Gourmet Coffee Chatter

We’re bombarded by the news: our sneakers were made by child labor in some third world sweat shop, that coffee we drink came from the labor of underpaid peasant farmers, etc., etc., etc. And don’t forget to reduce your carbon footprint. More and more we are called on to be socially aware of how we spend our dollars and the global environmental and human impact of how those things came to us.

For the gourmet coffee drinker one option is to buy Free Trade coffee. The combination of organic farming principles and the price protections afforded to the farmers seems an all around winner for the socially conscious consumer. Even McDonalds is moving towards using Free Trade coffee in its U.K. chains.

The big question now in the middle of the current economic recession is whether the need to stretch every penny as far as possible will override the urge to be a responsible citizen of the planet? Fair Trade coffee does come to us at a higher price, is it worth it? It’s your choice.

Until next time, happy brewing.

Espresso serves as the basis of almost all specialty coffee drinks, and as such its method of preparation is especially important. Espresso should be bold, distinctive and strong. In order to make the perfect espresso, one must master a series of steps. Make even one false move during this process and the flavor will suffer. Of course, you can’t expect to make delicious coffee if the beans aren’t of the highest quality. Organic coffee is probably your best bet if you want to end up with memorable flavor.

In many cases, coffee will already be blended and roasted by the time it gets to you. Such is the case with most store-bought coffees. The next step is grinding the espresso, with the intended result being consistency. If possible, prevent the coffee from being heated during the grinding process as this can detract from its aroma and flavor. Many people prefer burr grinders because the grind is kept at a uniform temperature throughout.

Gourmet coffee, has often been the subject of artists and pundits. Here are a few samples.

“I believe humans get a lot done, not because we’re smart, but because we have thumbs so we can make coffee.”
~ Flash Rosenberg

“Ah, that is a perfume in which I delight; when they roast coffee near my house, I hasten to open the door to take in all the aroma.”
~ Jean Jacques Rousseau

“In Seattle you haven’t had enough coffee until you can thread a sewing machine while it’s running.”
~ Jeff Bezos

“Ah! How sweet coffee tastes! Lovelier than a thousand kisses, sweeter far than muscatel wine!”
~ Johann Sebastian Bach
Coffee Cantata

“For lo! the board with cups and spoons is crowned
The berries crackle, and the mill turns round …
At once they gratify their scent and taste
And frequent cups prolong the rich repast…
Coffee (which makes the politician wise
And see through all things with his half-shut eyes).”
~ Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
The Rape of the Lock

Until next time – happy brewing.

A winter chill may still hang in the air, but spring will soon be here. Here’s a recipe to try out during the first warm spring day.

Cinnamon Caramel Coffee

Ingredients:

• 6 tbs ground gourmet coffee
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup caramel dessert syrup

Preparation:

Add the cinnamon before brewing to give this recipe spicy touch. You’ll need to stir well to blend in the caramel syrup.

Mix the cinnamon into your loose ground coffee and then brew a pot of coffee by whatever method you prefer. Add the caramel syrup to the cinnamon-spiced coffee, and stir well until completely dissolved. Chill through in the fridge, and serve over ice cubes, with added milk or sugar to taste. The syrup makes this iced coffee pretty sweet as it is.

As an alternative to flavoring syrup try coffee flavoring syrup.

Source: www.coffeetea.about.com

Happy Brewing!

We all know about drinking gourmet coffee, but what about cooking with coffee? Yes, this wonderful elixir can be a welcome addition to foods outside the coffee pot.

Gourmet coffee can be used for everything from a spice rub to part of that delicious sauce you’re serving. Used judiciously the resultant dish may not even taste like coffee. Coffee can both complement and contrast the dish in question. And in the case of some deserts the coffee taste is intended to come to the foreground.

So whether it’s the secret ingredient in your marinade or that extra spice in your sauce, coffee can increase your culinary vocabulary and give you a refreshing cup after the meal as well.

Until next time – happy brewing.

Looking for that special coffee treat for Valentine’s Day? This recipe just might be the ticket.

St. Valentine’s Day Coffee Drink

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of kona coffee.
• 2 cups of water
• 1 tbsp strawberry syrup
• 1 tbsp vanilla creamer
• fresh strawberries
• powdered sugar

Instructions:

• Brew the 2 cups of water with the 1/4-cup of Kona Coffee
• Pour into a glass
• Add strawberry syrup and vanilla creamer. Stir
• Garnish with fresh strawberries coated with powdered sugar
• Serve

Source: www.holidaycoffeerecipes.com

Additional Tip: Put some melted chocolate on the side for dipping the strawberries and feeding them to each other.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

In my last blog I shared some general tips for brewing gourmet coffee.This time here are some tips specific to the type of brewing machine you might have: drip brewers and French Press or presspot brewers.

Choose the best grind.

I make the presumption that you do your own grinding, but even if you don’t the grind is important. Most drip brewers use a finer grind, this grind requires less brewing time because of the size of the grind. Using a slightly coarser grind in a drip brewer may slow down the brewing time and impart more of the coffee flavor. Be aware that this can cause your filter basket to overflow if you go too coarse.

For French Press brewers a coarser grind is required to avoid ground sediments being in your cup. If you don’t mind a few coffee grounds in your cup, use a finer grind to reduce brewing time, 1-2 minutes compared to 4-5 minutes.

Drip, Drip, Drip.

