O.N.E. Coffee Fruit Drink

I’ve eaten coffee fruit before, in Venezuela, and found it to be a little sweet, nothing like coffee (but then the bean gets roasted, which changes its flavour (for the better). Like the Cashew Fruit I tried before, this is based on the idea of a fruit surrounding a more recognizable and used part of the plant. The fruit also contains caffeine, similar to green tea; it also has antioxidants. This drink only contains a little of the coffee fruit juice, it’s mostly acerola and pitanga (both fruits native to Brazil). Tasting it, I don’t get coffee, it has a sweetness along with a different sourness, interesting, but not one I’d want to drink again.

Melitta World Harvest Costa Rican Tarrazu

As you might know, I like and prefer coffee from Costa Rica, and am always on the lookout for new sources. I see that Melitta has brought out more recently their World Harvest line, featuring Organic coffee and coffees from Columbia, Guatemala and Costa Rica. Tarrazu is a County in the high mountain central valley of Costa Rica, and features rich volcanic soil for growing coffee. These are most likely Arabica beans, originally native to Ethiopia and Saudia Arabia.

I find this to be a good Costa Rican coffee, not as good as some I've drunk, but still with the Costa Rican flavour I like. The 1 lb. bag was about $11 and can be found in most supermarkets.

Interestingly enough, while looking up some info on the 'Net, I read that local coffee in Costa Rica is reduced in price, and it has been a very quiet dream of mine to go to Costa Rica to sample the coffee there freshly roasted, the local coffee is also tinted, to prevent it from being exported. I guess I'll have to watch out for that and perhaps drink at the tourist coffee plantation areas.

Kashi Dark Mocha Almond Granola Bar

Kashi makes a number of granola bars that I like, this is one of their new ones, which features, along with its signature seven whole grains and sesame blend, salted roasted almonds, dark chocolate and natural coffee extract. The mocha coffee flavour is not too strong, and the dark chocolate is good, while the almonds are crunchy. I would say that this is another granola bar that I like, and would buy again.

Green & Black's Espresso

This is one of the few chocolate bars from Green & Black's that I had not tasted yet. The espresso part comes from Arabica coffee beans, ground as fine as the cacao. This is an intense coffee flavour chocolate bar. The cacao content is at 67%. The ingredient listing is good (all save the lecithin are Organic), chocolate liquor, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, coffee, soy lecithin (emulsifier), vanilla extract and whole milk powder.

How does it taste? Like drinking a cup of coffee. I'm exaggerating, but it is a strong coffee, or espresso, flavour, so, if you don't like coffee, then this bar is not for you (the strong flavour comes from freshly roasting the coffee beans, then grinding them so fine that the tongue can not distinguish between the chocolate and the coffee). I do like coffee, but most of the time not in a chocolate bar. This is good quality chocolate up to the standards of Green & Black's. I don't think I would get this bar again.

Toi, Moi & Café's Costa Rica Monte Verde Coffee

I found this Organic and Fair Trade and Special Grade coffee in a Lebanese specialty store, of all places; it was about $9. Toi, Moi & Café have made it their mission to render the coffee business more transparent (certainly I've always wondered where my coffee comes from, and why a lot of it just isn't very good). This is pretty good coffee, and my favourite bean, from Costa Rica. This is not only Organic, but is also Fair Trade (meaning more money is given to the growers). It is also what they call Special Grade, which means that it is of Arabica type, grown at an altitude of 1200 meters, should be hand-picked selectively and roasted to express all the flavours and aromas of the region. The beans are from the Monte Verde region of Costa Rica, and are Mid Roasted (neither Dark nor Light); they are also Filter Ground. I like how they say it has a Chocolate aftertaste, perhaps that is why I like it so much.

Saphara Costa Roasta

I had no idea that Saphara Coffee and Tea comes from Celestial Seasonings, I've seen it in various health food stores, and never associated the two. When I had the opportunity to buy their Costa Rican coffee, Costa Roasta (I keep on wanting to write Coasta Roasta, but it's Costa - makes more sense!), at half the price I've seen it at health food stores (why do health food stores insist on selling things at high prices? - just a rant), I jumped at the chance. I like coffee from Costa Rica, certainly more than the more universally loved Columbian coffee. This is a dark roast of the beans, which are ground a little coarser than other Costa Rican coffees I've tried. I like that the beans are roasted in Canada. This is a Fair Trade product, too.

