boca java | coffee house: May 2008

Today's coffee month Article
The Coffee Pot And Its Variety Of Shapes And Styles

The shape and size of a coffee pot will vary. When coffee makers were introduced in the late 1950s, the look of the coffee pot changed.

Before that time, the family coffee pot was often a percolator, which was made of metal. The percolator was patented in 1865 by James Nason. Gravity funnels boiled water through the coffee pot until it comes in contact with coffee grounds.

Gravity then separates the beverage from the grounds, leaving the residue in a small basket of the coffee pot. The coffee was served from the same pot that brewed it.

Still, some people made coffee in a pot on the stove before the modern coffee maker came along, making a simple boiler their family coffee pot.

Most often the family coffee pot in today's homes is the carafe that is attached to the coffee maker. These drip coffee makers became popular in the early 70s. The coffee is placed in a filter. You pour the water from the coffee pot into the filter. Then the coffee is brewed and funneled down into the coffee pot.

The coffee pot that will come with the coffee maker you purchase is usually made of glass but many are made of Pyrex. A coffee pot made of Pyrex is very durable and will not break if it is dropped.

Some families have a coffee pot that have survived generations and is considered a family heirloom.

This coffee pot may be a part of the family china service and may be ceramic. The ceramic coffee pot often reflects the china pattern chosen an older member of the family. Some silver tea services that are handed down from generation to generation may include a coffee pot as well. Some of these tea services may be pewter instead of silver.

Some high-scale restaurants and coffee franchises use decorative carafes as a coffee pot. Some of the art deco coffee pots may look more like a vase than a coffee pot. This type of coffee pot may have a design and may be more colorful that a traditional coffee pot.

One of the latest trends is a coffee pot that resembles a thermos-like vessel. This type of coffee pot can brew coffee and is served from the coffee pot. The coffee pot is made of stainless steel that keeps the coffee hot. It is also convenient for travel. This type of coffee pot is great from those addicted to their daily dose of java and need to keep the beverage flowing.

Online auction sites and retail stores a coffee pot for almost any taste. If you are looking for a collector's item, look for a coffee pot at an antique store. Many pottery companies have a coffee pot that is unique and is considered a collectible. You can search for a collectible coffee pot online. The price collectible coffee pot could reach hundreds of dollars.

A coffee pot is often more than just a container for your java. Whether you need a practical coffee pot or you have a family heirloom, your own individual taste will determine your coffee pot.

About the Author:

Still looking for the perfect coffee? Try visiting http://www.AllCoffeeSite.com, a website that specializes in providing coffee advice, tips and resources to including information on coffee pot.

Featured coffee month Items
Bananas Foster Float - 8 oz.

Float on top of the world with the international favorite and original New Orleans creation of flamed bananas with cinnamon, brandy, and brown sugar! The luscious taste of our Bananas Foster coffee is true paradise in a cup.

Price: 6.95

Bananas Foster Float (DECAF) - 8 oz.

Coffee that unites sophistication and spirit. A combination of medium and dark South American and Colombian coffee. This rich tasting, full body roast is sure to ignite your passion for aroma and flavor.

Price: 7.45

Chocolate Cherry Celebration DECAF- 8 oz.

Celebrate the magic of chocolate covered cherries as you savor this sensational coffee.

Price: 7.45

coffee month in the news
Nice photo of the meeting

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:34:13 -0800
Hi everybody! Look at this photo in a nice coffee store.

Harping Sounds of AM 950 MUSIC/GOLF CONNECTION - El Dorado Hills Telegraph

Fri, 09 May 2008 03:22:18 GMT

Harping Sounds of AM 950 MUSIC/GOLF CONNECTION
El Dorado Hills Telegraph, CA - 40 minutes ago
He will be out at Courthouse Coffee next week for Harmonica Lessons on Thursday. ON The GOLF CONNECTION Loyce's guest was Author/Class A PGA Pro John ...

