REAL COFFEE: PURCHASING, (HOME-)ROASTING, GRINDING, BREWING

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REAL COFFEE PURCHASING, (HOME-)ROASTING,
GRINDING, BREWING

• LIBRARIANS FORUM13 DECEMBER 2006

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EARLY COFFEE HISTORY

• Qahwah (coffee) is an Arabic word of uncertain
  etymology and is the origin of the usual words
  for coffee in various languages. It was
  originally a name for wine, attested already in
  ancient poetry. The word was transferred towards
  the end of the 8th/14th century in Yemen to the
  beverage made from the berry of the coffee tree.
  Another theory holds it a word of African origin
  and seeks to connect it with the alleged home of
  the coffee tree, Kaffa, in Ethiopia, although the
  word bun (Arabic al-bunn) for tree, berry and
  beverage is used there. The coffee tree was not
  indigenous to South Arabia and was probably
  introduced from the highlands of Ethiopia.
• The earliest known mention of coffee is found
  in Arabic writings of the 10th/16th century, in
  an essay by Ahmad Ibn Abd al-Ghaffar, quoted by
  Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhammad al-Jaziri , fl. 1568
  in his Umdat al-safwah fi hall al-qahwah.
• Legends hold that the consumption of coffee in
  Arabia first began among Yemeni Sufis. They were
  particularly fond of the beverage because its
  effect facilitated the performance of their
  religious ceremonies.

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COFFEE HISTORY

• In Mecca, according to the Umdat al-safwah, the
  drinking of coffee in one form or other first
  appeared towards the end of the 9th/15th century.
  Drinking coffee established itself, and people
  drank coffee even in the mosque. Coffee-houses
  (buyut al-qahwah) were soon opened, where men and
  women met to listen to music or where they played
  chess or other games. This activity aroused the
  indignation of the ultra-pious, many of whom were
  always against the beverage as an objectionable
  innovation. It was often banned by religious
  authorities. But bans evaporated, and the
  consumption of coffee increased and spread.
  Coffee experienced similar sporadic bans in Cairo
  and elsewhere.
• Commerce among Mecca and Medina with Egypt
  brought coffee to Syria, Persia, and Turkey.
  Later bans came and went in various other cities
  In religious circles, it was found that the
  coffee-house was bad for the mosque, and the
  ulama' considered the coffee-house even worse
  than the wine-room. Preachers were especially
  eager for the prohibition of coffee and the way
  was paved for them by the muftis with an opinion
  that (roasted) coffee was to be considered as
  carbonized and therefore forbidden. The habit of
  coffee drinking spread to Europe and other parts
  of the world during the 17th and 18th centuries.
  (based in the article kawha in the Encyclopaedia
  of Islam)

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O Coffee!

• Ya qahwatu tudhhibu hamma al-fita O Coffee you
  dispel all care
• anta li-hawi al-ilm nima al-murad You are the
  object of desire to the scholar
• sharabu ahl Allahi fi-ha al-shifa This is the
  drink of the friends of God. It gives health
• li-talibi al-hikmati bayna al-ibad To those
  among humanity who seek wisdom
• ?? ???? ???? ?? ?????
• ??? ????? ????? ??? ??????
• ???? ??? ???? ???? ?????
• ????? ?????? ??? ??????
• Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhammad al-Jaziri , fl. 1568,
  Umdat al-safwah fi hall al-qahwah.

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ESPRÈSSOConcentrated coffee beverage brewed by
forcing very hot, but not boiling, water under
high pressure through coffee that has been finely
ground
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CAFFELATTE/CAFÉ AU LAIT/LATTE - Steamed milk with
coffee
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CAPPUCCINO Esprèsso with steamed/frothed milk
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CAPPUCCINO AS IT MIGHT BE ENJOYED
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FRENCH PRESS

• French press or press pot, coffee plunger or
  cafetière, is a coffee brewing device popularized
  by the French. Its operation is simple and,
  despite coarse grounds, it produces a fuller
  flavor coffee than drip pots.

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REAL COFFEE

• What is real coffee? Not the canned or bagged
  stuff that comes from the grocery store maybe
  not the bags of ground coffee or beans from
  specialty stores or coffee houses.
• All that stuff is very likely either stale when
  you buy it or will be before you consume it.
• Real Coffee is freshly (home-) roasted and ground
  just before brewing.
• NOT

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TARBUCKS

• This show and tell will not bash tarbucks
  Starbucks sells and brews very good coffee,
  perhaps a bit over-roasted ("Charbucks"). There
  are several very good coffee houses in Ann Arbor
  and beyond (among them, Espresso Royale, Zou
  Zou's, Pierce's Pastries Plus, etc.)

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How to Brew Coffee

• I will show you how to brew real coffee home
  roasted in very small batches (lt1/2 lb. per
  week?), ground in a burr grinder (not a blade
  grinder), and brewed in a drip pot (not a
  percolator!), French press, vacuum pot, Ibrik, or
  espresso machine (not a steam-toy).
• NOT

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For a modest investment, you can enjoy real coffee
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BURR GRINDERS

• Burr grinders (100-150), inexpensive to
  moderate (Rancilio Rocky, Baratza, Capresso,
  Solis Maestro (Plus)
• NOT a blade grinderthey cut the coffee beans
  into uneven chips and powder. Burr grinders
  crush into even grounds.

