Arabica Coffee – Where is the “Good Stuff?”

Arabia & Africa.

Highly distinct coffees that include coffees from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Zimba­bwe and Ethiopia. Grown at the perfect altitude in rich black soil and the almost foggy evenings with hot days produce a coffee of legendary stature.

The Americas:

These coffees are grown in an almost perfect atmosphere bearing highly aromatic and well-bal­anced coffees. coffees of the America’s includes coffees from Colombia, Mexico, Brazil (grows roughly a third of the world's coffee), Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Panama and Guate­mala.

The Pacific:

 Great coffees are grown in the pacific. These include coffees from Sumatra, Java, Indonesia, Viet­nam, and Kona Island in Hawaii, Papua New Guinea and Sulawesi.

Most people prefer the flavor of Arabica coffee best, which includes me. While I live modestly, my wife and I treasure a fine cup of coffee. Truthfully, one does not always get good value buying coffee willy-nilly. Most supermarkets do not carry the best coffee values. It is great to buy from a coffee specialty store where you can taste a brewed sample. Additionally, you can get recommendations from a friend. Online stores need to be reputable less you land on a site that buys and resells stale coffee. A good cup of coffee can never come from stale coffee. Whole bean is the best choice. If buying a pig in a poke, buy one pound to test, less you end up with a cupboard full of lousy coffee beans.

For thirty-five years, we buy Peerless Anniversary Blend, which is described on the Peerless website as: “In honor of Peerless Coffee & Tea's 80th Anniversary, George Vukasin, Jr developed the 80th Anniversary Blend. A unique organic coffee combining Arabica beans from four award-winning estates, all Italian roasted for a rich, velvety, smooth flavor.” see www.peerlesscoffee.com This company is rated number 1 in the Bay Area and, for my money, is a real bargain.

Making Great Coffee at Home


Great coffee deserves to be made with good water. Most drip makers include a carbon filtration system in the water path. Use great water - its a must.

A drip coffee maker is good and finely grinding freshly roasted beans certainly helps keep flavors intact. A pinch of salt to the grindings often improves the flavor of coffee. A fine mesh insert is more affordable than buying paper filters and works a little faster as well.

French press coffee maker works exceptionally well for world best coffees and can make a good and strong cup of coffee from even not the greatest of coffee. The press pot was invented by the French in 1850 hence its name. The French press lends itself nicely to a ritualistic preparation at the dining table. Great coffee deserves a bit of fanfare but since very hot water is involved, do not have any fumble fingered guest attempt the process. The anticipation and the aromas that come forth heightens the experience for me. It is sort of reminiscent of the older days of the Maître d' and the times when service in a palace of fine dining was at its zenith and the staff would dote on their patrons ---- sigh.

A French press consists of a narrow cylindrical beaker usually made of glass. It has a lid and a tight fitting plunger having a fine wire mesh acting as a filter. Coffee is brewed by placing the coffee in the beaker, replacing the plunger, and pouring in near boiling hot water, leaving to brew for a four minutes, then gently depressing the plunger, trapping the coffee grounds on the bottom. Rich coffee is poured off the top.

A French press is relatively cheap when compared to an espresso machine. Grinding the coffee finely helps with high extraction and hastens the process for those who might otherwise be a bit impatient. Thicker grind will mean less sediment. The manufacture Boden and Mr Coffee makes many French presses which are simple and affordable. Very many fine establishments that serve premium coffee often serve it from a French press.

The finer the grind, the more extraction, and the more solids end up in the coffee. Finely ground coffee requires a fine filter. The proportion of coffee to water depends on how strong you like your coffee. To start with try 2 tablespoons of coffee to 6 ounces of water and adjust according to how it tastes.

Browning Food Enhances Food Flavors

No matter if you are a chef, baker, coffee roaster, malting beer, toasting chocolate, browning imparts an incomparable flavor to food. “Maillard reaction” (may-yar) named after French chemist Louis Camille Maillard who was focused on protein synthesis in 1910. The Maillard reaction results from a chemical reaction between an amino acid and a reducing sugar, usually with heat. In the process, hundreds of different flavor components are formed. Some of these further break down forming additional flavor compounds. Each type of food has a very distinctive set of flavor compounds that are formed during the Maillard reaction. The Maillard reaction happens noticeably around 309 °F.  Significant browning of food does not occur until all surface water is vaporized. If you are roasting at a lower temperature, these complex flavors do not develop as the Maillard reaction does not occur.

In many recipes, a roast may start at 400 F + initially which is held for 10~15 minutes then the heat reduced to the eventually roasting temperature to finish. Hence, a roast with a lot of connective tissue is cooked long enough to break down and become tender but the most flavors are still achieved.

