You may want to print this or forward it to the office !
Coffee Beans – Begin with fresh roasted JumpinGoat Gourmet roasted whole beans. Use only 100% Arabica Beans for best results, never use Robusta or blends with Robusta as these beans typically have a bitter flavor.
Water – Think about it…coffee is mostly water (about 99%), so it makes sense that the quality of your coffee is heavily dependent upon the quality of the water that you use. Don’t skimp ! Use only fresh filtered water (cold). If you have chlorine in your water use bottled water as an alternative. If you have well water, filter out any mineral content. For optimal brew extraction, maintain a water temperature between 199 degrees F. and 205 degrees F. Never brew with boiling, because it can scorch the taste of your coffee. It’s okay to boil the water, but set it aside and let it temp down before brewing.
Brewing: If you use a French press you will obtain a better result than paper filter brewers. The reason is because with French Pressing you extract the crema of coffee. Crema is brown foam that is desired by coffee experts. It’s the natural sugar in the bean, the essential oils, and the natural essence of coffee. Remember, use very hot water, but not boiling, in your French Press Coffee Maker. Whatever way you decide to brew…a clean coffee pot is essential and can make a substantial difference in the taste of your coffee.
Coffee Grinders – There are basically two different kinds of grinders: Blade Coffee Grinders (not good) or Burr Coffee Grinders (preferred). What’s the difference? Burr grinders crush the beans between a moving grinding wheel and a non-moving surface. Therefore, a burr grinder can be calibrated and it can better regulate the grind to the type brewing method you use. Consistent grind will yield better results and it will save you money over time because you will ultimately use a more precise amount of coffee for brewing.
Chop Grinders These grinders are good in a pinch and they are inexpensive but typically you cannot calibrate or control any appreciable level of consistency in your coffee grind. This type grinder can be easily identified as the blades look like the blades in a blender. The grind from a chop grinder will be uneven in size, leading to inconsistent brew quality, taste, and ultimately cost. Chop grinders are not recommended for gourmet coffee.
Coarse Grind: is used for French Press, percolators, and cold water brewing method.
Medium Grind (Drip): Used for electric drip and manual drip. The drip method is one of the most popular in the USA
Extra Fine Grind: used for espresso machines. Remember espresso is not a bean, it’s a brewing method. Example: Never say, I’d like an espresso roast. Instead say, I would like a roast suitable for brewing espresso. Also, any roasted bean (color) is fine for espresso.
Amount of Coffee – Professional’s use: exactly two (2) tablespoons (7 to 9 grams or 2 scoop of a standard coffee measure) of ground coffee beans for each six (6) ounces of water. For (4) 6 ounce cups of coffee, measure out 8 generous tablespoons (30 to 35 grams) of fresh ground coffee.
In Summary there are four essential components of a great cup of Coffee:
Perfect Coffee
Perfect Grind
Perfect Water
Perfect Brew
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The availability of coffee from some parts of the world has been questionable over the last year or so, and the industry has seen upwards of a 50% increase in pricing.
The questions around the “C” market have left us all wondering, “what’s next”, and if the volatility had some end in sight.
Coffee manufactures, and end users have been asking:
Is it available?
Will it be available?
How much will be available, and what’s the price?
These are very real questions, but now it seems some hint of an answer may be emerging about Kenya Coffee
Kenya Coffee season has experienced a steep decline in crop volume productions, so the 2010-11 marketing season may close early.
The Kenya market typically closes in July and Aug, but instead it will most likely close in May-June time-frame.
If you love that AA African Coffee that JumpinGoat sells, you may want to stock up.
This may not speak directly to availability, but remember, coffee is traded on “replacement value”…I’m just saying !
The corporate direction of Starbucks for the last several years has been questionable at best, but Starbucks and Groupon…well that’s just interesting.
There is just something about “corporate retail coffee” that just makes my skin crawl. Nobody can deny the success of corporate coffee, but doesn’t it just seems cold and “less connected?
