Gift Giving!!

If you are gift giving this year ...

you have to come to Coffee Times!

 

With Christmas right around the corner we have some great ideas for your gift giving this year.

Stocking stuffers, ornaments, brewing mechanism, and great gift boxes of coffee and tea already wrapped and ready to give!

 

Coffee & Tea?

 

This year we've wrapped and preground awesome coffee boxes to grab and GO! With a great select of coffee in each of them for any coffee drinker! Includes 4-1/3 pounds of automatic drip ground coffee, a scoop, wrapped in classy Christmas paper

Winter Wonderland: the flavored box; it contains Mistletoe Jo (a unique blend of cinnamon, hazelnut, vanilla, and almond), Chocolate Hazelnut, Mexi-Cafe (cinnamon and chocolate, anyone?), and Reindeer Rum (a spiced vanilla rum).

JOY to the WORLD: The around the World box with coffees from different growing regions. It includes Guatemalan (South American), Tanzania Peaberry (African), Maui (Hawaiian), and Indonesian City Roast (a Sumatran bean roasted to a City Roast ... so from Indonesia).

Peace on Earth: All fair trade and organic coffees. This box is great with FTO blend, Fair Trade Colombian, Fair Trade Guatemalan, and Organic Peruvian included. A delicious gift!

I'll have a Big Blue Christmas: A delicious gift box filled with all the favorites! Big Blue Blend, Bluegrass Breakfast, KY Bourbon, and Bourbon Ball. Perfect for UK fans or even someone who loves a little Bluegrass!

12 Days of Christmas: the variety box! A gift box for anyone! 6 regular coffees and 6 flavored coffees all in 1 potters, so it'll make 1 FULL pot of coffee. A yummy surprise!

And ... O'Christmas Tea: a little different from the coffee box including 5-1/8 pounds of tea. Vanilla Chai (warm chai with a little milk makes this tea perfect for a cold night!), Earl Grey Green (who doesn't love that Bergamot taste?), On the Waterfront (an herbal peppermint tea with hints of rose and peach), Orient Express (fruity and cinnamon mix), and Evergreen and Red (our secret blend of black, green, and red teas). 

 



we open our house to you!

It's here! Christmas time is here! 

We've hung all our Christmas ornaments and stockings up, we've lit up our display window with another John Feather original display- and it is fabulous, we've also created a holiday menu with wonderful drinks like the Turtledove Chai, a Peppermint Moka, or even a simple hot chocolate. This is the time of year when we get to share more of what we do best- COFFEE! Everybody wants something warm during the cold months, and we have the best coffees, teas, and cocoa!

This Saturday we are having our annual Christmas Open House

from 9am-6pm.

Its going to be an event to attend!

 

There will be festivities all day long and some really good discounts on coffee side.

We will be sampling one of our holiday favorites, Aspen Mulling Spices and cider, along with Moonshine or Bourbon balls, and cookies made by Mary Parlanti. Is that a triple yum, or what?

EVERYONE who purchase something on coffee side can receive a chance to get either 10,20, or 50% off their purchase!! And that is a deal!!

There will be live music from Chris Grills and John Forgy from 2-4pm.  

 

And here's a tip from the wise ... make sure you download our app for a secret deal that will be posted at 11am and good for the rest of the day!!!



Merry Christmas flavors

We have our Christmas flavors out!

What you have been waiting for!!

 

We have a lot of new flavors this year, some are oldies (but goodies!) and others are new and interesting!

Who doesn't want a little coffee in their stocking for Christmas? It's a great stocking stuffer and we have a little something for everyone. Spread some holiday cheer with our new flavors, or our old :).

 

Our HOLIDAY COFFEES are:

 

Gingerbread Man:Run, run as fast as you can ... because we caught the flavor of the Gingerbread Man! It's true. The flavor of a gingerbread cookie but with a hint of cream, this is a true holiday treat!!  



                                        Mexi-Cafe: chocolate and cinnamon lovers this is for you! It is the perfect balance, and if you've ever had our Mexi-Cappuccino (or cocoa) you'll love this deliciousness in your cup!  

Cranberries and Cream: a great cranberry flavor. Smooth and fruity, but everything cranberry you crave!     

Snow Cream: A fresh vanilla but a creamy, sugary sweet. Unique blend and a true vanilla taste.

Spiked Egg Nog: Who doesn't love a little holiday cheer (oh, and for extra cheer add a little something special ;))? This couldn't be any closer to a cup of egg nog with a splash of bourbon, top it with whipped cream. Yum!

