Perfect Coffee

Hazelnut Coffee Beans with Sweet Rich Cream and a Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 09 Jan 2016 06:04:00 +0000

Yesterday a friend brought me a fresh bag of shiny rich hazelnut coffee beans and a quart of the richest cream I have ever enjoyed.

The weather outdoors was cold and blustery and wet from recent downpour.

My first sip of that coffee marks a perfect moment in my life.

Brewing Fresh Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 02 Jan 2016 11:31:00 +0000

I add heavy cream to my coffee

I'm bringing this blog back to life. You are welcome to join me. Thank you for visiting today.

Brew a Perfect Pot of Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 19:01:00 +0000

Coffee Beans and coffee cup

To keep coffee fresh, keep it in a cool, dry, dark area of your kitchen but not in the refrigerator. I was raised believing the refrigerator was the best place to keep ground coffee until ready to use it -- my mother and grandmother both did that.

When to Refrigerate Coffee -- Never, unless you are conducting a science experiment on how long it takes to ruin perfectly good coffee. The fridge is one of the absolute worst places to put coffee.-- source: coffeeam.com

Valve-Sealed Bags are best. I have bought vacuum-sealed beans many times thinking such beans stay fresh longer. Wrong again. Now I know to look for bags that are sealed with valves.

Vacuum-sealed coffee does not equal fresh coffee. When coffee is roasted, it releases carbon dioxide and continues to release it for days afterward. Fresh-roasted coffee can be packaged in valve-sealed bags to allow the gasses to escape and will taste best about 48 hours after roasting.-- coffeam.com

How to Grow Coffee Trees

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 05:30:00 +0000

A coffee tree or plant is a tropical evergreen shrub that yields beans for ten years but may live more than 60 years and get 40 feet tall. The coffee beans begin to appear on a young coffee plant 6 years old and stop producing after ten years. Coffee trees older than 16 years become shade producers but that's about it.

If you have a tropical climate (70 degrees average) and want to grow a coffee plant, keep the plant down to six feet tall to get the best yield and to make it easier to harvest. "Rainfall should be plentiful and the weather should switch between heavy rainfall and sunshine to bring the berries to full maturity" (source: www.thegardenhelper.com)

According to most sources, coffee plants don't care what the soil is like as long as there is not standing water. Without excellent drainage, the coffee plants will not flourish.

Recommendation from www.thegardenhelper.com:

Coffee plants are fairly easy to grow in the home as a potted specimen, but they should be moved outdoors for the summer if possible. They grow best in filtered sunlight, with night temperatures in the lower to mid 60s and day temperatures of 70F or higher. Plant them in any good commercial, fast draining potting soil . The soil should be kept on the moist side, but never soggy.
Coffee plants will produce fruit without any fertilizing whatsoever, but for best results and maximum yield, they should be fed every 2 weeks from March to October, and then monthly from November through February. Use a soluble, all purpose (10-10-10) fertilizer.

Coffee: a Social Drug

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:36:00 +0000

Meet a friend in a coffee shop anywhere at anytime of time and 95% of the time, the friends will order coffee, even if they really don't want it or even end up drinking it.' Coffee sets the stage for conversation. 'Let meet for coffee,' a friend will say and that means 'we need to talk on a serious note.'

'I am going out for a cup of coffee somewhere and try to get my head together,' a confused mother might say. She means 'I want to escape somewhere where no one can find me for an hour or so.'

I wonder if we coffee lovers would use coffee as a social get-together if child labor was used to get the coffee beans. For instance, in the early 1900s in America, child labor was used to sort out the coffee beans from the sweepings of the coffee manufacturer plant.

From what I read at the Library of Congress, these children worked after school and on Saturdays and added their income to the family piggy bank.

Turk's Head Coffee Houses in 1700s

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:18:00 +0000

This is a sketch of one of the many coffee houses known as Turk's Head Coffee House; this building is in Westminster. (Note: Another coffee house also known as Turk's Head sold gourmet coffees, chocolates, and teas.)

