I-Roasted...

Recently I was on holiday in a remote place armed with a good Jura coffee machine, and some green bean, and an I-Roast, an excellent domestic roaster. And I was happy to spend time reaquanting myself with the little roaster.

I first used the I-roast over 4 years ago, and had some fun learning the nuances of the roasting of green bean, but it was only after spending time in front of larger more commercial raoster, the Diedrich that I started to really play with the I-Roast. And I learnt then that slowly heating the bean, then after 6-7 mins increasing the temp slowly that you go great results, close to the commercial roaster, but with a smaller volume.

So armed with my historical knowledge I was fortunate enough to have Yirgacheffe green bean, which I prefer at the moment of second crack, and away I went. For interest this is what the end program looked like:

1. Temp 160°C, time 6:45
2. Temp 170°C, time 30sec
3. Temp 180°C, time 30sec
4. Temp 190°C, time 30sec
5. Temp 200°C, time 30sec

and this did the trick. The roaster is a little noisy but it is so cool watching as the green bean, become a greeny brown, then light brown then darker and darker. But don't stare at the horizon too long, since then you will miss is. And then after the 4 minute cool down, I found a 30 minute resting period was best before enjoying a freshly ground brew.

Jura Ena9 is here

Jura Ena 9 making
a Cappuccino

After nearly a year of waiting, South African’s can finally purchase the Ena⁹ One Touch domestic automatic coffee machine.

Was in Europe First

The Ena⁹ One Touchwas released in Europe early in 2010, and offers Jura’s take on one button methodology, where you can make, espresso, coffee, cappuccino and latte at a single press of one button.
The Ena range is Jura’s range focused on the domestic market.

So what is it like?

Well as far as a one touch cappuccino machine it is a pleasure. Attach the pipe, and simply press a button, and the milk is frothed, then coffee is added. It makes a good cappuccino, more in the latte style than in the barista style, but for an automatic, that is a compromise we have seen many people happy with.
And since it is part of the one touch range it will ask to start the internal frother rinsing cycle after not making a milk based drink for 5 minutes, which is a necessary feature.

Tell us something that is great

When I originally heard of the aroma boost button, I must be totally honest I initially thought it was a stupid feature, but having worked with many coffee drinkers; they seem to have a problem understanding what makes an espresso and what makes a coffee. So essentially the aroma boost is either an espresso shot or a double espresso shot (depending if you press it once or twice)
Another great feature is that all the buttons are programmable in the typical Jura way. Which is so easy to use, and easy to explain; and best of all are easy to override when you need something different

Why domestic only?

One of the biggest problems automatic coffee machines suffer from is incorrect allocation of the machine to its purpose. We see so many offices that purchase a domestic machine and then wonder why it falls over all the time. We class this machine as a domestic machine since the typical domestic environment consumes no more the 10 cups of coffee a day, and typically average only 3 or 4 cups a day. Anything more than that I we would not recommend the Ena range, since the water tank takes only 1.1 litres, the bean hopper 110g; and you can only do 10 cups before emptying the grinds.

AeroPress Brewing process

I found this:

Brewing process for the Aeropress, in a graphical detail

I have published the about without permission, so if you looking for the original post go here: http://shotzombies.com/2010/09/03/video-the-hasbean-guide-to-brewing-with-an-aeropress/

If you are from shotzombies or HasBean, leave a
comment, and I will delete this post if there is a problem.

Video Version

Hi looking for the video of this summary:

Fair Trade does not help the poorest - NO Surprise

Recently I stumbled across this report:

Fair Trade does not help the poorest, report says - Telegraph

I must say that I am not surprised, like many other certification that started off trying to make a difference it to has gone to the marketing dogs. Any certification that needs a board falls into this trap. The Organic certification is more about sales than it is about the way things are grown. I have seen this with the coffee from the Limu region of Ethiopia. This coffee was always partly made up of wild growing coffee. The co-op spent a small fortune getting certified, in the hope that sales would grow. And they have placed a premium on the coffee, with almost no money going back to the grower for all this certification work. Now the end consumer can fell better, but there are no significant changes, the coffee tastes the same, and you have to pay 15% more for it.

I believe that you need to look for honest businesses. Like the businesses promoting relationship coffees. There is no certification just honest through the chain. The grower knows what the co-op and the the exporter and roaster make, and this is all published along the coffee chain, so that everyone is kept honest.

Starbucks looking for cheaper coffee?

Starbucks and Chinese Government Announce Yunnan Coffee Industry Investments - MarketWatch

Quality Coffee comes at a premium. The reason why China took the world is that they could produce goods cheaper by use of government spend and their now well known issue with human rights.

Are Starbucks that desperate to make a dollar?

They helped drive quality into the American market, and now they are becoming the Wal-mart of coffee, pity. I am sure people in Sara Lee and Kraft must be laughing

An anecdote about the Kaldi myth

First the Myth

One of the most common myths about how coffee was found involves a goat herder called Kaldi, whose goats either did not come home, or he noticed they where frisky, and on investigation noted that they had eaten the fruit of the coffee plan.

The myth has many flaws, one of them is that the coffee fruit is very low in caffeine, and the seed (or green bean) is hard to chew, not that goats would struggle to eat anything.


Some of the below is found in Kenneth Davids' Coffee book.

The test

In two independent tests done with goats of the region, the goats showed no interest at all in the coffee fruit on the tree.

