Coffee 2 Tea

How many of us having just finished our thanksgiving meal has vowed never to over do it again next year, over eating that is. It’s hard to do, the joy of family, friends the festive holiday we can’t help our selves, and why should we.

This year have your guest talking not so much about the meal instead more about the coffee you served. Here are a simple and easy to make coffee recipe that is sure to do just that.

Café Disaronno
¾ ounce Amaretto Disaronno liqueur

5 oz brewed coffee

1 oz whipped cream

1 tsp brown sugar (white will do)

Garnish with an Espresso bean

Add the liqueur and sugar into a coffee mug. Add the fresh brewed coffee. Put a dollop on the whipped cream on top and garnish with the Espresso bean.

Serve with a heart felt warm smile.

Café Grande

1 part Kahlua

1part dark crème de cacao

1 part Grand Marnier orange liqueur

5 ounces fresh brewed coffee

Whipped cream

Maraschino cherry

Pour liqueurs into a clear glass mug. Add freshly brewed coffee. Top with heavy scoop of whipped cream and garnish with a cherry.

Serve with a heart felt warm smile.

COWBOY COFFEE: Ground coffee steeped in hot water then strained to separate rounds from brew. Legend has it that the separation method often called for a clean sock into which the ground coffee was spooned before being immersed in water. (Also called hobo, campfire or open-pot coffee.)

CHLOROGENIC ACID: One of the principal acids in green coffee beans, unpleasantly astringent by itself. As the roast progresses much of the chlorogenic acid disappears and other flavourful acids form, more thank making up for its loss.

CINNAMON ROAST: The lightest roast commercially available, with no oil on the surface. Large manufacturers often incorporate very light roasted coffee into their b lends, because roasting for a short time both saves money and adds bulk. A cinnamon roast rarely appears in specialty shops, though, because it is so high in chlorogenic acid and low in body and flavour.

CITY ROAST: A roasting term controversial for its impression but in wide use. Today a city roast is barely darker than a cinnamon roast. “Full –city” is used for a l medium roast, more or less dark cinnamon in color and with no oil on the surface; this is the fullest development of a bean before oils appear. The next stage is usually called a Vienna roast.

CLEAN CUP: A term professional tasters use to indicate a brewed coffee that is free, of virtually free, of taste defects. A clean coffee is not the same as a great coffee, but it will bring the grower or broker a higher price.

CREMA: A golden foam made up of oil and colloids, which floats atop the surface of a perfectly brewed cup of espresso. Achieving crema depends on a number of factors, including kind of coffee used, its freshness and the degree of pressure used in brewing; achieving it is tricky when not using a professional espresso machine.

CUPPING: The process by which professional tasters evaluate a sample of beans, Roasted and ground coffee is steeped in hot water, like tea, and the liquid is stasted both warm and as it cools.

For many years my wife and I bought our coffee beans in bulk. We both delight in taking the time to grind and brew our gourmet coffee, but we started to notice that toward the end of the bag the beans started to taste a bit off. That led me to do some research on coffee storage. How should the beans be stored, I wondered – in their raw, green form, or roasted? Left whole or ground? Frozen or at room temperature?

It didn’t take long to discover that fresh roasted coffee beans store best, and they should be kept whole until just before consumption. Most beans will retain their freshness for up to two weeks when stored at room temperature provided that they’re kept in an airtight container. When storing your own beans, bear in mind that they create excess carbon dioxide. Open up the lid of the coffee periodically to allow this gas to disperse.

CAFFEINE: The chief mood altering substance in coffee, with an average of 1.1 percent in Arabica and 2.2 percent in Robusta beans, the tow main coffee species. When extracted, as in the decaffeination process, caffeine is a pure white crystal, bitter to taste. Caffeine is the world’s most widely used psychoactive drug, appearing naurallin in tea leaves and, in very small quantities in cocoa beans.

