf then you might need two. For under 20 dollars you can have a ready reserve of coffee already hot and ready for your guests. When they request coffee, start a pot and pour from the carafe. Brew the coffee a couple hours before anyone is supposed to show up and you’ll be set.
2. Buy Whole beans, and an inexpensive grinder. While pre-ground coffee is a time saver it also doesn’t have the same full flavor profile. Grind the coffee earlier in the day, right around the same time you start your pot for the carafe. Grind one serving at a time and place them into individual baggies in the freezer directly after grinding. The coffee will taste better.
3. Pull the pot. Place a trivet, coaster or some other device to rest your pot on directly after its done brewing. Remove the pot from heat as soon as the drip stops, coffee left on the warmer for any longer than 10 minutes starts to get bitter, even if the initial brew was smooth. Burning the coffee is a common mistake. Your better off having to nuke a cup of coffee than have sour faces.
4. Sugar and Spice. look over our guide to sugar and spices and make sure you have all of the weapons that you would like to offer available. Check the sugar bowl and use a creamer, it makes for better presentation and an easy setup. Also consider using small jelly jars for any other spices you want to offer, or a unique sprinkler. Remember to put out the Vanilla extract
5. Avoid flavored coffee. Nothing polarizes a room quicker than brewing a sickly sweet pot of hazelnut vanilla only to find that half the room detests hazelnut. Use flavored syrups or spices instead to add flavor.

Bonus: When picking your coffee, choose a medium roast. Dark roasted coffee tend to have a stronger flavor, and can come off burnt even when they are fresh brewed. a nice medium roast should suite most palates nicely.

I hope this little foray into Martha Stewart’s Territory can help you prepare for the entertaining ahead. One last thought as you leave me. Know your audience, ask ahead of time who drinks what, uses what and try your best to have a ready supply of cream, milk, sugar and artificial sweeteners. You would be surprised at just how many people have very strong opinions on just which artificial sweetener they like.

Thanks and stay Safe and Caffeinated this Holiday Season.

Tags: 5 quick tips, Christmas, Coffee, coffee for company, Entertaining, Holiday