What is World Without Coffee

Some Facts About Coffee

2012-05-15T03:41:00.001-07:00

It’s all started with the Dancing Goat

Legend has it…. Ethiopian shepherds first noticed the effects of caffeine when they saw their goats appearing to become frisky and “dance” after eating coffee berries.

Originally, coffee was eaten.

African tribes mixed coffee berries with fat which formed edible “energy balls”!

The rise of Islam contributed greatly to the popularity of coffee. The religion prohibited drinking alcohol, but coffee was considered an acceptable drink.

All coffee in the world grows in the BEAN BELT. The “bean belt” is the area between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Hawaii is the only state in the US that grows coffee.

In 1675, the King of England banned coffee houses, claiming they were places where people met to conspire against him. (No Coffee Drinking- By Order of the King, Coffee shops are now decreed to be “Terrorist Slumbers Parties”)

70% of the world consumes Arabica coffee, which is mild and aromatic. The remaining 30% drinks Robusta, which is more bitter-tasting but has 50% more caffeine than Arabica.

Coffee grows on trees.

They can grow to be up to 30 feet tall, but are cultivated to be around 10 feet (3 meters) tall for easy-picking.

The bean is actually a seed inside of a bright red berry.

Coffee is the second most traded commodity on earth. The Oil is the first. Clearly humanity has a thing for black drippy liquids. Coffee berries are picked, dried and stripped down until all that’s left is a green bean. The beans are roasted at around 500F. After a few minutes, the bean will “pop” and double in size. A few minutes after that, the bean will “pop” one more. The second pop means the bean is done. The bean is now ready to fulfill its destiny.

George Washington invented instant coffee!

A Belgian man living in Guatemala by the name of George Washington invented it in 1906.

Espresso: |e-spres-oh|

It’s not a particular type of bean, roast or blend. Espresso is just a way that coffee isprepared: shooting pressurized, hot water through finely ground coffee.

Facts About Coffee

Americano

The term “Americano” comes from America GIs during WWII. They would order espresso with water to dilute the strong flavor. Furthermore, the term “cup of joe” comes from American servicemen (GI Joes) in WWII being seen as big coffee drinkers.

Caffeine- How it works:

In your brain there’s something called Adenosine and it only wants to hang out with certain receptors. When these two get together, you become drowsy. When caffeine shows up, it attaches to the receptors so that Adenosine cannot. Your pituitary gland sees this and thinks there’s an emergency, so it tells tha adrenal glands to produce adrenaline. In addition, caffeine bumps up your dopamine levels. The result…. A Caffeine High!

The Best of Mochaccino

2012-05-13T13:37:00.002-07:00

Mochaccino is a term used in some regions of Europe and the Middle East to describe caffe latte with cocoa or chocolate. In the U.S., it usually refers to a cappuccino made with chocolate.

A Mochaccino is like a chocolate Latte

1 part Espresso
1 part Steamed Chocolate Milk
1 part Foam from the Steamed Milk

Top with whipped cream and chocolate powder
Chocolate syrup can also be drizzled on top .

The Great Taste of Cafe Mocha

2012-05-10T15:06:00.000-07:00

A Cafe mocha or Mocha is a variant of a caffe latte, but a portion of chocolate is added, typically in the form of chocolate syrup. When bought from a vending system, instant chocolate powder is used. Mocha's can contain dark or milk chocolate.

At the simplest level, a Cafe Mocha means either adding chocolate to your coffee, or adding a shot of espresso coffee to your hot chocolate. In the latter case, the best Cafe Mocha is not made with drip-brewed coffee but rather Italian-brewed espresso.

There are many reasons why espresso is a better complement to chocolate than regular-brewed coffee. Espresso has more 'opposing' taste characteristics for a balanced but bold flavor. If you simply add chocolate to your coffee, there won't be as much flavor in the coffee that counters the chocolate and it will end up tasting like an 'off' mix of the two.

Coffee Milk

2012-05-10T13:47:00.001-07:00

Coffee milk is similar to chocolate milk; but coffee syrup is used instead. It is the official state drink of Rhode Island in the United States.

Coffee milk was introduced to Rhode Island sometime in the early 1930s. It came about from creative diner and drugstore operators trying to attract new customers with new and innovative drinks. One of these operators, the identity of whom has been lost to history, sweetened leftover coffee grounds with milk and sugar. This created a molasses-like extract that became popular. Coffee milk became a favorite among Rhode Islander and Southeastern Massachusetts residents, and created a demand for this coffee syrup. The demand was so great that, in 1993, it beat out Del's Lemonade as the official drink of Rhode Island.

Cafe Miel

2012-05-08T00:35:00.003-07:00

Cafe con Miel (Spanish for "coffee with honey") makes a wonderful, light dessert or mid-afternoon pick me up. You can adapt the drink recipe to your tastes by using and omitting spices and flavors as desired. A Cafe Miel has a shot of espresso, steamed milk, cinnamon, and honey.

