Tuesday, December 25, 2012

A SAVIOR HAS BEEN BORN FOR YOU


In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
that the whole world should be enrolled.
This was the first enrollment,
when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.
And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth
to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem,
because he was of the house and family of David,
to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
While they were there,
the time came for her to have her child,
and she gave birth to her firstborn son.
She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields
and keeping the night watch over their flock.
The angel of the Lord appeared to them
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were struck with great fear.
The angel said to them,
"Do not be afraid;
for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David
a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you:
you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger."
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,
praising God and saying:
"Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

When the angels went away from them to heaven,
the shepherds said to one another,
"Let us go, then, to Bethlehem
to see this thing that has taken place,
which the Lord has made known to us."
So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.

The Kona Cowboy Coffee Company, maker of four brands of gourmet coffees, wishes you a Merry and Blessed Christmas.  We invite you to try PANIOLA 100% Kona Cowboy Coffee, grown on Hawaiian volcanoes and roasted in the Rocky Mountains … the one with no bitter aftertaste and no acidity.  CAFÉ PINON de Nuevo Mexico is the Southwest’s favorite with pinion nuts.  And our MOKA-JAVA is a medium dark roasted blend of Indonesian and Ethiopian coffees.  We also make COWBOY ACTION COFFEE, the Official Coffee of the Single Action Shooting Society! 

The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time.  Join up, become a member, comment and have fun!  You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553.  Just copy and paste to your browser.  You can also find us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/jackshuster.  And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.

You know you’re a coffee fiend when you've worn out the handle on your favorite mug!  So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!


Tuesday, December 18, 2012

PERFECT IRISH COFFEE


Being addicted to caffeine can become an art, if you delve into the lavish realms of gourmet coffee. However, such coffee drinks tend to be on the expensive side. So, if you don’t want to splurge on a mere drink, but still want to enjoy the beauty and divine taste of gourmet coffee drinks, know that there’s a world of gourmet coffee recipes freely available out there. We are going to give you the recipe for the most spectacular, popular and visually striking drink, for all you coffee lovers out there.
And that Gourmet Coffee Drink would be, of course, Kona Cowboy Irish Coffee…the most popular holiday coffee drink here at the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company.
It’s Irish because it involves whiskey, of course.
All you need to do to get started is to pour yourself two thirds of a cup of hot, preferably strong coffee. Now you do know what kind of coffee to use, don’t you?  Why, of course!  Use our own Kona Cowboy Coffee Company’s PANIOLA 100% Kona Cowboy Coffee or our MOKA-JAVA blend of Ethiopian and Indonesian coffees.
Now stir in a teaspoon of sugar.
You then add one jigger of whiskey, top with whipping cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon, for added zing.  Whatever you do, don’t stir. You’ll just diffuse the alcohol.
That Kona Cowboy Irish Coffee will be perfect on Christmas Eve with one of those Kona Cowboy Coffee Brownies we gave you the recipe for last week.
The Kona Cowboy Coffee Company can get your Christmas coffee consumption going with our four brands of gourmet coffees.  You’ll get a real start on having a great holiday with PANIOLA 100% Kona Cowboy Coffee, grown on Hawaiian volcanoes and roasted in the Rocky Mountains … the one with no bitter aftertaste and no acidity.  CAFÉ PINON de Nuevo Mexico is the Southwest’s favorite with pinion nuts and a perfect way to improve your holiday happiness during the day.  And our MOKA-JAVA is a medium dark roasted blend of Indonesian and Ethiopian coffees that will make you positively positive!  We also make COWBOY ACTION COFFEE, the Official Coffee of the Single Action Shooting Society! 

The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time.  Join up, become a member, comment and have fun!  You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553.  Just copy and paste to your browser.  You can also find us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/jackshuster.  And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.

You know you’re a coffee fiend when your only source of nutrition comes from "Sweet & Low!"  So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

KONA COFFEE BROWNIES


Here’s a recipe you might want to try for holiday entertaining. Kona coffee is prized for its bold, clean flavor and in this recipe, that famous Kona coffee flavors both the brownies and their ganache topping.  Don’t fret, we’ll supply you with the Kona coffee but, we’ll admit, good espresso beans and strong brewed espresso work well, too.

