Coffee Sugar Cookies
Vanilla Bean Glaze
Let us know if you try this recipe by sharing it with us on Instagram! @savoristacoffee
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White Chocolate Syrup
White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha
White Chocolate Syrup
White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha
Give these recipe a try and share it with us @savoristacoffee!
]]>Roasting and brewing coffee is an art form, and we love looking into the science behind it! Multiple studies have shown that decaf coffee produces significantly less acid reflux than caffeinated coffee. This was shown in people with reflux diseases and people without.
Here are a few things to consider when shopping for a low-acid coffee:
Decaf is easier on the tummy as research shows and many of our customers share with us! Decaf may provide you with that delicious taste of coffee you love, without the acid-reflux you don’t.
A study revealed that as a result of the decaffeination process, the level of acids is lower in decaffeinated coffee than in regular coffee. So, for those looking for a lower-acid coffee option that doesn’t irritate your tummy, decaf could be the simple yet effective answer you've been looking for.
Decaf may also help you wean yourself off of caffeine, according to one study that showed even the placebo effect of drinking decaf coffee can reduce withdrawal symptoms of giving up caffeine.
When choosing a decaf coffee, we recommend those that are decaffeinated with the Swiss Water or Sugarcane EA Process. Both of these processes use natural ingredients, not harsh chemicals, to remove caffeine.
The roast level of coffee beans can influence the acidity levels in your cup. Light roasts often have “bright” or more acidic flavors like citrus. As the coffee is roasted longer, those flavors often transform into more nutty, chocolatey or dried fruit sweet flavor notes. Dark roast coffees tend to be less acidic because of prolonged exposure to heat, which breaks down and caramelizes the naturally occurring acids within the beans resulting in a more mellow brew. Make that dark roast coffee a decaf and you’ve got a low-acid coffee drinker’s dream!
Checkout our Total Eclipse Decaf or Yesso Espresso Decaf
Cold brew, known for its extended steeping process in cold water, offers a brew that's as mellow as it is refreshing. A study published in Scientific Reports examined the difference in acidity between cold brew and hot brew coffee and found that cold brew coffee had lower acid levels.The slow and cold extraction process reduces the release of acidic compounds, resulting in a cup that's up to 60% less acidic than hot coffee.
Try this easy French Press cold brew!
So, if you're someone who struggles with the acidity of regular coffee, consider the joy of decaf. With lower acidity and reduced caffeine, it's a kinder choice for your tummy. Explore Savorista's selection of naturally decaffeinated coffees. Your journey to a gentle cup starts here!
Feel free to experiment by adding chocolate chips or a caramel drizzle for your own frozen creation!
Give this recipe a try and share it with us @savoristacoffee
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Calling all coffee enthusiasts! If you're a fan of the classic Arnold Palmer, a delightful blend of iced tea and lemonade, get ready for a new refreshing experience. Try this twist on a classic, where we bring together the best of both worlds – coffee and lemonade! Say hello to the refreshing and caffeine-conscious Coffee Lemonade recipe that will quench your thirst and help to stay cool this summer.
According to dietitians at Mind Body Green, caffeine is a naturally occurring substance that can cause digestive irritation. Research suggests that it can increase the frequency of contractions throughout your digestive tract. For example, an older study from 1998 found that caffeinated coffee stimulates the colon 23% more than decaf coffee, and 60% more than water. This illustrates that caffeine significantly stimulates your lower gut. Also, some research suggests that caffeine may increase the production of stomach acid, which could upset your stomach and cause heartburn. If you find that you are experiencing heartburn or an upset stomach from drinking caffeinated coffee, it may be time to consider switching to Caffeine Conscious Coffee.
Some of Savorista’s customers have found it helpful to switch to a half caf coffee and gradually transition to fully decaffeinated coffee over time. If you want to learn more about how to gradually reduce your caffeine for better gut health, checkout this caffeine step down plan.
Many people love cold brew coffee for its smooth mouthfeel, lower acidity, and bold flavor. Cold brew coffee may be 65 percent less acidic than regular hot-brewed coffee which leads to less irritation. Cold brewed coffee is steeped in room temperature water for over 12 hours and then poured over ice.
Our french press cold brew recipe highlights how to make the perfect Savorista cold brew coffee that is both more gut-happy and jitter-free!
Dairy is known to cause stomach irritation and inflammation across the entire body. Eliminating dairy from your coffee ritual can help to reduce this chronic inflammation. According to healthline , dairy-free alternatives improve digestion and bloating issues. There’s now a variety of dairy free coffee creamers made from oats, almonds, barley, and cashews on the market. Pairing your one of these with Savorista’s Caffeine Conscious Coffee is a gut happy combo!
To make a gut healthy latte, try pairing Savorista Yesso! Espresso decaf coffee with a splash of almond creamer for a drink with a delicious mix of dark chocolate, strawberries, and dried cherries flavors.
Coffee does not need to be cut out of your daily routine in order to live a gut friendly lifestyle. Finding healthy alternatives to your favorite products through Caffeine Conscious Coffee can improve your day to day life, boost your energy, and help your gut!
]]>Amanda Montalvo is a women's health dietitian who's been through her own health journey dealing with hormones over the last decade. Now, she works with women 1:1 to help them balance their hormones naturally and get rid of their period problems. Amanda also hosts a podcast called Are You Menstrual.
Nina Boyce is a hormone coach, a fertility awareness educator, and a Reiki practitioner. After struggling with hormone imbalances herself - she really dove into understanding women's health, particularly focusing on hormones. Today Nina supports women to understand their hormones and how to live intuitively with their menstrual cycle. Nina also hosts a podcast called Healing Hormones.
