Erin Meister trains baristas for North Carolina-based Counter Culture Coffee and sporadically maintains the blog Meet the Press Pot from her home in New York City. This is part of a series for the caffeine-addicted.
I know you thought we were through with the genus-species-kingdom stuff after high-school biology, but did you know there are two different species of coffee plant? Well, there are: Arabica, or high-altitude grown gourmet coffee, and Robusta, or the more environmentally tolerant (and much cheaper) sort of coffee often found in instant crystals and behind bodega counters around the world.
But is the latter really more "robust" than the haute Arabica? Find out after the jump.
Erin Meister trains baristas for North Carolina-based Counter Culture Coffee and sporadically maintains the blog Meet the Press Pot from her home in New York City. This is part of a series for the caffeine-addicted.
Ah, the triumphant leaning back in your chair after a great meal at the season's "it" restaurant, pushing away the licked-clean plate and wishing you could loosen your belt in polite company. "Why sure, we'd love to see the dessert menu. And I'll have a cappuccino."
But then the cappuccino comes. It's got bitter, thin espresso topped with stiff, dry peaks of overdone milk covered in heaps of cheap cocoa powder. And, well ... it's not worth the $6 they're charging for it.
Does it have to be this way? Can there be such a thing as truly great restaurant coffee? Find out after the jump.
If some of your favorite things are "Gossip Girl," health-care-reform debates and game 7 of the World Series, it sounds like you might be drawn to the dramatic -- which says to me that maybe you'd like to try brewing coffee in an über-theatrical Japanese siphon brewer.
Ah, yes: the blazing heat, the cauldron-like bubbling, the unpredictable drop of the finished java and the clean, dynamic coffee flavor. It couldn't be more dramatic if it were directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
OK, not everything, but definitely something. And the same goes for coffee.
Much as wine grapes come in different cultivars (as anyone who prefers a Cabernet Franc to a Cabernet Sauvignon can tell you), coffee can be born to one of thousands of types, both heirloom and hybrid, which can have an impact on a coffee's productivity, appearance and, certainly, flavor.
While much is made of the variety of a particular grape (or apple, for fruit fans; or rose, for gardeners; or rice, for starch lovers), a large percentage of coffee farmers don't grow any one single type on their land, and many can't even be sure how much of their farm is one variety or another. Largely for this reason, any coffee that can be identified, with certainty, by its type is often cause for celebration among bean heads. The famous Esmeralda coffee I mentioned last week, for instance, is special in part because it comprises an exotic, transplanted Ethiopian variety called Gesha or Geisha (likely named for a spot in Ethiopia -- many African coffee varieties are christened for their proximity to certain villages or regions, such as Harrar and Sidamo).
So how about a nice, steaming hot cup of coffee ... for $10, or more?
Not unlike its more respected buddy made from fermented grapes, exceptional, rare and just plain wacky coffees have begun to fetch higher prices all over the world. Panama's now-famous farm Hacienda la Esmeralda, for instance, has been commanding record prices for its green beans, setting world records for auction sales in 2004 ($21/pound), 2006 ($50.25/pound) and 2007 (a whopping $130/pound).
But is it a matter of simply being impressed by the price tag, or is there something to these top-shelf beans? Read on to find out.
Of course, I'm not talking about the four-leaf kind, though that type's pretty rare, too. No, I mean the Clover coffee maker, a high-tech gadget that dropped jaws all over bean circles a few years ago, with its deeply sophisticated, digital one-cup-at-a-time brewing (not to mention the $11K price tag).
At first, the machines were the pride of the serious coffee lover, with independent cafés snapping them up as a way of showcasing artisanal coffees one by one, instead of losing them to the murky depths of an insulated thermos. But when Starbucks bought the Clover technology last year, the funky-looking little metal boxes were suddenly less and less available to your average café owner, becoming proprietary to the green mermaid.
So why is this lucky? Because it started a revolution. Or, more accurately, a renaissance. Read more about getting lucky with cup-at-a-time coffee after the jump.