Here’s what you’ll need…

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups sugar
15 tablespoons (2 sticks minus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons finely ground Kona coffee beans
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup pecan pieces

And for the frosting…
1 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (6 ounces)
6 tablespoons freshly brewed Kona coffee

Here’s what you do…
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9x2-inch metal pan with nonstick spray. Combine sugar, butter, cocoa, ground Kona coffee, and salt in large metal bowl. Place bowl over saucepan of simmering water and whisk until butter melts and ingredients are blended (texture will be grainy). Remove bowl from over water; cool mixture to lukewarm if necessary. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Sift flour over and fold in. Mix in pecans.

Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake brownies until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool brownies in pan.

Place chocolate chips in small bowl. Bring brewed Kona coffee to simmer in small saucepan; pour over chips and stir until melted and smooth. Let ganache stand until cool and beginning to thicken, about 1 hour; spread evenly over brownies. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; let stand at room temperature.) Cut brownies into 15 squares.

Lastly, enjoy.  And invite us over!

The Kona Cowboy Coffee Company can get your Christmas coffee consumption going with our four brands of gourmet coffees.  You’ll get a real start on having a great holiday with PANIOLA 100% Kona Cowboy Coffee, grown on Hawaiian volcanoes and roasted in the Rocky Mountains … the one with no bitter aftertaste and no acidity.  CAFÉ PINON de Nuevo Mexico is the Southwest’s favorite with pinion nuts and a perfect way to improve your holiday happiness during the day.  And our MOKA-JAVA is a medium dark roasted blend of Indonesian and Ethiopian coffees that will make you positively positive!  We also make COWBOY ACTION COFFEE, the Official Coffee of the Single Action Shooting Society! 

The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time.  Join up, become a member, comment and have fun!  You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553.  Just copy and paste to your browser.  You can also find us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/jackshuster.  And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.


You know you’re a coffee fiend when you don't need a hammer to pound nails!  So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

WOULD YOU PAY $7 FOR A CUP OF COFFEE?


Recently saw a tweet from Jack Groot where he forwarded an article by Ben Popken, a TODAY contributor.  Popken asks, “Fancy a $7 cup of Starbucks? “

In this day of skyrocketing gas and food prices, only a select few do.  But that's the price for a special rare brew Starbucks is serving up in only 48 stores in the country and 46 of them are in Seattle and Portland.  Ask for "Costa Rica Finca Palmilera," and pay over $40 for a half-pound. 

Starbucks said there's a very good reason for the premium price on this "exotic" blend from a rare "Geisha varietal" line, which comes from an ancient line of plants that traces its lineage back to Ethiopia.  They didn't make very much of it.   It's simple supply and demand, created for demanding coffee fans in two of the nation's most coffee-centric cities. 

The coffee "only grows at extremely high altitudes, and because of the tree’s low yield allows for more of the soil's nutrients to reach each cherry, intensifying the coffee's vibrant flavors," said the Starbucks spokesperson.  "A trained nose and palate might pick up delicate floral aromas, flavors of white peach and pineapple, and a juicy herbal complexity in this coffee."  In addition, all the beans came from just 3 hectares out of a single 90 hectare estate, yielding a tiny amount, a mere 3,800 pounds.  "Costa Rica Finca Palmilera" is part of the Starbucks "Reserve" line of coffees, where the company hunts down rare and flavorful beans in origin countries and makes them available at just a few stores for a brief period of time. 

"It is the highest price we've ever had," a Starbucks spokesperson told TODAY. "It raises the bar."

Would you pay $7 for a cup of coffee?

The Kona Cowboy Coffee Company can get your money-saving coffee consumption going with our four brands of gourmet coffees.  You’ll get a real start on having a great day with PANIOLA 100% Kona Cowboy Coffee, grown on Hawaiian volcanoes and roasted in the Rocky Mountains … the one with no bitter aftertaste and no acidity.  CAFÉ PINON de Nuevo Mexico is the Southwest’s favorite with pinion nuts and a perfect way to improve your mental functions during the day.  And our MOKA-JAVA is a medium dark roasted blend of Indonesian and Ethiopian coffees that will make you positively positive!  We also make COWBOY ACTION COFFEE, the Official Coffee of the Single Action Shooting Society! 

