Tag: chocolate chip cookies

Why switching from instant to brewed coffee is a smart move ?

Posted on by anshubhojnagarwala

If you have grown up in 80s, the chances are you have seen the classic instant coffee ad that goes ‘paparapa parapa paparapa parapa – taste that gets you starting up’. Not only most people in their 40s, 50s and 60s have watched this ad but have also grown up making coffee using this instant coffee powder. Yes, coffee for us meant, adding sugar and instant coffee to hot or cold milk. That’s how we have been drinking coffee, and that’s what I have known coffee to be in the 30 years of my life.

Even in Indian weddings, what is served as Espresso is basically instant coffee with hot milk and sugar.

It is only a few years ago that I discovered that there is coffee that doesn’t use instant coffee, and that you don’t need to stir instant coffee powder into milk and add sugar to have an awesome cup of coffee.

On a cold, rainy evening in Coorg, when I tasted local black coffee, my whole attitude towards coffee changed. I realised that I was handed a mug of freshly brewed coffee, and no wonder coffee was such a popular beverage in the world. I understood that life was much more adventurous and stretched beyond instant coffees.

Gradually, I seeped into the world of brewed coffees and started gathering knowledge about different coffee roasts, grind levels, brewing equipment and different ways of brewing coffee.

Firstly, let’s understand how instant coffee is made? Coffee cherries are picked and dried. The beans are separated and then they are roasted to a certain degree. Then these beans are grounded which is called Ground Coffee. After ground coffee is brewed, the liquid is cooled and spray dried; and the leftover solid residue or granules is your Instant Coffee.

So, instant coffee powder is brewed first, dried into a powder, which you again blend into your milk or water for your cup of coffee. It’s ready to serve. It’s an effortless way to have your coffee.

However, for a fresher and more robust taste of coffee one needs to have brewed coffee that is made fresh right from the beans. Essentially it is the extraction of coffee flavour from ground beans. This extraction of flavour can be done in multiple ways through various combinations of pressures and duration.

Well, you don’t need to be a coffee connoisseur to taste the difference between freshly brewed coffee and instant coffee.

Instant coffee tastes flat and has less amount of caffeine vis-à-vis ground coffee, as coffee extract is drawn out at high levels of heat or by making it sit overnight in the case of cold brew. The longer the coffee sits in the water, the more caffeine gets extracted. One cup of instant coffee contains 30-90 mg of caffeine while a cup of regular ground coffee contains 70-140 mg of caffeine.

Now, let us know the different methods of brewing ground coffee. Most of them I use at my home too.

Press using French Press – A very popular, no fuss equipment that you may have seen in coffee shops or hotel rooms. Just add 2-3 tbsp of coarse ground coffee in the glass pot, pour boiling hot water, stir with a spoon and press the plunger a little below the water. Check any Youtube video to know the correct method if you want.

After 4-5 mins, just pour out the coffee. It makes a robust cup of coffee.

Percolate using Moka Pot – We have a Moka Pot from Bialetti, but you can use the other ones in the market like Pedrini or Kabalo. This type of brewing uses a medium coarse ground.

Pour water in the lower pot, add ground coffee in the mid chamber and put it on the stove for 4-5 mins, where coffee with percolate and get collected in the higher chamber. This brew is usually strong and bitter, and you may need to dilute it by adding fresh hot water.

Pour over/Drip using Coffee Cone – If you watch K-dramas, you may have seen people pouring hot water evenly over coffee grounds in a filter paper. The brewed coffee drips slowly into the pot kept under the paper.

It uses medium fine ground and produces a more rounded cup of coffee than others.

Vacuum using Siphon – It’s a delight to look at this fancy coffee maker. Medium coarse coffee grounds are added to the upper chamber, through vapour pressure, hot water immerses the coffee, and when the heat cools down, the brewed coffee gets collected in the bottom vessel. The entire process takes 5-6 minutes and gives a more subdued and delicate coffee brew.

Espresso Coffee Maker – Till last year, we had been using a drip coffee machine, but when the time came to change it, we bought an Espresso machine from Nescafe and then Vero.

These coffee makers use pressed coffee or coffee pods or capsules packed with fine coffee grounds. Hot water is run through the packed coffee at high pressure and gives a concentrated coffee concoction, with a good layer of creamy froth on the top. It is a single cup serve, usually small. You can drink coffee as is in the form of espresso or dilute it to turn into an Americano.

There are a few more methods of brewing coffee, however we won’t go into them. So as I was saying, I had my first cup of brewed coffee in Coorg and then there was no looking back. Of course, my first cup had jaggery in it, but now I have progressed to non-sugary coffee. I like my coffee freshly brewed and black. Of course, there are times when I indulge in an Affogato, Vietnamese or cold coffee, but they are far and very few.

You are missing something in life if you haven’t had freshly brewed coffees. Trust me, and this is coming from someone who has known coffee only to be the instant kind. And I am telling you, instant coffee is like powdered juice that you can mix in water and drink. Compare that with freshly pressed juices. You got the drift, right?