The coffee, once made, is tasty, with good rich flavour. It's not the best Costa Rican coffee I've tasted, but better than some.

A. Vogel Bambu Filter Organic

I am intrigued by this coffee substitute for a couple of reasons: my parents tried for a while a chicory-based product long ago, called Caf-Lib and the notion of it intrigued me at the time, though I was never a coffee drinker when young, it is only more recently that I have drunk coffee, and only 5 or 6 cups per week; and Bambu contains, along with chicory, figs and, more interestingly, acorns (which I have been long intrigued in as a food source - they contain large amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fat, along with niacin and the minerals calcium, phosphorous and potassium). Chicory has some interesting properties, it aids digestion and the heart, and also may help you sleep (as opposed to coffee, which contains caffeine, which could hinder your sleep). Bambu, made from fruits and cereals (chicory, wheat, malted barley, figs and acorns), tastes likes coffee but is caffeine-free, is gentle on the stomach and heart and nerves, and is also suitable for children (though my young one won't taste that for a long while). You can make it in the same way that you make coffee, by pouring boiling water on it (use a teaspoon per cup of water).

The first thing I did when I opened the bag, was to smell, and I immediately thought, what is that smell?, but then it resolved itself to 'figs'. The packaging I have lists figs as the main ingredient, followed by rye, chicory and acorns (all roasted); as opposed to the website, which lists chicory as first, no rye, and wheat and malted barley. I like figs, so I don't mind that, certainly, but I don't know whether the recipe is different in Canada, or the website is wrong. Looking inside, I see that the ingredients are wet and crumbly, small bits. I put some inside my individual coffee filter and poured boiling water over it, essentially preparing it the same way I would prepare my coffee, I just didn't use as much Bambu to fill up the filter reservoir. This worked, except that it was weaker in the first few sips, and much stronger in the bottom of the cup. I then tried it by putting some in the bottom of a cup and pouring hot water over it. This worked better, in terms of taste, but there was the problem of the grounds at the bottom of the cup. I think that I will try it next, with a French press (which worked best, and tasted good; I added a little raw cocoa powder, too, for a chocolate mocha taste).

I like figs, and this tastes very much like figs, hot watery figs is the predominant taste, and it doesn't really taste anything like any coffee that I've had. I keep thinking that the chicory should be the first ingredient, like the website says, and then I could see how it would taste like coffee.

Café Britt Organic Costa Rica Coffee

The idea of Organic and shade grown coffee from Costa Rica appealed to me on several levels: Organic, elimating the use of pesticides and using organic nutrients to nourish the coffee plants; shade grown, to preserve the diversity of plant and animal life as well as the soil; and Costa Rican, because I really like their coffee beans. Tasty. This coffee from Café Britt is a darker roast than others I have had, or perhaps because it is Organic, there is an intensity of flavour. Certainly it is good, and makes strong coffee. Better than the President's Choice Costa Rican that I normally drink, and only about three dollars more (for all the benefits I noted before). I definitely would buy this again, assuming that the store I found it in keeps stock of it.

President's Choice Costa Rican Coffee

I have a love affair with Costa Rican coffee. Well, not so intense a love affair, as it's fairly hard to find coffee beans from the Central American country in most supermarkets. So, when I found that Loblaws had a line of ground coffee beans from various countries known for their coffee, including Colombia, Kenya and Costa Rica, I hoped I had a potential source for the coffee I prefer. There was a time when I thought it had disappeared, at one time they came in cans, and, for a little while, I couldn't find them anymore, but they reappeared one week in the bag form you see them as now. The beans have been medium roasted, and then fine ground. Costa Rican coffee are Arabica beans, the ones used for this product are grown high in the mountains, but there is no indication of which region in Costa Rica.

Is this the best Costa Rican coffee I've drunk. No. But that might have more to do with when they were roasted, and how long the package has been open, than whether the beans were really premium when they were picked. I like the flavour of the coffee when it is made, and, though I have had better Costa Rican coffee, made from fresh roasted and ground beans, that is something that I have not found a good source for.

Terravita Cocoacara Coffee & Cardamom

This offering from the Polish chocolatier Terravita is one of two that I recently found at The Apple Market (they make a whole range of chocolate bars in numerous flavour combinations, but only three that are dark chocolate with high cacao content). The cacao content of this bar is 77%. The ingredient listing looks good, cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, fat-reduced cocoa powder, coffee (1.1%), cardamom (0.5%), soya lecithin and flavourings.