The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time.  Join up, become a member, comment and have fun!  You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553.  Just copy and paste to your browser.  You can also find us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/jackshuster.  And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.

You know you’re a coffee fiend when all your kids are named "Joe"!  So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

SHOULD DOCTORS START PRESCRIBING COFFEE?

CBS News reports that in the latest study to tie coffee to health benefits, new research finds a daily caffeine boost may ease symptoms of Parkinson's disease in sufferers.

Parkinson's is a degenerative brain disease that causes tremors, difficulty with walking, movement and coordination. The condition most commonly develops in adults over 50, and occurs when nerve cells in the brain that make the muscle-controlling neurotransmitter dopamine are slowly destroyed, leading to loss in muscle function. The cause of the disease remains unknown.  
The study, published August 1 in the online issue of Neurology, tracked 61 people with Parkinson's who were exhibiting symptoms of daytime sleepiness. Participants were assigned to receive either a placebo pill twice per day or a 100 milligram-caffeine pill twice per day for three weeks. After three weeks, those in the caffeine group were given a 200 milligram caffeine pill twice per day, about the caffeine equivalent found in two to four cups of coffee.

Six weeks into the study, people taking the caffeine pills averaged a five-point improvement on a ratings scale of Parkinson's symptom severity compared to those who took placebos. Researchers called this a modest improvement, but one that might provide benefits to people with the disease.
The researchers also found those in the caffeine group averaged a three-point improvement in the speed of their movements and the amount of stiffness they experienced, compared to their caffeine-free counterparts.
"Studies have shown that people who use caffeine are less likely to develop Parkinson's disease, but this is one of the first studies in humans to show that caffeine can help with movement symptoms for people who already have the disease," study author Dr. Ronald Postuma, a neuroscientist at McGill University in Montreal, said in a press release.
Oddly enough, caffeine did not appear to help improve the patients' daytime sleepiness problems.
Postuma said in light of his findings, a longer study was needed to determine whether the effects of caffeine would wear off over time.
"Does it really make a difference over years of Parkinson's disease? I don't think we know," he told Reuters.  Postuma added that the main drug given to patients with Parkinson's, levodopa, would provide benefits up to four times greater than what his team saw in people taking caffeine pills.

In an accompanying editorial in the same journal issue, Dr. Michael Schwarzschild, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, wrote that caffeine seems to block a malfunctioning brain signal in Parkinson's disease that may explain these benefits in patients. However, he stopped short of recommending coffee or caffeine as a treatment.

"Although the results do not suggest that caffeine should be used as a treatment in Parkinson's disease, they can be taken into consideration when people with Parkinson's are discussing their caffeine use with their neurologist," Schwarzschild wrote. 
Recent studies have found drinking coffee could help stave off Alzheimer's in older adults, reduce risk for the most common form of skin cancer, decrease a person's odds of developing heart failure and even lower their overall risk of premature death by 10 percent.

The Kona Cowboy Coffee Company can get your healthy coffee consumption going with our three brands of gourmet coffees.  You’ll get a real start on having a great day with PANIOLA 100% Kona Cowboy Coffee, grown on Hawaiian volcanoes and roasted in the Rocky Mountains … the one with no bitter aftertaste and no acidity.  CAFÉ PINON de Nuevo Mexico is the Southwest’s favorite with pinion nuts and a perfect way to improve your mental functions during the day.  And our MOKA-JAVA is a medium dark roasted blend of Indonesian and Ethiopian coffees that will make you positively positive!  We also make COWBOY ACTION COFFEE, the Official Coffee of the Single Action Shooting Society! 

The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time.  Join up, become a member, comment and have fun!  You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553.  Just copy and paste to your browser.  You can also find us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/jackshuster.  And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.

You know you’re a coffee fiend when you can jump-start your car without cables!  So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

COFFEE MAKES PEOPLE HAPPY!


Coffee makes people happy, according to an online article I read in The Daily Meal.  The article pointed out that coffee drinkers can point out positive thoughts and words over negative ones.  Well that comes as no surprise!

