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You'll
find more cool kitchen tips in |
John Ash Cooking One-On-One, Private Lessons from a Master Teacher |
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Revised and Expanded From the Earth to the Table: John Ash’s Wine Country Cuisine |
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COOL KITCHEN TIPS
Some thoughts to “brew” over with your next cup of java…
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Why Buy: How to Brew the Best Cup of Coffee Keeping you informed: Some Helpful Resources!
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Coffee is the second-most traded commodity in the world economy, after oil. |
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One coffee tree yields slightly less than 1 pound of coffee per year. |
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It takes 2,000 coffee cherries / 4,000 coffee beans to make a pound of coffee. |
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A coffee bean is actually a seed. When dried, roasted and ground, it is used to brew coffee. But if the seed is not processed, it can be planted and will grow into a coffee tree. |
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Over 50 countries grow coffee worldwide and all of them lie along the equator between the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn. |
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Coffee plants do not thrive in hot weather. The closer the plantation is to the equator, the higher they are in elevation to produce quality coffee. |
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The largest coffee producer in the world is Brazil, supplying 30-40% of the world's coffee, with Columbia being the second. |
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Each year some 7 million tons of green coffee beans are produced worldwide, most of which is handpicked, a labor-intensive and difficult process. |
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Most of the world's coffee is grown by small-scale coffee farming families. |
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25 million families around the world work in the coffee-fields and totally depend on the coffee crop as their only source of income. |
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For every pound of gourmet coffee sold, small-coffee farmers receive between 12¢ and 25¢. |
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Finland and Sweden have the highest coffee consumption per person worldwide. |
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The United States imports and consumes more coffee than any other country. |
There are two very important reasons to buy shade grown coffee – it supports sustainable farming systems which produces a better quality coffee bean.
The coffee plants that require shade to grow, create a sustainable system that helps maintain soil quality, reduces the need for weeding and aids in pest control. It also creates a habitat for birds, insects, amphibians and plant life, protecting forest species where there is no longer any forest. Organic matter from shade trees provide natural mulch, reducing erosion and the need for chemical fertilizers.
Superior beans require shade to grow. The hybrid plants varieties that grow well in full sun produce inferior coffee and produce crops of beans for only 10-15 years compared to up to 50 years for shade grown beans.
The difference between shade-grown coffee and sun-grown coffee
Shade-Grown Coffee
- Migratory birds and many resident birds find sanctuary in the forest canopy of traditional coffee plantations.
- Shade trees protect the plants from rain and sun, help maintain soil quality, and aid in natural pest control, thanks to the birds.
- Traditional coffee plantations help to conserve watersheds, leading to higher water quality and quantity for local populations.
- Shade-grown coffee is cultivated in specific ways that help protect biodiversity.
- Shade coffee plants can produce crops of beans for up to 50 years.
Sun-Grown Coffee
- 90% fewer bird species are found in sun-grown coffee areas compared with shade-grown coffee areas.
- Requires chemical fertilizers and pesticides and year-round labor, placing financial demands on the growers.
- Leads to greater soil erosion and higher amounts of toxic runoff endangering both wildlife and people.
- Sun coffee plants produce crops of beans for only 10 to 15 years.
Compliments of Atlanta Audubon - www.atlantaaudubon.org/pages/sgcfacts.htm
Why Buy Fair Trade CoffeeFair Trade helps family farmers in developing countries to gain direct access to international markets, as well as to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace.
The Fair Trade Certified label guarantees:
A
Fair Price
The Fair Trade Certified label guarantees that farmers and workers received
a fair price for their product. The Fair Trade price means that farmers can
feed their families and that their children can go to school instead of working
in the fields.
Quality products
Coffee production relies on many primitive
methods, from hand-picking the berries to the arduous work of transporting
them over steep mountainous plantations. By receiving a fair price, Fair
Trade producers can avoid cost-cutting practices that sacrifice quality.
Care for the environment
Most Fair Trade Certified coffee in the US is certified organic and shade grown.
This means that the products you buy maintain biodiversity, provide shelter
for migratory birds and help reduce global warming.
For more information on Fair Trade visit www.transfairusa.org
Why Buy Organic CoffeeOrganic Agriculture is much more than farming without the use of chemicals and pesticides. It is a farming system that seeks to mimic nature, creating a balanced and stable environment, sustaining the health and vitality of all living systems. How to Brew the Best Cup of Coffee
Use good fresh COLD water. Cold tap water contains more dissolved oxygen and as a result gives coffee a more robust flavor. As water heats, it loses this dissolved oxygen. It's a gradual process but it's accelerated in water that has been sitting in a hot water heater or that has already been boiled in your tea kettle. The result is that using water with less oxygen will cause your brew to become “flat” tasting. Also, water that has been sitting in a hot water heater or a kettle can pick up some off, metallic flavors. Also bottled or filtered water is recommended; chlorine, hard water and other elements will affect the flavor.
Use FRESH coffee beans. Store coffee beans in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. It is important to keep the fresh beans away from excessive air, moisture, heat, and light—in that order—in order to preserve their fresh-roast flavor as long as possible. Grind as needed.
Use the correct grind for your coffeemaker. Burr grinders, which use steel plates to evenly grind the beans are better than blade grinders, which unevenly chop beans, resulting in an uneven extraction of flavor. Use a coarse grind for press pots, a medium grind for drip coffeemakers and a fine grind for espresso. If your coffee tastes bitter, it may be over extracted, or ground too fine. On the other hand, if your coffee tastes flat, it may be under extracted, meaning that your grind is too coarse.
Use the right amount of beans. Two level tablespoons of fresh ground coffee (two heaping tablespoons of beans) to six ounces of water.
Use HOT water. Do you ever wonder why coffee tastes so much better at your local coffee shop? It's probably due to the water temperature. The best brewing temperature is between 195º and 205ºF. If the water is too hot, the coffee will be bitter; if it is too cool, it won't extract all the flavor. Most home coffeemakers don't have the capacity to heat the water to the correct temperature. If using a press pot or hand drip method, you can achieve the correct temperature by letting your kettle rest for a moment after coming to a boil.
Drink the coffee fresh! After making your coffee, keep it hot in a thermos pot and use within 30 minutes of brewing.
To Learn More about Coffee:
National
Coffee Association
Coffee Research Institute
Atlanta
Audubon
Coffee Kids, Grounds for Hope
TransFair USA;
Fair Trade certification agency for the US
Taylor Maid Farms
In
Search of Great Coffee by Sam Gugino – Wine
Spectator, May 31, 2004
Coffee Poster courtesy of the Geek Philosopher
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