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Eggnog Latte Cupcakes

December 8, 2011

My favorite holiday coffee drink becomes a dessert in this recipe for eggnog latte cupcakes!

What’s the first food or drink you think of when you hear the word culture?

For me, it’s coffee.

Coffee brings about memories of travel and some of my favorite places in this world. And it’s not just the coffee itself that I enjoy; it’s the culture that surrounds it. I love to smell it brewing in the morning, and sharing a cup over conversation with my husband or friends. I find it fascinating to watch it grow in the fields, and I feel fortunate to support those who grow it as they share a piece of their world with me in each cup.

So a few weeks ago when I was asked if I would like to review a very special coffee, I was given a great opportunity to offer my support.

Equal Exchange buys products directly from small-scale farmer cooperatives for Fair Trade prices. Then they pass these amazing things on to us in the form of chocolate, cocoa, tea and coffee. The Congo Coffee Project was created by Equal Exchange in partnership with Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Congo Coffee is a blend of African coffee beans that was described to me as smooth and balanced. I have to agree. I took it to work with me this morning and enjoyed every sip. This is a coffee that is worth an online order.

This is coming from someone who still recruits friends and colleagues to bring me coffee from Brazil, and who stocks up on 100% Blue Mountain coffee any time my feet touch ground in Jamaica. Yes, I love quality coffee.

And now is a great time to place that order as Equal Exchange will donate $2.00 per bag sold through their retail web store to the Panzi Foundation. The Panzi Hospital offers treatment, counseling and aftercare programs for over 2,000 survivors of sexual violence each year.

So, go. Buy the coffee-lover in your life a bag for the holidays.

When I agreed to review the coffee, I knew that I couldn’t show you a simple cup of coffee and be done with it. Although, a simple cup alone is worth a photo and sip. No, I needed to figure out a way to get it into some of my baking.

My favorite holiday coffee drink turned cupcake? That will work.

These Eggnog Latte Cupcakes start with a rich chocolate, coffee-flavored cake that uses virgin coconut oil, mascavo (muscovado) sugar and white whole wheat flour. Feel free to substitute butter, brown sugar and your favorite flour, if you desire.

Although, I will say that these are made only slightly sweet on purpose. The eggnog frosting on top is the real deal and full of sugar. I wanted a less sweet cake to balance out the frosting so my final produce wouldn’t make your teeth hurt. The minimally refined sugar and strong brewed coffee did the trick.

Eggnog Latte Cupcakes

Makes: 8 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes
3 ½ tbsp virgin coconut oil, soft, at room-temp
½ cup mascavo or muscovado sugar
2 large eggs
3 tbsp Congo Project Coffee, brewed strong and cooled
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ cup white whole wheat flour
1/8 tsp nutmeg
½ cup plain Greek yogurt

Eggnog Frosting
½ stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 ½ cups confectioners sugar
7 tbsp eggnog
1 tbsp coffee, ground extra fine

Prep

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with 8 cupcake liners.

In a bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the coconut oil and sugar. Mix for about 2 minutes, until almost smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the coffee.

In a separate bowl, stir together the cocoa powder, baking soda, flour and nutmeg. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the batter. Mix just until combined. Fold in the yogurt.

Divide the batter evenly among the 8 cups in the tin. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

For the frosting, combine the butter and confectioner’s sugar in a mixing bowl and mix on medium and then medium-high until well combined. Slowly add the eggnog, 1 tablespoon at a time. Frost your cupcakes once cool and sprinkle each with a dusting of finely ground coffee.

Disclosure: This coffee was sent to me free of charge. I was not required to use it in some pretty rockin’ cupcakes or write about it, and I received no compensation for doing so.

Gifts for the Food Lover 10: Teavana Chai and German Rock Sugar

December 1, 2010

I’ve been seeing a lot of gift lists on my favorite food blogs lately and I love reading through them. There are so many things I’ve never come across before and I end up with all kinds of new ideas.

Since I’ve come across lots of great things this year myself, I thought I’d put together my own list. So from now through Christmas I’ll be interspersing a few posts to highlight some of my favorite food-related items including books.

The first is something my husband and I found during a recent trip to Florida for a family wedding. We were killing time in the Florida Mall in Orlando while waiting to pick up family from the airport. As we walked by Teavana the white tea they were sampling caught our eye.