No one ever said, "My cup of coffee is making me grumpy."  Now, more and more investigations link your state of mind to the cup of coffee in your hand.

German researchers found in their study that participants who had the caffeine equivalent of two to three cups of coffee were able to point out positive words in a series, but couldn't point out the negative ones as easily. The Daily Mail reports that it's all about the caffeine, as caffeine can help boost mental function. The researchers believe that the caffeine stimulates the part of the brain associated with happiness. "Although caffeine improves some mental functions, our study shows this may be specific for certain types of stimuli, like only positive words," said researcher Lars Kuchinke to the Daily Mail. 

Granted, it's not shown whether caffeine from teas or caffeine from other drinks such as energy drinks would have the same effect on the brain. However, a study last year published in the Archives of Internal Medicine reported that coffee drinkers had 20 percent lower risk of developing depression.

The Kona Cowboy Coffee Company can get your happy coffee consumption going with our three brands of gourmet coffees.  You’ll get a real start on having a great day with PANIOLA 100% Kona Cowboy Coffee, grown on Hawaiian volcanoes and roasted in the Rocky Mountains … the one with no bitter aftertaste and no acidity.  CAFÉ PINON de Nuevo Mexico is the Southwest’s favorite with pinion nuts and a perfect way to improve your mental functions during the day.  And our MOKA-JAVA is a medium dark roasted blend of Indonesian and Ethiopian coffees that will positively positive!  We also make COWBOY ACTION COFFEE, the Official Coffee of the Single Action Shooting Society! 

The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time.  Join up, become a member, comment and have fun!  You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553.  Just copy and paste to your browser.  You can also find us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/jackshuster.  And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.

Look for the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company’s Cowboy Coffee Saloon in New Mexico at the Roswell Christmas Fantasy, November 23-24 at the Roswell Convention Center. 

You know you’re a coffee fiend when you can type sixty words per minute ... with your feet!  So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

EUROPE REALLY DRINKS COFFEE!


Coffee in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening. This is a daily habit for many adults. They drink it for varied reasons – as a tradition, to perk up their day, to keep them awake or just to relax after a hard day’s work.

But do you have any idea what countries consume the most coffee? The U.S., you say? Not quite. The United States may have the most number of Starbucks branches in the world but in terms of per capita consumption, it’s not even in the top 10 list according to statistics I found on the Brewed Coffee blog.

For the year 2011, the World Resource Institute listed the top five countries. All of them are in Europe and the list covers coffee consumption per person per year.

Finland is on top with 26.5 lbs of coffee consumed per capita annually. Norway is in second place (9.88 lbs) followed by Iceland (8.98 lbs), Denmark (8.70 lbs) and the Netherlands (8.39 lbs).

Reports have it that one of the main reasons why Europeans are the top consumers of coffee is primarily due to their long winter season. By tradition, European countries are the top coffee importers.

In other parts of the world, Brazil is slowly keeping up. This biggest coffee producer in the world is now strongly promoting its major export product to locals to increase coffee consumption. Interestingly, the government has started to include coffee with milk to the school meals of children aged five and older.

Countries that used to be tea drinkers such as Turkey, Belarus and Ukraine are also drinking more coffee these days. Euromonitor International said they are the fastest growing markets for instant coffee in the past five years.
The Kona Cowboy Coffee Company can get your coffee consumption going with our three brands of gourmet coffees.  You’ll get a real start with PANIOLA 100% Kona Cowboy Coffee, grown on Hawaiian volcanoes and roasted in the Rocky Mountains, the one with no bitter aftertaste and no acidity.  CAFÉ PINON de Nuevo Mexico is the Southwest’s favorite with pinion nuts and a perfect way to relax during the day.  And our MOKA-JAVA is a medium dark roasted blend of Indonesian and Ethiopian coffees that will knock your socks off!  We also make COWBOY ACTION COFFEE, the Official Coffee of the Single Action Shooting Society! 

The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time.  Join up, become a member, comment and have fun!  You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553.  Just copy and paste to your browser.  You can also find us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/jackshuster.  And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.

Look for the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company’s Cowboy Coffee Saloon in New Mexico at the Roswell Christmas Fantasy, November 23-24 at the Roswell Convention Center. 

