Living and brewing gourmet coffee about an hour from another country has some definite perks! Our Canadians friends up near the Montreal area are some of our friendliest and most frequent visitors here at Brown and Jenkins in Cambridge, Vermont. And even though I now need a passport to visit lovely Quebec, it's well worth it to take a trip to beautiful Canada. So here is a tribute to our northern neighbors, who appear to be a coffee loving bunch!
According to the Coffee Association of Canada about 81% of Canadians are occasional coffee drinkers while 63% are daily coffee drinkers. (Americans- only 49% percent of use are imbibing this nectar of the coffee bean.) Up in Quebec, 70% of folks drink their coffee daily which may explain why we see and ship to so many of our friends from that area.
In my experience, dark roasts like Black Ice (an Ethiopian Sidamo roasted to French) tend to be the most popular with Canadians, with younger drinkers more likely to enjoy flavored coffee and growing amounts of drinkers interested in fair trade and organic coffees.
Finally, we'll round out this tribute to our Canadian coffee loving friends with this recipe for Canadian Coffee from the Art of Drink website. (Feel free to omit the whisky as needed or to use Vermont Maple Syrup if you are south of the US/Canada border!)
Canadian Coffee
1 oz Canadian Whisky
½ oz Maple Syrup
4 oz Coffee
Top with Maple Whipped Cream
Place whisky, maple syrup and coffee in a specialty coffee mug and stir to combine. Top with lightly maple flavoured whipped cream.If you are getting tired of the same old coffees give this one a try, it is smooth with a subtle maple aroma and flavour. Combining the maple syrup and whipped cream gives this drink an edge. And remember, always use good coffee!
Maple Whipped Cream
To make the whipped cream you combine 3/4 of a cup of heavy cream (35%) and 4 teaspoons of maple syrup. Combine the two ingredients and then whip until soft peaks form. Makes enough cream to top four coffees. You can modify the recipe if you like or cut it in half to make less.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Friday, February 26, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Master's Degree in Gourmet Coffee
If you've been reading this blog for a while then you have been learning about coffee characteristics, regions and the best brewing techniques. I haven't given any pop quizzes (yet!), but it's safe to say you're gaining enough knowledge that I can grant you an honorary diploma in Gourmet Coffee. Of course, if you want a more formal degree, it turns out that you can indeed take classes in Coffee 101.
Here's an article that caught my eye primarily because it is about a coffee class that takes place at Johnson County Community College in Kansas City, and we have Johnson State College just 20 minutes away for Brown and Jenkins right here in Vermont. The teaching method at this college involved a traditional coffee cupping experience of single origin coffees. Students were given the opportunity to sample coffees from Columbia, Panama, Mexico and the Sumatra region of Ethiopia.
Of course, as I've mentioned before, you can easily hold your own coffee cupping at home or at a local coffee shop with friends. It's a fun way to get to know your favorite coffees and try new ones. If you are looking for a few single origin coffees to use at a cupping I recommend that you try the Columbian Supremo, Costa Rican, Guatemalan Antigua and Sumatra Mandheling for an interesting assortment of diverse characteristics.
Hmm…maybe a little pop quiz is in order. Send me the answer to this question, which is answered in a past blog, and you can consider yourself to hold an honorary Associate Degree from Brown and Jenkins University of Coffee Afficianados! To obtain your Master's Degree in Gourmet Coffee, just keep reading each week.
Coffee Pop Quiz
List the 5 best tips for making gourmet coffee at home.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Here's an article that caught my eye primarily because it is about a coffee class that takes place at Johnson County Community College in Kansas City, and we have Johnson State College just 20 minutes away for Brown and Jenkins right here in Vermont. The teaching method at this college involved a traditional coffee cupping experience of single origin coffees. Students were given the opportunity to sample coffees from Columbia, Panama, Mexico and the Sumatra region of Ethiopia.
