Summer Treats - Cold Coffee

Cold Coffee has been around since the beginning of time, so I don't get it when I see and hear that there is a new drink on the market called 'cold press coffee'.  Does this coffee get pressed in the container when you open it, like an automatic french press?  Is the coffee brewed in a french press and the coffee is stored in the container and chilled.  I think not.  It is just market branding of an old idea for the summer.  Hey, guys and gals in the marketing department; think of something that is 'really new' for the fall.

We think of  ice, cold drinks during the hot summer days of July and August that give us a chill down our backs and makes us squeal with delight.   Cold coffee straight from the refrigerator with sugar and milk is wonderful.  To start off the summer blog of the dog days of summer, we will be sharing our favorite coffee drinks and icebox treats.   If you have a recipe that you wish to share, sent it us: sales@blackgoldcoffeecompany.com and place in the subject area "recipe".

Cold Coffee: This recipe is so simple and easy to do, my dogs can do it!

    8-12 cup pitcher

    1cup(packed) of ground coffee (bold or french roast)

   

    Measure 1 cup of packed ground coffee and pour it into the pitcher. 

    Fill the pitcher will cold water and mix the coffee grounds alittle.

    Place the pitcher in the refrigerator for 24 hours or more.  The coffee will keep for a week or more.

   

   This will give the coffee grounds time to absorb the water and  create coffee at a slow pace.  

   When the coffee is dark in color ( if you can see the coffee from the outside), it is ready to drink 

   Now here is the secret to good tasting cold coffee...

   Pour the coffee through a cup strainer into a ceramic cup.  The strainer will catch the coffee grounds.  The cold coffee will make the cup cold.  The coffee will not have much of a taste at this time because it needs to adjust to room temperature for the coffee to start pushing out taste.  

  

Pour some milk and sugar, mix thoroughly and wait for 5-7 minutes.  During this time period, the coffee will absorb the milk and sugar and the coffee taste will start to come out!   The coffee and cup will still be cold.

 

cold coffee  enjoy!

I make a small pitcher of cold coffee for myself during the summer months and love it.  I recommend Brazil Santos or Colombia Supreme 17/18 for a rich coffee taste without the bitterness (bold or french roast).

Visit our website store for a great selection of coffees; green beans for the home roasters and freshly roasted coffee from around the world.  The best quality coffee comes from BlackGold Coffee Company in Chamblee, GA.  We roasted our coffee to order, so the customer receives fresh roasted coffee and not months or week old coffee.  Delivery is free to metro Atlanta customers.

 Enjoy your life.. Enjoy your coffee..

 Deanna M. Helie,  Morning Cupper

  www.blackgoldcoffeecompany.com

 

 

Feel Great and cut your cancer risk by...

Feel great and cut your cancer risk by drinking coffee.  Research suggests that coffee can lower your risk of certain types of skin cancer, breast cancer and uterine cancer.  Listening up ladies!!  Drinking coffee can help you live longer and reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.  Dr. Robert J. Davis PhD. states in his new book, "Coffee is Good for You: From Vitamin C and Organic Foods to Low-Carb and Detox Diets, the Truth about Diet and Nutrition Claims [Paperback]  ", that coffee is good for you.   

Packed with useful-and surprising-information, Coffee Is Good for You cuts through the clutter to reveal what's believable and what's not in a fun and easily digestible way.  Good book and interesting reading.

Now that summer is coming fast into our lives, think about ice coffee and how it taste on a hot summer day and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Brazil Santos is a must coffee for this type of drink and roasted Bold or French Roast! 

Visit www.blackgoldcoffeecompany.com for the quality coffee at fair prices.

Enjoy your life.. Enjoy your coffee..

Deanna M. Helie, Morning Cupper

Your local Barista is working on Labor Day!

Today is Labor day and most of us are not working and enjoying the day off.  Around the world, coffee shops are open and the one person who makes sure that each customer's day starts off right is the Barista.  They comes in and work on providing the highest coffee drink quality to their customers.  They are always concerned about the quality of their coffee product and will ask the customer if in doubt about the coffee request. 

Yes... there are some that are just serving coffee for the paycheck and don't really care and you can probably name a dozen or so of that type but there are some who are really passionate about their trade and take it seriously.  The sad reality of this person is that some coffee shop owners do not realize the value of their talents and pay as little as possible.  They look at the bottom line of the day's recipts as a check of success or failure and then there are those who look at their employees and what they offer to the customers as a check of success or failure.

StarBucks Coffee is one corporation that seems to believe in the first check and not the second.  Hire the Barista and pay them peanuts.  In Chile, last month, some Baristas went on strike for better wages.  They were being paid minimum wages and working long hours.   They took a stand against their employee and I hope them did well.  They have unionized in that country and I have to say that this is a good think for workers in this area of service.  I am not a big fan of unionized labor but in some area of the work world you need this in order to make a decent living wage.   I have to appland some Baristta's in the states that staged a 1 or 2 days strike in order to bring to light what StarBucks Coffee is doing in Chile.   

