I hope everyone has been doing well. I have to admit that this past weekend is my least favorite of the whole year. Losing that hour seems to really mess up my schedule. I had to pull an extra shot for my morning latte. So as we wait for the sun to come up, we are trying some new muffins today- White Chocolate Raspberry, Banana Chocolate Chip & Apple Oats & Bran. So stop in to check them out and get some coffee to get you through the day. See you soon!
Chris
Monday, March 9, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
History of Coffee - Part 2
How was this first coffee?
Coffee was actually first used as a solid, food-like substance! Only later was it used as a beverage. The Arabian nomads would mix the coffee beans together with other meats, fats, and beans to form a hard, oval shaped cake. The nomads would take these cakes with them on long journeys. It is thought that the caffeine in the coffee was used to keep the nomads awake-sort-of an ancient Arabian No-Doz!
The Arabs were very superstitious about the plant. They thought that if they showed it to anyone, the seed would not germinate. The Arabs had a monopoly on coffee for several generations, prohibiting the export of the green beans, or seeds. They kept the plant a secret from the rest of the world because they believed the plant had great powers.
The Arab’s coffee monopoly was finally broken in the 17th century when an Indian pilgrim names Smygloud Badu Budam smuggled seven seeds into India. The trees grew like mad there, and the monopoly was finally broken.
The First coffee blend was created by the Dutch
In 1696, a governor of the Dutch East India Company sent the first Arabian coffee seedling to the Dutch colony of Java. The Dutch became the first Europeans to grow coffee, and coffee was on its way to becoming a world-wide product. The Java coffees of that day were excellent and considered the world’s best coffees, second only to the Arabian Mochas.
The Dutch were very enterprising and managed to find a new market by creating a new concept in coffee- the coffee blend. They took the two most popular coffees and mixed them together to male “Mocha Java,” the world’s oldest coffee blend. Have you heard of it?
Check back for more..
Chris
Coffee was actually first used as a solid, food-like substance! Only later was it used as a beverage. The Arabian nomads would mix the coffee beans together with other meats, fats, and beans to form a hard, oval shaped cake. The nomads would take these cakes with them on long journeys. It is thought that the caffeine in the coffee was used to keep the nomads awake-sort-of an ancient Arabian No-Doz!
The Arabs were very superstitious about the plant. They thought that if they showed it to anyone, the seed would not germinate. The Arabs had a monopoly on coffee for several generations, prohibiting the export of the green beans, or seeds. They kept the plant a secret from the rest of the world because they believed the plant had great powers.
The Arab’s coffee monopoly was finally broken in the 17th century when an Indian pilgrim names Smygloud Badu Budam smuggled seven seeds into India. The trees grew like mad there, and the monopoly was finally broken.
The First coffee blend was created by the Dutch
In 1696, a governor of the Dutch East India Company sent the first Arabian coffee seedling to the Dutch colony of Java. The Dutch became the first Europeans to grow coffee, and coffee was on its way to becoming a world-wide product. The Java coffees of that day were excellent and considered the world’s best coffees, second only to the Arabian Mochas.
The Dutch were very enterprising and managed to find a new market by creating a new concept in coffee- the coffee blend. They took the two most popular coffees and mixed them together to male “Mocha Java,” the world’s oldest coffee blend. Have you heard of it?
Check back for more..
Chris
Monday, January 19, 2009
New Breakfast Item..
We have launched our newest breakfast item.
Our new made from scratch Savory Scone- served warm with ham and our new hint of spice Cheddar sauce covering it all. (I like mine with egg) Look for it the next time you stop in, it is another Peaberry's original & definetly worth a try.
In other Peaberry's News, our YSU location is in full swing- keeping the students & professors warm with lattes, mochas, (& the occasional Frozen Hot Chocolate-for those staying inside). It's nice to be back after a long, yet busy, holiday break.
Chris
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Lots of Snow!
So I think it is time to close up for today.. Before we all get snowed in.
Black Sheep Caravan will be playing again on Jan 24th.
So curl up with a hot chocolate, or maybe you have some peaberry blend to make at home, and stay warm tonight. We will reopen tomorrow, 8am.
See you soon,
Chris
Black Sheep Caravan will be playing again on Jan 24th.
So curl up with a hot chocolate, or maybe you have some peaberry blend to make at home, and stay warm tonight. We will reopen tomorrow, 8am.
