My friend, George B. (aka, the man on a quest for the best coffee in New Jersey), celebrated his birthday last week by
having a private get-together at Java Love, in Montclair, in which Kristine Petrak,
co-owner of Java Love Coffee Roasting Company, led us in a mini-course entitled
“Coffee 101.”
So, we all know that coffee is good for us, right? We know
that drinking coffee decreases the risk of type 2 diabetes, cirrhosis, brain
cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and death, in general. But, there’s a
whole other side to coffee, besides drinking it for one’s good health. Here are
5 things I learned about coffee that I never knew.
#1-Coffee can only grow in what is known as the “bean belt’---the
area between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The best locale
should have moderate sunshine and rain, with steady temps around 70 degrees
Fahrenheit. (Guess I won’t be able to grow coffee in my background no matter
how hard I try!)
#2-Coffee grown at higher altitudes has the most flavor and
complexity---the higher the more complex. Examples of high-altitude coffee
include Ethiopian, Kenyan, and Guatemalan coffee, while Kona coffee from Hawaii
is a low-altitude coffee.
#3-The darkest roast is French roast.
#4-Flavor=smell + taste. The tongue only recognizes 4
distinct flavors---bitter, sweet, sour and salty.
#5-You know that foamy quality that coffee gets when you
pour water on it, that’s called the “bloom,” which happens because of the
lipids in coffee. If you don’t get the bloom, the coffee’s not fresh---and what’s
worse than stale coffee?
Over the years, Java Love has given us many good cups of
coffee, espresso-based drinks, chai and other teas, as well as 2 wonderful
spaces to work, play, talk and hang out. And now, they are bringing us a chance
to learn more about the brew we love so much. Thank you, Java Love---and happy
birthday, George!