In the orchard

Test one the goats were herded in to a a coffee orchard, and videoed, no matter how little grass was under the trees they still rather ate that than the coffee fruit, even when they were offered a branch of the tree from their herder

Hungrier Goats

In the Yemen, a group of hungry goats where offered three things, one after another:

1. fresh coffee branches
2. dry grass>
3. Qat tree leaves (a local stimulant)

The preference was 3,2,1

A side note

Goats in Ethiopia are feed the leaves of the coffee plant, when the people there feed them that. This is interesting since there is also debate on whether or not the goat herder was Ethiopian or Arabic.

OMG, what is that in your coffee?

What is found in what others call "coffee"

I have always known that there are some people in the coffee industry that are so close to highway robbers that I am embarrassed to be a be of the same humanoid type. I have heard of people roasting their coffee beans then spraying them with water, I had never considered what is in ground (yuk) coffee, and even worse the instant coffee (puke).
List of adulterants found in coffee
Here is a list of items used and still used in coffee that is being sold at many retail outlets:

• almonds
• arrowhead
• asparagus seeds and stalks
• baked horse liver
• barberries
• barley
• beechmast
• beetroot
• box seeds
• bracken
• bran
• bread crusts
• brewery waste
• brick dust
• burnt rags
• burrs
• carob beans
• carrot
• chickpeas
• chicory
• chrysanthemum seeds
• cloves
• coal ashes
• cocoa shells
• comfrey roots
• cranberries
• currants
• hahlia tubers
• dandelion roots
• date seeds
• dirt
• dog biscuits
• elderberries
• figs
• gherkins
• gooseberries
• haws
• hips
• holly berries
• horse chestnuts
• Jerusalem artichockes
• juniper berries
• kola nuts
• lentils
• linseed
• lupine
• malt
• mesquite
• monkey nuts
• mulberries
• parsnips
• pea hulls
• pumpkin seeds
• quaker-grass roots
• rice
• rye
• rowan berries
• sand
• sassafras
• sawdust
• sloes
• sunflower seeds
• swedes
• turnips
• vetch
• wheat
• whey
• wood chips

Sources, Ineedcoffe and Uncommon Grounds

Even more reason to look at making sure you drink you coffee in bean form, fresh from the roaster.

Some more videos I found on coffee

Health and Coffee more...

Here are a a few more videos I found about Health and coffee.

My take on it has always been if you need coffee to wake up, or to get through the day, than just like any other substance you are abusing it. If you can be off coffee for 48hrs and there are no side effects, than you have no adverse affect, just like once again any other substance.

Better still find and drink the best quality coffee and make sure it is roasted fresh so that none of the oils are exposed. The better the quality of coffee the lower the caffeine. The shade grown varietals are the best.

Health Benefits From Coffee: Medicine Matters

Some regurgitated stuff presented in a different way.

Coffee: New Health Benefits

News channel stuff, but actually some good advice "Perks of coffee", haha. If you like the coffee drink it, and enjoy it.

How Caffeine works

I good explanation about the affects on the brain.

By the way drinking specialty grade shade grown coffee 3 cups a day is about 140 mg caffeine.

Sign of confirmation that Specialty Coffee is the Best

So Lavazza buys stake in Green Mountain Coffee - Yahoo! Finance, is this the first Italian confirmation, that specialty grade coffee is the better choice?

Although Green Mountain Coffee, do nasty things like K-cups and the like, their business is based on fresh roasted specialty grade coffee. And when Italy's number one is buying into that kind of model, to me this is affirmation that the specialty coffee world has once again confirmed that it is the crema of the crop.
Specialty grade coffee has steadily increased the quality of coffee over the last 30 years, and that has been linked with better prices to the farmer, few middle men, and a better cup of coffee.
There are all these rumours about coffee shortage, perhaps it is driven by better quality coffee trees, which means that quality over quantity wins. The shade grown specialty grade coffees represent the best in the world, and it is good to see a financial transaction that seals this confirmation, especially on for $250 million.

Coffee Machines and Makers – Choose by Cost

There are almost 3,000 patented ways to make coffee, and there are new ones each month. So here is a summary of what to look at depending on budget and need.

What is NOT Coffee!

Before we start let me first start that if you want to drink coffee you should know what some may call coffee but to me is not.

• Any thing that comes in a bottle or tin, that requires you measuring by teaspoon and adding water is not coffee! It is not even coffee essence, which the concept of powder is based on it is as far removed from coffee as grapes are removed from raisins
  
• Instantly dispose of it, if there is any thing any where that says instant, that is not coffee that is a convenience drink
  
• The best place for it is the bin, if it has some fancy marketing name that is based on some city or areas name then it is not coffee
  
• Waste of money scream at me, if it is pre-ground, then it is not coffee, it is something that smells similar but cannot compare like a weed cannot be compared to a rose.
  
• If the words vacuum appear anywhere on the packaging then toss it
  
• A pod is something we will one day take to work, and is not a place to keep coffee
  
• If the beans have a glistening look, then the compost is the best place for them
  

So what is coffee?

• Must be in bean form
  
• Should have a roasting date on it
  
• Should tell you where it is from, and not just a country name either. A Brazilian is not a type of coffee
  

Assumptions

The person who wants a good coffee maker, loves coffee so has found a good source of buying fresh roasted coffee bean. So all the coffee brewing solutions below will assume that, and will either include a grinder or recommend a minimum.

So the basic assumption is that you have found your beans and they are of a high enough standard.

The Recommended Coffee Machine List

For those not from SA, the rand (R) to US $ rate is about R7 to $1. You will see that there is a big jump in the prices between the budget and domestic automatic machine, the reason is that the machines between those two are really fashion statements, they make no better coffee, and not more convenience than the coffee makers in the price range up to R1,350.00.

I have had some good coffees out of the decent domestic machines that hover around R11,000 with a good grinder, but for that price I think the Juras are a more logical choice, since they consistently make a great cup of coffee. What other make is missing here probably WMF and Schearer, but neither of these offer a great support base in South Africa.