Reindeer Rum: a spiced vanilla rum, perfect for the holidays ... and maybe rum? :)

 

 Stop by and try our new holiday coffee's, take some home with you, get it as a Christmas gift!!

 

Come stop by as we are winding into Christmas! Catch our coffee calendar, our newest iPhone app, or on Facebook for updates on coffees of the day to keep you posted on what we will be serving this holiday season.

You can try it before you buy it!  

 

 

 

  

                          



Who doesn't love cider?

(it is definitely my favorite Fall drink!)

 

It's something about the Fall crisp air, harvesting apples, Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays, and the leaves falling from the trees that makes me crave all things Autumn.   (Cider is one of those things I crave!)  

For us here at Coffee Times, this is the time where we really get geared into our busy season, the weather is finally cool enough  customers want something like a Caramel Apple Cider, Cider Chai, a warm Cider :). We serve Evan's Orchard cider in our Fall drink concoctions; local, fresh pressed Kentucky Apple cider. YUM!!

Cider sacks are handy to have and make great Fall gifts. Inside are all the ingredients to spice up your apple cider, including allspice, cloves, black peppercorn, cinnamon sticks, and orange rinds.

How to make a cider sack:

Wrap up a Cider Sack by placing 8 black peppercorns, 6 whole allspice, 6 whole cloves, 2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks, and 3 (3- x 1-inch) orange rind strips on a 5-inch square of cheesecloth. Gather the edges, and tie securely with kitchen string. Give it as a gift!!

Other Cider Recipes:

Mulling Spice (serve 8-10 people)

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon whole cloves
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• Zest of 1 orange (or orange peel with pith removed)
• 2 (1/2-inch thick) slices peeled fresh ginger
• 1/2 gallon organic apple cider or low-sulfide red wine
• 1 tablespoon of allspice

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat cider or wine over medium-high heat; stir in allspice, cloves, cinnamon, orange zest and ginger.

2. Bring to boiling; reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, six to eight minutes or until desired flavor is achieved.
3. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve; discard solids. Serve warm

Spiced Cider

Combine 1 gal. apple cider, 2 qt. cranberry juice cocktail, and a Spice Bag in a large Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Discard Cider Sack before serving. Serve hot or cold.

tough on tummies.

Is coffee tough on your tummy? We've had a lot of customers that have sensitive stomachs and don't drink coffee because they can't find anything that suits their stomach's situation. Acidic, too harsh, "makes my stomach upset", burns ... are all words, or explainations, customers use as to why they don't enjoy a cup of coffee.

We do offer several kinds of coffee that are easier on the stomach and a brewing mechanism that does brew out 65% of the acid in coffee.

So let's explore options ...

We don't roast all of our coffees dark (like City, Vienna, French, or Italian Roasts) which some people associate with 'harsh' or 'acidic'. We offer a lot of varieties of medium roasts, such as Tanzania Peaberry, Java, and Brazil Santos which we  suggest for those who have more sensitve stomachs and can't handle the acidy taste or aftermath of coffee. It's a matter of trying different types until you find something that agrees with you.

Brewing the acid out! 

The Toddy Coffeemaker is a cold brewing system. Toddy comes with a maker (duh!), a plug, 2 filters, a handle for the maker, and a decanter with lid. This brewing mechanism is unique because of how it brews ... 

How does it work? 

Let me tell ya! First you want to pick out a coffee of choice; I love Big Blue Blend, Copenhagen, and Dudley's Blend brewed in Toddy. But, whatever YOU want!

So, because of the filter and the way the Toddy brews it takes out 65% of the acid, basically extracting it when you pull the plug and drain it.

Let me explain the set up ...

To brew a full decanter you want to use a pound of coffee (a true pound, 16 oz.) to 9 cups of water.

First, add one cup of water to the bottom of the plastic maker.

Then, you want to add half a pound of coffee, and in a circular motion add another 4 cups of water on top to saturate the grinds. Make sure that you get the coffee ground electric perc, or really course.

wait ... 5 minutes ...

 Then you want to repeat the second step again, so add the other half pound of coffee and another 4 cups of water repeating the same circular motion getting all the grind wet. You want to make sure that it doesn't overflow and that all the ground are saturated without stirring it. If you stir a Toddy you could clog the filter, which is why you need a courser grind as well. ;)
If coffee is tough on your tummy don't give up on coffee all together unless you've tried a remedy. Hopefully, we can help find something that will be easier on your tummy without hurting, or being too acidy. Try the Toddy, try a coffee that is lower in acidity, but none the less if you LOVE coffee let us help you find something that will work for your sensitive tum-tum!  

 

always put the stopper on the outside :)

maker with stopper

ground coffee inside

the whole set up

filters

eat, drink, and be SCARY!!!