CAFFEINE WITHDRAWL: Not yet an official diagnosis, but a syndrome currently under research for possible inclusion in psychiatric manuals . its symptoms include headache, sleepiness or drowsiness, impaired concentration, difficulty working, precession, anxiety, irritability, nausea and vomiting, and muscle aches or stiffness.

CAPPUCCINO: A espresso based drink classically made with one third espresso steamed milk and one third foamed milk. The king of Italian espresso drinks.

CARAMELIZATION: Beans are naturally high in carbohydrates, which must be heated to develop toasty, sweat flavours. Caramelized sugars give body and mouth-feel to darker roast: the darker the bean, the higher the degree of caramelization. When caramelization is taken to far, coffee tastes burnt.

CEZEV: More commonly called an ibrik, this is the correct term for the long handled brass or copper pot, tinned on the interior that lopes inward at the top and is used to make Middle Eastern coffee.

CHERRY: Coffee beans are seeds of a berry, called cherry for the shape and for the deep crimson color of the fully ripe fruit. The even, ovoid shape resembles a plump holly berry or cranberry.

CAFÉ au LAIT: A French breakfast drink made up about one third strong brewed coffee, as in coffee for a café filter or Napolitana pot or the stovetop moka brewer, and two-thirds scalded or steamed milk. Virtually identical to the Italian family version of a caffé latte.

CAFÉ FILTER: The metal flip-drip pot not more commonly called by its Italian name, Neapolitana, used in French households. The Italians like to claim credit for it, but in fact the French invented the device I the early nineteenth century.

CAFÉ AMERICANO: In Italy, usually a thin drink made with instant coffee. In America, an espresso lengthened with plain hot water after brewing (not by brewing for a long time), so that the body is the same as that of a filter brewed coffee, A good way to spread out the taste of espresso over a longer sipping time without adding cups of milk.

CAFFÉ LATTÉ: In Italy (where it is spelled caffe latte), this is a family drink made in the morning with coffee brewed in the napoletana or moka and milk scalded on the stove, in proportion of 1 part coffee to 3 parts milk. Italian espresso bars use genuine espresso and sometimes add more steamed milk, but not as much as is used in the United States. Also, Italians don’t add foamed milk, as Americans usually do. The drink served as a “latte” in American coffee bars is really giant sized cappuccino.

CAFFÉ MACCHIATO: An espresso “stained” with about two tablespoons of foamed milk.

Let’s start with the ‘A’s

ACIDITY:  Not a defect , acidity is one if the reasons the best    high grown Arabica coffee beans fetch the highest prices. As a roast gets going, flavourful acids form, giving coffee life and sparkle. The lighter the roast, the more the acids are highlighted; very dark roasts destroy most acids. Not be confused with bitterness.

ADENOSINE: One of the chemicals, or neurotransmitters, the body makes to control neural activity; adenosine triggers a series of slowing effects in the body. Researchers think caffeine acts as an adenosine imposter, locking into special receptors on brain cells and fooling the body into thinking that adenosine is circulating when it is not. Caffeine thus speeds up by not slowing you down.

AGED COFFEE: Green coffee beans that have been stored in the climate, typically hot and humid ,on which they were grown, for a year or two ore even three before being shipped similar to monsooning , which takes less time, aging bean is expensive, because stocks are tied up. Aged coffee has a soft roundness many connoisseurs seek, especially for blends.

AIR QUENCHING: The cooling of roasted beans with blown air rather than with sprayed water. (see water-quenching)

ARABICA:  One of the two main coffee species. Coffee  Arabica is named for its original popularizes, the Arabs, who   bought it to native East Africa to the Arabian Peninsula in the fifteenth century. All the delicate, prized flavours possible in coffee are found in Arabica and not robust, the other main species , although not every Arabica is fine. Arabica beans, which produce the best flavors when grown at high altitudes in semitropical climates near the equator, naturally contain about half the caffeine (an average of 1.1 percent) of robusta beans (which have an average of 2.2 percent).

