Beware of Fillers in Your Coffee
The coffee market is under stress from several factors. One is the drought in Brazil, the country that produces forty percent of the coffee in the world. The other is the rising value of the US dollar versus virtually all other currencies. The drought in Brazil is a natural phenomenon that leaves many coffee farmers in the country with smaller crops. The rise of the dollar has to do with the strength of the US economy and the weakness of those economies based on raw material exports. Not only do coffee farmers in Brazil have less coffee to sell but the value of the local currency, the real, is falling. If the farmer cannot find an international buyer he is taking a thirty percent loss as compared to a year ago. The real traded 2.18 to the dollar a year ago and now it takes 2.76 reales to make a dollar. But what does this have to do with fillers in your coffee?
Anything to Fill the Bag
Remember our article about Coffee Please, No Dirt? We quoted the Washington Post which warned about fillers in coffee, dirt, corn, twigs, soybeans, etc.
Cream and sugar may not be the only additives in your morning cup of coffee. Tough growing conditions and rising demand are leading some coffee producers to mix in wheat, soybean, brown sugar, rye, barley, acai seeds, corn, twigs and even dirt.
The point of all this is to purchase healthy organic coffee that comes from a supply chain that is closely monitored and free of the many impurities that come with regular coffee, not to mention dirt, corn, twigs, etc.
Healthy Organic Coffee
How do you know if your coffee is organic? Here are three options:
According to the USDA, the following applies to USDA organic coffee as well as to all organic food production. “… Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled ‘organic,’ a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.”
USDA Organic Coffee Certification
UTZ Certified stands for sustainable farming and better opportunities for farmers, their families and our planet. The UTZ program enables farmers to learn better farming methods, improve working conditions and take better care of their children and the environment. Through the UTZ-program farmers grow better crops, generate more income and create better opportunities while safeguarding the environment and securing the earth’s natural resources.
UTZ Organic Shafe Grown Coffee
Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee
An alternative to organic coffee certification is for a grower to be Rainforest Alliance certified. The Rainforest Alliance is a non-governmental organization that works to conserve biodiversity. It does so for agricultural products by influencing consumers to buy what is good for the environment and good for small farmers. Rainforest Alliance certified means that the coffee that you buy was produced using good land use practices. Rainforest Alliance certified coffee is part of a broader sustainable agriculture program of tropical crops, including coffee, bananas, cocoa, oranges, cut flowers, ferns, and tea. Certified coffee farms meet a strict set of environmental standards that include preservation of the ecosystem and reduction in use of synthetic chemicals of all sorts. In addition, strict health and safety requirements are part of getting Rainforest Alliance certified. The Rainforest Alliance works with the Sustainable Agriculture Network which is a group that includes conservation organizations in nine countries in Latin America. These organizations work to increase and maintain sustainable agricultural practices. On the other end of the coffee spectrum Rainforest Alliance works to convince consumers and to buy Rainforest certified products and works to have businesses buy from certified farmers and sell to the public.
Rainforest Alliance Organic Shade Grown Coffee
Look for any of these seals on the label and you will get good organic coffee without the fillers.
Indian Filter Coffee
A unique kind of coffee is Indian filter coffee. Known as Kaapi (phonetic coffee in Hindu), Indian filter coffee is a popular drink in the Southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Indian filter coffee is three fourths coffee and one forth chicory. Local coffees are used in this drink. In order of local preference one makes Indian filter coffee with Peaberry, Arabica, Malabar or Robusta from Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu regions. Although locally made Indian filter coffee is made with local coffee beans, feel free to use healthy organic coffee, one of the Colombian organic coffee brands. But, if you want to do this traditionally where do you find Peaberry or Malabar coffee beans?
Peaberry Coffee
Peaberry coffee is also known as caracole. Peaberry coffee is made from rounded coffee beans. Normally the coffee berry has two seeds and the sides facing each other are flattened. About one in twenty coffee beans are single seeds and rounded. These are peaberries. Tanzanian coffees are commonly associated with peaberries as are some Kona coffees. Rounded peaberries roast differently from other coffee beans, more evenly. Ideally these rounded beans are roasted separately from regular flat sided coffee beans. This requires manual separation of the beans.
Malabar Coffee
Malabar coffee is from the Malabar region of India. It is in the South between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. Coffee leaf rust arrived in India more than a century before it reach the Western Hemisphere. Growers replaced their Arabica coffee with Robusta and bred for leaf rust resistance. Thus Malabar is always a non-Arabica variety.
Chicory
Chicory is a perennial plant often used as a coffee substitute or additive. The roots of chicory are baked and ground and added to coffee. Chicory is not only used in Indian filter coffee. Adding chicory to coffee is common in New Orleans.
Indian Filter Coffee
Indian filter coffee, in India, is commonly made with instant coffee. In India the key to good filter coffee is searching out the ideal instant coffee or coffee powder. Add the power to hot water and stir. Then pour through a filter. Add fresh milk to taste and a teaspoonful of sugar to the cup. The key to the Indian filter coffee story seems to be searching out the best coffee powder. If you would like to try some strong filter coffee powder from India follow the link. You will note that you will have to convert to Rupees to make payment.
Indian Filter Coffee
Kaapi – Premium Quality South Indian Strong Filter Coffee Powder by Cafe Madras is available online from Mumbai, India.
Add a Little Variety to Your Coffee
This is the last of our current series of types of coffee articles. Please feel free to re-read about Turkish coffee, Cuban coffee, liqueur coffees and the rest. There may be standards for how to make any of these coffee buy your standard should be what tastes the best to you. Try a few different ways to make coffee and always think organic!
Keurig Coffee Maker Recall
USA Today just announced Keurig recalls for more than 6.6 million coffee makers in the USA. The model is K10 and the ID number starts with 31. The issue is burns.
Keurig Green Mountain is recalling about 6.6 million MINI Plus Brewing Systems in the U.S. and 564,000 in Canada following burn reports, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The model number is K10 and recalled brewers have an I.D. number starting with “31,” according to the safety commission on Tuesday.
“They are single-serve, hot beverage brewers and were sold in 13 different colors,” the commission reports.
The reason? There were about 200 reports of hot water coming out of the brewer made by the Waterbury, Vt. company, including 90 reports of burn-related injuries.
The machines were sold from December 2009 through December 2014 at a cost of approximately $100.
Customers are instructed to contact Keurig for a free repair of their machine.
The problem is that the system can spray out hot water and cause burns for the user.
McDonald’s Hot Coffee All Over Again?
According to Forbes the coffee machines have resulted in a couple hundred cases of spraying and at least 90 reported burns.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Tuesday announced a recall of Keurig’s Mini Plus Brewing Systems, citing concerns about water that can overheat during the brewing process, spraying out and burning consumers. Keurig GMCR -2.53% has received about 200 reports of hot liquid escaping from the brewer, including 90 of those that said they suffered burn-related injuries.
Keurig makes its money selling individual serving coffee but reliable machines are essential for sales. This situation is reminiscent of hot McDonald’s coffee and a famous jury verdict of $2.7 in punitive damages because the company did not take steps to remedy a recurring problem. In this case Keurig’s is taking prompt action and apparently no other coffee makers are causing this problem.
Keurig
Keurig Green Mountain is a publicly traded brand of coffee. Their headquarters are in Waterbury, Vermont/ USA. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc., and is best known its individual serving K-Cups. Keurig Green Mountain offers more than 100 different coffee selections, including certified organic, Fair Trade Certified, estate, specialty blends and flavored coffees. Coffee is sold as the company’s brand and as Newman’s Own Organics brands. Keurig stated as a small café in Vermont and has grown to a $2.3 Billion company. Coca Cola has a ten percent stake in Keurig Green Mountain. The name Keurig as added because the company sells Keurig coffee makers.
Coffee Maker Burns
The leading link in Google for espresso machine burns is to a lawyer. Any machine with pressurized hot water is a potential for burns. Mishandling an espresso machine can leader to burns as any barista knows. The issue for the user is to know how to use the machine. The issue for coffee maker manufacturers is to produce a machine that is as nearly injury proof as possible and to fix any problems as they arise. This seems to be the case with the Keurig coffee maker recall.
Café de Olla
There is a traditional way to make coffee in Mexico. The coffee is made in a clay pot, thus the name, pot coffee, café de olla. The drink is made with ground coffee, cinnamon and unrefined whole cane sugar called piloncillo in Mexico and panela in most of the rest of Latin America. The preparation is reminiscent of making Turkish coffee in that the ingredients are all cooked together. Our decided preference is to make this with healthy organic coffee.
Café de Olla
How to Make Café de Olla
Traditionally you use a ceramic pot for this drink but for starters a sauce pan will do just fine
4 cups of water
3 ounces of panela or piloncillo
half a stick of cinnamon, preferable Mexican
4 tablespoonsful of ground coffee
Make café de olla in a sauce pan or ceramic pot on the stove top. Grind your coffee just before you start. Add water, cinnamon and panela to the sauce pan and simmer until the panela is dissolved. This takes just a few minutes. Bring the water to a boil. Add the coffee. Turn off the heat. Stir briefly and then put a cover on the sauce pan. Wait five minutes and pour the coffee through a filter or strainer into cups to serve.
Café de Olla de Liqueur and More
Café de olla can be a nice base for a liqueur coffee. Use Kahlua. In addition this is a traditional drink made in all parts of Mexico and there are lots of local variations including the addition of anise or cloves. Feel free to experiment once you get the basic recipe correct.
What to Eat with Café de Olla
If you are going to do it right you should drink café de olla with a Mexican meal. Mican cooking is a mixture of European (Spanish) and Central American. The basics are corn, beans and chili peppers from the Aztec side and beef, pork, chicken, goat, dairy products and European herbs and spices from the Conquistadores. If you are just looking to drink a little café de olla with a touch of dessert there are lots of dishes to choose from. Here is the list.
Alegrías
Arroz con leche, rice with milk and sugar
Bionico, a type of fruit salad with cream
Buñuelos
Cajeta
Capirotada
Carlota de limón
Champurrado
Chongos zamoranos
Churros
Coyotas
Dulce de leche
Empanadas
Flan
Glorias
Jamoncillos
Jarritos (spicy tamarindo candy in a tiny pot)
Leche Quemada
Obleas
Pastel de queso, cheesecake
Pastel de tres leches (Three Milk Cake)
Pepitorias
Platano
Polvorón
Rosca de reyes
Gorditas de azúcar
Tacuarines, Biscochos, or Coricos
The point being that there are lots of good things to eat with a cup of café de olla. Make sure to look or organic ingredients along the way. As with all coffee based drinks the quality starts with the best coffee so look for organic. Grind just before you make the coffee and store your coffee in a cool and dry place.
Cold Brewed Coffee
On a hot day you might like to enjoy a cold brew, cold brewed coffee that is. Cold brewed coffee is steeped in room temperature or even cold water for half a day. It can be served cold or hot. Cold brewed coffee is not iced coffee, which is regular coffee poured over ice to make a cool drink. Cold brewed coffee has to do with the process and not the temperature at which it is served. Additional ingredients to cold brewed coffee include extra water, milk, and chocolate.
Why Cold Brewed Coffee?
Cold brewed coffee is about two thirds less acidic than expresso or percolator coffee. It has to do with extracting caffeine and healthy antioxidants but less acid using a slow, cool extraction process. Basically the coffee just diffuses out of the ground beans over a few hours.
Making Cold Brewed Coffee
Our preference is to start with organic coffee, preferably one of the Colombian organic coffee brands. Grind the beans but coarse and not fine like you would with expresso. Ideally use bottled water and not chlorinated from the tap. If you do use tap water pour the water into a pitcher and allow to sit for several hours to let the chlorine evaporate from the tap water. Grind four and half ounces (1 ¾ cup) of coffee. Add three and a half cups of cold water to a two quart pitcher and then the coffee grounds. Cover, place in the refrigerator and forget for a dozen hours.
Serving Cold Brewed Coffee
The rap against iced coffee is that pouring hot brewed coffee or even espresso over ice typically results on dilute albeit cold coffee. Cold brewed coffee is often stronger than regular coffee. Before serving pour the coffee through a filter or use a French press to remove the coffee grounds. Add a little water if the coffee is too strong for your taste and a little ice if you want it to be colder. Many folks add milk, sugar, chocolate or even liquor making it cold brewed liqueur coffee. This is an ideal drink for a hot summer day but works well in front of a roaring fire in winter as well. From our liqueur coffee article here is a list of liqueurs and how to make.
