Egg Coffee???

I recently heard of something that I thought was strange - Egg Coffee. At first I thought that it was some kind of baked dessert or something. Then, I thought it may be like a quiche of some sort. It turns out that it is eggs and coffee!?!?

All of my life, whenever I have enjoyed a nice cup of hot fresh coffee, I always thought in the back of my mind...do you know what this coffee is missing? Egg. AHHH, not really! So where did this strange concoction come from? And is it really any good?

It turns out that Egg Coffee is a Scandinavian tradition. Wise Geek gives us a little bit of history on Egg Coffee:

"Egg coffee was very popular in Scandinavian countries like Norway and Sweden up until around the 1930s, when the demand for this drink began to wane. In the late 1990s, egg coffee experienced a resurgence; it's possible that Midwesterners brought egg coffee back, since the American Midwest is home to many Scandinavian traditions which are no longer observed in Scandinavia itself. Many Midwesterners associate egg coffee with Lutheran churches, since this beverage is commonly served at church events in this region of the world."

So, how do you make Egg Coffee? As with most things that are more than one way to do it. I found this recipe on Wiki Recipes:

Ingredients

• 8 Quarts & 1/2 Cups of Cold Water
• 3 Cups Ground Coffee
• 3 Eggs
• Cheesecloth

Instructions

Heat 8 Quarts Cold water to boiling in a large coffee pot. Let water boil 2 minutes.

Put 1 cup ground roast coffee and 1 egg in the center of a square of cheesecloth.

Bring up edges like a sack and tie tightly around coffee and egg.

Make 2 more coffee and egg bags.

Break eggs in cheesecloth bags and using hands, muddle together with coffee.

Drop sacks of egg moistened coffee into boiling water. Boil 4 minutes.

Remove coffee bags and discard.

Add 1/2 cup cold water to settle the ground.

I also found another recipe on About.com. But, I won't list it all here. I will however, put this video from Ritual Coffee that gives step-by-step instructions on how to make Norwegian Egg Coffee:



One last thing that I should note: In my searching for Egg Coffee I came across a question on Coffee and Caffine FAQ that I have never considered.

Why do some people put egg shell in coffee grounds?

Click Here to find out why?


Have you ever heard of Egg Coffee before? Have you actually tried it? Do you put egg shells in your coffee grounds? Tell us all about it...either on our website or on Facebook.

http://coffeecrowd.com
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Vietnamese Iced Coffee

I was introduced to Vietnamese Iced Coffee about seven or eight years ago. My wife and I were housing Neviah Nevi, a touring hard core band, at our home and they were like Vietnamese Iced Coffee evangelists. The loved it and were very excited to enlighten us. They told us all about it and showed us how to make it. They even gave us a starter kit!

So, what the heck is Vietnamese Iced Coffee? I'm glad you asked.

"Ca phe sua da or cafe sua da (Vietnamese: cà phê sữa đá) is a unique Vietnamese coffee recipe. Literally, the name means "iced coffee with milk". In northern Vietnam, it is also called ca phe nau da (Vietnamese: cà phê nâu đá), meaning "iced brown coffee". Ca phe sua da can be made simply by mixing brewed black coffee with about a quarter to a half as much sweetened condensed milk and then pouring it over ice.". Wikipedia. 03-14-2010 > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_iced_coffee.

We made some the other day so that we could show the crowd!



Ingredients:

• Coffee, often times with chicory (like Cafe Du Monde)
• Sweetened condensed milk (like Eagle Brand Milk)
• Ice
• 2 Coffee Cups (you should never drink alone)
• Spoon
• Filtered water
• Tea Kettle
• Vietnamese Coffee Filter

Step 1
Put some filtered water in your stove top tea kettle and turn the burner on high.

Step 2
Add 1 tbsp of sweetened condensed milk to the bottom of each coffee cup.

Step 3
Put a Vietnamese coffee filter on top of each coffee cup.

Step 4
Add 1 tbsp of coffee to the bottom of each Vietnamese coffee filter.

Step 5
Wait for your tea kettle to whistle at you. This would be a great time to tell your friends about The Coffee Crowd.

Step 6
Pour some hot water directly into each Vietnamese coffee filter, cover with lid and wait until all of the water has filtered through to the cup.

Step 7
Remove the Vietnamese coffee filter and stir the coffee until the sweetened condensed milk has mixed with the coffee.

Step 8
Add ice and enjoy!

So there you have it ~ Vietnamese Iced Coffee in eight easy steps or less. Like most coffee drinks, there are many variations. Feel free to come up with your own. Join the Crowd!

The French Press

If you've never had coffee from a French Press you are missing out! The flavour of the coffee is so evident. You get to really enjoy the oils from the coffee beans.

A French press, also known as a press pot, coffee press, coffee plunger or сafetière à piston, is a simple coffee brewing device, probably invented in France in the 1850s, but first patented by Italian designer Attilio Calimani in 1929, who made subsequent design improvements over the years, and further refined by another Italian, Faliero Bondanini.^[1]


You get a french press just about anywhere. They range in price from about $15 - $30. It's good to have at least one french press in the house. I like to have one at the office too. People gather around when I bring it out. Usually, I have to make a few pots because everyone really enjoys the great taste that you can get from a french press.

It's super easy to make coffee with a french press. The following (cheesy alert) video shows just how easy it is. But, you can also order a french press at your favorite coffee shop. It's much cheaper than ordering a late and you usually can get a few cups out of one french press.