Coffee, it’s a pantry staple. The coffee plant is a small tree cultivated on plantations across tropical areas of the globe: Hawaii, Cuba, Jamaica, Indonesia, Africa, and South America (the largest producer). Bringing coffee from the tree to the cup is a labour intensive process that starts with harvesting the ripe coffee cherry, the fruit surrounding green coffee beans. It’s a seasonal ingredient, and lucky for us all, as one harvest ends (north of the Equator) another begins (south of the equator). Most coffee is painstakingly harvested by hand, since machines cannot discriminate between an underripe coffee cherry and a perfectly ripe one. Also, machine harvests require flat terrain and trees planted in straight rows, which can be a challenge, especially in higher altitude plantations. After harvest, coffee beans must be prepared for roasting, another long process. I won’t go into detail here, but basically the coffee cherry is dried out and every bit of casing is removed, leaving just the green beans.
Producers sell the beans to roasters, who know the art of using heat to bring out inherent flavors in different types of coffee beans. Green beans are heated to release volatile oils. These water soluble compounds carry the essence of body, flavor, and aroma unique to each coffee. Over at the Kaladi Brothers website, I learned that out of about 1,000 chemical compounds found in the flavor of coffee, 800 are aromatic compounds. This means much of the coffee experience is sensed by the nose, rather than tasted by the tongue. The art of roasting involves a consideration for the inherent character of the bean. Is it fruity and acidic or full bodied and robust? These qualities will determine how long the beans are roasted. For information on roasting coffee beans at home, check out this article in the Los Angeles Times.
When purchasing coffee, take into account terms like organic, fair trade, and direct trade. Historically, coffee growers across the world have been exploited and underpaid, while the environment has also been damaged by deforestation and the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Organic coffee must be produced in accordance with U.S. Department of Agriculture standards, which bar the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Fair trade coffee meets international standards for protecting farmers in developing countries, ensuring coffee is purchased above the cost of production. Farmers are also required to cultivate coffee sustainably and refrain from using pesticides. Direct trade practices take it further, eliminating the middle man and requiring roasters to purchase coffee directly from farmers at a living wage. This practice leads to a strong relationship between roaster and farmer, which means higher quality beans for the consumer. Find more information on coffee terms in this article over at Saveur.
Once you’ve brought the coffee beans home, it’s time to grind them and choose a brewing method. Whether you’re into drip, French press, pour over, chemex, siphon, or moka pot, careful attention to your brewing method is just as important as all the effort that went into cultivating, harvesting, and roasting the beans. Whole roasted beans will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks (or for 3 months in the freezer). Ground coffee rapidly goes stale, and so it’s best to grind your coffee fresh just before you intend to brew it. Buying coffee that’s roasted locally is a great way to ensure freshness, while supporting a business in your community.
This week at la Domestique is dedicated to coffee- not just for drinking, but cooking with it in all forms: beans, grounds, and brewed. The intense aroma and earthy flavor of coffee adds depth to sweet and savory dishes. Tomorrow is 10 Ways Tuesday, and I’ve got plenty of creative ideas for cooking and drinking coffee during winter. Take into consideration that dishes made with caffeinated coffee will have the same effect as a cup of joe, so you may want to use decaf if you are sensitive. However, caffeinated coffee is less processed and may be fresher, therefore it might have a better flavor. Look to la Domestique for plenty of inspiration, techniques and tips on coffee all week.
Do you have a favorite type of coffee or brewing method? Let us know in the comments section. Click Here.
I can’t tell you how excited I am about this. Leaving our espresso machine behind in storage in Sydney was one of the hardest things- and we chose our flat in London based on its proximity to decent coffee (Monmouth at Borough Markets).
Tori,
I’ve had you on my mind, knowing you love to cook with coffee. So glad you’re excited about this week at la Domestique- me too!
This is very very interesting, Jess. I can’t wait to see your recipes. My favorite coffee method is a good espresso –one shot at the bar, without sugar or milk. At home, being Italian, I only use the moka pot (Bialetti, of course). Other methods didn’t really make it into Italian houses. There is more pod machines around, but not many. As for the rest, we don0t even find the coffee beans ground for dripping coffee, French press or filtered coffee. If you want something longer than an Italian coffee, you either make a huge moka pot, or get the instant one –I hate it, though. I am a sucker for Illy coffee, both at the café and at home, but many times I choose a good fair trade brand –it tastes amazing with the moka pot and it’s cheaper.
Valeria,
About a year ago my husband and I adopted the moka pot at home and we love it. Thanks for sharing!
We do really like Seattle’s “Pike Place” coffee. We also like the New Orleans’s “Cafe du Monde” coffee with Chicory. We have this 2 cup silver coffee maker that we brought back from Italy. The water boils in a bottom chamber over the stove and steams the coffee above. We use it only on the weekends for a special treat. I wish I could use my grinder in the morning but my family says it makes their teeth rattle to hear it in the kitchen. Thanks for the article. Always interesting!
I do love New Orleans style coffee with chicory!
Living in the San Francisco bay area I use Peet’s coffee bean almost exclusively.
As to the brewing method, I was using the stove top model for a while. But one day while I was getting ready for work, I made myself a shot of espresso then went on to do something else. I completely forgot about it, needless to say I had coffee grinds all over my ceiling :(.
Now I am using an automatic espresso maker (made by Saeco). I just bought the low end model from Costco and it works pretty well for me (I am sure there are better models out there but they can be pricey). I love the convenience. As I get myself ready for a long commute to Silicon Valley my espresso is brewing in the kitchen. As soon as I and my coffee are ready I just grab a shot and run :).
Thanks for sharing, Esther. I agree that Peet’s coffee is tasty.