Tag: roasted coffee beans

Alto Mayo Forest Protected Coffee: Fair Trade Coffee with a Conscience

Fair Trade Coffee That Has a Conscience

We’re passionate about coffee and we know you are too – which is why Joffrey’s is committed to roasting the best beans in the world. Producing premium coffee is about taking care of our beans every step of the way, but there’s more behind the brew than you think. Farmers, hard-working communities, an incredible amount of knowledge and of course, the environment are key components to growing the finest coffee possible.

The first step to a beautiful cup of coffee is showing appreciation for the environment it was harvested in. Joffrey’s is proud to align with Disney to support one of our favorite growing regions, Alto Mayo in San Martin, Peru. The ecosystem of Alto Mayo plays a critical role in the survival of Peru’s widespread fauna and flora, and with the launch of the Alto Mayo Protected Forest project, we can help keep it alive.

To support coffee farmers who participate in the Alto Mayo Protected Forest project, we sourced a single origin coffee to promote sustainable, environmentally friendly farming practices in Peru and you’re going to love it! Before you try a cup, you should know about the impact you’re helping us make just by drinking it.

Why Revitalize Alto Mayo?

For decades, the Amazon forest has been shrinking due to farmers cutting it down for new crop space, otherwise known as clearcutting. Although the production of new crops is positive looking from the outside in, this type of non-sustainable farming contributes greatly to deforestation. Clearcutting can cause an increase in carbon dioxide emissions, threatening the lives of many animals and plants in the forest. The San Martin area is particularly in critical danger, but the Alto Mayo Protected Forest project seeks to change all of this. As a supplier and roaster of the coffees offered at select signature restaurants at Walt Disney World® Resort and Disneyland® Resort, Joffrey’s is invested in supporting sustainable practices and working with farmers engaged in the project. We are excited to align with Disney to bring this high quality bean to Walt Disney World® Resort and Disneyland® Resort guests. Why, you ask? Because sustainable coffee farming can help deforestation while delivering our fans another delicious brew – and that makes us feel amazing!

 

Earth Friendly, Animal Loving, Sustainable Goodness

Joffrey’s has always been proud of the relationships we build, whether they’re with our customers or suppliers. We first learned about the Alto Mayo Protected Forest project from Disney’s work with Conservation International (CI) – a global nonprofit organization working to build a healthier, more prosperous and more productive planet.  Disney helped CI launch a ground-breaking project in the Alto Mayo region of Peru, which is helping support coffee farmers to grow coffee in a way that helps the farmers be more productive while protecting the environment.  When we heard about this amazing work, we welcomed the opportunity and were anxious to learn more. So naturally, we sent our Roastmaster, Chris DeMezzo, to experience it.

And what an adventure it was! After landing in Peru, Chris and his team set out for the farm. First they rode mules and then took a ferry across the river. After drifting across the river, the team hiked an hour and a half through the Amazon to the reserve.

“When we got there, I pulled the farmers aside to get a sense of how they liked working with Conservation International (CI). They had nothing but positive things to say. Then I sat down with CI and asked questions about their involvement and what they’re doing – and concluded that it’s the real deal,” said Roastmaster, Chris DeMezzo. “I felt so good about moving forward with the project.”

The Alto Mayo Protected Forest project also gives coffee farmers the tools, education, funding, and wages they need to use environmentally friendly practices, and employs workers to help maintain sustainable farms. This means that the project is saving hundreds of thousands of acres of endangered species’ habitats, and is curbing greenhouse gas emissions caused by deforestation.

“Meeting the farmers was a humbling experience. I wanted to make sure that they understood that I appreciate and understand all the hard work it takes to produce a good coffee. During our first meeting, I was showing them pictures of all the cafes that serve our coffee at Disney Parks. I wanted them to know that this is where their coffee was going – and for them to be as proud as they deserve to be!” Roastmaster, Chris, shared regarding his visit.

Farmers and their communities will get an economic boost, the air will be cleaner, the forest is conserved, majestic animals keep their homes, and we get top quality sustainably grown coffee in our cups. Who could say no? Next time you buy Joffrey’s coffee online or sip on our coffee at Walt Disney World® Resort or Disneyland® Resort, you can take solace in the fact that you’re drinking coffee with purpose!

 

The Story Behind Sustainably Grown Coffee

Sustainable coffee farming replenishes nutrients to the soil to keep it healthy and rich. Rich soil produces better beans and better tasting coffee. Would you want anything less in your coffee?

Growing more fair trade coffee is a wonderful thing. But the gleaming story behind this project is that it impacts the lives of the producers in an incredible way. In return for using sustainable coffee farming methods, families are not only being paid more, but they’re receiving access to certain benefits and technologies that they didn’t have before (cooking stoves are just one example). The project also rehabilitates family farms that have been destroyed by Roya, a fungus that devastates coffee farms and financially devastates the families that live and work on them.

The Alto Mayo Protected Forest project doesn’t focus on coffee farmers alone, it helps families that farm shrimp, rice, cocoa, and tea too. When you buy this coffee online or purchase a cup of this coffee at select restaurants at Walt Disney World® Resort and Disneyland® Resort, you’re not just buying a memorable beverage; you’re helping improve the lives of families that call this region home.

 

Planet Perks

If this coffee supports animals, why shouldn’t it support the planet too? Protecting the Alto Mayo Protected Forest doesn’t just benefit the local ecosystem; it benefits the Earth entirely. Since CI’s work started with their key partner- Peru’s National Service of Natural Protected Areas, the project has generated over 6 million tons of emissions reductions. This is like removing over 1 million cars from the roads for an entire year. If that’s not progress, what is? Of course, there is still much work to be done.

Ordering the Alto Mayo Protected Forest coffee online and enjoying a cup at select restaurants at Walt Disney World® Resort and Disneyland® Resort are two ways you can support the Alto Mayo Protected Forest project. Beyond that, you can take care of the environment every day in small ways that add up to huge gains.

As a consumer, you have quite a bit of power because you can also support environmentally sustainable companies. The more you support companies that do business responsibly, the happier our planet will be. Animals, plants, and people all share the same Earth. Why not make it a better place for ourselves, our kids, and generations to come?

Support the cause. Click here to order Joffrey’s coffee online.

 

 

Love at First Coffee: Q+A Interview with Joffrey’s Roastmaster, Chris DeMezzo

 

Q: Tell us about the first time you drank coffee.

A: “It was a year after I’d been working at Joffrey’s. I was roasting by the seat of my pants – scared to death and hoping I wouldn’t burn the place down. I would drink a bottle of coke every morning and all the sales people would tease me. Don’t ask me why I remember this, but one morning I had just taken a roast out and I said, you know what, I’ve been doing this for a while and I never stopped to try or taste what I was doing all day, every day. It was time to try it! So, the coffee I had just roasted was Mocha Java, I went over to the barrel, took a handful and ground it, brewed it and poured it into an old ceramic cup. I remember taking a sip and I did what I call a “Joffrey’s Roll Back,” which is when someone tries our coffee and their eyes roll back in their head because they’re amazed it’s so delicious. I was really, really surprised that it tasted so good. Of course, I drank it black. And at that moment I caught the spark and it’s never left me.”

“Being a thorough bread Italian and being one of five children, I grew up on my mother’s apron strings. I was always in the kitchen cooking with her. She would explain all the flavors she was cooking with so I had a pretty decent palate for tasting things. After I tried coffee I was inspired to experiment with the different flavors of all coffees. Let me try this Panama, let me try this Ethiopia; I began to taste everything. I started to experiment with different roasting profiles – some a little lighter, some a little darker, mixing some together. It was an epiphany that I could effect change. Instead of settling for what any coffee gave me, I knew I could bring out the flavors I wanted. I realized that roasting coffee was not a one roast fits all proposition.”

 

Q: When did you realize, you wanted to be a Roast Master?

A: “Fate. I came down to Florida, after working for Reynolds Aluminum in New Jersey manufacturing beer and soda cans. I did that for 10 years and the plant was closing because of a labor dispute. At that time, I had the option to relocate to another branch of our company, either in Tampa or Virginia. I had a sister that was living in Tampa at the time and liked what I had seen while on vacation. So, I sold my house in NJ with my wife Linda and we moved to Tampa. When I got down here, the job I was supposed to work at fell through.”