How did it taste? The cardamom was not too strong but I think overwhelming if you don't like the taste (which I do) and there was an underlying mustiness or earthiness to the flavour (perhaps it was the type of cardamom). The coffee flavour I did not get. Overall, I would say that cardamom pairs well with chocolate (and I have made cookies that worked well), but the combination of flavourings ultimately failed in this bar. I don't think I would buy this bar again.

Cocoa Camino Espresso

This Swiss chocolatier I had heard good things about, and I see their bars now all over the place, but more in health food stores; this is the first of their bars that I have tried (though I have tried their organic cocoa powder). Cocoa Camino is a company that is attempting to create products from ingredients that are Fair Trade (in which local producers receive more for their raw materials, with training and other aid) - the organization they deal with is called La Siembra Co-operative (based in Canada, but the local producers are in South America). So, all the ingredients are Fair Trade, and this bar is their idea of marrying their Fair Trade coffee with their Fair Trade dark chocolate. The ingredient listing, with 55% cacao content, looks good, cocoa mass, golden cane sugar, cocoa butter, whole cane sugar, ground coffee and ground vanilla bean.

How does it taste? I'm still unsure of the merits of coffee and chocolate together, and some people, I have read, think it's absolutely wrong, but this was a fairly good chocolate bar. The chocolate was smooth and melted in the mouth well, the coffee was not too strong but definitely pleasant. I did enjoy it, and it makes me want to try some of their other offerings.

Thai Coffee

Thailand is certainly known for their tea, but coffee is also grown in certain provinces. These beans come from Chomporn province, in south Thailand, and I have read about coffee from the southern provinces (which led me to my quest to get some, my sister-in-law located some in Thailand and brought some on her recent trip). Recently, I read about coffee grown as Fair Trade from the northern provinces, available for sale in Canada, I have to track those down (you can read about them here - Doi Chaang Coffee).

You can see how big a bag she bought, it will last me for a while.

But I don't mind really, as I tried making a cup of coffee today, grinding the beans in a coffee grinder to a medium fineness (they were roasted to espresso darkness), and then running hot water through a drip filter. And, the beans make a good cup of coffee, though very mellow. Actually, the last half of the cup tasted the best, there was a good aftertaste that I liked. I believe these are Robusta beans, though I am not really sure (as I am not that much of a coffee aficionado that I can tell the difference between robusta and arabica beans), just what I've read on the 'Net.

Cevze

I was over at a coworker's house on the weekend, and we had some Turkish coffee, which I enjoyed very much, and it somehow turned out that I was gifted with my very own cevze, called kanaka in Egyptian, for making authentic coffee. This one is a single serving kanaka, one adds between one and two teaspoons of Turkish coffee, plus a desired amount of sugar (four grades of sweetness, from none to 1-1/2 teaspoons, in half teaspoon increments), then water is added just to the water level mark, and it is heated over a heat source till it boils. Seems simple enough, and I also got some Turkish coffee to try. Another trick I was told would help out, is to boil the water beforehand, then it won't take long for the coffee to boil.

New Tree Vigor

The second of the chocolate bars from the Belgian chocolatier New Tree is made mostly from Fine Belgian Dark Chocolate, at 73% cacao content, and is labelled Vigor, and subtitled Energizing. The ingredient listing looks good, unsweetened chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, coffee (2%), guarana extract and soy lecithin as an emulsifier. Guarana extract is used in South America as a source of caffeine in soft drinks, I would say to make this bar Energizing.

How does it taste? Does it live up to its name, Vigor, Energizing. The coffee taste was fairly subtle, and I don't think were was a big caffeine kick from. I don't think that I like this bar, it was not quite good chocolate or a good flavour, and I would say that it is expensive ($7 on sale for $5).

Speciale Italia Caffe

One of my favourite chocolate bars is the Ecuador bar from the Italian Chocolatier Speciale Italia srl. This one, the fourth I have tried, a Spicy Chocolate with a cacao content of 68%, contains coffee as a flavouring (I have seen both ground coffee and espresso offered from Speciale Italia; no doubt they use their own brands in this chocolate bar). The ingredient listing is good, just cocoa paste, sugar, low fat cocoa powder, cocoa butter, coffee, instant coffee and soy lecithin (as an emulsifying agent).

How does it taste? Quite good, the underlying coffee is interesting and enhances the flavour of the chocolate. Notice, too, the plastic bag, very different than many chocolatiers, who normally use foil. I liked this almost as much as the Ecuador bar. I would definitely buy this again.

