Malawi Mzuzu

For this quarter’s coffee we leave the Indonesian island of Sumatra and travel thousands of miles to Mzuzu, the capital of the Northern Region of Africa’s Malawi.  Mzuzu Coffee is the only high grown Arabica coffee in Malawi, produced by almost 4,000 “Smallholder Coffee Growers” at altitudes ranging between 1,500 and 2,600 meters above sea level.  Malawi coffee is highly sought after, perhaps because of its unique flavor. This particular coffee combines a variety of local coffee trees: Mondo Novo, Agaro, Geisha, and Catimor producing a sweet, medium-bodied cup with fruit zest and a clean, berry finish. 

Mzuzu Coffee prides itself on being a product of the people, by the people, and for the people. The cooperative promotes socio-economic empowerment of small-scale coffee farmers through sustainable crop production and processing and marketing systems through sustainable farmer organizations.  Cultivation and processing are practically art forms for Mzuzu.  Farmers are encouraged to hand weed their crops, and plants are either spaced widely or closely depending on the variety of coffee being grown. Cherry harvesting takes place as early as 6:00am and is only done by hand ensuring the red, ripe cherries are not bruised.  Cherries are wet processed within 6-8 hours after picking to avoid fermentation and to guarantee a good quality coffee. 

The care and concern given to the cultivation and processing of this high grown, unique find is surely what makes this Malawi Mzuzu extraordinary.  The fruity aroma and berry in the finish are sure to satisfy, and we are proud to partner with smallholder coffee farmers that share our passion and know that Doing Good Tastes Great!

A wise man once said, "Man cannot live on coffee alone. He must also have Espresso."

But now that specialty coffees come in a dizzying number of roasts, blends and flavors -- something we pride ourselves on at Joffrey's -- people are also discovering that they can enjoy an assortment of tastes with the same coffees, simply by preparing it differently.

When our parents would make coffee in the mornings back in the day, most Americans used either a percolator (old-fashioned) or a drip coffee maker (Mr. Coffee made this mainstream). While those are still perfectly sound ways of preparing coffee, we have so many more today. Here are a few that we prefer to mix things up a little:

●      French Press -- This lovely device is both simple and elegant in operation, but allows for a vast array of strength and flavor. Instead of dripping water through the coffee that sits in a filter, a French press mixes the coffee grounds and the hot water together to brew for a few minutes. Then, a metal filter is pressed down inside the brewing cylinder to push the loose grounds to the bottom, leaving the coffee in the cylinder to pour. You should use a coarser grind of coffee, as finer grounds will slip past the filter. With the French press, you also have more control over the temperate of the water. Water should be between 195 degrees and 205 degrees F, depending on the bean, and never be allowed to boil for more than a second or two. While drip coffee makers serve up coffee at the same temperature every time, this machine heats the water separately at first, so you can make it hotter for some blends, and cooler for others. Now, some people complain about the potential for more coffee residue in your cup, but the upside of that is the French press retains more of the coffee's natural oils -- which means more real coffee flavor for you!

●      Drip Coffee Maker -- For those of us who are not morning people, we can often fall into the trap of not being awake enough to make really good coffee until after we've had our coffee. At 5:30 a.m., that simple quandary is enough to make some folks go back to bed. Enter the drip coffee maker and it's primary value -- it's automated. Today's automatic drip brewers have so many features, they can do everything except drink it for you. Some drip machines have a built in grinder for fresh beans, and most all of them have timers so you can set your machine for the morning and wake up to the smell of fresh-brewed java. Of course, this is not the gourmet way to prepare coffee, but it is the most convenient. It's also good for those whose tastes lean toward a lighter flavor, and there is something to say about the fact it keeps the coffee warmer longer. Here's a tip to keep your drip-brewed coffee tasting fresh -- clean the unit with white vinegar on a regular basis. If clears out the residue build up to preserve a consistent flavor.

●      Single-Serving Coffee Makers -- But what about those families who have only one coffee-drinker? Are they doomed to making a whole pot of coffee, only for most of it to go to waste? Or worse, must they go without? The advent of the single-serving coffee maker was an advance that was almost instantly embraced by coffee-drinkers everywhere. Not only can you have a single cup at a time, but you can have a different flavor every time, too. The drawback seems to be that the pre-measured cups or pods can sometimes produce a weaker cup of coffee than other methods, but there are now reusable cups that you can measure yourself. The ease of use and convenience are the strong points, but those little pods can get expensive. The best way to go with these brewers is to get a few of the reusable cup or filter and buy your coffee by the pound.

