Village Coffee Cafe Blog » coffee roaster http://www.villagecoffeecafe.com/blog Beyond the Usual Grind Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:13:49 +0000 en hourly 1 The Coffee Guy The Coffee Guy Beyond the Usual Grind No No Enjoying Coffee Green Bean To Brewed Cup http://www.villagecoffeecafe.com/blog/enjoying-coffee-green-bean-to-brewed-cup/ http://www.villagecoffeecafe.com/blog/enjoying-coffee-green-bean-to-brewed-cup/#comments Mon, 10 May 2010 10:26:02 +0000 The Coffee Guy http://www.villagecoffeecafe.com/blog/?p=618 If you are fortunate enough to live in in an area with local coffee roasters, then you may be able to have a unique experience. Each batch of coffee has its own special character. Part of the character is the coffee bean itself, part is the coffee roaster, and the final part is the skill of the person who roasts the coffee.

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]]> If you are fortunate enough to live in in an area with local coffee roasters, then you may be able to have a unique experience. Each batch of coffee has its own special character. Part of the character is the coffee bean itself, part is the coffee roaster, and the final part is the skill of the person who roasts the coffee.

When offered the opportunity for cupping at your local coffee roaster, take it. It will be a learning, coffee drinking experience like no other. In cupping you get to experience the coffee as a green bean, once roasted as a roasted bean and finally the end result—a brewed cup of coffee.

Some describe cupping as being similar to wine tasting. When listening to people describe their cupping experience the words are quite similar. I look at cupping as a way to sample the roaster's expertise as an artisan. At no other moment will a person be able to see, smell and taste a particular type of coffee in such detail.

Enjoy the opportunity as you get to experience the coffee roaster's expertise.

Not the usual grind,

The Coffee Guy

The Coffee Guy

]]> http://www.villagecoffeecafe.com/blog/enjoying-coffee-green-bean-to-brewed-cup/feed/ 1 Give Yourself And Others The Gift Of Coffee Sustainability http://www.villagecoffeecafe.com/blog/how-green-is-your-coffee-shop/ http://www.villagecoffeecafe.com/blog/how-green-is-your-coffee-shop/#comments Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:43:13 +0000 The Coffee Guy http://www.villagecoffeecafe.com/blog/?p=92 For those of us who stop at a local shop for our morning or afternoon "To Go" cup of coffee or espresso or whatever you choose to order, there's a whole lot of cups being used and thrown away. I found a site with some great suggestions. My thanks to the Planet Green folks over at Discovery.com for the following list of tips.

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]]> For those of us who stop at a local shop for our morning or afternoon "To Go" cup of coffee or espresso or whatever you choose to order, there's a whole lot of cups being used and thrown away. I found a site with some great suggestions. My thanks to the Planet Green folks over at Discovery.com for the following list of tips.