At the 35k mark you need real skill to consistently beat the Z7, and if you made 10 cups you would fine in a blind taste the average Joe would probably prefer the Z7.

Need	Solution	Price Range	Coffee Quality (10 is best)
Bare necessity Coffee Maker	Plunger with blade grinder	R120 – R300 (with grinder)	5
Budget Coffee Maker for 1 or 2	Aeropress with burr grinder	R375 – R895 (with grinder)	7-8 (depending on the brew technique)
Espresso Maker for 1 or 2	Mocha pot with burr grinder	R450 – R950 (with grinder)	7
Budget Coffee Maker for up to 10	Mocha pot with burr grinder	R300 – R1,350 (with grinder)	6 - 7 (with a high quality gold filter)
Fashion Coffee Maker	I do not recommend these, but the normally are in the guise of a domestic espresso machine, may even have double barrelled names	R1,350 – R18,000 (with grinder)	5-8 (depending on skill level)
Domestic Automatic Coffee Machine	Jura Ena 3, if you like cappuccino the add different frothing attachment or even stand alone milk frother	R7,900 – R8,800 (with milk frother)	8
Small office Super Automatic Coffee Machine	Jura Impressa F50, if you like cappuccino the add different frothing attachment or even stand alone milk frother	R10,602 – R11,500 (with milk frother)	8.5
Medium office Super Automatic	Jura Impressa XF50, if you like cappuccino the add different frothing attachment or even stand alone milk frother	R10,602 – R11,500 (with milk frother)	8.5
Executive Office or Home Automatic	Jura Impressa Z7, the best coffee a super automatic can produce at the moment.	R24,500 – R26,200 (chrome finish)	9
The I am mad about coffee maker	A single group machine like the La Pavoni, must have a 54 cm head and A Ditting doserless grinder	R35,000 (est)	9.5 (with a well trained person do the magic)
The I am king of the world machine	A clover machine (have to source them second hand, and they are as scarce as hens teeth) and a Ditting doserless grinder.	SQ	9.75 - 10

This table has been status quo for about 2 years now, so we wait with baited breath.

Footnote

We have found that each brewing system changes the taste on the coffee significantly, so you may need to change your coffee if you change your preferred brewing method.

Coffee is barely in the top 50th most traded commodity

Myth

There is a common myth that is spread around that coffee is the second most traded commodity. Well guest what it is not. This myth apparently started in the 70's. I first read it in Uncommon Grounds, but I have since read an article Coffee second only to oil? Is coffee really the second largest commodity? also written by Mark Pendergrast who wrote the book

Fact

You can read the article but the basic are this, after looking a many sources, here is a quick summary of what he found in the UN Comtrade, in dollars:

• OIL and derivative represents $1.09 trillion
• petroleum oils (non-crude) amount to $495 billion
• Natural gas is $200 billion
• ...
• Eventually food stuffs are listed:
  
  • Wheat (including spelt) and meslin, unmilled accounts for $32.9 billion
  • Cotton fabrics, woven yield $25.5 billion
  • Meat accounts for $43 billion
  • milk for another $31.6 billion
  • leather $23 billion
  • Sugars, molasses and honey $25 billion
  • Finally, there is "coffee and coffee substitutes" $22 billion

Intresting foot note
He does list an interesting question at the end, how many people are employed by the coffee industry, he estimates 75 million, of which 15 million alone are involved in Ethiopia, which represents 20% of the total number.

Coffee Health Benefits

Mounting evidence ignored by Health practitioners

How many studies have to be done on coffee before the tipping point is reached and people actually believe that there are health benefits to drinking coffee.

Two items I found this week, with out looking

Link 1

Drinking coffee and prevention of Diabetes. But will bleech flour ever make it to the health practitioners hit list?
CBS: Drink up to prevent Diabetes

Link 2

This was on How it works, and now it is on You Tube,

Link 3

This is translated (thanks to Goggle) from the Confidential news letter:

Researchers at the coffee world are meeting in Bali, Indonesia to attend the greatest event (sic) in world coffee science. The twenty-third World Conference on Coffee Science, sponsored by ASIC (Association for Science and Information Café) addresses the main themes of the area as coffee and health effects of consumption of coffee on human physiology, the chemistry of coffee processing, genetics, quality, certification, cultural and sustainability.

The opening event was on Sunday, October 01 and was attended by the Minister of Agriculture of Indonesia. On Monday, were presented important work on coffee and health. The highlight was work that showed that moderate coffee consumption is beneficial in preventing cardiovascular disease, especially in women. Other good news comes from the beneficial association of coffee consumption in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease and combating the symptoms of disease, such as memory loss. Brazilian researchers presented papers on the antibacterial effect of coffee.

On Tuesday, two days, came the work on the chemistry of coffee. The complexity of the various chemical components that make up a cup of coffee was highlighted. Swiss researchers also compared the different aromas and flavors of coffee with an orchestra. A well-tuned orchestra is a pleasure for the consumer. Over 800 substances have been found in chemical analysis and many of them are related mainly to the aroma of coffee.

Researchers from Paraná presented a study examining the presence of lipids beneficial to human health in several varieties of coffee. Already researchers at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) presented an interesting paper that uses infrared spectroscopy to separate roasted and ground coffee beans originating from defective (PVA) rice not bad.


Brazil is represented at the event by researchers from ITB UFLA, UFMG, IAPAR, UFRJ and other institutions.