We tried it and were intrigued by the flavor. It was mildly fruity, slightly sweet with the warm spices of chai. We found out later that it was a mix of the Samurai Chai Mate and the White Ayurvedic Chai.

We rarely try something like this and simply have to buy some, but this was an exception. I think we surprised ourselves that we liked it since we are usually fans of Chinese green and black teas with no additional flavors or spices. This tea was just too unique to pass up. Not only in flavor, but also in the look. It was full of pieces of coconut and whole spices.

After settling on the tea, I started talking with the sales clerk about the sugar they used to sweeten the tea. She said that they used a very small amount of German Rock Sugar to release some of the aromatic flavors in the tea.

Of course with my interest in different types of sugars, I had to ask more about German Rock Sugar. This was the first I had ever heard of it. The sales clerk said that it was an unrefined sugar that just barely sweetened the tea. She was right about its sweetness. It has a wonderful flavor, which is why we bought some to compliment our newly purchased tea.

Since then I’ve been trying to seek out an exact definition and source of German Rock Sugar. A simple Google search repeatedly leads you back to the Teavana site. After digging a little deeper I did find a bit about its origin – East Frisia in the far Northwest Corner of Germany.

germanFoods.org states:

The traditional preparation of East Frisian tea is a well-defined ritual: First a piece of rock candy sugar called Kluntjes is placed in…cups… The freshly brewed hot tea is then poured on top of the sugar… The rock sugar will melt slowly which allows multiple cups to be sweetened with the same piece.

Learning the term Kluntjes led me to search for that specifically, which taught me that Kluntje – Kandis translates to rock candy (or something similar) in English. Another site I found did say that it was unprocessed and unrefined and I haven’t found any information on the actual process. A look at the Kölner website tells me that the type we bought from Teavana most closely resembles Kölner Krusten Kandis.

So I may not have learned all I wanted to about German Rock Sugar, but I definitely know a bit more than I did. And, of course, I’ve discovered a new type of sugar to experiment with!

If you have some tea lovers on your list, this blend would make a great gift. You can throw in some of the sugar with a history lesson to make the gift even more interesting and sweet.

Expanding My Tea Knowledge: Pu-erh

January 8, 2010

This time of year I find that in order to stay warm I must always have a steaming mug of something in hand. It feels as though if I’m prevented from sipping a warm drink, I risk freezing up into an ice cube entirely.

You know I’m a huge coffee fan, but that doesn’t mean I’m anti-tea. In fact, I find that I must nip the coffee drinking in the bud by midmorning or I may overdo it on the caffeine. Too much of a good thing and all. So this only means that my tea drinking drastically increases in the winter to fulfill this ever present need to sip a cup o’ warmth.

I’m not a tea expert by any means, but I have had the opportunity to try several varieties. A few years ago my when my husband went to Beijing for work, he brought back flower tea and green tea which resulted in my first Chinese tea experience. While visiting Hong Kong in October we drank Jasmine tea with every meal and brought some back with us to enjoy as well.

My most interesting tea experience, however, came about last September, just before we left Brazil. The last few months of my time there I had the opportunity to meet and hang out with a fellow expat. Miranda is from London and married a Brazilian (Paulo) who happens to be from the same area we were living. They had settled there for a year or two while deciding their future plans.

Last summer, instead of a big wedding they set out on a round-the- world trip, and one of their stops was China and a tea tasting house. When we were able to meet after their trip Miranda presented me with this.

A pretty canister of Pu-erh tea. At that point I had never heard of it or seen it before. She let me know about its growing popularity and my excitement about having the opportunity to try it began to grow.

Pu-erh tea (also spelled as puerh, puer, pu-er and pu’er,) comes from the Yunnan Province of China from a town of the same name. It has over 1700 years of history and I’ve learned that it is quite the prized possession especially if it has been aged well which in some cases can be up to 65 years!

It comes in two varieties, sheng which is green and known as raw and shu which is black or sometimes referred to as cooked. Both start out the same way as maocha and then are preserved/processed differently.

For sheng, the maocha is lightly steamed and pressed into tea cakes. The microbes that remain in the tea result in the product undergoing a natural fermentation process as it is aged. Often left to age for at least 8 to 10 years the pu-erh turns from raw to cooked during this time. It is known for becoming smoother and less bitter as it ages.

