Coffeeopolis

Latte Art how-to

The website Wikihow has a good beginner’s guide to creating Latte Art, check it out! It helped me realize that one of my main problems has been how I heat the milk - I’m too focused on creating a nice layer of foam, which is the last thing you want when doing Latte Art.

Add comment May 1st, 2007

FAQ: How to Taste Coffee

Now that you’ve brushed up on your Coffee Tasting Terms, here’s a quick guide to tasting - REALLY tasting, not just drinking - your favorite cup:

Start by smelling it. Smell the grounds before brewing…smell the brewed coffee…think about it, what does it remind you of?

Now, when you taste the coffee, slurp it to get the most flavor, and spread the coffee around your mouth, try to get it to all your taste buds at the same time. If possible, taste several coffees at the same sitting, all brewed using the same method. This will really help illustrate the different flavors available from something seemingly as simple as using different coffee beans.

Over time, you’ll notice that coffees from different regions have similar tastes…which is better is really up to the individual drinkers, so try them all!

Add comment November 19th, 2006

FAQ: Coffee Tasting Terms

If you’re a coffee drinker, you’ve no doubt come across all sorts of colorful attempts to describe a particular coffee’s flavor. Here’s a guideline to help sort it all out, courtesy of Peet’s Coffee:

Acidity
Acidity is the liveliness in coffee. In everyday conversation, “acidity” may sound unappealing, but in coffee terms it’s actually a highly desirable quality. Not to be confused with the ph level, “palate acidity” is the brightness of flavor — without it, coffee tastes flat and dull. All good coffees have some acidity, but to varying degree. Acidity in our coffees ranges from low (smooth) to high (lively).

Aged
A pleasant, distinctive “old” or “cellared” aroma, found in aged coffees.

Berry/Citrus
A sweet berry or citrus flavor.

Bitter
One of the four basic tastes, it is detected on the back of the tongue. A certain degree of bitterness adds to the fullness of coffee’s flavor; also, it is a prominent aspect of very dark-roasted coffee. It is unpleasant in high degree, especially if due to over-extraction.

Body
Body can be described as “mouthfeel” -quite literally, how a coffee feels in your mouth. It’s an impression of a coffee’s weight on your tongue. The best way to determine the degree of body in a coffee is to take a small sip and let it rest a moment on you tongue. Is it medium? Full? Very full? “Body” in our coffees varies from medium to very full.

Buttery
Full- bodied with an oily and rich mouthfeel.

Caramelly
A sweet note reminiscent of candy or syrup produced by caramelizing sugar without burning it.

Carbony
An aromatic roasted or burnt taste, found in very dark-roasted coffees.

Chocolatey
A flavor reminiscent of unsweetened chocolate or cocoa powder.

Clean
A coffee with a clear and refined texture in the mouth; opposite of dry.

Complex
A taste or aroma with many aspects (as opposed to simple).

Dry
A coffee with a parching or drying finish. It can also be called astringent.

Earthy
An aromatic fresh soil or wet earth characteristic.

Fine
A coffee with distinct positive quality characteristics such as acidity, body, etc.

Flat
A lifeless coffee lacking in any acidity.

Flavor
Flavors and aromas are as varied in coffee as they are in wine. Naturally, coffee tastes and smells like coffee. But other flavors and scents –such as chocolate, fruit, or flowers– are what make coffee drinking such an enjoyable experience. The next time you have a cup of coffee, take a deep whiff before your first sip. Use your nose to give your mouth a preview, to enhance the flavors on your palate.

Floral
Reminiscent of flowers.

Fruity
A sweet berry or citrus flavor.

Full
A prefix to good characteristics such as acidity, body, or range of flavors, to indicate a strong character.

Herbal
An aroma reminiscent of grass, dried herbs or grains, or fresh foliage.

Lively
A coffee with high palate acidity.

Mild
A rounded and balanced coffee, sometimes with acidity and/or sweetness, and without pungent or dry flavors.

Musty
A pleasant “old” or “cellared” aroma sometimes found in aged coffees.

Nutty
Reminiscent of freshly roasted peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, etc.

