Espresso Con Panna

Posted By: Tracy Schafer
Posted At: Feb 7, 2012 at 1:38 PM
Related Categories: Recipes

Looking for a great afternoon drink? How about an Espresso Con Panna? This drink takes just seconds to make.

Here are the simple ingredients:

Double shot of espresso
Whipped cream

The most important part of this drink is the espresso. For best results, we suggest using a fresh whole bean coffee. First grind your beans and load your portafilter handle. You should be making a 2 ounce shot within 20 to 25 seconds. See detailed information on how to make espresso here. Once the shot of espresso is poured, garnish the top with whipped cream.

But wait, you can paint with it too…

Posted By: Archie Neisz
Posted At: Feb 1, 2012 at 11:57 AM
Related Categories: Coffee Talk

Rachel Ogden, an artist who uses coffee to paint various images, painted this portrait of Marmota monax, (Groundhogs, also known in some areas as Whistle Pigs), living in her backyard. It is a fanciful image invoking our celebration of Groundhog Day and the promise of spring to come.

For me Groundhog Day marks the decline of winter here in the Northeast USA, and a hope that the world's most famous prognosticating rodent Punxsutawney Phil doesn’t see his shadow on February 2nd and predict six more weeks of winter.

The origin of Groundhog Day is derived from earlier celebrations held on the cross-quarter day of February 2nd, dates variously known as Bride's Night in Ireland (festival of the Celtic goddess of poetry, birth, weddings, smithcraft, and healing), Imbolc in Scotland, and the Christian replacement of these Pagan celebrations, Candlemas in England.

The Celtic goddess Bride, to whom the cheeky might familiarly refer to as Bridie or Bridget, is said to breathe life into the mouth of the dead Winter and to bring him to open his eyes to the tears and the smiles, the sighs and the laughter of Spring. The venom of the cold is said to tremble for its safety on Bride’s Day, and to flee for its life on Patrick’s Day. (And that’s just one more reason to celebrate!)

It seems that many of our traditional celebrations are white-washed versions of pagan observations of changes in the natural world. That’s ok with me, because some of those pagan rituals were a little too bizarre for my taste. So for Groundhog day I won’t sacrifice a goat or boil a toad, instead I will just hope that prognosticating-chubby-whistling-fur-bag Phil doesn’t see his shadow this year!

How I Get Through My Exercise Workout

Posted By: Darren Ruffell
Posted At: Feb 1, 2012 at 11:03 AM
Related Categories: Coffee Talk

I'm really not a morning person; I do not pretend that I'm going to get up early before work and exercise. I also know that by late afternoon my energy is pretty much drained from a hectic day at the office. The last thing I want to do after work is go to the gym and lift weights and run three miles on the treadmill. Lucky for me, I have the perfect fix. I just so happen to work at a coffee place…Whole Latte Love.

Caffeine's positive performance-enhancing effects have been well documented. There are many good studies on the use of caffeine for both endurance exercise and short-term, higher intensity exercise. The vast majority of the studies conclude that caffeine does indeed enhance performance and makes the effort seem easier. Performance increases have been documented in excess of 8% in some studies.

My personal experience has been that the little extra jolt that I get from my afternoon cup of coffee gives me a much needed edge to enhance my exercise performance. In fact, in the few instances when I have skipped my afternoon coffee routine I find a noticeable difference in my ability to lift as heavy as a weight as I'm used to and run at as high a rate as I'm used to on the treadmill. I've actually found myself yawning at the gym which typically isn't associated with somebody that is getting ready to perform a good high intensity work-out.

The few tips that I have about using coffee to enhance your workout performance are:

• Drink the coffee in more of a concentrate form such as espresso.
• Drink the coffee no more then 1.5 hours before your workout and no less then a half hour before your workout.
• Drink plenty of water 2 to 3 hours before your workout and then as you begin your workout.

I have found that this routine doesn't bloat me with too much liquid right before my workout, keeps me hydrated enough for my workout which is also important in performance, and gives me time to have enough caffeine through my system to enhance my workout.

I am by no means an exercise or health guru. I'm simply somebody trying to stay in the best physical shape I can while balancing a heavy home and work schedule. What I've shared here is not ground breaking or highly scientific. It is merely another testament to the benefits of coffee in improving someone's exercise routine.

