Passion for Coffee in Your Cooking

I met a fellow blogger (Elisha) recently that has some of the same passions I have, well I didn’t really meet her, she lives in California and live in Indiana. So I don’t think we will be going for coffee any time soon, but maybe we can drink some at the same time and have an internet girls coffee night. Any way she loves the idea of cooking with coffee and likes to experiment with combining them to create something wonderful and unique. She found my Chocolate Cookie recipe during an internet search, she loved it so much she contacted me to see if she could post it on her blog. I told her, well of course, just give me credit for this wonderful creation and all the profits for the mega company she could start in California just from this cookie alone. Kidding about the mega company part. Elisha shared several cookies that night with friends under the stars in LA, read what she has to say at her Hands Down article. Don’t stop there, read the whole blog, it is good.

We agree that the cookies need to have a rich, full body coffee in them and we both used a Kenyan coffee.

On with what I wanted to share with you. Elisha has started a really cool blog. It is call The Caffeinated Culinarian. She has started collect recipes that use coffee and tea, that is where the caffeine comes into play. She has an Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies I would love to try, even though it doesn’t include chocolate.

Last weeks coffee cooking experiment.  We had friends over to try one of our new coffee experiments, a marinate made with coffee. We put chicken breast, pork tenderloin and beef in the marinate for 24 hours and then grilled it. Everyone thought the chicken and pork was great, the beef was just ok. We are still working on the recipe. We will post it when we are happy with what we have created.

Today’s coffee cooking experiment.  I took a chocolate chip muffin mix, I don’t usually use box mixes but I was in a hurry, I replaced the water for a cup of strong brewed Mocha Java, added a few white chocolate chips for looks, 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal to pretend the muffins are healthy, put it in paper lined muffin tins and sprinkled a few almond slices on top before baking. Baked them per the box instructions. When they where done I sprinkled them with a little powdered sugar. I will serve them to some late night guess that are coming in from Chicago. If they think I work hard on the muffins, I will let them. Did you notice, chocolate and coffee, it is not dessert to me if it doesn’t have chocolate.

If you have a coffee cooking experiment you would like to share, I am sure other would like to read it. Send it to me.

Do you want to learn more about coffee? You might like to read, The French Roast Coffee Conspiracy, Parts 1-3.

Iced Coffee, the Better Way

Iced coffee is the summer alternative to hot coffee for some of us. To some it is a new idea. Drink it black or with milk, drink it with or without sugar, but drink it over ice.

This refreshing coffee treat can come in many varieties, flavor and price. You can get an iced coffee just about anywhere now and they are all made differently and the prices, WOW can that hurt!

Some places use powdered something and coffee that comes in a jug, some use a coffee syrup while others are really using fresh milk, fresh brewed coffee, sugar and flavoring. But I am suggesting a better way. Make your own and keep it ready in the refrigerator. It is ready in seconds to pour and go. Not only will you save a fortune but you know what is really in your cup. You decide if you only want good stuff or some unknown stuff. Here is our recipe that we offer at Tastings and fund-raisers (well not exactly, there is a secret ingredient).

MJ Iced Coffee

Make 1 gallon
3/4 Gal. Midwest Coffee Company Mocha Java Blend
Whole Milk
1-1½ Cups Sugar (your desired sweetness)
1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Dissolve sugar into coffee when hot, add vanilla, and pour into a gallon jug, fill the remainder with milk. Chill and serve over ice.
This will stay fresh as long as your milk is good.

I promise this will be the best Iced Coffee you have ever had. I think it is because it is just a pure clean, chemical free glass of Iced Coffee. And then there is the fact that our Mocha Java is in it, it really does make a difference. With a bonus of the dollars you save not buying out.

Here are some variations you can use to create your own personal Iced Coffee.  If you come up with some other great creation, let me know.

Whole, 2%, skimmed milk
White Sugar, Splenda, Honey or Real Maple Syrup
Vanilla, Almond, Maple or Fruit Extracts
Try a different origin of coffee, such as: Colombia Sierra Nevada or Sumatra SWP Decaf

Using your French Press will allow experimenting even more.
Try adding spices, cocoa and/or orange zest.

My experiment today in the French Press was:
1 tablespoon of each MCC Organic SWP Decaf Sumatra and Mexico
1 teaspoon Organic Cocoa Powder
Pinch of Cinnamon

Chill

Fill a tall glass ½ full, stir in organic sugar, add ice, and fill the remainder of the glass with milk.

Oh! That was good. The only caffeine was from the cocoa powder.

Technorati Tags: coffee,roaster,mocha Java,mexico,sumatra,colombia,caffeine,iced coffee

Becoming a Coffee Purist

Discovering Single Origin Coffees

What do I mean by single origin coffees?  It is a coffee that comes from only one area, such as: Sumatra in Indonesia or Sierra Nevada in Colombia. They could mix the whole farm harvest together at an estate, but it would still be only one coffee from that area. The estate might call that an estate blend, but it would still be a single origin coffee.

