This newsletter is best enjoyed while sipping your favorite coffee or tea.
Welcome to another edition of the completely sporadic, totally random Cosmic Coffee newsletter.
Hey, that’s my coffee!
We could tell numerous adventures awaited us, for as we ground this organic Brazilian Red Catuai the air was perfumed with the scent of sweet sugarcane juice, caramel and pears wrapped in puff pastry. As a pour-over, one sip of this natural process coffee led us straight into a carnival frame of mind as we tasted roasted peanuts, grilled blood oranges and graham crackers. So giddy with joy were we as we pulled rich syrupy bodied espresso shots loaded with crema we could see the twinkling lights of the fairway beckoning us onward toward those adventures waiting to unfold.
Yes truly! This 100% Red Catuai natural process coffee is all this and more. It comes to us from the Single Estate of the Dutra Family in Caputira, Minas Gerais Brazil. It’s certified organic, Rain Forest Alliance and Farm Wildlife Friendly (Jacu Bird). As if that weren’t enough, this estate is surrounded by 750 acres of natural rain forest to protect the coffee trees from wind, preserve natural wildlife and clean water sources. The Dutra Family provides health care for all their workers and their families and invests in the local children’s school. They also have a passion for sustainability; all their depulpers are run on solar power. We are so happy to be able to share this incredible coffee with you!
My cup of tea
With summer here already, I thought you might appreciate a recipe for cold brewed iced tea. My two favorites are Golden Monkey and Mad Hatter. Here’s what you’ll need: two clean glass jars that will hold at least 16 ounces of room temp, preferably filtered, water (I use old applesauce jars) it doesn’t have to have a lid but it helps if you’re klutzy. 10 grams of tea (for the Golden Monkey this is 3 heaping tablespoons, for the Mad Hatter it’s 2 heaping tablespoons) and 16 ounces of room temp water. You’ll also need a strainer and a filter (like a coffee filter or a paper towel). Put the tea in the jar and add the room temp water. Set it aside somewhere it won’t be disturbed for 24 hours. After it has brewed for 24 hours strain the tea into the second jar being careful not to get any tea particulate into the strained liquid. This is important because as long as the tea is in the water it will keep brewing which can eventually make for a bitter astringent brew. Now you have cold brew tea. Pour it over ice to drink right now or stick it in the fridge to chill. It will keep about a week. Want to make it by the gallon? Use 80 grams of tea per gallon (128 ounces) of water.
If you like sweet tea make some simple syrup: for every one cup of boiling water use two cups of sugar. Stir until dissolved. If you prefer honey there’s a little more work involved. You know that 16 ounces of water you’re using to brew your tea? Warm it up just enough to dissolve the amount honey you want. I’d start with about a tablespoon for the 16 ounces of water and see if that’s sweet enough. Once it’s as sweet as you want set it aside to cool to room temperature then proceed to brew your tea.
Farmers Market
One of my favorite produce vendors at the Sunday Campbell Farmers Market is Oaxax Organics from Monterey County. Their fresh produce is always colorful and beautifully displayed. They always have a good variety of the staples and there are a few not so usual items too. Right now they have fresh nopal (cactus) which I love in soup and if I have a bit of extra time I’ll pickle it with jalapeños and carrots; Carlos scrambles nopal with eggs. Last weekend I lucked out and got some purslane (sometimes called pigweed). If you’re unfamiliar with purslane I encourage you to give it a try. It’s slightly lemony in flavor and is excellent in green juice smoothies and fresh salads. Purslane is loaded with antioxidants including vitamins A and C, beta-carotene, glutathione, melatonin and Omega 3.
In the Art Room
I’d like to introduce you to my friend Gary Chappell the owner of Moonshadows Creative Jewelry. He’s a lapidary, silver and goldsmith. Gary makes beautiful natural stone and crystal jewelry. You’ll find him most weekends at the Campbell Farmers Market on Artisans Row. Last year he almost lost his life to a very rare almost always fatal lung infection that less than 10% of people survive. He spent three months in intensive care and another three months rehabilitating at home. Next time you’re at the market please take a moment to stop by his booth and check out some of his one of a kind jewelry pieces. He even does custom orders if you’re looking for an extra special bibelot.
People often ask what Carlos and I did before we started Cosmic Coffee; the short answer is a lot! One of those things was backstage catering at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mt. View, CA. I worked my way up from prep cook to head chef and Carlos was one of the best grill cooks ever. We were responsible for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the artists, their crews and stagehands with call times as early as 3:30am. Most shows had an average of 150 guests for dinner but festival shows could have as many as 600. Sixteen to eighteen hour shifts were the norm for show days. Everything was done from scratch without recipes; it was just expected that you knew how to cook. The work was physically exhausting but immensely fulfilling and occasionally the artists would stop by the kitchen to thank us personally. If we were well prepped, we could take a few minutes to listen to sound check or see the show. So many amazing artists played Shoreline in the years we worked there: Willie Nelson, Etta James, Prince, White Zombie, Rush, Staple Singers, Brooks and Dunn, Pearl Jam, Blink 182, Ice Cube, Tracy Chapman, Ministry, Cher; Earth, Wind and Fire, Metallica, B.B. King, Kenny Wayne Sheperd, Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Marilyn Manson, Lenny Kravitz, Teena Marie, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Aerosmith, Kiss, David Bowie, ZZ Top, Maná, Doobie Brothers, Joan Jett, Run DMC, Soundgarden, Mary J. Blige, Fleetwood Mac, Black Crows, and the list goes on and on and on….
Thanks for being a part of the Cosmic Coffee galaxy! Jolynn