Café Mélange

2012-05-08T00:04:00.001-07:00

Cafe Melange

A Café Mélange is a black coffee mixed or covered with whipped cream. This drink is most popular in Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

Cafe Medici

2012-05-07T13:28:00.000-07:00

Cafe Medici

The Cafe Medici starts with a double shot of espresso extracted using a double filter basket in a portafilter that is poured over chocolate syrup and orange or lemon peel, which is usually topped with whipped cream. This drink originated at Seattle's historic Last Exit on Brooklyn coffeehouse.

Caffè Latte

2012-05-01T14:17:00.000-07:00

Caffe` Latte

Caffè latte is a coffee-based drink made primarily from espresso and steamed milk. It consists of one-third espresso, two-thirds heated milk and about 1cm of foam. Depending on the skill of the barister, the foam can be poured in such a way to create a picture. Common pictures that appear in lattes are love hearts and ferns.Latte art is an interesting topic in itself.

Traditionally the cafe latte is a ratio of two parts coffee and one part steamed milk (also called a Cafe Au Lait)
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Cafe Bombon

2012-05-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

Cafe Bombon was made popular in Valencia, Spain, and spread gradually to the rest of the country. It might have been re-created and modified to suit European tastebuds as in many parts of Asia such as Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore the same recipe for coffee which is called "Kopi Susu Panas" (Malaysia) or "Kafe Ron" (Thailand) has already been around for decades and is very popular in "mamak" stalls or "kopitiams" in Malaysia. A café bombón, however uses espresso served with sweetened condensed milk in a 1:1 ratio whereas the Asian version uses ground coffee and sweetened condensed milk at the same ratio. For café bombón, the condensed milk is added to the espresso. For visual effect, a glass is used, and the condensed milk is added slowly to sink underneath the coffee and create two separate bands of contrasting colour - though these layers are customarily stirred together before consumption. Some establishments merely serve an espresso with a sachet of condensed milk for patrons to make themselves.

European Café au Lait

2012-05-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

Cafe au lait is a French term which means “coffee on milk.” In Europe, "café au lait" stems from the same continental tradition as "caffè latte" in Italy, "café con leche" in Spain, "kawa biała" ("white coffee") in Poland, "Milchkaffee" in Germany, "Grosser Brauner" in Austria, "koffie verkeerd" in Netherlands, and "café com leite" in Portugal, simply "coffee with milk". In northern Europe, café au lait is the name most often used in coffee shops. It is a coffee beverage consisting strong or bold coffee (sometimes espresso) mixed with scalded milk in approximately a 1:1 ratio. It is used to refer to a beverage made with strong fresh coffee and hot milk. Many former French colonies offer cafe au lait as a staple accompaniment to breakfast, as do regions with large French populations. Cafe au lait should not be confused with a latte, a drink made with espresso, not strong coffee. This can lead to confusion in a coffeehouse especially, so do not be afraid to be specific about what you are asking for.

To make cafe au lait, milk is scalded and poured into a cup simultaneously with coffee. Because the two are poured together, rather than layered, the resulting drink is thoroughly mixed. It can be drunk plain or sweetened, depending on personal taste. In some regions,chicory is mixed with the coffee beans for a characteristic bitter bite. This is especially common in Louisiana.

Many nations have a variation of the cafe au lait, which is in an intermediate zone between brewed black coffee and blended coffee drinks. All of the variations mix fresh coffee with hot milk, and the name usually indicates this. In Germany, for example, cafe au lait is known asMilchkaffee, or “milk coffee.” Some coffee shops refer to the beverage as a misto, or blend.

Lungo Coffee

2012-05-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

Long is an English equivalent of 'lungo'. It's a masculine adjective that's pronounced 'LOON-goh'. It's used to describe a certain kind of espresso coffee, in which there's twice the usual amount of water. Running twice the amount of water results in a longer pull/fill time. It thereby results in a greater amount of time for the water to pass through the coffee grounds. The longer pull/fill time therefore adds extracts that don't dissolve in the regular amount of time. The resulting espresso reflects the slower passage and the greater contribution of extracts to the taste. That's what accounts for the lungo's weaker, but more bitter taste.

In addition a “long” pull (extraction) of espresso made with the same amount of finely ground coffee and twice the water of a normal shot. A single serving is about 2 ounces.

It may sound similar to a Caffé Americano, but its unique processing results in a different flavor. It has a less strong taste (because it is made with more water), but it also has more bitterness (because the extraction process takes longer and pulls more bitterness out of the grounds).

