For the Love of Coffee!

Recipes!!

1/10/2011

   Well, the votes are in and "Recipes" is the winning category. Since some recipes are up for debate, I've decided to do the ones I know are set in stone as well as the traditional drinks. As for syrups, I don't really have a recommendation. I've used Artista Gourmet, Torani, Da Vinci, and Monin. I'll leave the link to a website where you can buy syrups. Torani and Da Vinci are the cheaper of the syrups but they are high quality and they don't taste any differently. You can usually buy them for around $4-$6 per bottle. Monin and Artista Gourmet are some of the more expensive syrups and are usually $7-$13 per bottle depending on the website you buy them from.
   And here are the recipes you've asked for! I'd like to start with the traditional drinks. These are traditional espresso drink, that don't contain any syrup, aside from chocolate(Mocha). The first up is the double espresso.

Double Espresso- Pretty self explanatory. It's simply two shots of espresso with nothing in it.

Espresso Macchiato- Macchiato mean "marked" in Italian. This drink is just like the double espresso, but it has just a tiny bit of steamed milk with a dollop of milk foam on top to "mark" the drink.

Ristretto- Ristretto shots are pulls just as a double shot of espresso would be, but the extraction is stopped early and it has a richer flavor.

Espresso Cubano- This drink is a double shot of espresso, but it has sugar brewed in the shot.

Espresso con Panna- This drink is a double shot of espresso with whipped cream on top. A tasty addition to a classic.

Americano- The Americano has a funny story behind it. During WWII when American soldiers were in Italy, they would order coffee and get a double shot. The soldiers quickly realized that this wasn't the coffee from back home, and would ask the barista to cut it with something. So, the barista would add hot water to the shot to make it more palatable for the Americans, thus giving it the name, Americano.

Cappuccino- When we think of cappuccino, we think of the little machine in the gas station that spits out powder and hot water. Well, my friends, this machine is a lie. A true cappuccino consists of espresso, steamed milk, and milk foam. Each portioned to be 1/3rd of the drink. The foam is what makes the cappuccino, a cappuccino. So please, do not walk into a coffee shop and order an iced or frozen cappuccino. As with any drink, syrup can be added to sweeten the drink and change the flavor. And you can order the drink "dry", meaning more foam or "wet" meaning less foam.

Cafe Latte- A latte is yet another traditional drink and the most common drink ordered. A latte is espresso, steamed milk, and about 1/2 an inch of milk foam on top. Syrups are usually added changing the name to anything from Cafe Mocha to Almond Joy. (I know, it's really tasty. I'll be sharing that one a little later)

Breve Latte- This is a very rich version of the cafe latte. It's made with Half & Half! If you feel like having a cheat day from your diet, this is the way to go. This drink is espresso with steamed Half & Half. Like the cafe latte, syrups can be added and make it even tastier.

Cafe Au Lait- This drink is very simple, consisting of 2/3 drip coffee and 1/3 steamed milk. It is known by other names such as the Cafe Mezzo Mezzo or the Misto, a name given by the Green Empire.

Cafe Mocha- Once you taste one of these, you realize that coffee and chocolate are soul mates. The Cafe Mocha consists of espresso, chocolate syrup, and steamed milk with some foam on top. The Cafe Mocha is basically a latte with chocolate.

Cafe Caramel-This drink is just like a Mocha but with Caramel. Simply tasty.

   Here's where it gets fun! All of these drinks can be lattes and cappuccinos, but they are usually served as a latte. So, since we all know what a latte is now, for simplicity's sake, I'm just going to list the syrups that go in each drink.

Creme Brulee-Caramel and White Chocolate
Double Chocolate Delight- Dark and Milk Chocolate
French Vanilla- Vanilla and Hazlenut
Almond Joy- Chocolate, Amaretto, and Coconut
Snickers- Chocolate, Hazlenut, and Caramel
Milky Way- Chocolate, Vanilla, and Caramel
Mounds- Chocolate and Coconut
Chocolate Turtle- Chocolate, Amaretto, and Caramel
White Mocha-White Chocolate

   There are many more recipes available, but these are the standards. Most coffee shops will have their own creations. Of course, you can always create your own flavor combos. Below is a link to a syrup whole-seller, Lollicup Store. They also sell other coffee supplies, but I primarily use them for syrup. I hope that you like the blog and can use one of the recipes, or create your own at home. And remember, if you have any questions, feel free to email me. There is a contact form on the main page. Just fill it out and I'll get back to you Until next time...Happy Brewing!