Of course, as I've mentioned before, you can easily hold your own coffee cupping at home or at a local coffee shop with friends. It's a fun way to get to know your favorite coffees and try new ones. If you are looking for a few single origin coffees to use at a cupping I recommend that you try the Columbian Supremo, Costa Rican, Guatemalan Antigua and Sumatra Mandheling for an interesting assortment of diverse characteristics.
Hmm…maybe a little pop quiz is in order. Send me the answer to this question, which is answered in a past blog, and you can consider yourself to hold an honorary Associate Degree from Brown and Jenkins University of Coffee Afficianados! To obtain your Master's Degree in Gourmet Coffee, just keep reading each week.
Coffee Pop Quiz
List the 5 best tips for making gourmet coffee at home.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Friday, February 19, 2010
How Gourmet Coffee Connects Vermont and the World
Good Morning from Brown and Jenkins Roastery!
Are you sipping your favorite gourmet coffee here in Vermont, up in Canada, down in Southern California or somewhere else entirely? Where ever you are, you might be surprised to learn how much events around the world impact the precise cup of coffee that you hold in your gradually warming hands. Issues like soil conditions, fertilizer, shipping, water supply and work conditions in the growing regions impact the selection, cost and availability of green coffee beans that roasters like Brown and Jenkins have to choose from.
For example, coffee wilt was a big issue for Uganda growers in 2009. Luckily for us, they mainly deal in Robusta coffee beans, and we only sell Arabica beans. However, for those growers and countries involved the loss was calculated at anywhere from 39% to 50%. The problem with this aggressive disease is that it has the ability to kill mature trees in a little as six months time. In China last year, the cost of sugar rose astronomically and caused many retailers to take the hit for fear of losing customers if they raised their prices.
For those of us in the United States, the coffee related growing issues truly seem a world away until they impact our ability to have our favorite cup of Joe. Yet, we never know what will show up and when. Through these turbulent times we have made an attempt to stabilize our pricing (yes, we still offer a cup for $1) although the shipping costs have directly impacted us here in Vermont.
So even though we are brewing locally in the Green Mountains, we are involved in a world wide operation that requires a cultural and environmental awareness far beyond our borders. You know that I have a passion and commitment to our local community here in the Cambridge area. Still, our passion for coffee connects us to the rest of the world in a very concrete way.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Are you sipping your favorite gourmet coffee here in Vermont, up in Canada, down in Southern California or somewhere else entirely? Where ever you are, you might be surprised to learn how much events around the world impact the precise cup of coffee that you hold in your gradually warming hands. Issues like soil conditions, fertilizer, shipping, water supply and work conditions in the growing regions impact the selection, cost and availability of green coffee beans that roasters like Brown and Jenkins have to choose from.
For example, coffee wilt was a big issue for Uganda growers in 2009. Luckily for us, they mainly deal in Robusta coffee beans, and we only sell Arabica beans. However, for those growers and countries involved the loss was calculated at anywhere from 39% to 50%. The problem with this aggressive disease is that it has the ability to kill mature trees in a little as six months time. In China last year, the cost of sugar rose astronomically and caused many retailers to take the hit for fear of losing customers if they raised their prices.
For those of us in the United States, the coffee related growing issues truly seem a world away until they impact our ability to have our favorite cup of Joe. Yet, we never know what will show up and when. Through these turbulent times we have made an attempt to stabilize our pricing (yes, we still offer a cup for $1) although the shipping costs have directly impacted us here in Vermont.
So even though we are brewing locally in the Green Mountains, we are involved in a world wide operation that requires a cultural and environmental awareness far beyond our borders. You know that I have a passion and commitment to our local community here in the Cambridge area. Still, our passion for coffee connects us to the rest of the world in a very concrete way.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Coffee Flavored Mouthwash
I usually open the blog with a reference to the stimulating cup of Black Ice gourmet coffee I'm drinking, or a comment on my view of the snow covered Green Mountains. So you may be having an adverse reaction to the image of mouthwash as your morning greeting. Just stick with me and we'll work our way back around to the charming characteristics of freshly roasted coffee beans and just brewed coffee.