So.... when you go into a coffee shop and order a latte or espresso to go, tip your barista and thank them for being there. 

Enjoy the day!

Deanna, Morning Cupper

For fresh roasted coffee and green coffee beans for home roasters

      Fresh Roast...Fresh Coffee...Fair Price

                                                 http://www.blackgoldcoffeecompany.com/

Coffee Prices Hit 34 Year High

Well..  I saw it coming down the road late last year and it was only time that the increase in coffee prices would hit us in the pockets.  During the past 12 months alone, those prices rose by 145% which has led to retail price increases. Some of the big coffee companies have already increased their coffee prices three times during the past year.  There are other smaller companies that have not raised their prices but getting pretty close to doing so.  Don't be surprise to see your favorite coffee shop pries increase  5 to 10 cents.  You can only hold the line on prices for so long before making a lost.

Numerous nations are struggling to sustain their coffee crops while demand keeps rising. As a result, inventories have fallen to their lowest levels since the International Coffee Organization (ICO) started tracking this data in the 1960s.  Over the past three years, Columbia largely drove the rally in the coffee market . It suffered from a string of bad crops, partly due to heavy rains and partly due to its program to replant coffee trees.  Coffee trees do not live forever and replanting will ensure continuous supply of good quality coffee.
Meanwhile, Mexico is suffering a bad crop due to low temperatures and Brazil, the world’s top coffee exporter, could have a small harvest of low quality beans as well.  Most industry insiders say Arabica bean coffee prices are headed to at least $3 a pound.

Don't forget that BlackGold coffee company has NOT raised its prices on roasted or green coffee beans.  Check the website for the best prices.

 Deanna Helie, Morning Cupper

Coffee Bean Chronicles - Dog Days of Summer!

The dog days of summer are finally here and if you live in the south, you can sure feel it starting in the morning.    For those who don't know the history of the "Dogs days of Summer", let me enlightened you.   The earth rotates in a tilted position around the sun and around July 3, the earth is the closest to the earth in the Western Hemisphere.  At the same time, the constellation, Sirus the Dog can be viewed next to the sun; thus the Dogs Days of Summer.  The Dog Days of Summer is from July 3 thru August 11.
The heat is hot these days and the best way to enjoy  your coffee is with ice cream.  Free roasted coffee mixed with vanilla ice cream is fantastic.  I have found that Brazil Santos, bold roast and Tanzania Peaberry, medium roast, ground in equal amount is a good blend with vanilla ice cream.  The fresher the coffee the better with this recipe.  I ground the coffee very fine as if I am making Turkish or espresso coffee.  Place a few  scoops of vanilla ice cream in a mixing bowl, add the coffee and mix it until the ice cream has a medium brown color, add more or less to suit your taste.
Oh....  add some chocolate syrup also and the ice cream explores with coffee and chocolate!   I freeze my coffee, if I have any left over and enjoy it over peaches!


So...  buy your coffee roasted fresh and remember BlackGold Coffee Company always roast coffee per order to guaranteed freshness.
Visit the website for specials and great prices: http://www.blackgoldcoffeecompany.com/

Live one day at a time and enjoy it.

Morning Cupper,
Deanna

Coffee Bean Chronicles - Coffee is not for drinking only!

The summer breeze is coming our way and what better way to enjoy your fresh roasted coffee buy over a bowl of ice cold vanilla ice cream. The taste of cold coffee dripping over ice cream just makes you cool all over. One of the most overlooked summer treats are the simple ones. Nothing fancy or takes hours to make but the simple cool/cold treats that you can make.

Brew your favorite coffee. I love the rich heavy taste of a bold roast of Brazil Santos and at times the bold roast of India Monsoon Malabar mixed with decaf Guatemala Antigua. Place the coffee in the frig for chilling. When you are ready to enjoy your ice cream, place a few teaspoons of cold coffee over the ice cream and enjoy.

Also you can freeze the coffee and and make a coffee float or milkshake.
Coffee can be used in many of our daily recipes and what way is the best for you depends on what you like to eat during the summer months, so experiment and find your perfect summer time treat!

As always, fresh roasted coffee, roast to your order and delivered is always the best and the price is below the store carried coffee. Coffee in any store is not fresh because it has bee sitting in place for weeks if not months before anyone uses it. Just think of the difference from eating fresh strawberries from the vine and eating the ones in the store. Big difference in taste!!

For the best prices on quality fresh roasted coffee: http://www.blackgoldcoffeecompany.com/

Enjoy your cupping and cool down with cold coffee!

Coffee Bean Chronicles - ICE COFFEE!!!