Aside from beans and water, the coffee-brewing puzzle almost always requires at least one other element: a filter. Just about every method or machine utilizes them -- French press plungers have fine-mesh screens, espresso machines use perforated metal baskets, electric drip-coffee makers require the ubiquitous accordion-fold filters and even preground coffee pods come in their own little brew packs to keep the grounds at bay (that is, out of your teeth).
Understanding your filter situation can actually be a bit confusing, since there are myriad varieties available in a host of sizes, shapes and materials. Trying to make sense of the coffee-filter section at the market is not unlike trying to find the right replacement mop head (there's about an 80 percent chance of failure).
A well-known coffee company is returning to its roots in New York City.
This December, Chock full o'Nuts will open its first full-service restaurant since the chain shuttered its last restaurant in 1990, company officials tell Crain's New York Business.
The 2,800-square-foot restaurant will open less than a block from the Flatiron Building in Manhattan and serve up old favorites from its last bout decades ago in the restaurant arena, Crain's said.
Hooked on espresso? Yeah, me too. But not because we need it, right? It's because we love it. It isn't just a caffeine fix -- it's an act of passion. It's a foodie's delight.
Brewing espresso at home is a luxury enjoyed by few but might be more accessible than you think: Decent equipment starts at a basic splurge level before moving into "coffee has taken control of my life" exorbitance -- I swear!
Here's a guide to finding a machine that fits your needs (and your bank account).
I say nuts to baristas who turn their noses up at decaf. As far as I'm concerned, decaf drinkers are the salt of the earth, and I think it's high time they get their due.
Just think of it: There are millions upon millions of regular-coffee guzzlers who'll down 20 ounces of swill just to get a fix, but I see decaf devotees as folks who pursue coffee just for the sheer love of it. It's gotta be love, since the buzz isn't the main draw. Not only that, but poor decaffers are often stuck with the dregs: Stale coffee left sitting in an urn for hours, espresso poorly made by way of utter dismissal and even snide service from pro-caffeinators.
Well call me naive, but I just gotta stick up for the (probably pretty tired) underdog. Though the FDA has long considered caffeine a "safe" substance (though it is, strictly speaking, a kind of drug), try telling that to the folks who toss and turn all night as penance for a 6 p.m. cuppa. (And I can definitely sympathize.) Or worse yet, people who are allergic to the stuff!
But how does the buzz get out of that little bean? Click through to find out.
We chugged our way through more than two dozen different blends so you'll know which brands are worth sipping -- or skipping. After our jitters subsided, one clear winner emerged. Click on to see how your favorites fared.
We're not coffee snobs, but we're hard pressed to think of a single instance where we'd pick the stir-in stuff over some java that's hot from a freshly-brewed pot. Still, sometimes we need a caffeine fix on the go or in a jiffy, and there's not a bean to be seen.
We chugged our way through more than two dozen different blends so you'll know which brands are worth sipping -- and skipping. Keep clicking to see our reviews from the deepest dregs to the creme de la cafe.
We're not coffee snobs, but we're hard pressed to think of a single instance where we'd pick the stir-in stuff over some java that's hot from a freshly-brewed pot. Still, sometimes we need a caffeine fix on the go or in a jiffy, and there's not a bean to be seen.
We chugged our way through more than two dozen different blends so you'll know which brands are worth sipping -- and skipping. Keep clicking to see our reviews from the deepest dregs to the creme de la cafe.
Rachel Been, AOL
Chock Full O'Nuts
Sip or skip? Skip. Skip very, VERY far away.
Pass for brewed? No
Tasting Notes: Wow, what a tease. We were beckoned in by a yummy smell, but the flavor -- ugh. It's cruelly sour with an undertone of rotting veggies and chock full o' yuck.
Rachel Been, AOL
Nescafe Clasico
Sip or skip? Skip
Pass for brewed? Never
Tasting Notes: This barely even passes for instant java, and packs a bitter, chemical afterburn that took forever to get off our tongues. No mas, por favor.
Rachel Been, AOL
Folgers Coffee Singles Classic Roast
Sip or skip? Skip
Pass for brewed? No way
Tasting Notes: It smells okay, but has no flavor whatsover. Sure, the pack's convenient -- if you have an on-the-go hankering for the taste of brown water.
