Good morning folks. Today we’re going to be briefly looking at five of the best coffee apps on the market. Whether you’re buying or brewing, I’m sure you’ll find these selections useful. Now that we’ve introduced the topic at hand, let’s get right into the action.
The fifth item on our list is Hidden Menu Coffee Drinks. This app has a simple purpose: showing you ‘secret’ menu items at Starbucks. Like many other secret options at food and drink chains, these are actually modifications of existing drinks that provide a radically different drinking experience. Available in a plain English version for you to read out and a Starbucks standard coded variant that you can show to your barista, these hidden menu items can vastly expand the already wide Starbucks menu. Discovering new creations is an enjoyable experience, and with this app you’ll have twenty-five such items to try out. Upgrading to the pro variant at the cost of $1 will allow for an additional fifty recipes, granting seventy-five options in total. A worthwhile app for the Starbucks enthusiast who thinks she’s tried everything.
Our next app, Coffee Recipes, offers a similar advantage and isn’t specific to a singe chain. The app contains a long list of espresso-based recipes, including both well-known options and considerably rarer designs. While you’ll need to brew the coffee yourself (or ask a friend) instead of riding up to your nearby Starbucks, you’ll find that the scope of coffee you can create here eclipses that of the Hidden Menu app. This is a good app for the intermediate Barista, as it will widen your range considerably and potentially open the door to completely custom drinks.
Our third app is again one for those that prefer getting their coffee from a chain than brewing it themselves. It’s called Coffee Finder, and it performs a very simple function: showing nearby coffee chains on a map. From here, you’re able to click on any entry to get directions to the establishment. While the app can be replaced by use of the Maps app, it’s nice to get access to a list of eight coffee chains at a single tap. Coffee Finder does have one major limitation though: the vast majority of the chains that it includes are only available in Canada and the United States. Outside of these nations, you’ll find only Starbucks is a useful option.
Coffeemania is the name of our #2 app, and as the excited name suggests this app contains a whole lot of coffee content. That includes over 250 hot and cold coffee recipes, instructional information on brewing methods and vessels, and even coffee-based food. While some options aren’t included (such as coffee pods, my preferred method), the app is quite comprehensive in what it provides. This is unfortunately paired with a relatively mediocre design, which makes it difficult to navigate the app. Still, for the sheer scale of content provided this free, ad-supported app is well worth the download.
Our top app today is Baristame. This app, developed by a company of the same name, marries useful espresso recipes with a beautiful design. Each recipe contains an ably illustrated diagram showing the ingredients and their order, as well as a history of the drink and any variants that exist. Additionally, there is a coffee quiz that tests your knowledge of various recipes. It’s in this app that upgrading to the Pro variant is the most worthwhile, as you gain a large batch of educational content on brewing methods, vessels and coffee-producing nations. You also get a ratio calculator and a brew timer which are both useful tools when you’re making your own coffee. For $1, if you’re serious about making coffee it seems like a no-brainer.
Conclusion
I hope you’ve found these Android app selections useful. Please feel free to share your comments and suggestions for additional apps in the comments below. Until next time, farewell.
January 30th, 2013 → 9:41 am @ William Judd
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