Alison Carroll’s turmeric journey started over four years ago when she sought relief from chronic knee pain. As she began to take turmeric, she noticed the pain subsiding. Alison says she was inspired to then share her experience with the aim of helping others.

“I’ve supported thousands of people as they use turmeric to overcome health challenges,” she explains. “There’s a lot of ancient wisdom and modern science surrounding its anti-inflammatory benefits.”

Many customers have asked Alison for tips on how to take turmeric, so she developed an ebook. ‘Turmeric the Magic of Curcumin’ contains information on the healing power of turmeric as well as some of Alison’s favourite turmeric-rich recipes.    

Turmeric and Coffee Smoothie

Put the bananas and berries to one side and grab some turmeric powder and coffee beans instead. This smoothie combines the golden goodness of turmeric with a caffeine hit and the nutrition found in almond and coconut milk.

Ingredients

⅓ cup oats

1 tbsp chai seeds

1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp instant coffee or your favourite coffee blend – cooled

1 ½ cup almond or coconut milk

½ cup cashews soaked 

1 tbsp honey or maple syrup

1 tsp turmeric powder from Go Vita Coffs Central or Organics Mattr Port Central

6 ice cubes 

Method

Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth — approximately 30 seconds. Allow time for all nuts to completely grind up. Pour into a tall glass or cup then sip with a reusable straw. Enjoy!

Visit Go Vita or Fresco in Coffs Central for great turmeric.

Looking for more nutritious yet delicious recipes and meal ideas? Learn how to cook with bone marrow and enjoy these healthy treats.  

The post Make a Refreshing Turmeric and Coffee Smoothie appeared first on Coastbeat.

Alison Carroll’s turmeric journey started over four years ago when she sought relief from chronic knee pain. As she began to take turmeric, she noticed the pain subsiding. Alison says she was inspired to then share her experience with the aim of helping others.

“I’ve supported thousands of people as they use turmeric to overcome health challenges,” she explains. “There’s a lot of ancient wisdom and modern science surrounding its anti-inflammatory benefits.”

Many customers have asked Alison for tips on how to take turmeric, so she developed an ebook. ‘Turmeric the Magic of Curcumin’ contains information on the healing power of turmeric as well as some of Alison’s favourite turmeric-rich recipes.    

Turmeric and Coffee Smoothie

Put the bananas and berries to one side and grab some turmeric powder and coffee beans instead. This smoothie combines the golden goodness of turmeric with a caffeine hit and the nutrition found in almond and coconut milk.

Ingredients

⅓ cup oats

1 tbsp chai seeds

1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp instant coffee or your favourite coffee blend – cooled

1 ½ cup almond or coconut milk

½ cup cashews soaked 

1 tbsp honey or maple syrup

1 tsp turmeric powder from Go Vita Coffs Central or Organics Mattr Port Central

6 ice cubes 

Method

Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth — approximately 30 seconds. Allow time for all nuts to completely grind up. Pour into a tall glass or cup then sip with a reusable straw. Enjoy!

Looking for more nutritious yet delicious recipes and meal ideas? Learn how to cook with bone marrow and enjoy these healthy treats.  

The post Make a Refreshing Turmeric and Coffee Smoothie appeared first on Coastbeat.

AeroPress Go with Lilee Griffiths from Artisti Coffee Roasters

The AeroPress Go is the latest version of the extremely popular AeroPress Coffee Brewer. All of the parts fit inside the sleek new cup, as well as a container for your filters, a fold down stirrer, and a scoop. 

Artisti’s baristas have tested many methods for brewing with the AeroPress Go and our favourite for making a great cup of coffee is the inverted method. It’s where you place the AeroPress Go upside down, add coffee and water, then flip onto your cup and plunge. 

I like to use 12 grams of ground coffee. Weighing your coffee is always best as the grind particle size will dictate the volume. There’s a scoop provided but it may not always weigh 12 grams, however we think it should be pretty close with a coarse grind.

If you’re using paper filters, we’d suggest medium coarse grind. You can purchase metal filters which will allow you to use an espresso/fine grind. The paper filter also takes out a lot of oils that come through with the coffee, so if you like a heavier mouthfeel, you could use a metal filter. Don’t forget to place your filter into the cap and cover it with boiling water first to rinse out any paper taste, and to keep the filter in place when you place the cap on.

