Getting good coffee at home
By Monica Eng
Chicago Tribune
Even in this bumpy economy, Americans are holding on tight to their coffee cups.
That's the word from the National Coffee Association, whose latest study finds American coffee consumption holding steady in this recession. One change, though, is that we're making and drinking more joe at home — in fact, 5 percent more than we did a year prior.
This may spell bad news for cafe owners who could see lighter traffic, but some of America's top specialty coffee purveyors see this as an opportunity to deepen the public's appreciation for good coffee as they teach them how to treat their home beans right.
In recent months, Caffe Pronto Coffee Roastery of Annapolis, Md., has been offering workshops that range from proper coffee brewing to the importance of coffee origin to, most recently, pairing coffee with cheese. A new Web site needcaffeine.com just launched allowing folks to order home machines as well as beans from an array of specialty roasters across the nation. And Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea's Web site (www.intelligentsiacoffee.com) this month started selling home-brewing kits complete with a certificate for a brewing class.
For these purveyors of fine coffee, it's not just about education but a point of professional pride. And it's about ensuring that their lovingly procured and roasted beans find good homes.
"Unlike wine, our beans are not a finished product," said Vincent Iatesta, owner of Caffe Pronto. "And so even if we do an amazing job of choosing the farmer and ensuring that it is harvested, milled, stored, transported and roasted right, we are still dependent on the consumer to prepare the coffee correctly at home. All of our hard work could go to waste if it is not brewed properly." Iatesta and others shared their suggested steps for brewing a good cup of coffee:
Tips for a perfect cup:
1. Use fresh coffee beans. Minimize the coffee beans' exposure to air by storing in an airtight container. Don't store beans in the freezer; it can cause damaging condensation during the thawing process.
2. Use simple, nonelectric brewing methods such as a French press or the manual makers such as Melitta and Chemex that allow you to stir the water and grounds while they are steeping for the most even extraction.
3. Splurge for a good burr grinder ($40-$600). Experts say propeller grinders produce uneven grinds. Grind the beans just before you brew.
4. Use a good scoop to measure the recommended 2 tablespoons of coffee per 6 to 8 ounces of water.
5. Don't make coffee with water you wouldn't drink plain. Experts often use filtered or bottled water. For manual makers, heat the water to a full boil; wait 30 seconds before pouring. Warm your coffeepot with a swish of very hot water.
COFFEE ICE CREAM SODA
Prep: 5 minutes
Makes: 1 serving
Author Daniel Young includes this recipe in "Coffee Love." "Ice cream sodas taste better when milk is added to the syrup-flavored soda," he writes. "Using melted vanilla ice cream instead of milk multiplies that milky-creamy effect tenfold."
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the vanilla ice cream; stir. Pour in the soda water, stirring, to within 2 inches of the top of the glass. Add a large scoop of the coffee ice cream.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
COLD-BREWED COFFEE SYRUP
Prep: 10 minutes
Stand: 6 hours
Cook: 15-20 minutes
Makes: 1 1/2 cups
Use this syrup in ice cream sodas and sundaes or over coffee or vanilla yogurt. Adapted from "Coffee Love," by Daniel Young.
1. Combine the water and coffee in a large jar or glass container. Let sit at room temperature at least 6 hours and up to 12 hours.
2. Pour the coffee mixture twice through a paper coffee filter or a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Combine the coffee and sugar in a saucepan; heat over medium-high heat, whisking, to just below the boiling point. Lower the heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring, until the mixture begins to thicken and it reduces by about a quarter for a thinner syrup or by a third for a thick syrup, 7-10 minutes. Let cool. Cover tightly; store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
USER'S GUIDE TO COFFEE LABELS
Labels on bags of coffee often can be confusing. Here's a guide to some of the terms you'll find, with information from coffee experts and from coffeeterms.com.
Bird-friendly certified: Coffee that has been verified by a representative of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and comes from a farm that meets "organic standards, canopy height, foliage cover and number of bird species, among other criteria," according to www.birdwatchersdigest.com. Farmers volunteer for the inspection and pay nothing to the Smithsonian for the certification, but 25 cents per pound goes to support the center's research and conservation programs, according to the Smithsonian center.
Coffee blend: Coffee that has been blended from more than one farm, ideally to complement and enhance the flavor of each.
Coffee terroir: The characteristics of the land on which coffee is produced including soil composition, weather, sun exposure, altitude, proximity to other plants, terrain and drainage. Although a coffee's origin and terroir can play a part in its eventual flavor, experts agree that the beans from the very same plot of land can change year to year, harvest to harvest and season to season.
Direct trade: A broad term for coffee purchased directly from the farmer by the roastery, without middlemen. This allows farmers to get more money for their coffee and for terms to be negotiated on a case-by-case basis. So you need to check details with your roasters or at least visit their Web sites.
Estate coffee: Coffee farmed on a single plantation, which can have better consistency and higher quality control compared with coffees collected from many small farms.
Fair Trade coffee: A certification from Transfair USA that guarantees a certain price for the farmer, certain working and economic conditions for the laborers and sustainable agricultural practices, including a restricted use of agrochemicals and no GMOs (genetically modified organisms), according to Transfair. Coffee quality is not a factor. Many in the coffee supply chain must pay a fee to the Transfair USA organization to be allowed to use the "Fair Trade" label.
Organic coffee: Coffee verified by a U.S. Department of Agriculture representative to be produced on a farm that has not used synthetic pesticides or other prohibited substances for at least three years and has a sustainable crop rotation plan to prevent erosion, the depletion of soil nutrients and control for pests, according to the Organic Trade Association.
Rainforest Alliance Certified: According to its Web site, rainforest-alliance.org, this means coffee grown on farms where "forests are protected, rivers, soils and wildlife conserved; workers are treated with respect, paid decent wages, properly equipped and given access to education and medical care. The Rainforest Alliance seal ensures that experienced inspectors have verified that the farms meet demanding social and environmental standards, and are on a path toward true sustainability."
Shade grown: Coffee grown in shade or partial shade which some believe results in better flavor because it requires a longer ripening time. Shaded coffee trees also offer natural habitat for songbirds and reduce the need for fertilizers.
Single origin: Unblended coffee from a single country, growing region or plantation. Sometimes called straight coffee.
Varietal: Coffee made from a single type of coffee, such as arabica or Bourbon. Sometimes just from a single country or region as in Brazil Bourbon Santos coffee.
