Coffee Plant or Where does Coffee Come From?

The beans of the coffee plant provide us with coffee. (this is my new favorite plant, let the plant worship begin.) The most common plant used in coffee production would be Coffea Arabica. The coffee plant is a tropical plant that grows more like a bush than a tree reaching 10-12 feet in height. The coffee plant is not a winter hardy plant so it cannot be grown in temperate climate zones. Coffee requires a lot of water, fertilizer and prefers alkaline (basic) soils. The coffee beans are the seeds of the plant. Many insects and animals eat these seeds. The plant has created its on natural defense to these attacks, caffeine.

Coffea arabica is considered to have the best flavor to produce brewed coffee. Other types of coffee plants can yield a coffee that is either too bitter or too bold. Cheaper brands of coffee may have a mixture of Coffea arabica and a substandard species. You can usually tell the difference.

There are a lot of politics surround coffee production and practices. You can check that out on your own. I have my own opinions, but I’m more interested in the processing of coffee after the beans have been harvested.

Coffee has to be ripened if picked green. This is done in one of two ways, dry process, simpler and less intensive, wet process method, which incorporate fermentation yielding a milder coffee. Fermentation results in a lot of coffee wastewater. Once the beans are ripened they have to be dried. This is done either on a drying table or in the sun. The best method is to use drying tables, but unfortunately this method is used less. More modern methods have been introduced that produce inferior grade coffee. More companies are returning to the traditional methods.

Roasting the beans is the next step taken after ripening the coffee beans. Roasting can change the taste of the beverage by changing the physical and chemical make-up of the coffee bean. As the bean is roasted the weight decreases due to moisture lost. When the temperature inside the bean reaches 200 degrees Celsius the roasting process begins. Carmelization occurs as intense heat breaks down starches in the bean. This changes the starch into simple sugars that brown changing the color of the bean from green to brown. Aromatic oils are created when the acids weaken inside the beans. These oils change the flavor. One of the oils that give coffee its aroma and flavor is caffeol.

The color of the bean determines the boldness of the bean. If the bean is a darker brown it will have a more robust flavor. Once the beans have dried they will be sorted into these different grades. Darker roasts are bolder because they have less fiber content a more sugar. Lighter roasts have a complex and stronger flavor.
Decaffeinated coffee is somewhat of a myth. Because coffee naturally creates caffeine it is difficult to remove all of it. Decaffeination occurs when the beans are green. They are soaked in hot water or steamed. Then using a solvent to dissolve caffeine-containing oils the caffeine is removed. The caffeine that is removed is often sold to the pharmaceutical industry.

To store the beans, an airtight container must be used and placed in a cool, dark, and dry place. This will help to maintain the coffee's flavors. Ironically, the bags we often purchase coffee in are not the best method for storing coffee.

If you think you would like to have a coffee plant in your house, go ahead and get one! Don’t expect to get any coffee beans from it unless you live in the tropics. The flowers are beautiful though! If you live in a climate that is warmer most of the year they make a great ornamental plant.

Now after all this coffee talk I need to fire up my Melitta Coffee Maker and have a nice aromatic brew myself.

Coffee Pot as Food Cooker

Wait...What did that say?

While the only thing that goes in my coffee maker is beverages (yes I have made tea in it, but still that is similar to coffee, right?) I have stumbled across a blog that talks about making food in a coffee maker.  This both disgusts and interests me…

Food? Really?

Many of the commenters on this blog said that during their Dorm Days they had used a coffee maker to make ramen noodles.  Here are some of the foods that Max Eddy says can be made in a coffee maker, and while I will not be trying any of them I just want to share and see your thoughts on this college dorm room phenomenon:

1. Oatmeal
2. Broccoli
3. Rice
4. Soft Boiled Eggs
5. Lemon Pepper Chicken
6. Fish Steaks
7. Chive and Butter Sauce
8. Chocolate Fondue
9. Chicken Pesto Pasta
10. Beer

Now while I would never cook food in my favorite coffee maker, I am a little curious as to how this would work. So instead of trying it i want to hear back from you… have you ever cooked food in your coffee maker? If so how did it turn out? Would you recommend this method of madness to anyone?

