September 1st, 2010
What is cold brew espresso?
Cold brew espresso is a brew process where coffee grounds are steaped in cold water. The result is a concentrated coffee, much like espresso.
Why do we make cold brew?
There are several reasons. First, it makes a better tasting iced and frozen drink. When hot coffee is poured over ice it creates a harsh taste, which many consumers don’t find appealing. Cold brew has a smoother taste that blends better in frozen and iced drinks. Secondly, cold brew espresso is very cost effective and can be produced in large quantities during off-peak hours and stored in the refrigerator for weeks. Finally, you can produce an iced or frozen drink much fast by using cold-brew espresso because you don’t have to pull a shot every time you make a drink.
How do we make cold brew?
Setting up a batch of cold brew is a simple process that can be done in a matter of minutes. Here’s how the process works:
- Start out with a slightly coarser grind than drip coffee. Our customers use our signature blend, Armando’s Blend, to make their cold brew.
- Place the cold brew grounds into a paper fiter and tie it closed at the top. It’s important to leave a little bit of space at the top of the filter for the coffee to expand and move.
- After the filter is filled, place the coffee in the cold brew container and fill it with water.
- Place the lid on the cold brew container and let it sit undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
- After the container with the cold brew espresso filter and grounds has had a day to sit, drain the liquid it into pitchers with lids.
- Throw away the used grounds and filter and clean out the cold brew container.
- Enjoy a tasty iced or frozen coffee beverage!
At Crimson Cup, our cold brew espresso is made from our signature coffee blend Armando’s Blend so the taste is consistent with our hot espresso drinks. Our cold brew tastes awesome when served over ice and milk or blended with our frozen drink mix, Polar Powder. Stop by a Crimson Cup community store near you to give it a try.
To learn more about our coffee and coffeehouse products fill out the form to the left or check out the product page on our website.
Tags: armando's blend, cold brew espresso, crimson cup, ohio coffee roaster, ohio coffee roasters
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August 20th, 2010
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Coffee is grown in two ways: there are enormous coffee plantations which produce a substantial amount of the world’s supply of coffee, but much of the world’s coffee is produced on small holdings by farmers who have a tiny orchard of coffee trees attached to their farms. These farmers bring their crops to cooperatives to be processed. Also, a surprising amount of coffee is still picked from the trees growing wild, particularly in Ethiopia.
There are two main types of coffee plants—Arabica (air ah BEE ca or ah RAB ick ca) and Robusta. Put simply, Arabicas are the good-tasting beans that are used for specialty coffees. Robustas are lower in flavor and quality and are used mainly in commercial supermarket coffees. Surprisingly, Arabicas account for about 75% of the world’s coffee production. At Crimson Cup®, an Ohio coffee roaster, we use only the top 5% of Class 1 Speciality Grade Arabica beans for our coffees.
Like wine, coffee offers a variety of subtle taste differences depending on where the coffee was grown and how light or dark it is roasted. By blending different coffee beans, you have an infinite choice of flavors to match your palate exactly. When our Ohio coffee roasters blend coffee it is truly an art, not a science. It is equivalent to how a master chef blends ingredients to create memorable cuisine. By complementing the strengths of one coffee with the strengths of another, we get the best of all worlds. And you get a superior cup of coffee.
Creating masterful blends is one area where Crimson Cup stands out from other Ohio coffee roasters. In 1992 Armando Escobar, Greg Ubert, and Chris Lamb spent seven months creating a blend of coffees that surpassed all others. The result is our signature blend, worthy of the title “Armando’s Blend.” Armando’s blend is a medium roast made up of beans from Indonesia, Africa, Central and South America. The coffee is full-bodied, bold yet smooth, nutty and chocolaty. In addition to being used in drip coffee, Armando’s Blend is also coffee used for espresso and cold brewed espresso at Crimson Cup Coffeehouse and all of the Crimson Cup Community stores.
To learn more about Ohio coffee roaster Crimson Cup click here.
Tags: Arabica, armando's blend, coffee, crimson cup, ohio coffee roaster, ohio coffee roasters, Robusta
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July 16th, 2010
Roasting is the magical process which transforms green beans into rich and flavorful coffee. At Crimson Cup, one of the best Ohio coffee roasters, the art of roasting is done by skilled craftspeople who are familiar with the art and science of creating perfectly roasted coffees. In order to create amazing coffee several things must happen.
1. It is extremely important to start with the best green coffee available. We buy only Specialty Grade Class 1 coffee, which represents the top 5% of coffees in the world. The best coffee roasting in the world cannot transform lousy green beans into palatable coffee.
2. The rate of roast is extremely important. We could save a lot of time and money on fuel is we cut time on our roasting, or if we just roasted all coffee to the same degree, but we would end up scorching the beans or under developing their flavors. For example, if the coffee is roasted too slow, the delicate flavors will be baked off during the roasting process. If the coffee is roasted too fast, the flavors do not develop to their full potential.
3. We have to select the degree of roast at which each of our coffees is brought to its full flavor potential. Each of our coffees must be treated specially.
There are many more factors that contribute to the final product that goes into your cup or is brewed at home. To learn more about our coffee or how we became one of the best Ohio coffee roasters check out this page on our signature blend, Armando’s Blend.
Tags: armando's blend, crimson cup, ohio coffee roasters
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March 16th, 2010
We are conducting a FREE coffee sampling this Saturday, March 20th from 2-6PM at Whole Foods Market Columbus. Stop by our coffee display and get a sample of our Organic Fair Trade coffee Flowing Amazon or a taste of our signature coffee, Armando’s Blend®. Our very own Chris Junker will be there to answer any questions you might have about Crimson Cup and our coffee. We hope to see you there!
Why Buy Local Products?
- For every $100 spent locally $68 goes back into the local economy. Comparatively, only $40 of every $100 spent in a big chain goes back to the local economy.
- Locally owned businesses spend a larger share of their revenue on local labor (29% local vs. 23% corporate chains). This means jobs stay in the local community.
- Local retailers spend almost twice as much buying goods & services from other local businesses than the corporate chains spend. Local businesses often bank locally, hire local accountants, local attorneys, local designers, etc.
- Local retailers donate more on average to local charities and community organizations than big chains do.
*Stats courtesy of http://www.bigboxtoolkit.com/
Tags: armando's blend, coffee sampling, columbus, crimson cup coffee, Flowing Amazon, whole foods
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