See you soon,
Chris
Friday, December 12, 2008
Holidays Fast Approaching
Merry Christmas!
Just a quick note to remind everyone to get there orders in for the holidays.. Baskets are being constructed daily, Cookie tray orders are coming in, and coffee is being roasting well into the evening hours.
Also - Keep an eye your local Town Crier.. this week we are unveiling some great deals for December & January.
Chris
Just a quick note to remind everyone to get there orders in for the holidays.. Baskets are being constructed daily, Cookie tray orders are coming in, and coffee is being roasting well into the evening hours.
Also - Keep an eye your local Town Crier.. this week we are unveiling some great deals for December & January.
Chris
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Brewing Coffee - Part 2 - Freshness
Let's get fresh. (coffee, that is)
Its simple- fresher is better. As I tell every barista I train: You can make good coffee bad, but you can't make bad coffee good.
Whatever coffee you use, from a basic blend to Jamaican Blue Mountain, the coffee needs to be fresh. So, what makes fresh coffee? And where can I get it? There are a few factors.. Here are some of the most important:
First - do you know when the coffee was roasted? How long has it been on the grocery store shelf, or in that bin of beans? You want to get coffee that has been sitting on the shelf for the least amount of time. Check with your coffeehouse.. they may offer a Roast to Order program like we at Peaberry's do. This will ensure that your coffee is at the peak of freshness. One of the ways you can tell if the coffee is fresh is by smelling it.. Does it have a good aroma? or does it smell stale or have a weak smell? Is it a good representation of the origin of the coffee? (compare a Kenya AA with a Sumatra Mandheling - there is a big difference) Or simply ask when it was roasted.
Next -keep it whole bean as long as possible. The less surface area that the coffee has, the less flavor will escape. This means having a good grinder, and grinding as close to brewing as possible will help keep it fresh. And never buy pre-ground coffee. Let you coffeehouse grind it for you if you need it that way, but ground coffee significantly reduces the life of the bean.
Third -storage. Keep your coffee out of the freezer! Especially oily & dark roasted coffees. Freezing will damage the delicate flavors of coffee. I recommend keeping it in the bag you bought it in, closed, and in an sealed container away from temperature extremes. Some people will store it in the refrigerator, which is another barier to the air. But coffee is like a sponge and will absorb any flavors that are nearby, so - you have been warned! Don't put it next the the onions or tuna salad!
Storage Part 2- Coffee that is in a sealed contatiner that doesn't have a valve may already be stale. (Coffee Cans.. I'm looking at you) As soon as coffee is roasted, it startes to release its flavor in the form of gases. Presure will build up, and if there is nowhere to go (through the valve) there may be a problem. So any factory sealed container should not be trusted as fresh coffee.
Last - Enjoy a fresh cup shortly after it is brewed. Letting coffee sit in open containers allows the flavors to escape. Also - don't cook your brewed coffee, continued heat applied to brewed coffee will cause it to burn (yuck!).
For more info.. Stop in and talk to me.
See you soon,
Chris
Its simple- fresher is better. As I tell every barista I train: You can make good coffee bad, but you can't make bad coffee good.
Whatever coffee you use, from a basic blend to Jamaican Blue Mountain, the coffee needs to be fresh. So, what makes fresh coffee? And where can I get it? There are a few factors.. Here are some of the most important:
First - do you know when the coffee was roasted? How long has it been on the grocery store shelf, or in that bin of beans? You want to get coffee that has been sitting on the shelf for the least amount of time. Check with your coffeehouse.. they may offer a Roast to Order program like we at Peaberry's do. This will ensure that your coffee is at the peak of freshness. One of the ways you can tell if the coffee is fresh is by smelling it.. Does it have a good aroma? or does it smell stale or have a weak smell? Is it a good representation of the origin of the coffee? (compare a Kenya AA with a Sumatra Mandheling - there is a big difference) Or simply ask when it was roasted.
Next -keep it whole bean as long as possible. The less surface area that the coffee has, the less flavor will escape. This means having a good grinder, and grinding as close to brewing as possible will help keep it fresh. And never buy pre-ground coffee. Let you coffeehouse grind it for you if you need it that way, but ground coffee significantly reduces the life of the bean.
