CoffeesBar.com Latest Blog Posts

Coffee choc chip ice cream

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:59:09 GMT

If you are a serious coffee lover like me, you will appreciate the intense flavours of freshly brewed espresso and ground coffee beans in this delicious yet simple to make ice cream. No custards to make – just coffee, some sugar and cream. Oh, and choc chips for good measure!

While the recipe has been right under my nose eversince I got my Cuisinart ice cream maker, it was Chanel who first alerted me to its existence. I knew I had to make it, after all coffee and chocolate and an occasional glass of red wine is what my doctor had ordered to alleviate those nasty migranes I sometimes get. Now, I can do that on a hot day with a scoop or two of this cool treat.

I can imagine the ice cream going extremely well with an oozy chocolate fondant cake or in a double hit affogato, but it’s just as delicious eaten straight out of the tub, in a waffle cone or a cup.
Makes 5 cups (1.25 litres)

Coffee choc chip ice cream
I’ve changed the original Cuisinart recipe to incorporate freshly brewed espresso, extra cocoa and some freshly ground coffee beans for intensity. I also used skim milk and whipped my cream before churning the ice cream, for a lighter consistency.

{Printable recipe}

For the ice cream:
1 cup skim milk, well chilled
3/4 cup granulated sugar
60ml espresso coffee, chilled
2 tbsp freshly ground coffee
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup dark chocolate (chips), chopped finely
2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
To make the cie cream: in a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, vanilla, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso and ground coffee until the sugar is dissolved. In another bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add whipped cream and chopped chocolate to the coffee milk mixture and whisk gently to combine.
To churn: turn the machine ON, pour the mixture into freezer bowl and let mix until thickened, about 25 – 30 minutes.
To store: transfer to a chiled loaf tin or an airtight container and freeze for 2 hours before serving. The ice cream is ready to serve even after longer chilling time – the cream keeps it scoopable at all times.

Coffee and Tea Mugs Ensure Proper Ratio

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:55:24 GMT

Suck UK is at it again, this time bringing us MyCuppa Mugs that have a coloring guide on the inside rim to ensure the proper ratio of coffee/tea to milk. They cost about $15, and are a must if you work with the coffee brewing idiots that I do. Every time I scream at someone to make my damn coffee it's never the right color and almost always tastes like urine.

Premium coffee gains ground with Di Bella entry

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:46:49 GMT

MUMBAI, FEB. 20: The aroma of coffee has just got stronger. Even before Starbucks Coffee has launched its first outlet, other international chains are waltzing in, trying to gain ground.

Australia's premier coffee company – Di Bella Coffee has recently set up an Indian subsidiary, launching its first outlet in Mumbai. The $40-million coffee chain is also brewing up plans to launch an online store — mydibellacoffe.com to supply coffee right at the doorstep of consumers.

Mr Sachin Sabharwal, MD, Di Bella Coffee India, said, “In Australia, we get almost 25 per cent of the turnover from online sales; in India we may take longer to achieve that target. We would expect our customers to pay on delivery and even through credit and debt cards. The online business would be targeted at corporate offices, homes and hospitals. Our company vans would be delivering our coffees across the city.”

Di Bella Coffee is the latest entrant in the premium coffee segment offering coffees from across different regions of the world with prices ranging between Rs 90 to Rs 170. It would be competing with premium coffee chains like Costa Coffee, Coffee Bean and the soon to be launched, Starbucks Coffee.

“In the past five years, coffee retailing has been growing at 30 per cent CAGR and there are enough coffee drinkers in India although it may be (predominantly a tea-drinking nation,'' says Mr Sabharwal.

However, the coffee chain is making sure that it has non-coffee revenue options as well to entice consumers. For instance, it is looking at merchandising and planning to sell crockery too at its stores. Di Bella Coffee intends going pan-India in the next three years.

HOME-BREWED CHAINS
Meanwhile, domestic chains are not ignoring the premium coffee category either. Café Coffee Day (CCD) is strengthening its lounge offering. “We may be an Indian mass youth brand but we are also present at the premium segment with our lounges which are more indulgent with its offerings. The entry of big players like Starbucks will only help in building the category further,” says Mr K. Ramakrishnan, President- Marketing, CCD.

CCD is also looking at non-coffee revenue streams and has recently introduced its private label for fruit based drinks under the brand – WTF (Whattefun). CCD has also recently enhanced its food and tea portfolio. “We are funded by a clutch of private equity players and will continue to open a café a day,” added Mr Ramakrishnan.