I don't know if Turk's Head Coffee House was a chain like Starbucks's, but there were quite a few of them. Altogether at least two thousand (2000) coffee houses were in business in London by 1700 A.D.

Considering that coffee by the pound cost as much as a working man's used winter coat, London residents must have been for the most part well-off financially at that time. Hey, wait a minute. Less than a pound of coffee costs us as much as a used winter coat too.

Coffee houses were attended by people who wanted to discuss politics, science, poetry, literature and the like.

Some information from A History of Coffee Houses, Ayton Ellis, 1956

Benchmark Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:17:00 +0000

Typical home in the Ozark hills and valleys up until all the dams were built and large lakes replaced them.

This home is self-sufficient. Not on the grid. You may or may not be invited in for coffee unless it is morning or evening and all chores are done.

With the addition of some self-generated electricity to run a light and both our computers, I could very happily live in this little cabin. I would also want it in a small clearing back in the woodlands.

This blog is all about coffee. Coffee is the hub around which I'll write things here. This is a benchmark change in Coffee Cup Cafe blog. Really do hope you'll hook on.

Campfire Coffee Best Worst Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:49:00 +0000

Campfire coffee is the best worst coffee I have ever enjoyed. Coffee tasting like hard-boiled campfire coffee on a coffee break at the office is deplorable. We feel ripped off -- a good cup of coffee is as much a psychological state as it is physical.

However, hang a kettle of mountain stream water over a low campfire until it reaches the hot state and adding a handful of coffee grounds to the kettle and setting it aside on a rock -- that is almost 100% delicious yet powerful and strong at the same time.

I was going to include the recipe for campfire coffee but realize now that I already did in the previous paragraph. I can't add to that recipe at all. Just making coffee outside is in itself a pleasant experience and I don't know if it's the fresh air and open atmosphere or not, but campfire coffee is always savored.

Growing a Great Cup of Coffee 3

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:42:00 +0000

Ah, the beautiful full-bodied coffee tree. Yes, that is a coffee tree in the photo on the left. When left unattended, a coffee tree can grow to about 40 ft.

Experienced coffee tree plantations like to keep their coffee trees at about six feet tall; the coffee tree yields double the beans when the tree is pruned right.

I am almost obsessed with fixing the perfect cup of coffee and I try, but do not always succeed, to fix that perfect cup about 12 times a day.

The coffee must be freshly ground and the water cool and clear. when I add whipping cream to the hot coffee, the coffee must become one particular color for me to know, yes, that's perfect.

How to Get More from Hazelnut Coffee Beans

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:40:00 +0000

Last year I could buy all the Hazelnut coffee beans I wanted; this year, I buy only one bag of coffee beans every few weeks and the coffee beans are not always Hazelnut.

I found this image of an old metal sign that probably sat in a cafe somewhere at sometime in the past. Now it is replicated and sold for decoration.

I believe one good cup of coffee deserves another and always have. Like right now, I'm going to get another good cup of coffee and post this.

What is Special Roast Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 10:53:00 +0000

I am a coffee lover and will not drink weak or bad tasting coffee. Larry brought home some Folger's Special Coffee.

I ran out of Hazelnut beans to grind and was forced to make a pot of coffee using the Special Coffee.

I did not expect to enjoy it.

But it isn't bad and is almost good tasting.

Camping Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 02:02:00 +0000

If you are fortunate enough to have a nice enamel coffee pot to sit on the side of the fire, making coffee is less exciting.

If you get placed into a camping situation without warning, of course, you will need to improvise. Let's say one of the many natural disasters took your home away and no one came to help. How would you make coffee, assuming you can locate some ground coffee to use.

Locate a large can, clean it however you can, find some water and coffee. Place the can of water on the campfire and toss a handful of coffee grounds into the water. Cook until you can't stand it any longer then pour a cup and enjoy. Strangely delicious.

