I understand that most coffee lovers don’t like their coffee cold, so how does a thing like cold brew coffee catch on?  Well, it all comes down to chemistry.  The story behind the Toddy is that a chemical engineering graduate came up with the idea because cold brewed coffee is 67% less acidic, and smoother than many other brew methods.  Along with that, no risk of burning! So our hero Todd patented this ridiculously simple device, and probably never worked another day of his life. I wish I could do something like that.

Just because it is brewed cold doesn’t mean it has to be consumed cold.  Add boiling water, which dilutes it a smidgen, or just throw it into the microwave to heat it up.  Being one of the 25 million acid reflux sufferers in America, I understand the benefit of making things a little easier on the stomach, and this is a good way to do that without having to drink less than you want.  It is also very convenient as you can refrigerate it for several days.

You can order a Toddy cold brew system online, or from specialty coffee stores if you can find one. I am only aware of one such store in Tulsa, Mecca Coffee Co.  However, you can also buy a near identical product from Walgreen’s for half the price, which is what I did. And seriously, there is nothing to this process, so the contraptions work just the same.  The only difference is the size.   My little cold brew device is smaller, so you don’t get quite as much.  The other down side is that you are much more likely to find replacement parts for a Toddy than the “As Seen on TV” thing that I have, I know from experience.  My wife accidentally threw away the plug to mine, but luckily, the plug for the Toddy fits just the same, so I bought one from Mecca and was back to cold brewing in no time.  The other part you may need to replace is the cloth filter that fits into the bottom of the tank, and those do not come in the same size.

The Method

I suppose I should get to the details. Don’t worry, this will be short. How much coffee and water you can use depends on your device.  With the Toddy it is one pound of coarse ground coffee and 9 cups of filtered water.  With mine, I use something close to 12 ounces of coffee and 7 cups of water.  you can adjust the ratio if you like, but that will give you a pretty strong result, which is good for diluting in hot water to make an Americano type drink.

The instructions are explained quite well on the ToddyCafe web site.  As such, I will not go into detail on how to, but here is the skinny just to give you an idea of what it takes.

• Put the cloth filter in the bottom of the canister, making sure to push it all the way to the bottom.
• Insert the rubber plug in the hole from the bottom side.
• Add one cup filtered water.
• Dump half of your course ground coffee in
• Pour four cups water slowly and in a circular motion as to wet all of the grounds.
• Add the rest of the coffee.
• Pour the rest of the water.
• Cover it and let is sit for 12 hours, do not stir!
• When it is done, place it over the carafe and unplug it. The coffee will slowly drain out.

The Enjoyment

Drink it, heat it, pour it over ice, in hot water, or in a blender. There are a multitude of uses for cold brew coffee. It is perfect for an iced coffee or any kind of blended coffee drink. During the summer I will just pour it over ice cubes and drink it like that. In the winter I typically heat it in the microwave, just make sure you don’t boil it, that will produce some bitter flavors.  Another great feature of cold brew coffee is that it keeps for 14 days!  There is no waste.  If you don’t finish it, save it for the next day.

Cold brew coffee comes out very strong. I have heard others say as strong as espresso, but I wouldn’t say that. The lack of acidity and bitterness makes it much easier to drink than espresso, but for espresso lovers, it really isn’t the same.  As much as I like cold brew coffee, it will never take the place of a good hot double shot.

There is my take on cold brew. Let me know what you think.

The aptly named Coffee House on Cherry Street is a wonderful eclectic coffee house that is community oriented. You may not find more friendly service, and I always get a kick when they say “cheers” as they bring me my coffee. They don’t do that all the time, but that makes it even more pleasant when they do.  This shop stays pretty busy and has convenient hours. One of the few places that spring to my mind when I want to go somewhere and hang out around 8pm on a Sunday.  It is an excellent place to meet up with friends for coffee and good times.

Drinks

The Coffee House brews and sells locally roasted coffee beans. They will make you an outstanding espresso or traditional macchiato, as well as all of the sweet and chocolaty drinks you would buy at Starbucks, but with better coffee, and my wife loves their chai latte. With fresh, quality coffee beans and high end la Marzocco equipment grinding and brewing your coffee, the result is stellar.  You can also get a french press at the Coffee House which is great to share with two or three people(depending on how much coffee you want).

