Home Roasting

Should you roast your own coffee beans at home? If you are like me you never even considered doing it. It seems like it would be complicated or require a bunch of equipment. This is not true however.

There are several advantages to roasting your coffee beans at home. The first advantage (and the one that makes the most difference) is the freshness and taste of home roasted beans. Usually when you buy coffee beans at the grocery store you have no idea how fresh they are or how far they traveled to get to your local coffee isle (this is not only unsustainable it doesn't taste as good either). Once coffee is roasted it starts to lose its freshness after just 24 hours, while green unroasted beans can last anywhere from 2-6 months. The difference between a freshly roasted cup of coffee and a cup made with less fresh beans is astounding. You truly have not tasted coffee until you have had it freshly roasted. Another good reason to roast at home is the money you will save. green beans are cheaper than roasted beans and you don't need any special equipment to roast coffee at home. You can use a converted popcorn popper or a bread maker or you can just use a good old fashioned frying pan. here is a video showing how simple it is to home roast your coffee beans.

Just remember that if you don't have time to roast your own coffee, Moka Joe Coffee is the next best thing.

Cheers

Fair trade makes a difference

watch this video from the fair trade foundation's youtube channel. It shows the real difference fair trade makes to small farmers and producers and gives personal accounts from farmers in low income farming communities.

Very interesting

Why You Should Buy a French Press

Do you love coffee? you probably do if you're reading this blog. Well every coffee lover should try french press coffee at least once. Even the coffee curious can benefit from the advantages a french press offers. First thing is first however. What is a french press? If you don't know I will explain. A french press is a certain type of coffee maker and it looks like this...

You mix your ground coffee beans with hot water inside the french press, let it brew for about 5 minutes then you press (hence the name) the plunger down to separate the grounds from the now brewed coffee and Ta-Da, french press coffee.

So what are the advantages of brewing coffee in this way? well there are several. First, and most obvious, you don't have to bother with that old Mr. Coffee that has been on your counter for years. I don't know about you but I just hate having to pour water down the back of these things, I seem to always make a mess somehow.

Second, no more coffee filters. Not only do coffee filters cost money and degrade the environment they also make your coffee not as tasty. Not only are coffee filters somewhat annoying (at least for me) but they actually take away from your coffee's flavor. Coffee filters soak up some of the essential oils from the beans that should be adding to the taste of your morning joe.

Third, you no longer have to brew up and entire pot of coffee even if you only want one or two cups. With a french press you only brew the amount of coffee you want because you can ad as much or as little water as you want.

Finally, a french press coffee maker doesn't have to just make coffee. That's right. A french press can also be used to brew tea. Just replace the coffee grounds with loose leaf tea and you'll be enjoying your hot beverage in no time.

All in all the french press is a wonderful thing to have in your kitchen. Oh and by the way, it makes coffee when the power is out, see if your Mr. Coffee can do that.

There are so many uses for coffee.

Here is a wonderful way to use that little bit of extra Moka Joe Coffee you have lying around. This recipe comes form the website ilovecoffee.com which has has all sorts of coffee related content. from how to actually grow your own coffee plants to light-hearted coffee comic strips and pretty much everything in between. 

Now, when I go looking around the web for a new and interesting ways to use your Moka Joe Coffee, I usually only find dessert recipes. You know, tiramisu or espresso brownies, that sort of thing. So when I came across this coffee beef stew recipe I was pleasantly surprised not only to have found a non-dessert recipe but also a recipe that looked extraordinarily tasty and I decided it needed to be shared. So here you are, Coffee Beef Stew by J.B. Bulharowski. Enjoy!

Coffee Beef Stew Recipe

by J.B. Bulharowski

Summary: Recipe to make a beef stew with a coffee inspired broth.

