Dr. Coffee responds:
Coffee grounds are a very good addition to your composting efforts. They are considered a "green" or nitrogen source with a C/N ratio about 20:1. While it is widely thought that they are acidic, it has been shown that most of their acidity is removed in the brewing process. Used grounds are essentially neutral and composting them with other materials will buffer any minor residual acidity. As a rule of thumb, the amount of grounds you would want to add to a compost pile is dependent on how many you may have available to you. If you were just using the amount that an average household might generate you should have no concerns. But some of you may have access to larger volumes and in that case you should limit the percentage to no more than 25% of the volume of the pile.

Coffee by-products can be used in the garden and farm as follows:

• Sprinkle used grounds around plants before rain or watering, for a slow-release nitrogen.

• Add to compost piles to increase nitrogen balance.  Coffee filters and tea bags break down rapidly during composting.

• Dilute with water for a gentle, fast-acting liquid fertilizer.  Use about a half-pound can of wet grounds in a five-gallon bucket of water; let sit outdoors to achieve ambient temperature.

• Mix into soil for houseplants or new vegetable beds.

• Encircle the base of the plant with a coffee and eggshell barrier to repel pests.

If you are into vermi-posting, feed a little bit to your worms!

(Source: http://www.gardenweb.com)

Dr. Coffee debunks the Vacuum Fresh Myth:
So, you know how all the "big boy" coffee companies advertise how they seal in the freshness of their coffee by vacuum packing it? Well we’re here to tell you that the value of vacuum-sealing coffee is all a big myth…it’s all about marketing.

When coffee is ground, the volatile gases that make up that wonderful coffee aroma we all love are released. Along with this, the grounds of coffee are obviously exposed to oxygen – fresh coffee’s enemy – and the coffee begins to de-gas (big company lingo) or "go stale" (little company lingo!).

Here at Peace Coffee, when we grind coffee for a customer, it is immediately packaged so that it’s exposure to air is minimal. And, our foil bags actually have a one-way valve that lets gas out but doesn't allow air in. If we sealed the bag and it had no valve, the bag would eventually burst from the gases being released.

Herein lies the myth of vacuum-sealed fresh coffee. Vacuum-sealing requires that the coffee be ground and left exposed to the air – typically for 2-3 days. This allows all of the gases and aromas to dissipate (bummer) and accelerates the staling of the ground coffee. If this is not done, the bags or cans into which it is to be packed would burst at the seams from the gases that fresh ground coffee releases. So, the bottom line is that vacuum-sealing requires that the coffee be stale, which begs the question, why would we buy vacuum-sealed coffee when we can get it fresh-roasted from companies like Peace Coffee?

Dr. Coffee responds:
Here at Peace Coffee, while we are certainly glad to grind your coffee for you, we highly recommend that you grind it yourself. It doesn't take long but it does make a world of difference in how your coffee will taste.

For about $20, you can get a blade grinder and get started grinding. This isn't necessarily the best way to grind (the blade tends to give an inconsistent grind and can sometimes burn the coffee) but it is an inexpensive way to start, and with practice, some people get very good at using the blade grinder.

We recommend that you spend a little extra, $60 to $120, and splurge on a burr grinder, a home version of the professional grinders you see in coffee shops. Burr grinders give you an even and consistent grind, and can be set for most brewing methods. An added bonus is that they tend to be much cleaner than the blade grinders.

As a general rule, the following grinds are used for the corresponding brew methods:

Extra fine - turkish
Fine - espresso
Medium - drip and auto-drip
Coarse - french press and percolator

Any grinder that you purchase should have the manufacturer's instructions to help you achieve the grind you are looking for.

Grind on coffee lovers...grind on.

Dr. Coffee responds:
So you have just taken delivery of your freshly roasted coffee…the enticing aroma coming from the box beckons you to open it, open the bag and make your first cup. But then what…what do you do to keep the rest of the coffee fresh and ready to brew next time? My first message is, well, something you wouldn’t expect to hear from any ordinary doctor…stay away from air…air is bad!

Unlike life and scuba diving, air does not sustain life when it comes to keeping coffee at its freshest. If you are going to use your coffee within 1 to 2 weeks, storing it in an airtight container is a must, preferably in a glass or ceramic jar with a rubber gasket, or even a Tupperware-like container. And, it is also just as important to store your coffee container in a low-lit area…now that’s amore!

Freezing is an acceptable option for coffee that isn’t going to be used within 2 weeks. Just make sure that when you remove the coffee, you take only the amount you need out and return the rest to the freezer immediately. Thawing and refreezing wreaks havoc on coffee. Also, make sure that your coffee is well-wrapped when freezing it so that it doesn’t pick up aromas of other foods in your freezer, like trout or chili.

Never refrigerate your coffee. Moisture adversely affects coffee; further, the flavors and aromas that circulate throughout your fridge will inevitably seek a home in your coffee and unless you like coffee that tastes like Arm & Hammer or Roquefort cheese, keeping it sealed is the best way to lock in its natural flavor and lock out intruding odors.

And finally, whole beans store much better than ground coffee. Once you have ground coffee, the volatile aromas and flavors inherent to the beans are quickly lost as the coffee begins to go stale…to avoid this, brew ground coffee ASAP and, if possible, buy whole beans and only grind what you need. Stayed tuned for my continuing series on the lifecycle of the coffee bean in the next issue of Fair Grounds.

Dr. Coffee responds:
In the United States, federal regulations require that in order to label coffee as "decaffeinated" that coffee must have had its caffeine level reduced by no less than 97.5 percent.

Example: Most arabia coffees are about 1.36% caffeine by weight normally. This makes them 98.64% caffeine free even before anything is done to lower the caffeine content..

When 97% of the caffeine has been removed, only .0408 % of the coffee weight is caffeine. About 4/10ths of 1%. At this level it is labeled "decaffeinated. How roasters label their products is another matter. Suppose two roasters roast coffee that originally came from the same lot, and were decaffeinated together in the same vat. One roaster labels his decaf "97% Caffeine Removed." The other says his is "99+% Caffeine Free." Which roaster is telling the truth?

The answer is: They are both right. They are both saying essentially the same thing. 

Dr. Coffee responds:
Oxygen is the enemy of fresh coffee. When coffee is ground, the surface area of the coffee is greatly increased allowing oxygen an easier path to the cell structure of the roasted coffee - and therefore allowing the ground coffee to become stale much quicker than whole beans. So, your coffee will stay fresh longer if you are willing to grind your own beans just before brewing your morning pot of fair trade coffee.

Dr. Coffee responds:
Mixing older coffee with new is not bad, but it's good to keep in mind that the flavor of your coffee will be different. If you're adding new beans to a batch that is 2-4 weeks old, you'll see much less of a flavor change than if you mix new coffee with beans that are several months old. Over time, you'll get used to purchasing the right amount of beans to keep the mixing of older coffee to a minimum.

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