My notion is…they push a button, add several oz. of hot milk, and then ask me to hand over my legal tender.
I suppose that’s why I quietly question the cups real value.
It’s easy to pick on the big guys, and in some small way (very small)…we all wish for that level of success, but what about when they do something right?
Okay, they are still “corporate”, and perhaps some day the taste of the culture will change, but let’s face it…this Groupon move is priceless, and the social media value will be overwhelming.
This was a post from Jay Edge. He has an interesting blog that is well worth your visit.
This…from his his Dec 13, 2010 Press.
Run & Paint
And now for something completely different- JumpinGoat Coffee.
JumpinGoat Coffee Roasters and Shop, Helen, Georgia, December 2010.
The serpentine mountain road that takes you through Nacoochee Valley into Helen Georgia does not warn you of the coming mountain cabins, cascading down the road as the Chattahoochee river flows behind (and sometimes beneath) them. Worn-paint walls struggle against winter and age, and hand-painted signs claim their wares. These rustic shopsteads avoid the final, fatal slide into the river, offering interesting wares, including the goods of a stone-wheel mill, glass arts, local pottery, and the JumpinGoat Coffee Shop.
The coffee shop is separate from the roastery, located above on the mountain, but the smell of dark coffee is a thick, aromatic tincture pushing against the vapors of winter. Inside the provincial cabin, the oiled pine planks groan beneath numerous bags of flavored and roasted coffees, neatly bulging out of wooden baskets. The attendant poured samples, including a chocolate coffee so rich and delicious, I thought they had coated the cup in mocha syrup. The JumpinGoat signature blend had interesting flavor notes, was energized and layered, smooth as the wooden floors. For my afternoon cup I chose the Nicaraguan Arabica, and man alive was this a cup of java! Hearty, deep, nutty, with some smoked-wood notes, I felt like I was drinking the essence of the place. A touch of cream and sugar extracted more flavor notes, and I felt a few cravings to go run the mountain. The sumatran looked superb, like a bean of polished onyx, but there was none brewed on that particular day.
If you are in the vicinity, the sign-laden JumpinGoat Coffee and the neighboring stone-wheel mill (fresh-ground grits with molasses!!) are excellent reasons to drive to Helen, Ga. By the time you reach the Nacoochee Valley, you will be ready for a hot cup of coffee, the perfect fuel for running trails or roaming shops.
What kind of office coffee services are you offering your hardworking employees?
Coffee is at the center of so many good ideas. It is in the middle of every break room table and front and center on the desk of the most efficient assistant. Coffee rings, coffee stains, no mind. A little coffee smudge on the corner of the monthly P&L report just shows how much effort went into it.
Here is a great heading for your next office newsletter or e-mail blast, “Organic Coffee Now Offered to Show Our Appreciation for Your Hard Work.” There is nothing like pampering your employees to show them how much you care. You do care, don’t you? I surely hope the office coffee services you are offering do not come in a generic black and white bag.
The coffee culture goes beyond the corner café. It goes beyond the poetic open mic nights and the political banterings of the coffee shop get together. Where the water cooler stands for gossip and the “things that should have been left out of the office,” the coffee station stands for ideas, staying up late, getting going in the morning, consulting and productivity; what business would not want to cater to this?
More businesses are being eco-conscious these days. They are saving paper, recycling paper, watching their carbon foot-prints and recycling cans in the break-room. The big coffee conglomerates care nothing about the eco-system. They tear down trees to grow coffee trees that normally thrive under the tender shade of naturally growing trees. Coffee beans grown in the full sun are bitter and sprayed with pesticides for insects that would not normally attack them. When a plant is grown in abnormal conditions, it is more susceptible to diseases and insects.
Whether it is for the image of your business as an eco-friendly provider, a treat for your well deserving employees or to stimulate those money- making ideas in the conference room, think of the office coffee services you are providing. It just might make a difference to offer organic JumpinGoat Coffee or Tea next time.