You know you’re a coffee fiend when you're so jittery that people use your hands to blend their margaritas.  So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

COFFEE & EXERCISE


We often drink coffee to give us our morning jolt of caffeine and energy for the day. So how effective is drinking coffee right before a big workout? Does it make you work harder? Can it help or hinder certain exercises? Lisa Ng, of C the Coffee Blog, asked April Saunders and Michelle Saraiva, registered dieticians with GetRealGurls Nutrition a few questions regarding the link between the two:

How does drinking coffee before exercise affect the body?
Caffeine found in coffee can stimulate your nervous system, which enhances alertness, awareness, wakefulness, endurance, productivity, and motivation. Caffeine can also cause increased blood pressure and heart rate. Studies show that it may also help decrease your feelings of tiredness or exertion while working out for long periods of time.

Can coffee improve my workout?
A few studies have shown that it may help to increase physical endurance (i.e. long distance running) and can help you feel more alert/less tired during your workout. More research needs to be done, however, for us to confidently recommend coffee as something to help improve workouts (currently research shows it can improve performance by about 4-6%).

Is it possible to have too much coffee before exercising?
Research has shown that 2-10 mg/kg body weight of caffeine a day is what worked. To put this into perspective, someone who weighs 130 lbs (59 kg) would need about 120 mg of caffeine, or one cup of coffee on the lower end, to experience some sort of workout-boosting effect.
However, too much caffeine can lead for certain people to certain side effects like anxiety, jitteriness, rapid heartbeat, gastrointestinal distress and insomnia. If you are going to use coffee to enhance your performance, make sure you use it all throughout training and not just the day of the big race!

What about staying hydrated?
We all know that hydrating properly, especially when working out, is a must. You may have heard that coffee is a diuretic (something that causes the body to lose water). However, new evidence shows that coffee, when used in moderation, does not cause dehydration or electrolyte imbalances.

Is there an optimal time to drink coffee before a workout?
The optimal window seems to be about one hour before you exercise. This will give the caffeine time to enter your system prior to your workout.
So there you have it! Drinking a cup of coffee at least one hour before working out is ideal, and it is best to do so in moderation to avoid any caffeine-related side effects. Coffee is most likely to increase your long-term physical endurance.

The Kona Cowboy Coffee Company can get your exercise regimen going with our three brands of gourmet coffees.  You’ll get a real kick start with PANIOLA 100% Kona Cowboy Coffee, grown on Hawaiian volcanoes and roasted in the Rocky Mountains, the one with no bitter aftertaste and no acidity.  CAFÉ PINON de Nuevo Mexico is the Southwest’s favorite with pinion nuts and a perfect way to relax after exercise.  And our MOKA-JAVA is a medium dark roasted blend of Indonesian and Ethiopian coffees that will knock your athletic socks off!  We also make COWBOY ACTION COFFEE, the Official Coffee of the Single Action Shooting Society! 

The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time.  Join up, become a member, comment and have fun!  You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553.  Just copy and paste to your browser.  You can also find us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/jackshuster.  And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.

Look for the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company’s Cowboy Coffee Saloon in New Mexico at the Ruidoso Evening Lions Gun Show, November 3-4 and at the Ruidoso Christmas Jubilee, November 9-11 at the Ruidoso Convention Center.

You know you’re a coffee fiend when the nurse needs a scientific calculator to take your pulse!  So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

UMMM, ELEPHANT DUNG COFFEE


I just read in daily Coffee News from Roast magazine that an upscale resort company in Thailand, Anantara, is selling coffee harvested from the natural waste of elephants for upwards of $50 a cup.  NO, keep reading, as a coffee fiend you should know that.

The coffee supplants Kopi Luwak (palm civet) coffee as the world’s most expensive.  Anantara has produced approximately 50 kilograms of the coffee, with a retail price of approximately $1,100 per kilogram, at its resort locations in South Male, Baa Atolls and Thailand.  Anantara is calling the coffee, Thai-grown arabica beans hand-picked from the dung of elephants, Black Ivory.  Here’s what the company said in an announcement of the product:  

Research indicates that during digestion, the enzymes of the elephant break down coffee protein.  Since protein is one of the main factors responsible for bitterness in coffee, less protein means almost no bitterness.

