You Need Coffee #3, Ethiopian Gima

This post is the third and for the meantime final in the series of coffee reviews about You Need Coffee. From the size of the bulk of the impressive bag of Ethiopian Gima coffee, I was sure that I had bought quite a bit of it. A discernible aroma wafted out the minute I opened it, but so did the air. Yes, there was lots of air, too much packed together with the coffee.

Ethiopian Gima coffee served with milk and a bit of sugar

Finally, I realized why their, and other Israeli freshly ground coffee then stored for a few weeks or even days, tastes so disappointing. They make no real attempt to vacuum pack it. Other shops haven't a chance, since their bags are of cheaper materials. But You Need Coffee uses quality bags, and even if the sealing included very low-tech pressing to attempt "vacuum-pack" pushing out all the air possible, the coffee would keep fresh much longer. When I return to the shop, and I probably will some time after the Passover holiday, I will request better bag sealing.

In the meantime, I'll finish what I have and then perk simple Israeli Turkish coffee until after Passover. Gd willing I'll be getting some good American ground coffee from a friend. Then I'll even be able to "cold brew" coffee, though I do need a new French Press... but that's another story.

About That Coffee I Bought in The Shuq

 

 A couple of weeks ago, I realized that I would run out of coffee for the French Press before a new stock would arrive from the states. I even tried to find the link to a coffee place here in Israel that delivers, but I failed.

Then, by chance, I was in Machane Yehuda and came across a new coffee place, possibly a branch of a more veteran one. It's called Rosemarin, or Rosemary, and it's on the "main drag." They had a better price for Colombian coffee, so I decided to give it a try.

I asked for a quarter of a kilo, but the young man working there gave me more and had to keep asking the manager how to use the machinery. The store seemed that new. I didn't mind getting 400 gram, about a pound, because at the time I didn't know when some would arrive from the states.

As you can see from the photos the store looks nice and is stocked with all sorts of food, coffee and spices. The staff was very polite and accommodating. The grinder even had a label saying "French Press." I hadn't seen that in other stores.

My first taste of the coffee wasn't all that auspicious, since I could taste large pieces of what could have been the shell of coffee beans.  And the taste was nothing all that great. I was very upset.

But subsequent cups of coffee made with their coffee were good. I realized that the problem may have been from the fact that I had mixed the very last of an older different coffee with this new one.

And after a week or more drinking this Colombian coffee, which was also the best price I've found in Jerusalem, I'm happy. I've also been experimenting with different milks, as some readers may have noticed. Now I have almond milk and don't add the sugar, or as much, which had been a strong part of my coffee enjoyment.

The Rosemary coffee place uses high quality bags, as you can see here. I think it keeps the coffee fresher than from other stores which just use a reinforced paper bag. And once I get the coffee home, I store the bagged ground coffee beans in one of the empty tins from American coffee.

I'm glad to have found this Rosemary place with better prices and a better coffee grinder.

Quest for Good Ground Coffee in Jerusalem

Of course, I can just perk Elite Turkish when I'm all out of American coffee... Yes, that's what would be easier. Except that I especially like my cold brew in the French press, which I've been making recently. It's extraordinary, especially when using the Folgers I brought back from New York. But all good things must come to an end, and even that super-giant size container only lasted a couple of months, even though I didn't use it every single day. Turkish coffee is too powdery for a French Press; it's great for cooking/perking. It stays in the "box" of the percolator, but it's too fine for a French Press. I've also used it in my fine coffee filter, though it sort of clogs it a bit.

So I needed to find a source of coffee in Jerusalem. There are quite a few places that will custom-grind your coffee for you. The other day I was in Machane Yehuda with a  friend and we went into one of those treasure houses of stores, in which you can get all sorts of seeds, nuts, dried fruit, dried-spiced vegetables, flavorings, spices and coffee, beans and ground to order. This one is "Shuq Hatavlinim," "Spices Market," on the main drag, 18 Machane Yehuda Street.

You can get an idea from the photos above. Since the coffee isn't cheap, I decided to choose between the two least expensive beans, Colombian and Brazilian, both NS12 per 100 grams. I asked which was stronger, and I was told to take the Brazilian. A comment on an earlier post about coffee, someone suggested tasting the ground coffee. So, this time, I first asked for a tiny sample of the coffee ground as coarsely as possible for a French Press. And of course, the salesman complied. It wasn't quite a coarse as American packaged coffee but I figured that I'd give it a try. I bought 200 gram, and today was the day.

This morning's facebook haiku:

cold brew coffee now
beans ground in Jerusalem
Brazilian, tasty
#‎morningcoffeehaiku‬

Last night I prepared the cold brew:

placed 3 heaping Tbls in carafe 

added water, stirred before chilling

Here's the coffee!

It's a bit too weak, so I'll try it with more coffee next time. Also there seemed to be a bit less coffee than usual. But the good part was that in the morning all of the coffee grounds had sunk to the bottom of the carafe, and I didn't have to stir very hard, which is necessary with American coffee. At least it was necessary with the Folgers. I'd need to experiment with freshly ground American coffee, like I've gotten in Fairways. It may have something to do with the manufacturing of ground coffee that keeps the grounds very hard. Also, it may be that my freshly ground beans absorbed more water, and that's why there was a bit less coffee for my cup/to drink.

PS As you can see, I've started a facebook hashtag, #‎morningcoffeehaiku‬ which you're welcome to join.

Coffee Experiment: A Success!!