Hazelnut Coffee Strong Equals Hot, Sweaty

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:23:00 +0000

I now think that if you drink two or three cups of hazelnut coffee, made rather strong, and add whole whipping cream until it is tan in color, will cause you to sweat profusely on a merely warm day. I may have to give hazelnut coffee up during the summer months. No can do. Think I'll just turn on the air conditioner. Here is a list of a few foods and things that cause sweating: Exertion in hot humid weather (which I did), stress and anxiety (got it), smoking a cigarette while trying to cool off, embarrassment or nervousness, and many more I have not named. These however are part of my life right now so maybe it isn't the coffee at all. . .

Coffee:

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:49:00 +0000

When I want coffee is when I want to visit with someone, when I plan to work with pen and paper for who knows how long, or just when I want to thoroughly enjoy quiet time on the screen porch.

Twitter Captures Coffee Time

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 22:19:00 +0000

I am but one of nearly two millions internet folks who got hooked on Twitter. Twitter captures the essence of blogging by making users consolidate words and come to the point fast.

see my TwitterWall

Hazelnut Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 10:34:00 +0000

Is hazelnut coffee made completely from the grinding of hazelnuts such as the ones shown to the right?

In 1995 in Scotland, a midden pit on Colonsay Island, a farmer came across a shallow pit with hundreds of thousands of burned hazelnuts.

The nuts were radiocarbon dated to circa 7000 BC. Did cave dwellers enjoy fresh hazelnut coffee in the mornings.

Hazelnut is a shrub grown in Oregan and Washington in the USA and abundantly in England in hedge rows. Hazelnuts, full of protein and unsaturated fat, thiamine and B6. Most of the hazelnut flavored items sold are made from root sprouts.

Kona Coffee Plantations in Hawaii

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 23:55:00 +0000

As I write this coffee blog I learn so much about my beloved coffee beans. One thing I have decided is that I'm going to have to order some of these rich pure coffees. I want coffee that is pure. No more paying $10 for a can that has ground coffee beans with filler material.

The rich brown coffee beans you see in the bowl on your left are from the Kona Coffee Belt on the Big Island of Hawaii. Hawaiian Kona coffee farms raise their coffee trees in deep volcanic soils. The early morning cool mist and the steam from the warm afternoons make for happy coffee trees which translates into a rich cup of coffee.

Coffee plants or trees were introduced to Hawaii from South America over two hundred years ago. The early planners of the coffee plantations in Hawaii quickly learned that they could only plant on the leeward slopes of the volcanoes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa.

For more information you can visit www.konamountaincoffee.com

Springtime Coffee Spot

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:47:00 +0000

This is my absolute favorite place to sit when I want to do some serious thinking. I am sitting on a comfortable bench swing. There is a small desk sitting next to me on the right where I keep my notebook and pen and coffee cup and water bottle.

Shading the swing is a giant red oak and close by under the oak is a lovely red bud. The red bud extends out over the pond. There is a small willow growing in the pond (you can see part of it on the right).

I eagerly await the beautiful spring days when I can do my blog work outside.

Coffee in the Cool Shade

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 23:17:00 +0000

Soon the greenery will come back out and my watergarden will once again look like this.

When that happens I want to buy a laptop so I can sit by this pond to work online.

We are still working on this pond and have been for at least six years. Our plan is to have it done before we're too old to work on it anymore.

Today I am taking my hot fresh cup of hazelnut and cream out to the swing to enjoy. Come join me for coffee often.

Coffee, the Social Drink

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 23:04:00 +0000

The first thing I say to any visitor in my home is, "Would you like a cup of coffee?" and I am delighted when they say yes. When I serve the coffee and if it is one of those wonderful tasting pots of coffee, my guest and I seem to have a much better conversation. We both feel happier because the coffee is so delicious.

There is nothing as good as a fresh cup of coffee right after a breakfast of eggs and bacon. That coffee is magnificient and the cup that follows is almost as good but all coffee for the rest of the day does not measure up. If you have someone sharing that after-breakfast coffee with you, you know it's going to be a magical day ahead.

Two Coffee Species

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 08:23:00 +0000

Few coffee drinkers know that all coffee is not the from just one species -- there are at least two main species: coffea arabica and coffea canephora. Both are known commonly as Arabica and Robusta respectively.

