Introduction
Let’s start off simple. Let’s first get the tastes right.
Clean Palette
The first few recipes will be clean palette recipes. Clean palette recipes as we call them have little or no milk. They are clear in taste and mostly work well hot and cold. Most importantly they have a clean taste. A tantalizingly simple and clear flavor combination like the simple joys of life
These will let you explore yourself in terms of taste – what works for you, what does not. It’s more about pampering and surprising your taste senses.
Keywords – simple, refreshing, clean, surprise
Clean Palette
The first few recipes will be clean palette recipes. Clean palette recipes as we call them have little or no milk. They are clear in taste and mostly work well hot and cold. Most importantly they have a clean taste. A tantalizingly simple and clear flavor combination like the simple joys of life
These will let you explore yourself in terms of taste – what works for you, what does not. It’s more about pampering and surprising your taste senses.
Keywords – simple, refreshing, clean, surprise
Nutmeg /Mace coffee
1. Buy a nutmeg or mace.
2. Make a coffee brew using your preferred method. Use a south Indian filter SIF or a French press or a machine. Don’t yet add milk.
3. Pick a decent sized mug and add the coffee (recommended version) and hot water
4. Grate the nutmeg into the cup on the hot coffee.
5. Add sugar IF NEEDED
6. For those of you who can’t put yourself through the pleasure of black coffee.
7. For those of you who prefer a cold beverage
8. Grind milk and ice cubes with nutmeg powder or crushed mace and add decoction for a slurpy
Dont yet stop reading - follow on to the blog for a detailed HOW TO enjoy this
- Mace is more delicate in flavors and nutmeg a bit stronger and nutty. One nutmeg costs around Rs.7-8/- . Buy a single piece when coming back from work from any kirana shop or super market.
- Mace is red in color and like a thin flower. Nutmeg is hard and round and dark in color. In Hindi nutmeg is called jayphal and mace is javitri. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_spices
2. Make a coffee brew using your preferred method. Use a south Indian filter SIF or a French press or a machine. Don’t yet add milk.
- Depending on what method you use you could end up with a strong decoction of coffee like from the SIF or a machine and a French press would give you a diluted version
3. Pick a decent sized mug and add the coffee (recommended version) and hot water
- Don’t dilute it too much which will just taste like water
- The net solution must taste coffee and only coffee and not water or a runny diluted coffee
4. Grate the nutmeg into the cup on the hot coffee.
- The heat of the coffee will help release some essential oils from the grated nutmeg granules
- Thinly slice if you picked mace and if possible pound and crush and use
5. Add sugar IF NEEDED
- I personally prefer no sugar or sugar free not because I am a health freak but because traditional sugar leaves a sour taste in the mouth
6. For those of you who can’t put yourself through the pleasure of black coffee.
- Make a decoction of coffee
- Heat milk and add the nutmeg/mace to the heated milk
- Add milk to the decoction.
- Add sugar if needed
7. For those of you who prefer a cold beverage
- Make a black coffee or one with milk
- Chill and drink as simple as that
8. Grind milk and ice cubes with nutmeg powder or crushed mace and add decoction for a slurpy
Dont yet stop reading - follow on to the blog for a detailed HOW TO enjoy this
Cinnamon Spice coffee
Cinnamon is one of those spices which falls in the either or list – used in both sweet and spicy dishes. Its called “Dalchini” in Hindi and very similar names in most of the Indian languages. Its not a developed fruit or a fragrant gentle flower, It’s the matured native bark of a tree . It is earthy in color and in taste too. From what I observe this earthiness of the spice is what makes it blend better with coffee and that’s why probably it is one of the most used spice in conjunction with coffee
HOW TO COFFEE
1. If you are using a SIF – South indian coffee filter or French Press
2. Espresso machine or a coffee maker
3. Cold brew
4. Instant Coffee
Preparation
· I would suggest the black version of coffee
· If you insist on having milk added here are the options
· Cold black is just chilling the coffee
· Cold Coffee tastes great with cinnamon
Considerations
The oils from coffee and cinnamon mingle to create a gentle aroma and taste
About 10g of cinnamon contains 0.12g of fat which have essential oils readily available. Try using a metal filter as in SIF or French press – A paper filter absorbs all the essential oils which is sort of taking off the delicate flavors
Don’t boil cinnamon for long. You just want the flavor and essential oils not boiled bark flavored drink.
Its heady when taken in large amounts and might cause kind of nausea.
HOW TO COFFEE
1. If you are using a SIF – South indian coffee filter or French Press
- a. Boil water
- b. Add the cinnamon to the water just before turning off the flame or add it after you have turned off the flame
- i. We don’t want to boil cinnamon
- ii. Cinnamon powder can be used or you can freshly crush cinnamon with anything strong enough and drop the twigs/crush to the hot water
- c. Make up the SIF by adding coffee powder and tamping with the kind of plunger
- i. If you are using a French press just add the coffee
- d. Just add the hot water with the cinnamon to the French press of SIF – Don’t bother filtering
- i. Let it take all the time to mingle with coffee grounds
- ii. Push back the filter of the French press or let it drip in a SIF
2. Espresso machine or a coffee maker
- a. Pour in cold water into the coffee maker as usual
- b. In the brew basket
- i. Either mix the coffee with cinnamon grounds and tamp
- ii. Or put up a layer of coffee , then a thin spread of cinnamon powder and another layer of coffee
- iii. Cinnamon powder is preferred as broken /bruised/crushed cinnamon will not have time to give the fullest of flavors
- c. Tamp ad fix the brew basket to the machine
- d. Switch on and wait for the trickle to begin
- i. The hot water will start collecting coffee and cinnamon from the grounds and start flowing out
3. Cold brew
- a. SIF – South Indian Filter can be used for a cold brew with ease
- b. Put coffee and tamp it with the plunger
- c. Crush cinnamon and add water and close the lid
- d. Let it stand for a few hours to drip with the power of gravity
4. Instant Coffee
- a. For heaven’s sake please change the way you brew your coffee
- b. Boil water and add cinnamon sticks crushed or powder before you turn the heat off
- i. I personally would prefer crushed sticks as powder becomes too fine for filtering and leaves a bad textured last sip
- c. Add coffee to a cup
- d. Filter the hot cinnamon water and add them to the coffee
Preparation
· I would suggest the black version of coffee
- The tastes come out far better with a delicate cinnamon tinge and a great after taste
· If you insist on having milk added here are the options
- Add hot milk to the decoction you created above
- Or
- Make coffee decoction as usual
- Add the cinnamon to the milk
- Strain and mix coffee and milk
· Cold black is just chilling the coffee
- Sweeten it by sugar or sugar free – personal preference
· Cold Coffee tastes great with cinnamon
- Make the coffee
- Refrigerate it
- Or Make the coffee decoction and add cold milk
- Add sugar
- If possible run it on a blender for a few minutes to add to the thickness and froth
- Add ice cubes if you can
Considerations
The oils from coffee and cinnamon mingle to create a gentle aroma and taste
About 10g of cinnamon contains 0.12g of fat which have essential oils readily available. Try using a metal filter as in SIF or French press – A paper filter absorbs all the essential oils which is sort of taking off the delicate flavors
Don’t boil cinnamon for long. You just want the flavor and essential oils not boiled bark flavored drink.
Its heady when taken in large amounts and might cause kind of nausea.
Ginger Coffee - Sharp & Spicy - The right wake up call
A very common spice in most of our households and a near staple base, when mixed with garlic, in many of our curries. It is strong flavored with the characteristic tough guy aroma. And in our list, this is the first spice which does not have a sweet undertone.
Please Note
I would like to put up two major things out before we go any further.
· Adding more sugar to this recipe will only make it like a cough recipe made with jaggery pepper and water. So be careful when adding sugar – If at all you want to add some. I would suggest otherwise
· Please only use fresh ginger. Powdered ginger has a completely different flavor and does not blend well with coffee.
How to - Instruction set
No long instruction set this time around. Its simple and straight. Just remember to keep ALL the ingredients fresh – the ginger & coffee.
SIF/ French Press
Espresso Machine/Coffee Maker
Any other version
Drop crushed ginger in boiling water and use it in any way you are comfortable making coffee normally
Precautions
Ginger is a spice which can burn if used in large or more than less or more than normal quantities. Always start with less. If you feel its pale and bland go ahead and use some more. Don’t start off with a good thick piece of ginger and make it into a spicy throat burning liquid
Try not adding milk. Ginger being a spicy one is not one of the brightest kids to go with milk which is a kind of sweet chap.
Check our blog for why on earth would some one use ginger with their coffee
Please Note
I would like to put up two major things out before we go any further.
· Adding more sugar to this recipe will only make it like a cough recipe made with jaggery pepper and water. So be careful when adding sugar – If at all you want to add some. I would suggest otherwise
· Please only use fresh ginger. Powdered ginger has a completely different flavor and does not blend well with coffee.