Even the Italian coffee major Barista has decided to bring in a more premium brand under Lavazza to get better margins in the Indian market.

How does coffee affect your health?

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:34:33 GMT

RICHMOND — Coffee has been blamed for many ills such as “it will stunt your growth” to “it causes cancer.”However, research has disproved many of these claims. For one thing, it doesn’t stunt your growth, and for another, studies have found no association between coffee and an increased risk of cancer.

Some reports are even showing that coffee may have certain health benefits. A study at the Harvard School of Public Health found that heavy coffee drinkers — those who had more than six cups a day — had a 29 to 54 percent lower risk of Type 2 diabetes during the 18-year study. The effect was reduced considerably if consumption dropped to 1 to 3 cups a day, and decaf coffee offered no protection at all.

Caffeine in other forms, such as soda, tea and chocolate did have some positive effect. A 2006 study published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine found that a daily cup of coffee reduced the incidence of cirrhosis of the liver by 22 percent.

Lead researcher on the study, Dr. Arthur Klatsky of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, warned that these results “should not be interpreted as giving a license to drink (alcohol) without worry, because of all the other problems connected with drinking.”

One theory offered to explain the result is that caffeine causes the release of adenosine, which helps prevent inflammation. Other studies have shown that coffee may also protect against Parkinson’s disease. Coffee is not without risks, however. High consumption of unfiltered coffee is linked to rises in cholesterol.

In addition, two or more cups of coffee a day increased the risk of heart disease in people with a specific and common genetic mutation that slows the breakdown of caffeine in the body. In other words, how quickly you metabolize coffee may affect your risk.

Heavy caffeine consumption, between four and seven cups of coffee daily, typically causes anxiety, restlessness, insomnia and irritability, particularly in certain individuals who are susceptible. Then there is the controversial issue of whether coffee intake increases risk of coronary heart disease.

Studies have shown that caffeine ingestion acutely elevates blood pressure and increases adrenaline, and produces other cardiovascular changes. Yet the adverse effects of chronic caffeine consumption on risk factors for coronary heart disease are less consistent.

Moreover, there seems to be little association with the incidence of hypertension, despite the acute increases in blood pressure. More research on this subject needs to be undertaken. But for now, it seems moderate caffeine consumption poses few risks and may even be beneficial to one’s health.

Coffee making

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:20:27 GMT

I've been on this topic before, the debate over coffee makers, which is best, which makes coffee hot, etc. A couple of weeks ago our coffee maker began turning itself off so we thought it was time to hunt for a new one. I have to confess up front we have several different kinds of coffee makers and use them for specific times-the French Press which is more for after after dinner coffee, a 50 cup monstrosity for when we have large groups in, a small Italian stove top expresso pot (rarely used but very cute) and of course a couple of the everyday drip brews which I for some reason I just store on a basement shelf after they quit working.

So what to do? What I did was go out and buy a Keurig, the single serve coffeemaker. I have to admit I was skeptical, but had recently had Keurig coffee while somewhere else and it was very good. This has turned out to be a great addition, it's easy to use-no more having to deal with carafes with their lids and baskets and filters. No more having to pour the water into the back of the coffee maker, no clean up. You fill up the water basket set it onto the side of the Keurig and you're done.

It uses what they call K cups, a single serve container of coffee which slips into a slot on the top. K Cups come in so many types of coffee there should be something to satisfy everyone. The MAtH has begun wanting half decaf half regualar coffee and I really do not. Keurig has what they call Half Caff as well as French Roast decaf. Fantastic. He slips one of those in for his cup, I come along and put in a darker roast for my cup.

If you were to go to Bed Bath and Beyond you'd see an entire wall taken up with the enormous variety of coffees and even better for those who do not drink coffee, teas and cocoas and hot ciders.

The coffee is very good, the variety is great, no mess, no fuss, and an appliance which can be used by everyone in the house with all their different hot drink preferences. We love this, even the MAtH talks about how cool this is and that is saying something.

Time for Coffee? Ask Your Smart Phone

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:30:24 GMT

Trendy new software for our smart phones is sure to perk us up as the Caffeine Zone app helps people determine when they need a shot of java.

Caffeine intake is generally beneficial although an inappropriate dose can cause nervousness and sleep problems. The new software application can help people determine when caffeine may give them a mental boost and when it could hurt their sleep patterns.

The software takes information on caffeine use and integrates it with information on the effects of caffeine to produce a graph of how the caffeine will affect the users over time.

