Coffeeopolis

DIY coffee roaster

I gotta admire the persistence exhibited by the developer of the UglyRoast coffee roaster, a home-grown coffee roasting contraption. The project ended with the purchase of an off the shelf coffee roaster, but the website is still a good read for those of you interested in building your own. You can check it out at the UglyRoast homepage.

Add comment December 29th, 2006

Harvesting Kona coffee cheeries

I find it a bit odd that in the midst of the enormous snowstorm that Denver is recovering from, the local paper has an article about…picking coffee in Hawaii. Well, I guess the snow-bound residents of the mile-high city probably enjoy sitting in their warm houses, staring at the snow covered landscape outside while fantasizing of relaxing on the sunny beaches of the Hawaiian islands. Hmm, you know, that sounds like a good idea, I’m going to check airfare after this! Anyway, back to the subject at hand, the article is about picking coffee in Kona, and is more the type of thing you’d expect to read in a local Hawaii paper. As such, it’s a nice departure from the fact-laden fare often offered. Did you know that the average Kona coffee picker earns $.65 per pound of coffee picked (and it takes seven pounds of coffee cherries to produce one pound of roasted coffee beans). It’s worth reading, and can be found at the Rocky Mountain News.

Add comment December 28th, 2006

Signs that you drink too much coffee

They say it’s good for your health to laugh at least ten minutes a day, so…here’s a list of signs you’re drinking too much coffee, enjoy! (source)

You’re Drinking Too Much Coffee When . . .

Juan Valdez named his donkey after you.

You ski uphill.

You get a speeding ticket even when you’re parked.

You speed walk in your sleep.

You have a bumper sticker that says: “Coffee drinkers are good in the sack.”

You answer the door before people knock.

You haven’t blinked since the last lunar eclipse.

You just completed another sweater and you don’t know how to knit.

You grind your coffee beans in your mouth.

You sleep with your eyes open.

…(continued)…

Read more …

Add comment December 21st, 2006

Interesting homemade coffee roasters

The MAKE website has some very interesting homemade coffee roasters, with links to more info. I think my favorite is the one that uses a camping-sized propane cylinder and burner, with two ‘D’ size batteries rotating the roasting chamber. Resourceful! You can check them out here.

Add comment December 14th, 2006

Java Log fireplace logs

Forget duraflame, if you’re looking for a fake log to burn why not try coffee?! Made from recycled coffee grounds, they burn hotter, cleaner, and brighter than other choices. They also produce less carbon monoxide than other ‘manufactured logs’. Unfortunately, they do NOT produce a coffee aroma while burning. You can pick up a set of six logs for $37 over at Gevalia. (via The Green Head)

Add comment December 14th, 2006

Coffee and antioxidants

Did you know that coffee is an excellent source of antioxidants? Drinking between one and three cups a day provides the levels generally associated with reducing the risk of colon cancer, slowing the aging process, enhancing short term memory, etc. Drink more than that and you could open yourself up to new health complications, including potential heart problems for really heavy habitual drinkers. So like anything in life, coffee is good…in moderation! (via WKRC)

Add comment December 13th, 2006

Recipe: Tiramisu

I’ve spent a fair amount of time searching for the ‘perfect’ Tiramisu recipe, and think I may have finally found it. It’s supposedly the same recipe as used by the Olive Garden, and comes courtesy of the Life In Digital Pixels blog. By the way, did you know that ‘tiramisu’ means ‘pick me up’ or ‘cheer me up’ in Italian?

Ingredients:

Instructions:

1. Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring it to a boil over medium/high heat, then reduce heat so that the water is simmering. Whisk egg yolks, milk and sugar together in a medium metal bowl, then place the bowl on top of the saucepan (you can also use a double boiler for this step). Stir the mixture often for ten minutes. After the sugar dissolves the mixture should begin to thicken and turn light yellow. Remove it from the heat to cool.

2. Use an electric mixer to combine mascarpone, cream cheese and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix until mostly creamy, but with a few small chunks remaining.

3. Add egg yolk mixture to the cheese mixture and mix just until well-combined.

4. Combine espresso and Kahlua in a small bowl. Pour this mixture onto a dinner plate. One-by-one touch the bottom of each lady finger in the espresso. The lady finger will quickly soak up the espresso/Kahlua mixture, but you don’t want the entire lady finger soaked — just a dab will do ya. The top half of each lady finger should still be dry. Arrange the soaked lady fingers side-by-side on the bottom of an 8×8-inch serving dish or baking pan.

5. Spoon about half of the cheese mixture over the lady fingers, then add another layer of soaked lady fingers on top of the cheese mixture.

6. Spoon the remaining cheese mixture over the second layer of lady fingers and spread it evenly.

7. Put two teaspoons of cocoa powder in a tight-mesh strainer and gently tap the side of the strainer to add an even dusting of cocoa powder over the top of the dessert.

8. Cover and chill for several hours. To serve, slice the dessert twice across and down creating

9. even portions (the first serving is always the hardest to get out).

Add comment December 11th, 2006