Koffee Korner – Coffee trivia and fun facts.

This time on Koffee Korner we are going to explore the world of coffee trivia and fun facts. Even though I am in the coffee business, I still learn new things about our favorite caffeinated beverage every day.
Especially when there is coffee trivia game sitting on our center table.
I learned that in the 1700’s coffee houses were also called ‘penny universities’. They got the nickname because it was said that a man could learn as much by conversing over a one penny cup of coffee as he could during a month of school.
Coffee houses of the time were exclusively male establishments and apparently the guys began spending more time over coffee than at home with their families. This caused certain wives to form the “Women’s Petition against Coffee”, a plea to King Charles II to close the coffee houses, not only because of the exclusion of women but also for causing neglect by husbands who spent all their time there.
They sent their petition to the king  “Representing to Public Consideration the Grand Inconveniences…from the Excessive Use of that drying, Enfeebling liquor” demanding closure of England’s coffee houses. King Charles proceeded to close the coffeehouses, which created such an uproar, the ban only lasted 10 days.
If only these lovely ladies could have seen the coffee houses of today where the fairer sex outnumber the guys by a considerable margin. I have a feeling some of us guys might want to start a petition of our own in light of all the time and money our own wives..oh wait, nevermind.
I own a coffee house. I’d be shooting myself in the foot…
Luckily we live in a free country (for now, anyway) where the king can’t arbitrarily close establishments on a whim. As a culture, we love our coffee, but strangely enough, coffee consumption in America has fallen by almost 50 percent since the 60’s. Mostly this is because of the broad range of caffeine and energy drinks available today. Our love of that morning pick-me-up hasn’t declined. But our choice of beverages is almost limitless. Til next time…
Ray Vandervalk and his wife, Melissa, own and operate Red Leaf Organic Coffee Company, with two locations in the local area. Check out their Free French Press Coffee coupon on p.3 for a *free sample of the delicious coffee that lives there.
Photo of old poster rendition found online at: www.goldposters.com, where a complete array of old posters are available. Very interesting!

Koffee Korner: July 2011 with Ray Vandervalk

By Ray Vandervalk
Coffee. It’s woven so tightly into the fabric of our culture that it has become the second largest commodity in the world, trailing only oil in the number of dollars traded on world exchanges.
Meeting for coffee is one of the ways we build our sense of community. It’s how we socialize with friends. Coffee has probably been present at more business meetings in the modern era than any other beverage, including water. One is never far from a coffee shop, kiosk or vendor no matter what the city or village in the Western world. Coffee is everywhere. Most of us are vaguely aware of where it comes from, though few would be able to offer with any certainty the number of countries that grow and export it. We just know that it’s part of our morning routine. And if we have to do without the blessed beverage, uh-oh…watch out!
Somewhere here I need to introduce myself since I am new to Koffee Korner and hopefully will be here with you every month for a long time to come. Writing has always been therapeutic for me, and I know there is an author hiding somewhere inside. So what better way could there be to jumpstart my writing career than to write for the local paper? So when Bugler editor-in-chief Michelle Myre offered me the spot, I quickly accepted. Hopefully I’ll enjoy what I’m getting into. =) My wife, Melissa, and I own and operate Red Leaf Coffee in Woodland, and just opened up a new shop in Longview/Kelso going on 48 hours old as I pound this out.
Over the next year I’m hoping to educate, story tell and otherwise wax eloquent on all things coffee—from history to modern coffee farming methods—from the abject poverty in many coffee producing countries to the richness coffee adds to our lives. A rich coffee or espresso for the morning commute—what could be better?
Those of us who are connoisseurs of really great coffee know that it has all the nuances of fine wine. Each coffee crop will offer different experience for the palette just like every year your French Bordeaux will have different taste descriptions. Different elevations will produce different flavors, even though the linear distance between the two points is very short.
So how do companies that sell millions of pounds of coffee every year achieve taste consistency and sameness, whether their product is sold in Massachusetts or Utah?  Since their coffee beans come from many countries, multitudes of elevations and soil configurations, the bean flavors will vary as widely as apples picked from around the globe. Yet their quality control strives for the exact same taste in every cup. The answer lies chiefly in the roasting process where all the beans are roasted for a long enough time to burn out regional variances. Then a king’s ransom is spent with advertising agencies, extolling the virtues of their particular cup of joe. Yum?
Personally, I like to taste the difference between a Nicaraguan and an Ethiopian bean, a Peruvian French roast and a Guatemalan light roast. Variety truly is the spice of life. Til next time..
Ray Vandervalk is the owner of Red Leaf Organic coffee, founded in Woodland and now open at 209 W. Main in Kelso. Both Ray and Melissa, as well as their knowledgeable staff can assist you with choosing the roast that your palette desires at any of their locations. (See story on p. 27 and ad with FREE drink coupons on p.15)
Questions? Comments? This month your thoughts could win you $100 in CASH! Submit via eMail, website, facebook or good old fashioned Snail Mail between now and August 31st to be entered into our “Let’s Chat” sweepstakes! Lots of goodies to be given away, just for sharing your thoughts!
We look forward to hearing from you – what do you think about our new columnist for Koffee Korner? Ray would love to know….