“My sister introduced me to Joffrey’s because she was doing part-time accounting work here. And my first reply was I don’t know a damn thing about coffee… I ended up talking to the owner and he agreed to hire me to for 8 bucks an hour. The next day I showed up and that was the first day of my coffee experience. They brought me in the back of this little room, pointed to a bag of green coffee and said this is what it looks like before you roast it. Then we popped open the top of a coffee barrel and saw what the beans looked like after being roasted. We walked over to the old-pre-world-war 2 Probat roaster. They showed me how to turn it on and then they said have a great day, we’re going to lunch. That was it.”

 

Q: What do you love most about traveling the world to source the best beans?

A: “Seeing beautiful places and meeting new people. It’s a mix of emotions because amongst so much beauty there’s also a lot of hardships. There’s a lot of poverty along with primitive living and working conditions. You have to tell yourself that you’re looking at it from your eyes, not theirs. For them, that’s a way of life. One of the most rewarding things is going back to places I’ve visited before and seeing how coffee roasters, in general, have begun to contribute to improving the living conditions of the people we owe our living to. You have no idea how hard these people work and the amount of labor that goes into producing and growing great coffee. If you did, you would appreciate it so much more.”

 

Q: What’s the best part about your job?

A: “The fact that Miguel (my roasting partner at Joffrey’s) and I can see people’s reactions when they drink our coffee, is the most humbling, rewarding part of our job. We travel to origin and see our coffee being grown and nurtured by people who truly care about the product. If the farmers aren’t growing great coffee, we wouldn’t be able to roast great coffee. It makes the days of standing in 120 degrees for 8-10 hours roasting delicious coffees for our deserving customers, well worth the effort.”

 

Q: How do you know when coffee beans are perfectly roasted?

A: “The appearance will tell you. Every bean goes through 4 phases when they’re roasting. The first phase is when the temperature reaches 212 degrees and moisture dissipates, making the color of the bean fade. Phase 2 happens about two or three minutes later when the beans hit around 270. That’s when the beans change from green to yellow because the chlorophyll disappears. Phase 3 is what I consider most critical. At 320 degrees, the sugar breaks down. Sugars break down one of two ways, they melt and caramelize to remain sweet or they burn and become bitter and astringent. If you’ve ever had a cup of coffee that made the hair on the back of your neck stand up, or if you’re the unlucky recipient of the last cup of coffee after its been sitting on a burner for hours… then you know what I’m talking about. A lot of roasters roast coffee to be extra dark and have “more body.” They want that taste. As a rule, Joffrey’s doesn’t roast coffee past the point of what I’d call a French roast. The darkest we’ll go is between a chestnut brown or indigo color. I like my Kenya’s to taste like Kenya’s and my Sumatra to taste like Sumatra. The final stage is when the beans have heated to the epicenter, pores expand and then you get what’s called a crack. The first crack is slower; the second crack is rapid. When you hear a crackle in the beans and that means the c02 is being released. It sounds like a big bowl of rice krispies.”

 

Q: If coffee didn’t exist in the world, I would __________. (fill in the blank)

A: “Being as coffee is the second most consumed beverage after tea (and water), I think I’d be pretty heart broken. Bored. Unsatisfied. I can’t imagine life without coffee!”

 

Q: How often do you drink coffee and how do you take it?

A: “I start every day with a French Press of coffee, using beans we’ve roasted in the past 48 hours. I drink it black because I like the taste of coffee. And I drink it up until noon usually. I used to drink a lot more coffee than I do now, but I’m drinking probably 4-5 cups every day now. Then I’ll sneak in an espresso in the afternoon. There’s so many different nuances to each type of coffee. Even though I might drink a Kenya today, tomorrow I’ll drink it again and probably taste something different than I did the day before. This is the greatest job in the world because there’s always something else around the corner. I can’t wait to see what flavor I’m going to discover next.

 

Q: What inspires you when you’re inventing new specialty drinks?

A: “The unwavering commitment that I can, and we as a company, can always make something better. If it was good today, it’ll be better tomorrow. I’m strictly a black coffee drinker, but I love seeing the expression on people’s faces when I make them their first real specialty beverage, like someone who’s never had a good espresso and is amazed that they could drink it without sugar and enjoy it. It’s like YEAH BABY, that’s what this is all about.”

 

Q: If you could compare your love to coffee with something else, who or what would it be?

A: “God, my wife and my family are up in the top of my love list. The other thing that I LOVE is cooking. I’ll cook anything Italian.”

 

 

How Coffee and Tea Benefit Your Mind, Body and Soul

The delicious aroma of coffee and tea make waking up that much easier – and let’s be honest, we all need a little motivation! These drinks help us transition from mornings to meetings and give us a little something extra throughout the day. We love them because they give us something to look forward to, but when you take a closer look, the health benefits of drinking these amazing beverages are the real prize. So, what’s your body thinking when you have a cup of coffee or tea in hand?

Better Mood & Less Pain

We all know that coffee and tea can boost our energy, but did you know that it can improve our moods and help us feel less pain? Caffeine can help the body release hormones that keep you active and control blood pressure. All of this only takes ten minutes![i] Who knew our favorite caffeinated friends were so quick and efficient? Caffeine can also help increase the release of feel-good neurotransmitters, like dopamine, which makes pain receptors less sensitive and improves the mood.[ii] In a nutshell, whether you’re doing brutal jump squats at the gym or working overtime, coffee and tea can help ease the pain and improve your mindset! Raise your hand if you want more Joffrey’s coffee and tea!

Joffrey’s Coffee and Tea Has Your Back

Cancer Prevention

Cancer is a horrifying disease that impacts so many people around the globe – which is why packing your diet with preventative antioxidants is very important! Antioxidants help our bodies fight free radicals (molecules that harm our bodies and cause diseases).  Everyone’s body has free radicals; but we don’t develop cancer unless they radically increase and become out of control. It just so happens that coffee and tea both have antioxidants that neutralize these unfortunate molecules and help us lead cancer-free lives! Did you know that Americans get more of their antioxidants from coffee than any other food source? (Per University of Scranton) See? Coffee and tea pack a lot of power!

The antioxidants in some teas (especially from the Camellia plant) and all coffees are called polyphenols. It turns out, polyphenols put up quite a serious Muhammed Ali style fight against free radicals too. Did you know that coffee has more antioxidants than fruits and veggies?[iii] It’s true!

Cardio Health

Coffee and tea can also promote cardiovascular health…especially artery health. When we’re young, we don’t necessarily think of cardio health, but if we pay attention to it now, we’re more likely to be healthy and happy a few decades down the road.

It turns out that those who drink tea have healthier arteries just minutes after drinking it…minutes! If you’re a tea drinker, know that Green tea could have one of the strongest impacts on cardio health, while coffee could benefit you regardless of the type[iv]. We know that coffee and tea hold special places in your hearts, but did you ever think they could impact your whole cardiovascular system?[v]

While many of us may wish Joffrey’s coffee and tea could replace treatments our doctors prescribe us, we’ll always require medical care…but we can sip coffee and tea to help stay healthy and know that our tickers are well taken care of!

Type 2 Diabetes

The health benefits of coffee and tea don’t stop at the cardiovascular system. Both can protect against type 2 Diabetes too! A Harvard study showed that those who increased their coffee intake by more than one cup a day over a 4-year period were likely to have an 11% lower type 2 Diabetes risk over the next 4 years, compared with people who didn’t change their coffee intake.[vi] Tea (especially green tea) helps prevent type 2 Diabetes too, because it helps regulate the body’s sugar metabolism.[vii] This is great news! In the mood to buy some Joffrey’s coffee and tea online? We recently launched a few new and exciting collections! Check out our organics and origins coffee. They taste so good that you won’t even realize they’re good for you.

Parkinson’s Disease

Oh, coffee and tea, what can’t you do? Coffee and tea may even help prevent Parkinson’s Disease and improve symptoms. Apparently, the caffeine in both drinks is the saving grace, and coffee and black tea may both help decrease the risk of Parkinson’s Disease. (Parkinson’s Foundation) For those who already have Parkinson’s, drinking coffee can block the malfunctioning brain signals in Parkinson’s patients, and help them function better.[viii]

Buying Joffrey’s Coffee and Tea Online? Consider it Brain Food.

Supercharging the Mind

Coffee can supercharge the mind by increasing vigilance, reaction time, and cognitive function. After you drink caffeine, it travels through your bloodstream right to your  brain. Once it’s inside the brain, it increases the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine, which keep your mind alert and on top of things.[ix]

Since caffeine is the magical ingredient responsible for this brain boost, we can assume that teas can have the same impact (if you drink the amount of tea needed to equal the caffeine in coffee). So, pick your favorite brain-juice and get to drinking! Of course, if you love both drinks equally, you can always buy Joffrey’s coffee and tea online and switch off day by day, so that neither drink feels neglected.

