How to Store It

Treat your coffee right. Freezing or refrigerating your coffee dulls its naturally bright, sweet character. This treatment is particularly harmful to light- or medium-roasted coffee. For guaranteed bliss, store your 4 week supply of whole beans in an airtight container, kept at cool room temperature, and grind your coffee just before brewing.

 stop bean abuse

How to Grind It

The best home grinders work using the same principles as our big commercial models. Burr grinders have two disks, one spinning, one stationary. As soon as the coffee is ground, the machine spits it into a waiting container. Blade grinders are less expensive than burr grinders, and work by essentially whacking the beans into submission. Blade grinders produce a less consistent grind than burr grinders, but you can't beat the convenience.

 burr versus the blade

How to Brew It

The ideal way to measure ground coffee for a drip brewer is by weight: 2.25 oz for your average home coffeemaker. Not many people have an ounce scale laying around the house, though, so use this rule of thumb: 2 tablespoons per 6 oz of water. And about that water: unless your municipal water is really spectacular, make sure you use filtered or spring water. Remember--brewed coffee is about 98% H2O. Bad water = bad coffee.

 bad water = bad coffee

Shelf Life

As long as our whole bean coffees remain sealed in their bags, they remain fresh for 8 weeks. You have about 2 weeks after you open the bag before you will notice a marked decrease in flavor and aroma. As for pre-ground coffee, you have about 4 weeks of freshness in the sealed bag, and a few days after you open the bag.

Coffee Recipes

We have had success taking classic French recipes, and subsituting coffee for a key ingredient. For example, wine in Coq au Vin, broth in le onion soup, ketchup in pommes frite, syrup in la toaste Francais.

Coffee Almond Biscotti

1 stick butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
21/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup finely ground almonds
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (optional)

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, almond extract, and espresso. Beat well.
  • In another bowl, combine flour, almonds, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture and lightly beat until dough forms.
  • Transfer to floured board and lightly knead. Divide in half and press each into 8 x 4 inch loaf. Transfer to uncoated baking sheet and bake 40 to 45 minutes, until firm.
  • Remove from oven, leaving oven on. Cool on sheet 10 minutes. Then transfer to cutting board and cut across width into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place on sheet, cut side up, and bake 10 minutes longer on each side. Let cool and store or coat with chocolate.
  • To coat: melt chocolate in small saucepan over pan of simmering water. Spread about 1/2 teaspoon chocolate over half of one side of each cookie. Place on plate and chill until chocolate sets. Store at room temperature.

Makes 24 large biscotti

Coffee Granita

4 cups freshly brewed strong coffee (New Harvest French Roast perhaps?)
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon sambuca or anise flavored liqueur

  • Stir first 4 ingredients in bowl until sugar dissolves. Pour into 13x9x2 inch metal pan. Chill 2 hours, mix in sambuca.
  • Freeze coffee mixture until icy at edge of pan, about 45 minutes. Whisk to distribute frozen portions evenly. Freeze again untl icy at edge of pan and overall texture is slushy, about 45 minutes. Whisk to distribue frozen portions evenly. Then freeze until solid, about 3 hours. Using fork, scrape granita down length of pan, forming icy flakes. Freeze at least 1 hour. (can be made 1 day ahead. cover and keep frozen.)

To serve

Working quickly, scoop granita into glasses, filling halfway. Fill to top with cream and garnish with orange peel strips or chocolate covered coffee beans.
Makes 8 servings

Barbecue Sauce

1 cup strong coffee (the cowboys prefer Salonika)
1 cup catsup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed thyme
salt and pepper

  • Combine ingredients in saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook 20 minutes.
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes about 2 cups

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