●      The Pour-Over -- This is a hand-delivered version of traditional drip-brewed coffee, with a twist. In this method, you use a device called a dipper, which is basically a funnel that holds a paper filter over a coffee pot. You heat the water in a kettle to the almost-boiling point, and then pour it over the coffee grounds sitting in the filter. With traditional drip coffee makers, the water sits in a plastic reservoir before it is heated and pumped through the machine. Some aficionados complain they get a plastic taste from that process. The pour-over ensures the water touches only the glass containers, the filter, the coffee and your cup. You can't keep the coffee heated, but those who prefer this method like the more natural taste and convenience of not having a huge coffee machine on their counters.

●      Percolator -- This is how mom and dad and their moms and dad made coffee. YouTube a few 1970s coffee TV commercials, and you'll see percolators inaction. These old school pots are usually made of metal, and heat the water and bubble it up through a pipe and over the coffee grounds, collecting the finished product in the original water reservoir. For generations, the bubble noise was the signal for the rest of the house that it was time to wake up. Largely gone but not forgotten, these coffee makers can still be found online and in thrift stores.

●      BONUS METHOD! Cowboy Coffee -- Campers know how to make this kind, and it's pretty simple. You simply get a metal pot and boil the coarse coffee grounds with the water. Will a few of those grounds make it into your cup? Sure, but after sleeping in a tent or a sleeping bag, any coffee is good coffee!

What we want to know is how many people out there have ALL these devices in their homes and switch up their coffee experiences from time to time. Tell us how you make your coffee, and share your own unique recipes with us. We'd love to hear from you!

“If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee.”

-- Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865)

Myth-taken Ideas about Dark Roast Coffees

Why the Dark Side of Coffee Doesn’t Have to Be Bitter

 The World War II standard of Navy coffee was that it wasn’t ready for the captain until the spoon stood up in the middle of the cup.

Well, we’ve learned a lot more about coffee since then, but there are some myths that still persist about dark roasted coffee. The truth is that not all dark roasts are bitter and not all dark coffee is dark roasted. But before we get into the debunking, we need to understand how dark roasted coffee is created in the first place.

Dark roasted coffee is the product of roasting the beans for a longer time reaching a higher finished temperature. When it’s done right, the sugars naturally present inside the bean caramelize, retaining their natural sweetness, instead of burning. When coffee is improperly roasted sugars burn and breakdown into very bitter and astringent compounds.  

The difference between these two extremes is all in the roasting and in the selection of the beans themselves. The roasting process is how a coffee gets its character and flavor, but it’s not just a matter of turning on the machine to a certain temperature and setting the timer.   Each type of bean has a different flavor profile and no two beans roast the same.  A good roaster has to watch and make adjustments for this difference.  It’s also important to check the beans by hand to watch how the beans develop during the roasting process. A highly skilled roaster also knows exactly how the beans should look and sound when they’ve been roasted at the right temperature for the right amount of time.

Now that we know how dark roasts are made, on to the myths:

●        The Darkness of Coffee is Related to its Origin --False. Actually, roasting coffee beans releases some of its natural flavors. So, light roasts usually retain more of the flavor related to where it is grown. Darker roasts tend to highlight more of the beans body.  Therefore by roasting it longer, it takes on a different character than its lighter roasted counterpart. By example, you could take the same exact beans from the same region and by roasting them at different temperatures and length of time, you could come back with two distinctly different tasting coffees.

●        Dark Roasts Have More Caffeine -- False. Ironically, dark roasted coffee actually has less caffeine because the roasting process burns some of the natural caffeine out of the beans.

●        Espresso is Coffee-Zilla -- False. Espresso is a method of brewing, not a particular type of coffee.  Typically, dark roasts are chosen because they contain less acid producing a milder, smoother tasting cup and because they are roasted slightly darker, they have less caffeine than coffees that are roasted lighter.   

●        Dark Roasts Are Easier on the Stomach -- True. Dark roasts actually retain less acid, which means there is less of a chance for the coffee upsetting your stomach if you are affected by acid. The longer the roasting cycle the darker the bean and the less acid remains.  

One thing about coffee that’s not a myth is that the great variety of coffees available today are a big part of why there has never been a better time to be a coffee-drinker!