MARINES WRITE COFFEE BOOK

Coffee is delicious and maybe even an integral part of your work day, but did you know that the tasty beverage has a rich history in the American military experience?

Since the Civil War, coffee has played a part in the life of the soldier. Civil War Captain Robert K. Beecham wrote in his book Gettysburg: The Pivotal Battle of the Civil War, that “The power of the soldiers to endure the fatigue of the march and keep their places in the ranks was greatly enhanced by an opportunity to brew a cup of coffee by the wayside.”

This tradition of coffee and the military particularly fascinated marines Michael Haft and Harrison Suarez. When Haft and Suarez joined the Marines they expected a tough journey, but they didn't anticipate an obsession with coffee. As their enthusiasm with the beverage grew, they began to realize that they had joined the ranks of many soldiers before them who relied on the drink as a way of life.

In The New York Times Haft and Suarez wrote of the importance of the ritual that drinking coffee provided. "We would often share with our platoon sergeants and squad leaders while we gathered around a map and discussed our plans for the day. Whether in the forests of North Carolina, the mountains of California, or the deserts of Afghanistan, the ritual provided a sense of continuity."

Haft and Suarez went on to write a book about their discovery of the link between coffee and American soldiers.

Perfect Coffee at Home is the definitive guide to coffee, told through the eyes of two Marines looking to make the most of their morning coffee ritual.

In this first-of-its-kind digital book, Michael Haft and Harrison Suarez will take you through the third wave coffee renaissance and teach you everything you need to know. Plus they'll use illustrations, interactive graphics, videos and a soundtrack to make the whole story an immersive experience.

From French press techniques for beginners, to microscopic views of coffee particles for experts, Haft and Suarez have created a fun, accessible, and fascinating window into how you can take part in the ongoing coffee renaissance.

The Kona Cowboy Coffee Company is proud to provide the finest coffee available for you to write a book about.  You’ll get a great cup of Joe 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 coffee experience during the day.  And our MOKA-JAVA is a medium dark roasted blend of Indonesian and Ethiopian coffees that just might be high octane!   We also make COWBOY ACTION COFFEE, the Official Coffee of the Single Action Shooting Society!   If you are a Chai drinker, you’ll love the Coconut Spiced Chai we bring in from Honolulu.  The Kona Cowboy Coffee Company has updated our website with new prices, new products and more!  Go to www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com and look at the coffees.  Go to the “Chocolates” page and find our new Cowboy Coffee Choco-Drops, a coffee caramel smothered in milk chocolate and dusted in cocoa powder!  We have new Mescalero Morning Cowboy Coffee Candles on our “Bath Products” page, too.

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 sweat, you percolate!  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!

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!

HOW DO YOUR BREW YOUR COFFEE?

Just read an on-line article about brewing coffee on Coffee Zen.  There are five primary ways of brewing coffee.  Each method has brewing variables – introduction of water, brewing temperature, and separating the brewed liquor from the coffee grounds. These five methods are called Turkish brewing, concentrate brewing, percolating, drip brewing, and French Press brewing.

“Turkish” or “Greek” Coffee

Turkish coffee (or kahve, the traditional name) is made in small containers set directly on the flame until the water and finely ground coffee comes to a boil.  Often times it is brewed up with sugar already introduced.  In some traditions they will pour off a little into each cup and then bring it to a second boil, pouring the rest off into each cup insuring an even distribution of grounds. In some regions they serve the Turkish coffee with added spice, usually cardamom. The coffee is not filtered from the liquor which leaves a thick pungent and muddy brew. The mud settles to the bottom of the tiny demitasse cups the coffee is served in. In many countries they read the coffee mud after you have drank your coffee and tell you your future.

Concentrate Brewing

Concentrate brewing is very popular in Latin America and other parts of the world. It is beginning to make a comeback in the U.S.  Concentrate brewing takes large amounts of coffee that is already brewed with small amounts of water to brew a concentrate. To make a cup of coffee you mix some of the concentrate with hot water. The concentrate is brewed either hot or cold. When it is brewed cold you must let the coffee sit for at least a day. This method creates a mild light-bodied coffee with little aroma and a little acidity with a muted flavor.

Percolating

This procedure involves a continuous brewing of the coffee grounds using boiling water which then turns to boiling coffee liquor brewing over the grounds. This method is practical but is an insult to the coffee bean. Brewing with boiling water is bad enough, then boiling the liquor is asking for a thin, bitter and tarry coffee.  Though this produces an awful cup of coffee many people still prefer percolation. If that’s what you like then more power to you!

Auto drip

This is the most popular way to brew coffee in the U.S.A.  Pouring hot water over grounds in a filter and letting the brew drip out the bottom is rather simple. Drip brewing can produce an excellent cup of coffee if the proper equipment is used. One of the biggest issues with auto drip machines is they don’t brew at the right temperature. You can buy coffee makers from a few companies that calibrate their machines to the proper temperature. If you have a good auto drip brewing machine then the next hurdle to tackle is the filter. Paper filters can deposit a flavor in the coffee and also do not allow a lot of the coffee oils and organic compounds through. A gold-plated reusable filter is the perfect option for drip brewing. It will not deposit a taste in the coffee and doesn’t trap as much of the coffee’s essence as paper filters do.  It just has to be rinsed out each time.

French Press or Press Pot

French Pres brewing gives you complete control. It is more labor intensive than auto drip but the brewing variables can be better controlled. Coarsely ground coffee is placed in a glass carafe. The hot water is then poured over the grounds. When the brewing is complete the top is placed on and a plunger that consists of a metal mesh plate is pressed down pushing the grounds to the bottom. The coffee liquor is on top ready to be poured off. The mesh filter allows the oils and fine coffee particles through without a problem. Also because a coarser grind is required a longer brewing time is required. A general rule of thumb is four minutes for a French press. This direct contact of the grounds to water allows a more complete, controllable, and even extraction. Even though. a coarse grind will still produce some fine particles. A cup of French-pressed coffee will be fuller, have more body, and certainly more flavor. It will also have sediment on the bottom of the cup.

How did you make your coffee this morning?

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'd be willing to spend time in a Turkish prison.  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!