Caramelization is an entirely different process from Maillard browning, although the two processes are sometimes similar in taste. Caramelisation is the browning of sugar or foods high in sugar, and can be thought of as a thermo chemical decomposition and does not involve amino acids. Caramelization is occurring in the sugar of your barbeque sauce on the grill. If excessively heated, carbon ultimately forms. Are we there yet? Heat and time may also transform the food from a collection of complex molecules to simple carbon reside and water vapour, which is not the objective, and even my dog, Macho who is a consummate epicurean (he eats everything) would turn up his nose at the ash residue. Therefore, if you are alone minding the store, you cannot go out back for a constitutional and newspaper read. If the thin crust pizza is perfect at 5 minutes, what is it a 6 ½ minutes?

Browning the meat and the vegetables can be a good way to enhance hearty stews, stock and soup. Add meat and cut vegetables to a shallow toasting pan and roast of high, turning pieces with thongs until meat is well browned. Maillard browning occurs in the meat and caramelization in the carrots.

In Asian cuisine, the use of very high heat under the wok can achieve Maillard browning not only in meat but also to the rice or wheat noodles if they are added without a liquid and tossed. This imparts a meaty character to the noodles. In my cookbook, Beef Chow Fun is cooked in this “dry style” to get this effect.

Cold Days Welcome a Hearty Braised Pot Roast

It is easy and serves many requiring a minimal effort. There is some magic going on in a recipe that can turn a plain brisket or chuck roast into a gourmet meal. These meats tend to be higher in connective tissue or come from areas with developed muscle. Actually any cut of beef that benefits from slow cooking could be used. A fresh brisket will have a consistency just like corn beef but without the nitrates. The pot roast here is a classic approach that reduces the cooking liquid in order to intensify the beef flavor into robust gravy. The second round of vegetables is to provide additional flavor along with serviceable vegetable that have not cooked to oblivion. Like corned beef, the meat should be cut cross grain in generous slices with a very sharp knife. The sauce and vegetables cover the slices. Braised endive or boiled shredded red and green cabbage with rosemary new potatoes goes well with this pot roast. The pot roast could be browned under the broiler first to enhance its appearance and flavor but this roast is so flavorful, it really is not absolutely necessary.

5 Pound of fresh brisket with the fat mostly on (or a chuck roast)

1 Tablespoon of Herbs De Provence

10 Bay leaves

20 Coriander seeds

20 Black pepper corns

2 Cups white wine

1 Cup scotch

1 Cup port

Crushed red pepper

4 Cloves of crushed chopped garlic

3 Whole onions

20 Cremini mushrooms, sliced

3 Ribs of celery

2 Cups of chopped carrots.

3 Tablespoons gravy flour 

3 Tablespoons (1.5 ounces) veal Demi-glace

1 Tablespoon Kitchen Bouquet

1 Teaspoon sugar

Sea salt

Garnish with chopped Italian parsley

The sliced mushrooms, 1 cup of chopped carrots, 1 chopped onion, and 2 cloves of crushed chopped garlic will be added in a finishing stage of cooking.

The first step is useful to help rid the roast of blood components. Bring several quarts of water to a boil in a large stock pot equipped with a lid. Cut the brisket in half and immerse the meat in the boiling water for five minutes. Remove the meat. Drain off all the water, clean the pot.

Add two cups of cold water (preferable not chlorinated), scotch, white wine, port, 1 cup carrots, and stalks of celery. Cut up and add two of the onions including the skins, bay leaves, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, crushed red pepper, 2 cloves of the chopped garlic, and the Herbs Provencal

Bring to a boil on the stove top with the lid on. Preheat oven to 360 F. When the pot is boiling well, place it on the bottom rack of the oven for 3~4 hours. (Less time is required for chuck roast.) Remove from oven. Remove meat pieces from pot with a fork to a platter. Stain off and retain all liquid. If you have a decorative Dutch oven crock, transfer the meat to this; else clean your stock pot and return the meat and two cups of liquid to the crock pot or stock pot. Chopped the remaining onion add­ing it and the retained cup of chopped carrots to the sides around the meat. Add a pinch of sea salt. Cover and put this back in oven. Raise the oven temperature to 425F. Cook for 25 minutes.

While the vegetables are happily cooking with the meat, take the remaining liquid and reduce it on high in a frying pan. You will be making the reduction in preparation for the gravy. Reduce to a third of its previous volume on high heat. Now add two to three tablespoons of fine gravy flour (Wondra) in a small bowl, add and stir in 4 tablespoons of the stock. When all lumps are gone, stir this into the back into the reduced stock.

Now add 3 tablespoon veal demi-glace, 1 tablespoon Kitchen Bouquet, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Allow it to boil to thicken. Now add sea salt a little at a time stirring and tasting until just perfect but not too salty. Simmer until pot roast is finished.

Now add the mushrooms and 2 cloves of crushed chopped garlic. Cover and cook another 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Remove lid. Pour sauce over roast. Allow to cool. Garnish with chopped Italian parsley.