There is nothing like starting from fresh ingredients whether you are brewing a cup of gourmet coffee or creating a simple meal for your family. When our master roaster, Glenn, undertakes the process of roasting green coffee beans to create aromatic and flavorful beans for your daily brew, he starts fresh and works with an artistic eye.
What about that losing 20 pounds in a day? It's not unusual for Glenn to roast a batch of 100 pounds of green coffee beans and end up with only 80 pounds at the end of the process. (Yes, I know, I wish I could do this too!) Roasting coffee beans is as much of an art as it is a science, and I love to watch the process every time.
Once Glenn pours the beans into the drum, they start to change color in response to the heat and the loss of liquid. He watches carefully as the green coffee beans slowly transform to yellow and then a rich ocher tone. Then he listens for the tell tale "pop" that means the moisture is escaping and the bean is getting larger. The hotter the bean gets on the inside, the more coffee oils escape, and the bean develops the perfect tone of color that he is looking for. He knows the exact darkness of color and texture of bean to look for. As a former chef, I truly appreciate his talent and attention to these details in every batch.
Coffee Bean Tutorial: Guatemalan Coffee Beans
This week, Glenn roasted a batch of Guatemalan coffee beans. These are generally mild and mellow in flavor. Those from the higher altitudes are full-bodied while those from the lower altitudes are light, but with a good flavor.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Crop to Cup (or How Many Coffee Beans Does It Take?…)
Did you know that it takes one full bush of coffee beans to produce just one pound of coffee?
Making that smooth or full bodied gourmet coffee you're sipping is actually a labor intensive process that involves the participation of a number of people. This Crop to Cup evolution starts with the people who grow and harvest the beans, often in third world countries. This is why having fair trade coffees available is so important.
Here at Brown & Jenkins, we feature coffee beans from Central and South America, Indonesia, Africa, Columbia, Costa Rica and Guatemala. (See the coffee bean tutorials at the end of each blog for more information on the characteristics of these specific beans.) Here is an oversimplified explanation of the coffee making process.
Harvesting- At about 9 months the beans are harvested by hand-picking, strip-picking or mechanical harvesting. Hand-picking is almost always the method for Arabica coffee beans.
Processing- The pulp, skin and husk must be removed so that only the green beans remain. There is wet-processing and dry-processing. Drying, hulling, sorting and grading the beans are also involved.
Inspection and Storage- Before exportation all beans must be tested, graded, shipped and stored properly. Green coffee will keep for about one year when dried and is called the "current crop." After that, the beans start to dry out and the quality deteriorates.
Coffee Bean Tutorial: Brazilian Coffee Beans
Brazil is the top producer of coffee world wide. By some estimates it makes over 28% of the world's coffee supply. Some of this is Robusta, a lesser quality bean that is often strip-picked or harvested mechanically. Arabica beans also have less caffeine, and are all we use. Brazilian beans generally have less body and less acidity than "mild" coffees.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Making that smooth or full bodied gourmet coffee you're sipping is actually a labor intensive process that involves the participation of a number of people. This Crop to Cup evolution starts with the people who grow and harvest the beans, often in third world countries. This is why having fair trade coffees available is so important.
Here at Brown & Jenkins, we feature coffee beans from Central and South America, Indonesia, Africa, Columbia, Costa Rica and Guatemala. (See the coffee bean tutorials at the end of each blog for more information on the characteristics of these specific beans.) Here is an oversimplified explanation of the coffee making process.
Harvesting- At about 9 months the beans are harvested by hand-picking, strip-picking or mechanical harvesting. Hand-picking is almost always the method for Arabica coffee beans.
Processing- The pulp, skin and husk must be removed so that only the green beans remain. There is wet-processing and dry-processing. Drying, hulling, sorting and grading the beans are also involved.
Inspection and Storage- Before exportation all beans must be tested, graded, shipped and stored properly. Green coffee will keep for about one year when dried and is called the "current crop." After that, the beans start to dry out and the quality deteriorates.
Coffee Bean Tutorial: Brazilian Coffee Beans
Brazil is the top producer of coffee world wide. By some estimates it makes over 28% of the world's coffee supply. Some of this is Robusta, a lesser quality bean that is often strip-picked or harvested mechanically. Arabica beans also have less caffeine, and are all we use. Brazilian beans generally have less body and less acidity than "mild" coffees.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Blending Coffee and Community in Vermont
Mmm- On Mondays, our master roaster Glenn fills up this building with the incredible aroma of coffee beans. Frankly, I think it always smells good in here because there are always some fresh brewed gourmet coffee scents floating around. This month, we are featuring a Harvest Blend coffee that I am partial to during this first phase of an almost crisp Vermont autumn.
