Archive for the 'Gourmet Coffee' Category
The summer heat is here and getting your daily requirement of gourmet coffee is a little more difficult. There’s always iced coffee, but the expense can be daunting in these tough economic times. So why not make iced coffee at home? Here’s a recipe found on ehow.com to save some money and make your own.
Standard Iced Coffee
- Brew a pot of fresh coffee using 2 tablespoons of dark-roasted ground gourmet coffee per cup.
- Transfer the hot coffee to a carafe or pitcher.
- Let the coffee stand at room temperature for 3 to 5 hours, or refrigerate it until cold, about 1 1/2 to 3 hours.
- Fill a tall glass with ice cubes.
- Pour the chilled coffee into the glass.
- Stir the coffee to equalize its temperature. Add milk if you like.
While dark roasted coffee is recommended, try experimenting with your favorite blend or single origin coffee.
You may have to add additional sweetener to your liking.
If the coffee is not completely chilled make sure you are using a plastic cup as the change in temperature can crack a glass cup.
Until next time – happy brewing.
A strong cocktail with rum and brandy, and lots of espresso . You’ll be the hit of your next party if you serve Cappuccino Royales for everyone. Found on the coffeeteabout.com site.
Ingredients:
* 1/2 cup half n half
* 1/2 cup espresso
* 2 tbs brandy
* 2 tbs white rum
* 2 tbs creme de cacao
* Sugar
Preparation:
Whisk cream until frothy. Split espresso between 2 mugs. Add 1 tbs of each liqueur into each mug. Top with whipped cream, and add sugar to taste.
Serves 2
Until next time, happy brewing.
Modern gourmet decaf coffee is a marvel of chemistry. The techniques developed in the last century have done much to preserve the flavor of the coffee while removing the caffeine. Here are a few things about gourmet decaf coffee you may not have known.
* Decaf coffee is not caffeine free. The decaffeination process removes from 97% to 99.9% of the caffeine. This leaves about 5 milligrams of coffee in an six ounce cup.
* Not all coffees are the same. Coffees made from Robusta beans contain twice the caffeine of Arabica beans. By definition the coffee must be made from Arabica beans to be considered gourmet coffee.
* More decaf coffee is consumed annually than the combined amount of both Fair Trade and organic coffee.
* Approximately 17.7% of all coffee consumed worldwide is decaf coffee.
Until next time, happy brewing.
A friend related an amusing story the other day. He had a box of camping supplies that he hadn’t opened in several years. In it he found an unopened bag of gourmet coffee.
He opened the bag. His comment was, “It smelled like coffee, but not good coffee.”
So just a reminder – coffee has shelf life, about two weeks once you open the bag. Even a sealed bag will experience some degradation in the quality of the coffee, but you can expect to get about 9 months of shelf life for an unopened bag.
Note that whole coffee beans will hold up better than pre-ground coffee. So grinding your own beans is always the freshest possible choice.
Until next time – happy brewing.
One of the pleasures of a good espresso coffee is the proper crema, that layer of foam that sits at the top of the drink. Getting a great crema at home can be very difficult on a home espresso maker. Here are a few tips from The Joy of Coffee, an excellent book by Corby Kummer.
You need fresh beans for the espresso. You won’t get any crema if your coffee bean are not fresh.
Your crema is off-white and dissipates too quickly – underextracted espresso. Try the following: make sure the water and the everything the water passes through is hot. Do a dry run with only water to heat your espresso maker and consider tossing the first cup as it will likely be subpar. Try a finer grind on the coffee. Try tamping harder and stopping the brew sooner.
If the crema is dark and burnt looking means the espresso is overextracted. Try a coarser grind. Ease up on both the amount of coffee and the tamping.
Until next time, happy brewing.
Many people today are gravitating toward organic products. The dual concepts of organic farming methods designed to be more ecologically friendly and the use of natural fertilizers and pesticides appeal to both one’s sense of social consciousness and the health concerns about chemical pesticides and their effects.
Organic Coffee offers a few health benefits for the coffee drinker. The first is increased antioxidant content due to the absence of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. To get the most antioxidant benefit drink coffee with a medium roast. Darker roasts experience a degradation in antioxidant benefit. Also stay with an Arabica Coffee as it has higher flavanoid content than Robusta coffee. (Source: coffeescience.org)
The second is increased nutrient content because it is shade grown. The soil preservation techniques employed in organic farming also lead to soil with greater nutrient content.
Third, all coffee has a diuretic and laxative effect, so it can be beneficial in weight loss.
Finally, it’s delicious! Any good food contributes to stress relief. If the caffeine is problematic for you, decaf options in organic coffee are readily available.
Until next time, happy brewing.
Did you ever wonder what happens to the caffeine removed from your decaf coffee? I did and was I amazed.
The caffeine removed from gourmet coffee is used in medicines. A quick search of the web turned up a migraine medicine, stimulant pills such as No-Doz, pain relievers and antihistamines.
The other big use is in soft drinks. Less than 5% of the caffeine in most sodas comes from the kola nut. The balance comes from the coffee decaffeinating process. Some sodas have no caffeine directly from the kola nut.
Ain’t chemistry wonderful?
Until next time, happy brewing.
So you’ve got some flavored coffee syrup floating around. What else can you use it for?
There are a wide range of possibilities:
- Coffee, of course.
- Teas and Lattes
- Coffee drinks such as Mochas and Cappuccinos
- Cocktails such as Mojitos, Daiquiris and Martinis
- Smoothies
- Shaved Ice drinks
- Flavoring for food recipes
Until next time, happy brewing.
This recipe won’t do anything for cafe frappé purists, but it sure sounds delicious. The source for this recipe is the Ghiradelli.com.
Frappe Classico – Almond Mocha
1 Cup Ice
½ Cup Milk (fat-free)
¼ Cup Frappe Classico – Double Chocolate or Classic White frappe mix
1-2 oz. Espresso*
1 oz. Almond syrup
Mix together in a blender and enjoy. Garnish for some added presentation wow.
(*Double-strength coffee can be substituted for espresso.)
Here’s another fruit smoothie recipe. Enjoy.
Apple Mango Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 oz. Mango Fruit Smoothie Mix
- 1 oz. Granny Smith Apple Syrup
- 4 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate
- 2 cups ice
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in blender in the order listed.
- Blend until smooth and pour into serving glass.
- Garnish.
Serving Size: 16 oz.
How Served: Frozen
Glass Recommended: Hurricane