I got hooked on single origin coffee with my first taste of a fresh roasted Papua New Guinea. 

It was on a spring Saturday morning, I had prepared a pot of fresh roasted PNG, filled my stainless steel travel cup, added sugar & cream, I used a lot back then. Grabbed the morning paper and headed for the glider on the patio. The sun was warm, the grass was still damp, there was a nice breeze and our fountain was bubbling away. There wasn’t another scene to experience, I didn’t think so anyway.

I causally took my first sip, not really paying much attention. WOW! It stopped me dead in my tracks; it almost took my words away. That is saying something.

What I tasted was like someone had put spices of some sort and citrus fruit in my coffee. It wasn’t like a taste slap, but a more subtle thing. I set the paper aside sipped again to see if I was mistaken, no it was really there. I set everything down, went inside, found the cupping note, to read what I was supposed to taste. It was right there in black and white, I tasted just what they said I would taste. Those people are good!

I couldn’t wait to tell someone I was amazed. I hadn’t had many good coffee experiences. Coffee for me had just been a time I met friends at a local coffee shop, order something with a lot of sugar, flavoring and steamed milk. I didn’t really taste the coffee. Which isn’t always a bad thing; it was bitter and needed covered up. As I learned about coffee, I found out that the bitter isn’t there if it is slow roasted and fresh coffee. Fresh really does make a difference.

Now, a new world had just opened up for my mouth. PNG was my new favorite coffee, for that day anyway. Now I have so many favorite single origin coffees, I have trouble picking what to fix in the morning, afternoon and evening.

Because we own a roastery, we have the opportunity most coffee lovers don’t even think to dream about. We sometimes have as many as 16 single origins around.  Right now my favorites are:

Kenya French Mission Bourbon, it is a very complex coffee with all of these characteristics over a couple of week’s period: berry, winey, coconut finish, lemon, Crème Brulee, tropical fruit, exotic spice, papaya, chocolate, very unique.

Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Kochere DP, light, fruity with nice acidity. You think of Michigan Blueberries.

Nicaragua Apanas FT is a clean and mellow coffee, with wonderfully delicate floral-nutty-malty aromatics, with a wonderful hint of cocoa.

I drink something different most morning but had Bolivia at least twice this week. Wouldn’t it be great if you could drink your morning coffee in a small café, on a side street in the country that it came from? That would really be an international coffee adventure.

There are some great coffees out there that lend themselves well to blending. But there is nothing like the pure clean taste of a fresh roasted organically grown single origin coffee. Become a Coffee Purist, try all the single origin coffees you can find, but if you are like me, your favorite will be ever changing.

 Is there room in a coffee purist pantry for a blend? What do you think?

French Roast Coffee Conspiracy Part 3

We have been experimenting with a French Roast for the past couple of weeks. We have found some surprising things.

The first being, we have recently purchase some very good coffees. They are complex and have a lot of depth. What this has allowed, is for us to roast from American roast to a Dark French and still have an excellent coffee. Even thought this definitely changed the flavor and aroma, it brings a whole new set of elements to your cup that you cannot taste without the dark roast temperatures. The Sweetness and Pungency will increase and Acidity decreases. So if you love your Bolivian coffee, you can get new taste experiences if you try different roast temperature. You may still prefer the lighter roast, but this can be a lot of fun. Bolivia was just an example; we have already found that four of our coffees create some great new tastes when slowly brought to a French Roasted. And one that burns very easily and is bests kept at an American Roast or lighter.

That last comment brings up a new thought. I have been telling you all kinds of things about when roasting the coffee beans to a higher temperature to get a French Roast, but I didn’t tell you one very important thing.

The time that it takes to get it there is the most important element. Slow, slow, slow!! Slow roasting your coffee is what will allow the internal and external temperatures to rise at the same rate.  I want to create a tasty word picture here: You are baking your favor chocolate brownies; you raise the oven temperature 20° because you are in a hurry to eat them. You get a crisp on top, possibly burnt outside brownie that is gooey & under cooked in the middle. Now, in a brownie that can be very good; but that is no way to treat coffee beans. What will happen is the outside gets roasted faster than the inside, leaving the inside too moist and slightly green. Some pretty funk tastes can remain when it is still green inside. This goes back to what I said in an early article. A quality Specialty Roaster not only knows how to treat a bean special but will make the time to do it right.

I told you that sweetness and pungency increase and you may ask “what this really means?”

As you roast darker there is a development of sugars and a partial elimination of bitter flavor components, like trigonelline. This will soften the taste without making it flat, a richer body. A naturally sweeter coffee or a Dry Processed coffee could be even sweeter. Pungency is a word used to describe a distinctive bitter that we actually find pleasant. Together you get the “bittersweet” that is in my favor type of chocolate. The notes of acidy are gone, the sugars start to caramelize and that new impression is created.