The Harvest Blend combines Costa Rican, Columbian and Mexican coffee beans that combine to make a harmonization of flavors that is vibrant and crisp. Yum…I think the blend of flavors reminds me of the fall foliage. It started early this year, but the colors always make me catch my breath.
There is also a blend of locals and visitors that stream into the roastery at this time of year. This morning there is a local woman working on her laptop, some early leaf peepers who drove up from Connecticut, and those two guys chatting over the paper. Isn't that great? It's really my favorite part of being here: seeing all those different flavors coming together to make a connection.
As for the coffee bean flavors, look for a short tutorial on the different types of coffee beans that we use and roast. That way you can experiment with flavors, try out new ones and identify your favorites!
Coffee Bean Tutorial: Columbian Coffee Beans
Columbian coffee beans are a known standard for blending in the US since they are consistent in their mellow flavor and widely available. It is considered one of the "mild" coffees as opposed to Brazilian beans, which make up about a third of the world's beans. Columbia is believed to produce about 16% of the world's coffee.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
The Harvest Blend combines Costa Rican, Columbian and Mexican coffee beans that combine to make a harmonization of flavors that is vibrant and crisp. Yum…I think the blend of flavors reminds me of the fall foliage. It started early this year, but the colors always make me catch my breath.
There is also a blend of locals and visitors that stream into the roastery at this time of year. This morning there is a local woman working on her laptop, some early leaf peepers who drove up from Connecticut, and those two guys chatting over the paper. Isn't that great? It's really my favorite part of being here: seeing all those different flavors coming together to make a connection.
As for the coffee bean flavors, look for a short tutorial on the different types of coffee beans that we use and roast. That way you can experiment with flavors, try out new ones and identify your favorites!
Coffee Bean Tutorial: Columbian Coffee Beans
Columbian coffee beans are a known standard for blending in the US since they are consistent in their mellow flavor and widely available. It is considered one of the "mild" coffees as opposed to Brazilian beans, which make up about a third of the world's beans. Columbia is believed to produce about 16% of the world's coffee.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Harvest Festival and Coffee Tasting this weekend
It was a year ago this weekend that we moved the Brown & Jenkins Roasters from the warehouse in Burlington to this pastoral location in Cambridge, Vermont. This morning I'm watching a tractor over at the Boyden Winery driving past the Corn Maze in preparation for this Weekend's Harvest Festival.
In celebration of our 25th anniversary, and our 1st complete year in our Green Mountain location, we are again participating in the Harvest Festival this weekend. We will offer a coffee tasting of 12 gourmet coffees, sell local baked goods, produce from Valley Dream Farm, and give away free apples. Tell me this doesn't sound like the perfect way to welcome fall to Vermont!
Working with other local businesses to sponsor a community event like this is the lifeblood of our coffee roasting business. So stop by this weekend. Our roaster has created special autumn blends like Apple Crisp Coffee and Pumpkin Spice Coffee that are simply too delicious to describe. We've also got an Ethiopian Sidamo that is full-bodied, winy and fruity. Glen, our master roaster, says this coffee is dangerous, but delicious.
So come on out to the coffee tasting on the 19th and 20th. Make sure you say hello to Glen, Rich and myself. Take the kids to the Corn Maze, meet some great people, and just enjoy this beautiful transition to fall.
Coffee Fact:
Only oil tops coffee as the most traded commodity in the world. Thank goodness we can still sell a great cup of gourmet coffee for a dollar!
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
In celebration of our 25th anniversary, and our 1st complete year in our Green Mountain location, we are again participating in the Harvest Festival this weekend. We will offer a coffee tasting of 12 gourmet coffees, sell local baked goods, produce from Valley Dream Farm, and give away free apples. Tell me this doesn't sound like the perfect way to welcome fall to Vermont!
Working with other local businesses to sponsor a community event like this is the lifeblood of our coffee roasting business. So stop by this weekend. Our roaster has created special autumn blends like Apple Crisp Coffee and Pumpkin Spice Coffee that are simply too delicious to describe. We've also got an Ethiopian Sidamo that is full-bodied, winy and fruity. Glen, our master roaster, says this coffee is dangerous, but delicious.