Name of Liqueur Coffee and Liqueur Used
Gaelic coffee: (Drambuie or Glayva)
Irish Coffee: (Whiskey)
Brandy Coffee: (Brandy)
Keoke Coffee: (Brandy and Kahlúa)
English Coffee: (Gin)
Calypso Coffee: (Tia Maria or Kahlúa and Rum)
Jamaican Coffee: (Tia Maria & Rum)
Shin Shin Coffee: (Rum)
Baileys Irish Cream Coffee
Monk’s Coffee: (Bénédictine)
Seville Coffee: (Cointreau)
Witch’s Coffee: (Strega)
Russian Coffee: (Vodka)
Priest Coffee: (Brennivín)
Corfu Coffee: (Koum Quat liquor)
Kaffee Fertig: (Coffee: with Swiss prune schnapps)
Caffè corretto: (grappa, brandy or Sambuca)
Making Cold Brewed Liqueur Coffee
- Use a clear liqueur coffee glass and pre heat it
- Add 25 ml of liqueur of choice
- Mix in one teaspoonful of raw cane sugar, preferable organic
- Make Cold Brewed Coffee As Described
- Fill the glass to one inch from the top with coffee
- Add slightly whipped cream, pouring over the back of a spoon so that it layers over the top of the coffee and liqueur mixture
Macchiato, Mazagran and Mélange Coffees
Three interesting coffee beverages are macchiato, mazagran and mélange. All are best made with healthy organic coffee. Here is a bit of info about each of them.
Macchiato
The name of this coffee drink means stained. It is essentially espresso with just a dash of foamed milk. It is similar to but stronger than a cappuccino. Milk is foamed directly into the espresso cup and the espresso is added. Cocoa is usually sprinkled over the top. A long macchiato has two shots of espresso and a little extra water and a short macchiato has one shot of espresso and less water.
Mazagran
This is a cold coffee drink. It came from Algeria where it is served in a tall glass. Mazagran consists of coffee poured over ice with the addition of various amounts of sugar, rum, lemon or extra water.
Mélange
This is a popular drink in Europe, particularly the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland. It originated in the 1700s as a café drink in Austria and is often called Wiener Mélange, Wein being the German word for Vienna. Make mélange by combining equal amount s of espresso and steamed milk plus milk foam.
Always Organic
Our preference is for organic coffee and or all organic ingredients. For help finding organic ingredients visit this link. Like organic coffee, other organic foods are certified by the United States Department of Agriculture, the USDA. If you are in doubt about where to find organic ingredients follow the links on the organic ingredient site. If you are in doubt about what constitutes an organic food or drink read the excerpt from the USDA web site.
Start with Espresso
Most coffee beverages are variations on coffee house coffee and start with espresso. Espresso is very concentrated coffee that retains a lot of dissolved as well as suspended solids from the roasted coffee bean. It is made by forcing steam (boiling water) through fine ground coffee. It has a thicker feel because of the suspended solids and foam because of the pressurized steam. Espresso concentrates the flavors of coffee and is served in a small cup, usually an ounce (30 cc). A cup of espresso typically has between 40 and 75 milligrams of caffeine while a standard cup of percolated coffee contains about twice this much but in an 8 ounce cup. Thus coffee house coffee espresso is about four times more concentrated than the cup of coffee that you had a home for breakfast. Because espresso contains more coffee per ounce also contains more organic coffee antioxidants if you insist on organic for your espresso.
Here are the basic coffee house coffees made from espresso.
Americano
Americano is a coffee house coffee made from espresso and diluted with water. This goes back to the World War II era and after when GI’s who were used to Mom’s home perked or boiled coffee asked the barista to add water to their espresso to make it less strong. Think “weak espresso.”
Breve and Latte
Both of these are made with espresso and foam. Latte is made with steamed milk and breve is made with half and half. For latte think “coffee with milk” or café au lait and for breve think “coffee with milk and cream.”
Cappuccino
Cappuccino is made with espresso plus hot milk plus lots of steamed foam.
Mocha
Mocha is for coffee and chocolate lovers. It is made with espresso plus chocolate syrup plus milk.
Coffee in Vietnam
Vietnam is the second greatest coffee producer in the world. Only Brazil grows more coffee. But Vietnam grows primarily Robusta coffee as opposed to Arabica coffee grown throughout the Americas. Robusta coffee has more coffee per bean and is a more bitter coffee than Arabica. Thus when you ask for coffee in Vietnam you always get it with a layer of sweetened condensed milk layered on top. The drink is very strong and very sugary. Coffee in Vietnam is served hot or cold.
History of Coffee in Vietnam
Coffee was introduced to Vietnam in 1857 when the French were the colonial masters of French Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos). The costal highlands that run the length of this 1000 mile long country are ideal for coffee production. Vietnam was reunified in 1975 at the end of the French colonial period and then the Vietnam War. The government promoted coffee production and exports. By the 21st century coffee was only surpassed by rice as a Vietnamese export. The World Bank was instrumental in providing financing to coffee farmers as well as other farmers in Vietnam. Growers in other coffee growing nations blame the recurring excess of coffee supplies on the World Bank and its efforts. Nestle gets much of the caffeine for its various drinks from Vietnamese robusta coffee beans. Vietnam currently produces about 1.7 million tons of Robusta coffee a year.
Drinking Coffee in Vietnam
In Vietnam as in other nations of the world coffee is a social drink. There are coffee shops and coffee is served in restaurants. Coffee is made with a phin, a small cup with a filter chamber to catch the grounds. Grounds are added to the phin and hot water is poured in. the coffee drips into your cup. This is done at the table so you get to wait and watch it happen. Add sweetened condensed milk and you are ready to enjoy coffee in Vietnam. Additional additives to coffee in Vietnam beside condensed milk are eggs, yogurt, butter and cheese. In the capital city of Hanoi a traditional drink is egg coffee which is egg yolk, coffee powder, sweetened condensed milk , butter and cheese. The drink is served hot.
Here is a photo of a Vietnam coffee maker, a phin. Click on the image for more info.
The Caffeine in Your Soda, etc.
The majority of coffee in Vietnam is used to provide caffeine for various caffeinated beverages but not coffee. Nescafe instant coffee is made with robusta coffee beans, primarily from Vietnam. Nestle is a major buyer of Vietnamese coffee but so are other makers of caffeinated drinks. Other major growers of Robusta coffee for this purpose are Indonesia and Brazil.
Drinking Your Coffee in Vietnam
Vietnam is a beautiful country and as time has passed since the Vietnam War many Americans have come back, peacefully, to visit. The cities are bustling and the countryside is gorgeous. You can sit in a café and drink your Robusta coffee with sweet and condensed milk or with some of the other more exotic ingredients. Getting around usually requires air travel as there is no interstate system connecting this thousand mile long country from top to bottom.
Galão, Guillermo or Green Eye Coffee?
Here are three coffee house coffee variations with espresso as the base. Galão is from Portugal and only takes one shot of expresso. Guillermo includes slices of lime and two shots of espresso. Green eye is also known as Triple Death as it starts with regular coffee and adds three shots of espresso. Here are instructions for how to make Galão, Guillermo or Green Eye Coffee.
Galão
Galão can be made with one part espresso and three parts foamed milk but it can also be made with one part espresso and one part foamed milk. The first way to make Galão is served in a tall glass and the second called meiia de leite is served in a coffee cup.
Make espresso with healthy organic coffee. Foam the milk with hot steam as you would with latte. Add the espresso.
Guillermo
You can make Guillermo hot or cold and with or without milk. Make the espresso as you normally world. Slice up a lime and put in a coffee cup. Pour the espresso over the limes and enjoy. For the cold variety add lime slices and ice to a tall glass and then pour in the espresso, two shots. Add a touch of milk if you desire.
Green eye
Green eye is also known as triple death because it contains a LOT of coffee. Use one of the excellent Colombian organic coffee brands to make a strong dark roast coffee. Using the same coffee make a triple shot of espresso. Add the triple shot of espresso to the dark roast coffee in a tall cup and enjoy.
How Much Caffeine Do You Need?
Coffee has lots of health benefits and several of these are a direct result of the caffeine in coffee. But, you do not necessarily need to drink all of your caffeine at one sitting. Thus our preference of the three coffees lists is the Galão. It only requires a shot of espresso and comes nicely mixed with foamed milk. Our second choice is the Guillermo with the unique addition of lime. Our preference for an all-night drive across the entire country is Green Eye.
Many Ways to Prepare Coffee
There are many ways to prepare coffee. Here are a few with links to articles about history and preparation.
Turkish coffee
Touba coffee
Café Medici
Black tie coffee
Café Bombón
Rüdesheimer kaffee
Eggnog latte
Liqueur coffees
To these you can add Galão, Guillermo and Green Eye Coffee.
