Pick your roast such as Italian Dark roast whole beans from Trader Joe's.

Even in this bumpy economy, Americans are holding on tight to their coffee cups.

That's the word from the National Coffee Association, whose latest study finds American coffee consumption holding steady in this recession. One change, though, is that we're making and drinking more joe at home — in fact, 5 percent more than we did a year prior.

This may spell bad news for cafe owners who could see lighter traffic, but some of America's top specialty coffee purveyors see this as an opportunity to deepen the public's appreciation for good coffee as they teach them how to treat their home beans right.

In recent months, Caffe Pronto Coffee Roastery of Annapolis, Md., has been offering workshops that range from proper coffee brewing to the importance of coffee origin to, most recently, pairing coffee with cheese. A new Web site needcaffeine.com just launched allowing folks to order home machines as well as beans from an array of specialty roasters across the nation. And Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea's Web site (intelligentsiacoffee.com) this month started selling home-brewing kits complete with a certificate for a brewing class.

For these purveyors of fine coffee, it's not just about education but a point of professional pride. And it's about ensuring that their lovingly procured and roasted beans find good homes.

"Unlike wine, our beans are not a finished product," said Vincent Iatesta, owner of Caffe Pronto. "And so even if we do an amazing job of choosing the farmer and ensuring that it is harvested, milled, stored, transported and roasted right, we are still dependent on the consumer to prepare the coffee correctly at home. All of our hard work could go to waste if it is not brewed properly." Iatesta and others shared their suggested steps for brewing a good cup of coffee:

Prep time: 5 minutesAuthor Daniel Young includes this recipe in "Coffee Love." "Ice cream sodas taste better when milk is added to the syrup-flavored soda," he writes. "Using melted vanilla ice cream instead of milk multiplies that milky-creamy effect tenfold."3 tablespoons coffee syrup, see recipe¼ cup vanilla ice cream, melted½ cup soda or seltzer water1 large scoop coffee ice creamPour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the vanilla ice cream; stir. Pour in the soda water, stirring, to within 2 inches of the top of the glass. Add a large scoop of the coffee ice cream. Makes 1 serving.Nutrition informationPer serving: 374 calories, 41 percent of calories from fat, 17 g fat, 10 g saturated fat, 52 mg cholesterol, 54 g carbohydrates, 6 g protein, 105 mg sodium, 0 g fiber

Prep time: 10 minutesStand time: 6 hoursCook time: 15 to 20 minutesUse this syrup in ice cream sodas and sundaes or over coffee or vanilla yogurt. Adapted from "Coffee Love," by Daniel Young.1½ cups cold water1/3 cup coarsely ground coffee1 cup sugarCombine the water and coffee in a large jar or glass container. Let sit at room temperature at least 6 hours and up to 12 hours.Pour the coffee mixture twice through a paper coffee filter or a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Combine the coffee and sugar in a saucepan; heat over medium-high heat, whisking, to just below the boiling point. Lower the heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring, until the mixture begins to thicken and it reduces by about a quarter for a thinner syrup or by a third for a thick syrup, 7 to 10 minutes. Let cool. Cover tightly; store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Makes 1½ cups.Nutrition informationPer tablespoon: 33 calories, 0 percent of calories from fat, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 9 g carbohydrates, 0 g protein, 0 mg sodium, 0 g fiber