Sacred Beans And
now we read from the Book of Arabica, Chapter One, Verse One: Take delight in
specialty coffee, for it has been given to the Earth for those in East Oakland
to embrace. There is a new storefront bestowing itself upon the Bancroft and Havenscourt
Avenue area in East Oakland, Calif.: Heavenly Grounds coffeehouse, a joint effort
between community church leaders and local entrepreneurs. The coffeehouse, situated
in a troubled section of Oakland, seeks to bring specialty coffee, hope and rejuvenation
to the neighborhood. While serving up fine, piping-hot blends rarely seen in the
area, Heavenly Grounds soothes customers with omnipotent gospel music. Heavenly
Grounds arose through the work of the Rev. Kevin Barnes, pastor at West Oakland's
Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church; the Rev. Brandon Reems of East Oakland's
Center of Hope Community Church; the Rev. Ernest L. Clark; and local businessmen
R.G. Jackson, George Fullwood and Calvin Grigsby. The coffeehouse’s goal
is to raise money for the churches outside of the pews, to establish more stable
businesses and to provide jobs to the community. To close the sermon, we read
again from the Book of Arabica: Coffee will shepherd the weak and bring life once
again where it was not before. Amen. Tea and Thievery The
Mathurs were a fun-loving Indian family residing in the Lokhandwala Complex in
the city of Mumbai, India. They enjoyed entertaining guests and having them over
for tea in the afternoon. They had nothing to fear–that is, until Satish
Sehgal began his employment at their domicile. Sehgal was hired as the family’s
cook on Dec. 3 and quickly began to hatch a scheme that would leave the Mathur
family questioning the steeped leaf and fearing for the pleasurable shelter of
tea time. It was on Dec. 5 that Dhrup Mathur welcomed two guests to his home,
and the three were served a torpid concoction of sleeping pills and tea by Sehgal.
Once he had put his victims to sleep, Sehgal escaped with one gold mangalsutra
(a necklace) and two bangles. Later, as Muthur arose from slumber, he noticed
the missing jewelry and reported the crime. After the whole sleeping pills and
robbery thing, it can probably be assumed that Sehgal won’t be getting a
letter of recommendation from Dhrup Mathur. Road Rage, Part 2 In
January’s Unfiltered section, we mentioned an incident involving road rage
and a man who attempted to steal a car, but was thwarted by a tenacious woman
armed with a mug of searing-hot tea. This month, Fresh Cup Magazine reports on
yet another similar incident from the coffee world.
In Oklahoma City, Okla., Denise Siegle was on her way to work
when a man cut her off. He proceeded to play cat and mouse with her and repeatedly
pumped his brakes ominously. When Siegle caught up to the unruly driver, he put
the icing on the cake by throwing hot coffee at her. Luckily she managed to jot
down the license plate number—from her coffee-drenched car—as he sped
away from the scene of the crime. The aggressive driver now faces aggravated assault
charges, though he might be able to plead insanity for wasting a perfectly good
cup of coffee.
The World's Most Expensive Coffee Six-hundred
dollars per pound. That is how much some are willing to pay for one of the rarest
coffees in the world: Kopi (coffee) Luwak. The strange brew derives from a very,
very unconventional processing method which gives it a rich, chocolaty taste and
specialty appeal. The Luwak, known also as the palm civet, is a wild cat native
to the Indonesian islands that loves to snack on only the ripest coffee cherries.
As the cherry passes through the digestive system of the animal, it is partially
broken down and fermented by the animal’s stomach acids and digestive enzymes.
The bean is then excreted, hand-picked by extremely dedicated field hands and
washed carefully. The flavor is said to be second to none, and the discovery of
this fine flavor... well, maybe that’s better left undetermined.
Brewing up some Unfiltered news? Send tips to Fresh
Cup Unfiltered,
PO Box 14827, Portland, OR 97293-0827, or e-mail your thoughts to freshcup@freshcup.com.
Signatures Barista:
Phuong Tran Coffeehouse:
Lava Java, Ridgefield, Wash. Honors:
4th Place in Western Regional Barista Competition, 2003 Drink: Coconut
Zesta Contents:
Two teaspoons raw sugar, one lime, two lime leaves (optional), six ounces coconut
milk, six ounces whole milk, espresso shot(s)
Preparation: Combine coconut milk and whole milk together in a steaming pitcher.
