French Press Iced Coffee

Take a plunge into summer with a nice, freshly brewed iced coffee. This method will deliver a smoother taste than chilling coffee left over from your home brewer.

In a French Press, add 8.5 grams of coarse ground coffee per cup (8 ounces) of cold water. Of course, a gram scale is handy and essential if you’re a dedicated cook. Typically, a French Press comes with a scoop and recommends one scoop per “cup.” I’d check out the scoop’s capacity.

First, saturate the grounds so they don’t float. Pour in the remaining water (our French Press holds 4 cups). Stir until the grounds are fully saturated.

Place the French Press lid onto the pot with the safety lid in the closed position, covering the spout. Leave the plunger raised.

Let the coffee rest and chill overnight for 12 hours in the refrigerator.

The next morning, press gently down on the plunger.

In a tall, ice-filled glass, mix equal parts of the chilled, concentrated coffee with water, or add water to taste. If you wish, add milk and sugar or a flavoring like hazelnut or vanilla.

How to make strong coffee

I think their marriage will last a few more years as they’ve already passed the 60-year mark but my mother and father in law just don’t agree on coffee. Sure, they both like coffee but mom likes strong coffee and dad is of a mind to stretch a basket of grounds.

Tasting Notes

We gently remind dad that he can always add a little hot water or an ice cube to his cup if the coffee is too strong for his taste. Coffee brewed too weakly can’t be salvaged.

Coffee at our cafe is brewed strong. We use a full complement of properly ground coffee whether prepared in volume through our brewers or single cups by hand at our pour-over bar. Let’s begin with a definition of “strong” — the dose of coffee used in brewing.

The coffee you’re buying is good so lets invest a little time to prepare it with precision and then adjust to your taste.

That word, “strong,” doesn’t, or rather shouldn’t, have any meaning to the darkness of the roast. Our dark, aromatic Onyx blend coffee would be a weak coffee if too little is used in the brew. A light Brazilian can be muddied by too strong a brew. Other factors influence desirable aroma and taste: sweetness, acidity, body, balance and finish are the five on which we concentrate because the coffee industry’s flavor wheel can make you dizzy.

Flavor Wheel

Here’s what the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) recommends: 10.5 grams of properly ground coffee per US cup, or 8 fluid ounces of water. You may have heard 7 grams but that relates to a 6 ounce, or European, measured cup. In the US, it’s 10.5 — it doesn’t seem like much, does it.

If you spend a little time with a gram scale like the simple one shown, you’ll learn how much coffee beans to prepare for grinding for whichever method you prefer. For Christmas a couple of years ago, we received a really nice coffee measuring scoop and leveled off it holds 13 grams of coffee. It’s pretty, though, but about as accurate as the “2 tablespoons” per cup adage.

So, we’re going to stick with 10.5 grams per US 8-0unce cup. That adds up quickly to 85 grams (just a pinch shy of 3 ounces) for 8 US cups, or 64 ounces of water to prepare coffee.

But there’s a head fake involved. Our “12 cup” carafe in our home brewer isn’t really 12 US 8-ounce cups. In fact, at the 12 cup “fill” mark, the carafe falls short of eight (8) US cups. Our favored cafetiere (French Press) held just four (4) US cups. Little wonder we’re always short of coffee!

This whole issue of strength of coffee can get sticky within a finicky industry. SCAA’s technical recommendation, the measure used for Gold Cup awards, is for 18 to 22% weight of the ground coffee’s oils to extracted to a brew. By SCAA’s calculations this will produce a beverage containing 1.15 to 1.35 percent dissolved solids. But, we think you shouldn’t fret so much to set up a chem lab in your kitchen.

Let first your nose, then your pallet decide. You may want more or less coffee than the 10.5 gram per 8-ounces benchmark. That will depend on how different coffees taste and how you adjust preparation methods to suit your own tastes, whether you’re my mom or my dad.