So come on out to the coffee tasting on the 19th and 20th. Make sure you say hello to Glen, Rich and myself. Take the kids to the Corn Maze, meet some great people, and just enjoy this beautiful transition to fall.
Coffee Fact:
Only oil tops coffee as the most traded commodity in the world. Thank goodness we can still sell a great cup of gourmet coffee for a dollar!
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Defining a Balanced Cup of Coffee: Coffee Characteristics
Here in northern Vermont, we start our summer days with foggy mornings that obscure the mountains until the sun burns through the mist. It's the perfect time to relax with a cup of your favorite brew, breath deeply of the mountain air, and just be. One of my favorite coffees for the morning is Rise 'N Shine. It's a blend of Costa Rican and Sumatra beans, with just a hint of French Roast. Its smooth mellow flavor always starts my morning out right!
In the last blog, I talked about the importance of balance in life and in coffee. A well-balanced cup of coffee is judged on the coffee characteristics of acidity, aroma, body and flavor. Here are some simple definitions for those coffee terms.
Still, the bottom line, whether you use fancy coffee terms or your own words, is how much you enjoy the taste and the experience. The coffee characteristics act as a way for us to communicate that great experience to others in our coffee community.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
In the last blog, I talked about the importance of balance in life and in coffee. A well-balanced cup of coffee is judged on the coffee characteristics of acidity, aroma, body and flavor. Here are some simple definitions for those coffee terms.
- Acidity- This refers to a bright or pleasant sharpness often compared to that of a crisp white wine. This is a desirable trait and its opposite is a flatness that does not excite your taste buds.
- Aroma- The scent that is released by the oils in the coffee beans. Those fragrant oils are up to three times more present in the best beans. (And one of my favorite things about any cup of gourmet coffee!)
- Body- Think of this as the way the coffee feels on the inside of your mouth. Full bodied coffees can be described as rich or heavy. Medium bodied brews are lighter. Also, try running your tongue along the roof of your mouth to detect the thickness.
- Flavor- This is the way the above characteristics affect your taste buds. The easiest way to describe flavor is to compare it with other tastes. Terms like floral, nutty or even chocolaty are good for describing a coffee's flavor.
Still, the bottom line, whether you use fancy coffee terms or your own words, is how much you enjoy the taste and the experience. The coffee characteristics act as a way for us to communicate that great experience to others in our coffee community.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
To Your Health
I drink coffee for a number of reasons. I love the aroma when I first inhale, before the cup even touches my lips. I love the deep and complex flavor of certain beans that seem to taste better sip after sip. And, I love the sense of community that is created when two or more people get together to share a cup of coffee.
Now, according to CBS News, I can also love my morning cup of coffee because studies show that the caffeine in it can help prevent memory loss. No kidding! Apparently, a study appeared in the July 2009 online edition of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease that reports positive results on the memory, and prevention of memory loss, of lab mice. They refer to it as yet another positive benefit of caffeine.
But- before you go pouring your 10th cup of coffee just because I said so, we all know that too much caffeine has its downsides too. That's why I always recommend that people choose a quality decaffeinated gourmet coffee to have on hand when they need it. Still, I do think it's great that science is looking at the effects of coffee in such a balanced way. Ultimately, a great life or a great cup of coffee depends on how balanced it is.
What makes for a balanced coffee? In coffee terms, it's the combination of acidity, body, aroma and flavor. Since I get so many folks asking me about these terms in our Vermont roastery, I'll devote the next blog to defining them for you so you know how to talk about that great cup of gourmet coffee you're holding.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Now, according to CBS News, I can also love my morning cup of coffee because studies show that the caffeine in it can help prevent memory loss. No kidding! Apparently, a study appeared in the July 2009 online edition of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease that reports positive results on the memory, and prevention of memory loss, of lab mice. They refer to it as yet another positive benefit of caffeine.
But- before you go pouring your 10th cup of coffee just because I said so, we all know that too much caffeine has its downsides too. That's why I always recommend that people choose a quality decaffeinated gourmet coffee to have on hand when they need it. Still, I do think it's great that science is looking at the effects of coffee in such a balanced way. Ultimately, a great life or a great cup of coffee depends on how balanced it is.
What makes for a balanced coffee? In coffee terms, it's the combination of acidity, body, aroma and flavor. Since I get so many folks asking me about these terms in our Vermont roastery, I'll devote the next blog to defining them for you so you know how to talk about that great cup of gourmet coffee you're holding.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)