Fighting Brain Decline

Coffee is so good for the brain that it has the ability to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by reducing brain inflammation. Studies prove that seniors who drink coffee not only delay the onset of Alzheimer’s, but can avoid it altogether. How does this magic work? Like pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Caffeine blocks inflammation in the adenosine receptors in the brain, and this inflammation can start a chain reaction that causes mental decline. All the more reason to schedule regular coffee dates with Grandma and Grandpa (or Mom and Dad)! You could even slip a few bags of Joffrey’s coffee into their stockings at Christmas for a nice holiday treat. If they’re not fans of coffee, no worries, tea has caffeine too! Check out our fun flavors of coffee and tea online.

Helping us Feel and Look Good

Coffee and tea can prevent disease and help us feel good, but what if we told you they can also help us look good? If this raised your eyebrows, today’s your lucky day because it’s actually true. And when we look good, we feel good too!

Lean and Mean

So, we know that coffee and tea can boost your energy before a workout, which clearly can keep you lean and mean, but it just so happens that Joffrey’s coffee and tea can help in other ways. Starting with our calorie counters, coffee and tea both have a great taste and few calories. You can drink these liquid treats to your heart’s content and they’re only two calories per cup! In fact, many recommend three cups of coffee or four to six cups of tea per day.

Also, coffee and tea can help suppress your appetite, which can curb the temptation to snack throughout the day. Both of these lovely liquids also aid in thermogenesis (one way your body generates heat and energy from digesting food), which increases the metabolism.[x] Of course, nobody’s going to lose a two clothing sizes just drinking coffee or tea, but both drinks can ramp up the impact of any healthy eating and exercise regimen you’re following.

Did you know that coffee can also speed up the digestive system? Drinking coffee promotes the release of gastrin (a hormone that makes the digestive system more active and causes food to move through the system quicker.) This means coffee can prevent weight gain and bloat that a sluggish digestive system would normally cause (and this is a common problem – unfortunate, we know). (The Gut – Journal of gastroenterology) In short, be thankful your caffeinated friend is here to save the day…especially after a big meal!

The information we just mentioned came from studies that used plain tea and coffee…not fancy caramel mocha Frappuccinos with 3 tbsps. of sugar, syrup, chocolate, milk, and cream. Although we do respect fancy coffee drinks, guzzling them every day probably won’t support weight loss any more than eating cupcakes every day would. If plain coffee and tea aren’t your “cup of tea” (wink), but you want the low-cal benefit, there are plenty of flavors that will spice up your drink without adding calories.

Stevia is a great natural low calorie sweetener. For flavor, try cinnamon, vanilla extract, or mint oil to add some punch to the plain coffee or tea. Also, when you’re buying Joffrey’s coffee and tea online, remember, we have many tea flavors to choose from. Not to mention, teas rarely taste plain, even if you don’t add anything to them. If you’re a coffee fan, try flavored Joffrey’s coffees to start, and add other low-cal flavors to taste.

Skin & Beauty

Anti-Aging

Coffee skin rub and tea bags are popular in the beauty market, and we couldn’t be happier. Coffee rubs are now being used as anti-aging remedies, which makes sense because coffee has tons of antioxidants (which fight signs of aging). Also, caffeine boosts blood flow to the skin, which fights aging too. (An anti-aging double whammy! Yippee!)

Puff-Free Morning Skin Mask

We all know that putting tea bags under the eyes is an age-old remedy, but the tea bags  do reduce puffiness and leave the eyes looking brighter and more awake. You can take this a step further and de-puff your whole face in the morning by making a facemask out of coffee or tea. You may look like a scary swamp creature with a mask on your face, but once you take it off, you’ll be look radiant, flawless, and fabulous! After you buy Joffrey’s coffee and tea online and drink it up, don’t forget to put some aside for your morning beauty routine.

Fresh Glowing Skin

Another reason coffee impresses us is that it’s a great exfoliate for the skin. Rubbing the skin with coffee grounds can reduce dryness and  the appearance of fine lines, which will leave your skin with a fresh youthful glow!  That along with the kick of energy you’ll get from drinking the coffee, could make you feel a decade younger. You never know! 😉

Cellulite, be Gone!

If you thought the beauty benefits of coffee and tea were over, you were wrong. Coffee and tea can also reduce the appearance of cellulite, but only temporarily.  Because coffee and tea both have caffeine and caffeine is a diuretic, you can rub it into your skin to draw out the excess fluid build-up that causes the dimply appearance of cellulite. Need a beach body in a hurry? We’ve got your back.

Drink it, Rub it, Mask it, Love it

With so much evidence suggesting coffee to be a great part of your day why not have a cup or three? Coffee and tea have been around for centuries and both get lots of love from all around the world. As science discovers more and more about coffee and tea, it’s safe to say that they’re the gifts that keep on giving. Knowing this, nobody would fault you for stocking up on coffee and tea online, keeping some for yourself, and sharing the rest of these fabulous drinks with the ones you love.

 

 

 

[i] As mentioned by Dr. Laura Klein, Ph.D., associate professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State University

[ii] Via Heidi Skolnik, M.S., sports nutritionist

[iii] Sourced from John Weisburger, PhD, senior researcher at the Institute for Cancer Prevention in Valhalla, N.Y., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, National Institute of Health

[iv] Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg, professor of nutrition at Tufts University, European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins University studies

[v] Dr. Seinbaum, a cardiologist and Director of Women’s Heart Health at Lennox Hill Hospital in NYC

[vi] Harvard School of Public Health

[vii] Dr. Seinbaum, a cardiologist and Director of Women’s Heart Health at Lennox Hill Hospital in NYC

[viii] Michael Schwarzschild, MD, PhD, of Massachusetts General Hospital

[ix] Nutrition Bulletin & Journal of Psychopharmacology

[x] Mayo Clinic

 

Websites:

https://www.academia.edu/4980787/Cosmetics_with_caffeine_real_benefits_versus_marketing_claims

https://www.parkinson.org/find-help/blogs/whats-hot/january-2016

https://www.fastcompany.com/3050478/are-coffee-based-beauty-products-a-cellulite-miracle-cure-or-social-media-fueled-bunk?utm_source

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-002-1175-2

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-3010.2007.00665.x/full

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00210835

https://phenol-explorer.eu/contents/food/552

https://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/79/5/727.full

https://www.everydayhealth.com/type-2-diabetes/diet/drinking-tea-diabetes-prevention/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21045839

https://www.teaguardian.com/tea-health/how-many-cups-of-tea-a-day/

https://www.newsmax.com/Health/Health-News/coffee-heart-disease-hopkins/2015/03/03/id/627908/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/expert-answers/caffeine/faq-20058459

The Many Uses of Coffee – Mary, Mary Quite Contrary 

 

How to Boost Your Productivity in 2017 with Coffee

Did you know that writing down your New Year’s resolutions will help you stick to them? It’s the truth! Another thing that’ll keep your goals in check is coffee. It won’t text you to remind you to say “no” to that slice of carrot cake, but it can give you the stamina to get where you need to be. There are plenty of tricks to up your productivity level, and with coffee by your side, you can accomplish anything! Disclaimer: please do not try to fly; coffee cannot give you wings… Red Bull might, but you didn’t hear it from us.

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Coffee Keeps Your Mind Productive

Coffee puts you in a better mood by making your body release dopamine.[i] We all know it’s easier to have the willpower you need to be productive when you’re all smiles. Another one of our favorite coffee health benefits is this: it can keep your brain alert and speed up the time it takes you to process thoughts.[ii] Coffee can help you accomplish more and do it faster. How can you say no to that?

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Coffee Health Benefits the Body – It Keeps You Fit!

Being fit is a common new year’s resolution. If it’s one of yours, there are plenty of coffee health benefits that will get you through even the toughest workouts. Not only does coffee keep you more focused and on track at the gym, it increases endurance.[iii] This means that no matter how tired you are when you wake up for your 5:00 a.m. run, you can still power through after your favorite cup of coffee! Don’t forget to hydrate with water though!

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Coffee Health Benefits Keep Your Mind and Body Productive, but What About the Rest?  

So, your new year’s resolutions are set, you’ve got your coffee and you’re ready to show 2017 what’s up. You’ve written your goals down. You’re energized and caffeinated. What’s next? One word, five syllables: productivity. Even if you have no idea what you’re trying to achieve, here are a few good tips from productivity experts to get you through January.