We’re just not going to get into equipment here. SCAA currently certifies just three home brewers, mostly because most home automatic drip brewers fail SCAA’s temperature tests. Water temps are supposed to be between 92c and 96c (197f to 204f) in the brew basket for no less than 50% of a 2-8 minute brew cycle. We use off boil water in our French Press — that’s hot, likely around 94c or 202f. The three certified machines are:

• Technivorm Moccamaster
• Lance Larkin BE 112 Brew Express
• Bunn HG Home Brewer

You’ll enjoy the fully enjoy the fresh taste of our roasts only if you grind just prior to preparing your coffee. A quality burr (not blade) grinder is the first investment to make in quality preparation.

Whether you use paper filters or a metal filter is up to you; the latter delivers more of the oils to the cup and the result is a richer character, as in how the coffee feels in your mouth. Paper filters deliver a cleaner cup, absent any sediments that slip through the metal filters.

Five (or more) Ways to Share Conscious Cup with Friends

Share The Cup with Friends

1. Write a Review
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2. Like us on Facebook and tell your friends.
3. Use the Social Media links on our website to Stumble! or Digg Conscious Cup.
4. Make a video of your favorite drink and post it to YouTube.
5. Invite someone you’ve not talked to recently for coffee at Conscious Cup.

Tarts & Truffles

Late Friday was a bit like Christmas morning.

Pina Colada Cupcake

Standing in the door to the kitchen was a flour dusted Deb Mindham from Tarts & Truffles in Woodstock. She was bearing our first order of delectable cupcakes and more. There were dark ones, light ones, Kingly ones and ones with little umbrellas. Oh, and more, even little iced cake pops! Carrot cake, pumpkin cake, lemon bars, big boy-sized cookies dipped in chocolate. I can hardly go on.

Guess you’ll just have to drop in and say “Hi!” and take a peek in the pastry case for yourself.

The Simple Elegance of French Press Coffee

French Press

Our mornings typically start with Roseanna preparing her early morning coffee in a French Press. The French Press produces a more deeply flavored cup of coffee than all but the most expensive home brewing systems.

We’ve recently added French Press coffee to the in cafe menu, served from a thermal, stainless steel press pot at your table. Stop in and discover yourself one of our favorite ways to prepare coffee.

Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce Mixer

We had a great time hosting the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce at a mixer on Aug. 17.

These are candid photos taken during the event. Enjoy!

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Jim Hensen coffee ad

Our kids grew up on Sesame Street, so we love Jim Henson. We love coffee, too.

Here are two loves together. We warn you that this is pre-PC.

What some others say about CC

We get nice posts from time to time from other blogs.

Georgia's view at the cafe

Georgia shows some fine photography taken in the shop, with a focus on our little industrial zone around the roaster.

Joyce wonders about the skill at making fine coffee at home.

Ruth Ruhnke

Geisha 1 by Ruth Runke

We’re proud to have Ruth Runke’s art on exhibit at Conscious Cup.

Ruth is a Glenview, IL, native now in Wonder Lake. She founded Wonder Lake Art to in June 2008 to promote the work of herself and friends. Her art website is www.wonderlakeart.com. She blogs at http://redhautebaby.blogspot.com/.

She’s the first artist using our new gallery display system.

Spring at the cafe

Spring decor at the cafe

Our cafe friend, Radka has been helping us decorate at the cafe and the lights above the espresso bar have become her specialty. We’re enjoying her touch of spring. It’s such a counterpoint to the snow we woke up to this last Sunday in March.

Still, the heavy coating of white on all of the trees today made the route a wonderland. I stopped at Spring Creek park and walked briefly as rising temps resulted in a steady drop, drop, drop of snow from the trees above.

Spring snow at Silver Creek

A bluebird was out of place but its color showed brilliantly against the white.

Back at the cafe, Amanda preped a nice sugar-free mocha for my father. The barista’s all know the “grandfather” mocha. I enjoyed a warming chai latte while we waited for Roseanna to finish her day.

The barista’s have come up with an Easter Candy Mocha. I’m thinking of a Mocha with a Peep floating on top. Any takers?

Jack