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.

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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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Questioning the French Roast Coffee Conspiracy

To French Roast or Not to French Roast? This is my questions, and brings many new ones to mind.

What is French Roast coffee? Well I know the answer to this, but I will prepare a written one just in case. That is really the first question to address.

What happens to a coffee bean when you roast it? And what is different about French Roasted Coffee?

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?

Is the coffee really just burnt coffee bean or darn near burnt?

I am sure these questions will bring up many more as we investigate the French Roasted Coffee conspiracy.

Quilts & Coffee

Coffee Tasting at the Marion Public Library for the National Quilt Day on Saturday, April 25, 8-3 p.m. Quilt Show specials on  our fresh roasted coffees will be available for purchase  in $5 & $6 packages. During the show I will speak about who Midwest Organic Coffee Company is and what a difference fresh roasted coffee can make in your cup. More informations at: info@midwestorganiccoffee.com

Coffee Tasting

We had a good turnout for the introduction of three new 100% organically grown coffees to the Marion, Indiana area. The Kenya French Mission Bourbon was a big hit. Read about this amazingly smooth coffee at: midwestorganiccoffee.com

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.