11.21.11
Say Cheese
Michael Szyliowicz

I like coffee. And I like cheese.

The most interesting product I tasted today was cheese made by BellaVitano, a company in Wisconsin. Like a Parmigiano-Reggiano, it is a firm cheese with a distinct nutty flavor. What makes this particular one unique is that it is coated with espresso coffee. The coffee gives the cheese an even more distinctive flavor, as well a bit of texture. The combination of the flavors is unusual but works surprisingly well.

The next time I finish a meal in a restaurant and ask for the cheese plate, I hope it comes with a slice of their espresso Parmigiano. It will make a perfect pairing with a cup of coffee to end the evening.

Diary of a Chocolatier, Innovation, Travel
BellaVitano, cheese, espresso, wisconsin
10.03.11
Crossing The Pond
Michael Szyliowicz

Coffee as a beverage has always had an international flavor. From the stories of Kaldi, the Ethiopian goat herder who watched his flock consume coffee berries and become animated to the coffee houses of Egypt, England, and France, it has always been worldwide beverage. And as it proliferated in the United States, most of the drinks were variations of Italian inspired lattes, cappuccino, and espresso.

But American cafes popularized the flavored coffee beverages that are now ubiquitous by adding syrups and sauces to the drink. For years a handful of American companies have offered arrays of brightly colored and filled bottles to enhance the beverages that Americans consume. And, as so often happens, those bottles have been exported worldwide, broadening the base of American style cafes around the globe.

At Coffee Fest, however, for the first time, two different British companies were exhibiting their products, exporting to America their versions of the syrups and sauces that Americans have enjoyed in their French Vanilla lattes and Dark Chocolate mochas for years.

Both the...

Beverages, Diary of a Chocolatier
cappuccino, dark chocolate, espresso, french vanilla, latte, sauces, syrups
10.25.10
Coffee Alchemy at SIAL
Michael Szyliowicz

By habit, I seek out unusual concoctions, and I was not disappointed while at SIAL 2010, an international...

Beverages, Diary of a Chocolatier, Innovation, Tradeshows, Travel
barista, basil seed, beetroot, coffee, cream cheese, espresso, lemon, lemongrass, paris, sial, vin santo
07.02.10
Caffè Culture: Going Indie in London, Part 2
Michael Szyliowicz

The next stop on my tour of London's independent coffee houses was a café called Flat White. It features coffee from SquareMile, a boutique roaster in London. However, having just had a flat white beverage at LJ, I asked what the “long black” coffee on the menu was. Turns out it was espresso and water, commonly known as a Café Americano in the States – a drink I’ve never cared for, since to me it always tastes like very diluted coffee, with none of the interesting subtleties of its brewed counterpart. But I was told that I could get a cup of AeroPress coffee. This sounded more interesting, so I agreed. The AeroPress is a plastic cylinder that resembles an over-sized hypodermic needle. In the bottom a small filter is placed inside a cap with holes for coffee to drip through. Finely ground coffee is placed on the filter, hot water is poured inside the tube and the mixture steeps for about a minute. When the proper amount of time has elapsed...

Beverages, Diary of a Chocolatier, Travel
aeropress, coffee kids, espresso, london
12.23.09
Coffee in Prague
Michael Szyliowicz

 

 

The Charles bridge stretches across the Vltava river, with a single tower on the right bank and two towers on the left. Built in 1358, the bridge epitomizes Prague, a town that for 1,000 years has been a cultural and commercial capital of Eastern Europe. The center of town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a person walking the cobblestone streets is transported back in time.

European coffee culture is said to have begun in Vienna in 1683, after the Poles helped stop the Ottoman army from invading the city. According to an apocryphal tale, a spy named Kolschitzky was instrumental in providing intelligence to the army, allowing for the defeat of the Turks. When the Turks fled, leaving behind their supplies, Kolschitzky recognized bags of coffee beans that they had brought along for their troops. When asked how he could be adequately repaid for his services, Kolschitzky asked for the beans in tribute. The request was granted, and Kolschitzky reputedly opened a café in neighboring Vienna. Its success led to other cafés opening in Europe, and Prague, the third-largest city in the world at the time, soon had cafés serving the new beverage.

The Bohemian culture of Prague includes quintessential cafés everywhere in the city, many serving espresso from well-known Italian brands such as Illy and Bristot. Grand establishments dot the city, where people drink their coffee, read their newspapers, smoke their cigarettes (a sight seldom...

Beverages, Diary of a Chocolatier, Travel
coffee, espresso, prague, travel