Coffee Grinding and Brewing Methods

Charlene again here with Coffee Talk with Charlene!

Today we are going to talk about the different grinding and brewing methods associated with coffee. 

Grinding

There are four methods of grinding coffee beans: burr-grinding, roller grinding, pounding, and chopping. 

1. Burr mills are used to burr-grind beans.  These mills use two revolving abrasive elements, such as wheels or conical grinding elements.  The coffee beans are crushed or torn with little frictional heat between these elements.  This process releases the etherical oils that are more easily extracted during the brewing process making the coffee taste richer and smoother. 

Old time burr coffee grinders are still available to due this process manually.  I have found them for a great price at coffeemaker-outlet.com.  They have manual grinders as well as electric grinders.  I personally have a Fox run 5134 Coffee Grinder that I purchased for $17.49 plus shipping. It looks like an antique, but it brand new.  I have given one of these to all of my coffee connoisseur friends. I personally recommend the burr mill for home use.

2. In a roller grinder, the beans are ground between pairs of corrugated rollers. A roller grinder produces a more even grind size distribution and heats the ground coffee less than any other method.  But this is an extremely expensive piece of equipment and only used commercially. 

3. Pounding coffee requires that the grounds be almost powdery and you can do this with most burr grinders or with a mortar and pestle.

4. To chop coffee beans you use blades that rotate at a high speed like a home blender.  The problem with this method is that the grind is not uniform and the coffee is warmed by friction.  They also create coffee dust that clogs up sieves in espresso machines and French presses. 

Brewing

There are four main methods used to brew coffee grounds.  Brewed coffee kept hot will deteriorate rapidly in flavor.  Even at room temperature, deterioration will occur.  Electronic coffee makers boil the water and brew the infusion with little human assistance and sometimes according to a timer.  Some coffee makers even grind the coffee beans before brewing them.

1.      The first method for brewing coffee was boiling.  Simply pour boiling water over coffee grounds in a cup.  When the water cools the grounds sink to the bottom.  This is often referred to as “mud coffee.”  This is also sometimes referred to as “cowboy coffee.”  It is obvious that the grounds in the bottom of the cup will ruin the taste of your coffee, so other methods were developed.

2.      Steeping coffee is accomplished using a cafetiere or a French press.  This is a tall narrow cylinder with a plunger that includes a metal or nylon mesh filter.  Coffee or tea is placed in the cylinder and boiling water is poured in.  After a few minutes the plunger is pushed down, leaving the filter immediately above the grounds, allowing the coffee or tea to be poured out while the filter retains the grounds.  Just like there are tea bags, coffee bags can be purchased in some stores.  Using these bags will eliminate any need for extra filtering.   You can purchase a French press at coffeemaker-outlet.com.  They have them in two sizes.  They even come with a handle so you can leave the tea or coffee in the cylinder.

3.      Filters are used to “drip brew.”  This is the American method of brewing coffee.  Coffee is placed in a filter, hot water drips through the coffee grounds filter the coffee and leaving only the liquid with no grounds.  There are tons of different types of coffee makers from automated to manual, large to small and everything in between.  There are the old timey percolators that are used on a stove top.  They’re great for camping trips too.  The percolator has a bottom chamber that is filled with water, a middle section and an upside down pot placed on the top.  When the water boils, the coffee maker is flipped over to let the water filter through the coffee grounds.

4.      Pressure is used in making espresso.  Usually the water is 91 degrees Celsius and forced through a lightly packed matrix (called a puck) of finely ground coffee.  Espresso is traditionally served by itself or with dessert.  It is not usually drunk with a meal.

I love a good espresso from time to time, but you really can’t beat a good drip coffee maker!  American or not, they make a fantastic cup of coffee great for any time of day or occasion.  Next time we will look at American coffee makers and see which ones are the best for you.