CUPPA JOE COFFEE PLUS
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves, plus extra for garnish.1 poblano pepper, roasted, peeled and chopped.
1 cup pistachios, shelled and toasted, plus extra for garnish.1 cup plus 1 tablespoon coffee syrup, recipe follows.Recent trends in the way people are drinking coffee, brewing their own gourmet blends at home with new single-serve brewers and the rise in dual drinkers - which DeRupo describes as people who drink traditional and gourmet coffees -indicate that coffee has found its solid roots in the United States. "Coffee has strong antioxidant properties - four times the amount found in a similar amount of green tea," DeRupo said. Scientific studies have indicated drinking coffee protects against some types of diabetes and colorectal cancer. It should be noted, however, that drinking coffee may be good for you. "Fair Trade guarantees coffee farmers, most of whom are now organized in coffee cooperatives around the world, a livable-income wage, minimum price of $1.26 per pound, regardless of the changing market which sustains the farmers, their families and the land."Ĭoncerns about caffeine consumption have prompted a genetic breeding program to produce a naturally decaffeinated bean.
"This partnership ensures that the majority of the world's coffee farmers get a fair price for their harvests in order to achieve a decent living wage. "Fair Trade means an equitable partnership between consumers in North America and producers in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean," DeRupo said. They are then ground or packaged as whole beans.Ĭoffee farmers, often smallland owners in impoverished countries, were frequently paid less than a livable wage for their crops, forcing them to either stop farming coffee or supplement their income through other less reputable crops, such as coca. The beans are then emptied into a large tub where they are cooled with cold air - some commercial factories use cold water - to stop the roasting process. During this process, the beans turn a rich, deep brown. The heat extracts moisture from the beans, turning them a pale greenish tan and then to an ochre tint.Īs the internal temperature increases, fats turn into oils, producing flavor. The roasting process is important because an under-cooked bean - distinguishable by its light brown color - will lack flavor.Īfter several preparatory steps - including a natural drying process, washing and hulling - coffee beans are poured into huge rotary drums and slowly turned over gas burners. After hulling and drying, roasting turns the green beans into the dark brown beans we grind and use for making coffee. Ripe coffee berries are bright red, called coffee cherries. "I've never tasted it myself," he said, "but I'd like to." Robusta is generally traded cheaply."ĭeRupo added that there is a rare species of coffee plant, called Barako, from the Philippines. "Most commercial coffees, however, are blends of the two for complex, socioeconomic reasons. The Robusta is becoming popular in Italy, where they favor espressos," said DeRupo. "It's actually a matter of taste, whether or not you like a strong coffee. The bushes produce abundantly and the beans create a strong coffee, with a higher caffeine content. They are easy to grow, sturdy and disease resistant. A single Arabica bush produces only 1 to 5 pounds per year. However, Arabica coffee is difficult to grow and harvest.
Arabica is known for its full-bodied flavor and rich aroma. Arabica coffees are grown at high altitudes, in the rough terrain of mountain regions.