Bet you didn’t know that there’s a right way to taste coffee. That’s okay, most of us don’t.

So we were happy to have Major Cohen, a art teacher-turned-Starbucks Coffee Educator, brew 500 cups of coffee using French presses give us a lesson on the finer points of tasting at this morning’s Lifestyle session.

You might feel a little strange the next time you head out for your caffeine fix, but you should taste your coffee much the same way you taste your wine: sniff, then slurp. Slurping your coffee allows the brew to hit your entire palate so you can experience the full acidity and the body of the coffee. Today’s selection was Starbucks La Candelia, a Costa Rican coffee farmed by the Sanchez family.

One more hint from Cohen? Coffee is only good for seven days. It’s a fresh food, and there’s nothing you can do – including putting it in the freezer – to make it last longer.

After the coffee tasting, there was wine. David LeClaire, a certified sommelier and Washington state wine expert, led the group through sampling several local varietals. Washington offers some wonderful wines from nearly 600 wineries, owing to the fact that area east of the Cascade Mountains has long, hot summers and very little rain.

LeClaire’s number one tip for tasting wine? Try more than one sip. Your mouth is never ready for that first sip, so a wine that seems too sharp at first taste might be just what you’re looking for on the second try.

What are your favorite coffee or wine choices? Let us know in the comments below.

Chef Art Smith cooks for NECA

Art Smith, renowned personal chef for Oprah Winfrey, “2007 Humanitarian of the Year” for the prestigious James Beard Foundation and 2007 Chicagoan of the Year, led a packed group of enthusiastic foodies and wannabe gourmet chefs through a wonderful cooking program this morning. Even if you missed this morning’s program, Chef Art generously provided the recipes he prepared, which we’ve posted on the 2008 NECA Convention blog. See more photos from Cooking with Chef Art Smith too.

Chef Art will be cooking with Rachel Ray on her show Oct. 8 and competing on Iron Chef along with his sous chef Sara Lee on Oct. 19. Convention-goers received a copy of Chef Art’s cookbook”Back to the Table” with their spouse registration, you can see more of Chef Art’s books at chefartsmith.net.

Recipes from Chef Art Smith’s program at NECA 2008 Chicago

• Pistachio-Crusted Chicken with Coconut-Chili-Ginger Sauce
• Chocolate Pecan Pie
• Grilled Shrimp on Arugula with Lemon Vinaigrette