Fixx Coffee

Josh Kelley – Two cups of coffee

© istockphoto.com/PeskyMonkey

According to a US survey poll of 3600 workers these professions need their caffeine fix most: nurses, physicians, hotel workers, designers or architects, and financial or insurance sales representatives.

2 out of 5 American workers claim they are less productive without coffee.

40% workers aged 18-34 say they can’t concentrate as well without coffee.

24% of workers aged 18-34 say they buy coffee as a treat for doing a job well.

So we are curious to know how badly to do you need your caffeine Fix and what benefit does it bring to you?

40 Cups of Coffee – Bill Haley

40 Cups of Coffee – Ella Mae Morse 1953

16 – 18 February 2011
FAST Financial Fair: Bringing Quality Finance to Sustainable Producers” (FFF),
Arusha, Tanzania
www.fastinternational.org/

17 – 19 February 2011
8th African Fine Conference & Exhibition
Tanzania
http://www.eafca.org/afcc8/

19 – 20 February 2011
6th Annual Coffee and Tea Festival
New York, USA
http://www.coffeeandteafestival.com/

16 – 19 March 2011
National Coffee Association’s Centennial Convention
New Orleans, USA
http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1

21 – 23 March 2011
Tea & Coffee Asia World Cup
Singapore
http://www.tcworldcup.com/singapore/

28 April – 1 May 2011
Specialty Coffee Association of America 23rd Annual Exposition and
3rd Annual Symposium
Houston, USA
http://www.scaa.org/

2-5 June 2011
2011 World Barista Championship
Bogata. Columbia
http://worldbaristachampionship.com/2011-bogota/

22 – 24 June 2011
SCAE World of Coffee, Maastricht
The Netherlands
http://scae.com/scae-world-of-coffee-maastricht.html

8 – 10 September 2011
Coffeeena International Coffee Fair
Cologne, Germany
http://www.coffeena.biz/

9 – 13 November 2011
Sintercafé 25th Anniversary Costa Rica
http://www.sintercafe.com/en/pages/intro

The easiest way to answer this is think about some bad cappuccino’s you have had in the past – some are too watery, foamy, or full of bubbles.

A perfect Cappuccino has a ring of crema around outside and white smooth velvet on inside. The milk and foam shines, is light and airy, easily shaped with a spoon and does not have any bubbles in it. The milk will sit right above the rim of cup without overflowing over the edge.

In preparing cappuccino’s cold milk will work better than warm or room temperature milk.

 The objective of grinding coffee is to the get the most flavour from the beans. Coffee is ground so that the taste and aroma compounds are more easily transferred into the water.

How you grind your coffee at home will ultimately affect your coffee experience.

There are a range of grinders available on the market, manual and electric, single blade and Burr grinders. 

Depending on your budget and coffee preferences, you may prefer to choose a grinder were you can adjust the grind for different brewing methods.

The coarseness of your beans will depend on how you plan to brew your coffee. 

General rules of thumb

 Extra Fine Grind
Finer than Sugar
Espresso Machines
 

Fine Grind
Smooth, finer than table salt
Ground exposed to hot water for a short duration
Coffee Filters (cone filters), Espresso Moka Pots

 
Coarse Grind
Like heavy grained coffee particles
Ground exposed to hot water for a longer period
Plunger/French Press, Percolator
 

 During roasting, the coffee produces carbon dioxide.  This gas evaporates quickly and in a short time the bean loses its freshness and aroma unless it is correctly packaged.

Most ground coffees are vacuum packed in bricks or cans, while roasted beans are normally packaged in bags that have a one way valve. This one way valve allows the carbon dioxide to escape and prevents oxygen from entering.

Once opened coffee should be used as quickly as possible.  The basic principle for storing coffee is to have as little contact with air in order to protect its taste and aroma.  Keep the coffee in its original packaging and seal tightly after use. For example, a zip-lock bag, an air tight container or storage coffee grip.

Store unopened coffee in a dry cool place and away from strongly flavoured products such as tea or spices.  The shelf life  varies according to the type of packaging and the coffee format.  

Factors that affect coffee most are heat, light, water and humidity.  Contrary to popular belief coffee should not be stored in a refrigerator as it will be affected by water and humidity and it quickly picks up other scents and flavours.  

Buy coffee bag size that suits your needs.  While a larger bag may appear cheaper, once open coffee is losing freshness so best to buy the bag size depending on your usage levels.

This is one of the most popular methods used. The unit is divided into two sections, a filter chamber for the ground coffee and the coffee jug.  

• Place the appropriate filter in the coffee chamber.  (As per your equipment instructions).
• Add the appropriate amount of ground coffee. This will vary depending on the size of your machine. (See your equipment guidelines).
• Make sure the coffee is evenly spread on the filter so that all the coffee is saturated at the same time ensuring an even extraction.
• Add the desired amount of water into the brewer water container.
• The brew drips down by gravity into the pouring pot below.  Contact time is usually 4-6 minutes. 
• Stir before serving.
• Ensure you remove the used filter and leave machine clean for next brew.
• A common mistake made in using the drip or filter method is leaving the brewed coffee on the warming plate.  Once coffee is brewed it should be poured immediately.  Brewed coffee left on a burner will burn or “cook” causing over extraction resulting in a bitter tasting coffee.  

Despite their name these coffee makers do not make true espressos, instead they brew a thick rich cup of coffee that is best served in a demitasse (espresso size) cup.

• Consisting of three chambers, the bottom chamber is used to heat the water, the middle one contains the ground coffee and the top chamber is the area the coffee brews into (where the coffee ends up).
• Fill the bottom chamber with cold water to the desire amount.
• Add coffee to the middle chamber and pack lightly. (Use a medium fine grind).

Coffee measures:  – Using one flat scoop of coffee 7g per cup serving.
(One scoop provided with equipment / 1 dessertspoon = 7 grams)

• Place the pot on the stove over medium heat.
• Steam and water will travel from the bottom chamber, through the middle chamber and up through a spout.
• Brewing should take approximately 4 minutes depending on your type of Moka Pot. When top chamber if full off coffee, remove from heat.
• Pour and enjoy.