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First Thing’s First – Shut Out the Noise

Distractions are everywhere. If you set boundaries to keep them at bay, you’ll get more accomplished! Noise can easily be tuned out with earplugs, but what about the mental noise? If you’re at home, there are kids running around, husbands who need sandwiches, pets to feed, text messages to read, etc. If you’re in an office, there are e-mails, the pressure to multitask, the side conversations with your co-workers, and more. These distracting things are necessary and some, you may love…but productivity experts say that knowing how to mold them around your work can make you more creative. It’s all about setting boundaries.

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Tame the E-mail Monster

Checking e-mail every two to three hours can make you much more productive, opposed to checking it more often. Being super responsive with your e-mails is actually a huge productivity killer. (Who knew?) Unless an e-mail’s urgent, you’ll be better at your job if you make it wait. This applies to non-e-mail interruptions too. Why? Stopping work often to manage the inbox (or to do other things) lowers quality of work, mental speed and mental capacity to do the work. The more we shift focus, the worse it is.[iv]

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One Step at a Time

You can increase your productivity and finish your to-do list quicker if you do them one at a time. Multitasking is the death of productivity, unless you’re doing it with tasks that call for minimal brain power and focus. Why? Multitasking (like being interrupted) reduces mental capacity, speed and quality of work. Strangely enough, in productivity studies, people who felt they had a special gift for multitasking were far worse at it versus those saw themselves as terrible multitaskers. Simply put, our brains aren’t built to multitask, but knowing this will help us use them wisely![v]

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Task Mastering

You’ll be more productive if you break your projects into small tasks and tackle them one at a time. Not to mention, you’ll save time by delegating things that you’re not amazing at to someone who could do them in half the time. If you want to delegate something, but don’t know anyone who can do it well, train someone. Training is a time suck in the beginning, but after the person’s trained, you’re free![vi]

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Use Perfectionism Wisely

You’ll increase your productivity a lot if you know how to manage being a perfectionist. Making sure every detail is impeccable can devour time and cause imperfections in areas where you really need to be perfect. Here’s the deal, we all have limited time, energy and alertness. If we spend too much of it trying to be perfect in places where perfectionism doesn’t improve the outcome of the project, we’re wasting resources. Apparently, most people with high standards are somewhat guilty of wasting time and brain fuel in the name of perfectionism.[vii] Before tackling each to-do, ask yourself if doing it perfectly or exactly a certain way would impact the outcome of the project. If the answer is “no,” then consider it a “good is enough” task.

Cheers to a successful 2017!

 

 

SOURCES

[i] Dr. Laura Klein, Ph.D., Penn State University; Heidi Skolnik, M.S., sports nutritionist

[ii] Nutrition Bulletin & Journal of Psychopharmacology

[iii] Rice University

[iv] Science Direct Research Journal

[v] University of London, Forbes Magazine

[vi] Harvard Business Review

[vii] Dr. Gini Graham Scott, PhD; Business Insider, Inc.

 

WEBSITES

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563214005810

https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2014/10/08/multitasking-damages-your-brain-and-career-new-studies-suggest/#510c96e02c16

https://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/01/the-worst-thing-on-your-to-do-list-first.html

https://hbr.org/2012/07/why-arent-you-delegating

https://www.omicsgroup.org/journals/managerial-time-management-2168-9601-1000171.php?aid=76071

https://www.sarahnamulondo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/A-Survival-Guide-for-Working-With-Bad-Bosses.pdf

https://www.inc.com/business-insider/habits-that-are-killing-your-productivity.html

https://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/caffeine.html

5 Ways to Invite Jingle Jangle Java to Your Holiday Party

Have you heard the joyous news?! The holidays have finally arrived, which means Joffrey’s Jingle Jangle Java coffee is back on the shelves! It’s 100% Specialty Grade Arabica coffee beans blended with sweet, cool Vanilla-mint, nutty notes and hints of smooth chocolate. Or better known as, the cup of merriment we look forward to all year!

Aside from bringing this festive coffee back into our collection, we absolutely love the enchanting feeling that comes with the month of December. Cheerful music follows you almost everywhere, homes are decked out in colorful blinking lights and most importantly, holiday parties are underway! And who doesn’t love an ugly sweater party?

We’re taking full advantage of holiday soiree season by inviting Jingle Jangle Java to all our parties! Here are 5 ways you can too:

 

The-North-Pole-1

Photo & Recipe Credit: www.halfbakedharvest.com 

1. Make a Jingle Jangle Java Coffee Infused Cocktail

Every holiday party deserves a signature cocktail, and we have the perfect celebratory recipe! Behold, The North Pole! Our friends at Half Baked Harvest created this beautiful beverage and we can’t wait to add our coffee into the mix. If you’ve ever hosted a party, you know the hour before your guests arrive is dedicated to last minute décor details and putting finishing touches on appetizers – but there’s no reason you can’t do that with a coffee infused cocktail in hand.

Here’s What You’ll Need

The North Pole

*Modified by Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea, Inspired by Half Baked Harvest

  • 4 ounces of your favorite vodka
  • 1 ounce Kahlúa (or more if you’re feeling sweet)
  • 2 ounces of Jingle Jangle Java Coffee (make sure you chill it first!)
  • 4 tablespoons chocolate syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 teaspoons molasses
  • 1/8 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 cup milk (we love a good vanilla soy milk, but the choice is yours)
  • Top with whipped cream, candy canes and gingerbread cookies

This recipe serves 4 so there will be plenty for you and your pre-party helpers. Making Christmas in a cup is kind of like shaking a snow globe… Combine the vodka, Joffrey’s Jingle Jangle Java coffee, Kahlúa, chocolate syrup, vanilla, molasses and ginger in a shaker filled with ice. Shake until your heart is happy. Pour into the cup of your choice and finish with milk. Don’t forget to hang the stockings and adorn your cocktail with tons of fluffy whipped cream, faux candy cane straws and crumbled gingerbread men.

Ready to get your cocktail on? Buy a bag of Jingle Jangle Java here.

 

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Photo & Recipe Credit: www.thelifeofjolie.com

2. Bake Jingle Jangle Java Snickerdoodles

There’s nothing better than biting into a warm cookie, no matter what time of year it is. Admittedly, snow on the ground is an added bonus! This year we’re sharing that warm and fuzzy feeling with our family, friends and co-workers with coffee spiked Snickerdoodles. The sweetness of the cinnamon is a harmonious match for the icy Vanilla-mint flavors of our Jingle Jangle Java coffee. How’s that for sugar, spice and everything nice?

Try The Life of Jolie’s recipe here, and make sure to use our Jingle Jangle Java coffee to amp up your next holiday party. Click here to purchase the coffee!

 

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Photo Credit: https://camillestyles.com/

3. Freeze Jingle Jangle Java into Ice Cubes for Eggnog

Eggnog is the holiday party staple of the century. It’s featured in most holiday movies, has a deliciously creamy reputation and is often served in clear moose mugs (hint, hint: Chevy Chase Christmas Vacation!). Among other things, eggnog is the guest who always shows up to the holiday party! No RSVP required.

Kick your noggin’ up a notch this season by adding Jingle Jangle Java ice cubes. Nothing says holiday libation like a sip of boozy custard that promises to wake you up for the festivities. Interested in making your own eggnog at home? We recommend this recipe – but don’t forget the Jingle Jangle Java!

 

hot-chocolate-bar

Photo Credit: www.AmysPartyIdeas.com

4. Craft a DIY Coffee & Hot Cocoa Bar

Crushed candy canes, glittery sprinkles and gooey marshmallows scream holiday celebration – especially when they’re perfectly arranged on a hot cocoa bar. But when the liquor-filled chocolates disappear and you’re craving a jolt of energy, a coffee bar stocked with Jingle Jangle Java can save your holiday party hopping life. It’s true that we’ve all grown into successful adults, but that doesn’t mean we can’t indulge in the playful things in life!

If you need inspiration for ingredients and presentation, check out our friend, Amy’s Party Ideas here. When you’re finished getting lost in her magical holiday mindset, visit our site to pick up a bag of Jingle Jangle Java. *coffee mug cheers*

 

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5. Give Jingle Jangle Java as a Gift

There are so many ways to say Happy Holidays. It’s said all over the world in every language and for various jovial occasions; you can even say it by smiling at a stranger crossing the street. Our favorite way to celebrate is giving someone we care about a gift they’ll remember all year around. Since Jingle Jangle Java is only available for a limited time, give the gift of a coffee that’s worth waiting for!