How to - Instruction set
No long instruction set this time around. Its simple and straight. Just remember to keep ALL the ingredients fresh – the ginger & coffee.
SIF/ French Press
- Add coffee powder & Tamp
- Add hot water and CRUSHED ginger
- A 1/8 OR LESSER inch of ginger root should suffice
Espresso Machine/Coffee Maker
- Add coffee and tamp
- Crush ginger and put it on top of the brew basket.
- Use a bit more than for the SIF. The extraction is weak
Any other version
Drop crushed ginger in boiling water and use it in any way you are comfortable making coffee normally
Precautions
Ginger is a spice which can burn if used in large or more than less or more than normal quantities. Always start with less. If you feel its pale and bland go ahead and use some more. Don’t start off with a good thick piece of ginger and make it into a spicy throat burning liquid
Try not adding milk. Ginger being a spicy one is not one of the brightest kids to go with milk which is a kind of sweet chap.
Check our blog for why on earth would some one use ginger with their coffee
All Spice Coffee - The natural spice blend
For a brief on AllSpice go through our blog
Before we jump into how to put the allspice to use so ground work is needed. If necessary clean up the allspice corns you have bought off the stems. It’s a pretty hard spice and needs to be ground before usage. You could do any of the below before putting allspice to use.
Don’t boil the allspice at any cost.It becomes bitter and metallic in taste for some reason. Unlike other spices, I have noticed that, allspice somehow does not take heat/boiling very well. The sweet spicy taste of it drastically changes to bitter rusty taste
SIF – South Indian Filter –
Espresso Machine
French Press
Add milk and sugar if necessary. Allspice goes well with milk and sugar unlike ginger
Sprinkle some AllSpice on top of the finished drink for the aroma to be lingering over the cup and with you
Cold coffee
Black or otherwise can be made in the way you prefer. Use a bit more of AllSpice as the taste gets mellowed down with the temperature.
Add sugar to the cold coffee’s which makes AllSpice stand out and give you a great beverage.
Before we jump into how to put the allspice to use so ground work is needed. If necessary clean up the allspice corns you have bought off the stems. It’s a pretty hard spice and needs to be ground before usage. You could do any of the below before putting allspice to use.
- Put them into a powerful blender and blend it up nicely. But if you powder the whole packet then make sure you store it in a air tight container. Because once you loose the flavor and the volatile oils all you will be left with is dust names allspice
- Put them into the kind of pepper grinder you get which can be ground directly before you use. The twist and grind gadgets
- Crush them nicely using the small mortar and pestle before use.
Don’t boil the allspice at any cost.It becomes bitter and metallic in taste for some reason. Unlike other spices, I have noticed that, allspice somehow does not take heat/boiling very well. The sweet spicy taste of it drastically changes to bitter rusty taste
SIF – South Indian Filter –
- Put in the coffee in the top vessel and tamp .
- Add a layer of AllSpice powder into the coffee grounds and then tamp it with a plunger.
- Now add hot water and assemble the rest and wait
Espresso Machine
- Add a teaspoon of coffee grounds to the brew basket. Add AllSpice and layer it up with another spoon of coffee grounds.
- Tamp it nicely and then fit the brew basket to the machine.
- Switch on and let it flow.
French Press
- Use half the amount you would use in any other method. Because the hot water comes in direct contact with the Spice
- Add coffee grounds and carefully add the AllSpice Add hot water
- Push the plunger down in 2-3 minutes.
Add milk and sugar if necessary. Allspice goes well with milk and sugar unlike ginger
Sprinkle some AllSpice on top of the finished drink for the aroma to be lingering over the cup and with you
Cold coffee
Black or otherwise can be made in the way you prefer. Use a bit more of AllSpice as the taste gets mellowed down with the temperature.
Add sugar to the cold coffee’s which makes AllSpice stand out and give you a great beverage.
Allspice desert
Buy a small can of Milkmaid or condensed milk
Make a thick decoction of plain Coffee – Use a SIF or a espresso machine/Moka Pot
Take a small bowl. Add the coffee decoction first.
Put a dollop of condensed milk
Sprinkle AllSpice on top of it and refrigerate
This should make you day anytime
Make a thick decoction of plain Coffee – Use a SIF or a espresso machine/Moka Pot
Take a small bowl. Add the coffee decoction first.
Put a dollop of condensed milk
Sprinkle AllSpice on top of it and refrigerate
This should make you day anytime