Archive for March, 2010
Whether you call it unleaded or decaf coffee, many out there can’t drink the “real stuff” anymore. Here’s how they get the caffeine out but keep the taste in.
Various methods can be used. The process is usually performed on unroasted (green) beans, and starts with steaming of the beans. They are then rinsed with a solvent that contains as much of the chemical composition of coffee as possible without also containing the caffeine in a soluble form.
The process is repeated anywhere from 8 to 12 times until it meets either the international standard of having removed 97% of the caffeine in the beans or the EU standard of having the beans 99.9% caffeine-free by mass. Coffee contains over 400 chemicals important to the taste and aroma of the final drink; one can only imagine the difficulty of removing only the caffeine in this process.
While not every method uses the same exact process, the Swiss Water Process gives a good sense of how these processes work in general.
- A batch of green (unroasted) beans is soaked in hot water, releasing caffeine.
- When all the caffeine and coffee solids are released into the water, the beans are discarded.
- This solution then passes through a carbon filter that traps caffeine but lets the coffee solids pass through. The resultant solution is called “green coffee extract (GCE)”.
- New green coffee beans are introduced to the GCE. Since the GCE is coffee solids without caffeine only the caffeine diffuses from the new beans.
- The new GCE solution passes through proprietary carbon which captures the caffeine.
- Repeat process, filtering out all the caffeine until the beans are 99.9% caffeine-free.
- These beans are removed and dried, and they retain most if not all of their flavor.
Now you know, well, at least more.
Until next time – happy brewing.
Looking for a quick pick me up, try a banana smoothie. The banana has long been favored by both exercisers and athletes as a source of energy. Combined into a smoothie you get a tasty drink that both hydrates and gives a natural energy boost.
Bananas are an almost ideal fruit. They contain three natural sugars to give you maximum energy. They are also one of the few fruits that contain both complex and simple carbohydrates. Complex carbs give you endurance energy and simple carbs give you quick energy.
And, this is a smoothie after all, they taste great. They are also very complimentary with other fruit flavors, such as raspberry and strawberry making for a variety of smoothies.
So whether it’s a great way to start the day, a quick hydration right before a workout or just because . . . enjoy, you deserve it.
Organic coffee is grown using the organic farming standards and techniques. One hallmark of organic coffee is the use of natural fertilizer, pesticides or herbicides. The focus of organic farming is to be environmentally friendly and the preservation of soil productivity through crop rotation.
In order to be sold in the U.S. as organic coffee must be certified by meeting certain requirements including:
- Grown on land without synthetic pesticides or other prohibited substances for 3 years.
- A sufficient buffer exists between the organic coffee and the closest traditional crop.
- Sustainable crop rotation plan to prevent erosion, the depletion of soil nutrients, and control for pests.
Once grown and certified as organic for USDA purposes, the roasting house must also be certified for processing organic coffee. Regional and state regulatory agencies certify roasting houses as organic roasters, ensuring proper handling of the crop during the roasting process and to prevent contaminants from getting into the coffee.
Plantations that produce certified organic coffee tend to have smaller crop yields and are often also Fair Trade certified coffees for the price protection that allows the farmers to protect their profit. Even though the cost of organic farming can be less than traditional techniques, these farms yield fewer dollars per acre than farms using traditional coffee growing techniques.
Until next time – happy brewing.
What a dilemma. You like flavored tea but you don’t want it every day. And you don’t want to keep 4 or 5 different teas in the house. Consider using tea syrup.
The nice thing about having tea syrup on hand is choice. If you don’t want your tea flavored today, you don’t have to flavor it. If you want a stronger flavoring today, it’s your choice.
The potential drawback is that tea syrups will use sweeteners. Not to worry, the syrup manufacturers offer sugar free syrups for dieters and diabetics.
These syrups can also be used for flavoring coffee and in other cooking applications. Experiment, add some flavor in your life today.
Until next time – happy steeping.
One of the great things about tea is the wide variety of tea drinking experiences available. One of the increasingly popular tea possibilities is flavored tea.
Flavored tea (sometimes referred to as scented tea) starts with a tea to which is added flower petals and flavoring oils. Given the large number of flavoring oils available on the market today this makes for a large variety of flavored tea possibilities. While not all flavoring possibilities work well, there should be a flavored tea out there to tempt almost every one’s taste preferences.
Dieters and diabetics can enjoy flavored teas as the flavoring oils don’t use sweeteners.
Until next time – happy steeping.
