Our Coffee Story
Coffee drinking originated back in the 3rd century in Ethiopia. Since then, it has been used as a medicine, a wine and even an aphrodisiac. Its popularity in America took hold in 1773, when King George stirred settlers with a high tax on tea. Later, coffee kept cowboys warm on the frontier. It was a staple of the black market during World War II. And, it continues to wake up America every morning.
From The Hills To The Mills
Much time, pride and tradition go into producing gourmet coffees. The savory flavor of gourmet coffee begins in tropical climates that offer abundant rainfall, brilliant sunshine and fertile soil. Arabica beans, which are grown primarily in Latin America at high altitudes, are the most flavorful variety of beans--the only beans PapaNicholas uses.
After three to five years, a coffee shrub produces its first crop: about 3,500 cherries which, after drying and roasting, result in only about one to one and one-half pounds of coffee. Once the cherries are perfectly sun-ripened, they are gently hand-picked and processed in order to produce fresh, green coffee beans. These green coffee beans are then shipped to the United States where they're roasted and packaged by independent coffee merchants like Nicholas A. Papanicholas.
What's In A Name?
Many gourmet coffees are named for their country of origin, the grade of coffee, the region of growth, the roasting process or the type of blend or flavor. For example, Kenya AA signifies the top grade of coffee from Kenya, while French Roast denotes the type of roasting method. And, of course, many merchants create their own flavorful
"House Blends" by combining coffees with complementary tastes.
There are several types of roasts. Coffee beans with a light brown color and no traces of oil on the surface are known in the U.S. as American or Traditional roast. Vienna Roasts undergo a longer roasting period which ensures a rich, full flavor. These beans are dark brown with a small amount of oil on the surface. French or Italian Roasts are much darker and have a very shiny appearance because the oils rise to the surface while roasting.
Many of the gourmet coffees are decaffeinated. The Swiss water-process is a natural decaffeination process that uses pure, fresh water to remove the caffeine from the beans before roasting. This is one of the decaffeination processes used by PapaNicholas Coffee.
Coffee merchants also use many enticing flavors, such as French Vanilla or Swiss Chocolate, to enhance their gourmet coffees. To ensure that these flavors are fully absorbed into the beans, they're added immediately after roasting when the beans are warm. The result is the satisfying sweet tastes you crave with practically no calories. In fact, flavored coffees are virtually fat-free and have less than two calories per cup. So enjoy!
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