Transcript REAL COFFEE: PURCHASING, (HOME-)ROASTING, GRINDING, BREWING LIBRARIANS FORUM

REAL COFFEE: PURCHASING,
(HOME-)ROASTING,
GRINDING, BREWING
LIBRARIANS FORUM
13 DECEMBER 2006
EARLY COFFEE HISTORY
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Qahwah (“coffee”) is an Arabic word of uncertain etymology and is the origin
of the usual words for coffee in various languages. It was originally a name
for wine, attested already in ancient poetry. The word was transferred
towards the end of the 8th/14th century in Yemen to the beverage made
from the berry of the coffee tree. Another theory holds it a word of African
origin and seeks to connect it with the alleged home of the coffee tree,
Kaffa, in Ethiopia, although the word bun (Arabic al-bunn) for tree, berry and
beverage is used there. The coffee tree was not indigenous to South Arabia
and was probably introduced from the highlands of Ethiopia.
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The earliest known mention of coffee is found in Arabic writings of the
10th/16th century, in an essay by Ahmad Ibn `Abd al-Ghaffar, quoted by
`Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhammad al-Jaziri , fl. 1568 in his `Umdat al-safwah fi
hall al-qahwah.
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Legends hold that the consumption of coffee in Arabia first began among
Yemeni Sufis. They were particularly fond of the beverage because its effect
facilitated the performance of their religious ceremonies.
COFFEE HISTORY
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In Mecca, according to the `Umdat al-safwah, the drinking of coffee in one
form or other first appeared towards the end of the 9th/15th century.
Drinking coffee established itself, and people drank coffee even in the
mosque. Coffee-houses (buyut al-qahwah) were soon opened, where men
and women met to listen to music or where they played chess or other
games. This activity aroused the indignation of the ultra-pious, many of
whom were always against the beverage as an objectionable innovation. It
was often banned by religious authorities. But bans evaporated, and the
consumption of coffee increased and spread. Coffee experienced similar
sporadic bans in Cairo and elsewhere.
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Commerce among Mecca and Medina with Egypt brought coffee to Syria,
Persia, and Turkey. Later bans came and went in various other cities: In
religious circles, it was found that the coffee-house was bad for the mosque,
and the `ulama' considered the coffee-house even worse than the wineroom. Preachers were especially eager for the prohibition of coffee and the
way was paved for them by the muftis with an opinion that (roasted) coffee
was to be considered as carbonized and therefore forbidden. The habit of
coffee drinking spread to Europe and other parts of the world during the
17th and 18th centuries. (based in the article “kawha in the Encyclopaedia
of Islam)
O Coffee!
• Ya qahwatu tudhhibu hamma al-fita | O Coffee you dispel all care
• anta li-hawi al-ilm ni`ma al-murad | You are the object of desire to
the scholar
• sharabu ahl Allahi fi-ha al-shifa | This is the drink of the friends of
God. It gives health
• li-talibi al-hikmati bayna al-`ibad | To those among humanity who
seek wisdom
‫يا قهوة تذهب هم الفتا‬
‫انت لحاوي العلم نعم المراد‬
‫شراب اهل هللا فيها الشفا‬
‫لطالب الحكمة بين العباد‬
`Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhammad al-Jaziri , fl. 1568, `Umdat al-safwah fi hall al-qahwah.
ESPRÈSSO
Concentrated coffee beverage brewed by forcing very hot,
but not boiling, water under high pressure through coffee
that has been finely ground
CAFFELATTE/CAFÉ AU
LAIT/LATTE - Steamed milk with coffee
CAPPUCCINO
Esprèsso with steamed/frothed milk
CAPPUCCINO AS IT MIGHT BE
ENJOYED
FRENCH PRESS
• French press or press pot, coffee plunger or cafetière, is
a coffee brewing device popularized by the French. Its
operation is simple and, despite coarse grounds, it
produces a fuller flavor coffee than drip pots.
REAL COFFEE
• What is real coffee? Not the canned or bagged stuff that
comes from the grocery store; maybe not the bags of
ground coffee or beans from specialty stores or coffee
houses.
• All that stuff is very likely either stale when you buy it or
will be before you consume it.
• Real Coffee is freshly (home-) roasted and ground just
before brewing.
• NOT
$TARBUCKS
• This show and tell will not bash $tarbucks :
Starbucks sells and brews very good
coffee, perhaps a bit over-roasted
("Charbucks"). There are several very
good coffee houses in Ann Arbor and
beyond (among them, Espresso Royale,
Zou Zou's, Pierce's Pastries Plus, etc.)
How to Brew Coffee
• I will show you how to brew real coffee:
home roasted in very small batches (<1/2
lb. per week?), ground in a burr grinder
(not a blade grinder), and brewed in a drip
pot (not a percolator!), French press,
vacuum pot, Ibrik, or espresso machine
(not a steam-toy).
• NOT
For a modest investment, you can
enjoy real coffee
BURR GRINDERS
• Burr grinders ($100-$150), inexpensive to
moderate (Rancilio Rocky, Baratza,
Capresso, Solis Maestro (Plus)
• NOT a blade grinder—they cut the coffee
beans into uneven chips and powder. Burr
grinders crush into even grounds.