Read original here: http://www.coffeeclubnetwork.com/redes/form/post?pub_id=2140

Figures point to Coffee shortage

The LONDON based International Coffee Organization (ICO), has released Aug 2010's export figures. The result is that they have totalled world coffee exports to 7.92 million bags in August 2010. Although this is up in contrast to the 7.63 million bags in August 2009, exports in the 11 months of last coffee year 2009/10 (Oct/09 to Aug/10) have decreased by 4.4% to 86.34 million bags compared to 90.35 million bags in the same period in the last coffee year.

In the twelve months ending August 2010, Arabica exports amounted to 60.44 million bags compared to 63.13 million bags last year, a decrease of 4.26%. Of comparison interest only to me is that Robusta (yuk) exports totalled 32.98 million bags compared to 35.31 million bags last year, a decrease of 6.6%, on a smaller number, so perhaps there is a silver lining ;).

So that means that all varieties Arabica represent 66.89% of the world's production, so technically the Arabica production is increasing, this point to the fact that the coffee drinking public is becoming more discerning, since this is up from the 60% in 2008.

Does this mean the mass producers should be concerned? Perhaps they should since they are the last to concentrate on quality coffee product, rather fall back on the convenience factor. Also since the major brands all rely on Robusta to control their price, the drop in export in that crop may mean good news for those driven by quality rather than brand.

It does show that the earlier scare this year may be on track, and may cause green bean hording. The one question I still have is does the specialty coffee industry report accurately into the ICO?

Uses for old coffee grounds

Here is a great link to allow you to do something with your coffee grinds, after you have enjoyed a cup:

21 uses for old coffee grounds

I few more:

- add to compost heap, it helps with keeping snails out

- you can leave some floating in water in a little cup it traps cockroaches

Got anymore? add a comment.

Looking for coffee to turn into ground? Try Quality Coffee

What makes the perfect cup of coffee?

What is the perfect cup of coffee. We as humans are driven by our sensors, and often what makes the perfect cup of coffee is our memory of the perfect cup. It is normally not the coffee that is the major contributor to us remembering a cup of joe. I asked myself this question while reading Kenneth Davids' Coffee book


For me I remember as a young man going to the drive-in on a cold winter night and craving what I now call drive-in coffee. This is normally not very good coffee, with condense milk, it is sweet to the point that your teeth rattle. But feeling freezing cold and having this syrupy cup of coffee was perfect that day and time.

When I was studying and I needed a break grinding the coffee fresh, placing the coffee in a two cup mocha pot and relaxing while it made its magic brew was the perfect cup for me then. And I remember those coffees well.

What makes the perfect cup of coffee today for me is a combination of things:

• The coffee must be fresh roasted, highland grown and specialty grade, which means that by the time you get it at least 4 different people have rated it as enjoyable.
• If you have the time then a group head machine normally produces the best coffee, but normally the perfect coffee means you have friends around, and you enjoy their company and that is normally not conducive to the attention you need to give a group head machine that is where high quality super automatic, comes to the party. Once you get to know a good quality super automatic I find that you can get a great cup from them.
• Then obviously you need the environment to be perfect, the place, the people and the ambience, that is where the deal is sealed.

When do you last have your perfect cup, add a comment to list it. Was it on a picnic, on the beach in the mountains, or overlooking the field.

Stuff Every "Barista" Ought to Understand

As a coffee lover, particularly a specialty grade coffee, and mostly self taught in the art of espresso extraction, or what some people call barista skills, I find the base knowledge of each of these so called baristas can vary no matter where I come in to contact with these 'skilled' individuals. Add to that, that there is considerable amount of differing information spread by other so called experts and training courses out there about coffee and the art of the espresso brew. Here is a basic list of what every aspiring espresso extraction artist, or for the sake of brevity lets call them baristas, should know.

This is not an espresso!

• a particular kind of coffee bean
• a particular roast profile (often believed to be dark roast)
• a blend of coffees, not matter what grade
• Spelt or said with and "X" i.e. E"x"presso

What than is an espresso?

Definition: An espresso can be defined as a brew that is the result of a controlled quantity of hot water being forced under pressure through fine coffee grinds. The water extracts proteins, sugars and oils into a delicious couple of millilitres of thick caramel coloured liquid, which covers the brew and is called crema, without over extracting the flavour.
Espresso hence refers to a technique of preparation resulting in a concentrated coffee beverage, whose consistency is syrupy and dense and, if properly aged and prepared, should have a thick head of rusty golden coloured crema.
To get the rusty golden crema, all factors need to be correct in the perfect brew, the temperature of the brewing water as it hits the coffee cannot be higher than 95 degrees C, the coffee should be fresh ground and fresh roasted.

Grind size is everything

Incorrect grind size is comparable to a music produced from a piano. If you have the finest pianist playing a piano that is not correctly tuned, or is to old to be tuned, then no matter how well they try the music is never satisfying to listen to.
This is the case for a grinding coffee for a great espresso, you need to factor in age, pressure, climate, blend and roast profile to name a few. To get a great espresso each day typically you have to make more than a dozen little modifications to your grind level to continue producing espresso in its ideal flavour scope.

Even when if you are certain you are have the same dosing, distributing the grind properly, and tamping to the same pressure level, if the grind incorrect so to is the flavour.
Just like you have to know how to enjoy fine food and wine, practice makes perfect :), so start savouring more espressos and get to know the tell tale signs of over and under extracted brew.

