JUN 2023 | Culinary Lifestyle Round-Up
Check this out - Coffee with a Mission
This month’s round-up edition strays from the usual format - food, wine, kitchen tools, articles, and music. Instead, it focuses on one beverage which I know is definitely a part of many of your lives, presenting several tips and featured brands. I hope you enjoy it!
— Chef Susan
COFFEE WITH A MISSION
Full disclosure - I am not a coffee drinker. When I was in college and my classmates were brewing Folgers in the dorm rooms, I never acquired the taste. My preference is for hot chocolate made with good quality dark chocolate or green tea. I love coffee shops, though. The casual, comfortable atmosphere and the aroma suit me when I need a change of scene for remote work, meetings, or a personal escape. I am also drawn to the rich stories and missions of the business owners. Oftentimes, what appears to be a straightforward small business is actually a strong force of good in the community and the world.
Despite not drinking coffee, I’ve learned a lot about it over the years and truly appreciate its complexity. I owe most of my coffee education to my husband, James, who is a true coffee aficionado. He shares the fine details with me - everything from where the beans are grown to choosing a high-quality bag to roasting the beans and brewing techniques. Since coffee is such a passion for him, I’ve also learned by researching and purchasing coffee gifts over the years - books, bags of interesting beans, and brewing accouterments. We regularly visit coffee shops together - James for his coffee fix and to pick up a bag of freshly roasted beans, and me for my hot chocolate - and I have been adopted into the coffee world through all of these adventures.
For my part, I use coffee as an ingredient in cooking to add depth and earthiness to a flavor profile. Brewed or ground, the extraction from the beans enhances so many recipes, such as in chocolate or caramel desserts, spice rubs, soups and stews, and bean dishes.
MAKING A GOOD CUP OF COFFEE
Just as with cooking, making a good cup of coffee requires attention to the details - the quality and freshness of the ingredients (beans and water), preparation methods (grind and temperature), and brewing time. To create a flavorful cup, James makes the following recommendations.
Source good quality coffee beans.
Whether you are buying a cup of coffee made in a coffee shop or making your own at home, find out where the beans come from. Good coffee roasters will source high-quality beans to use in the coffee served in the shop and sold in bags for homebrew. Many grocers also carry high-quality coffee brands.
Check for roast dates.
Roasted coffee beans have a shelf life with regard to flavor. Luckily, more coffee roasters are listing a roast date somewhere on the packaging. Look for beans roasted within approximately the last 2 weeks. Coffee roasted several months ago may not harm you but will most likely taste stale.
Buy small quantities.
Buying freshly roasted coffee beans in smaller quantities allows enjoyment of that fresh taste on a regular basis.
Use filtered or spring water.
Believe it or not, not all water is created equal in the case of coffee making. Tap or city water usually contains unwanted chemicals that can alter the flavor of the coffee. Use filtered or spring water with minerals for brewing coffee for the best flavor.
Use a good quality grinder.
When cooking, it’s important to cut ingredients to a similar size to promote even cooking. It’s the same with the grind of coffee beans. Using a good quality grinder that provides a consistent, even grind size will definitely improve the flavor of the coffee.
Pay attention to temperature when brewing.
The optimum water temperature range for brewing coffee is between 195°F - 205°F. The best flavor is extracted from lightly roasted beans on the higher end of that range, while darker roasted beans prefer the lower end.
COFFEE AS THE VEHICLE
The coffee world is ripe with stories of challenge, success, and global impact. Increasingly, coffee roasters are working to build strong communities, both locally and throughout the world, in a number of amazing ways that support those who tend to be overlooked, underserved, and struggling to survive. Here are a few roasters we have discovered who not only produce a great product but also strive to make a difference through their missions and business models.
Durham, NC
Little Waves Coffee Roasters is “an impact-driven group of thinkers, dreamers, and doers who delight in the enduring power of coffee as a shared experience.” This micro-roaster offers bags of single-origin and blended coffee and a subscription program.
