Coffee House History: Seattle’s Best
My local mall gives me a basic choice of 3 coffee houses(or is it shops in a mall?) -The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Starbucks (duh), and Seattles Best. And the one I always inadvertantly pick is Seattles Best. Yes, the coffee is much more my “cup of tea”, and there dont seem to be too many noisy teenagers as there are in Starbucks or bored housewives as the Bean…..
Seattle’s Best
Seattle hasn’t always been the center of the coffee universe, in fact the city once served as much bad coffee as the rest of the country. That changed in the early 70’s when a group of passionate coffee lovers started a revolution.
The founders of Seattle’s Best were some of these early coffee pioneers, and in the beginning the coffee was roasted in an old peanut roaster down on the Seattle waterfront. These guys used the finest beans and roasted to achieve a bold and full flavored cup that was also smooth and mellow.
In those days, the Northwest was such a hotbed of competing coffee styles that a local restaurant held a taste-off to crown “the best cup of coffee in Seattle.” Much to the founders delight, their little coffee company took first place.
To celebrate the occasion, they officially re-named the company “Seattle’s Best Coffee” and the rest is coffee history. Today, the coffee revolution has spread across America and now good coffee is fashionable everywhere. There are many great coffees roasted in Seattle, but only one offers the bold flavor and smooth taste that is Seattle’s Best.
Coffee grade: Above Average
Good Points: Breve superb, great organic beans, yummy macaroons
Bad Points: Counter foodoften tasteless ,vanilla latte cloyingly sweet
Coffee House History: The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
For those of us not named Paul Basset, a good up of coffee is more often than not found at the coffee house at the nearest mall, around the corner, or at an airport if you’re travelling (the photo by the way is of the CBTL at Singapore’s Changi airport) – and not at home, although we’ll put up with the home brew just to get up in the morning.
So I’ve decided to clue you in on a little background info about these institutions we so heavily rely on on provide a decent cup of java.
The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
Herbert B. Hyman started The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in 1963 with a dedication to excellence and quality, and his efforts made him the founding father of gourmet coffee in California.
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has since grown into one of the largest privately- owned, family-run coffee and tea companies in the world.
The endurance and popularity of The Bean, as it is affectionately referred to by devotees, can be attributed to the high standards that were established from the beginning. From trend-setting drinks like the World Famous Ice Blended, to the employees who become a part of the communities they work in, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has discovered the formula for a successful coffee and tea company.
Coffee grade: Decent Brew
Good Points: Good variety of other things to eat, hot breakfasts, chai tea, vanilla lovers should be happy.
Bad Points: Drinks tend to be too much on the sweet side
The 4M’s of Espresso
The making of espresso is both a science and an art. Over the years they have found that precision is required to make a great espresso. There are four factors that affect the making of a great shot. They are also called the four M’s.
The first factor is Macinazione or the proper grinding of the beans. Great baristas in fact will only grind beans for an espresso right before using them. 30 seconds after they have been ground, the beans are already too stale for a good espresso. The proper grind is between fine and powdery. The grind has to be uniform in order to insure the best taste. Instant powder will definitely make an awful espresso.
The second factor is Miscela or the coffee blend. Good beans means better tasting coffee. Perfectly logical, right?
The third factor is the Macchina or the espresso machine. Thanks to many inventors, you now have eay to use tools to help you make your espresso. But it will not magically make perfect espresso if you don’t know how to use it properly. The Rancilio Silva is considered the best by most espresso lovers but feel free to shop around til you find the machine that you are comfortable with.
The last factor is Mano or the skill of the barista – that means you. More than half the battle is knowing how to use your equipment properly. You need to know how to properly fill your filter basket. Some espresso lovers will tell you to tamp the ground coffee, others will tell you not to. Like all skills, making the perfect espresso takes practice so that your every espresso shot has that beautiful crema that is the mark of true espresso.
Espresso
Most people are familiar with coffee. If you ask them to describe it, they’ll probably describe their cup of coffee as putting a teaspoonful or sachet of coffee powder and sugar in their favorite mug and mixing it with water and milk. Others may describe their coffee as freshly brewed referring to coffee made by drip using their coffee makers. This is the most familiar way most people make their brew.
Many have heard the term espresso. They may have seen it on the boards or menus but not knowing what it was, have never tried it. Little do they realize that they may already have had some with their favorite cappuccino or other mix they bought in the coffeeshop. You are not a true coffee lover it is said unless you have tried espresso.
