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Coffee
"Facts"
The discovery of Coffee Beans?
There are a few versions of how coffee was discovered. One of my favorites is the following:
Coffee was first discovered when a goatherder in Abysinia, observed his goats dancing on their hind legs after eating some red (coffee) cherries in the middle of the night. He proceeded to taste of the berries himself and his sleepy eyes got wide open. He took some to the village and everybody there also liked them as it kept them awake during their prayers.
History has it that when coffee was first introduced in Italy, Italian wine merchants (their wine sales threatened by coffee beans) appealed to the Pope to ban it. Pope Clementine VIII determined the beans to be evil when he heard of the affects the beans had on people and they were thrown into the fire. The aroma was so wonderful, the beans were pulled from the fire and ground to make a brew. The Pope tasted the brew and then proceeded to BAPTIZE COFFEE and pronounce it a Christian beverage.
Differences of Espresso and Regular Coffee Beans
In most cases, it is the roast. Regular coffees are roasted to light medium or dark roasts. Espresso is roasted to an espresso roast. This roasting achieves a very dark chicory roast that with the right equipment creates an excellent shot of espresso, to be used to make caffe latte's, cappuccino's and caffe mocha's.
Producing Froth for Cappuccino's
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First, a powerful pump driven espresso machine is best, however, you can still produce good froth with non-pump espresso machines
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Low fat milk is best, the lower the fat content the better the frothing, we suggest skim or low fat milk.
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A stainless steel pitcher is best
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While steaming the milk, the steaming wand should be just below the surface at all times. As the milk swells, lower the pitcher to keep the steam wand just below the surface. This is called ‘stretching’ the milk. You do not want any large bubbles to form.
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Let milk sit for 1 minute before scooping out.
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Scoop out a few heaping tablespoons on top of the espresso.
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Fill the cup quickly with steamed milk causing the froth to rise and have brown edges.
Producing steamed milk for Latte’s
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Using the same espresso machine and stainless steel pitcher as above.
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Any type of milk works as you are minimizing froth
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While steaming the milk, the wand should be positioned to cause the milk to swirl in the pitcher but not swell. The effect you are looking for is a thin froth with fine bubbles and a sheen. (This is best for latte art).
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Pour the steamed milk quickly into the espresso and allow a little froth to spill out at the end. Pull it forward in the cup to make patterns.
Differences of Arabica and Robusta
We use a local coffee roaster - Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters. They roast only Arabica coffee beans. Arabica coffee is grown at altitudes 2,000 feet and higher and is considered the premier bean for roasting. Low altitude coffee (even if Arabica) does not offer the taste, acidity and body of a high altitude product. Robusta beans are more weedy, grow at low altitudes, and contain approximately twice the caffeine of Arabica beans.
Shelf Life Of Coffee
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Coffee is packaged immediately after roasting and delivered directly to Starry Nites Café.
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Keeping coffee in whole bean form allows it to stay fresher longer. Air, moisture and heat are the three most damaging things to coffee. Once ground, coffee should be used within two weeks, for the best flavor.
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We fresh grind coffee for every pot/espresso as we need it.
Coffee Storage
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Air is the biggest damaging factor to coffee.
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Store your beans in an air-tight container, preferably in zip lock bags in a cool dry place. We suggest a gallon bag zip lock bag for bulk storage.
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Contrary to popular belief, the freezer and the fridge are not the best place to store your coffee beans. Coffee absorbs moisture from other odors so regardless of where you prefer to store your beans, just ensure it is in zip lock bags.
Thanks a Latte for visiting Starry Nites website!
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