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.
Some smells are special. Gourmet coffee brewing is one of those smells, especially first thing in the morning. The aroma of brewing coffee wafting through the air will wake any sleeping coffee drinkers from the deepest sleep.
Flavored coffee, of course, has it’s own special aromas. The scent of chocolate, nuts, peppermint or fruit adds an extra treat.
So, remember, take some time today to stop and smell the coffee. You may have to wake up first, but it’ll be worth it.
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. This is true in the gourmet coffee world too. But how does one confirm if their coffee is Certified Organic Coffee?
Check the label. An organic coffee sold in the U.S. must meet the USDA standards for organic foods. The USDA specifies two standards for labeling. “100 percent organic” specifies that all the raw product (excluding water and salt) and aids used in preparing the final product are organically produced. “Organic” specifies that at least 95% of of the raw product and aids are organic. The USDA Organic logo may also appear on the label. No other labeling such as “natural” specifies organic coffee.
You may also find labeling that indicates the coffee is Certified Organic Coffee, which is an indicator that the coffee has met regional certification standards for the area in which the coffee is grown. The certifying authority may also be listed.
Check on the roasting house. The roasting house must also be certified as an organic roaster, indicating they are maintaining the chain of organic practices in roasting and grinding.
Until next time, happy brewing.
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.
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.