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The History of Coffee: Part 2

1/8/2011

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   Well, the original plan to have the second part of coffee history out in a week so did not work. What with the holidays and all, I've been quite lazy. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's and I'm glad to be back on schedule.
   Now, we last left off in Ethiopia. The ban on coffee had just been lifted because the emperor loved him some coffee. From the Ottoman Empire, coffee traveled to the port of Venice. The Venetians often traded with the Muslims and got many products, coffee among them, from Africa. Coffee was first introduced to the wealthy citizens of Italy, who payed a hefty price for the product. At first, coffee was controversial with the Catholics disagreeing on whether or not it was an acceptable drink. But Pope Clement VIII enjoyed the tasty brew, and it fell into the favor of the Catholics. And eventually the first coffee shop in Europe was opened in Venice in 1645.
   Coffee was brought to Great Britain through the East India Trading Company during the 16th Century. Then introduced in Paris in 1669 by Soleiman Agha, the Ambassador of Sultan Mehmed IV. Agha brought a large quantity of beans and donated some to the Royal Court and coffee drinking quickly became habit for the Parisians.
   This sums up the history of coffee drinking. The cultivation of coffee is a much longer story. Coffee traveled from Yemen to India, then from Malabar to the Netherlands, then on to the Americas. And there are over 95 countries that grow coffee today. I hope you enjoyed our brief history of coffee. But we still have so much to learn. I have a poll on the main page, so feel free to vote on what you would like the next subject to be about. Until next time...Happy Brewing!

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A History of Coffee Part I

12/19/2010

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Coffee is a beautiful, delicate, and tasty thing. Before I was a barista, I really had no idea how precious those little beans are. It takes 1000 of them just to make 1 pound of coffee. They are grown, picked, sorted, shipped, roasted, ground and brewed and there are countless individuals who partake in the process. On that note, Fair Trade Coffee is definitely the way to go. The Fair Trade Organization ensures the safety, well being, and fair treatment of growers and employees. Through the FTO, employees get high enough wages to support a family and can even get benefits through their employer. I'd also like to point out although a coffee may not have the organic label, there's still a good chance it's grown organic or mostly organic. Farms have to pay to be certified as an organic grower and sometimes they just don't have the money. So, even though it doesn't have the tag, you are still getting a quality product.

   Ok, back to the beans. There are so many things to learn about coffee that there's no way I can fit it all into one little blog. I guess I can start with the history. It's known as "The Legend of the Dancing Goats." Way back during the 9th century in Ethiopia, which is still a coffee growing region today, a goat herder named Kaldi, noticed his goats acting a bit perkier than usual, or "dancing" as the legend goes. Later he found that they had eaten these little red berries and tried some himself. He felt energized and rejuvenated and brought some of the berries back to his village. This is where the story branches off. There are many different endings of of which being that Kaldi brought the berries to Muslim Holy man who disapproved of the berries and threw them into a fire. Then, an amazing aroma came from the fire and the burnt berries were then raked from the coals, boiled in water and there you have it! The worlds first cup of coffee... Ok, so there may be a few inaccuracies. To be totally honest, I don't think the Holy man threw the berries into a fire and made the first cup of coffee. If he did, it probably wouldn't have tasted that great. But it makes a good story.

   However, there actually was a tribe, known as the Oromo tribe who ate the berries for their effects but we don't know exactly where the berries came from. We just know it was Ethiopia. Several centuries later, the 15th to be exact, coffee popped up in Arabia. Yemeni traders brought coffee from Ethiopia back to Yemen and began to cultivate it. There was quite a bit of controversy surrounding the drink, which I'll explain later. The first place it was found was in the Sufi monasteries in Yemen. Then from Mocha, a port in Yemen well known for it's coffee trade, it traveled to Egypt and to North Africa. Eventually, coffee moved north to Mecca and Medina, then on to Cairo, Damascus, Baghdad, and Istanbul. Here's where we hit a few legal issues. In 1511, coffee was banned by the theological court in Mecca for it's effects, then lifted the ban in 1524 due to the drink's popularity. Cairo also experienced that same ban on coffee in 1532. In Ethiopia, coffee had been banned since the 12th century by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, but by the 19th century, the church ended the ban causing the drink to rapidly gain popularity during the 1880's. The biggest reason that the ban was lifted in Ethiopia was thanks to the Emperor, who enjoyed the drink himself.

   Well, that's all I'm going to discuss today. I'll be back in a few days to tell you the rest of the story. Then, on to a new exciting subject. I have a poll on the home page if you would like to vote on the next subject. Happy Holidays! And until next time...Happy Brewing!

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Recipes!!

The History of Coffee: Part 2

A History of Coffee Part I

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