Purchase it here for your family, friends and loved ones – and of course, as a gift for your holiday party host!

 

Surprising Coffee Health Benefits

The delicious aroma of coffee and tea make waking up that much easier – and let’s be honest, we all need a little motivation! Coffee and tea help us transition from mornings to meetings, and keep us going when we need a little something extra throughout the day. We love them because they give us something to look forward to, but when you take a closer look, the health benefits of drinking these amazing beverages are the real prize. So, what’s your body thinking when you have a cup of coffee or tea in hand?

Better Mood & Less Pain

We all know that coffee and tea can boost our energy, but did you know that it can improve our moods and help us feel less pain? Caffeine can help the body release hormones that keep you active, and controls blood pressure. All of this only takes ten minutes![i] Who knew our favorite caffeinated friends were so quick and efficient? Caffeine can also help increase the release of feel-good neurotransmitters, like dopamine, which makes pain receptors less sensitive and improves the mood.[ii] In a nutshell, whether you’re doing brutal jump squats at the gym, having an exhausting week at work, waking up at 5:00 a.m. with toddlers, or doing all three, coffee and tea can help ease the pain and improve your mindset while you do it! Raise your hand if you want more Joffrey’s coffee and tea, please!

So, coffee and tea can help us face a rough day (or week) by waking us up, dulling the pain, and making us feel brand new. That’s heavy praise for these two drinks, but what if coffee and tea were even more than all of that? What if both could improve our health? It turns out that they can! Just in case you needed another reason to buy Joffrey’s coffee and tea online.

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Did You Know Joffrey’s Coffee and Tea Helps Prevent Diseases?

Cancer Prevention

Cancer is a scary disease that impacts many, which is why packing your diet with preventative antioxidants is so important! Antioxidants help our bodies fight free radicals (molecules that harm our bodies and cause diseases), which are a prominent cause of cancer.  Everyone’s body has free radicals; but we don’t develop cancer unless the number of free radicals increases and becomes out of control. It just so happens that coffee and tea both have antioxidants that neutralize these free radicals and help us lead cancer-free lives! . Did you know that Americans get more of their antioxidants from coffee than any other food source? (Per University of Scranton) See? Coffee and tea pack a lot of power!

The antioxidants in some teas (especially from the Camellia plant) and all coffees are called polyphenols. It turns out, polyphenols put up quite a serious “Muhammed Ali in his heyday” style fight against free radicals. Did you know that coffee has more antioxidants than fruits and veggies?[iii] We’re not knocking fruits and veggies; we support them 100%. We’re just saying that our old friends, coffee and tea, are pretty  amazing too. Now that we know both drinks can save our lives, why not buy more Joffrey’s coffee and tea online, sit back, relax and drink it all in?

Cardio Health

Coffee and tea can also promote cardiovascular health…especially artery health. When we’re young, we don’t necessarily think of cardio health, but if we pay attention to it now, we’re more likely to be healthy and happy a few decades down the road.

It turns out that those who drink tea have healthier arteries just minutes after drinking it…minutes! If you’re a tea drinker, know that Green tea could have one of the strongest impacts on cardio health, while coffee could benefit you regardless of the type[iv]. We know that coffee and tea hold special places in your hearts, but did you ever think they could impact your whole cardiovascular system?[v]

While many of us may wish Joffrey’s coffee and tea could replace treatments our doctors prescribe us, we’ll always require medical care…but we can sip coffee and tea to help stay healthy and know that our tickers are well taken care of!

Type 2 Diabetes

The health benefits of coffee and tea don’t stop at the cardiovascular system. Both can protect against type 2 Diabetes too! A Harvard study showed that those who increased their coffee intake by more than one cup a day over a 4-year period were likely to have an 11% lower type 2 Diabetes risk over the next 4 years, compared with people who didn’t change their coffee intake.[vi] Tea (especially green tea) helps prevent type 2 Diabetes too, because it helps regulate the body’s sugar metabolism.[vii] This is great news! In the mood to buy some Joffrey’s coffee and tea online? We recently launched a few new and exciting collections! Check out our organics and origins coffee. They taste so good that you won’t even realize they’re good for you.

Parkinson’s Disease

Oh, coffee and tea, what can’t you do? Coffee and tea may even help prevent Parkinson’s Disease and improve symptoms. Apparently, the caffeine in both drinks is the saving grace, and coffee and black tea may both help decrease the risk of Parkinson’s Disease. (Parkinson’s Foundation) For those who already have Parkinson’s, drinking coffee can block the malfunctioning brain signals in Parkinson’s patients, and help them function better.[viii]

 

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Buying Joffrey’s Coffee and Tea Online? Consider it Brain Food for Your Mind and Body.

Supercharging the Mind

Coffee can supercharge the mind by increasing vigilance, reaction time, and cognitive function. After you drink caffeine, it travels through your bloodstream right to your  brain. Once it’s inside the brain, it increases the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine, which keep your mind alert and on top of things.[ix]

Since caffeine is the magical ingredient responsible for this brain boost, we can assume that teas can have the same impact (if you drink the amount of tea needed to equal the caffeine in coffee). So, pick your favorite brain-juice and get to drinking! Of course, if you love both drinks equally, you can always buy Joffrey’s coffee and tea online and switch off day by day, so that neither drink feels neglected.

Fighting Brain Decline

Coffee is so good for the brain that it has the ability to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by reducing brain inflammation. Studies prove that seniors who drink coffee not only delay the onset of Alzheimer’s, but can avoid it altogether. How does this magic work? Like pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Caffeine blocks inflammation in the adenosine receptors in the brain, and this inflammation can start a chain reaction that causes mental decline. All the more reason to schedule regular coffee dates with Grandma and Grandpa (or Mom and Dad)! You could even slip a few bags of Joffrey’s coffee into their stockings at Christmas for a nice holiday treat. If they’re not fans of coffee, no worries, tea has caffeine too! Check out our fun flavors of coffee and tea online.

Helping us Feel Good and Look Good

Coffee and tea can prevent disease and help us feel good, but what if we told you they can also help us look good? If this raised your eyebrows, today’s your lucky day because it’s actually true. And when we look good, we feel good too!

Lean and Mean

So, we know that coffee and tea can boost your energy before a workout, which clearly can keep you lean and mean, but it just so happens that Joffrey’s coffee and tea can help in other ways. Starting with our calorie counters, coffee and tea both have a great taste and few calories. You can drink these liquid treats to your heart’s content and they’re only two calories per cup! In fact, many recommend three cups of coffee or four to six cups of tea per day.

Also, coffee and tea can help suppress your appetite, which can curb the temptation to snack throughout the day. Both of these lovely liquids also aid in thermogenesis (one way your body generates heat and energy from digesting food), which increases the metabolism.[x] Of course, nobody’s going to lose a two clothing sizes just drinking coffee or tea, but both drinks can ramp up the impact of any healthy eating and exercise regimen you’re following.

Did you know that coffee can also speed up the digestive system? Drinking coffee promotes the release of gastrin (a hormone that makes the digestive system more active and causes food to move through the system quicker.) This means coffee can prevent weight gain and bloat that a sluggish digestive system would normally cause (and this is a common problem – unfortunate, we know). (The Gut – Journal of gastroenterology) In short, be thankful your caffeinated friend is here to save the day…especially after a big meal!

The information we just mentioned came from studies that used plain tea and coffee…not fancy caramel mocha Frappuccinos with 3 tbsps. of sugar, syrup, chocolate, milk, and cream. Although we do respect fancy coffee drinks, guzzling them every day probably won’t support weight loss any more than eating cupcakes every day would. If plain coffee and tea aren’t your “cup of tea” (wink), but you want the low-cal benefit, there are plenty of flavors that will spice up your drink without adding calories.

Stevia is a great natural low calorie sweetener. For flavor, try cinnamon, vanilla extract, or mint oil to add some punch to the plain coffee or tea. Also, when you’re buying Joffrey’s coffee and tea online, remember, we have many tea flavors to choose from. Not to mention, teas rarely taste plain, even if you don’t add anything to them. If you’re a coffee fan, try flavored Joffrey’s coffees to start, and add other low-cal flavors to taste.

 pexels-photo-123354-large

Skin & Beauty

Anti-Aging

Coffee skin rub and tea bags are popular in the beauty market, and we couldn’t be happier. Coffee rubs are now being used as anti-aging remedies, which makes sense because coffee has tons of antioxidants (which fight signs of aging). Also, caffeine boosts blood flow to the skin, which fights aging too. (An anti-aging double whammy! Yippee!)