I love Fall and it's festivities.







I love the shop around this time of year. Well we love it all the time, but I love it when  people are stopping by to grab a hot cup of coffee because the mornings have gotten chilly, the seasonal goodies we have, cider and pumpkin. Yum, yum. This is the time of year the shop thrives the most, we love being busy and we love the holidays! With Halloween right around the corner the shop is filled with all things Halloween.



feather and slush

spiders eating slush :o

 

We have lots of spooky decorations and festive wear for you this year. Not to mention we are also serving pumpkin falvored drinks at the bar and cider too! We've been playing around (preparing ourselves) for a kooky & spooky Halloween filled with all things scary! Grab a pound of Pumpkin Pie Spice or hit the bar for a Caramel Apple Cider, a Pumpkin Latte, or maybe even a Cider Chai. We'd love to celebrate the season with you and warm you up!

aspiring roasters.

Home roasting has becoming increasingly popular the past few years, and working at a local roasting plant I've have heard all kinds of tales about the 'how-tos' and the methods they have found that work for them. We get the joy of helping these home roasters find a particular kind of green bean that will work for them, something they can practice on. I have heard everything from hot air popcorn poppers to cast iron skillets, one guy made a crazy hot air popper with a metal topper because after melting several tops to his hot air poppers he decided to create something that wouldn't melt :). There are lots of ways to roast at home, and whatever works for you in your roasting endeavor is great, but I want to share a simple way that I have learned of home roasting ...
To start:
You want to preheat your oven to 500 degrees for about 30 mins before putting beans in there, so while that is preheating get your beans ready ...
Make sure that you have a reference color in mind for your beans, something that you can compare colors to (already roasted coffee that you enjoy). Coffee continues to change colors after it's roasted, so if it's not right at the color you want wait ... because it very quickly could be. Think of like a mahogany or a light brown ... whatever you can come up with that relates to a particular color/taste preference. And take notes of what you are doing so that you can have a detailed account of what you've done, changed, and what didn't work. Using a perforated baking sheet is the simplest way to home roast and it ensures that you don't invest more than what you need to and also gives you the chance to try it without losing the investment.

perforated baking sheet

What you'll need:

•  a perforated baking sheet
• an oven that can withstand a 500 degree temperature
• green coffee beans
• 2 medium metal sieves
• a stop watch or timer that shows seconds
• a scale that can weigh grams

How to:

• Put the baking sheet in the middle of the over rack to ensure that it will get even heating.
• You'll want to weigh out the green coffee with your gram scale to know how much weight the coffee will lose in the roasting process.
• Spread the coffee evenly across the baking sheet, no bean should fall over another, but make sure that you only have beans on 1/2 - 2/3 of the baking sheet
• Have LOTS of ventilation, open windows or turn on your range exhaust because you are likely to have smoke rolling ...
• Put the beans in the oven!!
• Make sure that you don't have to oven door open more than 4-5 sconds at a time, you might need a flashlight to be able to observe the beans and see the color brightly.

color difference between green and roasted

The Breakdown:

• At 2-3 1/2 minutes the green beans will turn a more intense green color
• Around 4 minutes it will turn yellowish, you want to agitate the pan so that the outer beans come more towards the middle of the baking sheet.
• At 5 (maybe 5 1/2) minutes the beans will start to turn brownish, a light brown. Go ahead and agitate the beans again swooshing the baking pan around so that they are turning.
• 7-8 minutes you'll hear the first crack ... its similar to popcorn (both go through a heating process to get a finishing product)
• 20-30 seconds after you hear the first crack agitate the baking sheet again, swooshing the beans around the baking sheet
• 45 seconds after you hear the first crack, around minute 9, the coffee is significantly changing in color and taste. REMEMBER to take notes because it will help you in the future with time and taste for batches you'll do in the future.
• Take it out just before you think it's done, because coffee will continue to change colors after you remove it.
• When you remove it from the oven take it outside and use the sieves to pour the beans from one sieve to another, back and forth, holding them an arms length away from one another. This helps remove the chaff from the bean and helps cool the bean down.
• Make sure you weigh it once you are done to see what weight you ended up with.
• Over the next 5-10 days the flavor of your coffee will start to set in. You can drink it sooner, but our Master ROaster suggests waiting a few days because roasted coffee usually is its best 5-6 days after roasting.

metal sieve (collander)

VOILA! You've roasted your own batch of coffee at home, and probably a little safer than a potentially meltable hot air popper. ;) Hope that this helps and maybe creates a new hobby for you, because let's be honest there is nothing like freshly roasted coffee.