Always Organic
Always remember that organic coffee is better. It is free of the more than 100 impurities found in regular commercial coffee and is better for the environment. Look for certification by the USDA, Rainforest Alliance or UTZ on the label. Organic coffee differs from regular coffee in several aspects. The soil in which organic coffee is grown must have been verified as free from prohibited substances for at least three years. In addition there must be distinct boundaries between land on which organic coffee is grown and land where pesticides, herbicides, and prohibited chemical fertilizers are used. This guarantees that drift of substances sprayed or otherwise applied on adjacent land will not contaminate the organic plot of land. Organic coffee certification includes the adherence to a specific and verifiable plan for all practices and procedures from planting to crop maintenance, to harvest, de-husking, bagging, transport, roasting, packaging, and final transport.
Varieties of Liqueur Coffee
There are probably as many varieties of liqueur coffee as there are liqueurs. We would like to suggest that you make any or all of them with healthy organic coffee, preferably one of the Colombian organic coffee brands. Here is a list of some of the varieties of liqueur coffee and then we present a recipe or two.
Liqueur Coffee - Irish Coffee
Name of Liqueur Coffee and Liqueur Used
Gaelic coffee: (Drambuie or Glayva)
Irish Coffee: (Whiskey)
Brandy Coffee: (Brandy)
Keoke Coffee: (Brandy and Kahlúa)
English Coffee: (Gin)
Calypso Coffee: (Tia Maria or Kahlúa and Rum)
Jamaican Coffee: (Tia Maria & Rum)
Shin Shin Coffee: (Rum)
Baileys Irish Cream Coffee
Monk’s Coffee: (Bénédictine)
Seville Coffee: (Cointreau)
Witch’s Coffee: (Strega)
Russian Coffee: (Vodka)
Priest Coffee: (Brennivín)
Corfu Coffee: (Koum Quat liquor)
Kaffee Fertig: (Coffee: with Swiss prune schnapps)
Caffè corretto: (grappa, brandy or Sambuca)
How Do You Make Liqueur Coffee?
- Use a clear liqueur coffee glass and pre heat it
- Add 25 ml of liqueur of choice
- Mix in one teaspoonful of raw cane sugar, preferable organic
- Use a strong Americano coffee although some prefer espresso
- Fill the glass to one inch from the top with coffee
- Add slightly whipped cream, pouring over the back of a spoon so that it layers over the top of the coffee and liqueur mixture
Coffee for a Cold Night
We wrote previously about making Irish coffee. Irish coffee has its origins at the airport in Shannon, Ireland on a cold night to warm up passengers waiting for a transatlantic flight. Any of the liqueur coffee can fill this same need for a warm alcoholic drink with a coffee pick me up included. There are as many variations as there are varieties of liqueur coffee. For example, here are recipes for Gaelic Coffee and Calypso coffee.
Making Gaelic Coffee
Ingredients:
3/4 oz Irish whiskey
3/4 oz Irish cream
1 1/2 oz dark creme de cacao
2 oz milk
1 tblspful espresso
A few drops of green crème de menthe
Add the whiskey, crème de cacao and milk to a warmed coffee liqueur glass and mix
Sprinkle in a few drops of crème de menthe for color
Pour slightly whipped cream over a spoon into the cup to create a layer on top
Add another few drops of crème de menthe if you like
Making Calypso Coffee
Ingredients:
1 oz TiaMaria coffee liqueur
5 ounces of strong black coffee
1 ½ ounces of whipped cream
1 tsp sugar
Mix the liqueur sugar in the bottom of a liqueur coffee glass
Add the coffee
Pour whipped cream to layer out over the top
A Cold Night Can Be the Mother of Invention
Winter is coming and with it the need for an occasional warm drink. The basic recipe for liqueur coffee is a good place to start. Pick your favorite liqueur and your favorite organic coffee. Make sure to get organic cream and organic sugar. The point is produce not only a drink that tastes good but also one that is visually appealing as well. Do not be afraid to experiment a bit to arrive at your favorite liqueur coffee to please yourself and impress your friends.
Eggnog Latte for the Holidays
Winter is coming and the holidays are almost upon us. Buy Organic Coffee would like to vote for eggnog latte for the holidays as an appropriate way to make healthy organic coffee for Thanksgiving, Christmas and into the depths of winter. Here is a little information about eggnog, latte, and how to make eggnog latte for the holidays.
Where Did Eggnog Come From?