The coffee flavored mouthwash that titles this blog doesn't yet exist; but, it might soon. And it is actually based on research that shows that drinking coffee is NOT a cause of bad breath. In fact, the researchers in this study, reported by CNN, were on a mission to prove that there is a link between drinking coffee and having bad breath. Instead, they discovered that there are specific ingredients in coffee that prevent the bacteria that cause bad breath.
That's right- they discovered that drinking coffee can lead to better breath.
If your common sense is saying, Hey Sandy, I'd love that to be true but my wife swears it's not, researchers suspect that it is the dehydrating effect of coffee combined with milk that can lead to bad breath. Anyway, this has motivated the lead researcher to look into creating coffee flavored mouthwash, gum or even toothpaste. More research is needed, but if I could trade in that nasty tasting Listerine and gargle with Ethiopia Sidamo, I'm on board.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
The coffee flavored mouthwash that titles this blog doesn't yet exist; but, it might soon. And it is actually based on research that shows that drinking coffee is NOT a cause of bad breath. In fact, the researchers in this study, reported by CNN, were on a mission to prove that there is a link between drinking coffee and having bad breath. Instead, they discovered that there are specific ingredients in coffee that prevent the bacteria that cause bad breath.
That's right- they discovered that drinking coffee can lead to better breath.
If your common sense is saying, Hey Sandy, I'd love that to be true but my wife swears it's not, researchers suspect that it is the dehydrating effect of coffee combined with milk that can lead to bad breath. Anyway, this has motivated the lead researcher to look into creating coffee flavored mouthwash, gum or even toothpaste. More research is needed, but if I could trade in that nasty tasting Listerine and gargle with Ethiopia Sidamo, I'm on board.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Friday, February 12, 2010
How to Find Your Favorite Gourmet Coffee
Welcome to February, snowy hills here in the Green Mountains of Cambridge, Vermont, and more blogging on gourmet coffee, coffee beans and coffee lovers. One question I get all the time is about how to find a coffee bean that has the characteristics you're looking for.
So here is a run down of some of our most popular coffees, and their characteristics. It's just a starting point, but that is the point. Coffee enjoyment is not about right and wrong. It's about pleasing your palate and your senses.
Here are some Brown and Jenkins favorites:
Black Ice- This local favorite is a bold and full-bodied dark roast. This means that if you like a strong blast of coffee flavor, as opposed to a milder taste, you may enjoy this. Ironically, the Black Ice has less caffeine that the other blends mentioned below because the longer you roast the bean the more caffeine is allowed to escape.
Tanzania Peaberry- This blend is a medium roast. The flavor is distinct as this is a full-bodied coffee, but it's mellow and leaves a pleasant aftertaste on your tongue.
Estate Java – This may be our most popular light roast. Try this if you want a mellow flavor and heavy body.
My advice is to start by tasting single origin blends. Once you decide what you like, you can try blend with that taste. For example, I enjoy African coffees for their earthy tones. Each region has particular characteristics, and it's fun getting to know them. Consider having a coffee cupping with friends as an excuse to try some new flavors.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
So here is a run down of some of our most popular coffees, and their characteristics. It's just a starting point, but that is the point. Coffee enjoyment is not about right and wrong. It's about pleasing your palate and your senses.
Here are some Brown and Jenkins favorites:
Black Ice- This local favorite is a bold and full-bodied dark roast. This means that if you like a strong blast of coffee flavor, as opposed to a milder taste, you may enjoy this. Ironically, the Black Ice has less caffeine that the other blends mentioned below because the longer you roast the bean the more caffeine is allowed to escape.
Tanzania Peaberry- This blend is a medium roast. The flavor is distinct as this is a full-bodied coffee, but it's mellow and leaves a pleasant aftertaste on your tongue.
Estate Java – This may be our most popular light roast. Try this if you want a mellow flavor and heavy body.