Third -storage. Keep your coffee out of the freezer! Especially oily & dark roasted coffees. Freezing will damage the delicate flavors of coffee. I recommend keeping it in the bag you bought it in, closed, and in an sealed container away from temperature extremes. Some people will store it in the refrigerator, which is another barier to the air. But coffee is like a sponge and will absorb any flavors that are nearby, so - you have been warned! Don't put it next the the onions or tuna salad!
Storage Part 2- Coffee that is in a sealed contatiner that doesn't have a valve may already be stale. (Coffee Cans.. I'm looking at you) As soon as coffee is roasted, it startes to release its flavor in the form of gases. Presure will build up, and if there is nowhere to go (through the valve) there may be a problem. So any factory sealed container should not be trusted as fresh coffee.
Last - Enjoy a fresh cup shortly after it is brewed. Letting coffee sit in open containers allows the flavors to escape. Also - don't cook your brewed coffee, continued heat applied to brewed coffee will cause it to burn (yuck!).
For more info.. Stop in and talk to me.
See you soon,
Chris
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
A little coffee history
The History of Coffee
Coffee has been through a lot to get where it is today. In order to really appreciate coffee, we have to go back to its roots….Literally. Coffee is indigenous to only one country-Ethiopia, which is located on the African continent. In fact, if you travel to Ethiopia today, you will still find coffee plants growing in the wild. Every coffee plant in the world that grows today is a descendent of these original Ethiopian plants. So how did coffee become so popular around the world?
It all began with Kaldi and his goats
Legend has it that one day many centuries ago, a young Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi found his goats bounding about the hillsides in a joyous frenzy. They were having a ball! Even the old and tired goats were prancing around and acting young again. Kaldi was confused. Tired and worn out himself, he watched the goats carefully to find their secrete. He found the answer when he saw the goats eating cherries from a nearby tree. After trying a few cherries himself, he felt suddenly rejuvenated.
That’s when the monks got involved
A monk from a nearby monastery came upon Kaldi one day, determined to find out how he and the goats got all their energy. The monk ate from the plant and he, too, was revitalized. He brought some cherries back to the monastery to help the monks stay awake during the long religious services. Soon all the monasteries used the coffee cherries as a part of their services. The monks believed the plants were magical and were linked to the religious.
During the 5th and 6th centuries AD, the Ethiopians invaded Arabia (now called Yemen) and brought some of their magical seeds. The Arabs did not drink alcohol, so they were enraptured by the fruit that has some of the same invigorating and stimulating properties. The Arabs became the first people to actually cultivate coffee plants. In fact, the first recorded word for coffee is in Arabic. It is qahwah (KAH wah), meaning “Arab’s wine.”
Stay tuned for more..
Chris
Coffee has been through a lot to get where it is today. In order to really appreciate coffee, we have to go back to its roots….Literally. Coffee is indigenous to only one country-Ethiopia, which is located on the African continent. In fact, if you travel to Ethiopia today, you will still find coffee plants growing in the wild. Every coffee plant in the world that grows today is a descendent of these original Ethiopian plants. So how did coffee become so popular around the world?
It all began with Kaldi and his goats
Legend has it that one day many centuries ago, a young Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi found his goats bounding about the hillsides in a joyous frenzy. They were having a ball! Even the old and tired goats were prancing around and acting young again. Kaldi was confused. Tired and worn out himself, he watched the goats carefully to find their secrete. He found the answer when he saw the goats eating cherries from a nearby tree. After trying a few cherries himself, he felt suddenly rejuvenated.
That’s when the monks got involved
A monk from a nearby monastery came upon Kaldi one day, determined to find out how he and the goats got all their energy. The monk ate from the plant and he, too, was revitalized. He brought some cherries back to the monastery to help the monks stay awake during the long religious services. Soon all the monasteries used the coffee cherries as a part of their services. The monks believed the plants were magical and were linked to the religious.
During the 5th and 6th centuries AD, the Ethiopians invaded Arabia (now called Yemen) and brought some of their magical seeds. The Arabs did not drink alcohol, so they were enraptured by the fruit that has some of the same invigorating and stimulating properties. The Arabs became the first people to actually cultivate coffee plants. In fact, the first recorded word for coffee is in Arabic. It is qahwah (KAH wah), meaning “Arab’s wine.”
Stay tuned for more..
Chris
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)