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About Alpen Sierra Coffee
Founded in 1998 at Lake Tahoe in the Northern Sierra Nevada, Alpen Sierra has grown to become the premier roaster of speciality coffee in California. Having spent much of his life in the European Alps and the Sierra Nevada founder Christian Waskiewicz’s love of good living has become the foundation for Alpen Sierra’s goal of providing the highest of quality coffee drinking experience.
As Alpen Sierra has grown and experienced all facets of the speciality coffee industry, most notably the environments in which the coffee farming families live at origin, it became apparent that to be passionately and actively involved in the future of the industry, they would have to put their money where their hearts are. Alpen Sierra embraced the concept and practices of sustainability as they entered the new millennium. In the year 2002 Alpen Sierra was one of the first speciality micro-roasters in Northern California to become certified organic within the USDA’s newly launched National Organic Program.
With environmentally conscious production at the heart of the production all vehicles at Alpen Sierra have recently been converted to run on Bio Fuels.
Here at Glenfinlas we regularly use Alpen Sierra’s Organic Dolomiti Blend as an espresso coffee in our own cafes, we find it has a great body & smooth finish – perfect in a cappuccino or latte.
Coffee Review: Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Fair Trade Organic House Blend
The House Blend is the cornerstone of Green Mountain’s Fair Trade Organic range and a great cornerstone too!
Fair Trade Organic House blend has subtle shades around the same palate with complementary flavours that make a coffee that is great for drinking throughout the day. The origins of this blend are in South and Central America, this combination of geographically close coffee beans result in a coffee that has great harmony amongst the flavours within.
Fair Trade Organic House Blend is a medium to dark roast and is best made in either a Cafetière or as a Filter Coffee, or if you’re a fan of iced coffee it makes a great Toddy Brew. The taste is rich, sweet and with nutty hints. House Blend has a great toasty aroma, full body and a great level of acidity that doesn’t overpower the less strong flavours in the cup.
Green Mountains House Blends Fair Trade & Organic credentials mean that you can enjoy this great coffee with a clear conscience.
Why we like Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
In 1981, a cafe in a small village in Vermont USA began to roast it’s own coffee, sending rich aromas into the street. That cafe became today’s Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, a company that combines craftsmanship with conscience.
Today Green Mountain Coffee Roaster produce a great range of coffees including tried and tested signature blends, Fair Trade, Organics & exceptional flavoureds.
Why we like Green Mountain Coffee
Blending
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters really know how to blend coffee. By blending after roasting they manage to bring out the unique characteristics of each bean and use those attributes to achieve magical combinations worthy of a master chef. There blends are smooth and balanced in taste, great for all day drinking or exquisite Espresso based drinks.
Flavoured Coffee
Flavoured Coffees are increasingly popular in the UK – and we think Green Mountain make the best! Unlike most manufacturers Green Mountain still use 100% Arabica coffee as the base for there flavoured range. No sugars or sweeteners are used in the production of their flavoured coffees – a treat that won’t play on your conscience.
Commitment to Caring
Green Mountain Coffee roasters are a brand that have been based upon responsible sourcing & manufacturing of Coffee since their outset – arguably they founded the Fairtrade movement in the USA. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters form strong relationships and partnerships with coffee farmers – improving the quality of the coffee, and the quality of lives in coffee growing communities around the world. The environmental impact of coffee production is assessed and minimized throughout the production process.
How to make the perfect coffee in a cafetière
We are often asked how to make the best brew of coffee in a cafetière. In this article we will give you a few hints and tips to ensure you get the most out of this brewing method.
Using a cafetière, also known as a French Press or a Plunger, is a great way to make a delicious brew of coffee. The coffee produced in this simple way is heavy and thickly flavoured with a strong aroma. It is a method widely used for tasting and comparing coffees, as it allows the full spectrum of flavours in the fresh coffee to be developed in the cup.
Technically speaking, a cafetière is a very simple piece of equipment; an open coffee pot with a fine mesh that allows the coffee ground to be separated from the brew when the plunger is pressed. However, coffee can often be brewed badly in a cafetière. By following these simple instructions you will get the perfect brew every time:
Preheat the Cafetière
Similar to a teapot, in order to get the best brew heat the cafetière using a small amount of hot water.
Use course-to-medium ground coffee
Using the correct grind of coffee is essential to getting a great brew in a cafetière; if you’re grinding coffee yourself make sure you set your grinder to a course-to-medium setting. All ground coffee sold on Glenfinlas Coffee is suitable for use in a cafetière.
Use two level tablespoons of ground coffee per mug
This is the ideal amount to use to get the full flavour of the coffee, if you prefer it stronger add a little more.
Bring the water to the boil and allow it to cool for thirty seconds
Using water slightly off the boil ensures that the flavour of the roasted coffee is not altered.
Place the ground coffee into the cafetière and pour a little water over the grounds and swirl them through it.
Pour in the rest of the water
Place the lid on the cafetière with the plunger fully raised
Allow the coffee to brew for four minutes
Gently press the plunger down all the way
Be careful to press the plunger down straight, if you try to push from an angle some coffee grains may escape into the brew.
Pour and enjoy!
For a great range of cafetières and other brewing equipment visit our accessories page.
Why we like Terroir Coffee
Terroir Select Coffee was created in early 2004 to forge a new kind of partnership with coffee growers – one which recognizes their fundamental role and identity in the production of high quality coffees. Terroir is a small company that sources the very best coffee beans in the world, as such there offering changes across the year depending upon the availability of the crop.
Why we like Terroir Coffee
The Worlds Finest Single Origins
Terroir believe that truly fine coffees should not be blended, because they are already complete statements – just like one does not blend fine wines. The secret to Terroir’s superior single origin coffees is the synergy if unique geologic and climatic conditions with the craftsmanship of a quality coffee producer. Raw Beans are then stored using a unique system which halt the natural aging process at the peak of their maturity to preserve natural sweetness.
Unique Sourcing
Terroir realized that Coffee Growers were given very little incentive, in terms of renumeration and acknowledgement for producing great quality coffee crops. Coffee growers have remained locked in a commodity matrix because the coffee-roaster tradition has promoted blends as being superior to single origin coffees. Terroir searches the world for the best, named coffees from single identified farmers and cooperatives – such great quality coffees are in short supply and like finding a needle in a haystack.
A lighter Roast
Terroir coffees are roasted with a light touch, one that doesn’t overpower the inherent unique natural flavours of the coffee. TerroirTM single origins are distinct, exquisite and unusual.
Green Mountain Coffees win Great Taste Awards
We are proud to announce that the following three coffees distributed by Glenfinlas Coffee have won Gold Awards in the 2009 Great Taste Awards:
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters – Fairtrade Organic Espresso Blend – Gold two star
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters – Fairtrade Organic Sumatran Reserve – Gold one star
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters – Dark Magic Espresso Blend – Gold one star
The Great Taste Awards, which are organised by the Guild of Fine Food, are now in their 16th year and going from strength to strength. More and more consumers recognise the gold & black logo as the benchmark for independently proven, fine food. The Awards’ judging standards are the most rigorous in the UK: every entry is blind tasted by teams of experts. By the time it earns gold, any winner will have been assessed by at least three different teams.
Newsletter
Latest News
- About Alpen Sierra Coffee
- Coffee Review: Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Fair Trade Organic House Blend
- Why we like Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
- How to make the perfect coffee in a cafetière
- Why we like Terroir Coffee
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