French Roast Coffee does not come from a specific region or the world or a specific plantation, rather it refers to the darkness of the roast of the coffee chosen for that roasting session. French Roast is the darkest possible roast done on a coffee bean, Italian Roast being the next lower darkness level. Since it is not a specific coffee, it could be a single origin coffee or a blended coffee.
During the coffee roasting process there are two significant moments in time. They are referred to as “pops” or “cracks”. These are the moments when the expanding coffee bean cracks its shell and makes a popping sound. Most American roasters stop after the first pop but before the second pop – producing either a “cinnamon” or “full city” roast, depending on how long after the first pop they leave the beans in the roaster. At this stage the inherent flavor of the coffee remains intact and the coffee receives no flavoring from the roast.
At the second pop the oils of the coffee rise to the surface of the bean. During this time the sugars inside the bean also begin to caramelize.
The result is a coffee that is bitter sweet, with a light body and almost no acidity. The inherent flavors of the coffee(s) roasted this way is lost and the flavor of the roast predominates a French Roast coffee. The flavor is very intense, and those used to a milder coffee may find the taste overwhelming.
The roast master’s skill is critical for this coffee – a few minutes too long in the roaster and a great coffee experience becomes an awful coffee experience.
Until next time – happy brewing.
So you decided you want a better tea than the one in the teabag and bought a good quality, loose leaf black tea. Now, what’s the best way to store it so you get the best out of this new tea?
The enemies of your tea will be moisture, heat, direct light and the tendency of tea to absorb odors and tastes from the environment around it.
Where you store the tea should address all four of these issues. One rule of thumb I encountered was: store your tea in the same place you would store your cereal. A kitchen cabinet or drawer should remove it from moisture and direct light. It should also keep the heat factor in check. Being aware of the other items in the vicinity of the tea should address the absorption issue.
What you store the tea in should address the moisture, direct light and absorption issues. Selecting an opaque or solid colored container addresses the direct light and moisture problem. Ideally the container is airtight to prevent any undesired odors and tastes being absorbed into your tea. (Plus that first whiff of the tea when you open the container is heavenly!)
But what about storing it in the refrigerator or freezer to extend the life of the tea? This isn’t recommended. While these are both cool places out of direct light, they are environments that introduce the tea to moisture and lots of smells and tastes you don’t want in your tea. And the book is out on extending the life of your tea by doing this.
How long can you expect your tea to last if your properly store it? About 1 year for a green tea, several years for a black tea. But with a really good tea do you expect to have it around that long?
Until next time – happy steeping.
In 1957, a Greek representative of the Nestlé corporation lacking hot water for his cup of instant coffee used cold water and a shaker to mix his coffee on his break. This happy accident birthed the first Café Frappé. Fast forward and add a few additional ingredients and you have a national Greek drink that has spread to other countries and across the Atlantic to the U.S.
Greek frappés start with a spoonful of instant coffee (spray dried is preferred), mixed with water, sugar and sometimes milk. These ingredients are mixed vigorously in a cocktail shaker. Ice is added, although there is strong disagreement whether you add it before or after shaking. The result is a cool coffee drink with a frothy foam head.
Several companies have created packaged frappe mix. Add ice and coffee, then shake.
While instant coffee is traditional, espresso coffee is often substituted. Experiment, your taste buds will tell you what works for you.
Until next time – happy brewing.
Many who are seeking a healthier lifestyle find themselves attracted to herbal teas or tisanes. There are many claims about the health benefits of herbal tea, among them are:
- A more calm, relaxed state of mind
- Supports heart health
- Aids with stomach and digestive problems
- Provides cleansing properties for the body
- Promotes energy and wellness
As with all herbal products due caution should be taken and due diligence should be done before accepting any health claims of these products. Herbal remedies sometimes help and sometimes do harm. So, Buyer Beware.
Warning aside, there is a body of data and several hundred years of experience in Chinese Medicine that herbal teas can contribute to better health and alleviate some health issues. Just practice due caution.
Until next time – happy steeping.
One of the growing trends in the steeped drink arena is herbal teas or tisanes. Herbal teas are fresh or dried flowers, leaves, seeds or roots. The “tea” misnomer comes from the common steeping technique of the two drinks.
The main draw is the natural ingredients of the product and purported health benefits of consuming these teas. More on that in my next post.
A secondary benefit is the variety of ingredients produces a large number of taste possibilities. The variety of ingredient combinations guarantee an herbal tea to suit everyone’s taste. And likely quite a few hours of steeping enjoyment along the way.
Until next time – happy steeping.