My journey into the coffee business sent me to New Guinea!

My first introduction to the coffee industry was when I was asked to run Café D’Vine in Vancouver Washington. I had never made an espresso drink but I did know that a mocha was pretty tasty. I had to start from scratch to learn everything that I could about making a good coffee drink for our customers. I learned how to “pull a shot” and steam milk and after a few weeks of practice I felt that I could make a pretty mean Latte. Then I had to take what I had learned and train my staff. I had to explain why we did things a certain way.
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Coffee Brewing

There are many methods of brewing coffee and I will describe the most popular and best methods here, but first, if you want a great cup of coffee, you need to start with high quality, freshly roasted coffee beans. Last month I talked about buying whole bean coffee in small amounts and the proper storage to maintain freshness. The next step is to grind the coffee as close to when you will brew it as possible.
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Keeping Coffee Fresh

Coffee is best when it is made with fresh beans. Here is most important thing you need to know to get a great cup of coffee:

Use whole bean coffee and grind it just before you brew it.
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It ain’t as easy as it used to be

Remember when ordering a coffee was simple – no choices and no fancy names? Times have changed and now there is a whole new vocabulary when it comes to coffee. I have people come up to me and have no idea what to order and even less of an idea of what it will taste like. So I will dedicate this first article to defining some terms. I hope to take the mystery out of it for you.
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Coffee storage and brewing

Freshness is the key to good coffee. According to my “Coffee Basics” book over 90% of the coffee in this country is sold stale (how very sad). The aromatic oils start to disappear right after roasting. It is best to buy smaller amounts of freshly roasted coffee regularly, rather than large amounts less often.
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“ISN’T IT ALL JUST COFFEE?”

It seems like even our simple cup of coffee has become complicated. Names like Yirgacheffe and Harrar; terms like acidity and body have possibly made us long for the days of Juan Valdez and Mountain Grown Coffee. It was simple, but armed with just a little information, coffee can provide a regional experience and can tell a story about the place from which it came. In other words it can give us a personal taste of ‘place’.
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The journey of the bean

Have you ever really thought about your coffee? We make a pot, pour a cup, maybe drink part of it, it gets cold, we pour it out and pour some more. Coffee is relatively inexpensive and readily available. Even fresh roasted specialty coffee (Arabica) is only pennies per cup when prepared at home. We pretty much take it for granted. Read more

Koffee Korner – February 2010

The most important thing to consider about decaffeinated coffee, how was this decaffeinated?
There are several ways to take the caffeine out of coffee, some are better than others. How it is processed will effect the flavor, body and characteristics of the coffee.
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