Fair Trade Coffee
Stacey Toews responds to Financial Post article: “Fair-trade coffee producers often end up poorer”
Level Ground Trading May 17th, 2011 Stacey Toews responds to Financial Post article: “Lawrence Solomon: Fair-trade coffee producers often end up poorer”
Read More2009 Fair Trade, Nicaragua Coffee Farmers #1: How your morning coffee arrives, Fair Trade Principals
Two Northern Michigan University (NMU) students – Lisa McCarthy of Greenville, WI and Sarah Swanson of Rapid River, MI – are giving presentations across the Upper Peninsula on their recent Lutheran World Relief trip to Nicaragua during which they met with coffee farmers and learned about…
Read MoreGSN Fair Trade Coffee Guatemala
Fair Trade in Guatemala. A Global Solidarity Network Study eBroad session, Nov. 18, 2008. With Michael Sheridan (CRS), Arnulfo Romas, Drew Nieman (general manager, Cabrini College-Sodexo Dining Services), Lee Wallace (director, Peace Coffee), Katy Cantrell (CRS), Cabrini College students, Seattle University students. Kevin Kostic, moderator.
Read MoreBoot Camp for Coffee Drinkers
Ok, so we go to a local coffee house and we order cappuccinos, cafe mochas, lattes and espressos. It isn’t the paper cups that make these drinks taste so good. It’s the recipe and of course the prettiness factor. Baristas all have a style of their own and every cup will taste different because of the roast, the grind, the amount used, the water, the temperature and many other things. We have all tried to make these coffee delights at home the way we think they are made, but do we really know the real way they are supposed to be made to extract the enchanting flavors correctly? Here is a quick list of how to make the basic drinks. This is boot camp for coffee drinkers.
Cappuccino: Equal parts of steamed and frothed milk and espresso. The milk goes on top of the espresso. Dust with nutmeg, cinnamon or chocolate powder or shavings.
Cafe Mochas: The easiest way is to use a good brand of hot chocolate, throw in a shot of espresso and top with whipping cream and chocolate powder or shavings. It looks the best if you put it in a tall glass and use a long handled spoon. For a finishing touch add a saucer and a napkin. Or make a latte and toss in a chocolate flavored shot.
Lattes: Foam & steam milk to 140-degrees. The ratio is 50% espresso and 50% milk. Pour the milk down the side of the cup so it infuses with the espresso. The difference between this and a cappuccino is a latte blends the two things together, whereas the cappuccino keeps them separate.
Espressos: We’ve all had bad espresso. There are many reasons why this is. The number one reason is an unfavorable bean. If you like espresso you are likely a connoisseur of coffee and know what constitutes a good bean. Anyway, to make a good espresso you must do the following:
- Use a fine grind
- You must tamp the espresso down firmly
- You must use a high pressure machine or stove top model
- You must not try to make too much at once
- You must see the cream on the top, which is a golden-brown foam
- You must use an appropriate espresso cup to keep the temperature from dissipating too quickly
All in all, making coffee correctly is all up to you and the way your flavor buds react to the taste. If you like it a particular way, then make it that particular way. However, if you have guests over they may just like the basics. So do yourself a favor and learn the correct way to make lattes and espressos.
Always try to search the internet for a discount on your coffee. Find a site like this one that offers (4inkjets coupon) discounts on ink cartridges for a coupon on your next purchase.
Read MoreCoffee Facts
A good cup of coffee is like fine wine and good quality cigars. There are various different types of coffee beans and these determine the flavors that the blend presents for the coffee connoisseur.
Many coffee makers blend a combination of the lower cost Robusta beans with the more expensive Arabica gourmet beans. The Arabica beans have a finer aroma, a richer flavor and more body than the less expensive beans.
The quality of the coffee is dependent on the proportions of the mix of these beans. Quite often a coffee might be advertised as a blend of gourmet beans and lower grade beans when in fact there are only small traces of the gourmet beans in the blend.
The gourmet beans gain much of their flavor from the soils they are grown in, with the best beans coming from the volcanic regions where the rich soils produce the best tasting beans.
Coffee should always be made from fresh beans as the quality diminishes rapidly with age. This is quite noticeable when comparing a supermarket grade coffee with a coffee made from freshly ground beans at a coffee shop. Bear in mind that the supermarket coffees generally have a lower blend quality and in many cases the blends also have a proportion of older beans to reduce the production costs.
The only way you can be assured of quality and taste is to buy fresh gourmet quality. Once you have acquired the taste for gourmet coffee you might never want to drink commercial grade coffee again.
You can buy coffee from many different regions throughout the world and each one has its own unique flavor.
Coffee aficionados can pick the region where the coffee bean was grown just by tasting it. The method of processing the beans also has an effect on the final flavor so you can’t always assume that a coffee will be good just because it came from a particular region.
Coffee is one of the worlds most popular beverages and more suppliers are catering to the needs of an ever-growing demand.
I love coffee and was excited when my new diet medifast coupons lets you still have coffee every morning. I don’t think I could make it on a diet that would not allow you a cup of coffee.
Read MoreCheryl Gaudet Live at Fair Trade Coffee Shop
Cheryl Gaudet caught live at the Fair Trade Coffee Shop in Wolfville NS at the open mike…October 21st, 2008 Visit www.cherylgaudet.com for more of this inspiring, soul-filled artist’s musical offerings!
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