We Heart Caffeine

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:59:36 -0700
So here we are, with a gallery of folks proclaiming their love of all things caffeinated. Ladies first, as always. Elizabeth is here sporting a bit of chocolate. Just a bit, but it counts. Not to be outdone, Diana is partaking of the nectar of the gods while holding her own chocolate in preparation for its delicious destruction. Cindy's mug speaks for itself. And Cosette is on hand with various and sundry brands of coffee, many of which can be consumed over the course of a day in th

Labels: gourmet coffee makers | gourmet coffee shop | gourmet tea shops

Another Great shade grown organic coffee Article
Secrets of Coffee Roasting, De-Mystified

I started my coffee roasting career as a home roaster. Getting started was easier than I thought. And as I did so, it occured to me how a relatively simple concept, roasting coffee beans, has been made to appear to be an arcane art, with a variety of roast types held out as arcane knowledge. How many different names have you run across for different types of coffee roasts? Light, Medium, Dark? Espresso? Continental? Vienna, French, Italian, Spanish? City? Full-City? C'mon, who's thinking up these things?

Well, the dark secret (pardon the pun) of the coffee industry is that, well, there really isn't full agreement on which roast is which. So basically, we all pretty much get to hunt around, try different coffees from different sources and pick the one(s) we like. In this article, I'll try to use the standard nomenclature, and map it to a process of observing the color and texture anyone can judge for himself.

The roasting adventure begins with green coffee beans. These are stored at room temperatures, at 12-15% moisture content. Roasting is done at temperatures of up to 450+ degrees F. Duration and temperature determine the roast.

A coffee bean will take on heat until the internal temperature of the bean reaches approximately 212-240 deg F. At this point, the outer layer of the bean(s) will discolor, turning a nice cinnamon color. Here, steam will start being released from the bean.

As the bean heats up further (approx 250-300 degrees F, again depending on the variety), the external membrane of the bean will dry up and start separating from the bean itself. At approximately 350 degrees F, the continuing heating of the bean forces a 'first crack.' This cracking occurs as moisture within is released through the existing seam in the bean. This essentially blows this small crack open, forcing the separation of the remaining bean 'chaff'.

Coffee at this stage is a light brown color; entering the 'light City Roast' stage. City Roast is usually achieved at a slightly higher temperature (above 370 deg F), where the sugars within the bean start melting or carmelizing. This gives the distinctive 'coffee brown' color. City Roasts are usually stopped around 400 deg. or so. At this point, the sugars are not fully carmelized, and flavor of the beans at this stage are very much determined by their origin; not by the degree of roast.

The 'Full City Roast' stage occurs at higher temperatures, just as the bean reaches the 'second crack' stage. This stage happens at different temperatures for different beans based on variety. The second crack comes as the temperatures of the bean reach the point where the cellular composition of the bean starts breaking down. To obtain the Full City roast, roasting is stopped just at the point where this second crack starts (approx 425-435 deg F.) At this point the bean is darker brown, but 'dry' looking, as the oils of the bean have not started to emerge through the molecular breakdown of the bean.

Going into the second crack, we reach the Vienna, Continental, French and/or Italian roast stages. These are sometimes also referred to as "Espresso Roast", although strictly speaking, there's no such thing. Italian espresso blends actually vary - northern blends are typically roasted to the 'Vienna' stage, well into the second crack, where the sugars within the bean are almost fully carmelized and many beans within the roast will appear dark brown with hints of fissures. Espresso blends in southern Italy are usually roasted into the "French Roast" stage, where almost all of the beans will be about one shade removed from black and oils will start emerging from some beans.

Beyond this point, beans will start releasing oils and their soluble compounds - mainly as a lot of smoke; but the beans will be left quite dark with a very oily sheen. Assuming they have not fully burnt yet, this can be specified as "Italian Roast". I've observed different temperatures (within the roaster) for all of these stages depending on the bean variety - so as my roasts reach the second crack, I tend to trust my eyes and ears more than I trust my probe thermometer.

One interesting note of coffee roasting is that as beans reach into the second crack, they tend to lose any distinctive varietal flavors. Is this a bad thing? Well, for some, perhaps... I for one will mutter a bit if my Ethiopian Yirgacheffe goes past Full City and I lose the distinctive flavor notes; and in my early roasting career I almost cried as a batch of prized Puerto Rican select went unheeded into the Italian Roast realm before I managed to get back to it. But... some varieties do better at the distinctive French Roast stage. De gustibus non disputandum est - it just doesn't pay to dispute the results in the cup!