For shu, the maocha is put into piles, spread out and wetted. Then it is covered to create something similar to a compost pile. From what I’ve read the technique for making the tea in this way is very detail oriented. It must be turned at the appropriate time and frequency to achieve the correct flavor and fragrance. Once the tea is ready, it is lightly steeped and pressed into cakes like the sheng. This method was developed to speed up the process of making pu-erh tea, but the sources I found didn’t indicate just how much more quickly the final product results.

I think it is well established that tea in almost any form is good for us. Well, okay, perhaps not the sugar-laden sweet tea (pronounced swate-teh) that we have in the south. But you know what I mean – oolong, green, black, jasmine, chai – they all have their individual health benefits to offer. Pu-erh is no exception.

Of course, as we often do with most ancient products consumed by other cultures, pu-erh tea has become a bit of a fad weight loss aid. I’m not commenting on that simply because I get tired of how my society must grasp perfectly good, real foods and turn them into money-hungry weight loss campaigns.

I did learn, however, that pu-erh tea has been found to be successful at lowering LDL cholesterol while raising HDL cholesterol (1). In addition, one study found that the tea has antioxidant and lipid-lowering effects and could potentially be used to reduce cardiovascular disorders (2).

However, do keep in mind the studies were done with rats consuming the leaves and extracts of the tea. I always pay attention to this because in grad school I did a research review of green tea. Of course there are health benefits, but most studies used extracts that would be equivalent to drinking 10 to 12 cups a day! Kudos to all the researchers out there who strive to evaluate foods as we would actually consume them.

The good part though is that drinking teas can be good for you overall. That is why I’m such an advocate for eating real, natural food and not worrying about the specific amounts, percentages and benefits. Healthy foods are going to work together to make you healthy overall. It doesn’t have to be so complicated.

So what type of pu-erh tea did I get?

I actually don’t know. Perhaps there is a way to tell by the label, but not speaking any form of Chinese, I’m clueless. Although I would suspect it is shu, as I’m sure the varieties aged the traditional way are likely untouchable regarding price.

I can tell you about the flavor though. The tea has a very rich, dark flavor, almost woodsy and the dark leaf that results as it steeps remind me of coffee grains. The overall flavor is incredibly complex as the production of the tea would indicate.

So if you come across real pu-erh tea, do try it. Not only does it warm me up, but it is very different from any tea variety I’ve experienced before.

Have you ever tried pu-erh tea, or do you have more details about it you can share?

References:

1. Kuo KL et al. Comparative studies on the hypolipidemic and growth suppressive effects of oolong, black, pu-erh, and green tea leaves in rats. J Agric Food Chem, 2005 Jan 26;53(2):480-9.
2. Hou, Y et al. Pu-erh tea aqueous extracts lower atherosclerotic risk factors in a rat hyperlipidemia model. Exp Gerontol 2009 Jun-Jul;44(6-7):434-9.

Other reads about pu-erh tea:

All About Puer Tea from Seven Cups Fine Chinese Teas
Puer Tea: China’s Next Hot Commodity? from TIME.com

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee: A Review and Recipe

December 22, 2009

I was a coffee lover, traveler to Jamaica and biscotti fan long before I first made this recipe in 2009. Today we still travel pretty regularly to the island and I always stock up on one of the best local delicacies, Blue Mountain Coffee. Whether I’m brewing a cup or grinding it for a baked good to dip in a warm drink on a crisp morning, it is still my favorite coffee in the world. This coffee and spice biscotti is a little treat that I like to bake up around the holidays.

When it comes to the islands of the Caribbean, I have two favorite things.

One is rum.
The other is coffee.

Both of my favorites come from the island of Jamaica. I did just get back Saturday from a wonderful week in the Caribbean, an annual trip for us. However, this year we spent our time enjoying Antigua. One trade off of seeing a new island paradise was that I didn’t get to bring home any of my favorite 100% Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.

Lucky for me, just a few days before we left I got an email from C & C Specialty Coffee asking me if I’d like to review their 100% Grade 1 Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. I don’t make a habit of doing too many reviews here, but as you can probably guess, my answer was a resounding YES to this request.

Great timing too. And here I was worried I’d be going through my fave coffee withdrawal this January.
I received a 1lb bag of whole beans. I wasn’t home when the box arrived so I went and picked it up from our apartment office. As soon as I got back in my car I had to use the key to open it up. I just couldn’t wait! The second I turned up the flap on the box the aroma filled my senses. There is nothing like it.