Long Black Coffee

2012-05-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

A long black is a style of coffee, most commonly found in Australia and New Zealand, made by pulling a double-shot of espresso over hot water (usually the water is also heated by the espresso machine). A long black is similar to an Americano. The order in which a long black is made (water first, espresso second) is important; reversing the steps will destroy the crema from the espresso shots. A short black is like a long black, but made with only a single shot of espresso.

Cafe Americano

2012-04-30T04:34:00.001-07:00

Caffè Americano or simply Americano is prepared by adding hot water to espresso, giving a similar strength, but different flavor from regular drip coffee. The strength of an Americano varies with the number of shots of espresso added. Variations include the Long Black, Lungo and Red eye.

To achieve a Double Americano, use a double-shot of Espresso. You can also prepare the Americano by adding as much water as you like, which will create different strengths and, in turn, tastes (less water = more intensive; and vise versa).

The first Americano coffee is known to have come from the battlefield of World War II. American GI's in Europe tried to make a coffee similar to the one they were accustomed to by diluting it with hot water. Later on the coffee became popular in the US.

What is a Breve?

2012-04-30T04:17:00.000-07:00

If you've never had a breve and you are a fan of the latte in general - give it a whirl.
A milk based espresso drink made with steamed half-and-half cream, or light cream, instead of whole milk, the breve (pronounced BRE-VAY) a short for espresso breve is a creamy concoction that, for me, resembles a decadent coffee dessert. Especially with a little splash of caramel or vanilla thrown in. Breve means "short" in Italian, and in some locations refers to a cappuccino made with light cream.

Black Tie Coffee

2012-04-30T03:38:00.000-07:00

The Black Tie is a traditional Thai Iced Tea, which is a spicy and sweet mixture of chilled black tea, orange blossom water, star anise, crushed tamarind, sugar and condensed milk or cream, with a double shot of espresso. Fairly often their Americanos are very well pulled which, frankly, is more than can be said about most coffee joints around town. Their more syrup-y concoctions are ones where you can actually taste the coffee. This is actually fairly impressive as—and anyone who ever has had Starbucks should recognize this—the norm tends to be more about using syrup to create sugar bombs. In other words, most, if not all, Black Tie baristas do coffee well. There seems to be some pride behind what they do. That's great.

Their baked goods, too, are excellent. Try any of their scones, and you will like them, otherwise you should be smacked.

So all is good then. Great branding too, on top of the good products… All is well until you actually enter the joint.

Now, people can believe anything they want with religion and politics and what not as far as we're concerned, but it is a really really bad idea to pull your personal beliefs into your business. Positive Life Radio and religious flyers and literature scattered around the establishment? Great for some, I'm sure, but way to alienate those who might not see eye to eye with you.

And that's a reason to go through the drive through I suppose. Black Tie does a lot of things really well, and while we might not see eye to eye on certain business practices, we still have Black Tie in our coffee-rotation.

Black Eye Coffee

2012-04-30T02:48:00.000-07:00

A Black Eye coffee is a cup of American dripped coffee with two shots of espresso added creating a strong taste. Also known as a Sling Blade, Depth Charge, Shot in the Dark, Cafe Tobio, Autobahn, or Hammerhead.

Baltimore Coffee

2012-04-30T02:35:00.000-07:00

The Baltimore is an equal mix of decaffeinated and caffeinated brewed coffee. What makes the flavored coffees so good is that the beans are not thrown into a vat with the flavors mixed together, but rather, the beans are flavored separately and then put together. And a word about the beans. They come into the company, green, from Costa Rica, Colombia, Guatemala (and the Fair Trades are from Peru, Guatemala, Papua New Guinea and Colombia). They’re roasted that day. And they aren’t mixed, e.g., if you get Fair Trade, those beans have been roasted in a machine separate from the non-Fair Trade beans.

Affogato al Cafe

2012-04-30T02:09:00.002-07:00

Affogato al Cafe

Affogato is Italian for drowned. This can be a drink or served as a dessert with espresso that may also incorporate caramel sauce or chocolate sauce.

An affogato is a traditional Italian espresso-based treat that you’ll find on the menu at many Italian restaurants, as well as at many cafes serving espresso and other coffee drinks. The full name is really “affogato al cafe” or “drowned in coffee,” in Italian. The name really suits the dessert, as it consists of a scoop of ice cream/gelato with a shot of hot espresso poured over the top.

The basic recipe is subject to an almost infinite number of variations – using different coffee drinks, different ice cream flavors and different ratios of the two items. Other desserts/drinks can also be made “Affogato-style,” which means that they have a shot of espresso poured over the top. Starbucks made the name fairly common by offering affogato-style frappuccinos, with the option to add a shot poured over the top of the milkshake-like drink.

You can make it at home with your favorite coffee, just brew it extra strong so you only need to pour a small amount over the ice cream. Start with vanilla, as it really suits the coffee, but feel free to experiment with chocolate or coffee-flavored ice cream, as well!