Start pouring 180mls of 93-95 degree water over the coffee. Pour aggressively enough to agitate the coffee, then stir with the stirrer provided until all of the coffee is saturated. Now start a timer for one minute. 

 At the end of one minute, place the cap on top of the AeroPress Go, put the AeroPress cup (or your cup of choice) on upside down, then flip everything over, placing the cup on the bench. Now you can plunge the AeroPress but you’ll need to apply quite a bit of pressure. If you prefer your brew stronger, try using 20 grams of coffee. If you think it’s too strong, just use six grams. 

There you have it, a delicious, clean cup of coffee from the comfort of your own home, or from wherever you want! For the best sensory experience, try a single-origin coffee from your local coffee roaster. 

You can buy the AeroPress Go from our showroom and espresso bar located at our roastery in High Tech Industrial Estate or from our online store.

Clever Dripper with Todd McCarthy at Supply Coffee Roasters 

You’d be forgiven for thinking this brewing style is simply another way to perform the pour over method. But the Clever Coffee Dripper is a full immersion brewer, giving it more in common with a plunger. They’re super simple and very reliable – you can’t go wrong. Being a full immersion brew, you get a really nice heavy mouthfeel, especially with the Kenyan coffees. Filter coffee is certainly on the rise in Coffs. It’s fun to see peoples’ reactions and when they are able to identify what flavours are there. When a Supply customer orders a filter coffee, I use the Clever Coffee Dripper. They’re exceptionally easy to use during service even if we’re in the middle of a rush.  

Taking the filter paper, I fold it so that it sits nicely in the brew vessel. Add hot water to the Clever Coffee Dripper, just to heat the brewer – I don’t want the brewer itself to leech any of the heat from the eventual brew water. I then grind 22 grams of coffee quite coarsely; you want something similar to a plunger coffee grind. Get rid of the brew water and that should remove the taste of paper, too. Add the ground coffee and then pour 360 grams of water into the vessel. Your water should be set to 96 degrees Celsius. I then set a timer for two minutes and allow it to steep. To maintain the thermal mass in the vessel, pop the lid on. 

While you’re waiting, heat up your serving vessel by pouring hot water into it. I’m using fancy Japanese glass, but a mug or cup will do just fine! At the two-minute mark, take the lid off the Clever Dripper and break the crust that has formed on top. That releases all of those aromatic compounds that have developed and trapped themselves underneath that crust. Get rid of the water you used to heat your cup and sit the brewer over the top of it. The Clever Dripper has a rubber stopper at its base that holds the water back until you’re ready to engage the valve that allows the drawdown to begin.  

You can let it do its thing but check on the progress and if it’s getting clogged, that’s an indication that your grind might be a little too fine. If the liquid is coming down really quickly then it’s probably too coarse. As soon as it starts to drip you know you’re getting to the end of the brew. Give it a little shake to get the last few drips out…aaaandnd you’re done! It took me a total of four minutes so aim for a similar amount of time.

You can buy your own Clever Coffee Dripper from Supply Coffee Roasters at 15 Orlando Street, Coffs Harbour or online. 

Follow Artisti Coffee Roasters and Supply Coffee Roasters on Instagram!

Read our interview with butcher Will Brennan for tips on cooking over a fire.

The post Coffs Harbour Baristas Show You How to Make Exceptional Coffee at Home appeared first on Coastbeat.

Can you imagine what two tons of coffee looks like? Enough to keep the whole North Coast awake!

This is the amount that passes through the expert roasters at Peak Coffee, who supply over 200 cafés on the mid-north coast.

Peak Coffee was started 12 years ago by Kristine and Sean Edwards, who were already knee-deep in brew as owners of Café Biz and the Café Culture magazine. Sean had consulted for many successful roasting houses, so the obvious next step was to back their own expertise and start Peak Coffee. The risk has paid off.

Self-confessed coffee fanatic ZJ interviewed Kristine for Coastbeat.

