If you’re a coffee lover, it’s only natural to gravitate to desserts that offer a tasty jolt of caffeine. From hard candy to an oven full of espresso-laced cookies, consider the following suggestions when looking for sweet treats that please the coffee connoisseur in you.

Cookies

From Triple Chocolate Espresso Cookies to adding a bit of espresso powder to your favorite recipes, don’t be afraid to slip into your apron and put your oven to good use. The Internet is swarming with cookie recipes that incorporate coffee as one of the ingredients. Other ideas include Espresso Brownies and coffee-flavored biscotti.

Hard Candy

Hard candies come in many different forms and flavors. Some melt in your mouth, while others soften in your hand. Looking for a few ideas?  Bali’s Best Coffee Candy offers flavors such as espresso and latte. Also, don’t forget to take a walk on the wild side and explore international delights, such as the Kasugai Sumiyaki Roasted Coffee Candy, which is very popular in Japan. Other types of hard candy may include coffee-flavored chocolate discs (similar to plain M&Ms) – encased in colored sugary shells.

Chocolate Candy

Consider satisfying your sweet tooth with chocolate bars offering added coffee flavor or beans. For example, Charles Chocolates (at Chocolate.com) makes a Mocha Java Bar that combines mocha java pieces and 65% bittersweet chocolate. Other candy options include coffee-flavored truffles and coffee liqueur-filled chocolates.

Espresso Beans

Chocolate covered espresso beans are a popular sweet treat for coffee lovers, which come in many different varieties, including dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, and even mint chocolate.

Coffee Spoons

Similar to the concept of honey spoons for tea drinkers, coffee spoons offer a little something extra for a regular cup of Joe. Butterscotch, mocha, chocolate, whiskey, and cocoa are just some of the flavors and ingredients a coffee spoon can add to your favorite beverage.

Dessert Coffees

Whether you add a hint of Irish Cream to your java or top with fresh whipped cream, it’s simple to enjoy a dessert coffee. Sometimes, it’s as easy as purchasing a bag of dessert-flavored coffee, such as Chocolate Fudge Brownie Coffee.

Espresso isn’t just a morning pick-me-up, but the popular beverage also has a place in the world of cooking and baking. Hot water forced through finely ground coffee at high pressure is how the darkly colored drink espresso is made. Originating in Italy, the coffee is typically served in small glasses or in “shots” measuring about one ounce. For instance, making the average latte or cappuccino calls for two shots of espresso.

Starbucks is not the only place that you can enjoy a hot cup of rich, dark espresso. Coffee lovers can make their own at home with an espresso maker, which differs from the regular coffeemaker.  Outside of the beverage world, espresso can provide a distinct taste to dishes and desserts.

A few ideas for baking and cooking with espresso include:

Baking with Espresso

Adding a small amount of espresso to your typical dessert recipes can provide a different experience for your taste buds. A few ways to incorporate a coffee flavor for your next sweet treat include:

Espresso Biscotti: When making your favorite biscotti recipe, experiment with instant espresso powder. Start off by adding 1 teaspoon to your typical ingredients list and adjust according to your taste.

Espresso Brownies: Coffee lovers can add 2 tablespoons of espresso powder to any boxed brownie mix to enhance the taste of their next batch. If you like glazing your brownies with a powdered sugar coating, add 2 teaspoons of espresso powder to your recipe.

Espresso Sugar Cream Pie: After brushing the inside of an unbaked pie crust with melted butter, whisk together 2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, and 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder until well blended. Pour the ingredients into the prepared pie crust. Bake in a 350-degree preheated oven until pie has set – about 50 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to completely cool on a rack. Add one cup of chocolate whipped cream as piping for the edge of the pie.

Chocolate Espresso Cookies: Deliver an extra kick to your cookies with about 2 ¼ teaspoons of finely ground espresso beans added to your favorite chocolate cookie recipe.

