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Why does it make a difference if we grind it here and then send it to you, or if you grind it at home once you get it? That’s a really great question and it’s what we’re going to talk about. Gourmet coffee has incredible taste and it’s important to do what’s necessary to get the best cup of coffee you can. A little bit about grinding. Grinding roasted coffee beans can be done at a roaster, a retailer, or in your home. Coffee beans can be ground to several different specifications. A burr grinder uses revolving elements to shear the bean, while a blade grinder smashes the beans. A burr grinder is considered to be the better of the two options as it leads to a more consistent grind. It also has less of a chance of overheating the beans. The type of grind is often named after the brewing method for which it is generally used. Turkish grind is the finest grind, while coffee percolators or French presses are the coarsest grind. The most common grinds are found in between the extremes; a medium grind, or automatic-drip, is used in most common home coffee brewing machines. We at JL Hufford offer 9 different grind settings for your Gourmet Coffee. What to do. For some, grinding here, there, or everywhere makes no matter. For others, it could make all the difference in the world. Grinding at home allows for many positives with few negatives. The biggest three I have identified are freshness, less chance of waste, and optimal performance. Gourmet coffee beans produce the freshest cup of coffee if brewed right after being ground. When you pre-grind beans, you are letting valuable gasses and oils escape from your gourmet coffee unnecessarily. With grinding at home, you can guarantee when your coffee was ground as well as using only what necessary. This allows for more of your gourmet coffee to be used during its optimum taste period. With utilizing your gourmet coffee more, you will need less over time. This results from needing to throw less of your coffee away because it has gone stale. While we at JL Hufford would love to sell as much gourmet coffee as possible, we believe in taking care of planet. This is why we stand behind practices that promote reducing waste. The most beneficial reason behind grinding at home lies in optimizing your home brewing system’s performance. Not all home brewing systems function the same way. This means that each coffee machine could need a specific grind size. With grinding your own coffee at home, this allows for multiple opportunities to find out exactly what your machine needs and continually get the best coffee that your machine can produce. We are big proponents of grinding at home as it allows you to have as much control over coffee experience as possible. Here are three suggestions for grinders that we find consistently meet and exceed the expectations of our customers.
 PermalinkA Lesson on Chai5 January 2009 I thought I'd give you all a few days to recoup from the holidays. It all sort of hits you at once. The shopping, the wrapping, the visiting, the drinking; it just gets to be a bit overwhelming. It’s like you need a vacation. Well that’s what I’m giving you, a vacation from recipes. I really wanted to start this new year off telling you more about one of our best products, Big Train Chai. What is chai, or chai tea as some say? For many English speakers outside the regions of the Middle East and Asia, the term "chai" is synonymous with "masala chai". The redundant term chai tea is sometimes used to indicate spiced milky tea. Numerous coffee houses use the term chai latte for their version to indicate that the steamed milk of a normal cafe latte is being flavored with a spiced tea concentrate instead of with espresso. Big Train is a leading seller of Chai with numerous flavors of powdered and even an organic liquid. A short description of a few of their flavors follows: Vanilla Chai has beamed itself to the top of the list right next to Spiced Chai for a satisfying year-round drink. This chai tones down other spices to make room for cinnamon and vanilla, which helps it stand apart from the other Big Train flavors offered. The softer spices appeal to those who have more sensitive taste buds and enjoy a drink that keeps them wanting more, down to the last drop. Spiced Chai remains one of the most popular selling flavors throughout the entire year. It boasts its spice-infused blend no matter what condition it’s in: Hot, Iced, or Blended! Cinnamon and spice with hints of honey and ginger allow this cup of tea to be your cup of tea all year round. We’ve heard many say it even tastes like Christmas! Chocolate Chai is hot chocolate’s better half. Kids and adults alike love this flavor because of its little kid taste with the big kid attitude. It’s chocolate at its best with