Puff-Free Morning Skin Mask

We all know that putting tea bags under the eyes is an age-old remedy, but the tea bags  do reduce puffiness and leave the eyes looking brighter and more awake. You can take this a step further and de-puff your whole face in the morning by making a facemask out of coffee or tea. You may look like a scary swamp creature with a mask on your face, but once you take it off, you’ll be look radiant, flawless, and fabulous! After you buy Joffrey’s coffee and tea online and drink it up, don’t forget to put some aside for your morning beauty routine.

Fresh Glowing Skin

Another reason coffee impresses us is that it’s a great exfoliate for the skin. Rubbing the skin with coffee grounds can reduce dryness and  the appearance of fine lines, which will leave your skin with a fresh youthful glow!  That along with the kick of energy you’ll get from drinking the coffee, could make you feel a decade younger. You never know!

Cellulite, be Gone!

If you thought the beauty benefits of coffee and tea were over, you were wrong. Coffee and tea can also reduce the appearance of cellulite, but only temporarily.  Because coffee and tea both have caffeine and caffeine is a diuretic, you can rub it into your skin to draw out the excess fluid build-up that causes the dimply appearance of cellulite. Need a beach body in a hurry? We’ve got your back.

Drink it, Rub it, Mask it, Love it

With so much evidence suggesting coffee to be a great part of your day why not have a cup or three? Coffee and tea have been around for centuries and both get lots of love from all around the world. As science discovers more and more about coffee and tea, it’s safe to say that they’re the gifts that keep on giving. Knowing this, nobody would fault you for stocking up on coffee and tea online, keeping some for yourself, and sharing the rest of these fabulous drinks with the ones you love.

 

 

[i] As mentioned by Dr. Laura Klein, Ph.D., associate professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State University

[ii] Via Heidi Skolnik, M.S., sports nutritionist

[iii] Sourced from John Weisburger, PhD, senior researcher at the Institute for Cancer Prevention in Valhalla, N.Y., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, National Institute of Health

[iv] Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg, professor of nutrition at Tufts University, European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins University studies

[v] Dr. Seinbaum, a cardiologist and Director of Women’s Heart Health at Lennox Hill Hospital in NYC

[vi] Harvard School of Public Health

[vii] Dr. Seinbaum, a cardiologist and Director of Women’s Heart Health at Lennox Hill Hospital in NYC

[viii] Michael Schwarzschild, MD, PhD, of Massachusetts General Hospital

[ix] Nutrition Bulletin & Journal of Psychopharmacology

[x] Mayo Clinic

 

Website References:

https://www.academia.edu/4980787/Cosmetics_with_caffeine_real_benefits_versus_marketing_claims

https://www.parkinson.org/find-help/blogs/whats-hot/january-2016

https://www.fastcompany.com/3050478/are-coffee-based-beauty-products-a-cellulite-miracle-cure-or-social-media-fueled-bunk?utm_source

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-002-1175-2

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-3010.2007.00665.x/full

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00210835

https://phenol-explorer.eu/contents/food/552

https://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/79/5/727.full

https://www.everydayhealth.com/type-2-diabetes/diet/drinking-tea-diabetes-prevention/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21045839

https://www.teaguardian.com/tea-health/how-many-cups-of-tea-a-day/

https://www.newsmax.com/Health/Health-News/coffee-heart-disease-hopkins/2015/03/03/id/627908/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/expert-answers/caffeine/faq-20058459

The Many Uses of Coffee – Mary, Mary Quite Contrary 

 

Fall Food Flavors to Pair with Joffrey’s Coffee

Pumpkin Spice Latte season is among us – but why stop the Fall flavor frenzy there? It’s no secret that most weekday mornings are spent rushing to work, and grabbing a travel mug of coffee can be the last check on your to-do list. But let’s talk about the times when you actually get a moment to sit back, kick your feet up and enjoy a steamy cup one beautiful sip at a time. Shouldn’t it be something to look forward to and celebrate? We think so. That’s why we’re excited to open your caffeine-craving eyes to a whole new world of ways to enjoy Joffrey’s coffee with Fall-centric food pairings.

DIY Apples Paired with Cinnamon Vanilla Nut Coffee

Apple picking is one of those festive activities that make us feel like it’s Fall, despite the 80-degree weather in October (It’s okay, we still love you Florida!). Not to mention, it’s an adventure that continues well-after we get home and dive into our inventory of apple recipes. We love the idea of pairing a fresh, crisp apple slice that’s drizzled in your favorite toppings with a cup of our Cinnamon Vanilla Nut coffee. It creates a sweet symphony in your mouth that is undeniably Fall.

Thanks to craftberrybush.com for being the masterful minds behind this DIY apple recipe.

Buy Joffrey’s Cinnamon Vanilla Nut Coffee online.

Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts from Datz Dough Paired with Caramel Mudslide Coffee

The season of cool air and crunchy leaves is incomplete without a pumpkin doughnut – especially when it’s from our friends at Datz Dough, right here in Tampa, home of the Joffrey’s Roastery. Datz serves our coffee around the clock, which makes it the perfect spot to indulge in this pairing when the craving hits! And let’s be honest, there’s never a wrong time for coffee and doughnuts. Datz offers a variety of our coffees, so feel free to be adventurous while you’re there. If you haven’t experienced the culinary innovation at Datz, check out their Instagram for a quick taste of what they have to offer. We promise, you won’t be disappointed.

If you prefer an at-home doughnut dunking experience, we recommend ordering a bag of our Caramel Mudslide Coffee. Pumpkin dessert + caramel swirled coffee = seasonal success.

Visit Datz Dough here: https://datztampa.com/.

Click here to buy Joffrey’s Caramel Mudslide Coffee online.

Pumpkin Spice Waffles Paired with Roastmaster’s Reserve

Good morning, beautiful! Who else wants to wake up to the smell of Pumpkin Spice Waffles and freshly brewed coffee? (Right, that’s everyone…)  We came across this recipe from Lovely Little Kitchen, and haven’t stopped thinking about it since. Imagine hints of velvety caramel and smoke from our Roastmaster’s Reserve coffee followed by a bite of sweet pumpkin spice waffles. This is the real breakfast of champions!

Click here for the waffle recipe.

Buy Joffrey’s Roastmaster’s Reserve online here.d

Caramel S’mores Pops Paired with Joffrey’s President’s Blend

If you’re planning on hosting a get-together this season, Caramel S’mores Pops are a must on your menu! We love them because they remind us of magical summer nights in front of the campfire – but at the same time, make us appreciate how amazing it feels to take a hot sip of coffee on a brisk evening in Fall. Talk about the best of both worlds! These pops are great to enjoy on their own, but they’re even better when swirled in a mug of our President’s Blend. When the marshmallows melt into the smoky undertones of the coffee, you’ll thank us. And your guests will too!

Get the S’mores Pops recipe here.

Buy Joffrey’s President Blend online here.

Maple Sugar Cookies Paired with Pumpkin Crème Brûlée Coffee

If you’ve never met a cookie you didn’t like, prepare to fall in love with Dear Crissy’s Maple Sugar Cookie. With sweet crispy edges complimented by a cloud-like center, this cookie is something like perfection. The only thing that could possibly make this dessert more delicious is dunking it in our Pumpkin Crème Brûlée coffee.

For a less sugary pairing, try resisting the urge to cover your cookies in maple frosting. It’s a tough decision, but either way, we’ve got your back.

Try the cookie recipe here.

Buy a bag of Joffrey’s Pumpkin Crème Brûlée Coffee online here.

 

For more fun coffee blends and flavors, visit us online at Joffreys.com. Cheers!

 

 

How to Make Iced Coffee Like a Pro

When summer rolls around and the sweltering heat moves in, a steamy cup of coffee might not be your beverage of choice. Iced coffee is here to save the day! You don’t even have to pay $5 per glass at a coffee shop to enjoy it.

It’s time to learn how to make iced coffee at home, with a variety of methods. In this article, we will teach you how to make cold-brew coffee, how to properly cool hot coffee, and how to make frappés and iced coffees from around the world! This is a lot of information, but enjoy the learning process. It’s OK to take it slowly.

Iced Coffee is More than Just Coffee That’s Cold

The first step to learning how to make iced coffee is understanding the importance of the type of bean and the flavor. Certain flavors and blends taste especially good brewed, chilled, and served over ice. Our Jamaican Me Crazy, or Chocolate Macadamia Nut blends, offer refreshing flavor on a hot summer day. Not a flavor person? Try this technique with our Viennese or Cuban Blend coffees. Both are bold and bright, and taste great on ice.