Cooking with Espresso

There are also a variety of creative ways to incorporate espresso into some of your favorite meat-related dishes. For example, when you’re looking to shake things up for your next BBQ, consider serving Espresso Rubbed Barbecued Burgers, which are sprinkled with a mixture of espresso powder and freshly ground black pepper on both sides of the patties before grilling.

You could also make an Espresso-Bourbon Sauce to coat grilled meats, such as beef steaks. Combine 1/4 cup bourbon, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder in a small saucepan. Bring the ingredients to a boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer the sauce uncovered for 8 minutes or until the sauce thickens and is reduced to about half. Occasionally stir and then add in 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Keep warm until grilled meat is ready for eating.

For a non-bake treat, consider Espresso Bark. First, combine 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon margarine in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat at 30-second stretches of time until the ingredients have melted and show a smooth consistency. Stir between each round of heating. Mix in 3/4 cup whole coffee beans. Pour the chocolate mix onto the waxed paper and create an even layer. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of chopped white chocolate pieces onto the top of the chocolate. Lightly press the bark and place in freezer until set – around 5 minutes. Break the bark into pieces and store in an airtight container.

Calling all avid travelers! If you like browsing artistic collections of teapots or exploring the history of infamous caffeinated brews around the world, then you may enjoy the following museums, which focus on coffee and tea.

Trenton Teapot Collection – Tennessee

From a teapot shaped like an elephant with gold accents to one depicting a mermaid, the Trenton Teapot Collection is credited with carrying the largest collection of Porcelain Veilleuse-Theieres (also known as “night-light teapots”) in the world. Specimens date between 1750 and 1860 with some hailing from India, France, Spain, and Italy – highlighting significant cultural details. It is free to take in the colorful sights of the highly creative teapots. Located in Trenton, Tennessee, the city also hosts a teapot festival.

Kona Coffee Museum and Farm – Hawaii

For a taste of Big Island coffee production, the Uchida Coffee Farm (located south of Kealakekua town on the Kona Coast) offers a tour with guides dressed in period costumes. The original farmhouse, bathhouse, coffee mill and drying platforms await your curiosity.

Coffee Museum – Santos, Sao Paulo

Located at the Official Coffee Exchange in the port city of Santos, you will find the Coffee Museum – dedicated to coffee in Brazil. A historic architectural sight in itself, the Museum is part of a short tour that costs about $1 and runs every 30 minutes. A vintage streetcar starts in front of José Bonifácio Palace and takes you throughout the downtown area, where you can walk over to the Museum and visit at the end of your sightseeing.

Highlights of the museum include the imported marble floor of the Trading Room, the striking stained glass panel on the ceiling of the Trading Room, the coffee scales, and the chance to purchase special coffees at the gift shop. If you’re lucky, you can arrange to attend the three-day barista course held at the Museum that takes place every month for a fee of $180.

Museum of Coffee Technology – Germany

If you enjoy the technical side of making coffee just as much as drinking it, you may want to check out the Museum of Coffee Technology in Emmerich, Germany. It is here that you’ll encounter a collection of about 600 household coffee mills – many of which are fascinatingly decorative. A great deal of roasters is on the premises, highlighting items from 1884 to the 20^th century. Large and small commercial and industrial grinders are also on display.

National Tea Museum – China

Possessing the longest history in the world of tea, China is often considered its birthplace. Interestingly, the National Tea Museum claims the only attraction of its kind that offers a tea theme. Opened in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province in 1991, the Museum is quite unique, as there are no external walls, but instead – vegetation serves as its boundaries. The history and development of tea in China is separated into four different groups of buildings.

For example, step into the exhibition building to find six halls devoted to the history of growing and processing tea throughout the country: Hall of Tea History, the Kaleidoscope Hall, the Hall of Tea Properties, the Tea-friendship Hall, the Tea Sets Hall, and the Tea Customs Hall. Visit the Kaleidoscope Hall to browse more than 300 kinds of tea. It’s a learning experience that also includes conferences centered on tea culture, tea art performances, as well as a chance to sample a variety of teas.

