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Black Forest Coffee

Just for a change, I thought I'd toss a coffee recipe in. This sounds sweet and decadent and 1 would be enough to last me for a month because of that... But at this time of year, we often indulge, so why not?

This comes from the Java Queen blog where the blogger writes: With cherries, chocolate and whipped cream, it’s almost like drinking a cup of liquid black forest cake. You should try this if you have a real sweet tooth.

Ingredients:
6 oz hot brewed or pressed Steeped volcanic coffee
2 tbs chocolate syrup
1 tbs maraschino cherry juice
Whipped cream
Chocolate shavings
Maraschino cherries

Got the Munchies?

Here's a great one to nibble on over the holidays, or to put in a nice container and wrap as gifts for paper and letter carriers, etc.

Caramel Mocha Almond Popcorn Clusters

10 cups freshly popped popcorn
2 cups whole almonds
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup strong Steeped volcanic coffee

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Spray 15 x 10 baking sheet with non-stick spray. Mix popcorn and almonds in large bowl.

Combine brown sugar, butter , coffee and corn syrup in medium saucepan.

Over low heat, stir mixture until sugar dissolves.

Increase heat to high and boil 5 minutes.

Remove from heat; stir in vanilla, almond extract and baking soda.

Pour over popcorn and almonds, immediately stirring gently to coat.

Pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet, spreading evenly.

Bake for 1 hour in preheated oven. Cool completely. Break into pieces and store in airtight container.
Yield: 20 pieces

Mmm... Vanilla

Have you tried this yet? This is Steeped Tea's Volcanic French Vanilla Coffee. I am really enjoying this one. Some flavoured coffees exude a very artificial taste to them, and perhaps that's no surprise since some of the flavours do not occur in nature - like Baileys, for example. But this French Vanilla coffee is smooth in taste and texture, the aroma is pure and delicate and it's a pleasure to sip! Try it, or pick up a bag to stick in the stocking of your favourite coffee lover.

 

Pumpkin Latte

Here's another great pumpkin tea-inspired recipe, courtesy of one of our newest Manitoba consultants. Tasty and keeps some $$ in your wallet (those coffee pub lattes are expensive at $4 or more a pop!)

Pumpkin Latte (makes 1-2 servings)

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute – adjust to taste
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup strong brewed Steeped Pumpkin Pie black tea (or 1/2 cup of strong brewed Steeped Volcanic coffee)

Directions:
In a saucepan stir together milk, pumpkin and sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until steaming. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and pumpkin pie spice, transfer to a blender and process for 15 seconds or until foamy. (I don’t usually bother with the blender and just whip the mixture really well with a wire whisk.)


Pour into a large mug or two mugs if you decide to share. Add the tea or coffee on top.

Optional:  Top with whipped cream and sprinkle pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, or cinnamon on top.


Have a spooktacular Halloween!

Coffee Review

I am so lucky because just about every weekend, my dear hubby cooks up a hot breakfast for us of potato patties, bacon, eggs, and toast. I've had fun trying different teas with my fry up to see what goes with it (so far I like Canadian Breakfast, eh! Queen Elizabeth and English Breakfast).

The hubby prefers coffee to tea, so this weekend we opened a bag of freshly roasted Steeped Tea Volcanic Coffee.

If you don't know much about our decision to carry coffee, and why we selected this coffee to offer, you can read more in this previous post.

Just as there is a huge difference in the taste and quality of loose tea compared to tea bags, I would suggest that there is a huge difference between grocery store coffee and this coffee. When we buy coffee at the grocery store and even those coffee shops (Timothy's , Starbucks, etc.), we don't know when the coffee was roasted. The problem with that is that shortly after roasting, the beans begin to deteriorate, becoming stale, and they will lose their flavour. Store-bought coffee, grocery store whole bean hoppers, and even popular gourmet coffee shop brands have been roasted months ago and have been slowly deteriorating on the shelf. Unfortunately many people do not know how gourmet coffee is suppose to taste because we have become desensitized to accept a below average grade without even knowing it.

  Steeped Volcanic Coffee is freshly roasted in small batches and immediately bagged and sealed, delivering an incomparable fresh taste. 

We used a drip coffee maker to brew our coffee on Saturday. If you use a press, you'll find the flavour nuances will differ a bit. The first thing I noticed was the intense bouquet of the coffee as it was brewing. Our whole main floor smelled of the delicious coffee aroma!

I am admittedly an amateur when it comes to tastings, especially coffee tastings, but here's what I noticed when I sniffed, slurped and sipped my first cup of this new coffee. The coffee smelled somewhat ashy (this is not a bad thing!) and I also detected a slight scent reminiscent of dark unsweetened chocolate. When I mentioned this, my 10 year old daughter wanted to sniff too, and she also picked up on it.

