Tag: coffee

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Oily Coffee Beans: Good or Bad?

A question I get pretty frequently is: “Why don’t your coffee beans have any oil on them? Are they really old and dried out?” The answer is quite the opposite. My “dry” coffee beans are a sign of freshness and craft roasting. An oily coffee bean is an indicator that your beans are either pretty old or were over-roasted (generally both). Industrial roasters typically roast to get an even color, not to procure excellent flavors.

Oily coffee beans are the result of a chemical reaction that occurs when the internal shell of a coffee bean meets oxygen. Darker roasts have a more fragile shell due to their prolonged exposure to roasting, so they will lose their flavor faster and seep oil more quickly than a lighter roasted bean. However, eventually over several weeks every roasted bean, whether light or dark roasted, will develop this oily sheen.

Most people that tell me they prefer oily beans find, after they try one of GCRC’s dark roasted coffees, they are actually drawn to the dark roasted quality of the bean, not the oil that has seeped out. A properly dark roasted coffee won’t start producing an oily surface for a few weeks.

Have any burning coffee questions that need answering? Contact us!

-Celeste

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Cold Brew Recipe

Hot coffee is absolutely delicious and many can’t wrap their taste-buds around the concept of cold brewed coffee. Do not confuse cold brew with iced coffee. Iced coffee is a hot brewed coffee poured over ice. The slow and deep extraction of cold brewed coffee offers a completely different flavor profile and syrupy texture. Velvety smooth, rich flavor and little to no acidity makes cold brew an absolute delight during the summer months, or if you’re like me, all year round!

While the process is simple it takes planning to enjoy a great cup of cold brew, but trust me, it is worth the wait.
Cold brew requires 2x the amount of coffee grinds as a hot brewed cup, but it creates a concentrate. Add water to dilute the concentrate to your preferred strength. For a rich treat add cream directly to the concentrate. My friends affectionately refer to this concoction as “melted ice cream”.

How to Make Cold Brewed Coffee

What you’ll need:
-12 oz. freshly roasted, high-quality coffee

-96 oz. (about 12 cups) water

-Glass Container (large enough to hold coffee while it brews)

Brew Instructions:
– Grind beans to a medium-fine coarseness and place coffee grinds into the glass container

-Add half of the water (6 cups) on top of the grinds and stir to saturate all grinds with water

-Allow any foam, created by the CO2 gas released from the beans, to settle

-Add the remaining water (6 cups) to the glass container

-Cover the container with a cheesecloth or loose lid so that gas may escape, but dust and/or bugs are kept out

-Let this mixture brew for a minimum of 8 hours, but preferably 24 – 72 hours. This stage is to taste. Taste your brew every 8 hours to determine your preferred strength. *Remember it is a concentrate. It should be strong enough to handle dilution!*

-Strain your grinds with a layered cheesecloth, fine metal mesh colander, or paper filter.

-Pour over ice and enjoy with cream, sugar, spices, or (my personal favorite) black!

-Refrigerate any concentrate and keep for up to 2 weeks (the flavor starts to degrade after 1 week)

 

**Bonus Tips**

Due to the high standards of our craft roasting process, Good Coffee Roasting Company coffee beans will guarantee maximum flavor extraction.

Our Cold Brew Tasting Notes:

–Colombian Tolima: dark chocolate, molasses, toasted hazelnut

–Ethiopian Yirgacheffe: tropical citrus, blueberry, white grape

Get your freshly roasted high-quality, fair trade and organic beans by clicking here.

 

For more information on cold brew techniques or general GCRC questions please use our contact form.