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The New Millennium is Brewing! |
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| Site Directory General
Information COFFEE |
The New Millennium is brewing! By Michelle Faber Coffee is to be no longer underrated. It’s no longer that set of tin cans lining the common supermarket shelf and will likely no longer be so disrespected. Coffee is now the pride of the same connoisseur who for so many millennium prized and cherished wines and chocolates. Coffee is finding its own now. It’s being cautiously paired with only the desserts that are a perfect match; or the right quality chocolate that enhances just the right nuance of coffee. Coffee is a ritual, a feast in itself. Coffee is the new millennium drink of the connoisseur of every class. Now rated for its tones, its nuances, rated for the personal qualities of the world’s beans and is sold to the highest bidder. People have always been willing to pay a premium for what they’ve perceived as bouquet wine. Putting outstanding price tags on gourmet specialty coffee beans (an $11 billion industry) has become part of the connoisseur game. George Howell, founder of the George Howell Coffee Company and its Terroir Coffee brand based in Acton, Mass., proclaims coffee a "noble beverage," worthy of the same respect as fine wine. And in the recent years coffee has earned its worth. Forbes Magazine has recently rated beans at the front of the race, naming 10 of the world’s most precious coffees. Specialty beans of the finest caliber are pure in tone, superior beans costing more than $100 per pound. Do not, dare to add a drop of cream or sugar to such a brew for the sake of losing its natural charm, the beans distinct natural sweetness and fragrance. Champion beans are grown on world estates…small family farms at high elevations by farmers who care more for their quality than quantity. Such beans are prized for their characteristics. According Forbe Magazine the joes that hold the highest price tags include such bean beauties as: Kopi
Luwak from Indonesia Hacienda
La Esmeralda from Boquete, Panama Coffee Variances Albeit not receiving such medals of honor, all regional coffee are merited for their own uniqueness in flavor. For every mountain that grows a boutique crop of coffee, there is a primary set of qualities noted in that region. Add to this, the weather conditions, that in itself will vary from year to year, along with the method of storing and roasting that sets these unique characteristics apart from one region to another, let alone, one cuppa joe to the next. Take for example, a Monsoon roasted bean. Monsooned coffees are picked and then stored in open-sided warehouses and exposed to the steady, damp, salty monsoon winds. Shortly, these beans gain a flavor reminiscent of, but distinct from aged coffees. The most common monsooned coffee is Indian monsooned Malabar. Coffee Profiling Much akin to discerning wines, the coffee industry has defined flavor variances with words that conotate each coffee’s characteristics or personal flavor identity, allowing a coffee drinker to make a educated decisions on their roast preferences.. Acidity Stronger acidity can often have wine-like aspects, especially in many Kenyan coffees, which, in fact seem citrusy to the taste. The more extreme the acidity, the more it will feel astringent. You can measure by such terms from lowest to highest as “soft-mellow”, “subtle hint of tanginess”, “pleasantly tangy”, bold-pique”, “assertive-sharp”. Examples of high acidity coffees include Kenya AA (with heavy body), Puerto Rico “Yauco Selecto Estate” (with smooth light body), and Ethiopia Longberry (with bold heavy body),. More subtle, low acidity coffees include Indian Malabar “Monsooned Voyager” (with smooth light body), Jamaican Blue Mountain (with smooth light body), Kona “Volcanic Estate” (with bold heavy body), and Sumatra Mandheling (with bold heavy body). African originated coffees would give you the sharpest taste, with a pronounced, astringently clean, assertive, robust, strong flavor, while on the other side of the acid spectrum lies the coffees of India: spicy, earthy, unusual, distinct and complex. Balance Body In regards to the preferred bean of choice, coffee aficionados tend to prefer the higher quality Robusta bean over the Arabica. Robusta beans are the mountain grown assortment, cultivated on small plantations, whereas Arabica beans would be grown in the lower altitude, being mass market varieties found commonly in the canned coffees found in supermarkets. Robusta tends to be more bitter than do arabica beans. Arabica beans have higher caffeine content than Robusta, however. Some coffee makers will mix in some Arabica into their Robusta roasts to spike the caffeine. Coffee & Dessert pairing Finally, to enhance a specialty coffee experience add in a perfectly paired dessert for the experience complete! Acidic,
sweet & light roasts Evenly balanced roasts (acidity and body) Full bodied coffees |
Frozen Coffee Parfait Recipe and Coffee Samplings of the Month from Gourmet Coffee Express | |
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