Bramah Tea and Coffee Museum – London, England

Located in London, England, The Bramah Tea and Coffee Museum is known as the first museum in the world to completely devote its exhibits to the history of tea and coffee. Covering more than 400 years of commercial and social history, it’s been educating and enlightening tourists since 1992. A visit to the museum brings you close to the London Bridge station and Borough Market, where it is open daily. Onsite, there is a tearoom that serves coffee and tea to guests for a price. Enjoy Cream Tea (including scones with clotted cream and jam, cake and tea of your choice for £7) or Afternoon Tea (with cucumber sandwiches, hot crumpet, tea cake, cake and choice of tea for £9). At last check, the Bramah Tea and Coffee Museum was undergoing refurbishment, so it would be a good idea to call before planning a visit (020 7403 5650).

Courtesy of Espresso Hobbyist

What’s so awesome about a latte?  Why the art of course!  An increasingly popular practice of pouring freshly steamed milk into an espresso shot to create a wondrous design on the surface, called latte or coffee art is a sensation sweeping barista bars throughout the nation!

The origins of this innovative art form are shrouded in mystery.  Some say the ancient Assyrians and Egyptians partook in the activity for recreational amusement.  Others believe that the extravagance of the Renaissance birthed the beautifully decadent decor, and that even the great Leonardo da Vinci mastered pouring exquisite designs atop his morning coffee for kicks.

Courtesy of SPRINGLEAP.COM

Courtesy of Espresso Hobbyist

Courtesy of www.weirdomatic.com

Courtesy of the Espresso Hobbyist

But the truth is nobody really knows where or why the practice developed.  The only certainty is that this quick slight of pouring hand is breathtaking when done properly.  Flowers, leaves, faces, swirls, caricatures, geometric patterns, solar systems, almost anything can be depicted in a latte if one knows how to pour, prick and shape.

So what’s the trick, apart from practice, practice, practice?  The secret is in the foam.  A lot of the end result depends on how the milk is steamed and how much froth (or foam) is created.  Not enough foam results in a mucky brown surface, while too much foam creates an all white one — a balance of both colours is needed to achieve patterning.

Courtesy of worldoflatte

The ideal constitution of milk for latte art is almost goo-like and possesses a melted marshmallow-like texture.  The espresso shot too calls for special consideration, requiring a surface of thick creamy brown foam, referred to by baristas as the crema.  Science dictates that once poured, or while in the midst of being poured, the idyllic white foam rises and sort of meets the light brown foam of the espresso shot, creating a pleasant contrast between light and dark.   The perfect canvass for making latte art.

Although with skill a talented barista can bring forth a latte design just by pouring in a specific manner, several latte artists choose to etch extra details into the foam using a thin metallic instrument, like the side of a small spoon or a coffee stirrer.  This allows for more elaborate and intricate depictions to take shape.

Check out the video below for several amazing examples of people strutting their stuff in the coffee art world.  It is truly a sight to behold, in any shape or form, and is sure to make you crave your ever important 8AM latte or cappuccino all the more.

For coffee supplies, please visit our sponsors at: BocaJava.comand Cafe Britt.
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When it comes to indulging in an expensive cup of Joe, did you ever think it would involve $50-per-cup prices, animal waste, and Swarovski crystals? As we take a look at the most expensive coffees in the world, you’ll encounter magical brews from Indonesia, Panama, Brazil, Jamaica, and the island of St. Helena.

The Ultimate Expense for Coffee

When you think of expensive coffee, Starbucks has nothing on the Indonesian luxury of Kopi Luwak, where just a small amount carries a $50 price tag. This costly brew actually comes from the droppings of the Common palm civet – a weasel-like creature that eats, partially digests, and then excretes the most expensive coffee beans in the world. During the digestion process, the raw red coffee beans lose its soft outer part, causing the beans to shed its bitter taste and receive an enhanced flavor. Can you believe a pound of the coffee beans can cost up to $600?

