Z-Coffee: The Art of Coffee

The aroma and flavor of a fresh brewed cup of coffee is as delicate and varied as spring flowers. Z-Coffee roasts rare and exotic coffees from around the world. They are committed to offering the finest quality product with a unique and bold flavor that tantalizes coffee lovers’ palettes.

Z-Coffee has been roasting global coffee beans in Central Florida for six years. Their philosophy is that coffee is like fine wine. They accentuate the distinctive flavors and characteristics of each kind by creating a select roasting profile for each coffee bean.  The different regions of the world that the coffee beans come from affect not only the flavor but the aroma, color and size of the bean and even how it’s harvested.

Coffee’s true form is a cherry like fruit that grows on trees. The bean is actually the dried pit of the fruit. In the coffee room of Z-Coffee hundreds of pounds of coffee beans come unprocessed in various shades of green and blue. It’s during the roasting process that coffee receives it identifiable shade of rich brown. Depending on how long the beans are roasted is where in lies the true artistry of the craft.

Each bean retains distinctive flavors, so individual roasting profiles are created to enhance the deep rich flavors of each bean.  A medium roast retains a warm brown color with a lighter flavor but more acidity. Beans that are dark roasted are distinguished by a richer dark color but are slightly less acidic and caffeinated. The difference in roasting methods is mere minutes.

The origins of the first coffee crops are traced back to Ethiopia, not Columbia like often mistaken. Today, coffee is grown in every corner of the globe. Z-Coffee’s most popular individual coffees come from Malawi and East Timor.

Z-Coffee’s organic coffees, referred to as their “Herbal Line”, have a refined flavor from their natural growth giving them a subtle herbal characteristic. Z-Coffee also customizes coffee blends for consumers. Flavors like the Chili Coffee, with a hint of hot red chili for spice, the Rocket Fuel Coffee, with twice the caffeine as a regular coffee blend, or the Harmoni Blend, a blended coffee which contains an organic coffee giving it a mellow dandelion flavor, are uniquely blended.

Z-Coffee can be exclusively found in Harmoni Market, Z-Cafés around Central Florida and at www.Z-Coffee.com. The makers of Z-Coffee are Artisan Roasters with a passion for their art.
“Being a chef is like being an artist, food is your palette,” David Kahan, founder and creator of Z-Coffee.

Café Latte Granita:

2 cups brewed Z-Coffee espresso or coffee
1/2 cup sugar
½ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
Accompaniment: lightly sweetened whipped cream

Preparation
Stir together espresso or coffee, cream and sugar in a bowl until sugar is dissolved, then stir in vanilla. Pour into an 8-inch metal baking pan (1-quart capacity) and freeze for one hour, then scrape with a fork. Scrape every 30 minutes for light ice flakes, over all 3-4 hours.
Divide granita among serving dishes and top with whipped cream.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 3rd, 2008 at 5:02 pm and is filed under "In the Kitchen" Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.