How do most Americans begin their morning? With a cuppa Joe in hand, of course! Many crave and can’t live without this morning staple. Coffee is the most popular beverage in the world with 400 billion+ cups sipped and savored each year. It’s estimated that half of all Americans over age 18 drink coffee daily, which is 107 million people!
CELEBRATE NATIONAL COFFEE DAY – SEPTEMBER 29, 2019
Stroll into a coffee shop and the uplifting scent of freshly brewed java fills the air with an aroma that’s hard to resist. September 29, 2019, is National Coffee Day, so head to your local coffee shop – or forgo the line and brew at home.
WHERE IS COFFEE GROWN?
Coffee grows in tropical regions in approximately 70 countries. Hawaii is the only place in America that can grow coffee, and Hawaiian Kona coffee is often served in the White House.
WHAT KINDA CUPPA COFFEE?
Let’s start coffee talk with the many types of coffee, so grab a cup from your local coffee shop as you read all about it. First, decide how strong you want your coffee. Just as beers vary in strength from light to dark, coffees also come in light, medium, and dark roasts.
Joe Davis, Footnotes manager and head coffee guy at Foothills Brewing, revealed all about java. He described light roasts reaching an internal temperature of about 350-400 degrees Fahrenheit when roasted and said they tend to have brighter notes, a crisp acidity, and a mellow body. Sometimes they are called light city, half city and cinnamon. Medium roast coffee is brown and contains a well-rounded flavor profile and medium body and acidity. Medium roasts reach a temperature of 400-430 degrees Fahrenheit and are roasted slightly beyond first crack, though not completely to second crack. Other common names include American roast, city roast, and regular roast. Davis noted that dark roast coffee reveals darker, deeper flavors through a heavy body and low acidity. Some dessert-like flavors that lend themselves to dark roasts are nutty, caramel and chocolatey. Black-as-night dark roast produces espresso, continental, Italian, New Orleans, Vienna, and French roast. These dark roasts can become slightly burned and even catch fire at 490 degrees, Davis warned.
COFFEE MAKING
From cold brew to French press, you have a variety of ways to make your ideal cuppa Joe. And, know thy coffee types, whether Americano or Cappuccino. You can brew a wide variety, including drip, batch, pour-over, instant, Aeropress, Siphon, cold drip, and Nitro coffee. And you don’t have to be a coffee connoisseur to try the many types of coffee, including Espresso, Ristretto, Doppio (double Espresso), Americano, Turkish, Cappuccino, Latte, Café Au Lait, Café Macchiato, Latte Macchiato, Cortado, Espresso con Panna, Affogato, Bulletproof, Irish, Japanese, Cascara, Geisha, Pacamara, Liberica, Kopi Luwak and Honey processed.
TASTE TESTING
When you compare the taste of your grocery store coffee with locally roasted fresh coffee, “You’re going to notice a major difference. There are 500 or so different flavor compounds,” said Davis, a coffee brewer and connoisseur.
TIMED FOR TASTE
When’s the best time to drink your freshly ground coffee? Typically, coffee grounds taste the freshest 24 hours after roasting. Lighter roasted coffee typically stays fresh for 5 to 7 days, whereas darker roasted coffee stays fresh for about 3 to 5 days.
SAVOR THE FLAVOR
Similar to wine tasting, color-coded flavor wheels are helpful in grouping flavors together and can help you identify the flavor(s) better. Descriptive language is fluid and sometimes people even make up their own words. Sippers know best what they taste, smell, and experience. Descriptions often include nutty or smooth to describe the texture, and notes of chocolate, citrus, cherry, tobacco, and black currant to describe the flavor.
COFFEE MEETS BEER
What happens when coffee blends with beer? A palette-pleasing coffee-esque hybrid that delights the senses! Davis explained how Footnotes makes this creative creation. “The head brewer takes whole coffee beans and puts them straight into beer for 24 to 48 hours to develop a coffee taste and aroma that’s not too overwhelming.” This unusual and popular beverage has the flavor of coffee and beer and contains some caffeine, but not as much as a regular cuppa Joe.
Whether you like your coffee lighter or darker, weaker or stronger, there’s a cuppa java for you. Enjoy your next cuppa Joe and pair it up with some engaging coffee talk!