Just to share with you in a bit about this particular variety of coffee. It is grown in a specific region of the Blue Mountains of Jamaica and its cultivation is monitored by the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica. A few years ago, my husband and I took a bike tour through the Blue Mountains and were able to see these coffee plants first hand. It is known for having a mild flavor and a lack of bitterness. It is pricey because of its quality and because the small area means less is produced, but in my opinion it is worth every penny.

I opened the coffee yesterday and brewed myself a couple cups. It was dark, rich and full of flavor. The quality was what I’ve come to expect for this special coffee that I consider the best in the world.

As good as it was, of course, I couldn’t just drink it. I had to make something with it. It took me a while to decide just what. Now, I’m not trying to bombard you with biscotti given that it is what I also posted about on Friday. However, when I came across Kathy and Matthew’s (A Good Appetite) Spicy Double Chocolate Biscotti, I was inspired.

I wanted to find a way to keep most of the flavors Jamaican in nature, but all I could think of was jerk chicken! Then it dawned on me – Jamaican Allspice. I used whole and ground it myself and then ground the coffee beans into a fine espresso powder. I had a lot of walnuts on hand so I decided to use those as the nuts.

The biscotti are rich and chocolaty and the second it touches your tongue you can taste that slightly spicy, cinnamon flavor of the allspice.

Jamaican Coffee and Spice Biscotti
Adapted from Spicy Double Chocolate Biscotti from A Good Appetite

3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
¾ cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tbsp 100% Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee beans, finely ground (I used that from C&C Specialty Coffee)1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground allspice
½ cup walnuts, chopped
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or pieces

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Whisk or beat the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, ground coffee, baking soda and allspice. Gradually incorporate this mixture into the eggs and vanilla. Finally stir in the nuts and chocolate.

Grease a baking sheet with butter and divide the dough in two. Using buttered or floured hands shape each half into a log or rectangle side by side (leaving an inch or two between for spreading during baking) on the cookie sheet about 1 ½ inches in thickness. Bake for 50 minutes. Allow to cool for about 5 to 10 minutes. Cut into ½ to 1 inch wide slices using a serrated knife.

Place each piece back on the baking sheet with cut side up and bake 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven, flip the pieces and bake another 10 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack. (Note: The original recipe instructs to lower the oven to 275 degrees F before the second baking, however, I forgot. Oops! Mine turned out fine, though.)

About the source (please note that the information her is from when I originally wrote this post in 2009):
C&C Specialty Coffee sells 100% Grade 1 Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee and 100% Kona Coffee. They pride themselves on providing a quality product to their customers in a timely manner for competitive prices. So much so that they offer free shipping on all orders in the continental US. The coffee cost is $38 per pound with slight discounts for higher quantities. You may also choose medium or dark roast based on your preferences.

Once you get yours be sure to check out their recipes page. There are all kinds of interesting drink ideas including Coffee Eggnog.

A special thank you to C&C Specialty Coffee for providing the product for this review. As I’ve said before, Blue Mountain Coffee is worth the splurge. If you are a coffee lover, once you try it you will be hooked. And if you are not a coffee lover, it just might convince you to become one.

Have you tried 100% Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee?

Disclosure: This coffee was sent to me free of charge by C&C Specialty Coffee. I was not required to post about it and received no compensation for doing so. Thoughts and opinions are my own, as well as my love for Jamaica.

Sharing My Win: French Press Coffee

December 9, 2009

Way back in June I was fortunate enough to win a recipe challenge from Miranda who writes My Food and Life Encounters. This was actually a double contest entry for me and thanks to all your friendly votes my Café & Cream Shortbread was the winning recipe on Miranda’s blog.

The prize? A Bodum Chambord French Press!

At the time I was still living in Brazil so I had the prize shipped to my parent’s house since I knew I would be back in the US in a few short months. Well, when I traveled to my hometown for Thanksgiving I finally got my hands on my prize!

I looked up a bit of the history on the French Press and learned that like most inventions it was discovered by accident. Much like the artisanal coffee I made in Brazil, traditional coffee was made by boiling the water and coffee together and letting the grounds settle.

In the 1800s a Frenchman made the mistake of forgetting to add his coffee to the boiling water. He decided to pour the boiling water over the grounds instead, and when the grounds floated, he used a screen to press down the grounds and separate the liquid. From that point the development and use of the French Press coffee maker was born and the modern variety is attributed to an Italian designer named Calimani.