And that is coffee roasting. I have seen a fair amount of advertising of 'slow-roasted' or 'deep-roasted' coffee, which always gets me to wondering. I suppose if you roast a huge amount of beans in a low-temperature environment... why, yes, that would in fact be a slow process! Certainly for a roaster to get beans to a certain roast point and no further, it does pay to be precise and not rapidly incinerate his product. But I can't say I'd want to purposely take any longer than necessary to do so.

As for 'deep' roasting? Hmm. Can't say as I've ever heard of 'shallow' roasting; but whatever it is, 'deep roast' must be the opposite! Seriously, the only 'trick of the trade' that I can think of runs counter to the notion of holding beans at any given temperature... and that is, once a batch reaches the desired point, get it out of the roaster and cool it down FAST! As described above, the quality of a roast depends on those sugars and soluble materials within the bean getting 'cooked' very specifically. Keeping the beans near additional heat (yes, even other beans nearby, releasing their own heat energy) will continue to cook them.

To some extent this is unavoidable, so the experienced roaster will compensate for this by knowing his roasting environment; and ideally provide a cooling location where beans can cool as rapidly as possible by the flow of cool (i.e., room temperature) air over the freshly-roasted beans. This allows them to 'coast' into their final characteristic color and taste.

Andy White, Roastmaster for Coudy Coffee. For more coffee and espresso information and resources, visit http://www.coudycoffee.com

Print and Internet publication rights for this article are granted
free of charge, provided the credit and copyright paragraph and this paragraph remain intact. If you use this article in HTML form, please set resource link as a hyperlink. Please e-mail me the URL of any place where the article is posted, or a copy of any electronic newsletter or eZine, etc. A copy of any printed publication using this article would be greatly appreciated (contact me via e-mail for mailing address!)

Andy White is the Owner and Roast-Master for Coudy Coffee, proudly serving his small-batch roasted gourmet coffees to wholesale and retail customers. He can be reached through the Coudy Coffee web site http://www.coudycoffee.com

Featured shade grown organic coffee Items
Brew of Bravery-8oz.

This medium roast blend of African, Central and South American beans delivers a full-body flavor. One of the best coffees you'll ever drink!

A portion of the proceeds support the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, honoring the bravery and dedication of our Armed Forces by providing educational scholarships to the children of fallen heroes.

Price: 7.95

Guatemalan Adventure - 8 oz.

Explore our prized estate coffee from the finest volcanic soil in Antigua Guatemala. Made from limited quantity specialty arabica beans, enjoy its medium to full bodied nutty flavor with a smooth finish.

Price: 7.25

Guatemalan Adventure (DECAF) - 8 oz.

Say aloha to flavor with our rich white chocolate raspberry coffee! This amazingly smooth combination will help you sway through the day!

Price: 6.95

shade grown organic coffee in the news
Countdown to a Green Valentine’s Day - Day 9

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 18:32:41 -0800
What’s the first thing that happens on Valentine’s Day, if you’re doing it right (right meaning how I would do it)? Breakfast in bed for your Valentine, of course! Did you know that coffee is one of the most intensively farmed, potentially damaging products on Earth? Not only can it be terrible for the environment, but socially, it has been keeping the poor poor while “Big Coffee” reaps the profits. So when you are choosing the coffee to bring to your Valentine in a little over a week when

All Popular Subjects »

Specialty Coffee Association of America Names 2008 Recognition ... - StreetInsider.com (subscription)

Thu, 01 May 2008 12:02:12 GMT

Specialty Coffee Association of America Names 2008 Recognition ...
StreetInsider.com (subscription), MI - 5 hours ago
Prior to becoming a coffee importer and market builder for organic, fair-trade and shade-grown coffees, Griswold served as the acting director for Ashoka: ...

Labels: glass top coffee table | burr mill coffee grinder | gift basket idea