Double bubble boil and no-trouble

Posted By: Archie Neisz
Posted At: Feb 1, 2012 at 10:14 AM
Related Categories: Semi Automatic Espresso Machines, The Double Boiler

I have always been fascinated by machines and have come to appreciate painstaking workmanship and carefully engineered and tested designs. Finding the very best quality design and craftsmanship at a reasonable cost in an espresso machine can be a daunting task. In some cases the beauty and quality is only skin deep and doesn’t extend beyond the polished metal finish, as the structure and type of components can be affected by the manufacturers desire to be cost competitive.

In a quest to find a really good espresso machine one must first think about what makes a great shot of espresso. Clean water, correctly ground beans, careful preparation of the grounds and very precise control of the brew-water temperature and brewing dwell-time along with plenty of steam for milk drinks. Once you find a machine that will help you meet the criteria for great espresso you are well on the way to being a gratified espresso machine owner. And in the case of the class of machines known as semi-automatic it comes down to filtering the water, and controlling water temperature, pressure, volume, and dwell-time for brewing and making steam for milk additions.

The best of breed for controlling water temperature for both brewing and steaming are machines with dual boilers. One boiler is dedicated to making a large volume of hot water and steam for making americanos and frothing and heating milk for lattes and cappuccinos. The second, and by the nature of its job, smaller boiler is dedicated to producing precisely temperature-controlled water for brewing shots of espresso. With this dual boiler plumbing arrangement many features can be added to keep critical temperature needs monitored and controlled.

Thinking about these facts I admire two machines in this class, the Breville BES900XL Dual Boiler and the LaSpaziale Mini Vivaldi II Espresso machines. Both machines have programmable controls and pay very careful attention to the brew temperature. Breville as a manufacturer has earned consumer respect for producing very high quality appliances for the home, and the Breville espresso machine is a modern sleek looking design with a great deal of carefully engineered features under the skin. LaSpaziale has a respected Italian heritage, commercial quality components, and very good craftsmanship. And by looking at buyer reviews of the LaSpaziale it is clear that it has a rock solid reputation for steady performance and a growing fan base.

When you get ready to become an espresso machine owner and avail yourself of great coffee drinks either at home or in the office, it would be worth your effort to take a careful look at both of these machines and to compare them to any others in their class.

Maillard is not a duck, Lewis!

Posted By: Archie Neisz
Posted At: Jan 31, 2012 at 11:19 AM
Related Categories: Coffee Talk, News

Part of the reason you can recognize the distinct flavor of a single-origin coffee or an espresso blend is due to a chemical process known as the Maillard Reaction. At the dawn of the 20th century young Louis Maillard was intently recording his studies of chemical reactions in foods as part of his PhD thesis.

Consequently he is credited with revealing a complex series of continuous reactions between amino acids and reducing sugars at various low temperatures now called the Maillard Reaction. Like caramelization it is a form of flavor development and non-enzymatic browning in many foods including coffee. (Hmm... perhaps he should also have a moustache named after him. What a distinctive curl!)

During the Maillard Reaction flavor compounds are constantly created, then evolve, and reform into new flavor compounds. And in the case of coffee roasting, desirable flavor development is a combination of Maillard Reactions and caramelization.

Although studied now for almost a century, Maillard Reactions are so complex that much is still unknown. So many factors are important and contribute to the Maillard Reaction process to form color and aroma like the types of sugars and amino acids present in the coffee bean, the acidity or pH, and the presence of oxygen, water, and other elements, and temperature.

As the Maillard Reaction progresses many complex chemical products are created including flavor compounds and brown pigments called melanoidins which besides contributing color may have some beneficial anti-oxidant properties.

For coffee roasters the Maillard Reaction and caramelization are desirable effects as both convert sugars to a furfuryl and furans in coffee contribute a caramelly, slightly burnt and also slightly meaty flavor note.

So now you know that a Maillard Reaction contributes to the body, flavor and aroma of your daily cup of Joe and does nothing for your moustache!

Coffee Cream Pie

Posted By: Morgan Reddy
Posted At: Jan 23, 2012 at 9:53 AM
Related Categories: Recipes

Monday January 23, 2012 is National Pie Day, what better way to celebrate than with a tasty piece of Coffee Cream Pie?! This concoction is sure to guilt you into pure pie bliss. A fresh brewed cup of coffee is obviously the perfect accompaniment to this dessert. The best part is, you don’t need to feel guilty about indulging because you're simply celebrating a national holiday.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup strong brewed coffee
• 1 cup milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 baked pastry shell, 9-inch

Preparation:

In a medium saucepan, combine flour, salt, and sugar; add coffee and milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir mixture into beaten egg yolks then return to the saucepan. Cook 2 minutes longer. Add butter; cool. Pour into pastry shell and top with meringue. Bake as directed for meringue (below).