Specialty vs Commercial Coffees

To break the coffee world into to distinct categories of specialty coffee and commercial coffee, is a broad grouping. But it is a good starting point for those not sure what is meant by the two types of categories, so here is a rough guideline based on this broad grouping, in table form:

Specialty Coffee	Commercial Coffee
Normally available in bean form only, in 250g or 1kg bags	Well branded jars, tins and vacuum packed bricks
Fresh roasted using a high quality roaster, roasting normally done manually	Bulk roasted as per of a large plant, roasting automated
Traditional pick and processing methods	Large scale processing methods, quantity is king
Considerably more choice, especially around origin and taste profile	Bulk blending to mask quality of the bean and roast
Purchase by roast date and origin practical and applicable	You get what the brand produces
More opportunity to participate in the coffee	Coffees are faits accomplis
Driven by climate and terrior and crop	Since the quality is not the primary driver buyers can move to cheaper and cheaper markets

 

Today there are some commercial brands that try and replicate the Specialty Coffee product in mainly name, and there are Specialty coffee producers that have become more driven by brand, so the distinction is not as clear as it once was.

Best way to check is look at how important roast date is and what drives their product list.

Decalcification of a Coffee Machine

When looking for a coffee machine, make sure that it has a decalcification process that:

1. Notifies you that it needs to be run, based on the level of water hardness you are adding to the tank (for those in South Africa normally a hardness of about 6 degrees is a good rule of thumb)
   
2. Runs an automated process to de-scale or decalcify the machine.
   

Even with these in place I would suggest that you run a decalcification process on your machine at least once ever 1,000 cups of coffee, and if you are using filtered water at least once every 7,500 cup. Why I here you ask? Well since this cleans the internal plumbing making sure it is free of any calcium and scale. Which in turn helps with the heating process and ensures the machine lasts a lot longer than a machine whose owner avoids running this process

This is one of the reasons why I originally loved the Jura Coffee Machine range, I still do by the way. They were early pioneers in tracking the number of cup of coffee made, the actual quantity of water used (eith oz or ml), and automatically recommending descale and cleaning processes based on the number they had found gave the best results. Other machines have since followed suit like lambs to the flock. The funny thing is that you still get so called experts in the field ignoring these programs, and even disabling them, they should be drawn a quartered.

Decalcifying a coffee machine in most manuals can seem a little confusing. You need to have specific tablets or liquid to do the job and you also need to start a process. For those machines where it is not automatic or they do not recommend it. A guide is to use about 500ml of warm water (about 1 ½ cups), make sure that if you are using tablets they are fully dissolved, then run that liquid through the machine as if making coffee. Once that is done, run at least 1.5 times that amount through to clear the cleaning fluid out and then the machine should be good to go.

Get a Grinder NOW!

Of all the things that surprise me, the one that always blows my mind is people who say they love coffee, and they do not own a grinder or a machine that grinds for them. What does grinder give you:

• Freshness of grind. If you are passionate about coffee then you probably already know how important freshness of coffee bean is, so you are checking that you coffee is roasted fresh, but do you know that 50% of you aroma is gone within the first 3 hours of grinding you coffee. If you purchase packaged coffee and they have added a gas or a valve then that pushes it to a few days, but still it is stale. And the worst part about that is you pay the same money for stale product
  
• Fineness of grind, matching grind fineness to the method of brew is one of the important steps toward the perfect brew. Only a French press or Boduim is compatible with the blade grinder, since consistency is not that critical
  
• Choice of coffee, when you can grind your own coffee you can select your own coffee, and better still get away from blends that mash the unique flavours knowing most coffee drinkers are purchasing pre ground so that coffee produces and drop the quality of the coffee they place in their blends
  
• Storage of the coffee beans, since you are now only using coffee beans, you can store them for longer. And we have found no side effects from taking well roasted coffee out of the freezer and adding it direct to the grinder. Since a well roasted coffee bean has the flavours still in tact and contained in the bean, and the roasting method essentially removes all traces of water, freezing preserves rather than destroys.
  

So if you consider your self a connoisseur and you do not own a grinder what are you waiting for get one now. And make sure it is a burr grinder, which produces consistent grind.

Avoiding disappointing purchases

Now what you drink

I have met a couple of people who talk about the bad experience they have had purchasing, before you buy. Before committing to you latest coffee gadget, decide what you want it for. We all tend to make quick purchases without thinking, those you cannot avoid. The most important thing is research the product before committing. Look at the following before you purchase:

• What is you preferred brew, espresso, Americano or mug off coffee
• How much milk do you add, hot or frothed
• Do you add sugar
• What types of cups do you use

Look for features

Once armed with the answers look for some answers, does the coffee maker heat the cups, if yu like hot coffee, if it does how long does it take. All the Jura coffee machines come with a hot water spout that you can heat your cups with, just fill with 30mls of hot water and the temperature of the cup will mean that even if you have a mug of coffee the temperature will be great.


For other machines like filter machines or the Aeropress which the people in the know say only brew at a shade over 80 degrees make sure the cup is well warmed, adding some boiling water into the cup while you prepare the Aeropress is a good way to do that.

If looking at coffee grinders, make sure you match the the coffee you like, aero press, filter, plunger etc to the type of grind the grinder can produce. A blade grinder will save money, but is only really applicable to plunger base coffee.

And for a home coffee roaster, make sure you match the quantity you drink to the amount that can be roasted, remember that you loose 20% on average in weight on the coffee.

Budge and advice

Try not to over extend yourself. Coffee goodies can save you money in the long run, but you do not need to sacrifice the food on your table in order to save a buck.

Always ask for advice so many people in the industry are there to help, fire the same question to a few people, and soon a common thread will appear, and stick to that, then you cannot go wrong.

Interesting Coffee Titbits

Sent to me by David Banks, thanks man, with some editing by me

Odor eater

Freshen smelly fridges with unused coffee grounds (I would use the spent ground, the affect is the same). They'll neutralize air by sucking up stinky moisture, while giving off their own great java scent, says Sara Snow, green-lifestyle expert, TV host, and author of Sara Snow's Fresh Living. Just place a small bowl of grounds in the back of your fridge or freezer, or hang a cheesecloth pouch filled with grounds in the cabinet where you keep your garbage. Discard after a few months.