Although I’d been served French Press coffee before, I’d never made it myself so there was a bit of a learning curve. First, I couldn’t use the fine ground Brazilian coffee I brought back with me as there were multiple warnings throughout the instructions about using only course ground to avoid clogging the screen. I ended up pulling out the Breville whole bean coffee I received in my goodie bag from the 2009 Foodbuzz Blogger Fest. I ground it myself to a course texture.

I added four scoops of coffee per the instructions. It suggested one scoop for each four ounce cup of coffee. Considering I’m a 8 to 12 ounce per cup girl I thought this amount would work well. The instructions lacked details for the amount of water though so I just filled the pot half way with boiling water.

It sat to brew for four minutes and then down went the plunger. Success! I enjoyed a strong, rich cup of French Press coffee this morning. I really enjoy switching up my coffee making methods especially after living in a coffee-centric culture for two years.

Thanks to Miranda and Bodum for the giveaway! If you are looking for a Christmas gift for a coffee lover I did notice there is a festive red French Press on the Bodum web-site. If you need another cookie idea I’ve reposted my Café & Cream Shortbread below. I think I might make it again this week for a Christmas luncheon I’m attending.

Café & Cream Shortbread

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
½ cup mascavo sugar
½ tsp vanilla
2 cups flour (I used white, but others may work well too)
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp ground coffee (espresso powder would work too)

Cream butter and sugar. Add in vanilla. Slowly mix in flour. Dough will be crumbly. Press dough together and split into two equal parts.

Transfer one half to a sheet of plastic wrap. Press together to form the dough more and wrap in plastic as you shape it into a square log. Refrigerate for about 20 to 30 minutes.

To the remaining dough, mix in cocoa powder and coffee. Repeat the same process forming it into a square log shape. Refrigerate for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove dough from fridge. If it is too hard to work with allow to sit at room temp for a bit to soften. Cut each log into four equal strips. Arrange the dark and light strips so that they alternate, make two stacked rows. Wrap in plastic and from into a square log, pressing the dough together slightly. Unwrap and cut cookies about ¼ inch wide.

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool for 1 to 2 minutes and carefully transfer from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Makes 12 to 15 cookies.

The Coffee Dilemma

July 24, 2009

Tuesday morning started out just like any other day. I went into the kitchen first thing, grabbed a coffee filter, added some of a my favorite Brazilian grounds, poured the water and pushed the red button. The button illuminated so I walked away to straighten up the kitchen then start up the computer.

A few minutes later I thought, “Hmmm, I don’t hear anything. More importantly I don’t smell anything.” I have a very inexpensive model of coffee maker I bought here and usually within seconds of pushing the “on” button the water starts to gurgle and a little steam is emitted from the top.

Still positive I went over and felt the machine. Cold. I checked inside and out for some sign of proper function, and started it again. Nothing. My calm, positive attitude slowly evolved into a bit of frantic thinking, and rattling and shaking the machine ensued.

Alas, the machine won. Less than two years old and it has bit the dust.

What to do, what to do. One option included buying a new maker for my last two months in Brazil. A possibility, but it seemed a bit wasteful. I could try to sell it upon moving or just leave it. The quality of small kitchen appliances here isn’t something you would want to ship home, trust me.

Sadly, investing the money in purchasing coffee every morning isn’t even an option here. There was no to-go coffee within the city until the McDonald’s started serving breakfast and selling it last October. I’ve had it a couple times and it is tasty and inexpensive, but it seriously takes a half hour to get the order here with your only bonus being it comes in a to-go. (That has been quite a big bonus, though, on some occasions.)

Then I started thinking. Well…I do have one more option which would eliminate the need for me to buy a machine or support the golden arches.

Meet my morning coffee maker.

Several months after living here I learned about the so-called “artisanal” way of making coffee. There are several cafes around our city that still make it this way for the public. I enjoy going there and watching the women behind the counter serve it to the men there for a quick cup in the morning while standing. Once my interest was peaked I bought the supplies and made it a few times for myself.

It wasn’t until we met with some new friends in Curitiba, that I learned that this style of making coffee is considered old school and artisanal. Apparently it is a lost art in many larger cities in southern Brazil. For comparison Curitiba is a city of almost 2M and Maringá has about 300K. Not so small in the US, but small by Brazilian standards when you compare it to cities such as Sao Paulo with 18 to 19M the last time I checked.