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COFFEE BEANS

• Coffee beans, either green or very fresh roasted
  (mail order or locally available at Whole Foods)

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HOME ROASTING

• Coffee roasters 0-450) Air Popcorn Popper,
  iron frying pan, Hearthware iRoast, Zach Dani's
  (best deal), FreshRoast Plus, HotTop Drum
  Roaster, Gene Cafe Drum Roaster, Stovetop Popcorn
  Popper (Whirley Pop)

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ARABICA or ROBUSTA

• Arabica beans are the best Robusta are not so
  good but serve a purpose as they are blended in
  small quantities with Arabica to produce richer
  crèma in espresso. They are cheap and widely
  used in supermarket coffee to keep the cost down,
  and they have higher caffeine content.
• Arabica is distinctly milder and more aromatic.
  It possesses fewer sharp and bitter tastes than
  Robusta, and it is therefore considered the
  superior species by those who cultivate specialty
  coffees, single estates and varietals.
• http//www.wholelattelove.com/articles/arabica_cof
  fee.cfm

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CRÈMA!

• Crèma, a reddish-brown foam which floats on the
  surface of well brewed espresso, is composed of
  vegetable oils, proteins and sugars. Crèma has
  elements of both emulsion and foam colloid. Some
  beans produce more copious amounts of crèma,
  e.g., Indian monsooned Malabar.

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CRÈMA!

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ROASTING DEGREES

• http//www.sweetmarias.com/roasting-VisualGuideV2.
  html
• From Green to Conflagration!

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ROASTING DEGREES GREEN TO FIRE

• Green un-roasted coffee
• Starting to pale -- Early yellow stage --
  Yellow-Tan stage
• Light Brown stage -- Brown Stage -- 1st crack
  begins
• 1st crack under way -- 1st crack finishes -- This
  is considered a City Roast
• City roast The stage between the first and
  second crack
• Full City roast On the verge of 2nd crack
• Full City roast First audible snaps of 2nd
  crack
• Vienna - Light French roast 2nd crack is under
  way
• Full French roast 2nd crack is very rapid,
  nearing its end (caution! Starbucks roast)
• Fully carbonized Some call this Italian or
  Spanish roast, an insult to either!
• At this stage, the coffee can be over 25 ash it
  is carbonized, dead, charcoal imminent fire

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COFFEE ORIGINS

• Coffee origins Indonesia, New Guinea, India,
  Vietnam Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia,
  Zimbabwe Yemen Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Columbia,
  Brazil, Peru, México, El Salvador, Guatemala,
  Honduras, Panama

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COFFEE BREWING UTENSILS

• Coffee brewing utensil or machine (40-125)
  Saeco Renaissance, Capresso, Technivorm, Chemex,
  Starbucks, Zojirushi, Melitta, Bodum French
  Press, Ibrik, Briki, Jesvah, Pannikin, etc.

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Esprèsso Machines

• Esprèsso machines (100-8,000) for the home
  Rancilio Silvia, Gaggia Classic or Carezza, La
  Pavoni, Starbucks Barista, Capresso, Saeco

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GREEN COFFEE IS ½ THE PRICE

• El SalvadorCup of Excellence 2 - Los Planes
  21.90 lb (green)
• Ethiopia Yirgacheffe - Moledina 3993 4.90 lb
  (green)
• Willoughby's roasted Ethiopia Yrgacheffe
  10.99 lb
• Espresso Vivace roasted Vita Blend 13.00 lb

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INFORMATION, REVIEWS, ETC.

• CoffeeGeek http//www.coffeegeek.com/
• Dave Bayer's personal web page
  http//www.math.columbia.edu/bayer/coffee.html
• alt.coffee Newsgroup http//groups.google.com/gro
  up/alt.coffee?lnkoa
• Espresso! My Espresso! An Ongoing Internet
  Novelette http//home.surewest.net/frcn/Coffee/Co
  ffee.html
• Epresso Top 50 http//www.espressotop50.com/

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EQUIPMENT, BEANS

• 1st Line http//www.1st-line.com/
• Wholelattelove http//www.wholelattelove.com/
• Sweet Maria's http//www.sweetmarias.com/

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COFFEE (ROASTED GREEN)

• Armeno http//www.armeno.com/
• Fresh Coffee http//www.FreshCoffeeBeans.com/Bean
  s.asp
• Espresso Vivace http//www.espressovivace.com/in
  tro.html
• Willoughby's http//www.willoughbyscoffee.com/
• Peet's http//www.peets.com/
• Tully's http//www.tullys.com/
• Starbuck's http//www.starbucks.com/
• Illy http//www.illy.com/Illy2006/
• Lavazza http//www.lavazza.com/default/channel/i
  ndex_eng.jsp
• Whole Foods Market http//www.wholefoodsmarket.co
  m/products/coffee/index.html
• Espresso Royale Caffe http//www.espressoroyale.c
  om/
• Intelligentsia Coffee http//www.intelligentsiaco
  ffee.com/

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COFFEE HOUSES ALL OVER

• Caffé Paradiso 1 Eliot St Cambridge MA
• Willoughbys New Haven and Branford
• Espresso Royale Caffé Ann Arbor
• Starbucks everywhere
• Beaner's Ann Arbor
• Bear Claw Coffee Co
• Hatcher Graduate Library (coming soon to the wind
  tunnel?)

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More Coffee Links

• http//www-personal.umich.edu/jrodgers/coffee/Cof
  feeBookmarks.html
• This presentation http//www-personal.umich.edu
  /jrodgers/coffee/LIBRARIANS FORUM Coffee.ppt
• Bar Ragno d'Oro Massaua, Eritrea