For the past year or so, I've been adding frozen coffee to my Shabbat morning coffee, to cool it quickly and add better flavor. The frozen is left over from perked coffee I sometimes make. And Shabbat I can't perk fresh coffee. It just wasn't really working the way I had wanted. The frozen coffee was too black and didn't melt quickly enough. I ended up crunching it with my teeth. Then I got this idea to freeze the coffee mixed with milk and froze two cups like that last week.  The experiment was a success. The frozen milky coffee melted more quickly and easily integrated into the instant.

So I must do this again!

I perk my coffee with Israeli Elite Turkish coffee.

Delicious New Coffee

This morning I made the first brew of the last of my stash of "Eight O'Clock" coffees, which I had bought in New York over two months ago. It's Colombian Peaks.

As you can see, I used the French Press and added milk. I also added sugar. According to the icon on the package it's a "medium flavor," which was the same as my previous  Caramel Macchiato, but this is real coffee taste. The Caramel Macchiato tasted strongly flavored. After a couple of weeks or less the novelty of the special flavor had long worn off, and I'm glad that Colombian Peaks has none of that artificial taste.

In some ways its flavor is similar to percolated Elite Turkish coffee which I never get tired of. The aroma is a great wake-up call.

I'll also have to try it in my little cup filter and percolator to give a full report.

Have a great day. Coffee is really the best way to start one!!

New Coffee!

When I was in New York in March, I stocked up on American coffee. I prepare it with a French Press and now sometimes with my new "cup filter," which I saw and used at my friend's and bought for myself in Zabar's. The amazing thing about that is that I bought the sample from the shelf, because there weren't any more in stock. And now almost two months later I can't find that simple cup filter on their site. I may have bought the very last one!  Did you know that alte cockes (old folks) like myself get a discount in Zabar's? I don't remember how much, but every penny counts.

I did my "big" (a couple of bags) coffee shopping one evening in the Food Emporium on Second Avenue around 50th Street. They had a special, but only at the cash register did I discover that it was only for their "members," which I'm not. So I only got three instead of four. I just finished one of them, French Roast, and today I opened Caramel Macchiato.

I drink it, as is my custom, with milk and sugar. It has a fun flavor. Probably if I had cream, I wouldn't need the sugar. That's something that many people don't realize when they buy low-fat or "lite" manufactured foods, like mayonnaise or yogurts. Reducing the fat demands that the food get added sweeteners and flavorings. So, it may also be better for weight-watchers to eat the more natural higher fat foods. When it comes to dairy, there are important vitamins and minerals in the milk fats, and if you think you're eating more healthily by cutting out cholesterol, you may be reducing it too much. In those cases, the body overproduces it.

And another thing about coffee is that the caffeine isn't considered all that dangerous either, as long as you don't drink it all day long. A certain amount is healthy for most people.

Enjoy!!

Coffee, French Press, Israeli Ground

I was given a bag of ground coffee for my French Press. This was done at a very well-known coffeebean place in Jerusalem's Machane Yehuda, Bashkovits, 32 Etz Chaim Street. The coffee is very fine, and the filter of the French Press had no problems, hit no resistance when pushed down. I don't know the type of bean/flavor, but it's smooth and pleasant.

I drink my coffee with milk and sugar in a giant mug. Actually I have two mugfulls most mornings. And when I'm in an American coffee place I treat myself to cream or half 'nd half.

Thanks to the one who gave me this delicious coffee!

The 5 Shekel Food Place, Review #1

As promised, here's a review of the new five shekel food place near Jerusalem's Central Bus Station.   A friend wrote it:

Not anything to really get excited over.  The salad was crisp and fresh, but about as small as you would expect for only 5 shekels.  It had lettuce, tomato, cucumber and a carrot curl -- attractive as well as crisp and fresh.  There was only one kind of salad dressing, which was rather nondescript -- I think it was supposed to be thousand island.  I didn't get a sandwich, as they were all pre-made and wrapped, and I couldn't tell what else besides the tuna.  I also ordered an iced vanilla  which was awful.  It didn't taste live vanilla, wasn't at all sweet, it didn't even taste like milk.  More like iced, ice.
The biggest drawback was that all the seating was outside and there were half a dozen smokers clustered between us and the door to the tachana mercazit*.  That was so unpleasant that we just sort of gobbled our salads and left quickly.

G-d willing I'll get more reviews for you.  I hope to sample the salad and ice cafe sometime soon.  I still think it's a good deal.  Now we must also see if prices go down inside the bus station.  Nowadays with the reduced security checks, people with time can rush out to save money and buy coffee, pastries and sandwich for just ns5.

*bus station

More in My Coffee Saga

Here's this morning's facebook "update status:"

Last of my American coffee stock.  I'm not even sure where I was when I bought it, but I do remember that I was with my sister in some store and saw a whole bunch of coffee on sale.  This one is the least successful davka.  Archer Farms Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée.  It's a light roast, so not really strong enough.  When that's gone, I'll have to start perking my Elite Turkish again.

It doesn't have anything approaching the zing my homemade vanilla coffee, which is Elite Turkish well perked with a dash of good vanilla extract.  It's my fault in a way for picking a "light roast."  I should have stayed far away from it.  It has the coffee flavor of an ordinary instant coffee.  My previous Archer Farms was good coffee.

Kashrut is OU.  When I was pulling sale price coffee out of the bin in the store I can't remember*, there were many OU coffees.  I looked for the hechsher, kosher certification first and the name and strength of the coffee second. I remember being wary about the "light roast," but the vanilla in the label intrigued me.  Years ago I had bought a vanilla-flavored coffee from a different brand and loved it.  Lesson learned.

*As I was checking out more about Archer Farms I discovered that it's a house brand of Target, so I must have bought the coffee there.  My sister and I did go there to get my grandkids all sorts of arts and crafts supplies.