Even though it may have sounded like I didn’t like French Roasted coffees in Part 1 & Part 2, I willingly tell you, I appreciate the sweetness and pungency that comes into the coffees in the dark roast that just are not there in a lighter roast. My roaster is a different story. He still prefers an American Roast. Maybe that is the artist in him. Not wanting to lose that special God given gift to the particular origin of coffee bean. Or it could just be his taste preference.

I am sure that I have left some stone unturned in the examination of the French Roast Coffee Conspiracy, but right now I don’t know what it could be. If you have some other angle to look at this subject or you know of something that is still under a stone. Let me know, I am sure I can keep talking about coffee, it is one of my favorite subjects.

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French Roast Coffee Conspiracy Part2

In part one I gave you the technical  part of what is happening to your coffee as it is French Roasted now we can get down to the heart of the matter.

What happens to the flavor?  You will get as many different opinions on that one as there are coffee drinkers.

I have heard it said that most French Roast coffees have a flat, dull finish with a bitter after taste.  Some call it chard or burnt taste and unpleasant to drink. Another coffee aficionado said French Roast coffees are known to be, smokey-sweet, light body but quite intense and that none of the inherent flavors of the bean are recognizable.

Now I will throw a few words at you: Acidity, Body, Aroma, Complexity, Depth, Varietal Distinction, Sweetness and Pungency. These are the terms used in determining what we taste in our coffee. They are usually rated on a scale of 1-4, 4 being the highest (good). This can all be very complicated when we just want a good cup of coffee. When you change the roast level of any coffee bean, you will change all of these characteristics. It could make your cup better or worse. Finding a roaster that studies his coffees and know how far to go with the roast will make all the difference.  Just to let you know, there really are people out there that their job is to judge coffee this way. And it is a job that would have a pretty good buzz going most of the time.

Now I know what I like and don’t like and my mouth is probably doing all of that judging and I just don’t know it. My mouth is smarter then it speaks sometimes. But the point is all these things are affected in the roasting process. The good qualities of a coffee can be roasted right out of the bean and new ones can be brought into your cup. What you like is a very personal thing.

A general rule of thumb is that the darker the roast the less acidity and varietal distinction there will be. The body, aroma and complexity will decrease and the sweetness and pungency could increase.  There are a few origins that are known to be wonderful all the way from a light roast to a dark roast.  A good Kenyan coffee can hold its varietal distinction, complexity and depth. Most other origins of coffee cannot tolerate this darker roast and they are the best at lighter roasting temperatures, retaining the complexity, depth and varietal distainction.

So if you have a really great coffee roasted to 415°F to 435°F (Medium, Medium-high, American or Regular City) the best qualities are still present in the coffee. Why would you want them removed?

Start believing your taste buds; compare a French Roast to a Medium Roast of the same origin. You are the judge; don’t give into the French Roast Conspiracy.

For those of you who disagree with anything I have said here, now is your opportunity to chime in.

How do you like your coffee roasted? Why? Did you even know that there are different roast temperatures and that it would change the taste and aroma of your coffee?

Midwest Organic Coffee Company is offering a French Roast Taste Test to our clients. You will pick up your sample with your regular order.  Watch for more details.

French Roast Coffee Conspiracy Part 1

To French Roast or Not to French Roast? That was my question. I thought we would start at the beginning with what is a French Roasted coffee; here is the science part of my answer.

Technically speaking French Roasted coffee is brought to temperatures between 435°F and 465°F over a predetermined time. This goes all the way from a light French Roast and a dark French Roast. As the temperature of the bean rises, moisture in the bean starts to evaporate and the oils are being brought to the surface. At this point the bean has gone through first and second crack. It sounds like popping corn, smells like toasting wheat and will start to smoke. If you ever get the opportunity to watch a roaster in action, take advantage of it.

 A French Roast coffee beans will be medium dark brown to dark brown and about two days after the beans has been roasted it will have tiny droplets of oil forming on the medium dark and the dark will have an entirely oil surface.

There are many names for this same roast, depending on where you live in the world and even which area of the US you live. Starting with your medium dark roast they could be called: Viennese, Full-City, Light French, Continental & After Dinner, moving into moderately dark roast: French, European High & Continental and on to the dark roast: French, Italian & Dark Turkish. Now at some point in recent years a new terms started being used to refer to a roast and that is Espresso. The term Espresso is often used in all three groups, but Espresso is really a blend of coffees and can be roasted to any of these temperatures depending on the quality of the coffee and the care of the roaster. Espresso is another topic that can be address all by itself. There is a lot to be said about Espresso. We can talk later on that one.