The process begins with selecting the best Thai Arabica beans that have been picked from an altitude of 1,500 meters.  Once deposited by the elephant, the individual beans are handpicked by mahouts (elephant trainer and caregiver) and their wives and sundried.  Now there is a career in coffee that I hadn’t anticipated!

Of course, with such a labor-intensive production process, the company says it is naturally taking the utmost care in brewing, using a siphon method. It should be noted that the beans are being roasted to a full city.

In order to demonstrate freshness and to enhance diners’ senses, the coffee is ground by hand at the table and brewed using technology developed in 1840 in Austria.  This balancing siphon is not only a beautiful machine, but also widely recognized as the best way to brew coffee.  The consistent 93° Celsius temperature and contact time between water and bean result in a very clean and flavorful taste.  The four minute brewing process is visually enticing and leaves a lasting impression.  I’ll bet!

Please note:  The Kona Cowboy Coffee Company will not add Elephant Dung Coffee to our three brands of gourmet coffees.  You’ll just have to be content with PANIOLA 100% Kona Cowboy Coffee, grown on Hawaiian volcanoes and roasted in the Rocky Mountains, the one with no bitter aftertaste, no acidity and no elephants.  CAFÉ PINON de Nuevo Mexico is the Southwest’s favorite with pinion nuts and without elephants.  And our MOKA-JAVA is a medium dark roasted blend of Indonesian and Ethiopian coffees that will knock your socks off…without elephants even though you’ll probably find them in both Ethiopia and Indonesia!  We also make COWBOY ACTION COFFEE, the Official Coffee of the Single Action Shooting Society!  But we don’t shoot elephants.

The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time.  Join up, become a member, comment and have fun!  You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553.  Just copy and paste to your browser.  You can also find us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/jackshuster.  And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.

Look for the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company’s Cowboy Coffee Saloon in New Mexico at the Ruidoso Evening Lions Gun Show, November 3-4 and at the Ruidoso Christmas Jubilee, November 9-11 at the Ruidoso Convention Center.

You know you’re a coffee fiend when you chew on other people's fingernails!  So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

TRY THIS COFFEE DRINK AT HOME


Got two questions for you, coffee fiend.  What is the best coffee drink on the coffee menu at your favorite coffee shop?   Have you ever tried to duplicate it at home?  I know, lots of coffee shops have different specialties so answering a question like this will depend on a few factors such as the coffee bar, the barista, the coffee and many other factors. I found in a post on Coffee Cup News a brief description of the top 20 coffee drinks and what makes them good.  You might find yours here and with the ingredients listed, you might try it at home.

Top 18 Coffee Menu Drinks from Coffee Cup News are…

 

Espresso – Finely ground coffee with hot water poured through the coffee at under pressure.
Americano – Hot water and espresso
Drip Coffee – Ground coffee with hot water poured through a paper or metal filter.  This is how most folks brew coffee.
Pour Over – Ground coffee, hot water poured through a paper or metal filter by hand.
French Press – Coarse ground coffee fully immersed in hot water for 4 minutes.
Cafe Mocha – Dark or milk chocolate, espresso, steamed milk and whipped cream with chocolate on top.

White Mocha – White chocolate, espresso, steamed milk and whipped cream on top.
Latte – Steamed milk and espresso shots.

Vanilla Latte (Flavored Latte) – Steamed milk, espresso and vanilla syrup (or other syrup).
Espresso Macchiato – Espresso shots with milk/foam on top.
Espresso Con Panna – Espresso topped with whipped cream.
Blended Coffee Drink – Coffee or Espresso, milk, syrup of choice and iced all blended together (whipped cream and sauce on top optional).
Cappuccino – Extra foamy steamed milk, espresso.
Iced Espresso Drinks – Espresso, milk, syrup of choice and whipped cream optional.   And, uh, ice.
Caramel Macchiato – Steamed milk, espresso, vanilla syrup and caramel sauce.

Cinnamon Dolce Latte – Steamed milk, espresso, cinnamon dolce syrup, whipped cream and cinnamon dolce sprinkles.