Meringue Topping:

• 2 egg whites
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Beat egg whites until frothy; gradually add sugar, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla or other flavoring. Spoon onto pie, spreading to crust edge to seal filling in. Bake at 325° for 15 to 18 minutes, until nicely browned.

Recipe by Diana Rattray, About.com

The Coffee Sommelier

Posted By: Archie Neisz
Posted At: Jan 19, 2012 at 3:02 PM
Related Categories: Coffee Talk, Healthy Living, News

The room is calm and artfully lit. I am ushered to a table graced with clean white linens and fresh flowers. Others are sitting at similar tables around the room and there is a vista through large windows at one end of the room looking out over the night time city lights. Soft music is playing and a dimly lit large painting on the wall nearest me is a scene of a faintly disturbing storm at sea tossing a large sailing vessel about.

As I pick up my menu I am approached by a smartly dressed person with a small cup and saucer medallion dangling from a golden chain around her neck. Ah, the coffee sommelier has arrived and begins to tell me about the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe vintage coffee that will go well with today’s chef’s choice of roasted salmon. OK – so it’s another of my dream scenes. But not so far off from what may soon be a reality.

When people travel today whether on business or pleasure they are often tempted to try new foods and beverages, however; after one or two gastronomic disasters the seasoned traveler sticks to foods they know won’t upset their stomach. This also applies to wines and spirits. Air travelers may know that white wine and beer are histamines and can swell the Eustachian tubes and cause ear problems, and of course business travelers and vehicle drivers know the pitfalls of drinking any spirits, but this is usually not so for coffee. The traveler is free to dabble in new coffee tastes and try regional favorites that they don’t have access to at home, and with the ever growing popularity of specialty micro-roasters there are many new choices to make.

Coffee can be grouped into three definable geographical regions exhibiting uniquely different taste profiles. The website allrecipes.com identifies the choices and makes some interesting suggestions for complimentary foods.

• Coffees from the Africa / Arabia region: Arabian coffees have characteristics of berries and wines, while African beans have a slight citrus flavor and floral elements. Both have medium to full body and medium acidity. Pair with: berries, citrus, fruits, raisins, currents, cinnamon, cardamom and chocolate.
  
  
• Coffees from Asia / Pacific Rim: Coffees from Asia, Indonesia and the Pacific islands have robust, earthy characteristics. Some have flower-like or herbal notes. Expect full body and low acidity. Pair with: cinnamon, cheese, butter, caramel, maple, toffee and herbs.
  
  
• Coffees from Latin America: Coffees grown in Central and South America, including Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico and Guatemala, are well-balanced with bright, tangy notes. With light to medium body and medium to high acidity, they fare well in iced coffee drinks. Pair with: breakfast breads, muffins, citrus fruits, blueberries, apples and nuts.

Of course for grizzled old coffee drinkers like me that need 6 to 8 cups of joe a day, I just need to know what coffee goes good with my bearclaw in the morning, will keep me alert all day, goes good with a pastrami sub at lunch and oh, what blend complements a late afternoon bag of micro-waved popcorn?

Coffee Chocolate Waffles

Posted By: Morgan Reddy
Posted At: Jan 13, 2012 at 3:27 PM
Related Categories: Recipes

Coffee Chocolate Waffles

I came across this recipe for Coffee Chocolate Waffles on Food.com when looking for new desserts to try. The best part about this treat is that the waffles are perfect for breakfast, dessert maybe even dinner!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4
Ingredients:

• 1 (1/8 ounce) packet instant coffee
• 1/3 cup hot water
• 2 cups Bisquick baking mix
• 1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• syrup
• 1/4 cup miniature chocolate chip (to garnish)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200°F.
2. Preheat waffle maker; grease with oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, combine coffee packet and 1/3 cup hot water, stirring until coffee dissolves.
4. Add baking mix, chocolate morsels, milk, egg, and oil.
5. Whisk together until well combined.
6. Cook, in batches, according to manufacturer's instructions. (Instructions and times may vary).
7. Carefully remove waffles from waffle iron, and keep warm in oven.
8. Serve with syrup.
9. Garnish with chocolate morsels, if desired.
10. Enjoy

Drip, Drip, Drip

Posted By: Archie Neisz
Posted At: Jan 12, 2012 at 3:31 PM

If it were a faucet dripping in the middle of the night I would be annoyed, but if it’s the Hario Dripper, (sounds like the name of a WrestleMania champion), brewing a superb cup of coffee, not so much.