My advice is to start by tasting single origin blends. Once you decide what you like, you can try blend with that taste. For example, I enjoy African coffees for their earthy tones. Each region has particular characteristics, and it's fun getting to know them. Consider having a coffee cupping with friends as an excuse to try some new flavors.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Coffee Valentine Wishes
Be Mine? At least for a blog's worth of this Valentine's week?
Great! This Sunday, of course, is the big day. Who's on your "Be Mine" list? A spouse, lover, friend or child? This is the perfect time to express appreciation and gratitude for those special people in your life.
I want send out a great big Valentine's Day hug to all our local Cambridge and Vermont customers! Thanks to everyone who met us at the Pie for Breakfast fundraiser over at Cambridge Elementary last month. Thanks to you folks who stop by to get a daily cup of coffee on your way to work or to ski at the mountain. And thanks to all of you who order beans on a regular basis, coffee for your meetings, or who just come in to buy all the local goodies. And of course a big thank you to all the local artists and business owners who stock Brown and Jenkins with the delicious sweets, treats and lovely crafts that we sell.
And I also want to send a special long distance Valentine to all of our distant customers. Whether you are on the other end of the Green Mountains in Quebec, in sunny St. Thomas or down in Texas- thank you! I love your comments, questions and great ideas.
Here are some last minute gift ideas if you are still looking for a way to express Valentine's Day thanks to lovers, teachers, family and friends.
Valentine's Day Gift Basket
Local Vermont crafts, jams
Chocolate Raspberry Coffee
A new coffee mug or travel mug and a bag of gourmet coffee beans
Local Vermont crafts, jams
Membership to coffee club
Wine from the Boyden Valley Winery
Coffee Quote of the Day
He was my cream, and I was his coffee -And when you poured us together, it was something.~Josephine Baker
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Great! This Sunday, of course, is the big day. Who's on your "Be Mine" list? A spouse, lover, friend or child? This is the perfect time to express appreciation and gratitude for those special people in your life.
I want send out a great big Valentine's Day hug to all our local Cambridge and Vermont customers! Thanks to everyone who met us at the Pie for Breakfast fundraiser over at Cambridge Elementary last month. Thanks to you folks who stop by to get a daily cup of coffee on your way to work or to ski at the mountain. And thanks to all of you who order beans on a regular basis, coffee for your meetings, or who just come in to buy all the local goodies. And of course a big thank you to all the local artists and business owners who stock Brown and Jenkins with the delicious sweets, treats and lovely crafts that we sell.
And I also want to send a special long distance Valentine to all of our distant customers. Whether you are on the other end of the Green Mountains in Quebec, in sunny St. Thomas or down in Texas- thank you! I love your comments, questions and great ideas.
Here are some last minute gift ideas if you are still looking for a way to express Valentine's Day thanks to lovers, teachers, family and friends.
Valentine's Day Gift Basket
Local Vermont crafts, jams
Chocolate Raspberry Coffee
A new coffee mug or travel mug and a bag of gourmet coffee beans
Local Vermont crafts, jams
Membership to coffee club
Wine from the Boyden Valley Winery
Coffee Quote of the Day
He was my cream, and I was his coffee -And when you poured us together, it was something.~Josephine Baker
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Friday, February 5, 2010
Gourmet Coffee Gifts for Valentine's Day
Good Morning Coffee Lovers.
'Tis the season to talk about love isn't it? Whether you have a burning passion this Valentine's Day, or an enduring love for someone special, this holiday comes down to expressing your feelings in a tangible way.
For me, coffee is about a feeling too. Images that capture the essence of coffee gifts transmit a feeling of passion. From a grinder and a bag of beans for your child away at college to one of the more amorously decked out Valentine Coffee Gift Baskets, I can't think of a better message of love than great gourmet coffee.
Here are some of my favorite Valentine's Day Coffee Gift ideas:
Valentines Day's Chocolate Raspberry Coffee
Champlain Chocolates offering fresh and natural chocolates here in Vermont.
Valentine's Coffee Gift Basket filled with two bags of whole or ground beans, chocolate expresso beans, cranberry biscotti and foil wrapped chocolate hearts.
