Thai Victory- Doi Chaang

I have reclaimed my French Press!  Last night marked a victory against the pregnancy-induced anti-coffee campaign.   As I was in a very enterprising and energetic mood, I decided to try out one of the ‘Vancouver coffees’, which have been kept waiting in the freezer.   So without further ado, I present Pride of the North, a single origin, dark roast offering from Doi Chaang Coffee.

[The Doi Chaang Coffee Company is a unique partnership between the Akha hillside tribe of Doi Chang Village, located in the Chiang Rai Province of Northern Thailand, and a small Canadian group of coffee enthusiasts. The Thai farming family co-operative cultivate and process 100% Arabica, organic, single-origin coffee beans while the Canadian experts roast, market and distribute the coffee]. http://doichaangcoffee.com/

I got the Doi Chaang beans out of the freezer and took a first sniff- it was okay.  After the beans had a chance to warm up to room temperature I ran them through the grinder and took a second sniff- what a yummy chocolaty aroma.  Then the fresh grounds were hit with the hot water- oh la la...  how delicious the fragrance of chocolate and smoke. What a welcome delight to my coffee deprived senses.  

The Pride of the North is supposed to be a dry-processed bean i.e. the coffee cherries are sun-dried, as opposed to washed, to remove the flesh and skin of the fruit prior to processing the bean.  Sun-dried beans often have a very marked fruity or bright flavour, but I wasn’t quite able to detect that flavour when I tasted the black freshly brewed drink.  What I did enjoy, however, was a very rich, robust, slightly spicy smoky flavour. Delicious!  I thoroughly enjoyed my few sips.  

What an excellent way to restart fresh brewed coffee production!  Husband was delighted and said it was the best coffee he’d had in months!

Roll Again

saturday.4.december.2010

The craving (probably more of a Christmas related craving as opposed to a pregnancy related one) for fresh Black Cake has yet to be satisfied.  I did manage to scrounge up some cake made earlier this year… but I’m ready for the new cakes! To help tide things over, I decided to make another batch of cinnamon rolls.  Little Feet and Little Brother (Daniel) were spending the day with us and seemed quite pleased with this decision as well.  Unfortunately, due to the necessary time lapse for dough rising, by the time the rolls were ready for baking the kids had to head off home.  This did not stop a very enterprising Little Feet from offering to eat the raw, unbaked rolls.  We were able to convince him that it would taste much better once cooked.  I added some extra cinnamon sugar this time and some raisins to half the batch.  It was a hit with the family and with Little Feet and Little Brother who enjoyed their rolls a day later. 

Little Feet’s recommendation for an accompanying drink: PediaSure! 

More Fresh Brew Subs

friday.3.december.2010

Another substitute for fresh ground and brewed coffee taking up residence in my kitchen is the Coffee Singles pack.  The Singles packs include a “teabag-like” bag of coffee grounds which is attached to a tabbed thread.  The bags are brewed pretty much just like a teabag, with some additional dunking necessary.  We’ve had these little sachets around for quite some time now, as Mother-in-Law finds them to be a handy alternative when I’m not around to make a fresh brew.  Husband has been making good use out of the little coffee bags, as well (poor thing).  Both Folgers and Maxwell House produce these coffee-in-a-bag products.  The Folgers is the brand we use more often and, quite honestly, it tastes better.  The Folgers has a richer, fuller taste and produces a more all-encompassing aroma while brewing.  The Maxwell House, by comparison, is quite weak.  Both products require a tip of milk and/or sugar to enhance the flavour.  Don’t be too generous with the milk though, as it doesn’t take much to dilute the flavour of this coffee. Real coffee will be back in the kitchen soon... I hope!

Black Cake

No lattes as yet, but last night Mother-in-law had the house full of yummy scents from the first batch of Black Cake or Fruit Cake or Rum Cake (as my London friends used to call it).  Nothing smells more like Christmas in Trinidad than fruity, spicy rum infused cake!  Unfortunately we didn’t get to eat any cake from this first batch (which technically belongs to Sister-in-law # 5) and will have to wait a couple of weeks for the second set.  Since I can’t enjoy any Ponche de crème this year, I’m really looking forward to some moderately-sized samples of black cake!

I tried to work out what coffee, espresso or latte flavour would best accompany a slice of Black Cake, but I’ve come to the conclusion that the richness of the cake really would be best left standing on its own.  Maybe a glass of Sorrel or Ponche de crème to follow would be best…