Where We Live: Coffee!
The interconnected world of coffee
Grab your cup of Joe and tune in, it's the Coffee show!
With more than 500 billion cups served worldwide each year, it's the most popular beverage in the world (besides water, of course) and one of our favorite habits. Coffee is an integral part of our daily routines, yet most of us know little about its origins beyond the Starbucks or grocery shelf where we buy it.
On exhibit now at the Peabody Museum in New Haven is Coffee: The World In Your Cup explores everything from the history and production of coffee, to its impact on migratory birds and politics.
The exhibit started in the coffee capital of the country -- Seattle, and we talk to its founder. We also talk to some local "micro-roasters" about how they strive to produce the perfect specialty cup.
And we hear from the director of a coffee importing social enterprise that helps coffee's often exploited and impoverished farmers.
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Coffee has more aromatic chemicals than wine!
Comments
Decaffeination processes
All of our decaffeinated coffee is chemical-free and caffeine is removed with water. There are four main technologies for decaffeinating coffee: Water, CO2, Ethyl Acetate, Methylene Chloride. The water decaffeination process is not only free of chemicals but it can performed on smaller, select batches of coffee. Our decaf coffees are terrific today because the coffee we begin with is itself very good and the process does not remove much flavor. You might be surprised to see how far decaf has come and how good it is now.
Response to question
No, we only roast coffee. Chicory is the root of a leafy vegetable which can be roasted and ground to resemble coffee. It can be used as a coffee substitute, particularly to stretch coffee, such as during WWII when coffee was rationed. But, it's not something we do.
We operate two roasters, a 60
We operate two roasters, a 60 kg Probat and a smaller 15 kg Renegade. We are a mid-size roaster, small by most standards.
Questions for Barry: How
Questions for Barry: How large is each batch, in each machine? And how many pounds do you produce each week?
Has Willoughbys ever
Has Willoughbys ever considered roasting a chicory coffee blend common in New Orleans?
Blue State Coffee is roasted
Blue State Coffee is roasted in Rhode Island by New Harvest. Great roasters, but no a CT product.
Why haven't you mentioned us, Bean & Leaf? We are located in New London and were just voted best coffeehouse in CT in CT Magazine. All our beans are fair trade and organic, and we are a true micro-roaster. I roast the coffee myself, in batches of 40lbs on a 24kilo Diedrich roaster.
I'm wondering about decaf and
I'm wondering about decaf and the different processes used to decaffeinate coffees. I need to stay away from caffeine for a medical reason, but love coffee. I recently found one that claims to use a chemical free process. Caribou Decaf. Your thoughts?
I loved the show regarding
I loved the show regarding the coffee. It was nice one keep the good work.
1- I was surprised to hear
1- I was surprised to hear Mr. Rubin of Blue State Coffee speak of questing towards a certain bitterness in espresso after he experienced espresso in Italy. Among the revelations of taking espresso in Italy is that throughout the country it distinguishes itself from the American expectation that espresso is thin bitter black water. On the contrary, while espresso in Italy has a profoundly rich coffee taste, it is never bitter. The serving has body, much like milk or half-and-half does to water, and it is critical to have a deep brown layer of foam on top that is called the crema. I have found 2 roasters in the United States who meet this standard exceptionally: Stumptown Coffe's Hair Bender blend (they are out of Portland, OR and now NYC) and Barrington Gold Espresso from Barrington Coffee Company in Lee, MA. Both of these roasters are sticklers about freshness and brew in smaller batches to keep their roasts absolutely fresh; a critical part of making great espresso or coffee.
2- Question: I have the acoutrements to make coffee in many styles from around the world (French presses, a high quality Gaggia espresso machine at home and a Faema two-group espresso machine in our place of business (where we grind, pack and brew our coffees to order), Vietnamese coffee makers-strainers and to make Turkish coffee every size of jezva to boil coffee ground to the fineness of flour (Most of the world takes their coffee boiled and unfiltered in this way). Among these methods I have had the least success in finding the same quality of Turkish coffee that I first experienced in the former Yugoslavia. The Turkish coffee that I purchase in a vacuum can might be good in Turkey or the Balkans, but never has the benefit of freshness that I encountered in Serbia-Croatia-Bosnia. I have a hand grinder to grind the Turkish coffee fresh, but have yet to find the precise roast that matches the Turkish style coffee that I experienced fresh abroad. Can someone who knows which roast, blend or bean is most suitable to make true Turkish coffee at home?
3- As a matter of personal taste, I lean toward coffees from Panama like Panama Bouquete, Duncan Estate and Aristar. There is a brand sold only in Panama called Palo Alto. Unfortunately it is not exported.
4- Last, for fresh coffee beans and blends roasted in small batches locally, one might consider Ashlawn Farm Coffe in Lyme, CT owned and operated by Carol Dahlke on her former dairy farm. Her espresso made from Daterra Reserve can stand with the best of them.
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