Naturally, the biggest difference between these two species is taste. Robusta coffee is higher in caffeine and some say has an inferior taste. Nearly eighty percent of the coffee sold in grocery stores are arabica. Brazil grows arabica, or has up until now because profit was in lots of coffee beans over some quality coffee beans.

The coffee plant is a woody perennial evergreen that belongs to the Rubiaceae family. Because it grows to a relatively large height, it is more accurately described as a coffee tree.

The Other Power of Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 08:48:00 +0000

Making a pot of fresh coffee and sharing it with a friend on a dreary cloudy day is much more than just sipping on coffee. The very act of preparing coffee says to everyone involved that they are accepted by all. As I make a fresh pot of coffee during the day after working for hours, I anticipate the joy of relaxing with my feet up and sipping on a hot cup of coffee with real whipping cream added.

I can get a lot done while I wait for the coffee to brew. It takes about three minutes for my coffee to brew up. I can get all the dishes put away out of the dishwasher, sweep the kitchen floor, and light a candle before the pot signals it is done. I work like a streak of lightening but I do get it done and that makes the coffee taste even better.

Coffee Choice of Genuises

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 06:00:00 +0000

In another post I stated that coffee spread around the world to all countries, but that England preferred tea over coffee. During the 1600s that was not the case. London was buying more coffee during that time than any other city in the world. But that was robbing the tea industry so the government did what it could to shift the English people back into loving tea, not coffee and they pretty much succeeded.

Here are some interesting facts about Voltaire, Balzac, and Bach:

Voltaire is reputed to have drank at least fifty cups of coffee per day. Balzac drank coffee in excess to inspire his writings. And Johann Bach composed a cantata to ridicule those who were trying to suppress coffee use in his country.

source of this information: National Geographic

Coffee from Ethiopia

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 06:35:00 +0000

I mentioned in an earlier post how coffee came to the Americas in the late 1700s. Brewed coffee has been a favorite drink long before that. It is just that the first known instance of a "civilized" man tasting coffee was recorded in the ninth century. The traveler went into the highlands of Ethiopia and tasted it. He liked it and brought some back home.

Gradually the use of coffee as a drink of choice spread to Egypt. It took another 600 years for coffee to work its way into the lives of people in Persia and northern Africa. Then another couple hundred years later coffee worked its way into Italy. England still prefers tea but much of the rest of the world wants coffee.

Matter of fact, petroleum is the number one physical commodity traded and coffee comes in as a close second. I know I pay dearly for my beloved coffee beans and may pay even more as I experiment with beans from various plantations and countries.

Arabica Coffee Beans from Brazil

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 23:37:00 +0000

Nearly 400 years ago in 1727, coffee production came to Brazil from French Guiana. Coffee production in Brazil, since it became so profitable, also became political. Some of the more influence coffee producers were given the edge by setting quotas for coffee production.

The quality but smaller coffee producers could not make the quotas. Brazilian coffee producers, therefore, focused on quantity and let quality go since there was no profit in it anymore.

The coffee bean estates in Brazil are for the most part about 1000 acres big. A quarter of the coffee estates are less than 5000 acres, and only 4% are larger than 5000 acres. Brazil produces a quarter of the world’s coffee and 80% of that coffee is Arabica.

As recently as 1990, a new government in Brazil threw the quota demands out the window and opened up the smaller plantations thus re-opening the specialty coffee from Brazil (where buyers could order beans from a particular coffee estate)

The coffee houses in the United States are now taking a second look at the specialty coffee and starting to see real quality again. How coffee beans are processed is extremely important to the flavor of brewed coffee. I will go into more detail on processing later on.

It almost counts more toward flavor and quality than location. Location ,which means climate and soil conditions, does lend it own taste to flavor and is important but it is a subtle influence.

Brazil has a number of distinct growing regions that produce coffee better than the rest and those coffee beans bring in more profit. Each of these areas is as large as a small country and coffee houses probably treat them as such.