Steam the milk to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Brew espresso shot(s) straight into
preheated cups (I like mine with two shots). Add one teaspoon of raw sugar to
each cup of espresso and stir. Pour the steamed milk onto espresso. Sprinkle a
little bit of raw sugar around the rim of the cups. Add a touch of lime zest on
top and enjoy! If lime leaves are available, squeeze the leaves to release their
citrus aroma and set one leaf on each saucer to give off a lime scent when the
cup is lifted off its saucer. Inspiration:
My mother often uses coconut milk in her cooking. That’s how I started experimenting
with coconut milk, and hence the Coconut Zesta was created. This creamy drink
is perfect for the Northwesterner who wants to escape from the cold and rain for
just a few moments. Its distinctive and exquisite taste is refreshing, and it
brings a warm and tropical feeling to all of us!
Send your photos of signature drinks along with a
contact phone number to "Signatures," Fresh
Cup Magazine, PO Box 14827, Portland, OR 97293;
or e-mail a high-resolution image to freshcup@freshcup.com
The
Wired Café 
And
now we read from the Book of Arabica, Chapter One, Verse One: Take delight in
specialty coffee, for it has been given to the Earth for those in East Oakland
to embrace. There is a new storefront bestowing itself upon the Bancroft and Havenscourt
Avenue area in East Oakland, Calif.: Heavenly Grounds coffeehouse, a joint effort
between community church leaders and local entrepreneurs. The coffeehouse, situated
in a troubled section of Oakland, seeks to bring specialty coffee, hope and rejuvenation
to the neighborhood. While serving up fine, piping-hot blends rarely seen in the
area, Heavenly Grounds soothes customers with omnipotent gospel music. Heavenly
Grounds arose through the work of the Rev. Kevin Barnes, pastor at West Oakland's
Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church; the Rev. Brandon Reems of East Oakland's
Center of Hope Community Church; the Rev. Ernest L. Clark; and local businessmen
R.G. Jackson, George Fullwood and Calvin Grigsby. The coffeehouse’s goal
is to raise money for the churches outside of the pews, to establish more stable
businesses and to provide jobs to the community. To close the sermon, we read
again from the Book of Arabica: Coffee will shepherd the weak and bring life once
again where it was not before. Amen.
The
Mathurs were a fun-loving Indian family residing in the Lokhandwala Complex in
the city of Mumbai, India. They enjoyed entertaining guests and having them over
for tea in the afternoon. They had nothing to fear–that is, until Satish
Sehgal began his employment at their domicile. Sehgal was hired as the family’s
cook on Dec. 3 and quickly began to hatch a scheme that would leave the Mathur
family questioning the steeped leaf and fearing for the pleasurable shelter of
tea time. It was on Dec. 5 that Dhrup Mathur welcomed two guests to his home,
and the three were served a torpid concoction of sleeping pills and tea by Sehgal.
Once he had put his victims to sleep, Sehgal escaped with one gold mangalsutra
(a necklace) and two bangles. Later, as Muthur arose from slumber, he noticed
the missing jewelry and reported the crime. After the whole sleeping pills and
robbery thing, it can probably be assumed that Sehgal won’t be getting a
letter of recommendation from Dhrup Mathur. 
In
January’s Unfiltered section, we mentioned an incident involving road rage
and a man who attempted to steal a car, but was thwarted by a tenacious woman
armed with a mug of searing-hot tea. This month, Fresh Cup Magazine reports on
yet another similar incident from the coffee world. 
Six-hundred
dollars per pound. That is how much some are willing to pay for one of the rarest
coffees in the world: Kopi (coffee) Luwak. The strange brew derives from a very,
very unconventional processing method which gives it a rich, chocolaty taste and
specialty appeal. The Luwak, known also as the palm civet, is a wild cat native
to the Indonesian islands that loves to snack on only the ripest coffee cherries.
As the cherry passes through the digestive system of the animal, it is partially
broken down and fermented by the animal’s stomach acids and digestive enzymes.
The bean is then excreted, hand-picked by extremely dedicated field hands and
washed carefully. The flavor is said to be second to none, and the discovery of
this fine flavor... well, maybe that’s better left undetermined. 
Contents: