Concentrate!
When I was in Moab last month, I had to go to GearHeads to get some fuel for my stove, and I looked around and found some other stuff I "needed." When I was checking out, I saw this packet of Java Juice, "Pure Coffee Extract." The manager gave me a couple to try, and I brought them home and did just that.
It says on the package that I should add the contents to 12-16 oz hot water. I put 12 ounces of 198 degree water in a cup, tore open the package, and emptied it into the cup. So far, so good.
This is actually a decent idea. For people who are too lazy to make real camp coffee, this is a pretty good way of doing it... in theory. I once tried to put shots of espresso in plastic bags to take with me- to make americanos, or to just suck up for a quick burst of caffeine. It didn't work. Tasted like crap.
The Java Juice concoction had a stale aroma. When coffee goes stale, the first thing it loses is the aroma. There's no doubt this coffee was stale, and it tasted like it was probably stale before they even brewed it. Flat, no acidity, bitter, sour, sharp. Cold-brewed coffee (generally how concentrate is made) always has a lower acidity, but I wouldn't necessarily say that's a good thing. Acidity is the thing that makes a coffee pop- gives it liveliness, makes it explode in your mouth. Without acidity, the coffee just kind of lays there, like flat coke. The Java Juice, I'm sorry to say, also tasted like cardboard. Seems it wasn't a good coffee to begin with. They let it go stale. Then I think they over-extracted it when brewing. It wasn't very good.
But as I said, it was a good concept. The package only weighs 16g, so throwing a few in your backpack is no big deal (that's 28 packages per pound). My friend Brad and I always bought the Folgers Singles when we would backpack. It was better than nothing, we thought (ugh). Now I go equipped with roasted (or sometimes green) coffee beans, a hand grinder, and a presspot. You can't rush good coffee. It's worth the time and effort. Well-made camp coffee is awesome.
One time I was camping with a friend and I didn't have a grinder with me, so I poured the coffee beans in my bowl and used the back of a spoon to crush them all. It took a long time, but I got my coffee.
I recomend a GSI JavaGrind hand grinder. It's easy to use, has sharp ceramic burrs, and only cost $20. I got one, and I love it.
It says on the package that I should add the contents to 12-16 oz hot water. I put 12 ounces of 198 degree water in a cup, tore open the package, and emptied it into the cup. So far, so good.
This is actually a decent idea. For people who are too lazy to make real camp coffee, this is a pretty good way of doing it... in theory. I once tried to put shots of espresso in plastic bags to take with me- to make americanos, or to just suck up for a quick burst of caffeine. It didn't work. Tasted like crap.
The Java Juice concoction had a stale aroma. When coffee goes stale, the first thing it loses is the aroma. There's no doubt this coffee was stale, and it tasted like it was probably stale before they even brewed it. Flat, no acidity, bitter, sour, sharp. Cold-brewed coffee (generally how concentrate is made) always has a lower acidity, but I wouldn't necessarily say that's a good thing. Acidity is the thing that makes a coffee pop- gives it liveliness, makes it explode in your mouth. Without acidity, the coffee just kind of lays there, like flat coke. The Java Juice, I'm sorry to say, also tasted like cardboard. Seems it wasn't a good coffee to begin with. They let it go stale. Then I think they over-extracted it when brewing. It wasn't very good.
But as I said, it was a good concept. The package only weighs 16g, so throwing a few in your backpack is no big deal (that's 28 packages per pound). My friend Brad and I always bought the Folgers Singles when we would backpack. It was better than nothing, we thought (ugh). Now I go equipped with roasted (or sometimes green) coffee beans, a hand grinder, and a presspot. You can't rush good coffee. It's worth the time and effort. Well-made camp coffee is awesome.
One time I was camping with a friend and I didn't have a grinder with me, so I poured the coffee beans in my bowl and used the back of a spoon to crush them all. It took a long time, but I got my coffee.
