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 ALL ABOUT COFFEE |
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History
Why Organic
Brewing Methods
Coffee storage
Swiss water decaffeination
You can make a bad cup of coffee from good beans
But you can never make a good "cuppa" from bad beans
We want to simplify the enjoyment of your mug of coffee. So we’ve gathered together a few informative points on the history and nature of coffee as well as how to enjoy your mug of steaming Firefighter coffee to its maximum.
Coffee….quality coffee…..preferably quality organic coffee….. freshly brewed and steaming hot in your mug is one of life’s necessary requirements!! I had originally planned on saying “indulgences” but that really is hiding the truth. Coffee is a food group. It is as much of a part of your daily routine as breathing. Now you need not consume copious amounts of coffee as a stimulant or as pick me upper because that does not do justice to the fine brew that we have described. Enjoy your cuppa! Do not ignore it! Do not leave it in a take away cup on your desk to get cold, or heaven forbid, to be thrust in the microwave. Take the time to enjoy your brew. Nuff said!
Without over complicating the aura surrounding coffee, the history of coffee, how to brew coffee etc we have put together a “Coles Notes” summary that should get you through the day without dragging you down with unnecessary coffee trivia. Coffee is in the now. It may be centuries old and have a long convoluted and debatable yet colourful history but you can read about this stuff later…..that is if you really are curious.
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History
The coffee bean seems to have made its first appearance pre 1000 A.D. in Ethiopia. The beans apparently made sheep tended by the local sheep herders a little hyper active. One thing led to another, coffee was planted around the world and Starbucks first opened – the end! Well there was a little more history and intrigue involved than that. This is an informative web site that gives you an interesting take on the history of coffee.
As a brief overview I have highlighted a couple of notable dates in the development of coffee as we know it today.
1000 A.D. Arab Traders bring back the bean to their homeland and for the first time begin cultivation.
1453 A.D. Coffee is introduced to Turkey.
1607 A.D. Coffee is believed to have been introduced to North America.
1668 A.D. Coffee replaces beer as New York’s favourite breakfast drink. They are still
looking for a good breakfast pretzel.
1886 A.D. Maxwell House is born!
1902 A.D. Instant coffee is invented.
1907 A.D. In less than a century Brazil accounted for 97% of the world’s harvest.
1971 A.D. The first Starbucks opens in Seattle Pike’s Peak Market. And the rest is
history!
2003 A.D. Firefighter Coffee, the brain child of Jeffrey Cartwright is born.
2006 A.D. Firefighter Gourmet Foods takes off.
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Why Organic
It is becoming more apparent that the cultivating methods for producing food crops these days is becoming more dependant on increased use of herbicides and pesticides. Non organically grown coffee is one of the more highly sprayed crops in the world. Methods used to increase coffee yields have resulted in using an inferior bean, called a Robusta bean compared to the Arabica bean that we use as well as cultivating the coffee plant without the “shade” trees that you hear spoken about in “shade grown coffee”. With shade grown coffee the coffee plants are grown and maintained under a natural canopy of taller and “shady” native trees. This prevents the young coffee bean from being damaged by direct sunlight. This method allows a healthier plant to develop and greatly minimizes
pest concerns. This method is more labour intensive……..but we think the results are worth it. [Back to Top]
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Brewing Methods
Now this is where it gets personal. There are obviously some guidelines that you should be aware of but please don’t let anyone enforce on you the “only way” to make a perfect cup of coffee. After all if we all ate the same foods cooked the same way, drove the same car and insisted that our coffee was produced the same way then the world would be a terribly boring place. (Though there is still no place for instant coffee, or light beer or ….I digress)
The grind This is very important. First off you should, if you can, grind your beans fresh every time. If this is not always possible the ground coffee should be used up in a few days at most. Like any other food product coffee will go stale. The ground beans will go off quicker than the whole beans. As a general rule an espresso coffee will use a fine grind and a French press, Bodum or percolator will use a coarser grind.
Measuring the ground coffee The general rule of thumb is 2 level Tablespoons of ground coffee for 6 ounces of water. This is where you have to find the right result for your own brew.
Hot water please. If you are using a pour over cone filter or a French press then once your kettle has come to a boil then rested until the bubbling subsides then the time is right. If you are using a automatic drip machine the cheaper versions are unlikely to produce hot enough water to obtain the proper and more flavourful extraction.
Craig & his wife Sharon make their coffee individually through a single brew #2 non bleached cone. ( You can use the cone for a second cuppa… but don’t wait too long) The only thing is that you have to monitor the procedure and stir and mix with a spoon the coffee and hot water slurry so that the hot water does not run straight through the filter leaving a whole lot of unextracted coffee flavour on the side of the cone
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Coffee storage
 Coffee will go stale. If at all possible try to purchase your coffee in smaller amounts. The bigger inexpensive bag is not worth it. Store the beans in an airtight container in a cool dry place. Not in the fridge. As mentioned try to grind smaller amounts of coffee at a time. If you think that you will not use your beans quickly enough then you can freeze them. But take out a few days worth at a time so that the beans come to room temperature and as not to introduce excessive moisture into the container.[Back to Top]
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Swiss water decaffeination
 Most conventional decaffeination processes use methylene chloride, Ethyl Acetate or other chemical strippers. Sounds yummy huh!
The Swiss water method was developed in Switzerland many decades ago and is a non chemical process using only water. The process is very unique in that it retains the original flavour of the beans for a pure non caffeinated experience. For more information check the Internet. There is lots of sites, studies and testimonials to research.
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