Around the world the most employed method of making coffee drinks is the drip method. Whether you use an automatic drip coffee maker like the Bunn STX or a Hario Dripper using fresh grounds or a Keurig B31 Mini Single Serve using K-cups, the process has some basic principles: hot water poured-over coffee grounds. That’s the science, now the art.

For a coffee aficionado there is nothing better than a single cup brew made from fresh grounds. Grinding the coffee correctly is perhaps the most critical part of the process. Getting the coffee to a precise fineness often takes a lot of trial and error to get it right for your taste. Investing in a good grinder is a wise decision if you want to get to drip-coffee nirvana.

The next critical element is clean fresh water at the proper temperature. Coffee brewers everywhere will tell you that the proper temperature is usually between 190° and 205° F, definitely no cooler than 190°F, and that you must have clean water.  And finally the pour-over method; the grounds must be thoroughly saturated quickly and then drained at a precise rate so that over-extraction doesn’t occur creating a bitter brew. The manual pour-over method gives you the most control of all of the facets of the process of the water engaging the grounds, turbulence, dwell time, ratio of water to grounds to name a few.

It can quickly become a ceremony like Japanese tea if you really get involved in controlling all of the steps to drip brewing and providing the proper ambiance for the event. (I can just see it now, a special room of the house with muted earth tones and fine art on the walls, the sweet sounds of a symphony orchestra on the air from a hidden sound system, a single small table in the center of the room, an urn of precious arabica beans, and a silver tray with drip coffee paraphernalia arranged in precise order). Sproing! OK, snap back to reality.

Besides choosing a coffee of a particular roast and origin, just deciding on a type of filter can be daunting. Should you use cloth or paper or fine mesh gold-tone screen? Which ones retain the most grounds? Which pass the essential flavor oils? Do they impart any taste to the brew? Oh the debate can rage on and on. There are many variations of the equipment used for drip brewing around the world ranging from Japanese drippers, to Vietnamese filter pots to single-use folded paper cones, but they all have the same goal: make a perfect cup of fresh coffee. Oh and don’t forget the elaborate drip towers for making iced coffee, what a slow process that is! Paint dries faster. It can take up to 6 hours to brew 600ml of iced coffee!

So I will put on my ceremonial sweatshirt, with the true believers coffee stains, wend my way to the kitchen, grind some blue mountain beans, prepare the dripper, boil some clean fresh water, and wait for the drip, drip, drip, to subside and enjoy the best cup of the day. Which one is the best one? Why the next one of course!

What's that smell?

Posted By: Archie Neisz
Posted At: Jan 6, 2012 at 11:48 AM

So. You have been enjoying great espresso with your new machine for a few weeks and now you are starting to wonder what you need to do for regular cleaning.

	On your new semi-automatic espresso machine you’ve been rinsing and cleaning the portafilter and basket and the drip tray.
	Those of you who have a new super-automatic have been rinsing the brew group and emptying the dregs-drawer.

You all have been cleaning the frothing wand and wiping the beautiful new machine down to keep it shiny and new but now you’re thinking about regular and long term care, and wasn’t there something in the manual about decalcifying the brewing system, cleaning the milk system, and cleaning the grinder? Great! You’re on the right track!

Although it sounds fussy and over-the-top, we advocate getting into a habit of a regular cleaning regimen that removes impurities during and after every brewing session, and more thoroughly on a daily and weekly basis. Daunting? Not really. Your machine has been designed for ease of maintenance and the designers have tested and worked hard to make cleaning as painless as possible. Just keep in mind that keeping your equipment extraordinarily clean will reward you time and again with great tasting espresso. And that’s what you wanted all along.

Coffee beans contain hundreds of compounds, among them essential oils. Those oils help give body to the CO2 gas micro-bubbles that create a great hazel colored créma on your drink. By nature any oil is perishable and starts to decay if exposed to air and heat. Coffee oils are especially volatile and start to breakdown after 45 minutes. The process of grinding and brewing the beans always leaves a slight film of emulsified coffee oils on everything that comes in contact with the grounds. If not cleaned off regularly that oil will start to decay and destroy the taste of the next cup of coffee, regardless of how expensive or good a brand of coffee bean you are using.