“Many people don’t understand how caffeine levels in their bloodstream go up and how they go down,” said Frank Ritter, Ph.D., a Penn State University professor. “It’s important to understand the effect that caffeine can have at these various levels.”

Ritter said that if a person drinks a cup of coffee rapidly, they will experience a spike in mental alertness, but enough of the drug can linger in the bloodstream to cause sleep problems hours later.

In the study, researchers looked at prior studies to determine that the level of caffeine in the bloodstream for optimal alertness is between 200 and 400 milligrams of caffeine. For sleep, the researchers set a lower threshold of 100 milligrams.

Drinkers may have sleep problems if they remain above this. The investigators said people who drink too much caffeine, too quickly, may face other problems. A spike of caffeine above the optimal level can cause nausea and nervousness.

Experts say that maintaining a proper caffeine balance is important for many workers. For example, sailors on submarines must carefully watch their sleep patterns because their sleeping and waking patterns vary each day, Ritter said.

“If they, and others who drink coffee to stay awake, drink too much coffee on one shift, they may have trouble sleeping,” said Ritter. “So, the next day, they’ll drink even more coffee and have even more trouble sleeping.”

The software application helps to forecast caffeine’s action by performing calculations based on what an individual enters on how much caffeine they drank, or plan to drink, and when they plan to have a caffeinated beverage. They also can add how fast they drink the beverage.

The app can also help people determine when to modify their caffeine habits, so that they might choose to drink a decaffeinated beverage, or mix a blend of caffeinated and decaffeinated coffees.

The app is available on iTunes for free with advertisements and for purchase without ads. It only works on Apple devices — the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

Green Mountain to launch new Keurig model to battle increased competition

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:37:13 GMT

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters will sell a premium line of Keurig brewers to help it cope with increased competition in the fast-growing single-cup coffee market.

The Waterbury, Vermont-based company said the new brewer, called the Vue, has the ability to brew a stronger and bigger cuppa, and it expects to offer up to 50 compatible varieties of "K-Cups" by the end of June. Green Mountain said its brewers, priced at about $250, would be available for purchase at Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. stores and on its website in the coming weeks.

Green Mountain is the market leader in the single-cup coffee market, but the company is facing increased competition from the likes of Nestle SA, Kraft Foods, Starbucks and Sara Lee Corp. The company's growth has been aided by patents covering the technology used in the Keurig brewers and coffee packs, but its K-Cup patents are due to expire in September this year.

Some analysts have said the new brewer can help Green Mountain cope with increased competition when the patents expire. The new brewer "moves the goalposts further away from the competition and we see little, if any, impact from K-Cup patent expiration," Janney Capital Markets analyst Mitchell Pinheiro said in a client note.

Vue coffee packs will include a new K-Cup with a separate dairy frother, which will help the company compete with espresso offerings by rivals. Green Mountain is separately working with top Italian roaster Luigi Lavazza SpA to make an espresso machine that will be a direct competitor of the Nespresso machines by Nestle.

The company also said it reached an agreement with J.M. Smucker Co to sell the Folger's and Millstone brands on the Vue system. Shares of Green Mountain were down two percent at $65.55 on Wednesday afternoon on the Nasdaq.

Green Mountain Coffee's 'green' problem

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:27:51 GMT

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters' (GMCR) K-Cup coffee-brewing system is simple to use and creates a delicious cup of coffee. The downside to the popular single-use product is that it can't be recycled and people in the landfill business are fuming. But a solution may be in the works. The company is in talks with TerraCycle about developing a program that would enable consumers to redeem used K-Cups for 2 cents each to raise money for nonprofits.

Coffee lovers find depth of flavor in specialty roasts

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:59:52 GMT

Drop in for breakfast at Half & Half restaurant in Clayton and the first choices on the menu will be the day's two featured coffees, available via an assortment of brewing methods. A recent selection consisted of Ethiopia Idido, touted as having "blueberry, strawberry and chocolate" elements, and Brazil Sertaozinho, with notes of "dried fruit, cocoa nibs and toffee."

"It was very hard to put that on a menu," says Mike Marquard, who oversees coffee at Half & Half. "I'm sure a lot of customers sit down and probably just laugh when they see it."What's more, some customers experience less agreeable emotions when they see that one cup, depending upon the brewing method, can cost around $5.