a delightful taste of tea and spice. With less calories, it will also cub the choc-o-holic’s daily carving for sweet treats and therefore, less guilt! Enjoy these flavors and more by checking out our Chai page. PermalinkHappy New Year!31 December 2008 Another month has gone by, but it’s been more than just a month. This month is the last month of 2008! And today is the last day of this amazing flavorful year. Tonight you’ll either be in or out. You’ll be staying in with your own guests, entertaining family and friends, or you’ll be out at another’s meeting new people and celebrating what the New Year hopes to bring. What am I doing tonight? Well I’m pretty low key so I’ll be staying in hosting my own little shindig. We have a close group of friends we hang with and will probably have a lot of fun making drinks and playing games. We don’t want to start too early otherwise we might end up playing cards all night just to pass the hours. That might actually be fun if we make it into a poker tournament! Last year we really laid low. My boyfriend and I just hung out around the house all evening and watched it snow at midnight. Then we went to bed shortly after. I know, I’m boring, but sometimes you just need a little R&R. In this month’s edition of RecipeGeek Favorites, we’ve decided to make it into our favorite drinks for ringing in the New Year. This recipe is great for anyone looking out for calories and has been a huge hit with women everywhere. Orange Creamsicle Martini: 8 Tbsp. diet orange soda, 3 Tbsp. orange flavored vodka, 3 Tbsp. Torani Sugar Free Vanilla syrup, 1 tsp. Cool Whip Free Instructions: Place all ingredients in a martini shaker, but DO NOT shake (or the carbonated soda will explode!). Mix thoroughly with a spoon until mixture is mostly lump-free. Add about 1 cup ice (crushed, if you've got it), and stir until mixture is cold. Then place the strainer on top and pour into a large martini glass.This one is sure to blow you away!Atomic Irishman: 1 Tbsp. Torani Creme de Menthe syrup, 1 1/2 tsp. Irish Cream liqueur, 1 1/2 tsp. Irish whiskey, 2 shots espresso* Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a blender pitcher and blend until smooth. Mmmm. This recipe sounds relaxing and warm. I don’t know where you are, but it’s freeeeezing here!Irish Coffee: 1 Tbsp. Torani Crème de Menthe syrup, 1/2 Tbsp. Irish whiskey, 1/4 cup espresso Instructions: In a small saucepan, gently heat milk or cream and Torani together, whisking until frothy. Pour heated flavored milk or cream into a glass or mug, and add brewed espresso and whiskey. Email me at support3@jlhufford.com with the subject "RecipeGeek Favorites" and maybe give me a few of your favorite recipes. I'd be more than happy to post our customer's favorites! Thanks! As always, drink responsibly, have a HAPPY NEW YEAR, and ENJOY!! **For Blended drinks, use the best of the best when it comes to blenders...VITA MIX of course! Check out the Professional Series. (I WANT ONE!) PermalinkDon't Forget the Frosting!29 December 2008 It seems as if this time of year is the ideal time to dust off your bakeware and apron and go to town in your kitchen. Everyone is having holiday parties and who doesn’t like it when you bring a special homemade treat? These brownies can be the perfect little bite sized desserts for your party. You could even make them into holiday shapes! If you’d rather try a different flavor, substitute their raspberry flavor for cinnamon, vanilla, strawberry, cocoa, or any other flavor you may want to experiment with. The Chocolate Peppermint frosting can become what you’d like as well. Have it match your flavorful brownies, or make it the perfect topping for a happy duo. Also, try out the frosting on your other favorite desserts. These recipes are sure to bring you and the kids together for a bakefest in the kitchen! Have fun!! Torani Raspberry Fudge Brownies: 1 cup Torani Raspberry syrup 2 cups all-purpose flour Instructions Preheat oven to 350. Line a 15 1/2” x 10 1/2” by 1-inch baking pan with aluminum foil. Grease the foil. Top off your brownies with another great recipe from Torani. Chocolate Peppermint Frosting: 1/2 cup Torani Peppermint syrup, 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, 2/3 cup cocoa powder, 2 cups powdered (confectioners') sugar, 1 Tbsp. milk Instructions In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Turn heat off and whisk in cocoa. Add about 1/2 cup sugar and 2 Tbsp. Peppermint syrup and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed. While beating, continue to add sugar and Torani a little bit at a time, until all the sugar and syrup are mixed in and the frosting is a good consistency for spreading (add more syrup if needed). Add milk and beat until smooth. ENJOY!! Permalink
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