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Check out more great coffee articles:
Coffee - Java Talk - Learn
all about the history of coffee, how to taste coffee, and
making coffee.
Coffee Drink Calories
- How much damage can your favorite coffee drink do in additional
calories added to your diet?
The
fancier the drink, the fancier the calories - especially when
you opt for the whipped topping. An extra 200 calories a
day can add up to 21 extra pounds added to your body per
year!
Espresso Machines -
Learn about the different
Styles for Different Homes.
How To Store Coffee Beans -
Coffee
bean's two greatest enemies are air and moisture. Ideally, coffee should be
ground, brewed, and consumed quickly to obtain the best flavor.
How to Make
the Perfect Cup of Coffee
- A great dining experience deserves great
coffee!
How To
Use a French Press -
The
most popular coffee maker in Europe and Australia is the classy French Press.
Also known as the plunger pot, coffee press, or press-pot. This stylish coffee
maker is making in-roads in America, and coffee addicts swear by it.
How To Use A Moka Pot - A Moka
Pot is an Italian steam-based stovetop espresso maker that produces a dark
coffee almost as strong as that from a conventional espresso maker. Sometimes
called the poor man’s espresso and also known as stove-top espresso.
Irish Coffee
- It might sound like an ancient recipe, but Irish coffee was a 20th
Century invention. Learn the history of this spirited coffee and how
it’s made. Also check out the easy-to-make authentic recipe.
Organic Coffee
Organic Coffee for Your Health and the Environment. To gain
a better understanding of what the term “Organic Coffee”
really means, we have put together this guide to how it
relates to your health, and that of our planet!
Home Coffee Roaster Photos
Photos taken at the Dancing Flames Home Coffee Roasting
Festival in Newberg, OR on June 13, 2009.
I think if I were a woman I'd wear coffee as a
perfume.
by John Van Druten
Espresso is to Italy, what champagne
is to France.
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand
After a few months' acquaintance with
European "coffee," one's mind weakens, and his faith with it,
and he begins to wonder if the rich beverage of home, with its
clotted layer of yellow cream on top of it, is not a mere dream
after all, and a thing which never existed.
by Mark Twain
The smell
of coffee cooking was a reason for growing up, because children
were never allowed to have it and nothing haunted the nostrils
all the way out to the barn as did the aroma of boiling coffee.
by Edna Lewis
Coffee is a
fleeting moment and a fragrance.
by Claudia Roden
Behind every successful woman is a
substantial amount of coffee.
by Stephanie Piro
Below
is a list of the most popular coffee beverages:
caffe (espresso)
— a small cup of very strong
coffee, i.e., espresso
caffe Americano
— American-style coffee, but
stronger; weaker than espresso and served in a
large cup
caffe doppio
—
double espresso
caffe freddo
— iced coffee
caffe Hag — decaffeinated coffee
caffe latte
— hot milk mixed with coffee and
served in a glass for breakfast
caffe macchiato
— espresso "stained" with a
drop of steamed milk: small version of a
cappuccino
caffe marocchino
— espresso with a dash of
hot milk and cacao powder
cappuccino
— espresso infused with steamed
milk and drunk in the morning, but never after
lunch or dinner
granita di caffe con panna
— frozen, iced
beverage (similar to a slush, but ice shavings
make it authentic) and topped with whipped cream
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How to Make
the Perfect Cup of Coffee
The Pacific Northwest is noted for its
great coffee. In fact, Oregonians love and crave their coffee.
An entire coffee culture has sprung up to answer this craving.
Espresso stands and carts have sprung up in every major
northwest city. You can find espresso or coffee places on street
corners, in grocery stores, gas stations, hardware stores,
department stores, stadiums, and even in the fast food outlets.
There are even drive-through espresso stands for coffee drinkers
who don’t have time to get out of their cars. It is more than
just a trend; it is a new institution of the busy lifestyle.
As to why coffee is so popular in the
Northwest, some people laughingly argue it is because people
can’t function in the cold, gray, and drizzly climate without
it. Whatever the reason, this craving has spread through out the
United States and the world. Coffee is the second largest
commodity in the world.
The boom of coffee houses is not new, as
the roots of coffee houses go back to the 15th
century Arabia, 16th century Europe, and 17th
century North America. Coffee drinking began in the American
colonies as early as 1689 in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.
In fact, the Green Dragon Coffee House of Boston was where the
idea for the famous Boston Tea Party was conceived in 1773.
Americans revolted against England’s tea tax, and the
Continental Congress declared coffee the “Official National
Beverage.” What better way to protest the unfair tea taxes
imposed than to enjoy an alternate coffee beverage?
Did you know?
-
 The coffee bean is a fruit?
It is actually
the seeds of a cherry-like fruit. Coffee trees produce
berries, called coffee cherries.
These fruits
are first green before turning red, and each fruit usually
contains two beans
The coffee cherries turn bright red when they are ripe and
ready to pick.
- These seeds or beans of the fruit are
then fermented, much as grapes are fermented when making
wine, but the end result is different. After the coffee bean
has been separated from the fruit, it remains covered in a
mucilaginous layer. Fermentation breaks down the mucilage
that surrounds the coffee bean. This mucilage, if not
removed, will retard the taste of your coffee and create an
undesirable taste.
