Coffee

• Originally from Ethiopia
• Khaldi and the goats: Khaldi was a goat herder and noticed one day that his goats were more energetic after eating the berries from a certain tree.
• People originally ate the berries ans seeds.
• Late, monks developed dried seeds and added water.
• Turks developed roasting, crushing and boiling grounds.

Coffee History

• Arabs tired to keep a monopoly on coffee
• In the 1700's one tree was smuggled to Martinique
• 50 years later there were 19 million tree in the Caribbean. The trees took very well to the climates of the Caribbean, Indonesia, and Africa.

Storage

• Enemies of fresh coffee include:

        -Heat
        -Moisture
        -Light

• Ground coffee will degrade faster than whole coffee
• Ground coffee may be frozen, but it must be in an airtight container. Once the container is open, it shouldn't be put in the freezer.
• Coffee beans are only perishable when after being roasted. Green coffee beans have an almost unlimited shelf life
  

Types

• Two main types:

        -Arabica
            *Grown at high elevation (within a narrower altitude band)
            *Less Caffeine
            *More flavor and aroma
        -Robusta
            *Lower elevation (within a wider altitude band)
            *Lots of caffeine
            *Not much flavor

Growing

• Coffee Cherries ripen individually

            -Need to be harvested by hand

• Fruit portion is removed to get seeds

            -Dried or soaked in water (washed coffee)
            -Sorting is all by hand

• 2000 cherries per tree

            -=4000 beans
            -=1 lb coffee

• The seeds need to be roasted

Roasting

• Either with hot air

        -Like a hot air popcorn popper

• Or a drum roller

        -Like a clothes dryer

• At home they can be done in a cast iron skillet over the stove like when toasting nuts
• Seeds are roasted at 400°F
• Seeds will swell to 1.5 times their original size and lose weight

Roasting Levels

• Lightest is Cinnamon Roast
• Medium High
• City Roast
• Full City Roast
• French Roast
• Darkestis Italian or Espresso Roast

• More roasting = less caffeine, less acid, fuller flavor
• Beans then need time to de-gas (1-2 days)

        -Volatile compounds which mask best flavor

Percolators

• The first US patent for a coffee percolator was issued to James Mason of Franklin, MA, in 1865.
• A non-pressure driven percolator consists of a pot with a small chamber at the bottom  which is placed closest to the heat source. A verticle tube leads from this chamber to the top of the percolator. Just below the upper end of this tube is a perforated chamber.
• Because is boiling constantly, a lot of flavor and quality is depleted.
  

Drip Coffee

• Grind should be like granulated sugar
• Finish brewing in 4-6 minutes
• Optimal temperature between 195°F and 205°F
• Water is dripped through the ground coffee and held.
  

French Press

• Very coarse grind
• Strength depends on brewing time

Timing

• Fresh coffee should be brewed every 15-30 minutes
• Oils can deteriorate and give coffee a bitter flavor
• Coffee sitting on a hot or warming plate can burn, if coffee is being held in a thermal container it is fine until it gets cold.

Espresso

• 1822 Italians invent espresso
• Very fine grind
• Pressurized steam (not water)
• Should produce 1 oz. of liquid espresso in 30 seconds

Locations

• All locations tropical

• Colombian: mod. Acid, fully body
• Ethiopian: full, rich and spicy
• Guatemala: smoky, acidic, rich
• Kenya AA: mellow and citrusy
• Kona: winey and aromatic, $$$
• Sumatra: earthy, musty, dark and full

Decaffeination

• Chemical process

        -Take green coffee beans and soak in water
        -Remove caffeine from water with chemicals
        -Soak beans again to regain flavor

• Swiss water process

        -Soak beans in water
        -Use that water to process other beans

Notes on Tea