Grinders are not "self-cleaning" and can harbor spent oils that taint your espresso. If you have a super-automatic machine with a built in grinder, be sure to follow the instructions in the manual and clean that grinder as recommended. Also clean it when switching from one type of coffee bean to another to avoid cross contamination. If you use a separate grinder for your semi-automatic or drip machine be sure to follow the grinder manufacturers recommended procedure for cleaning. Just be aware that ground coffee left in the grinder burrs and chute for a long time will taint the next grind and you won’t be happy.

Typically after every use of the steam wand for frothing or heating milk there are deposits on the wand and after every brewing cycle there is coffee residue and oils on the shower screen. You will want to purge and wipe off your steam wand after every frothing session to prevent milk from coagulating and contaminating the system. Run a water shot through your machine and wipe off the shower screen with a moist cloth at the end of each session.

If you have a pro-sumer machine with a 3-way solenoid valve perform a clean water backflush every 10 to 15 shots and at the end of every session as part of your cleaning routine. And if possible remove and rinse the brew-group after every session. (This is usually very easy on a super-automatic machine).

(Note: Please check your machine's owner's manual before attempting a backflush. Even though your machine may have a 3-way solenoid valve the manufacturer may tell you not to backflush as that may damage the machine. This is the case for the Gaggia line and the Rancillio Silvia. There may be others that can't be backflushed as well, so be sure and check your manual or call our Tech department.)

Typical Daily Procedure for a semi-automatic machine

• Brush and wipe the dispersion screen and gasket.
• Clean with scrubby pad, rinse and wipe the portafilter.
• Wipe down the machine with a damp cloth.

Typical Daily Procedure for a super-automatic machine

• Run the daily rinse cycle as recommended by the manufacturer.
• Wipe down the steam arm and clean any milk residue. Remove the Pannarello arm and clean thoroughly.
• Wipe down the machine with a damp cloth.

Weekly
You will want to do a weekly cleaning that is a little more involved and you may need a few items to adequately perform your weekly tasks:

If your machine can be back-flushed: Espresso machine cleaner (back-flush detergent such as Urnex Dezcal), Depending in the type of machine, a blank, blind, or back-flush portafilter basket (different names for the same item), A clean kitchen towel, dish detergent and a dishrag, Some kind of non-metallic scrubby pad, Metal or glass bowl or container deep enough for the portafilter to soak in.

Optional specialized items may include:

	Group brush (like the Rattleware 7.5" Zig Zag Group Brush), Steam wand brush (like the Pallo Steamy Wanda), Dairy cleanser (such as Urnex Rinza).

• Soak your portafilters and baskets, for at least ½ hour, in a solution of coffee detergent and hot water and then scrub, scrub, scrub.
• Disassemble and submerge the steam wand in hot water and detergent, letting it soak for 15-20 minutes. Wipe and purge after soaking. Make sure to carefully dislodge any crusty milk from the steam tip holes.
• If you have a milk system, disassemble and soak the components using a dairy cleanser like Urnex Rinza. Follow the directions and rinse everything twice in clean water.

Monthly
Check your water filter and replace if needed. Clean water is paramount for good brewing. If you are using an inline water filtration system, the kind that uses cartridges, check to make sure they still work. Some cartridges are not designed for high volume output and will start adding undesirables to your water supply instead of taking them out. This will not only give your espresso a chemical flavor, but can also add calcium deposits to your machine.

Every 3 to 4 Months
Decalcify your espresso machine every 3 to 4 months or when your machine indicates its time to decalcify. No matter how good your water filtration may be, you're still getting calcium in your boiler tank. While small amounts of calcium won't alter the flavor of your espresso too much, over time that small amount will grow into a large amount causing a very bitter flavor in your cup and eventually causing damage to your machine.

If you follow these guidelines or make up a schedule of your own, you will be rewarded with the type of coffee drink that you acquired the machine to make time after time for many years to come. Oh, and always after detergent cleaning or replacing a filter, don’t rely on just a visual check of the water quality. Taste it! That’s right, run a clear shot through the system and taste it. You’ll know immediately if you have performed your cleaning tasks well!

Happy brewing!

(Checkout the proven cleaning products from Urnex who have been cleaning coffee machines since 1936.)