(If you’re not a coffee person, our Lemon Ginger Tea, when iced, is a zesty burst of sunshine, while Pineapple Coconut is the perfect tropical excursion. Remember to use double the amount of tea when planning to put it on ice. Brew, cool, pour over ice and let summer bliss take you away.)

 

Cold-Brew-Coffee-Over-Ice-WIth-Cream

Method 1: How to Make Cold-Brew Coffee

To learn how to make iced coffee that’s sweeter, smoother, and has no bitter taste at all, this is your best bet. Here’s how to make cold-brew coffee:

What You Need:

  • Beans – Try Joffrey’s Jamaican me Crazy coffee beans (If you don’t have a grinder and plan to purchase ground beans, French press grind is best.)
  • Coffee grinder
  • Container with lid
  • Filtered water

How to Make:

  • Step 1: Why the Container is Important – How to make cold-brew coffee is one question, but the other question is where to put it. Be sure to put the coffee in a sterilized (i.e. washed with antibacterial soap) pitcher or jar that has a lid. The sterilization and the lid will keep the funk out of your coffee! Without them, bacteria, dust, and other grime can grow or fall into it. Gross!
  • Step 2: Grinding Beans – A key step in learning how to make cold-brew coffee is choosing the right settings on your grinder. If you have a grinder with fully customized settings, choose the coarsest setting. If you don’t own the Ferrari of all grinders, you probably have one with pre-set factory settings. In this case, choose the French press setting.

Test the size of the grounds by grinding a small amount first. The grounds should be the consistency of breadcrumbs. Also, this will be served over ice, which will dilute the coffee…so grind more than you normally would if you want the cold coffee to match the strength of your usual hot coffee.

  • Step 3: Pour into Container…or French Press– Place the grounds into the container or French press and pour cold water over them. When thinking about how to make cold-brew coffee, decide what strength is best for you. Typically, a 1:8 coffee to water ratio will make regular strength coffee.
  • Step 4: Stir – Stir the coffee and water gently until the two are well combined. Cover the container and let the coffee steep for 18-24 hours in or outside of the refrigerator. Don’t leave your coffee in the container or French press for over 24 hours, or the flavor will “over-extract” and the coffee will taste bitter. If you mistakenly allow the coffee to steep for over 24 hours, you have two options: throw it away or use the leftover grounds in an exfoliating mask – your sun kissed skin will thank you!
  • Step 5: Strain – Strain the coffee into a large bowl through a sieve to remove the larger grounds. Discard the large grounds, put cheesecloth into the sieve, and strain the coffee back into the jar.

What? You’re not a gourmet cook who happens to have cheesecloth lying around? We’ve got your back. A durable paper towel will work as a substitute. Proper straining is an important step when considering how to make cold-brew coffee. Poorly strained coffee tastes sandy. Who wants a grimy cup of Joe after all of that work?

  • Step 6: Serve – Serve your coffee over ice, with milk, sugar, and any other flavorings and yumminess that will dissolve well in a cold beverage.

Method 2: Steam ‘er Up & Cool ‘er Down: How to Make Iced Coffee by Hot Brewing & Cooling

Knowing how to make iced coffee by brewing it hot is useful if you prefer minimal prep time and if you don’t have coarse ground coffee on hand to brew it cold.

What You Need:

  • Beans, if you have a grinder, or ground coffee if you don’t
  • Coffee grinder
  • Container with lid
  • Water

How to Make:

  • Step 1: Making Hot Coffee First – Brew your coffee hot using whichever method suits you. Better quality coffee will taste better in the end, so choose wisely. If you like flavored coffees, try our Pumpkin Crème Brûlée, Bananas Foster, or French Vanilla. If you’re not a fan of flavored coffee, try one of our coffees from around the world, or one of our varietals or blends! Make your coffee stronger than usual if you’re planning to turn it into iced coffee, because the ice will dilute the coffee.
  • Step 2: Flavoring – Add any sugar, milk, and flavorings you’d like while the coffee is hot. Flavorings dissolve better in hot liquid.
  • Step 3: Container – Transfer the coffee into a sterilized container and let it cool to room temperature for one hour. (See the cold-brew coffee instructions to read about why sterilizing the container is important.)
  • Step 4: Refrigerate – Put the container in the refrigerator and allow it to cool for two hours.
  • Step 5: Add Ice – Pour the coffee into cups and add the ice to the cups. It’s important to ice the coffee only when you serve it. If you add ice beforehand, it will melt and dilute the coffee resulting in a very watery iced coffee.

Cold Brew vs. Hot Brew: Taste Differences

Now that you know how to cold-brew coffee, let’s talk about the taste differences between the cold and hot brewed coffee. We already mentioned that cold-brewed is sweeter, smoother, and less acidic than hot-brewed. The good thing about hot-brewed coffee though, is that it’s more flavorful, full-bodied, and aromatic. When you choose flavors for your iced coffee, think about which type of coffee (cold or hot-brewed) would taste best with the flavor you prefer.

Method 3: How to Make Iced Coffee Frappés

The directions below will describe how to make iced coffee frappés plain, but you can be creative and add any flavoring you’d like to your fun frothy frap! (The next section will offer some tantalizing ideas!) Without further ado, here are the instructions. May the froth be with you!

The recipe below serves two, but can be modified to serve any number of people. Just make sure you pay attention to the ratios in the recipe. For larger recipes, the ratios of ingredients should be the following:

  • Ratio of coffee to water – 2:3
  • Ratio of milk to coffee – 1:3
  • Ratio of ice to coffee – 1:1
  • Ratio of tbsp. of sugar to number of servings of coffee – 1:1

What you Need:

  • Coffee (cold-brewed or cooled hot-brewed)
  • ½ cup of milk
  • 2 tbsp. of sugar
  • 5 cups of ice
  • Any flavoring you’d like to add
  • 1 blender
  • A coffee machine, French press, or another means to brew coffee

How to Make:

  • Step 1: Milk and Sugar – Add milk and sugar to the blender with the coffee.
  • Step 2: Ice – Add ice to the blender.
  • Step 3: Flavoring – Add flavors of your choice.
  • Step 4: Puree – Puree the mixture in your blender.

How to Make Iced Coffee Frappés with Flavorful Add-Ins

What you add to your iced coffee all depends on the kind of coffee drinking experience you’re looking for. Do you want a simple glass of coffee with a slight twist to tickle your taste buds? Do you want something more filling, but still fresh tasting? Do you want your coffee to taste like a dessert with caffeine, or tropical paradise in a glass? Below are a few flavoring suggestions on how to make iced coffees that achieve all of the above.

Simple Frappé with a Small Kick

If you’re more of a coffee purist who’s open to adding a little zing to your drink, you might try a fresh add-in. Mint leaves are a great choice and will leave your drink tasting fresh. If you like spicy drinks, a small amount cayenne pepper will add a nice kick without dramatically changing the flavor.

Thin slivers of orange peel will give your drink a little zesty citrus punch, which is oh so refreshing on a hot summer day! Fruit is also an option. Add between one half of a serving and a full serving of your favorite fruit to the drink, and grind it up in the blender. (One serving is a ½ cup of chopped fruit, or one medium sized whole fruit.)

Filling & Fruity Fun Frappé

To make your drink more filling, mix a lot of fresh fruit into your coffee (more than one serving) and puree it all together. This will give you a coffee-fruit smoothie. Flavors like peach, orange, and mango taste great together. Orange and pineapple also complement each other well, as do strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry. For a sweet flavor with a warm aftertaste, try apples (or apple sauce) and cinnamon! Once you make the coffee, it should stay fresh for 3 days in the fridge!

Tropical Paradise in a Glass Frappé

If you’d like your coffee to taste like a Caribbean vacation, try adding pineapple and coconut shavings alone or try adding them along with mango.

Dessert Coffee Frappé

Dare to drink your dessert! The possibilities for dessert iced-coffee frappés are limitless. You could go with candy and add M&Ms®, Snickers® bars, or blend any type of sweet treat with your coffee, and add ice cream to top it off. Ice cream can also be mixed with fruit, chocolate sauce, Nutella®, or any dessert your heart desires! Then, mix it all in a blender and try topping it with whipped cream and sprinkles!

How to Make Iced Coffee with an International Flair

If none of the suggestions above work for you, try traveling the world…sip by sip! Iced coffee is popular in many countries. Here are a few recipes from around the world.

