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Wednesday, January 7, 2009

A coffee percolator

(caffettiera in Italian) it is a type of pot used to brew coffee. The name stems from the word "percolate" which means to cause (a solvent) to pass through a permeable substance especially for extracting a soluble constituent [1]. In the case of coffee-brewing the solvent is water, the permeable substance is the coffee grounds, and the soluble constituents are the chemical compounds that give coffee its color, taste, and aroma. There are two basic types of percolator:

  • One which forces boiling water under pressure through the grounds into a separate chamber; and
  • One which continually cycles the boiling brew through the grounds using gravity until the required strength is reached[2].

Coffee percolators once enjoyed great popularity but were supplanted in the early 1970s by automatic drip coffee makers, and more recently by the French press, as well as a renewed interest in espresso coffee. Percolators often expose the grounds to higher temperatures than other brewing methods, and may recirculate already brewed coffee through the beans. As a result, coffee brewed with a percolator is susceptible to over-extraction[3]. In addition, percolation may remove some of the volatile compounds in the beans. This results in a pleasant aroma during brewing, but a less flavourful cup[4]. However, percolator enthusiasts praise the percolator's hotter, more 'robust' coffee, and maintain that the potential pitfalls of this brewing method can be eliminated by careful control of the brewing process[5].


Tuesday, August 19, 2008

History


The construction of the biggest congress and performance hall in Yugoslavia (as called back then - now Serbia) started in 1976. The hall would be located in the new construction area of the city of Belgrade, New Belgrade. In those years the capital of Belgrade spread across the rivers of the Sava and Danube to construct a modern alternative to the historical city. The complete construction of the project took three years, until 1979, and was headed by chief designer and team manager Stojan Maksimović. Most of the construction took place in 1977 when the skeleton of the building was complete. Supporting architecture such as roads and highways were also built during this period around the Sava Centar complex.

Works on the building had to be rushed due to the scheduled IMF annual meeting which eventually took place in Sava Centar. The rushed project meant that the planned stage at the main hall, which was supposed to be revolving, was scraped and a large stage was placed instead.
On August 17, 2006, a renovated parking complex at Sava Centar was opened on the with capacity to handle 410 cars. As a result of the renovation parking fees were introduced for the first time at Sava Centar.

In its jubilee year of 2007, when Sava Centar marked its 30th anniversary, a substantial amount of money was invested in the reconstruction of the glass façade. Also, the city authorities funded the reconstruction of broken glass on the sideways facing façade, as well as the audio equipment for concerts, while seats were replaced in the Great Hall.

Sava Centar has hosted names such as: Plácido Domingo, Montserrat Caballé, Miles Davis, Henrik Schering, B. B. King, Zubin Mehta, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Johan Strauss Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Okazu Philharmonic Orchestra and many more. It is also the venue of the Miss Serbia competition and Serbian Eurovision Song Contest selection music festivals, Beovizija.

DimensionsSava Centar has 69,720 m2 of useful and 100,000 m2 overall area, including a theatre hall with 4,000 seats, 15 conference halls, an exhibition area and a number of other facilities. It annually hosts more than half million visitors. Sava Centar is connected to Continental Hotel Belgrade via a special underground hall way. The complex also includes restaurants and bars as well as offices and shops.

The great hall, nicknamed the blue hall due to its blue seats is the largest audience hall in the country with the above mentioned 4,000 seats, both ground and upper level included. The hall has the ability to completely change its look depending on the stage set-up. As a result seats can be taken out. It is also the place major cinema premiers are hosted.
EventsSava Centar has been the host of significant congress gatherings and artistic programs: OSCE, Annual General Meeting of IMF and the World Bank, 55th Annual General Meeting of Interpol, 6th UNCTAD, General Meeting of UNESCO, FOREX, FISIT and 9th Summit of the non-aligned countries.
History


The construction of the biggest congress and performance hall in Yugoslavia (as called back then - now Serbia) started in 1976. The hall would be located in the new construction area of the city of Belgrade, New Belgrade. In those years the capital of Belgrade spread across the rivers of the Sava and Danube to construct a modern alternative to the historical city. The complete construction of the project took three years, until 1979, and was headed by chief designer and team manager Stojan Maksimović. Most of the construction took place in 1977 when the skeleton of the building was complete. Supporting architecture such as roads and highways were also built during this period around the Sava Centar complex.

Works on the building had to be rushed due to the scheduled IMF annual meeting which eventually took place in Sava Centar. The rushed project meant that the planned stage at the main hall, which was supposed to be revolving, was scraped and a large stage was placed instead.
On August 17, 2006, a renovated parking complex at Sava Centar was opened on the with capacity to handle 410 cars. As a result of the renovation parking fees were introduced for the first time at Sava Centar.

In its jubilee year of 2007, when Sava Centar marked its 30th anniversary, a substantial amount of money was invested in the reconstruction of the glass façade. Also, the city authorities funded the reconstruction of broken glass on the sideways facing façade, as well as the audio equipment for concerts, while seats were replaced in the Great Hall.

Sava Centar has hosted names such as: Plácido Domingo, Montserrat Caballé, Miles Davis, Henrik Schering, B. B. King, Zubin Mehta, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Johan Strauss Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Okazu Philharmonic Orchestra and many more. It is also the venue of the Miss Serbia competition and Serbian Eurovision Song Contest selection music festivals, Beovizija.

DimensionsSava Centar has 69,720 m2 of useful and 100,000 m2 overall area, including a theatre hall with 4,000 seats, 15 conference halls, an exhibition area and a number of other facilities. It annually hosts more than half million visitors. Sava Centar is connected to Continental Hotel Belgrade via a special underground hall way. The complex also includes restaurants and bars as well as offices and shops.

The great hall, nicknamed the blue hall due to its blue seats is the largest audience hall in the country with the above mentioned 4,000 seats, both ground and upper level included. The hall has the ability to completely change its look depending on the stage set-up. As a result seats can be taken out. It is also the place major cinema premiers are hosted.
EventsSava Centar has been the host of significant congress gatherings and artistic programs: OSCE, Annual General Meeting of IMF and the World Bank, 55th Annual General Meeting of Interpol, 6th UNCTAD, General Meeting of UNESCO, FOREX, FISIT and 9th Summit of the non-aligned countries.