Top Green Coffee & Tea Tips

  1. The local brew
    Seek out the coffee and tea that have traveled the least distance to reach you and also aim at supporting local, independent farms, cafés, and roasters.
  2. Mug Shots
    Go ahead, find that perfect mug and make the investment. Not only is a reusable mug more pleasurable to sip out of than a paper cup, but it will replace an untold number of disposable cups, plastic sippy tops, “java jackets,” and other disposable paraphernalia. If you've got a thing for paper cups and Greek art, try a more durable "We Are Happy to Serve You", the handy-work of TreeHugger founder Graham Hill. Make a quick tally of how many disposable coffee or tea cups you use in a month…yeah, it’s probably a lot.
  3. Organic
    Coffee and tea that bear organic certification are more eco-friendly because they are grown and processed without toxic chemicals, are cultivated and harvested in ways that protect sensitive ecosystems, and spare workers from exposure to harmful pesticides and herbicides. Shade grown coffee is another important category that preserves habitats for migratory birds on coffee farms, also letting beans mature more slowly and creating richer flavors.
  4. Fair Trade
    Not only does certified fair trade coffee and tea help ensure living wages and safe working conditions for farmers, but TransFair and Rainforest Alliance both include rigorous environmental standards in their certification criteria.
  5. Home brew
    The local café is great. It’s got your friends, good food, free wireless. But if you think you can be greener in your own kitchen, give it a try. When you do it at home you know where the beans and leaves are coming from and also where they go when they’re spent. Plus, you can’t forget your mug, you can choose organic milk, and never toss out another paper sugar packet. Try a bit of quick math on the cost savings of making your morning cup-o-joe at home.
  6. Loosen up
    Tea bags and coffee filters can be useful but are mostly unnecessary. Great coffee can be made at home with a reusable filter or a stovetop espresso maker. A quality tea infuser can last a lifetime and replace an untold number of (questionably compostable) tea bags. If you do use filters and bags, look for biodegradable and unbleached ones.
  7. Milk and sugar
    Most people put one thing or another in their hot beverage of choice. Don’t foul up your organic, fair trade, bird friendly, solar roasted brew with chemical and hormone-laden milk and sugar from a little paper packet. If you don’t do the cow thing, look for organic rice, soy, or almond milk to yin up your yang. In the US, TransFair also certifies sugar, so even your sugar can be fair trade. (Maple syrup in coffee is another well-kept secret.)
  8. "Press" the issue
    If the local coffee shop you love doesn’t carry coffee and tea that meet your standards, start asking politely. Starbucks has a universal policy under which they will brew a French press of fair trade coffee for anyone who asks.
  9. Compost the roast
    Tea leaves and especially coffee grounds make outstanding compost. Coffee’s high nitrogen content has made it a fertilizer of choice since days of yore. Composting leaves and grounds helps keep organic waste out of landfills, makes great soil, and keeps waste baskets dry. If you don’t have a heap to toss it on, just spread coffee grounds on the top of your plants’ soil.
  10. Gift the good stuff
    Organic coffee and tea make superb gifts for friends and coworkers, as well as effective peace offerings for estranged family members and ex-lovers. It’s also a great way to get people appreciating the many benefits of a “greener” coffee or tea habit.
Again my thanks to the people over at Planet green
Not the usual grind,
A tip of the mug to photographers Evangelos Vlasopoulos for the coffee cup with beans and to Ali Farid for the use of the photos

Cafe Britt Fair Trade coffee

]]> http://www.villagecoffeecafe.com/blog/how-green-is-your-coffee-shop/feed/ 0 Roast Your Coffee At Home http://www.villagecoffeecafe.com/blog/roast-your-coffee-at-home/ http://www.villagecoffeecafe.com/blog/roast-your-coffee-at-home/#comments Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:13:33 +0000 The Coffee Guy http://villagecoffeecafe.com/blog/roast-your-coffee-at-home/ roasted coffee beans

Guess I'm on one of those D-I-Y kicks this week or at least thinking of doing things myself. I don't know about you, but I love the smell of roasting coffee. My girlfriend swears if she finds some perfume called Coffee she's going to buy it. I always laugh when she says it, but you know…anyhow back to the topic at hand.

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]]> roasted coffee beans

Guess I'm on one of those D-I-Y kicks this week or at least thinking of doing things myself. I don't know about you, but I love the smell of roasting coffee. My girlfriend swears if she finds some perfume called Coffee she's going to buy it. I always laugh when she says it, but you know…anyhow back to the topic at hand.

Here's a new twist  roast coffee at home.  You buy green coffee beans (before they are roasted they are a greenish color). And then you take the time to roast them to your standard.  There are a fair number of articles on home roasting using a popcorn popper. But when I read about the possibility of setting the popper or beans on fire, I said, "Nah, not for me."

I found a great site that specializes in selling green beans .  They even offer instructions in how to roast the beans at home.  Seems there are many roasters on the market, and if you are into experimentation for different roasts then home roasting maybe for you. But as the site points out if you merely like a particular type of roast coffee, then buy that coffee.

Ok, my do it myself kick is fast coming to an end. I'd rather spend the time enjoying the coffee than working on the coffee. So I'll leave the roasting to others, and visit either a local roaster or book a trip to one of those fantastic coffee places.  That'll please my girlfriend and I'll still have time to enjoy the coffee.

Not the usual grind,

The Coffee Guy

 

Tip of the coffee mug for the coffee beans photo to  Nicolas Raymond  

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