My favorite is their macchiato, which is my favorite everywhere unless they make a bad macchiato, and the good folks on Cherry Street make a mean macchiato.  Everything from the shots to the coffee art is done right and tastes amazing.

Food

This coffee shop serves much more than your average coffee shop food items. You can have a good breakfast and lunch here, and I am not just talking about a bagel and a turkey sandwich.  They serve hot breakfast and lunch items.  They also have tasty cakes and pies to enjoy with your after dinner coffee.  I have even seen a flan on rare occasion.  I know it isn’t everyone’s thing, but goodness gracious I love a flan!

Ambiance

The Coffee House on Cherry Street has a very eclectic and trendy feel to it with antique furniture, local art, and a couple of cozy nooks to hide away in if you can get a seat before it is taken. On a book shelf you can find books as well as games to enjoy if you are looking for something to read while you finish your coffee, or something to do with your friends. I must give a warning, you may see nude art in the shop, so if you find that offensive, you may want to take your coffee to go.  Otherwise, the atmosphere is very relaxing.  Such that you would be comfortable talking, reading a book or the newspaper, or studying.  While in the shop you will see a good mix of people, plenty of students studying, and a large number of regulars who come just to be a part of the community that has developed in this shop.

The Coffee House on Cherry Street is a wonderful shop, and a great addition to Cherry Street and the unique coffee culture that we enjoy in Tulsa.  Let me know your thoughts on the Coffee House.

I thought the Moka Pot deserved another look.  It is certainly worthy of one, and I have changed my approach since experimenting with it over the past few months.  If you haven’t read my previous post on the moka pot, then do so before reading further, as this may not make a lot of sense otherwise.

Exciting news: I bought a new moka pot!  My wife had been talking about checking out this place called Tuesday Morning’s which I was not familiar with, and although it was poorly lit, and not exceedingly clean, it had neat stuff for cheap, so I like it.  I found a moka pot there that was larger than mine, and I heard from another coffee enthusiast that larger moka pots produce better coffee, and she was right.  It produces more coffee than I would normally drink in a morning, but quality is everything, so it is more than worth it for me.

As for the change in approach, perhaps it is due to the larger size of my new moka pot, but I have found that it produces it’s best coffee when the stove is set to high, or just below high heat.  Of course you have to watch it, if it’s in the heat for too long you will end up with very bitter coffee, and if it starts to boil over, quite a mess(learned from experience).

So the main points to take home are: bigger may be better, high heat works, and don’t let your moka pot go too long.  Other than that, I just wanted to spend a little more time talking about the wondrous moka pot!  Recently heard from a friend that my instructions assisted her as she broke in her new moka pot.  So I consider it all worth while.  As always, I welcome comments and questions, and enjoy your coffee!

Now that we have visited France and Italy, lets see how things are done in the far East.  Cà phê sữa đá is Vietnamese for iced coffee with milk, and it is quite a treat.  This style of coffee keeps with the theme of cheap and simple ways to make coffee at home.  You can pick up a Vietnamese press pot for about $5.  Finding it might be the hard part.  Here in Tulsa they are sold at Nam-Hai which is an Asian grocery store around 21st & Garnett.  You can order one online, but the shipping will cost more than the product.

As you saw in the translation, this is iced coffee with milk, but not just any milk, sweetened condensed milk.  I happen to be a big fan of sweetened condensed milk, and it makes this drink a sweet creamy delight.  This isn’t a common drink here in the middle of the continent, but I have yet to find someone who didn’t like it when I made it for them, even non-coffee drinkers!  Of course you will have to adjust the ratio of coffee to milk to suit your preferences.  If I am making coffee for myself, I will brew it stronger with less milk, and then brew the inverse of that for my wife who generally does not like coffee.  This is easy to do because you brew this type of coffee one cup at a time.

You will need a coarse grind for this type of coffee filter.  You aren’t dealing with a paper filter so the same concept applies as with a french press.  If your grind is too fine, then a lot of it will make it’s way into your cup.  If you are buying pre-ground coffee, then I would suggest Cafe du Monde coffee & chicory.  The chicory is a common coffee substitute, and although it is similar to coffee, you will notice a difference.  The good thing is that chicory is caffeine free, and a soluble fiber.  So it is a healthy additive.  The coffee is also a french roast, so if you would rather not use chicory, then stick with a french roast.  The reason you use french roast in an eastern coffee is because the French are who brought coffee to Vietnam in the first place.