Have you drunk a French Roast coffee? What origin? What did you and your mouth think of it? Do you have any questions so far?

In part two we will talk about  the taste and do I really want my coffee French Roasted, or did some well know roaster spend a lot of money to convinced us all that it is good and oh so chic that way?

I will drop in some more technical terms for the fun of it.

Add any question you may have.

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Chocolate, Coffee and Cookies

Last night we had a Coffee Tasting at our place. I decide to create a new cookie for the event. Since we all love coffee, chocolate and cookies I knew what I needed to do.  So this was my thought pattern:  I love cookies, I love chewy cookies, I love chocolate and I love coffee. I need a cookie that is all that and more.

The first thing I needed to do is find a chocolate cookie recipe, but most are not chewy, how do I make it chewy? Humm! Brown sugar, not white of course, oh ya, baking chocolate, not cocoa, baking soda, not baking powder and lots of real butter. Now I am ready to start.

Here we go: Mix together in a large bowl:  two eggs, one cup unsalted butter, one cup brown sugar, half cup white sugar, one teaspoon vanilla and three squares of melted baking chocolate, four would be even better.

Sift together two cups of unbleached wheat flour, half teaspoon baking soda and fourth teaspoon salt. Now I thought it needed more chocolate, desert IS all about the chocolate, so I added a fourth cup of cocoa powder. Then I remembered, what about the coffee? Which coffee would be the best choice? What grind should I use?

It was not a hard decision, we were introducing Kenya French Mission Bourbon at the tasting tonight, so that would be the perfect coffee and it would need to be a Turkish grind. Woe, careful now, how much, I went with a fourth of a cup. Next time I will use more, go for the gusto, big time. A cookie with a caffeine fix.

Get out your French Press, grind two heaping tablespoons of French Mission Bourbon, pour hot water over the grinds, let sit 3 minutes, stir, let sit one more minute, pour in your favorite coffee cup add sweetener and drink.  Oh, get back on track.

Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and add one cup of white chocolate chips. It really needs to be Ghirardelli, but that is just my opinion, you do whatever you think is right. Then eat a small hand full of the chips. That is just a bonus step.

Chill, measure heaping teaspoons onto a buttered baking sheet, bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. Cool on a cookie rack. Then you know what to do next.

We had a good crowd at the tasting and the cookies were a hit. After much cookie conversation and eating of cookies, together we came up with some new ideas. Watch for the next generation of this cookie.

What could be better than coffee, chocolate and cookies accompanied by good conversation?

I would like to know your coffee recipe that could have coffee in them. Share!

What a Roast

There is nothing like sitting down to a cup of coffee that was roasted just two days ago. Someone will be closing their eyes and saying AHH!, Tuesday morning. What a way to wake up. Reid is roasting Mocha Java right now. The smell of the roast is almost like toast. As the coffee starts to degas all the flavors will start to come in. A hint of fruit with a aftertaste of chocolate on the back of your tongue.
But why am I talking about Mocha Java, it is such a misunderstood name for a coffee. People tell us all the time, “Oh I love chocolate coffee”. Well here is the truth behind a real Mocha Java.
Mocha is a region and a shipping port off the north coast of Africa, Java is a region on the coast of Indonesia, a shipping port and an excellent coffee. One coffee from each of those regions blended together and then roasted to the specialty roasters preference can be called Mocha Java. No Chocolate added. That doesn’t mean you can’t add some in your cup. Go ahead, it is good that way, but not nessasary, the hint of chocolate is there, close your eyes and take time to taste the coffee, UMM!
Just think you could add a cup of Mocha Java to your favorite chocolate cake. It would be a Mocha Java Cake. Now that would be a good cup of coffee with chocolate cake. We now offer a Mocha Java Half Caf. All the taste half the kick.

Saturday Afternoon Coffee

I remember a cake from when I was young. Chocolate and coffee, that is what I remember.

I remember, sitting at the kitchen table having a cup of coffee and a piece of homemade cake seemed to be such a grown up thing to get to be involved in. Mom and her friends would visit for hours while sharing in laughter, good conversation and what they called coffee cake.

I remember, the cake had shiny Carmel colored frosting that tasted of coffee. Mom would let me have sips of her coffee with cream and sugar, share in the joy of the cake and listen to them talk. It felt like I was getting to sneak a forbidden something. This is a fond memory that will last forever.

I still love a good piece of cake, and cream and sugar in my coffee. I still want my cake to have chocolate in it. But now I have discovered a fresh roasted cup of coffee makes it that much better.

No, I haven’t found the recipe for that Saturday afternoon coffee cake. But I am still looking. Do you know of a chocolate cake with shiny Carmel colored frosting that taste of coffee?

This Saturday share a special cake, a cup of coffee and conversation with a friend. Let a daughter or grand daughter sneak a sip. Create a memory that will linger forever.

Do you have a coffee memory to share?