Brazil: Mocha Cola

Brazilian iced coffee is the fun crazy cousin of the root-beer float. It calls for a mixture of coffee, chocolate milk, and fizzy cola! If this doesn’t make you want to dance the Samba, nothing will! Here are the ingredients:

What You Need:

  • Beans, if you have a grinder, or grounds if you don’t (Mocha Java would work well here!)
  • 1 12 oz. can of Coke, root beer, or your favorite soda
  • 3 cups of chocolate milk
  • 2 cups of whipped cream or ice cream

How to Make:

  • Step 1: Brewing – Brew coffee that’s twice the recommended strength.
  • Step 2: Chilling – Chill the coffee by placing it in the freezer for 15-30 minutes.
  • Step 3: Combine – Combine the coffee, soda, and chocolate milk.
  • Step 4: Pour – Pour the mixture over ice and top it with whipped cream or ice cream.
  • Step 5: Serve

Sweden: Kaffelemonad (a.k.a. Coffee Lemonade)

To make this gem of a coffee, you’ll first have to make the lemon zest syrup.

What You Need for Lemon Zest Syrup:

  • 1 cup of cane sugar
  • 1 cup of filtered water
  • Make lemon zest out of one medium-sized lemon.

How to Make Lemon Zest Syrup:

  • Step 1: – Combine – Combine the sugar, water, and lemon zest in a saucepan.
  • Step 2: Saucepan – Turn the saucepan up to medium heat.
  • Step 3: Stir – Stir the mixture regularly until the sugar has dissolved.
  • Step 4: Cool – Remove the pan from the heat, let the mixture cool, then pour it into a glass bottle and store it in the refrigerator or use it right away.

Iced Coffee Lemonade

Remember to pay attention to the ratios in this recipe. If you don’t, the coffee could end up tasting too sour…and let’s face it…pucker face doesn’t look cute on anyone. The ratios you’ll need are below:

  • 3 parts brewed coffee
  • 2 parts fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 part lemon zest syrup
  • 2 parts tonic water
  • Ice cubes

What You Need:

  • Brewed coffee (Have you tried the Ybor City Blend?)
  • Fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • Lemon zest syrup
  • Tonic water
  • Ice cubes

How to Make:
Step 1: Combine and Stir – Combine all of the ingredients in a glass and stir vigorously, or put the ingredients in a shaker and shake away!

Vietnam: Café Sua Da (Sweetened Condensed Milk Iced Coffee)

What You Need:

  • Medium coarse ground coffee
  • Sweetened condensed milk – Be sure not to mistake this for evaporated milk. This is a key ingredient, so don’t make substitutions here if you want to taste the real deal.
  • Vietnamese coffee press – Remember, a Vietnamese press is not the same as a French press. Use only a Vietnamese press for this coffee. You can find Vietnamese presses at any Asian market or on Amazon for $10 or less.

How to Make:

  • Step 1: Milk First – Add 2 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk to a glass.
  • Step 2: Ground Coffee – Add 2 tablespoons of ground coffee to the base of the coffee press.
  • Step 3: Wet Coffee Grounds – Wet the grounds a little bit with some hot water.
  • Step 4: Pack Coffee Grounds in Press – Tightly screw the press on and make sure the coffee is well packed.
  • Step 5: Boiled Water in Press – Pour boiled water into the coffee press and cover the coffee press with the lid.
  • Step 6: Slow Drip Speed – The coffee will drip very slowly. Check the drip speed. Make sure the coffee only drips a few drops per second. If the coffee drips too fast, use a small spoon or knife to screw the press on tighter until it slows down.

A few drips per second will make regular strength coffee that will finish brewing in 3-5 minutes (stronger coffee requires a slower drip speed). We know waiting is painful, but try to occupy yourself. Try dancing, singing, contemplating the meaning of life, or whatever tickles your fancy. Just don’t speed up the brewing process. If you do, you’ll be disappointed by the taste of the finished product.

  • Step 7: Once the coffee is finished dripping, stir it well and put it into the glass with the milk and add ice.

 

Ireland: Sweet Iced Coffee & Whiskey

Sure as a shamrock, Irish coffee is a treasure for more reasons than one! The whiskey will soothe and the coffee will energize, and the sweet taste will leave you loving life! Best of all, it’s easy to make!

What You Need:

  • 4 tbsp. brown sugar
  • 6 – 8oz Irish whiskey
  • 2 tsp. fresh cream
  • 4 cups brewed coffee (Try our Roastmaster’s Reserve!)
  • A pinch of nutmeg

How to Make:

  • Step 1: Stir – Stir the coffee, whiskey, fresh cream, and brown sugar together in a tall glass (2 parts whiskey, 4 parts coffee, 1.5 parts fresh cream, 1 tsp. brown sugar)
  • Step 2: Topping – Top it with whipped cream.
  • Step 3: Spice – Sprinkle the whipped cream with nutmeg.
  • Step 4: Keep it away from the kids…and smile the whole time!

Coffee Freshness is Key - Because Fresh is Best

Contributing Author:  Connor Roessler

Pretty much everything in life is better when its fresh, except for that vintage bottle of wine or your father’s old bottle of scotch, and coffee is certainly something that is discernibly better when its fresh. But what exactly is fresh coffee? Some people equate freshness to when the coffee was brewed, which is also important, while others think freshness is how recently the coffee was opened.  While both of those things are good, fresh coffee is all about the amount of time it took to get from where it was roasted to you at home. carbon dioxide left in the beans.

The fresher the beans, the better your coffee will taste. more carbon dioxide they contain. When the beans are finished being roasted, they are the freshest that they can be because they have the highest levels of carbon dioxide at this point. Interestingly enough, purists will tell you that coffee that is past three weeks old is considered to be stale, but fret not, an unopened bag has a special stay-fresh valve (also called a one-way degassing valve) in the front that allows the coffee to release gasses while at the same time not allowing any Oxygen (coffees worst enemy) into the bag which will help maintain freshness since we all cannot visit a roastery on a daily basis.   There are also packaging techniques that can be used for grocery store coffee to extend the life, where Nitrogen is injected into the bag purging any residual oxygen out of the bag before the bag is sealed. but the very best method is to buy the beans straight from the roaster.  When you purchase directly from Joffrey’s website, the beans that you buy are roasted to order so they are the absolute freshest they can be and are assured you are getting the most flavorful cup of coffee that you can.

Now lets talk about why freshly roasted coffee is important. First off, fresh beans simply taste much better. If you were to brew a cup of coffee from fresh beans and compare it to a cup of stale beans, the difference is astounding. Fresh coffee is naturally sweeter and less bitter, and the flavor notes of the beans, like banana, caramel, or chocolate, are easier to discern and much more pronounced. Second, fresh coffee has a much better aroma. People everywhere tell us they simply can’t wait to open a new bag of coffee.  In fact, the anticipation of opening a new bag of coffee actually has a psychological benefit of releasing endorphins, making you actually feel good when preparing your coffee. Lastly, coffee offers many health benefits, all of which are increased when the coffee is fresh.

But with all of these good reasons to drink fresh coffee, how exactly can you keep your Joffrey’s fresh? Well, there are a couple of ways to keep it fresh that are quite simple and will help you enjoy fresh coffee for longer. Once you get your coffee, you want to keep the beans in a sealed container in a cool environment. The bag that you get your coffee comes in can be resealed but is generally not the optimal way to store it. An airtight  ceramic container with a rubber gasket is the absolute best method both for keeping air and sunlight away from the beans. Keeping the beans in a cool, dry place is also very important; try to keep them out of any direct sun and away from the oven. Some old coffee lore suggested keeping beans in the freezer, and you may even read otherwise, but we recommend never to store beans in the freezer.  This is because coffee absorbs the moisture, odors, and tastes from the air around it and will permeate most storage containers and will alter the taste of the beans.

If you buy a few bags of Joffrey’s at a time. You can store the unopened bags in a cool, dark cabinet or pantry.  While beans packaged by Joffrey’s can last up to 6 months, we highly recommend brewing within the maximum of two months. By following these simple guidelines, we believe you will value the difference fresh coffee makes.  Freshness is our promise to you and can count on Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea to maintain only the highest standards in sourcing, roasting and delivering coffee to your home or office.

 

https://blog.dailygrind.com/

 

https://www.ncausa.org/About-Coffee/How-to-Store-Coffee

 

https://www.idealcoffee.ca/blog/the-benefits-of-fresh-roasted-coffee/