Brain food

A mug of joe a day could help you stay sharp. A study from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences found that a daily dose of caffeine may block the disruptive effects of high cholesterol that scientists have linked to Alzheimer's disease. Read more on this Coffee health facts page.

Stress buster

We associate coffee with the jitters, but inhaling the scent of roasted coffee beans might actually help you de-stress. The mere aroma of roasted beans triggers a relaxation response, helping to ease stress, according to a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Body refresher

Did you know that coffee is an all-natural exfoliant? We love this rejuvenating skin smoother from The Spa at Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, New York.

And here is how to do it:

• Mix together 1 cup cooled used coffee grounds,
  
• 1/2 cup sugar (also a dry-skin reliever), and
  
• 1/2 tablespoon jojoba oil (which hydrates skin without leaving it greasy);
  
• gently rub mixture all over your body in a circular motion, then rinse and pat dry.
  

ICO report shows the real coffee lovers

Worldwide Coffee Consumption

The international report by the International Coffee Organization is reproduced in a far easier format via wiki here:


List of countries by coffee consumption per capita - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The first African Country is Algeria, in 38th place, followed by Ethiopia in 69th place. The Italians are beaten by their neighbours Austria and Switzerland easily. In fact most of middle and Western Europe consume way more than Italy, since it is in only 15th place.


South Africa is not even in the top 100, sis

The dominance of Dutch culture is apparent, all countries linked to them love coffee, with the Swiss being major producers of automatic machines, you would expect them to be as high up as they are.

Exciting Times 4 Coffee in South Africa

We live in exciting times for the coffee industry here in South Africa. In the over 4 years since I tasted my first brew of specialty grade coffee; things have progressed at a slow but steady rate. With more and more people becoming aware that we can find good coffee and now over 4 years later there are about 20 specialty coffee micro roasters, roasting coffee to order. Not all f them are in pursuit of the highest grade, and have become price and profit based, but I am happy to say that there are a few purists that still hold quality at a premium.

The other good news is that it you can find fresh roasted specialty grade coffee at reasonable prices. If you consider that in green bean (unroasted form) specialty grade coffee is 50-100% more that expensive than the traditional coffee market, the fact that you can find specialty grade pure Arabica, at about 25-35% higher than the going rate for the budget coffees, it makes you realize that this is good value. Even more so when you realize that imported coffees in the South African market are much more expensive and paying over R200 per kilogram is a possibility, when the winner of the Specialty Coffee Associations coffee costs R240.00 per kilogram, it is highway robbery that lower quality coffees that are in most cases not even pure Arabica, can get away with charging these over inflated prices just because they are branded. That is the cost of marketing.

With the increase in the number of people purchasing higher quality brewing equipment in South Africa, we believe that we are seeing more South Africans take to heart the quality of the product that they invite into their mouth to tantalize the senses.

Over the next few blogs entries I will go through some of the required knowledge that more and more coffee lovers are requesting.

Although some of this information is available on the site by Quaffee, some will be in more detail.

Aeropress guides

Brew methods for Aeropress

The Aeropress is a coffee maker, and therefore people play with it to try to get the bet out of their coffee maker
I have found a few guides on the Aeropress. The important thing is the grind and the temp of the water the champs say 82 deg C is good

Aeropress being plunged

Here are a few guides I found:

• http://www.tristanstephenson.com/wordpress/2009/03/20/how-to-make-aeropress-coffee
• http://caffenation.blogspot.com/2010/07/best-aeropress-method-of-world.html
• http://worldaeropresschampionship.wordpress.com/recipes/

Quick summary:

1. Heat the water (so it is 80 ° when you pour it over the coffee)
2. Grind the specialty grade coffee, slightly finer than filter grind (20 grams)
3. Turn the Aeropress upside down and soak the filter paper with hot water
4. Put coffee grinds into the Aeropress (the right way round) and pour the 80 degrees water over it, almost to the top.
5. Stir for 10-12 seconds
6. Heat the cup (pour boiling water in it), and then slowly push the coffee in the cup – stop before you hear the air.
7. Then serve

Good, Bad and Yuk

Having been a spectator to people drinking coffee I find it amazing how most people do not even recognise that they like or dislike what they are drinking.

Scenario 1:
Person prepares coffee, drinks coffee, coffee cup placed on desk, coffee not finished.
Scenario 2:
Person prepares coffee, drinks coffee, slowly finishes cup, when they next need a mental break get snack or coffee.
Scenario 3:
Person prepares coffee, drinks coffee, finishes cup, does not realize when taking next sip - it is finished, and gets up to make another once realizing it.

Now ask a person in each one of the scenarios what they think of the coffee, and they normally will make something up. It is obvious that the coffee in scenario 3 is the better cup, but the person in that scenario will not probably immediately notice. And that is why specialty grade coffee perhaps struggles to be recognized for its real value - taste!

Does a corporate environment promote the thriving of mediocrity, through budget cuts and self imposed financial limits? On coffee yes, but the underlying message is what about on productivity.

Think about it

PS
Last week I gave a talk, I roasted Grade A green coffee, and Specialty Grade AAA coffee beans. Did a taste test and every one in a 20 person audience could taste the difference. That is how good specialty grade is....

Coffee Shop in you Office

Heading to the local coffee shop for coffee and snacks is can now
a thing of the past. With the advent of the automated coffee machines like the Jura, you can get any coffee variety you want.