Turtle Mocha – Chocolate, steamed milk, espresso, caramel, whipped cream and Snickers bits.  No turtles are harmed in the making of this drink.

Berry Mocha – Chocolate, steamed milk, espresso, berry syrup, whipped cream and chocolate chips.

Did we forget to include your favorite drink in the above list?  Let us know what it is.
You can be sure that whatever coffee drink you make will be the very best when you use the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company’s major brands.  PANIOLA 100% Kona Cowboy Coffee, grown on Hawaiian volcanoes and roasted in the Rocky Mountains, is the one with no bitter aftertaste and no acidity.  CAFÉ PINON de Nuevo Mexico is the Southwest’s favorite with pinion nuts.  And our new MOKA-JAVA is a medium dark roasted blend of Indonesian and Ethiopian coffees that will knock your socks off!  We also make COWBOY ACTION COFFEE, the Official Coffee of the Single Action Shooting Society!

The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time.  Join up, become a member, comment and have fun!  You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553.  Just copy and paste to your browser.  You can also find us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/jackshuster.  And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.

Look for the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company’s Cowboy Coffee Saloon in New Mexico at the Ruidoso Oktoberfest, October 19-20 at the Ruidoso Convention Center.

You know you’re a coffee fiend when your eyes stay open when you sneeze!  So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

WHAT EXACTLY IS COFFEE?


It’s a term we coffee drinkers use all the time to describe our favorite beverage.  And to carry it to the ultimate description, we turn to Lindsey Goodwin, an About.com Guide.  To begin, the coffee plant is a species of flowering plant in the Rubiaceae family. It is a tropical shrub or tree that originated in Africa and is currently produced in many of the world's hotter climates, including South America, Central America, Mexico, Hawaii and parts of Asia. While the C. arabica species produces better coffee, the C. canephora species (which is frequently referred to as "Robusta coffee") is more common. The coffee seed, or "coffee bean," comes from the coffee berry, or "coffee cherry."

Coffees made by your beloved Kona Cowboy Coffee Company include PANIOLA 100% Kona Cowboy Coffee…an estate grown Kona Coffee from the western side of Mauna Loa volcano on the Kona Coast of the Big Island of Hawai’i.  Our CAFÉ PINON de Nuevo Mexico is made from a blend of Central American coffees fused with Pinion, or Pine Nuts.  Our newest MOKA-JAVA is a full-bodied blend of Ethiopian and Indonesian.  So, you see, we have the best available from Africa, Central America, Hawaii and Asian Pacific.  And it is all the best Arabica, too!

Definition: "Coffee" generally refers to a beverage made by the infusion, decoction or percolation of the roasted, ground seeds of the coffee plant* (genus Coffea, and usually C. arabica or C. canephora / C. robusta). Coffee is prized for its aroma and flavor, and is noted for the fact that it naturally contains varying levels of caffeine. In coffee cupping, traits of coffee like “acidity” and “mouth feel” are also noted.

In business or culinary terminology, "coffee" may also refer to coffee seeds (commonly called "coffee beans") in their wet, dry, raw, roasted, whole, ground / crushed or dehydrated state. (Used or unused ground coffee is typically referred to as "coffee grounds." Dehydrated coffee is used to prepare instant coffee.)

In coffeehouses, cafes and restaurants, the word "coffee" may also refer to a single cup of coffee, as in, "I'd like a coffee with milk, please."

In social situations, "coffee" may refer to a casual gathering or meeting, as in, "Let's grab a coffee [and chat]."

In design and the arts, "coffee" may refer to a dark brown color. Similarly, "espresso" may be used to refer to an even darker brown color.
Now you know far more than you thought you did, right?
The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time.  Join up, become a member, comment and have fun!  You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553.  Just copy and paste to your browser.  You can also find us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/jackshuster.  And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.

Look for the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company’s Cowboy Coffee Saloon in New Mexico at the world-famous Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium, October 12-14 at the Ruidoso Downs Race Track and at the Ruidoso Oktoberfest, October 19-20 at the Ruidoso Convention Center.

You know you’re a coffee fiend when you're the employee of the month at the local coffeehouse and you don't even work there!  So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST COFFEE EVER!