Ingredients

• 2 Lbs. Beef Chuck, Cut Into 1 1/2″ Cubes
• 1 Teaspoon Sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Peppercorns (Whole)
• 2 Tablespoons Fat (or Mix Of Fat & Butter), Heated Almost To Smoking
• 1/2 Teaspoon Paprika Dash Allspice Or Cloves 2 Cups Boiling Water, Or 1/2 water & strong leftover coffee or stock
• 1/2 Lb. Carrots, Cut In 1/2″ pieces
• 2 Potatoes, Cut In 1/2″ pieces
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice (Optional)
• 1 Each Turnip, Parsnip, Rutabaga, Cut In 1/2″ pieces
• 1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 Celery Stalks, Cut In 1/2″ pieces
• 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
• 1 Sprig Thyme, Fresh If Possible
• 1 Clove Garlic, Sliced
• 1 Handful Fresh Parsley
• 1 Medium Onion, Sliced In Half Moons
• Dumplings: (Optional)
• 1-2 Bay Leaves
• 2 Cups Biscuit Mix
• 1 Tablespoon Salt, Seasoned Type
• 2/3 Cups Milk

Instructions

1. To season and flour the meat, put the beef and a little seasoned flour in a paper sack or plastic bag; shake until coated in batches, and the job is done! Continue with the recipe. There is one suggestion here, if you opt to cook this in a crockpot, rather than on the stovetop, take the time to brown the meat carefully for the reason cited in the next sentence. Brown meat on all sides in hot fat, turning often, letting a nice fond develop. Fond is the brown bits accumulated on the bottom of a crockpot during the browning process. Liquid is then added to "deglaze" the pan and form a concentrated flavoring. This step enhances formulation of a great complex, flavorful final product.
2. Add water (liquid of your choice, coffee water, stock, to measure 4 cups), lemon juice, Worchestershire sauce, garlic, sliced onion, bay leaves and seasonings. Cover, and simmer, do not boil, for two (2) hours stirring occasionally to keep the mix from sticking. Remove bay leaves, peppercorns and any other whole seasonings you’ve included. Add carrots and onions. If carrots are large, halve or quarter. Cubed potatoes may also be added. Cover and cook 30 minutes longer, or until vegetables are tender. Remove meat and veggies, thicken liquid for gravy, if desired. Garnish with some chopped parsley.
3. Gravy: Skim most of fat from stew liquid. For 3 cups liquid, put ½ cup water in a shaker or mason jar with a top, add ¼ cup A.P. flour, shaking until smooth. Add the flour mixture slowly to the meat stock, stirring constantly until gravy bubbles all over. Cook about 5 minutes more, stirring often. Pour over meat and vegetables.

Cooking time (duration): 150 min

Diet (other): High protein

Number of servings (yield): 4

Meal type: dinner

Culinary tradition: USA (Traditional)

Moka Joe is Roasting for you!

Check out this coffee all packed up and ready to ship out!
Yum
Look for Moka Joe in your local grocery store or Seattle area QFC

Earth Day 2011, Love your mother!

That's right today, April 22, is Earth Day 2011.

Earth Day was started in 1970 by US Senator Gaylord Nelson and since has spread from the United States across the world. In 1990 Earth Day was recognized and celebrated in countries across the world and in this spirit of cooperation, mountain climbers from China, The Soviet Union and the United States climbed Mt. Everest (this was the first expedition to the summit with climbers from all 3 nations). The Mountaineers cleaned up trash from previous expeditions all the way to the top, and moved it down off the Mountain.

Since 1990 the Earth Day tradition has gained even more global support but there are ways that any individual can participate without having to climb Mt. Everest. For example,

Start a compost pile in your back yard. This is and easy way to help the environment in several ways. Composting is not only good for the planet but it is good for your garden as well. You don't need to buy expensive potting soil when you have a compost pile. Just take all you kitchen scraps and yard waste, put them in your compost pile and in several weeks you will have compost that is chocked full of nutrients plants love.

Take the bus or carpool to work. this will save you gas money (and lets be honest, with gas prices hovering around 4 dollars this is a good idea even when its not Earth Day). Carpooling/bus riding also cuts down on harmful greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change.

You can even do something as easy as replacing all the light bulbs in your house with energy efficient bulbs. This just takes a quick trip to your local hardware store and will save you money on your energy bill all year round.

Whatever you do to celebrate earth day this year just remember to love your mother!

What exactly does Fair Trade mean?

Check out this quick little video in which and author talks about the benefits of purchasing fair trade coffee and why people should spend a little extra effort to make sure the products they buy are fair trade.
Very informative and remember you can always find fair trade coffee at our Website
-Cheers