Coffee

For those who like me LOVE coffee here are some things you may not know.

1. To make any chocolate recipe better add a small amount of coffee.  Some recipes may call for espresso powder.  You can use that but I prefer strong left over coffee.  It seems to have a smother more complex flavor.

2. Fresh water makes better coffee than water added the night before.  As strange as this may sound, the reason is that water as it sits overnight loses some of its oxygen.  That changes how the water affects the grind as it trickles over.  So even though I would love to wake to smell of fresh brewed, I have everything ready to go except the water. 

3. Storing coffee – always store as air tight as possible.  Plus I have found that beans store better at room temperature.  I used to freeze the one pound bags and take them out every time I ground the beans.  But I found out that doing that thaws and the refreezes some of the beans causing them to loss flavor.  So now I leave the bag on the counter once it is open.  If I buy two or more bags the unopened ones go in the freezer. You can get an air tight container for beans and/or ground coffee too.

These are just a few facts that may help you enjoy your coffee a little more.