Eggnog probably originated in East Anglia, England and has its roots in a medieval European beverage made with hot milk called posset. Nog comes from noggin which was Middle English for a small carved wood cup used to serve alcohol. At the time of its origin, the drink was also called egg flip because the preparer flipped or rapidly poured it between two pitchers to mix it. An early reference to eggnog in the colonies in the 18th century described “egg-nog” as a mixture of rum, eggs, “new” milk, and sugar. Travelers in that era were known to fortify themselves against the elements by drinking “egg-nog” before going out on the lonely roads and trails of the era.
You will find more information and see a modern recipe for eggnog in our article, How to Make Homemade Eggnog. The article also includes George Washington’s recipe for homemade eggnog. Besides the milk, sugar, and eggs, America’s revolutionary leader and first president included brandy, rye whiskey, Jamaica rum, and sherry to his eggnog recipe and advised to “taste frequently.” They certainly knew how to make impressive eggnog in those days!
Homemade Eggnog
Latte Origin
In the USA a basic latte is a coffee house coffee made with espresso and steamed milk. But, be careful when traveling. If you ask for a latte in Italy you will get a glass of milk! You would need to ask for a Caffè latte. In Europe, coffee with milk has been popular for a few hundred years.
- Italy: Caffè latte
- Germany: Milchkaffee
- France: Café au lait
- Spain (and Latin America): Café con leche
- British Isles: Coffee with milk
Making “latte” seems to have started on the West Coast of the USA, first in Berkeley, CA in the 1950s and then in Seattle where the drink was made specifically with espresso and steamed milk. Interestingly, the trend moved back to Europe but in Scandinavia rather than in the South an included espresso and steamed milk.
Making a Latte
Ingredients
- Espresso, single or double
- Whole milk (6 to 12 ounces)
- Steamed Milk
- Foamed Milk
Equipment
- Espresso maker with steam wand or arm
- Milk jug
- Thermometer
Steps
- Fill a milk jug a third full with whole milk
- Purge the steam arm of the espresso maker
- Foam the milk before making espresso. Aim for a smooth “microfoam”
- Gently tap the jug to remove unwanted, overly large, bubbles
- Prepare the espresso (single or double) using a latte cup
- Pour the frothed milk into the espresso starting high above and steepen the pouring angle as you lower the milk jug
- Make sure that a small amount of milk foam remains on top of the drink at the end.
If you do not have an espresso maker you can use strong coffee but the standard latte is made with espresso.
Latte
Eggnog Latte for the Holidays (or Whenever)
This article is about eggnog latte but the holidays should be about family, friends, traditions, and enjoyment. So, if all you want to do is add a little store-bought eggnog, as creamer, to a fresh hot cup of coffee, plus a little Irish whisky for your Christmas version of Irish coffee, please go ahead.
But, if you have the inclination and the time, check out our recipe in how to make homemade eggnog. Then follow the latte directions from Caffe Society, modified for eggnog latte.
You will be using eggnog instead of whole milk but you can still froth or foam it with the steam want from you espresso machine. If you don´t have a steam wand, you can vigorously whisk the eggnog to make it froth up.
And, if you also do not have an espresso maker, strong coffee will do.
(Craftsy)
Alcohol or No Alcohol in Your Eggnog Latte for the Holidays
Going back to George Washington and even before, it is traditional to make eggnog with rum and other spirits. Thus, you may choose to make your eggnog with alcohol in it. But, there are good reasons to leave the alcohol out of your homemade eggnog if you will be serving it to children or to those for whom alcohol presents a problem.
If you leave the alcohol out of the eggnog, you can still add it selectively to the eggnog latte for the holidays.
Here is a quick and easy recipe for creamy eggnog coffee for the holidays featuring homemade or store-bought eggnog and alcohol added at the end.
Ingredients
- Cold coffee: 4 cups
- Eggnog: 32 ounces
- Frozen whipped topping: 8 ounces
- Ground cinnamon: half teaspoon
- Rum: 1 cup (optional)
- Whipping cream (optional)
- Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
Directions:
- In a large bowl combine coffee, eggnog, and whipped topping with a whisk
- Add rum and stir
- Put in the refrigerator to keep cool until serving
- Just before serving whip up whipping cream and grate the nutmeg to top off each glass
We at Buy Organic Coffee hope that this bit of information helps you enjoy your holidays just a little more.