Little Waves says:
We are a Latina-led and women-forward company, in love with the never-ending search for ultimate coffee quality as it connects to building relationships and sustainability for our people and madre tierra. We value and work to nourish an inclusive environment in which difference is celebrated and adds to the quality of our team, colleagues and industry.
Purchase Little Waves coffee at any of their three Cocoa Cinnamon locations, at a few grocers and coffee shops in the Triangle area, or order online.
Little Waves offers free shipping on coffee orders and gift boxes over $45 (discount automatically taken at check out).
Hillsborough, NC
Café Femenino, a unique coffee cooperative, was formed in 2003 by Peruvian women coffee farmers in partnership with the Organic Products Trading Co. The cooperative has grown to include women-owned and operated farms in nine countries. They supply beans for the Café Femenino brand as well as many other coffee roasters in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.
The Café Femenino coffee brand includes high-quality single-origin roasts and specialty blends that are certified organic and Fair Trade. It is roasted in small batches in Hillsborough, NC at Joe Van Gogh Coffee Roasters.
Café Femenino states:
The Café Femenino coffee program is one-of-a-kind ethical sourcing model committed to ending the cycle of poverty affecting women coffee farmers across the world. Café Femenino provides direct compensation to women farmers, along with the opportunity and resources to enact positive change in their communities and on their own terms.
To purchase Café Femenino brand coffee online, click here. Choose between ordering single bags or a subscription (for a 15% discount).
To find roasters in your area that source beans from the cooperative, click here.
Raleigh, NC
This North Carolina coffee roasting company distinguishes itself by its business model and mission of inclusivity. It hires and trains adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, providing jobs to a section of the population that oftentimes is overlooked. Beyond the people aspect, 321 Coffee incorporates sustainability and composting practices into its business.
321 Coffee says:
321 Coffee is a coffee shop and roaster built on inclusion. Based in Raleigh, NC, 321 currently employs over 50 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). They are the ones roasting the coffee, taking the orders, and making the lattes. We are demonstrating the value of an inclusive business model.
Visit one of 321’s coffee shops (in Raleigh or Durham), or order online, to get a fresh cup or bag of beans that supports more than just your coffee fix.
Use code "loveandcraft" to get free shipping on orders of $50+ from shop.321coffee.com.
Raleigh, NC
Black & White Coffee was founded by two US Coffee Barista Champions in 2017. Their mission is to bring the flavors and high-level coffee experience of the competitive world to the community at large. Their guiding values are service, community, and excellence.
Black & White states:
At B&W, we’re committed to connecting people to the most interesting and approachable coffees that we can find. We strive to be more than just a quality coffee roaster - we hope to challenge ourselves and our customers to push the envelope of what specialty coffee ‘should’ be and how it should taste.
Black & White offers single-origin and blended coffees, and subscriptions. Visit one of their coffee shops in downtown Raleigh, Rolesville, or Wake Forest, NC. Or, order online here.
Black & White offers free shipping on orders over $35.
Austin, TX
Atlas Coffee offers high-quality, Fair Trade, and sustainable coffee options in a fun and interesting “coffee-of-the-month club.” Subscribers are treated to a journey around the world through each monthly featured micro-lot coffee. The gift pack includes a freshly roasted-to-order bag of single-origin coffee, flavor notes and the coffee’s history, and a postcard.
Atlas Coffee Club states:
Our mission is to share the world of coffee. Satisfy your wanderlust with your coffee addiction and satisfy your coffee addiction with your wanderlust. Come explore the world one cup at a time.
Fair trade and sustainability are things we care deeply about and is reflected in every coffee that we source and share with our subscribers.
Atlas Coffee Club subscriptions can be ordered online.
To start a subscription for yourself or someone else, use this link in which each of us receives $10!
Have a comment or tip to share about coffee? We’d love to hear from you.
Know someone who would enjoy this post? Pass it on.
Great information, Susan! Now you got my wheels turning as to where I’ll go for my next cup of Joe!