The process is simple. You toss the coffee, which is ground very finely here, into a pot with water. I use about 2 scoops of coffee for 2 ½ cups of water. You throw in the sugar at this point too. For me, that is a rounded teaspoon. Then you boil. Not a hard long boil, but enough to get it hot and dissolve the sugar and some grounds.

Next comes the filter that looks like a mini-fishnet. Made of cloth, the coffee drains through it like a filter so your grains don’t go to the cup. You pour the coffee through the filter and allow it to drip directly into the cup.

The process isn’t much unlike a mechanical coffee maker except for the fact that the coffee is cooked directly in the water. The water isn’t simply flowing through the coffee and into a pot. Although you do have to be present throughout the whole process.

It is also similar to what we call cowboy coffee or campfire coffee back home. Well, except for the fact that I’m using delicious Brazilian coffee beans. I would imagine it is tastier than most made at campsites. The brewing process results in a much stronger brew. I enjoy it, but I always have it café com leite-style with milk.

The negatives are the clean up. I have to dump out all those grains, scrub the pot, clean the filter contraption well and allow it to dry after I make coffee each morning. I’m starting to get used to it though. I guess in this case I looked at going without the maker as a challenge. Why not enjoy the piece of culture I have for the time being? Even if it does mean an extra 10 minutes of cleanup in the morning.

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee

January 20, 2009

As you know I recently returned from a trip to Jamaica. There are many things I love about visiting Jamaica, but one that tops the list is Blue Mountain Coffee. When we go I have to bring back some of this amazing stuff. To me, it is truly the best in the world. I’ve had a lot of different coffees including 100% Kona and none can compare to real Blue Mountain Coffee.

Some quick facts on this variety:

The name Blue Mountain Coffee can only be given to coffee grown in at the highest elevation in the Blue Mountains and it must be board certified.

This bean comes from the Arabica variety and the Blue Mountains produce the perfect location for its growth.

It is known for its non-bitter taste and mild flavor.

Most of this coffee exported from Jamaica goes to Japan.

You can order it online from various brands (or take a trip to Jamaica!). It is well worth an occasional splurge if you are a true coffee lover.

I love coffee of all kinds and it is one of those things that I believe can benefit our health. I’m not saying you should drink it if you simply don’t like it (tea is great too), but those of us who enjoy it shouldn’t be worried.

There is so much research out there and more coming everyday about how coffee can help your health. Many of the negative views of coffee are now being dispelled as myths. For me, coffee is like white rice. Many cultures have enjoyed it for many years as a staple in their diets.

I would need much more hard evidence to eliminate coffee from my daily routine. It is as much about the ritual for me as it is the flavor. I love my mornings working at my laptop with warm coffee nearby in my favorite mug. I do exercise moderation having about 2 to 3 cups a day.

I’ve gone through phases where I’ve had a lot more and I don’t think this is healthy. Especially considering how it makes me feel. At the level I consume right now I look forward to it, but I do not suffer from withdraw headaches if I don’t have it. This is what has made me realize I’m at a healthy balance now.

Here are a few things studies have suggested regarding the moderate intake of coffee. Keep in mind that these are findings, and of course, as with most science, not exactly hard fact yet. For me, they are enough evidence to hang on to my coffee habit, though.

It may reduce the risk for Type II diabetes.
It may reduce the risk for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
It may have a protective effect against some cancers.

These kinds of things really don’t surprise me because coffee is a real, natural food. Now that I live in Brazil I see coffee plants all the time. Did you know that decaffeinated coffee is totally foreign in Brazil? I’ve had friends here ask me about it and they don’t understand it at all.

Many times I think the ritual of coffee drinking may be what can help us mentally. While I know it is perking my body up, the act of drinking it is comforting and stress reducing for me. Maybe you feel the same way. Let me know in the comments.

Back to the Blue Mountain stuff. A few years ago I had the chance to go on a bike tour of the Blue Mountains in Jamaica and check out this coffee for myself. I’ve posted a few pictures below.

And I just couldn’t leave this post without giving you a recipe. I made these late last year for a friend here in Brazil. I didn’t have Blue Mountain coffee at the time so any finely ground variety will work well. Careful! They pack a huge coffee punch. I was amazed at how good they are and plan to make them again soon. Enjoy!!