Pungent
A strong and penetrating effect on the palate.

Rich
An indicator of a coffee with depth and complexity of flavor, full body, and an overall satisfying taste.

Roasty
A bittersweet smoky or carbony flavor created by dark-roasting coffee. It can sometimes be described as the taste of the roast, rather than an inherent flavor of the bean.

Scorched
An unpleasant bitter or acrid taste, created by brewing coffee with boiling water.

Smoky
A naturally occurring aroma of wood smoke, or a synonym for roasty.

Smooth
A coffee low in palate acidity.

Soft
A well-rounded flavor lacking any harshness or acidity; mellow.

Spicy
An aroma suggesting spices such as cinnamon or allspice; also, a slightly “hot” sensation in the finish.

Strength
The ratio of ground coffee to water.

Sweet
One of the four basic tastes, detected at the tip of the tongue. A mild coffee with sweet fruity, caramelly, or chocolaty flavors.

Syrupy
Sweet, rich, and viscous mouthfeel.

Tangy
A savory combination of sweetness and sour acidity.

Tart
Pleasantly pungent and sour.

Wild
A coffee with varying flavors from cup to cup, or odd, gamey, tangy nuances.

Add comment November 17th, 2006

FAQ: Coffee growing terminology

Certified Organically Grown:
Refers to coffee beans that are grown and processed according to a rigorous set of guidelines that are monitored at each stage by an independent certifying agency. The guidelines specify the type of allowable inputs of organic fertilizers, integrated pest management, and other organic weed and fungus controls.

Sustainable agriculture:
A very broad term referring to farming practices that emphasize the long-term health of the soil and the environment. Sustainable agriculture methods include erosion control, composting, shading and biological pest control.

Shade-grown:
Shade-grown coffee refers to coffee trees that are interspersed with various species of trees that intermittently protect the coffee from the direct rays of the sun as shadows are created throughout the day. Most high-quality coffee is grown in the shade because the old varieties (which typically produce the best flavor) require it. The newer, high-yield hybrids are “self-shading” and grow in open sunlight, consuming more nitrogen from the soil.

Bird-friendly:
Used almost interchangeably with “shade-grown.” The shade trees that protect the coffee plants from the sun provide shelter for migrating birds. In turn, the birds help control insects on the coffee plants.

(source: Peet’s Coffee)

Add comment November 15th, 2006

FAQ: Growing coffee

Just about anyone can grow coffee plants in their homes…all it takes is a comfortable living environment, and lots of light (coffee plants don’t do too well in dim rooms, I speak from experience here!). Still, the results won’t be comparable to the towering coffee plants you may see on the side of the road in Hawaii. Why? Well, for starters, keep in mind that coffee is a tropical plant…warm, moist environments will be best. Also, the ideal growing environment is at higher altitudes (4000-6000 feet elevation), where the cooler nighttime temperatures help slow the coffee cherries’ growth, resulting in more concentrated flavors and better acidity. Coffee plants like rich volcanic soil with good drainage, and also care should be taken when harvesting the coffee - only the ripe cherries should be picked, while the others are given more time to ripen (it may be a few months between when the first and last cherries are harvested from a particular plant!).

I have several coffee plants. One is almost ten years old, a scraggly three foot tall plant resembling the Christmas Tree from A Charlie Brown Christmas. While it thrived initially, it suffered from conditions of too little light and is currently undergoing intensive sunlight therapy. Never in that time have I seen a single blossom, let alone a coffee cherry! On the other hand, a healthy young plant I picked up last spring has done incredibly well, and is almost three feet tall but more importantly, is lush and full of healthy new leaves. What’s the difference? Well, the new plant has been better fertilized, but more importantly, it’s lived its entire life outside. Here in California, frost is not a concern for most of the year (freezing temperatures will kill coffee plants), so this new plant has been living on the patio, underneath a translucent plastic patio cover and receiving a very healthy dose of sunlight. Add to that plenty of water, and occasional misting of the leaves, and this plant is thriving…maybe I’ll finally have some coffee cherries to harvest next year???

Add comment November 14th, 2006