Coffee is still the most sought after beverage in the office environment. One of the most pondered decisions an office has to make while buying an office coffee machine is whether to buy a machine that makes use of instant coffee or one that grinds coffee beans fresh to prepare the drink, also known as the bean-to-cup coffee machine. The choice normally comes down to cost versus quality, and those office that have a priority on their employees or their clients, tend to lean toward the bean-to-cup machines.

• The cost difference between an instant and coffee beans machine is based not only on the raw coffee because the electronics and hardware required to grind the coffee beans and make coffee is specialized compared to the instant coffee machines, which require essentially a small boiler. The quality of the brew makes it worth the cost. There is nothing like the aroma of freshly ground and brewed coffee, especially when it is shade grown specialty grade coffee. The cost per cup is slightly higher for the bean based variety
  
• As regards the taste, the taste of instant coffee will differ from the bean-to-cup machine. Ground coffee would be have a stronger aroma and cleaner taste, instead of the bitterer instant coffee.
  
• The time taken to prepare instant coffee is quicker than the bean coffee, but the difference is worth it, seems as it is only about 15 seconds longer
  

  
   

With an instant machine you will not stem the flow of your staff is frequenting the local coffee shop at coffee breaks or for lunch. However setting up an office bean-to-cup machine for their coffee breaks can happen in the office, and therefore drive increase productivity.

Coffee Laptop and highlands

Take a look at this, coffee a laptop and the highlands. Is the coffee highland grown, we hope so, because then it can make the grade

Coffee As a Business Meeting Tool

You probably have heard proverbial the mantra "Let's do lunch". This phrase means that you are planning a business meeting to thrash out strategy for the future. Nowadays, with one or even two coffee shops on every corner, and with the tighter economy, there is a trend is now changing to "Let's do coffee", to signify a mutually beneficial gathering. And now with an offering like Quaffee's bean-to-cup quality coffee in your office, so that you can provide the best coffee in you own office.

So are you looking to enhance your business? Do you need to meet with prospective clients to discuss strategies? One advantage will be to choose to meet with your business clients at your own premises providing you with a more relaxed atmosphere that will allow for quicker decision making and open-minded business deals. Speaking of which, studies have revealed that coffee facilitates that people to be more relaxed and open-minded, which is precisely why coffee is continually served at work meetings. This is another reason to choose to meet and merge in a your office when you are using a specialty coffee like Quaffee provides is another way to win you clients, since you can produce a quality brew, that is an ice break but at the same time will not distract you from the business at hand.

Also, even though having a coffee may be relaxed and laid back, make sure that you plan for your Java meeting to last no longer than an hour, preferably 30 to 45 minutes. This is a fantastic time to close a deal, but you don't want your client to feel like you are taking up too much of their day by sitting and chatting with them.

Prepare your business meeting in advance, pop out get some quality treats as a nice gesture. This means you do not have to worry about secure a table in the café or if the brew quality will cause the client to be distracted. Since the meeting is at you office the stress of making sure you can have your laptop and paperwork available for the business meeting, is reduced. Also for your client pick a time that is out of peak time, such as mid morning and mid afternoon, when the morning and lunch rush has subsided.

By using these tips in, we wish you well with a lovable cup of Joe to get you where you want to go in your business moves. And there is a double benefit of a great cup and a great meeting

AeroPress Video

How to Video

Looking for a video on how to use an AeroPress Coffee Maker then look no further here you go:

• Low speed connection video: AreropressSmall or
• Higher speed connections: AeropPress

It is that easy

Search Help?

Here are a few searches that may help:

Looking for Jura Coffee Machines South Africa, then click here: jura coffee machines south africa,
Or perhaps in Cape Town then click here: coffee machines cape town, which will give you a list of Jura coffee machines, if you are looking for other coffee equipment then click here: coffee equipment cape town.
You looking for the most successful one-button the Jura Impressa f50, then click here: jura f50, which has information of the new relaunch Jura F50.

Looking for a comparison summary of juras, then click here: jura coffee range comparison.

That's a quick post with a few goodies

Jura F50 still the stalwart

Having used and sold the Jura Impressa F50, from Quaffee for almost half a decade, being told that it would be updated made me nervous. Change is like that when change comes it to a product as fantastic as the Jura F50. You wonder is the change going to mess things up?



So a month after its release and use, I am happy report that, they have in fact fixed the one thing that needed fixing, added programmability. They have also given it the ability to draw 0 yes zero power from the mains when off, making it a little more eco friendly.



The best thing is it still makes a great cup of coffeethat made it as good as it is.



So it means that all you need is coffee beans, some good water and a finger and you can have great coffee at a press of a button, and it will remember how to make it if you want it to.



The old stalwart is still the old stalwart just polished a bit

Quaffee Coffee Machines, Coffee Beans prices online

Quaffee Coffee Machines, Coffee Beans prices online

A one stop page to get all the South African pricing on specialty grade coffee, Jura coffee machines, accessories and other coffee related goodies

Coffee Freshness the key

As a consumer that has now spent only the last 3 years enjoying fresh roasted coffee, I forget that I too was one of those who drank coffee not know how fresh the roast was. In the last week I am amazed how even the most innocent novice can pick up that coffee that is over 2 weeks old is stale. And most of them are in shock when I then have to inform them that, that is what they are drinking when the go to you typical coffee outlet, whether purchasing whole bean, or from a coffee shop a cup-a-joe.

 

I was also informed this week that the number of coffee roasts that publish their roasting date on their coffee is so minimalistic it is almost not a percent. How can you claim to do quality or specialty coffee and not state your roasting date, come on, get real.

 

So if you love coffee make sure you only purchase coffee with a roasting date on the packaging.