If you have a drip brewer clean it frequently. If you can’t remember the last time you cleaned it – clean it. Lime and oils will coat your heating coils effecting water temperature and imparting new and undesirable flavors to your coffee. Cleaning options extend from commercial products available at your local grocery store to home solutions using vinegar and water.

Invest in a better paper filter. The cheapest one at your grocery store may work but it may also be adding flavors to your coffee you’d rather not taste.

Rinse out the paper filter before you put the coffee in the filter basket. This washes away some of the undesirable flavoring minerals and chemicals that distort the taste of the coffee.

Spread the coffee evenly over the filter. This will help with better extraction from the coffee during the brewing process.

Consider investing in a permanent gold filter. Unlike a paper filter it will not trap some of the flavoring oils found in the coffee imparting a truer coffee flavor. Because of the increased size of the filter holes it may allow some of the finer grounds through. If so, consider a coarser grind to prevent this.

It’s a Pressing Matter

Pre-heat. The presspot or French Press process loses a lot of heat from the water during it’s various stages. The colder grounds and the air temperature barrel of the press draw some heat off. Decanting it to a cold carafe or thermos draws some heat off. Pre-heating the press and carafe reduce the heat loss and may prevent a coffee that is under extracted.

Time it. Normally French Pressing takes about 4-5 minutes depending on the grind of the coffee. At that point it is decanted into another container to limit further exposure to the ground coffee. Walk away for too long and you over extract the coffee. Drip brewers do not have this problem for obvious reasons. You don’t want to overcook your drip coffee, don’t overbrew your presspot coffee.

Final Note

It’s all about taste. Experiment. Your taste buds will tell you which technique, what quantity of grounds, how much time is needed to produce the coffee ideal for the most demanding consumer you know – yourself.

Until next time – happy brewing.

Ok, you’ve invested in some premium gourmet coffee. Now you want to get the best out of that coffee. Here are some brewing tips to help you.

It’s all in the beans.

Hopefully, you’ve bought the coffee whole bean and not pre-ground. Coffee is a product with a shelf life. In the best of all worlds you would roast your own coffee beans, but not everyone has the dedication or time to do that. Once roasted the longer your coffee stays in whole bean form the longer it will yield the freshest possible cup of coffee.

Invest in a burr grinder (not a blade grinder) and only grind what you need for a few days at most. Even better, grind what you need for this pot right before brewing.

Measure the grounds. Suggested is 2 tablespoons per 6-8 ounces of water. You may prefer more or less.

About Water, Temp & Time

Use the right kind of water, either spring water or filtered water. Tap water imparts undesirable flavors to the coffee and lacks some minerals essential to coffee flavor. Distilled water lacks essential minerals necessary for coffee flavor.

The ideal temperature of the water is 195-205 degrees  Fahrenheit.

Brew for 4.5 – 5 minutes.

Miscellaneous Tips

Don’t leave your brewed coffee on the hot plate. This will ruin your gourmet coffee in as little as 20 minutes. Invest in a carafe or thermos mug. Pour the coffee into the carafe or mug to preserve it’s heat and taste.

Depending on your level of enthusiasm for coffee (and your budget) invest in better equipment. Coffee makers with temperature controls, built in grinders and other bells and whistles are readily available in a variety of budget constraints. No need to break the bank with your coffee making equipment and plenty of  high end if you’ve got the money.

Until next time – happy brewing.

Coffee has sometimes been maligned as a dubious choice health-wise. That attitude is changing.

None other than the Harvard Medical School is reporting potential preventative benefits for coffee coffee drinkers for:

• Colon and Rectal Cancer
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Heart Disease

They are even reporting increased life span for coffee drinkers, especially women coffee drinkers.

Another study from the National Cancer Institute reports that chronic Hepatitis C sufferers can reduce the progression of liver damage by almost 53% by drinking 3 or more cups of coffee a day.

If you’re concerned about the caffeine gourmet coffee is recommended. The Arabica bean has almost half the caffeine of the Robusta bean. Arabica beans are used almost exclusively in gourmet coffee, while most commercial grade coffees use Robusta beans. And you get the added benefit of a better tasting coffee with gourmet coffee.

Caffeine only constitutes about 2% of coffee. There are also over 1,000 different vitamins, minerals and amino acids. There’s even some fiber in there that may help prevent the absorption of cholesterol.

A cautionary note: Pregnant women should be careful as coffee drinking has been associated with miscarriages. For the rest of us, remember moderation.

So drink up – it’s a healthy choice.

So far I’ve been talking about how flavoring is applied to flavored coffee, either by flavoring oil or by syrup. The final issue is dietetic in nature – sugar (and calories) or no sugar.

Flavoring oils have the clear advantage here, imparting scent and flavoring without any sweetening agent. Flavored coffees prepared with flavoring oils are suitable for both diabetics and dieters. Flavoring oils usually add less than five calories to the coffee.

Flavored syrups are another story. There are definitely sugars and calories added here, as much as 100 calories and 24 grams of sugar per fluid ounce. Your usage will determine the final calorie count.

The good news for diabetics and dieters is that sugar free syrups are available. For example, Monin, a major manufacturer of coffee syrups, offers a small line of sugar free syrups, boasting zero sugars and zero calories. They use Splenda as a sweetening agent. Other examples abound.

For some however sugar free solutions just don’t work. Personally, I can taste aspartame and other artificial sweeteners. I don’t enjoy the taste. If you’re like that then moderation is the rule.

Drink up and enjoy the flavors.