Other pricey cups of coffee include:

Island of St. Helena Coffee Company

About 1,200 miles off the coast of Africa, you’ll find the island of St. Helena, where the demand is high for the exclusive coffee that fetches $79 per pound. The tea originates from a varietal brought to the island from Yemen in 1730 with yearly production quite low – only 12 tons. Interestingly, the island has a fascinating historical past, as it is the location where the infamous Napoleon Bonaparte spent his exile.

Hacienda La Esmeralda

On May 30, 2006, the Hacienda La Esmeralda’s Geisha unroasted coffee sold for more than  $50 dollars per pound at an online auction. Grown in the shade of old guava trees in Boquete, Panama, the flavor and aroma of the beans is distinct – commanding up to $104 per pound.

Fazenda Santa Ines

Earning the highest rating in Cup of Excellence history, you can only enjoy cups of this Minas Gerais, Brazil brew at specialty shops around the world, and at Caffe Artigiano – an independently owned café in Canada that purchased 132-pound bags of a limited production of green beans. At the auction, one pound of the coffee cost $50.

Jamaica Blue Mountain

There’s plenty of imitations on the market, but beware of the coffee that claims a ‘Blue Mountain style’ or ‘Jamaica Blue Mountain Blend’ because you won’t be receiving the Wallenford Estate, Jamaica treat that sells for about $49 per pound. Delivering a mild taste and aroma, around 85% of all Blue Mountain is sold to Japanese buyers.

Expensive Coffeemakers

From espresso makers to personal grinders, ever-evolving technology allows us to prepare fresh cups of coffee within the comforts of our own homes. However, with the demand for bigger, better, faster and flashier home gadgets, it’s no wonder some coffeemakers have followed suit.

Imagine a coffeemaker retailing around $2,000. What do you get for such a price? The Prima Donna ESAM 6600 has the ability to memorize your favorite cappuccino, cafe latte and other preferences. With the press of a button, the machine also cleans itself.

If you prefer an eye-catching brewer, Nespresso’s Crystal Coffee Machine (~$4,000) features more than 3,000 Swarovski crystals. Other features include a built-in cup warmer and convenient removable grate for making latte macchiato. Nespresso also produced limited edition Essenza models in Brilliant Black and Sparkle Pink – costing around $1,000.

Image Credits: Richard Dudley (coffee sketch), Zsuzsanna Kilian (coffee beans)

photo courtesy of Bittersweetcafe.com

Today, Bittersweet is announcing the launch of its own micro-batched, locally roasted coffees.  Just as the company has taken the hand-crafted approach to chocolate, it is now doing the same for a line of coffees.  This coffee is roasted in the Berkeley production facility by an expert coffee maker and the coffees will be sold in the three Bittersweet Cafes as well as online.
 
Bittersweet is creating espresso, drip (both blend and single bean) and decaf using beans from Kenya, Brazil, Ethiopia, Guatemala and Sumatra. 
 
As Penny Finnie, co-owner of Bitttersweet puts it:  “Our coffees follow the same hands-on approach we use for our Bittersweet Origins chocolate bars, This is another amazing varietal product and we are taking the same interest in the farms and cooperatives where the coffee beans are grown as we do with our cacao sourcing.”  
 
Thought you would be interested to learn of this new offering.  Bittersweet is one of very few companies offering micro-batched coffee.

About Bittersweet  Origins and Café
Bittersweet Origins is a manufacturing and retailing company which creates craft chocolate and coffee in handmade, micro-batches to engage the senses and the mind.  Bittersweet Café retail stores’ ambience and furnishings reflect the one-of-a-kind nature of its chocolate bars, chocolate drinks and coffees.  The warm and welcoming spaces furnished with unique tables, benches, carts and artwork from local craftspeople and artists create a gathering place for the community to savor locally made chocolate delicacies, coffee and tea.  The Bittersweet Cafes are located in San Francisco on Fillmore Street, College Avenue in Oakland and the Rose Garden Shopping Center in Danville.  For more information, visit www.bittersweetcafe.com or call 510-705-1860.