Marquard has trained his staff to steer those giggly or unhappy diners to the "bottomless diner mug," a more traditional way of tanking up to start the day. It's usually about $2.75 — and it is made with one of the featured coffees, providing a sniff into the realm of dried fruit and cocoa nibs to anyone who's interested.
Marquard is diligent and dedicated while pursuing what he calls "a different mentality about coffee," but at the same time, he nimbly straddles the line between evangelism and pretentiousness. Part of this involves finding ways to educate customers about the subtleties of coffee aromas and flavors, much the way wine drinkers have become more sophisticated about wine. Marquard views the increased dissection of coffee qualities as part of an evolution in the way Americans view coffee.

"In this next step, it's not about the brewing method — it's about the coffee itself," Marquard says. "Any great coffee should taste good any way it's brewed."He adds that comparative coffee tastings are a challenge to set up, whether in restaurants and coffee shops or at home.

"The best thing to do is to taste coffees side by side using a consistent brewing method," Marquard says. "But it's pretty labor-intensive to brew three cups simultaneously for the same customer — and most people who come into a shop or restaurant don't want to take 15 minutes out of their day to do a coffee tasting. I've been trying to come up with ways of doing a tasting menu as opposed to a drinking menu."
Marquard suggests that one easy and inexpensive way of comparing coffees at home would be to purchase two or three inexpensive single-cup drip brewers, which would allow you to brew three different cups at almost the same time.

The fruits, berries and chocolate used to describe coffee qualities come from a "coffee taster's flavor wheel," which is similar to but less elaborate than the wheel used for wine tasting. The coffee taster's wheel was developed in 1997 by the Specialty Coffee Association of America and its collaborators. Half of the wheel divides flavors into the standard broad categories of sweet, sour, salty and bitter, then breaks down those descriptions into 32 individual qualities.

The aroma portion of the wheel gets even more specific, starting with the broad and somewhat scientific categories of enzymatic, sugar brewing and dry distillation. However, it breaks those down into 36 distinct, easily recognizable descriptions of aromas such as apple, toast and cedar. "Basically, it meant fewer people were just making stuff up," Marquard jokes.

Kraft recalls over a million Tassimo coffee makers

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:40:58 GMT

You might want to skip your morning coffee if you own a Tassimo coffee maker because Kraft Foods is recalling more than a million Tassimo coffee makers across North America. Malfunctioning Bosch-brand coffee machines that may spray boiled liquids have inflicted second degree burns on 37 people, 18 of which are Canadians, including a 2-year-old girl who suffered burns to her face.

Canadian authorities aren’t releasing details about the affected girl’s condition at this time. A press release was posted on the Health Canada website, telling consumers 900,000 Bosch-brand Tassimo coffee makers and 2 million Gevalia and Nabob espresso Tassimo flavoured coffee discs (T-discs) are being recalled in Canada.

Another 835,000 Bosch-brand makers and 2 million T-discs are being recalled in the U.S. There have been 140 reports about the Tassimo machines filed with Bosch and Siemens Home Appliances Group (BSH). 61 of those complaints were from Canadians. Complaints continued to be filed throughout last week.

A 10-year-old girl in Minnesota also suffered burns along her neck and face from a malfunctioning single-cup coffee brewer. The problem is two fold; Bosch-brand machines can sometimes spray hot liquids because of the way the insert is holding a disc or, in a separate malfunction, an inserted T-disc can clog and burst within the machine, causing it to spray liquids.

The company says it heard about the first incident with the brewer months after launching the product in 2008 and has been hearing of incidents involving the T-discs since last December. After the complaint, modifications to the machine were made to “improve this very low level of complaints,” said Brenda Lynch, BSH spokesperson.

“We really believe the new T-disc holder for the brewer is going to further reduce the risk and is the best remedy.” Kraft Foods says customers affected by the recall can apply for a reimbursement on the coffee inserts by completing the online registration. The T-discs involved in the recall are mostly off shelves at retailers and will be replaced soon. The company is asking people to immediately stop using the affected machines and discs as they pose a safety hazard.

“We apologize to our consumers who have been affected by this,” said Kathy Murphy, Kraft Foods Canada spokesperson to Toronto Star. Of the toddler who was scalded by a malfunctioning machine, she commented, “We can only imagine how upsetting this must be for the family.”The product model numbers of machines and T-discs affected by the recall are listed below:

TAS100

TAS200

TAS451

TAS46

TAS651

Between the date codes FD 8806 through 9109. Model number TAS6512CUL, with date codes FD8905 through 9109. Machines were sold in stores across Canada and the US and machines were sold directly to some hotels.

Consumers affected can call the company directly at 1-866-918-8763 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET Monday to Friday, and between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET on Saturday.