A coffee recipe called Irish Dream

Here is a coffee recipe I got emailed from Jura, called an Irish Dream. We of course recommend fresh roasted specialty grade coffee with your Jura coffee machine to make it:

Ingredients

• 30 ml espresso
  
• 1 cl coffee liquor / or whiskey (alcoholic)
  
• 1 tbsp whipped cream
  
• 1 pinch cocoa powder
  
• Irish Cream flavoured syrup (can leave out)
  

Preparation

• Pour 1 cl of alcoholic liquid into a shot glass.
  
• Prepare an espresso with 30 ml of water, and strength to you preference we recommend normal.
  
• Top the drink with a dome of whipped cream.
  

Serving suggestion

• 1 shot glass (50 ml)
  
• Espresso spoon
  
• Sugar (if required)
  
• Drizzle a little Irish Cream flavoured syrup over the whipped cream and dust with a little cocoa powder.
  
• Place a chocolate-coated coffee bean on top of the cream. (just for decoration)

Coffee glorious coffee

It is amazing how coffee can be the base of so many wonderful goodies, coffee liquor, coffee cake, cappuccino muffins, and cappuccino sweets. And in today's society coffee has a love hate relationship with everyone. We all love it but hate it because we are told by all that is it bad for you.

The irony is that good quality coffee is good for you, but the stuff used in the items above is a hydrated blend of some of the worst coffees you can find. The leading instant coffee manufacturer is the largest user of a coffee filler, based on a tree found in the Congo basin originally. We they found it no one ate it, a few animals had adapted to consume it, but it was far from their favourite food, and now that tree is grouped in the coffee genius even though it had 50% less chromosomes. I never under stood planet biology but that sounds wrong.

So you love all these things and want to make them yourselves then make coffee fresh from a great super automatic coffee machine and use only high quality specialty grade coffee, shade grown of course, and you can have you cake and eat it

Rental Options for Offices from Quaffee

A question I often get via email goes like this:

 

Q: Hi, please can you send me a quote of the automatic coffee machines you have available for rental (preferably with a cappuccino and espresso option)

A:

You can check the prices online. The machines available for rental start at the XF50, a good small to medium size office machine that has mainly coffee and a little cappuccino, and then all the way up to our canteen style machine which is the X9.

As a guide here are some pages of reference:

• Click coffee machine rental that is for offices and is OPEX based, or from the Quaffee main page click Rentals, Long term Rentals.
  
• To view the range of machines then go to the Jura coffee machines, where you can compare the range
  

We normally recommend either the Jura XF50, does coffee and cappuccino, but the milk part of the cappuccino has to be done in a separate action. The Jura XS95 does this in one action, all you do is press one button, and you can do a comparative quote for these on the rental pages

New Gaggia

We may have a winner here. Gaggia have brought out a machine that appears something I would mull over recommending. They have sorted out their accessibility issues having learnt lessons from the Jura coffee machines, and a few other makes.


A Simpler layout and good solid construction have been used, instead of the older Gaggia which left me with concerns.


I have not tasted the coffee, and it still has a removable serviceable unit, which is a concern, but once I will I am sure it will make the par, after all the other changes they have made.


Look forward to playing with it

Jura Links worth knowing

I love the Jura Impressa range, and slowly but surely more and more people are coming online with awesome sites that help owners of the great automatics.

Here is a site for parts of the domestic range:

Description		Link
Internals of the Jura F50		http://www.juracoffeeclub.co.uk/catalog/f50.php
The Ena 5 parts		http://www.juracoffeeclub.co.uk/catalog/ena5.php
The J5 parts		http://www.juracoffeeclub.co.uk/catalog/j5.php
The Z5 parts		http://www.juracoffeeclub.co.uk/catalog/z5.php
Part summary		http://www.juracoffeeclub.co.uk/catalog/index.php?cPath=25
Jura summary		http://www.capresso.com/automatic-coffee-centers.shtml

Arabica vs Robusta

Although there are other varieties of coffee there only 2 major types associated to coffee that is consumed everyday. The one is Arabica and the other is Robusta, more are more different then humans are to chimpanzees. Looking at their chromosomes you realized there is a colossal variation.

The Arabica has 44 chromosomes while the Robusta has half that. Using a visual test once the bean has been removed from the cherry the Robusta bean is more circular and the Arabica bean is considerably more oval.

Most serious coffee lovers consider Arabica to be the king of coffee beans. It produces more aroma, has more taste and this is primarily since its oil content is more than double that of an Arabica bean.

Many blenders will state their case that Robusta is needed in the blend to balance the body, we disagree, if you start with quality it remains quality. However this is most likely why Robusta accounts for 40% of the worlds coffee production. It does also help that Robusta is extremely robust and grows very easily, and is especially for easy cultivation. It is resistant to coffee rust, is happy to grow in unprotected sun, and close to other Robusta plants, while purer Arabica prefers to grow in shade, and also matures differently

What most people "in the know do not know is that there are over 40 varieties of Arabica, and each one of then is distinctly different. The original variety of Arabica that left Africa through trade and smuggling is now called Arabica "typica". Typica has made its way back to Europe via the Dutch (from Mysore in India).

Through in breeding typical became Arabica "bourbon". Bourbon became the main plant that was used to seed the plantations in the "new world", which now dominates the coffee trade. The most dominant is actually a more inbreed version of bourbon and Brazilian plants, called Catura, which is well know for its poor taste but it yields more than bourbon and can grow in the sun.

"Typica" represents only 10% of the grown Arabica, and less than 14% of Arabica is shade grown, which produces the best taste nuances.

If you are a coffee drinker then look for shade grown coffee only