Jamaican Coffee Brownies
Taken and slightly adapted from epicurious.com

2 cups sugar
15 tablespoons (2 sticks minus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons finely ground Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9x2-inch metal pan with nonstick spray. Combine sugar, butter, cocoa, ground coffee, and salt in large bowl. Place bowl over saucepan of simmering water and whisk until butter melts and ingredients are blended (texture will be grainy). Remove bowl from over water; cool mixture to lukewarm if necessary. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Add flour over and fold in.

Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool brownies in pan. Makes about 15 brownies.

A Tasty Tea

December 1, 2008

Happy December! I can’t believe the last month of 2008 is here. It doesn’t seem possible. I am glad to see it though. December is always filled with so much excitement for the holidays and thoughtful reflection regarding the past year.

I will start this post by saying I am coffee-crazy. I love coffee of all kinds. As you can imagine this interest has grown even more with moving to Brazil. Now I can purchase coffee that is grown right outside of the town we live in. It is so cool to buy local with coffee. Something I could never do in the US for sure.

But let me get to my point. This post is about tea this time around, not coffee.

Aside from growing up on sweet tea I’ve never been a regular tea drinker, although, my interest in hot tea has grown in recent years. In grad school I did a research review of green tea. The health benefits are quite amazing. However, I will say I was a bit discouraged to learn that these major benefits come from amounts that would be equivalent to about 12 cups of tea a day.

Of course, this is the reason that they decided to conveniently put the extract into a capsule. As you probably know by now, I am not in favor of getting from a pill what I can get from food and drink whether it is in higher doses or not.

My thinking is even if you don’t consume the amounts which research indicates is necessary, habitually taking in something that is good for us will add up over time. This is how I feel about tea.

My husband went to Beijing for work a few years ago and found their green tea to be amazing. The variety he brought back with him is definitely the best I have had. Now I find myself exploring the tea aisle for different varieties of both green and black tea.

Tea is one of those – “Well duh,” – drinks for me. You know, the kind of food or drink that has been used in cultures throughout history with proven health benefits. Then the rest of us finally catch on that it might be a healthy thing to incorporate into our diets.

Thanks to the catechin polyphenols in green tea, specifically the unpronounceable epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), tea gives us antioxidants that are thought to have the power to kill cancer cells. It is also quite handy for decreasing cholesterol and reducing risk of heart attack.

I enjoy green tea, but I like black tea too. I’m glad that more research is going into black tea. So far we know it has many of the same benefits as green tea, it just has a slightly lower antioxidant level. So don’t be concerned if black tea is your drink of choice.

So speaking of tea I wanted to tell you about this awesome variety I found at my grocery store since I’ve been back in the US. Celestial Seasonings Sweet Coconut Thai Chai. Have you seen it or tried it?

I couldn’t pass it up simply due to the name and I wasn’t disappointed. As the hot water combines with the tea you can smell the sweet aroma of coconut. I loved the spicy aftertaste of black pepper too. It is such a unique combination.

So now I’m a coffee drinker in the morning and a tea drinker at night.

How about you are you a coffee drinker, a tea drinker or both like me?

All’s Fair…

August 27, 2008

It seems every café I’ve walked into during our trip (and I’ve walked into a lot) there has been something on the menu that is Fair Trade. I’ve seen it everywhere and after a little research I found that the emblem I’ve been seeing is from the Fair Trade Foundation out of the UK.

Over the past couple years I’ve had a growing interest in Fair Trade items. I believe it is a worthy cause and as I research it more I recognize its importance.

I’m not to that point where I seek out and only purchase Fair Trade items. This is mainly because where I am from in the States, it isn’t very available. Although, I hope that is changing.

During my trip, if it has been available I order it. I know Fair Trade goes beyond food, but that is what I am focusing on.

It is probably pretty important that I make the decision to purchase these products because of three things – I am a coffee enthusiast, I have a growing affinity for tea and I love chocolate. All three are items that receive a lot of attention when it comes to Fair Trade.

With some of my research I am glad to be learning that there is an effort to keep prices of these products competitive. It seems with a lot of things that have value or importance there is a trend to cash in and charge higher prices even when it is not necessary.

Last December I did a quick walk through the coffee aisle at a Wal-Mart and was surprised to see that the Sam’s Choice brand actually had some Fair Trade choices. In addition, it was the least expensive on the shelf.

Now, I’m not sure of the quality and I know I have a lot to learn about the different Fair Trade certifications and foundations, but it is nice to know that I can actually afford to buy these products on a regular basis.

How do you feel about Fair Trade products? Are they readily available in your area?