COFFEE BEANS
• Coffee beans, either green or very fresh
roasted (mail order or locally available at
Whole Foods)
HOME ROASTING
• Coffee roasters $0-$450): Air Popcorn Popper,
iron frying pan, Hearthware iRoast, Zach &
Dani's (best deal), FreshRoast Plus, HotTop
Drum Roaster, Gene Cafe Drum Roaster,
Stovetop Popcorn Popper (Whirley Pop)
ARABICA or ROBUSTA
• Arabica beans are the best; Robusta are not so good but
serve a purpose as they are blended in small quantities
with Arabica to produce richer “crèma” in espresso.
They are cheap and widely used in supermarket coffee
to keep the cost down, and they have higher caffeine
content.
• Arabica is distinctly milder and more aromatic. It
possesses fewer sharp and bitter tastes than Robusta,
and it is therefore considered the superior species by
those who cultivate specialty coffees, single estates and
varietals.
• http://www.wholelattelove.com/articles/arabica_coffee.cfm
CRÈMA!
• Crèma, a reddish-brown foam which floats
on the surface of well brewed espresso, is
composed of vegetable oils, proteins and
sugars. Crèma has elements of both
emulsion and foam colloid. Some beans
produce more copious amounts of crèma,
e.g., Indian monsooned Malabar.
CRÈMA!
ROASTING DEGREES
• http://www.sweetmarias.com/roastingVisualGuideV2.html
• From Green to Conflagration!
ROASTING DEGREES: GREEN
TO FIRE
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Green un-roasted coffee
Starting to pale -- Early yellow stage -- Yellow-Tan stage
Light Brown stage -- Brown Stage -- 1st crack begins
1st crack under way -- 1st crack finishes -- This is considered a City
Roast
City+ roast: The stage between the first and second crack
Full City roast: On the verge of 2nd crack
Full City+ roast: First audible snaps of 2nd crack
Vienna - Light French roast: 2nd crack is under way
Full French roast 2nd crack is very rapid, nearing its end (caution!
Starbucks’ roast)
Fully carbonized: Some call this Italian or Spanish roast, an insult to
either!
At this stage, the coffee can be over 25% ash; it is carbonized,
dead, charcoal –imminent fire
COFFEE ORIGINS
• Coffee origins: Indonesia, New Guinea, India,
Vietnam; Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia,
Zimbabwe; Yemen; Nicaragua, Costa Rica,
Columbia, Brazil, Peru, México, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras, Panama
COFFEE BREWING UTENSILS
• Coffee brewing utensil or machine ($40125): Saeco Renaissance, Capresso,
Technivorm, Chemex, Starbucks,
Zojirushi, Melitta, Bodum French Press,
Ibrik, Briki, Jesvah, Pannikin, etc.
Esprèsso Machines
• Esprèsso machines ($100-$8,000) for the
home: Rancilio Silvia, Gaggia Classic or
Carezza, La Pavoni, Starbucks Barista,
Capresso, Saeco
GREEN COFFEE IS ½ THE PRICE
• El SalvadorCup of Excellence #2 - Los Planes
$21.90 lb (green)
• Ethiopia Yirgacheffe - Moledina 3993 $4.90 lb
(green)
• Willoughby's roasted: Ethiopia Yrgacheffe
$10.99 lb
• Espresso Vivace roasted: Vita Blend $13.00 lb
INFORMATION, REVIEWS, ETC.
• CoffeeGeek: http://www.coffeegeek.com/
• Dave Bayer's personal web page:
http://www.math.columbia.edu/~bayer/coffee.ht
ml
• alt.coffee Newsgroup:
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.coffee?lnk=o
a
• Espresso! My Espresso! An Ongoing Internet
Novelette:
http://home.surewest.net/frcn/Coffee/Coffee.html
• Epresso Top 50: http://www.espressotop50.com/
EQUIPMENT, BEANS
• 1st Line: http://www.1st-line.com/
• Wholelattelove:
http://www.wholelattelove.com/
• Sweet Maria's:
http://www.sweetmarias.com/
COFFEE (ROASTED & GREEN)
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Armeno: http://www.armeno.com/
Fresh Coffee: http://www.FreshCoffeeBeans.com/Beans.asp
Espresso Vivace: http://www.espressovivace.com/intro.html
Willoughby's: http://www.willoughbyscoffee.com/
Peet's: http://www.peets.com/
Tully's: http://www.tullys.com/
Starbuck's: http://www.starbucks.com/
Illy: http://www.illy.com/Illy2006/
Lavazza: http://www.lavazza.com/default/channel/index_eng.jsp
Whole Foods Market:
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/coffee/index.html
• Espresso Royale Caffe: http://www.espressoroyale.com/
• Intelligentsia Coffee: http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/
COFFEE HOUSES ALL OVER
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Caffé Paradiso 1 Eliot St Cambridge MA
Willoughby’s New Haven and Branford
Espresso Royale Caffé: Ann Arbor
Starbucks everywhere
Beaner's Ann Arbor
Bear Claw Coffee Co
Hatcher Graduate Library (coming soon to the
wind tunnel?)
More Coffee Links
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http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jrodgers/coffee/CoffeeBookmarks.html
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This presentation:
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jrodgers/coffee/LIBRARIANS FORUM Coffee.ppt
Bar Ragno d'Oro Massaua, Eritrea