The Italians simply call their espresso “caffe” and actually it doesn’t matter if you prepare it with a professional machine or the traditional stovetop maker. Espresso is the essence of coffee and the basis for many drinks, such as cappuccino and latte macchiato. Espresso is famous for being small, strong and black. Its okay to sweeten it with sugar, but milk is a no-no.

All you need to make the basic espresso recipe is freshly ground dark roast espresso coffee (Arabica is ideal) and really hot water.

• Unscrew espresso maker and pour in the right amount of water (do not cover valve).

• Place one spoonful of the ground coffee in the filter basket per cup and spread smooth – don’t tamp it down. Then insert the basket in the lower section of the pot.

• Heat pot on the stove at the highest setting. As soon as espresso starts to hiss in the tube remove from the stove.

• Stir finished espresso once in the pot and then pout it into the cups (preferably use prewarmed). If desired, add sugar to taste.

Have you noticed that within the last few years organic products have been the craze?  A conspiracy that I’m convinced was started by those vegan hippies; society tells us that organic products are healthier. But the only difference I can tell is that organic products are much more expensive. And as a just-starting-out career woman, frankly I don’t have the money to splurge on fancy foods when I can buy the same products for less.

The irony of this story is that, as it turns out, there is one organic product I’ve come across that is a regular part of my grocery list – organic decaf coffee. It’s without a doubt the best beverage to savor in the evenings. Warm and rich, its soothing aromas melt my senses delivering me to state of ultimate relaxation, just before bed. And so organic freaks, coffee lovers and troubled sleepers, I recommend this product with full confidence that your experience will be just as tasty.

INGREDIENTS:

Makes 12 Muffins

6 tbs cream cheese

¼ cup whole cranberry sauce

2⅔ cups flour

2 tbs cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

⅔ cup sugar

⅞ cup milk

⅓ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup double-strength cold espresso

Muffin pan and 12 paper-lined baking cups

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Baking time: 25 minutes

Calories/serving: About 220

1~ Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line muffin pan with paper baking cups. Combine cream cheese and cranberry sauce; set aside. In a bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder.

2~ Whisk egg and combine with sugar, milk, oil, and espresso. Add to flour mixture and stir.

3~ Pour half the batter inot the baking cups. Pace about 2tsp cranberry-cream cheese mixture on top of each, and pour remaining batter on top. Bake in the oven (middle rack) for 20-25 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in the pan10 minutes before removing.

Time to taste your Coffee Cappuccino Muffins, pour yourself a cup of  coffee sit back and enjoy, yum!

What is Caffeine? It is an alkaloid found naturally in such foods as coffee beans, tea, kola nuts, Yerba maté, guarana, and (in small amounts) cacao beans. Caffeine is created in plants as a form of pesticide, to kill of insects feeding on them. In its true form caffeine is a whitish-yellow powder substance, bitter in taste.

Caffeine’s main drug producing effects are: a stimulant that affect the central nervous system, effect the supply of oxygen to cells, the heart rate, and is a mild diuretic. Some studies show that small amounts of caffeine may increase our cognitive functioning and improve our mood.

One common source of caffeine is the coffee plant, the beans from which are used to produce coffee. Caffeine content varies substantially between Arabica and Robusta species  and to a lesser degree between varieties of each species. A single serving (6 to 8 fl oz) cup of  drip coffee contains around 100 to 125 mg of caffeine. However the world over coffee varies considerably in caffeine content per serving, and range from 75 mg to 250 mg.

Tea is another common source of caffeine in many cultures. In general tea contains half the amount of caffeine per serving than coffee, though certain types of tea, such as Lapsang sou chong smoked teas, and oolong contain less caffeine.

Just how much is a safe amount of caffeine, it is generally agreed that consuming up to 300 mg of caffeine per day is safe. That is the equivalence of drinking three cups of coffee or six cups of tea a day.