Espresso was first made in Italy. It is formally called Caffe Espresso. Unlike in any other part in the world, espresso is not just a beverage. In fact in Italy they make time to drink their espresso. This is one brew that is an experience, not just a drink.
Espresso is drunk in shots and is usually served in glasses. It is a rich tasting brew that has a great aroma. Hard to explain its taste but it is rather like dark chocolate though definitely not the same.
Espresso is made with hot (not boiling) water being pressured through ground coffee beans. It has a distinctive reddish-brown color and a delicious aroma. It should also have crema – the tan colored foam found on top of every good shot of espresso. If it has no crema, it is a bad shot. Have it replaced immediately.
2010 Kona Coffee Cultural Festival
Who wants to go to Hawaii? If you’ve been yearning for an awesome time at the beach, scrumptious food, and excellent coffee, there is no better time to visit Hawaii than in November. From the 5th of November to the 14th, the annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival is going to be held in the Big Island. This is no ordinary food and cultural festival as it has received numerous awards and has been in existence for no less than 40 years!
This year’s festival is already being built up – although there isn’t much need for that as those who know about it are already waiting in anticipation. Some of the most exciting events include:
• International Lantern Parade, November 5 at 6:30 pm. Alii Drive, Kailua Pier to Hale Halawai
• Holualoa Village Coffee & Art Stroll, November 6, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Have a taste of more than three dozen estate label Kona coffees!
• KTA Super Stores Kona Coffee Recipe Contest/Big Island Showcase, November 7, 12:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa Convention Center. This cooking contest should be fun to watch AND you get to sample the concoctions! Of course, 100% pure Kona coffee will be used in the recipes. How cool is that?
• Gevalia Kona Coffee Cupping Competition – Preliminary Round, November 10, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Keauhou Beach Resort. This competition will determine the best Kona coffee there is. You wouldn’t want to miss that!
For more information on the events and schedules, visit the official web site of the 2010 Kona Coffee Cultural Festival.
Three Coffee Myths You SHOULDN’T Believe
There are myths about practically everything on this earth. I guess the trick is in knowing which really are myths and which just might be true. In some cases, it doesn’t really matter if they’re myths or not, right?
Of course, when it comes to coffee, you ought to know the difference between myth and truth! Otherwise, you might end up with the short end of the stick. Worse, you might end up with a bad cup of coffee. Yuck. (At the very least, you might end up looking like a fool!)
So let us take a look at three coffee myths which are quite popular. I hope you haven’t fallen prey to any of these!
Myth #1: Dark roasts have higher caffeine content than light roasts.
I think the rationale behind this myth is that dark roasts have stronger flavor. But, come on, use your common sense. Dark roasts are roasted for a longer period of time. That means more is burnt out of them, right? If anything, they may have slightly less caffeine in them! The next time you need more caffeine, don’t settle for one cup of dark roasted coffee. Get two or three cups instead!
Myth #2: We say eXpresso.
Riiight. And do you say “asteriX” as well? There’s this coffee shop in a town an hour away from where I live that’s called Xpresso, but really, it’s eSpresso, not eXpresso.
Myth #3: Coffee is very very acidic.
Well, coffee does contain acids, but the truth of the matter is that it is not that acidic. In fact, the pH of coffee is around 5.0 – 5.1 – beer and other fruit juices are much worse!
There you have three of the most popular myths surrounding our favorite brew. Spread the word!
Free Coffee At Barnes & Noble
Books and coffee – what better combination is there? (Ohh yeah, I left the cigarettes out of the picture, sorry!)
If you’re the type who enjoys sipping on a nice hot coffee drink while drinking in words from your nifty e-book reader, then I suggest you head on over to the nearest Barnes & Noble branch. They have an ongoing promo where they will give a tall cup of coffee for FREE to any customer who shows a server an open e-book.
Which readers are qualified? Thank goodness, Barnes & Noble isn’t being nitpicky about this – they’re not limiting e-readers to their own Nook. You can use any of these e-e-readers and still qualify for that free cup of coffee:
• iPad
• iPhone
• iPod touché
• BlackBerries
• HTC HD2 devices
• portable Mac or Windows computers
Isn’t that nice of them? Oh, there IS a catch. The software that you must use to read e-books is the BN e-reader software, of course. 
So what’s the point of offering free coffee to those who read e-books in the store?
