Wednesday, July 20, 2011
The Way To Enjoy A Heatwave
The temp hit 101 degrees a short time ago. Here is my tribute to the heatwave of 2011. Brewed with Allegro's Red Sea blend.- review to come.
The Return of the Peaberry (Misha's)
Alright, its time to take a stab the second bag of coffee I picked up at Misha's Coffee when I was in Alexandria, Virginia for a trademark law seminar. Earlier in this blog, I took a look at Jim's Organic Coffee's Tanzanian Peaberry. Just a refresher, a peaberry is a mutant coffee berry where only one bean forms in the coffee cherry. The smaller sized bean can pack a very full flavor. Misha's Tanzanian Peaberry is "Full City Roasted" as described on their website:
http://mishascoffee.com/african-varietals/26-tanzania-peaberry.html
I'm going to guess that this means it's medium roast. Color wise, its close to the Metropolis Prospero. They have a delightful smell. These peaberrys have a tinge of wine mixed with an earthy scent.
The beans were coarse ground and brewed in a french press with water heated to 190 degrees. Steeping took 4.5 minutes. The elixir in the press was a magnificent rosy brown shade with a light colored crema. Yum! This makes me want coffee while I write this.
I really loved this coffee. It had been roasted only a day or so before I purchased it and the flavors and acidity filled my palate with sumptuous wine notes. I think the wine component came through more fter brewing and overall the taste and "perk" was very concentrated. My opinion is that Misha's peaberrys have more of that wine flavor than Jim's Organic Coffee.
I highly recommend Misha's peaberrys the next time you find yourself in Old Town. I would have loved to have had more time to try more of their different varietals but that means I just have something new to look forward to the next time I'm in that part of the country.
http://mishascoffee.com/african-varietals/26-tanzania-peaberry.html
I'm going to guess that this means it's medium roast. Color wise, its close to the Metropolis Prospero. They have a delightful smell. These peaberrys have a tinge of wine mixed with an earthy scent.
The beans were coarse ground and brewed in a french press with water heated to 190 degrees. Steeping took 4.5 minutes. The elixir in the press was a magnificent rosy brown shade with a light colored crema. Yum! This makes me want coffee while I write this.
I really loved this coffee. It had been roasted only a day or so before I purchased it and the flavors and acidity filled my palate with sumptuous wine notes. I think the wine component came through more fter brewing and overall the taste and "perk" was very concentrated. My opinion is that Misha's peaberrys have more of that wine flavor than Jim's Organic Coffee.
I highly recommend Misha's peaberrys the next time you find yourself in Old Town. I would have loved to have had more time to try more of their different varietals but that means I just have something new to look forward to the next time I'm in that part of the country.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Some Recent Coffee Related Heath News Stories
Coffee has a lot of antioxidants!!! http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9105892
Coffee is good for men's health: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43065205
Coffee may help protect against liver cancer: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6975257/
Lastly, for all you cute furry animal and coffee lovers, if the coffee is that awesome, I want a Civet:)
http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/01/21/5893391-roasting-the-most-expensive-coffee-in-the-world-from-cat-poop
Coffee is good for men's health: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43065205
Coffee may help protect against liver cancer: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6975257/
Lastly, for all you cute furry animal and coffee lovers, if the coffee is that awesome, I want a Civet:)
http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/01/21/5893391-roasting-the-most-expensive-coffee-in-the-world-from-cat-poop
The 2011 Prospero Summer Blend by Metropolis Coffee
Nothing says summer like an iced coffee beverage. Today's entry visits the vaunted Metropolis Coffee Company located in the Edgewater area on the north side of Chicago. The have their own cafe and their coffee beans are sold in Whole Foods and other select coffee perveyors. Many quality restaurants also brew their coffee with Metropolis. Metropolis takes a very clinical approach to roasting and their website has much information on how they go about their business.
On the web: http://www.metropoliscoffee.com
Today I'm reviewing Metropolis' Prospero Summer Blend. Their beans are packages in re-sealable tab bags with a one way air valve. This blend is advertised as being geared toward iced coffee beverages, which makes it very attractive to this coffee nut. In true scientific fashion, the label provides advice on appropriate brewing and concentration. For hot coffee using these beans, Metropolis recommends 2 tbs ground coffee per 6-7 oz of filtered water and for cold drinks 2 tbs coffee per 3 oz filtered water poured over ice.
This coffee is extremely flavorful and the aromas hit you when the bag is cut open for the first time. The beans are small in size, reminiscent of African and Middle Eastern beans, and pack a plum and citrus punch. I found that citrus is the dominant flavor in this coffee with plum a close second. The roast is medium so these flavors are not burnt out of the coffee.
The coffee was brewed in a french press at first. Water was added to the press at around 190-195 degrees F and the coffee was allowed to steep for 4 minutes. The crema that forms is syrupy and light in color and the press moved through the coffee very freely. The citrus and plum aromas were very detectable when the coffee was poured. Caramel is another advertised flavor note and I noticed its presence when I got toward the end of drinking my cup. This was a nice way to finish up my morning coffee. I also later brewed in the Vesuviana and achieved much the same results.
This is a great coffee hands down especially if you like coffees that have fruity notes. I highly recommend trying this coffee on a hot or cold day. My iced mochas were full of flavor and did a good job keeping me awake for hours and hours! This is easily one of my favorite coffees and I'm sure it will be one of your preferences too.
On the web: http://www.metropoliscoffee.com
Today I'm reviewing Metropolis' Prospero Summer Blend. Their beans are packages in re-sealable tab bags with a one way air valve. This blend is advertised as being geared toward iced coffee beverages, which makes it very attractive to this coffee nut. In true scientific fashion, the label provides advice on appropriate brewing and concentration. For hot coffee using these beans, Metropolis recommends 2 tbs ground coffee per 6-7 oz of filtered water and for cold drinks 2 tbs coffee per 3 oz filtered water poured over ice.
This coffee is extremely flavorful and the aromas hit you when the bag is cut open for the first time. The beans are small in size, reminiscent of African and Middle Eastern beans, and pack a plum and citrus punch. I found that citrus is the dominant flavor in this coffee with plum a close second. The roast is medium so these flavors are not burnt out of the coffee.
The coffee was brewed in a french press at first. Water was added to the press at around 190-195 degrees F and the coffee was allowed to steep for 4 minutes. The crema that forms is syrupy and light in color and the press moved through the coffee very freely. The citrus and plum aromas were very detectable when the coffee was poured. Caramel is another advertised flavor note and I noticed its presence when I got toward the end of drinking my cup. This was a nice way to finish up my morning coffee. I also later brewed in the Vesuviana and achieved much the same results.
This is a great coffee hands down especially if you like coffees that have fruity notes. I highly recommend trying this coffee on a hot or cold day. My iced mochas were full of flavor and did a good job keeping me awake for hours and hours! This is easily one of my favorite coffees and I'm sure it will be one of your preferences too.
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