Coffee(1 - Feb 1997)                      Coffee(1 - Feb 1997)


NAME

    Coffee - The Elixir of Life


SYNOPSIS

    coffee  ( from "Dick's Coffee House" on WWW )


DESCRIPTION

    Coffee  -  what  would I do without it! Here are some fact
    about my favorite drink gathered from all  over  Internet.
    Get yourself a cup of java and start reading.

    Index:

    * The beans

    * Processing

    * Roasting

    * Brewing

    * Feedback

    Did you know that there are three different coffee plants?

    * Coffea Arabica

         The best and most tasteful. Originally from Ethiopia
         but grown on many places around the world. Arabica
         generally grows on high altitude and are of higher
         quality then the other two. Depending on where the
         coffee has grown, the taste will differ. The cleaner
         flavor of Arabica beans may taste strange to a novice
         but are much appreciated by experts and coffee lovers
         (like myself).

    * Coffea Robusta (or Coffea Canephora)

         This plant will produce a less characteristic taste
         and is also less expensive. Robusta, best grown at
         altitudes below 900 meters, is the main component in
         canned coffee in order to keep the price at an
         affordable level.

    * Coffea Liberica

         Only a few percent of all coffee comes from this
         rather unusual, west-African plant.

    Althought Brazil produces nearly 35 percent of the world's
    coffee, the majority of the coffee has what you might call
    a non-distinguishable, sweet, and neutral taste.

    Colombia, the world's  second  coffee  producer,  produces
    coffee  with  a  much  richer  flavor.  Still sweet with a
    slight  acidity.   African  coffee  from  countries   like
    Ethiopia,  Kenya,  and Tanzania often have a fruity, winey
    tast, with a mild acidity, whereas coffee from Sumatra and
    New  Guinea have a more pronounced acidity. Java, however,
    has very little acidity  and  can  best  be  described  as
    spicy.  Jamaican coffee are rich full-bodied and well bal-
    anced.  Jamaica Blue Mountain is often regarded  the  best
    coffee in the world.  I haven't tried it myself yet.

    The  flavor  of  the  month  in  my  kitchen is Guatemalan
    Antigua.

    A coffee bean contains 1.1 -  1.4  %  coffeine.  Actually,
    Robusta  beans  has  a  higher caffeine concentration than
    Arabica. I've been trying to figure out how much  caffeine
    there  is in the actuall drink but this seams to be rather
    a tricky question. At least I haven't been able to find  a
    precise answer.  Here's what I came up with:

    Miligrams of caffeine per 12 oz can of soda

    * Jolt Cola 71

    * Coca Cola 45

    * Pepsi Cola 37

    Compare that with a "regular" cup of coffee or tea.

    Miligrams of caffeine per cup

    * Coffee 90 - 150

    * Instant 60 - 80

    * Tea 40 - 60

    Processing

    The  coffee  tree  produces its first full crop after five
    years.  The flavor of the  bean  will  vary  depending  on
    where  the  tree  has  grown,  but also on the size of the
    bean, the density, and the water content. After  the  har-
    vest, often done by hand, the beans are classified by den-
    sity by putting them in water and see how quick they sink.
    More  developed  beans  have  higher density and will sink
    more rapidly, while the less developed, lighter beans will
    sink slower.

    After  being washed, the beans are spread out to (sun)dry.
    The beans are then aged in bags from 90 days up to several
    years(!)   The  green  beans,  as they are called, are now
    sorted by size once again (by hand) to  remove  bad  beans
    and to ensure ideal uniformity. The beans are now ready to
    be exported (or roasted).  Green beans will hold for up to
    a year if kept cool and dry.

    In  Sweden,  green  beans  can be bought at certain coffee
    and/or tea shops and there is probably  a  place  even  in
    your town.

    Ask around!

    Roasting

    Roasting  is  the  process  of turning a green bean into a
    brown bean.  This is done by exposing the  beans  to  high
    temperature  in  a  rotating chamber. During the roasting,
    starches are broken down to simple sugars, which then  are
    caramelized  back  to  complex  sugars.  Temperature range
    from about 190 C to 220 C.

    The beans will lose some of their fruit acids, floral aro-
    matics,  and  caffeine during the roast process. They will
    also lose up to 20% of their weight.  However,  they  will
    gain  smoothness, a caramel taste, and a bitter edge. They
    also nearly double in size.

    If you have bought green beans, you can roast  them  your-
    self,  either  in  the oven or by using an ordinary frying
    pan. When using a frying pan make sure you  keep  stirring
    or  the beans will get burned on one side. I usually roast
    the beans on high temperature until the first  crack  (5-6
    minutes).  Then  I turn the heat down and continue another
    two to six minutes, depending on the beans used. Here  you
    can  experiment  a lot! When the beans are done, cool them
    down quickly.

    [Stop when the bean has the desired color]

    By blending and roasting different beans together you  can
    create  your  favourite  flavor.  Take your time to get to
    know the each individual sort before starting blending and
    remember  that  roasted  beans should be kept cool and dry
    and consumed within a week.   Never  grind  until  brewing
    time!

    Brewing

    Before  you  can  brew your java you actually have to grid
    your beans.  Don't grind more than you need  because  when
    grinded  the coffee loses its unique flavor within a week.
    I'm not going to talk much  about  grinding  since  it  is
    quite  straight  forward. Just make sure that you grind it
    quite coarse, especially if you are using a  French  press
    (which I highly recommend).

    To  make  a nice cup of coffee you need two things: coffee
    and water.  Since water makes up roughly 98%  of  the  cup
    it's  important  to  use  fresh, clean, cold water. If the
    water is bad your coffee will taste  badly.  Period.  Make
    sure  all  your  equipment (the grinder, the French press,
    the cup) is cleaned carefully.

    There are many ways of brewing a nice cup of  coffee.  The
    percolator  is  not one of them since it boils the coffee.
    The French press is the preferred method by  many  in  the
    coffee  industry. If you rather use a paper filter you can
    benefit greatly by gently rinsing  the  filter  until  the
    papery  smell  is  gone. It will also speed up the brewing
    process, which generally is a good idea.

    The most common mistake is to use too little  coffee.  The
    rule  of  thumb is to take two tablespoons per 6 ounces of
    water. Start there and experiment to find what is best for
    your  beans,  your  grind,  your  brewer, your water, etc.
    After all, if you don't like it, it isn't a  good  cup  of
    coffee.

    Pre-heat  the brewer by filling it with hot water from the
    tap. Boil some water, grind your  beans,  pour  the  water
    from  the  brewer,  and add the grounds. Pour hot (but not
    boiling) water over the grounds and stir for a  couple  of
    seconds.  Let  the  coffee  brew for some minutes and then
    press down the plunger and serve.


SEE ALSO

    http://www.angelfire.com/mn/stenmark/coffee.html
    (vd.dixi@memo.volvo.se) Dick Stenmark


AUTHOR

    Coffee Man Copyright (c) 1997 by Lucc (lucc@powertech.no)