It all points back to the use of the BN e-reader software. They have been on a campaign to push the use of this piece of software, along with the Nook. One cool thing about the software (aside from the free coffee that you get if you use it) is that you can read selected titles in the store for free for an hour everyday!
Coffee + free books = heaven!
Oooh That Coffee BBQ Sauce!
I met an old friend earlier today. Even after more than a year of not seeing each other, it was great just sitting there for hours and talking. Of course, our conversation eventually focused on food and just how good it feels to eat. (By the way, I don’t have to tell you that we met at Starbucks, do I?)
So anyhow, when I got home, I decided to pass by the grocery store to get some stuff for dinner. I knew I had a steak or two in the fridge, but I wanted to spice it up. Guess what I found? Some Jack Daniels hickory BBQ sauce! Needless to say, I am STUFFED.
That hasn’t stopped me from browsing through some recipes that I somehow stumble upon online. (Seriously, they just seem to pop out. It’s not like I purposely seek them out!)
Here’s one that I think you will love – Texas hickory smoked brisket with coffee barbecue sauce. Now doesn’t that sound heavenly? I found the recipe at CTNow, and the image and words combined just made my mouth water despite the really good meal I just had. Here’s the recipe for the sauce, which I think will be an excellent partner for any other roast meat:
Southwestern barbecue sauce and assembly:
1 large onion, thinly sliced, top to bottom
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 jalapeños, seeded and diced
2 poblano or pasilla chiles, seeded and diced
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
1 beer, preferably ale
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups ketchup
1/4 cup maple syrup, preferably Grade B
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon New Mexico chile powder
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
Prepared smoked brisket1. In a heavy-bottom 4-quart pot, combine the onion, garlic, jalapeños and chiles with the coffee and beer. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the tomato paste, ketchup, maple syrup, molasses, cumin, salt, chile powder and red wine vinegar and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and blend the sauce using an immersion blender or in stages in a stand blender, until fairly smooth. Set aside.
3. Remove the brisket from the foil and slice across the grain into thin strips, reserving any pooled juices and leftover bits. Stir these drippings into the barbecue sauce. Serve the brisket warm with the barbecue sauce on the side.
Coffee Spending On The Rise
How much do you spend on coffee? I am not talking about buying coffee at the supermarket and brewing it at home – indeed, I am talking about “fancy coffee” or as my friend calls it, “designer coffee.”
If you’re like me, you probably do not realize just how much you spend on this kind of coffee on a monthly basis. According to people who have nothing better to do do this kind of thing for a living, Americans are spending more money on designer coffee these days. Indeed, some say that this is a good sign that the recession is actually over.
The numbers are quite interesting: the purchases of fancy coffee went up by 21 per cent in the first quarter of 2010, as compared to the same amount of time in the previous year. The exact amounts vary depending on the location, of course, but in Seattle (where people practically run on coffee) the average person spends $674 per year on the brew!
That is pretty considerable. Think about what you can buy with that kind of money. An iPad. An iPhone. Heck, you can buy a laptop computer!
Still, I suppose I totally get those people who spend that much on coffee – I am probably one of them and just don’t realize it! I mean, yeah, all those gadgets sound nice, but when you need your java fix during the day, you don’t get to think of anything else.
So, sit down and crunch some numbers. How much do you spend on coffee?
Shorter Babies Result From Heavy Caffeine Intake
I wonder if my mom had a lot of coffee while she was carrying me! I highly doubt it, as she is not really much of a coffee drinker now. Anyhow, a group of researchers from The Netherlands recently released the findings of their study: the amount of caffeine intake that a mother has during pregnancy can affect the size of her baby.
The study shows that the effects of caffeine can already be significant in the first trimester, especially if the mother takes 6 cups (or more) of coffee per day. The researchers are from Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam and they conducted the studies on 7,300 Dutch women. When the study commenced, the women were all in their early stages of pregnancy. Some of them were heavy coffee drinkers while some were not.
So what does this mean for pregnant women or women who are planning on getting pregnant?
I suppose the study can serve as a warning. While it does not say that more serious issues may arise from heavy caffeine intake during pregnancy, it is better to be safe than sorry. Still, I can’t really just take these results without any doubts. What about those other studies that say that drinking coffee during pregnancy is okay? More so, the researchers behind this most recent study say that their findings are not conclusive and that they need more information – to which I say again “as usual.”
So, if you want to increase your chances of having a tall kid – just lay off on the caffeine. Your kid will thank you for it.