- Like the grapes of fine wines, coffee
acquires unique taste characteristics from its local
geography and climate.
This depends on such factors as altitude, rainfall, type of
soil, and how it is processed.
Tasting Coffee - Coffee Cupping
Photos taken at Caravan Coffee
in Newberg, Oregon.
Tasting a good cup of coffee is like tasting a fine wine - an
excellent pinot noir wine! Experienced coffee tasters follow a
strict routine ritual when tasting coffee, similar to wine
tasting. “Cupping” is the technique used by tasters to evaluate
the flavor profile of a coffee. Also like wine tasting, if you
are tasting or cupping more than a couple cups of coffee, it is
advisable to spit out the coffee after evaluation. When cupping
several coffees, it is possible to have too much caffeine, which
can adversely alter your cupping ability.
First you “slurp” the coffee. You then swirl the coffee around
the surface of your tongue and mouth to obtain the full
experience of the taste sensation in the nose and on the tongue.
Did you know that our sense of smell and sense of taste are
inseparable? Without our sense of smell, our taste sensations
are limited. Most of what we experience as taste depends upon
our sense of smell.
After a sip is swallowed, the mouth and tongue retain a minute
residue of coffee. This sensation produces the aftertaste that
lingers on the palate. It is similar to the concept of “finish”
in wine. Aftertaste can vary considerably according to the
coffee’s body.
Lastly, there’s a coffee’s Nose. Take a sip of coffee. As soon
as it reaches your tongue, it stimulates taste and
simultaneously releases aromas inside the mouth. Enjoy the
tactile feel of the coffee on your tongue.
Now that you’ve taken a good whiff and your first sip, it’s time
to let your tongue do the talking. Of all the facets of coffee,
taste is the most complex to discuss.
How To Make The Perfect Cup
of Coffee
A great dining experience deserves great
coffee!
A few simple rules to follow for that perfect cup of
coffee:
Purchase coffee beans as soon after they
have been roasted as possible. Fresh roasted coffee beans are
essential to a superb cup of coffee. Also purchase your coffee
beans in small amounts, only as much as you can use in a given
period of time. Ideally you should purchase your coffee fresh
every 1-2 weeks.
I suggest you
contact your local coffee roaster and select from their
fresh-roasted coffee beans. It doesn’t cost more money to
purchase good coffee beans. Your local specialty coffee roasters
are solely in the business to sell coffee beans. You can be
confident that their beans are fresher, and thus the coffee that
you serve in your restaurant will taste better.
The quality of your coffee is heavily
dependent upon the quality of the water that you use.
Use only fresh cold filtered water. If you are using tap
water let it run a few seconds before filling your coffee pot.
Be sure to use cold water. An alternative is to buy Artesian
water (do not use distilled water). When you consider that
coffee is made of approximately 98-99% water, you must use good
tasting water.
Always grind your beans as close to the brew time as possible.
Coffee deteriorates quickly after grinding and you should grind
only the amount you are going to use at one time.
Use enough coffee, and don't use too much or too little!
Professional coffee tasters use exactly two tablespoons
of ground coffee for each six ounces of water. If that sounds
like a lot, then you have probably been making less than full
strength coffee. For optimal extraction, maintain a water
temperature between 195-205 degrees F.
Brewed coffee should be enjoyed
immediately! Pour the fresh-brewed coffee into a warmed mug or
coffee cup so that it will maintain its temperature as long as
possible. It begins to lose its optimal taste moments after
brewing, so only brew as much coffee as will be consumed
immediately. If the coffee is not to be served immediately after
brewing, it should be poured into a warmed, insulated thermos
and used within the next 45 minutes.
Question
from readers:
I have just started buying
coffee online. I was paying almost $8.00 for a 12 ounce bag of Starbucks coffee
at my local Walmart. My question is about ordering fresh roasted coffee beans
online in the summer time. I received my recent order the other day and when the
UPS guy handed it to me the package was hot and the bags of beans inside were
also. Does the weather have an affect on the beans? I live in TN and the company
I buy from is located in FL. I receive them 2 days after ordering. So, the
package is in the hot UPS truck during that time. Am I wasting my money buying
online in the summer? I have read online that you are suppose to keep the beans
away from the moisture, heat, and light. I live in a small town and we don't
have a local roaster and I don't have transportation to the nearest town that
has one. That's why I started ordering online. Thanks.
- Sandy (6/15/07)
Answer
from Pete Miller of Caravan Coffee:
Treat coffee like
bread! Stale bread is never good - and stale coffee is never good! A warm
UPS truck or warehouse is not good for fresh bread and it is not good for
coffee. However, if you package coffee (or bread) in an airtight bag the
hot truck or warehouse is not as bad. In conclusion, the heat is not good
for the coffee but if properly packaged does not hurt the coffee that much.
Solution - Purchase
fresh roasted coffee, sealed in a vacuum bag, shipped to your door from
Caravan Coffee and use within 10 days (30 maximum).
Pete Miller
Caravan Coffee
2750 E. 9th Street
Newberg, OR 97132
503-538-7365
Fax: 503-537-3908
pete@caravancoffee.com
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