Finally got home from the Midwest and got the old computer up and running after a remarkable crash.  The Sparta, IL experience was great!  Found the Top 10 Coffee Tips from Coffee Cup News and thought I’d pass them along.  If you implement this list of coffee tips into your daily coffee making routine you will get the best tasting cup of coffee you have ever had!

Tip 1: Whole Bean

The best place to start with the beans. When you go to the grocery store pre ground may sound easier but once coffee is ground it loses 90% of its flavor in the first 20 minutes. Starting with whole-bean increases the coffee’s ability to hold on to its flavor by well over 14,000%. Yes that is a real number, crazy huh?  We suggest you start with PANIOLA 1090% Kona Cowboy Coffee in regular or dark, espresso roast.

Tip 2: Fresh Ground

Now that you have started with whole-bean Kona it’s time to grind fresh! When we say fresh ground we mean fresh.  Don’t start grinding the coffee until right before brew time, making it the last step you take before you brew.  Otherwise every second the coffee sits in its ground form it is exposed to oxygen which is the biggest flavor destroyer of coffee.

Tip 3: Burr Grinder

A blade grinder is the most common way to grind coffee at home. The problem is a blade grind doesn’t provide for a consistent grind. A burr grinder grades the beans all to the same size. This allows the water to saturate the coffee evenly providing for a more even, smooth and true cup of coffee.

Tip 4: Filtered Water

Filtered water is one of the most important tips in brewing the best coffee ever. Any impurities in the water will affect the flavor of the finished cup. Since coffee is 98 % water it will be obvious if the water wasn’t filtered.  We buy bottled drinking water in gallon jugs from the big box store.  Our municipal water hasn’t been right since the Little Bear fire!

Tip 5: Air Tight Storage

Like I mentioned earlier oxygen is the biggest destroyer of coffee’s awesome flavor. The longer it stays in direct contact with it the more flavor breaks down. Using an air tight storage container will help preserve the coffee’s flavor.

 

Bonus Coffee Tip

You’ve heard us say it before and we’ll say it again…do not store coffee in the freezer or fridge.  Taking it out results in condensation and you’ve got to keep your coffee…and your gunpowder…dry.

Tip 6: No Sugar

If you have to add sugar to your coffee it’s because the coffee isn’t good. So before you put sugar in your coffee give the coffee a sip. If what you’re tasting is good, don’t add sugar. Sugar covers your taste buds and prevents you from enjoying the true flavor.  If your coffee tastes bad get a different whole-bean coffee next time.  Switch to PANIOLA 100% Kona Cowboy Coffee (shameless plug)  If you like your coffee sweet…well…add cream and sugar.

Tip 7: Try New Things

The only way to really know what you like is to try new coffees. This is something many coffee aficianados practice religiously.  You might and find some really amazing coffees!  Such as PANIOLA 100% Kona Cowboy Coffee.

Tip 8: Clean Coffee Maker

Calcium deposits will ruin the flavor of your coffee. This happens over time as you brew coffee and using unfiltered water only makes it worse. Decalcifying with vinegar works wonders doing it at least once a month.

Tip 9: Water Temperature

When you brew coffee the perfect water temperature is between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit. This will ensure the proper extraction of the flavor from the coffee.  Don’t test it with your finger.

Bonus Tip

Proportion of coffee to water is equally important. I recommend starting with a ratio of 6oz of water to a tablespoon of coffee and adjusting to taste.

Tip 10: Coffee Diary

Keeping a coffee diary might sound like the final coffee fiend step but it’s really helpful in tracking how to brew the best tasting cup of coffee ever in the future. When you track things like proportions, grind setting, water temperature and brew style it really helps give you a clear indication of what to do next time to get that perfect cup.

How do YOU brew your perfect cup of coffee?

The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time.  Join up, become a member, comment and have fun!  You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at  www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553.  Just copy and paste to your browser.  You can also find us on Twitter at  http://twitter.com/#!/jackshuster.  And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.

Look for the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company’s Cowboy Coffee Saloon at the Ruidoso Oktoberfest, October 12-13 at the Ruidoso (NM) Convention Center.

You know you’re a coffee fiend when you lick your coffeepot clean!  So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!