Now that we have our ingredients down lets get to brewing. Start with a glass like the the one pictured to the left.  I always use clear glasses when serving for guests as they usually get a kick out of watching the process.  It also makes it easier for you to see if the coffee is draining at a good pace.  Pour your sweetened condensed milk into the glass.  Use as much as you want, but remember, this stuff is very sweet.   Put about 2 heaping teaspoons of coffee in the filter and place it on top of the glass.  You can use slightly more or less depending on how strong you want it.  Now you are ready for the hot water(I use a tea kettle).  fill the filter up to the top and place the lid on top.

It is tempting to leave the lid off so you can watch as the water level goes down, but the lid helps with the biggest issue when using this type of brew method which is heat loss.  The thin metal filters don’t do much for keeping the hot water hot, so the lid is important as you want your coffee to brew at as small a temperature interval as possible(read: keep it hot).

After the water has filtered through you have a few options.  You can just start drinking with the hot coffee on top and a super sweet surprise at the end(not my favorite), you can stir it all up and have a sweet creamy hot coffee drink, or you can stir it up and pour it over ice.  The last option seems to be the most popular amongst those I have shared it with.

That concludes this post.  If you have any questions or suggestion then please share, and if you decide to make some Cà phê sữa đá for yourself, then please let me know what you think of it.  Enjoy your coffee!

One of my all time favorites is the french press.  When given the choice between drip coffee and french press I will always go for the french press.  To make things better, a french press is very cheap even when compared to drip coffee makers.  You can pick up a french press for $10 to $30 depending on how fancy you want it to be, or if you want one that is insulated.  I have seen electric french presses, but in my opinion, it would be a waste of money.

The french press if beautiful in it’s simplicity and ability to make a great strong cup of coffee.  They come in various sizes, but 8 cups is about the average size.  It is great for sharing with a friend as one french press is enough for 2.  Perhaps you drink more than 4 cups of coffee in a day, but a french press should be consumed within 20 minutes or the coffee will become bitter due to the fact that the grounds remain in contact with the water even after the coffee has been pressed.  So that equates to one cup per 5 minutes for 20 minutes which is a decent amount of coffee to be had in such a short time(I usually stop at 3).

I have been making french presses for a while and I have experimented with many different coffee varieties and roasts.  The traditional thing to do would be to use a French roast which I like very much.  An Italian roast is a bit too dark for me with this brew method, but if you prefer very dark coffee, then that might be for you.  Today I made a french press with a lighter roast.  I was given a blend from Santa Ana which is in El Salvador and it came out very well as this is some high quality coffee.

You need a coarse grind for a french press.  If you grind the coffee to fine, then you will end up with a lot of grounds making their way into your mug.  You will still end up with some grounds in your mug, but with a course grind you won’t get too much of it.  The picture on the left shows my french press with the grounds in it.  You can click on the photo to get a closer look.  This will give you an idea of what a course grind should look like.  As for the dose amount, you should use about four and a half ounces(9 tbsp) of coffee for an eight cup french press.

Another great thing about a french press is that all you need is hot water.  That means you just need a tea kettle and a heat source, or if you are in a coffee shop you just have to pour some hot water out of the machine.  You want to brew coffee at about 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 degrees Celsius), and the boiling point of water at standard pressure is 212F/100C.  So if you are using a tea kettle then you want to get your water to a boil and then let it set for a few seconds until you no longer hear it boiling and pour it into the french press.

Let the press brew for three to four minutes and then plunge the grounds to the bottom.  Do not force the grounds down too quickly, apply gentle pressure and slowly slide the grounds to the bottom.  This will allow less grounds through the strainer, and extract the maximum amount of flavor.

Now you are ready to serve your coffee.  What you get will resemble drip coffee, but stronger, richer, and more flavorful.  Another good substitute would be a café americano which is essentialy espresso diluted in hot water.  I must admit that I occasionally add a smidge of half and half to my cup of french press coffee.  I like to cream it up a bit, so if the coffee is too strong for your liking then feel free to do the same.  As always, enjoy the blog, and enjoy your coffee!