I recomend a GSI JavaGrind hand grinder. It's easy to use, has sharp ceramic burrs, and only cost $20. I got one, and I love it.
posted by Brian at 7:37 AM
2 Comments:
Hi Brian,
I'm sorry you had a bad experience with our product. We've been producing Java Juice for close to one year now and thankfully negative experiences such as yours have be few and far between. I'd like to mention some possible mitigating factors which may have effected the taste. First, we haven't done a good enough job of informing our consumers that for best taste they should mix the Java Juice with hot, not boiling water. As a coffee professional, I'm sure you know that using water at temperature of more than 195 degrees will cause it to brew again, or overextract. This is the microwaved coffee effect. Java Juice is an already brewed product and the best taste is achieved when used with water between 150-170 degrees. Actually, this is a plus for campers who don't want to waste fuel getting their water up to a boil.
Secondly, we have discovered that like a fine wine, Java Juice needs to breathe for a minute or two after the water is added. It needs to reoxygenate. We package Java Juice in an oxygen free, nitrogen flush packet, so letting the coffee breathe a little is a must.
Finally, I can't speak for how the product was stored since it was purchased. Although we have a proven shelf life of at least one year at room temperature, constant exposure to high heat will degrade the coffee taste considerably. You shouldn't leave Java Juice in the Sun or in the glove compartment of your car.
As for the coffee we use to make Java Juice and its freshness, I'm afraid you got that one 100% wrong. We use only specialty grade, zero defect, Arabica beans, which we source ourselves. We then roast them and after grinding the coffee is immediately put through our extraction process. We do use an hot water process, because as you correctly point out, we are trying to acheive a nice level of acidity. I'm sorry that you failed to mention in your blog that Java Juice is made from 100% organic, fair trade coffee and that it is also certified Kosher. Just for good measure, I chose beans that are certified shade grown also.
We elected to source coffees of this quality and level of certification because we care about coffee taste, the people who grow it and our customers who drink it.
Java Juice is available in many camping stores throughout the U.S. because as you stated, it is a good idea. I own a large regional coffee roasting company and have been roasting coffee for the past 17 years. Like you, I believe there is no substitute for fresh roasted and brewed coffee. But when you just don't have the equipment or time I believe Java Juice is damm good alternative. Unless you can tell me of another organic, fair trade, shade grown, arabica coffee that requires no filters or brewing equipment.
Although you are free to purchase your own, I am going to send you a sample from our newest batch for evaluation. I hope your experience is better this time and appreciate your feedback.
Richard Karno
President
Java Juice Inc.
Hey Richard.
Thank you for posting on my blog.
I would be happy to try your product again. I get samples of various coffee products fairly often to try, usually not expecting much, and once in a while I find something that actually surprises me. And then I carry that product in my store. So if some factor before my acquisition of the Java Juice or in my hot-hydration of the product caused it to taste bad, I would be delighted to have the experience in better form.
I see on the packet that it says "100% Organic Arabica Coffee Extract," and the Organic certification, and I see something that says "KSA PARVE," which apparently means it is kosher (didn't know that). Don't see anything that says "Fair Trade."
I'm no expert on these certifications. I don't spend my life researching and debating these things, like I do with coffee. Nonetheless, I have opinions about them, of which I will not go into detail at this time.
But I will say this. I can appreciate their effectiveness as a marketing tool. But I fail to see any of those certifications affecting the quality of coffee in any positive way. If anything, it seems to detract from the quality of the coffee, relying on a license (a word or term) rather than the taste. Isn't that Starbucks' marketing strategy?
I have been watching the winds of change in the coffee industry lately, and I am very excited about where things are going. Since I am a cold-hearted bastard who is solely concerned with the quality of my product, the advancements made in the coffee industry of late make me happy because, through Cup of Excellence and Q auctions (and a few others), we are rewarding farmers for producing an exceptional product. THAT is what I'm interested in.
More on that later.
Anyway, send me more and I'll try'er again. Probably put it on my podcast this time. AA Café.
Thanks Richard. Good to have a little friendly debate amongst fellow roasters!
Brian
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