Friday, July 18, 2003


reprinted for the benefit of all humankind

since bruce cole (see yesterday's comments) noted his love of the shakerato, i thought i would shamelessly post here a message from don schoenholt of gillies coffee to the secret e-mail list that scaa consumer members get access to.

i tell ya people: join now, the stuff on this list is gold, gold, gold. . .

"Melting Ice Creates Problems
If you don't believe me ask the dinosaurs

Brew with a blend that has stronger flavors, or choose a blend that you enjoy every day but brew it really strong. That is, decrease the water-to-coffee ratio so that you end up with a substantially stronger coffee concentrate that will be less likely to go over the edge when the ice melts. Try using 25% less water.

I like blends with some dark roast blended in. Also Kenya/Sumatra blends (distinctive strong taste/heavy body). This is not a blend I would normally mix for hot coffee beverage due to their conflicting qualities.

You can brew the beverage a day before and refrigerate in a tightly closed container. That's what most beverage retailers do. This slows the action of the ice by starting with a cooler base beverage. I'm not keen on this oft accepted solution as the coffee clouds down, and tastes refrigerator stale by morning.

Also if there are left over garlic cloves in the refrig. Watch Out! You have just invented a new flavor and it doesn't compare to Pistachio Ice Cream Flavored Beans.

I like the idea of making trays of brewed coffee ice cubes. When the ice cubes melt there is no dilution of the brew. Want to make them sexy? Add cream or milk to the coffee ice-cube mix. As the cubes melt the cream mixture marbles the brew making it very exciting (don't mind me, I think coffee's exciting, he said, putting ice on his forehead).

When I was a boy the Jello dessert people used to suggest making Jello the fast way. Use a very large bowl. Mix in only one cup of boiled water instead of two (mix until crystals melt). Instead of the second cup of boiling use a second cup of cold water.

Then take a tray of ice cubes and put them in a plastic bag. Then put the closed plastic bag in the brewed Jello liquid. Stir. The ice cubes and cold water drop the temperature of the slurry fast without diluting as the ice melts. Voila! Jello in half the time.

Now think coffee. Brew fresh coffee and pour into a wide mouth pitcher. Put ice cubes in a zip-lock bag and add to mix. Temperature drops and coffee is not diluted. When the coffee is tepid regular ice cubes will not do too much damage to beverage strength.

Also try tall pre-frosted glasses (rinse glass and put wet glass in freezer for a half our), or try sugar frosted glasses by wetting a folded paper towel and place it on a dish. Pour superfine (10X Bar Sugar) in a saucer. Ok? Right.

Now invert a tall thin "Julep" type glass [ed. note: in kansas where i come from, juleps were traditionally served in a distinctive silver cup. i think don has what we would call a collins glass in mind. not that i would ever presume to correct don on anything having to do with coffee!] in the water then in the sugar.

Wow! A sugar frosted lip. Now put it on the side to dry. The sugar will stay on the lip. When dry the sugar will be crystals. Great Iced Coffee glasses either way.

Want an extraordinary iced coffee beverage? [ed. note: yes, don, we do!] Start with great coffee beverage in a tall thin sugar-frosted rim glass. Then go and find a fresh soft ripe peach. Carefully peel the peach without bruising. Score with a fruit knife, and bend the slices back the until they separate from the stone.

Bruise one slice by twisting and drop it in the glass, then butterfly another luscious slice and drape it perpendicularly over the frosted glass rim. A little juice will run down the glass. Never mind that. Fresh peach iced coffee is luscious stuff.

This works with apricots too, but not apples. [ed. note: i believe don saves apples for a charming concotion he makes with chilled white wine.]

Enjoy.

DNS"

posted by fortune | 12:57 PM | top | link to this | email this: | | | 0 comments