Dede Instant Thai Coffee Drink

You might wonder why I am interested in this coffee drink, seeing as I like my coffee black and the beans from Costa Rica, I must say that the only reason I tried this, is that my beautiful Thai Bride recommended it (well, actually, she recommended the Tea version, but I prefer coffee to black tea).

Ka Fae Yen, or Instant Thai Coffee Drink, comes from Thailand, I found it in several Chinese supermarkets. The ingredient listing is very short, just non-dairy creamer (48%), sugar (27%) and coffee powder (25%). You can drink it hot or cold, just add 200 mL of hot water to the contents of the package.

How does it taste? Not bad, though I don't think it will replace a good cup of Costa Rican coffee prepared slowly, it does make for a quick cup of coffee on those mornings that I need a little jolt to wake me.

Ghiradelli Espresso Escapade

I'm not a fan of American chocolate, especially the long-standing and well liked Hershey varieties, but there is another very old chocolate company, Ghiradelli from California, in business since 1852, purveyors of fine chocolate. Recently, they have joined the trend of making high-end dark chocolate products, this Espresso Escapade bar is one of three specialty Intense Dark chocolate bars. This one, which cost me about $3.50, has 60% cocoa content with finely ground espresso beans (really, so finely ground I didn't notice them). The ingredient listing looks good, bittersweet chocolate (made from cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, milk fat, soya lecithin and vanilla), milk fat, coffee, cocoa butter and coffee oil (an interesting ingredient). The chocolate has a good aroma, the chocolate is smooth (what they describe as velvety) tasting, but doesn't really linger long in the palate, nor is it what I would describe as really intense, I couldn't really taste the espresso parts. Not a bad chocolate bar, and it tasted good enough that I want to try the other two in this line, though it's not likely that I would buy this particular bar again.

Poulain Noir Café

Another chocolate bar I tried from the French chocolatier, Poulain, owned by Cadbury, is part of their line of special chocolate bars called 1848, so called because they have been in existence since 1848. This selection, containing 64% cocoa content, is called Noir Café, or Coffee Dark. Its ingredients listing is short, just dark chocolate (made of unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, sugar, soy lecithin and natural flavour), caramelized cocoa nibs and coffee. There is no indication as to the origin of the cacao beans. The chocolate has a good coffee flavour, if you like the pairing of the two, and the caramelized cocoa nibs add a good sharp taste to this bitter tasting chocolate, far better tasting than the Ultime Noir I tried earlier.

Coffee and Hazelnut Cake

I came across this new recipe through Google Alerts, which I've been trying out for the last week or so, it's allowed me to find a few new and interesting food blogs. One of them is called Lucullian Delights, which seems to have lots of simple Italian-based recipes that look tasty. The recipe that I came across first was called Coffee and Hazelnut Cake or Torta Di Caffe'e Nocciole, it looked easy to make and probably delicious, and I knew I had to make it. I include the recipe in this blog as well, I have changed some of the instructions to suit how I would make it. The cake turned out great, moist and slightly heavy, while the coffee flavour comes through strongly, and the hazelnuts, from my point of view, taste great. Too, it's not too sweet, if you want a change from overly sweet cakes. Several people at work enjoyed it as well.

Coffee and Hazelnut Cake
3 eggs
150 g sugar
100 g sour cream
75 g butter, melted
100 g hazelnuts, chopped
75 ml very strong espresso coffee
300 g all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Sift the flour and baking powder together into a medium bowl; set aside. Prepare espresso. Chop hazelnuts with a little sugar in food processor or blender.

Whisk eggs and sugar for 5 minutes, until pale in colour and thickened. Add the sour cream and the melted butter. Continue whisking until well combined and smooth.

Add coffee and hazelnuts; mix well. Add sifted flour into batter and stir until combined.

Pour the batter into a springform pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Allow to cool on wire rack.

Pocket Coffee

I found these chocolates at the Chinese supermarket, I've since found them other places, they are made by the same company that makes Ferrero Rocher and Mon Cheri, Ferrero. What I found interesting about them, is that they are filled with little espresso shots, liquid coffee, according to the ingredients. Wow.

How do they taste? The outer coating is more coffee-like than chocolatey, then, when you break through the thin wafer crust, you get a rush of liquid coffee that is not so intense like espresso should be, perhaps because it is not hot. Not bad.