The flavour of this coffee is more intense than the typical grocery store bean. For the first pot I brewed (earlier in the week), I measured a soup spoon per cup of water into the filter, and found the resulting coffee too concentrated for my taste (I don't whiten or sweeten my coffee). For this pot, we used a slightly heaping dessert spoon per cup of water and found that more palatable, for our taste.

I encourage you to try it and taste the difference freshness makes! You'll find yourself falling for a sophisticated cup of coffee! Steeped's coffee roaster says that "great coffee is like baking cookies; they have a shelf life of several months, but they taste best right after they leave the oven." So do use your coffee once you order it!

* Those of you interested in learning more about coffee tasting terms and what to detect when you are tasting fine quality coffees, may enjoy this web page.

Feeling Like a Cup of Coffee?

If you've had a curiosity about our new volcanic fair trade coffee, or perhaps you've tried it and want more, you should book a party with your Steeped Tea consultant NOW. In addition to all the other great benefits our hostesses receive, the first 50 parties submitted to head office in November will receive a pound of our delicious coffee.

Not only that, but every pound of coffee Steeped Tea sells helps volunteers organize farming cooperatives by providing funding for facilities needed.  We donate $10 from each sale to help establish educational programs  which aid the farmers by giving them the ability to move past the oppression.  Steeped Tea Coffee is Fair Trade Plus, as we exceed the prices paid to farmers that have been established by the TransFair Certification Organization 

Today is the Day!

Our new Steeped Tea product catalogue starts today! Click on the link to the right to view the new catalogue online. What new items will become YOUR new favourites? Will it be our Lemon Drop Rooibos soap? Delicious new buttery cookies like Maple Pecan? New teas like Raspberry Cream black, Canadian Breakfast eh black, Gunpowder green, Toffee Dream white (to name a few)?  Or how about our new coffee? Yes, we are introducing coffee with this new catalogue - but not just any coffee. We hear at our tea parties that some tea lovers still love to start their day with a coffee and then switch to tea, or know or live with a die-hard coffee drinker. When we decided to introduce coffee to our product line, we searched hard for what we believe to be the best coffee available - for your health, for the people producing the coffee, and for the taste.  Check out the amazing story about our exclusive coffee products:

History of a Great Cause 
In 2005 in response to the devastation of Hurricane Stan,  a relief effort was mounted and Canadian Volunteers journeyed to Central America to assist.  While in the most mountainous regions where the destruction and loss of life was greatest, the Volunteers realized that there was a longer term project that needed to be addressed.  Living in extreme poverty coffee farmers resorted to selling their coffee berries for as little as 10 cents a pound with no other options or resources in these remote locations.  Every pound of coffee Steeped Tea sells helps the Volunteers organize farming cooperatives by providing funding for facilities needed.  Educational programs are also being established which aid the farmers by giving them the ability to move past the oppression.  Steeped Tea Coffee is Fair Trade Plus, as we exceed the prices paid to farmers that have been established by the TransFair Certification Organization.

Environmentally Sustainable and Responsible
Much of the world’s coffee is “sun grown”, which means forests are mowed down, birds and animals are displaced, and chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used.  All to maximize the yield per acre and the number of crops that can be harvested per year.  All coffee supplied by Steeped Tea is shade grown in a bird and animal friendly environment, and is completely chemical free.  Our coffee plants coexist with other flora and fauna in a natural jungle setting and our farmers forage into the forest and harvest every coffee berry by hand.  This method of farming has little or no impact on the environment and also helps make our coffee the healthiest you can possibly drink.

Healthy for You
All coffee supplied by Steeped Tea is grown at high altitude on mountainous volcanic regions.  Plants grown on volcanic soil are low in acid and abundant with properties that promote great health.  Many believe that volcanic soils are rich in rare monatomic elements essential to life.  Coffee from Steeped Tea also has anti-oxidant properties because of the special way we roast and deliver it to you immediately.  Many individuals that love coffee but do not drink it because of gastro-intestinal issues now enjoy our coffee and its healthy effects.

Great Taste
Great Taste is the greatest factor that impresses people who try Coffee from Steeped Tea, and will keep them coming back for more.  We roast in small batches and deliver it to you immediately, so encourage your buyers to start brewing as soon as they get it, to get the maximum impact of the freshness, taste and health benefits.  Great Coffee is like baking cookies, they have a shelf life of several months, but they taste best right after they leave the oven.

Overview
Great Cause, Environmentally Responsible, Healthy for You and Great Taste.  All of these factors help make Coffee from Steeped Tea the Worlds Best Coffee!