Cb: What kind of experience does Peak Coffee offer?

Kristine: We are exceptionally focused on customer service and education. Our experienced brew-lab baristas Ken Seno and Jeremy Wall will send you on a sensory coffee journey!

Cb: Great – I’m packing already! What is Café School?

Kristine: That’s our purpose-built teaching café in Port Macquarie, where we also offer barista courses.

Cb: Do you have an over-arching philosophy?

Kristine: We’re all about education and amazing coffee, and forming authentic business partnerships to assist café owners grow their businesses.

Cb: Where does your coffee come from?

Kristine: 90% of our green beans are from direct trade relationships in India, Guatemala and Colombia. Buying directly allows for better quality coffee and allows us to buy ethically. We give back a percentage of each pallet of coffee to assist with the growers’ basic needs, like education, water and health.

Cb: It sounds like you set very high standards?

Kristine: Literally! We have affected the whole shape of the Australian café industry by writing the original coffee standards.

Cb: Is that why Australians serve the best espresso in the world?

Kristine: We’re proud of what we’ve achieved. The team at Peak fully understand Australian café culture: it’s a fun business that draws people together over a cup of this mysterious, enjoyable brew. We’ve set up offices in London and America, consulting on Australian café culture, and recently Ken Seno spent six months in Japan, showcasing what we do. We love the fact that Port Macquarie has embraced the café culture. Staying true to our customers is the best success formula.

Peak Coffee welcomes all coffee lovers, so drop in. They are at 30 Jambali Road, Port Macquarie NSW. https://www.peakcoffee.com.au/

The post Peak Coffee appeared first on Coastbeat.

When compiling a list of Port’s coolest places to sit and enjoy your daily brew, one can’t look past Book Face Store and Café at Port Central. The bookshop with a café inside is the winning combo where you can grab yourself a cuppa with a yummy treat whilst perusing the colorful isles of literary fascination.

The Berkelouw family has been trading in books for six generations.

Books are their passion and they love meeting new customers who share a love of all things creative. We chatted to Cathy Bayes Hunt, store manager of Book Face since its conception in November 2014 and she’ll be the first to tell you that books are in her blood.

Cathy’s family moved to Port Macquarie in 1977 and opened their own bookstore, which serviced Port through the 70’s and 80’s. Cathy literally grew up around books and managing Book Face Store today, makes her feel like she’s come full circle.

Cathy treats the shop likes it’s her own and her passion for the business itself is inspiring.

The role of a bookstore is to create an environment and space people want to hang out in”, Cathy explains. People like to touch and feel books, to turn the pages and make an informed decision before walking away with their choice in hand.

With the introduction of online bookstores, the physical stores had to change with the times and offer an enticing reason for people to step foot inside their doors. Book Face Store doesn’t just sell books, they offer a wide array of gift ideas, household items and knick-knacks you never knew you wanted, but could definitely find a use for. There is even a kid’s corner with a fabulous variety of children’s titles to keep the little ones occupied.

The introduction of the café owned by Jo Hawes, which sits side by side with the bookstore was an ingenious decision and confirmed BookFace Store and Café as a destination in Port Macquarie.

Cathy believes the scheme for online bookstores is pure marketing. They take all your personal information, spam your inbox and subtly upsell with their personalised ‘suggested titles for you’. Compare that to a physical store where you can guarantee at least one staff member has read the book you want and can tell you all about it.

Although busy running the café, Jo is equally passionate about books and excited for others to share their love of reading while enjoying her unique blend produced by local roasters, Peak Coffee and savouring her delectable delights made in store or by locals.

Book Face Store and Café are also avid supporters of local charities and schools, regular donating to special causes and striving to improve education in the region. They make a point of stocking local works and supporting home grown artists who have yet to secure publishing deals. The concept store fits perfectly with the town’s growing art culture and the iconic experience that is Glasshouse theatre and gallery, which is just a stone’s throw away.

Bookface Store and Café is located on the ground floor of Port Central Shopping Centre www.portcentralshopping.com.au.

For more on Cathy and Jo at Bookface, head to www.coastbeat.tv

The post The Coffee Chronicles appeared first on Coastbeat.