Most of us are straight coffee drinkers. Some like it black, some like it with sugar and cream and other like it with sugar, cream and a flavor to jump start their day. Summer is just around the corner and what better way to enjoy your coffee,but on ice. Yes, ice coffee is wonderful and made correctly, your preference will be ice coffee instead of tea. To make a good pitcher of coffee may take some time but it is worth the time. Brew your favorite blend or origin and store it in a container to cool down before putting it in the refrigerator. As it is cooling add the sugar and cream and any flavor that you like. I like a little rum in mine! When the coffee is at room temperature, place it in the refrigerator for later in the day for ice coffee. Can't wait... throw some ice in a cup and enjoy or pour ina chilled mug and place a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!

The types of coffees will make a difference, so I recommend a Brazil Santos or a Costa Rica SHB EP or Costa Rica Tarrazu for a deep, rich taste; Ethiopian Yiragette or Indonesian Sumatra for lighter coffee. These coffees do not loose their taste when cold.

Believe it or not, fresh roasted decaf. Costa Rica is a hit too.

check out the great selections of high quality coffees: http://www.blackgoldcoffeecompany.com/

Your place for fresh roasted coffee and green coffee beans for the home roasters

Happy cupping and enjoy your day!

Coffee Bean Chronicles - Find your own roasting style...

Oh.. the smell of spring is in the air and what better way to start a spring morning but with a fresh cup of fresh brewed coffee. Many people in the coffee industry will tell you that the best roast of a certain type of coffee is the best way to enjoy it. But does everyone have the same taste buds? The answer is no. Some people may like a medium roast of African coffee while others like the bold/strong roast of the South American coffee. When shopping for the perfect coffee for you, shop around and try a good variety of roast before settling on one type roast. You may find out that the taste of a bold roast of Brazil Santos or Guatemala Antigua is your favorite or the medium roast of the delicate Tanzania Highland Peaberry or Ethiopia Yir. is more your style. Just keep in mind, your style of roast is what really counts because you are going to be drinking the coffee and not the coffee experts.

So shop around and experience the roast styles of many before making your final decision and if you think that the roast is close but maybe a little more or less, contact your roaster and ask if they can do a custom roast for you. Our company will do custom roast because we understand that not all tastebuds are the same. Home roasters, you can invent your own type of roast for your coffee.

For the best coffee prices and fresh roast(roasted per order), check http://www.blackgoldcoffeecompany.com/. This website has a good selective list of coffee , roasted or green beans and as always...

Enjoy the day and happy cupping!

Coffee Bean Chronicles - So you want good Espresso

It seems to be the 'rage' to make your own espresso these days. I guess with the ecomony on the shallow end of the pond, people are deciding what to do without. Many coffee drinkers I know are realizing that making espresso is really not that hard and takes a matter of minutes.
You don't have to spend a fortune on a espresso machine or an espresso pump for good espresso.
You can buy a 'Bialetti' and enjoy making espresso whenever you feel to the need for high caffeine. The 8oz. bialetti is under 15.00 and it is fantastic. No mess, no fuss and it is portable. I do love the pump and it is great toy but not necessary.
Now.. let's talk coffee. You DO NOT have to buy expensive blends of coffee to get a good cup of espresso. Europeans stick to the basics and we go to the extremes!! Guatamela Antigua is a perfect coffee for espresso and Brazil Santos is so smooth that when it goes down, you will want more.
Now.. you can have good blends and they are usually a South American(bold and outward) and Pacific Rim/Asia ( smooth and fruity...) They complient each other and one flavor does not overwhelm the other.
Good Espresso is smooth and leaves a good coffee taste on our palatte afterwards. It slides down your throat and wakes up your tastebuds.

oh.. one more suggestion. NEVER drink espresso 4 hours before you go to bed or you will be up all night!

Good Espresso starts with a good blend: www.blackgoldcoffeecompany.com


Happy cupping!

Coffee Bean Chronicles - Brazil Santos, hot coffee on a cold morning

People in Atlanta do not see alot of snow and most of the time it is cold weather and chilly rain. This past Sunday, the city received 2 inches of good packing snow during the afternoon hours. Itwas great to see the hugh snow flakes fall from the sky, dancing in the wind. It was in the 20's and not a t-shirt/short day. I made myself some fresh Brazil Santos coffee that I roasted earlier in the week. No cream or sugar, just black and it was wonderful. This bean should be roasted through the second crack and smoking! It has a rich taste that makes your taste buds want more. It is very balance, which means it does not taste bitter or weak and has very little aftertaste in the mouth, so you don't have to pop a mint in your mouth. This coffee should be more well known in the states,but the coffee cafes and stores are too narrow in their coffee selections and that is a shame. If you can try some Brazil Santos.

Happy cupping.... and enjoy the day!
http://www.blackgoldcoffeecompany.com/