Posts filed under 'Coffee'
via Reuters:
(Reuters) - Turkish coffee is a strong, rather bitter beverage traditionally served black and sweetened according to taste. It is prepared in a small pot that is sufficient to produce several servings.
HOW TO MAKE IT
Pour cold water into a small coffee pot known as a cezve in Turkish. Slightly more than one cup of cold water is recommended for each serving. Add a teaspoonful of Turkish coffee per cup into the water, turn on the heat and start to stir gently.
The amount of coffee can be increased according to taste, but if properly prepared there should always be a thick residue at the bottom of your cup when you have finished drinking.
Heat the pot as slowly as possible. The slower the heat the better it is. Do not walk away, make sure you watch it to prevent any overflowing when the coffee starts to foam. When the foam rises turn off the heat. Scoop away the foam with a spoon and place an even amount of foam in each cup. Don’t pour out the dregs into the cups.
November 16th, 2007
CNN has a fascinating article on the use of coffee by troops on both sides in the Civil War. The North apparently had a grip on the supply chain and had plenty of coffee, leading to informal cease-fires along the front lines where Confederate troops would trade tobacco for coffee from the Union troops! It’s a neat read and can be found here.
October 29th, 2007
Chemists have discovered that most of the bitterness found in coffee is due to antioxidants formed in the roasting process (only about fifteen percent is due to caffeine), though the brewing process also affects the amount of bitterness in the final cup. You can read more at livescience.com.
August 23rd, 2007
Ethiopia is working to commercialize a variety of coffee plant found in the wild that produces beans with naturally low levels of caffeine. They’re currently at the ’seedling’ stage so it’ll be a few years before this makes it to the shelves, but it’ll provide an interesting alternative to traditional decaf coffee. No word at this point exactly how the caffeine level in these beans compares to that of regular or decaf coffee. (via Stuff)
August 16th, 2007
In this era of corporate greed, something as simple as the name of a coffee is squeezed to maximize profits. In this case, the debate is over what can and can’t be labeled ‘Kona Coffee’. While the average consumer may rightfully assume that Kona Coffee was grown in Kona, Hawaii, the reality is that, in an effort to make more money, many larger companies try to get more sales by mixing a small amount of Kona coffee beans with less expensive varieties and labeling the concoction a ‘Kona Blend’. An inattentive consumer may think they’re getting a great deal on Kona Coffee, and will end up disappointed. The debate is currently over exactly how much Kona Coffee needs to be in the bag to qualify as a ‘Kona Blend’. Currently, state law requires only 10% authentic Kona, which is so ridiculously low as to be insulting to coffee drinkers everywhere. It’s an ongoing story, so next time you’re considering buying some Kona, be sure to very carefully investigate its true origin and be sure you know exactly how much of the ‘good stuff’ is in there. (via The Star Bulletin)
July 24th, 2007
Here are some interesting facts about coffee (via Source2Resource):
1. Germay is the world’s second largest consumer of coffee in terms of volume at 16 pounds per person.
2. Over 53 countries grow coffee worldwide, but all of them lie along the equator between the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn.
3. An acre of coffee trees can produce up to 10,000 pounds of coffee cheries. That amounts to approximately 2000 pounds of beans after hulling or milling.
4. The percolator was invented in 1827 by a French man. It would boil the coffee producing a bitter tasting brew. Today most people use the drip or filtered method to brew their coffee.
5. With the exception of Hawaii and Puerto Rico, no coffee is grown in the United States or its territories.
6. Up until the 1870’s most coffee was roasted at home in a frying pan over a charcoal fire. It wasn’t until recent times that batch roasting became popular.
7. Each year, some 7 million tons of green beans are produced world wide - most of which is hand picked.
June 28th, 2007
I love the TV show Good Eats (staring Alton Brown), it’s a light hearted yet geeky look at cooking. A recent episode covered everything about espresso, and I finally got around to watching it (ah, the miracle of Tivo). I consider myself a hardcore home-espresso fanatic, as you can no doubt tell from this website. However, even I learned a little by watching the show, and certainly enjoyed it from an entertainment perspective. I highly recommend checking it out; look for it on the Food Network, or catch it on YouTube (just click to see the rest of this story for the links to the YouTube videos).
Read more …
May 22nd, 2007
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