Take some time with someone special this Valentine's Day! Share with someone you love something they will love.
Coffee Quote of the Day
Chocolate, men, coffee – some things are better rich.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
'Tis the season to talk about love isn't it? Whether you have a burning passion this Valentine's Day, or an enduring love for someone special, this holiday comes down to expressing your feelings in a tangible way.
For me, coffee is about a feeling too. Images that capture the essence of coffee gifts transmit a feeling of passion. From a grinder and a bag of beans for your child away at college to one of the more amorously decked out Valentine Coffee Gift Baskets, I can't think of a better message of love than great gourmet coffee.
Here are some of my favorite Valentine's Day Coffee Gift ideas:
Valentines Day's Chocolate Raspberry Coffee
Champlain Chocolates offering fresh and natural chocolates here in Vermont.
Valentine's Coffee Gift Basket filled with two bags of whole or ground beans, chocolate expresso beans, cranberry biscotti and foil wrapped chocolate hearts.
Take some time with someone special this Valentine's Day! Share with someone you love something they will love.
Coffee Quote of the Day
Chocolate, men, coffee – some things are better rich.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
2010 Tip #5 for Making Gourmet Coffee at Home
Hi there and welcome to the final tip for making the best tasting gourmet coffee at home in 2010. I decided to start this New Year, and decade, with some pointers to help you get the most out of your coffee beans. So the last few blogs have discussed my recommendations. Here, in all their gourmet glory are the
5 Tips for Making Gourmet Coffee at Home in 2010
Tip#1- Start with a clean pot
Tip#2- Use quality water
Tip#3-Choose your coffee beans carefully
Tip#4- Use the correct grind
Tip#5- Create an atmosphere
Tip#5, create an atmosphere, may not sound like a big deal. Then again, think about why so many folks come to a coffee shop like our Brown and Jenkins roastery in the first place. Aside from the great tasting coffee, it's often for the atmosphere.
If you're trying to save money by making your coffee at home, you should still enjoy the experience on every level. One of the best pieces of advice I have, is to invest in a coffee mug you absolutely love. A mug that fits the shape and size of your hand or one that has a picture that makes you smile. Coffee mugs make great gifts for coffee lovers, because it's always good to have a variety of mugs you love to choose from. Even great travel mugs can make a coffee drinker's experience more fulfilling.
In regards to creating an atmosphere, consider having friends over for a coffee cupping night. Complete with desert and a couple of your favorite Brown and Jenkins coffees and you have a whole night of fun and enjoyment.
Coffee drinking is more than just an injection of caffeine. Savoring gourmet coffee at home, on the road, or in a coffee shop is an experience for all the senses.
Coffee Quote of the Day
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.-T.S. Eliot
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
5 Tips for Making Gourmet Coffee at Home in 2010
Tip#1- Start with a clean pot
Tip#2- Use quality water
Tip#3-Choose your coffee beans carefully
Tip#4- Use the correct grind
Tip#5- Create an atmosphere
Tip#5, create an atmosphere, may not sound like a big deal. Then again, think about why so many folks come to a coffee shop like our Brown and Jenkins roastery in the first place. Aside from the great tasting coffee, it's often for the atmosphere.
If you're trying to save money by making your coffee at home, you should still enjoy the experience on every level. One of the best pieces of advice I have, is to invest in a coffee mug you absolutely love. A mug that fits the shape and size of your hand or one that has a picture that makes you smile. Coffee mugs make great gifts for coffee lovers, because it's always good to have a variety of mugs you love to choose from. Even great travel mugs can make a coffee drinker's experience more fulfilling.
In regards to creating an atmosphere, consider having friends over for a coffee cupping night. Complete with desert and a couple of your favorite Brown and Jenkins coffees and you have a whole night of fun and enjoyment.
Coffee drinking is more than just an injection of caffeine. Savoring gourmet coffee at home, on the road, or in a coffee shop is an experience for all the senses.
Coffee Quote of the Day
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.-T.S. Eliot
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
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