Stumbling from bed, I fumble my way past all that dawn’s early light has to offer–which, for my money, isn’t very much. Sorry. No happy early riser here.
Heading directly for the kitchen like a furry pinball, I’m mumbling a mantra: “Coffee … Coffee …”
Talk about junkies. There I stand, a grown man (well, full-sized, anyway) pitifully dependent on a vessel filled with potent black liquid.
Not a pretty sight. Especially in red plaid pajamas.
Reaching for the canisters, I find we’re dangerously low on Starbucks and the Vienna roast from Zabar’s I fetch whenever I’m in New York.
That’s when the news reports kick in. Coffee prices are on a roller coaster ride more jittery than a chihuahua after a double-espresso.
News that Folgers has cut its prices doesn’t change the overall picture: Wholesale prices have been teetering around a 20-year high. The price importers pay coffee greengrowers has approximately doubled. Forecasts for 1998 indicate retail prices should fall by about 15 percent, but until that happens (if it happens), what to do? A survival guide is in order. (Looking on the bright side, generally higher wholesale prices in 1997, and a decent crop, have put many smaller coffee growers back on their feet.)
Some people cope by quitting coffee altogether. Analysts estimated that when America last faced soaring coffee prices, the nation’s consumption dropped approximately 10 percent. Maybe now’s the time to trim back, shifting some of your sipping to softer beverages (replacing a few cups a day with pure water will refresh and cleanse your system) and lessen the potentially stressing effects too much coffee can invoke.
But what if you refuse to quit the soothing surge that comes with your first cup of the day? Well, there are some ways to make more economical use of an expensive pleasure.
– Skip the percolator. At home we use a Krups cone-style automatic drip coffeemaker, but when we stay with my mom there’s a reliable Farberware electric perker on the counter. Decent coffee can be had from it but we pile in nearly twice the grind to get an equivalently strong cuppa Joe.
– Try a finer grind. Bearing in mind that we dote on powerful brew, by experimenting I’ve found that using Turkish (finest) grind coffee brewed through a cone-shape filter allows use to further reduce the amount needed. You’ll need to experiment, adjusting to your taste.
A couple of notes on this technique. First, use filter papers; I’ve found that gold mesh sometimes isn’t fine enough to trap the powdery sediment. Second, be aware that going Turkish can increase the chances of more bitter flavor. You may want to pour the brewed coffee back over the grounds (not actually through the machine’s water well) to draw the last traces of flavor–but you’ll need a stop-and-pour style machine or a very deft hand to do this.
– Trot out that thermal carafe. Not only does that help conserve whatever’s left of the morning brew, saving you a few scoops come coffeebreak-time, but you may find that gently reheating already-warm java produces much better flavor and aroma than microwaving a mugful of stone-cold coffee. (Especially if you had first let the stuff simmer to shellac in an overheated pot.) Or chill any leftovers to serve later, as iced coffee.
– Shift from varietals to blends. Now, most everyone swears by their particular fave, be it Jamaican Blue Mountain or Colombian, but during times of lean it helps to be flexible. Many companies blend several coffees in order to save money, as well as create a signature flavor. Which is why shifting from pure Hawaiian Kona (around $25 per pound retail) to a Kona blend, made with compatibly flavorful beans that enhance Kona’s distinctive silkiness, means coffee at half the price.
Another approach: Hunt up some ground roasted chicory. Cafe du Monde, the estimable New Orleans destination for java and beignets, has built its fortune largely on its distinctive chicory coffee. If your shop doesn’t carry chicory, check health food stores. A three-parts coffee to one-part chicory proportion is a good place to start.
It’s hard to know how long coffee prices might rival single-malt Scotch as a luxury sipper, but one thing is clear: It’s a luxury we won’t live without. For millions of diehards, a morning without coffee is like a day without a pulse.