In the beginning, if you find the brewed coffee too strong, do like what I did and add milk, jaggery or condensed milk. It won’t take you more than a few days to upgrade yourself to black coffee.  

Pair a cookie, date or a cake with your cup of sugarless coffee and let the strong, smooth flavour of the beverage fill up your spirit and brighten up your day.

What to eat with black coffee in the evening?

Posted on by anshubhojnagarwala

Coffee is a staple in a majority of the world. According to Wikipedia, 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed in the world daily. That is quite a lot. While there are people who can’t get out of bed without having a morning cuppa or need their caffeine dose along with their breakfast, there is another lot who consumes their coffee as a post-breakfast or evening pick-me-up. Now, coffee is acidic in nature and can cause acid reflux. Hence, it is advisable to eat something along with coffee to take care of this issue.

People don’t have to think what to eat with coffee for breakfast. A typical English breakfast consisting scrambled eggs with toasted bread and butter, bacon and mashed potatoes is often accompanied with an espresso, and goes well with it too. In fact, you can have most breakfast items along with coffee. But those who are having coffee outside their meals need a little something that is light enough that doesn’t ruin the meal, but big enough to keep them going till their next meal. And the question arises what to serve with afternoon coffee?

The best thing about black coffee is that devoid of sugar and milk, it pairs well with a horde of titbits and goes with both savoury and sweet. Let’s see what you can serve with black coffee in the evening?

Chocolates

Chocolate is a classic flavour that goes the best with many coffees. No wonder, in many cafés, you will be served a piece of chocolate or chocolate coin or cookie along with your coffee. Have a piece of dark chocolate, and enjoy the flavour of the coffee. Btw, our Gluten free Hemp Chocochip Cookies are absolutely delightful. Want to try some?

Bakery Products

You cannot go wrong with sweet baked food when it comes to coffee. The sweetness from pastries, cakes, doughnuts and muffins cuts the bitterness of the coffee quite well.

With your breakfast coffee, indulge in croissants, choux pastries, pancakes and waffles with cream and fresh fruits. While having a coffee with dessert, there is an array of pastries and cakes to choose from. However, in our experience, plain cakes and pastries go better with black coffee than creamy ones or the ones with frosting. The lesser the fanfare, the better it is. Also, espresso and ice creams are a match made in heaven. Try ice creams with nuts or fruits, or plain vanilla, or something with cinnamon, and believe us, you will thank us for it.

For the evening cup of joe, a simple chocolate chip cookie can do wonders for your plain black coffee. At The Soul Kitchen, we have a few varieties of cookies specially designed to compliment your evening black coffee. Choco Chip Cookies, Date Walnut Cookies and Coffee Walnut Cookies made of whole wheat flour, white butter and milk are a few awesome pairings with your coffee. And if you are looking for gluten free options, then we have Ragi Almond Cookies too. And you know what, not only they taste amazing with black coffee, but they also go down very well with your latte, cappuccino, filter kaapi or Vietnamese coffees too. Dunk a rich chocolate cookie in hot cappuccino and see your mood elevating and your energy recharging.

Dried Fruits and Nuts

You don’t always have to indulge in cakes and pastries, you can have some healthy things to eat too with coffee. And what healthy snack option than dried fruits and nuts. They are light but satiating, full of proteins and healthy fats.

Almonds blend particularly well with coffee. So do pecans, pistachios and pine nuts. No wonder, we come across many nutty flavoured coffees. Coconut and coffee are another beautiful pairing. Coconut based sweets and cookies go hand in hand with coffee.

Dried fruits like raisins, prunes, figs, blueberry, raspberry, cranberry are good to munch with coffees. They give you the sugar kick that you are looking for without affecting your weight loss regime.

Sandwiches

If you are looking for something more substantial to eat with your evening black coffee, a PBJ sandwich or an omelet with some toasted bread or an egg and cheese sandwich is a great combination.

Don’t shy away from pairing cheese with your black coffee. Yes, cheeses are not just loyal partners of wines, but taste amazingly well with coffees too. So go ahead, add cheese in your sandwich or omelet, and wash it down with your coffee.

Chips

How can you go wrong with that!! Munch sour cream and onion, sweet potato chips or just ol’ plain potato chips with your coffee. But if you don’t want to pile on unnecessary kilos, we’d say keep your bags of chips away, and have baked kale chips, freshly popped corn and other baked low carb foods prepared at home.

Or how about some corn chips? Ok, did you just make a face? Corn chips with salsa and grilled cheese along with a cup of strong coffee may be an unusual combination but they are one of the best foods to eat with your black coffee.

Also, have you tried coffee with coffee. Like your black coffee with a delightful tiramisu or our very own Coffee Walnut Cookies go very well with black coffee. 

There are many more foods to eat with your black coffee, it depends on one’s culture, availability and food preferences. I personally like to have Indian snacks with coffee. So I munch on popcorn, peanuts, roasted fox nuts, or my homemade almond coconut ladoo with my evening cup of coffee. What do you serve with afternoon coffee or evening black coffee?