Rachel Been, AOL
Folgers Coffee Singles Classic Decaf
Sip or skip? Skip
Pass for brewed? No
Tasting Notes: No aroma, no flavor, no caffeine -- not a single reason to bother.
Rachel Been, AOL
Rocket Fuel
Sip or skip? Skip
Pass for brewed? As the worst gas station coffee you've ever had
Tasting Notes: It smells like dust, and while it's billed as "rich, dark, powerful coffee," all we're getting is a seismic blast of bitterness.
Rachel Been, AOL
Sanka
Sip or skip? Skip
Pass for brewed? Really bad, burned decaf
Tasting Notes: We're really feeling the burn on this one. The flavor is oddly reminiscent of scorched cheese -- not something we're looking to encounter first thing in the a.m.
Rachel Been, AOL
Brown Gold
Sip or skip? Skip
Pass for brewed? Perhaps for metallic conference room coffee
Tasting Notes: It's got a strange dusty, papery smell and a tinny taste -- is that the "gold" part? And what the heck is an Excelsio bean?
Rachel Been, AOL
Folgers Classic Roast
Sip or skip? Skip
Pass for brewed? No
Tasting Notes: If this odor-free, sour, bitter blend is indeed the best part of waking up, we suggest you just stay tucked in bed.
Rachel Been, AOL
White Rose Original Blend
Sip or skip? Skip
Pass for brewed? Maybe at Homer Simpson's nuclear plant.
Tasting Notes: Savor the taste and aroma of cardboard dunked in hot water? Have we got the brew for you!
Sometimes it seems like owning a coffee shop is on everybody's bucket list: Travel around the world, write the great American novel, retire and open a top-notch café. Last year, Alex Clark, 26, and Aaron Hagedorn, 33, checked that last one off, abandoning their steady (if somewhat boring) financial-sector 9-to-5s in midtown Manhattan for predawn mornings and late, overcaffeinated nights helming Ost Café in Gotham's Alphabet City neighborhood.
The friends traded in their office desks for Ost's beautiful corner location in an ever up-and-coming part of town -- complete with floor-to-ceiling windows and plenty of sunlight -- in order to live the proverbial dream as small-business owners... but do they think it was worth it? Leave it to the CoffeeMeister to find out.
Doesn't the heat make you daydream about being someplace else?
Someplace tropical and friendly, where the heat is part of the romance -- bellying up to a Havana lunch counter, enjoying the languid spinning of a lazy ceiling fan, the cool droplets crawling down the side of a sweating glass, the tinny tenor of cantador Beny Moré. And, naturally, a coffee.
You're thinking, "Coffee?! Who daydreams about coffee while sweat is making tracks down your spine?"
Me, that's who.
Brutal summer days are made for cafecito -- the thick, strong Cuban-style espresso brewed with sugar that's best when belted first thing in the morning. It may look like a regular ol' espresso, but the extra sweet kick might just jump-start your day a little quicker.
Hey, wait a sec! Are you really about to dump out the rest of the too-big coffee you ordered this morning, drank a third of, forgot about and let get lukewarm? Come on, pal -- you think this stuff grows on trees?
Well, actually, it kind of does -- except they're more like bushes. And the beans that we enjoy roasted, ground and percolated in the morning are actually seeds, not beans: They're more like a cherry pit than any legume you put in your famous Super Bowl Sunday chili. And much like every other fresh fruit or vegetable we enjoy, the beauty and deliciousness of a coffee is fleeting, seasonal and really labor intensive.
Read more about coffee's journey from seed to cup after the jump.
Whoever came up with the idea to put coffee over ice is an unsung hero to caffeine addicts everywhere, who, as a result, can snag their coffee fixes on 100-degree days without chugging 100-degree beverages.
The only drawback, of course, is when the ice melts and that much-beloved morning treat becomes an unappetizing coffee-water hybrid. Here's a twist on the coffee ice cubes we reminded you to make earlier this summer: Joanne Choi from Week of Menus busted out her cubes and plopped them into a glass of milk.
Both clever and appetizing, each chilly caffeinated cube looks good enough to savor on its own -- a coffee Popsicle, if you will -- but, when lounging in a glass of ice-cold milk, they create a sort of inverse iced coffee. Genius.
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