We sat down with Nina and Amanda to ask the big questions - here is what we found!
Nina: Everybody reacts to caffeine differently. It all kind of depends on how stressed out you are and what your day to day looks like. Stress increases your body’s need for cortisol and minerals from the body, whenever you add caffeine, you’re kind of setting your system on fire. This is whenever you see the most imbalances in things like estrogen and progesterone. Caffeine can definitely lead to estrogen dominance in women.
Amanda: Our stress hormones (fight or flight hormones) are adrenaline and epinephrine. Of course, whenever we have caffeine that's going to increase those cortisol levels and get us feeling really amped and ready to go. And then those itself, then can start playing a role and affecting our other sex hormones like estrogen.
Nina:The first thing that came to my mind is if you're dealing with a lot of pain around the time of your period. Drinking caffeine during the luteal phase (the time right before your period) can make cramping worse.
Amanda: I feel like those are some big signs - I also want to touch on mood changes. I see in a lot of people if they have coffee in the morning they might notice later in the day they're in more of an angry mood or they snap easily. A lot of this is because of blood sugar. So, having tons of cravings later in the day (it's usually not immediate) is often because your blood sugar is dropping. People will often say, I'm craving another coffee or something sweet.
Also, if you’re having trouble sleeping, we can’t just think about what you did before bed, you need to consider your whole day. Caffeine for some people really interrupts their sleep, especially if you’re having caffeine on an empty stomach, or later in the day. Another sign of stress is having to run to the bathroom to pee all the time or throughout the night. Caffeine is known to increase your stress hormones so that is something to look out for too.
Amanda: For men it can increase their testosterone. So, that can be a benefit but it's limiting (about 400 milligrams a day) then over that it will decrease your testosterone. Caffeine can decrease men’s estrogen levels, because men have estrogen, too. Yes, men and women are different but if a man is stressed and depleted he's still probably not going to react well. I think they're just not as sensitive, because with women, our hormones are going to fluctuate a lot, like if you're in your luteal phase you might not tolerate caffeine as well.
Nina: Right, and they just don’t have that many shifts in their hormones so they don’t notice the effects as much, which is interesting.
Amanda: I mean think about how we make progesterone to balance out estrogen and when that's out of balance like a woman's going to not feel as great, whereas with men, caffeine is boosting their testosterone which would help balance out their estrogen so I feel like it's got more benefits for men, if anything, and not as many like negative side effects.
Click the link below to see the full chat with Nina and Amanda!
Cold brew coffee is delicious, but also notorious for having lots of caffeine. It’s even marketed as the go-to choice whenever you want a quick jolt of “energy,” which can often be followed by the jitters, anxiety, headaches, and even an upset stomach.
This is unfortunate because cold brew coffee is simply DELICIOUS! So why is something so delicious causing unwanted symptoms of over-caffeination?
We took a deeper look to find out if cold brew contains more caffeine than hot coffee and offer an easy solution to enjoy frantic-free cold brew any time of the day!
The simple answer is this - it all comes down to the coffee-to-water ratio and the amount of time the coffee is in the water. Since cold water extracts caffeine and flavor from the coffee grounds less efficiently than hot water - you need to use nearly 4x as much coffee grounds than you would use for making hot coffee.
The cold brew process also allows for caffeine extraction over a long period of time (as long as 48 hours), and the room-temperature water allows the beans to give off a different flavor profile that may not be as sour or bitter as some hot brew methods.
Since brewing methods vary on time and the coffee-to-water ratio, it’s impossible to generalize how much caffeine is in cold brew. Not all cold brew has more caffeine than hot coffee. Since the cold brew method usually requires more beans than a hot brew, it often has more caffeine, but not always.
Since there is no general rule for how much caffeine is in cold brew - we took a look at real life examples from some of the most popular coffee shops in America. As a baseline, the Mayo Clinic estimates that a 12oz cup of hot brewed coffee has approximately 144mg of caffeine. According to the Caffeine Informer, common cold brew drinks can contain anywhere between 109mg-285mg per 12oz.
These numbers reflect how much caffeine can be found in a small 12oz cup of cold brew coffee. Many coffee lovers want more of their favorite things - but beware - a large cup of cold brew could contain upwards of 316-476mg of caffeine! The Mayo Clinic recommends a daily intake of only 400mg. This means that your large cold brew could put you over the recommended limit and cause unwanted over-caffeination side effects.
The best way to reduce the amount of caffeine in a cup of cold brew is to start with coffee grounds that are naturally lower in caffeine!
Try making cold brewed coffee using our high quality Decaf or Half Caf coffees! The brew method is the same but the coffee is - dare we say? BETTER! All the flavor you love with less caffeine and the ability to sleep at night.
Click here to see our quick and easy method for making decaf cold brew at home using only a french press! Don’t have a french press? Try the method in this recipe that uses a glass jar.
Need help choosing which coffee to use? We’ve curated a selection of our favorite coffees to use for brewing cold!
As today, August 19th, is World Photography Day, which aims to inspire photographers across the planet to share a single photo with a simple purpose: to share their world with the world, we decided to partner with Savorita fan and photographer, Matthew Khaddor, to share the 3 most important tips to take the best pic ever!
So no more boring photos! Take better coffee, food, and selfie shots with these 3 tips, and tag us on Instagram @savoristacoffee so we can reshare it -- we’ll love to see you there!
The biggest things you want to remember when you take your selfie coffee photos are 3 things:
1- Focus: The focus is what your camera is focused on and you want the viewer's eye to spot first. If there are multiple things in the photo, make sure the thing you want to highlight is what the camera is focused on so it really pops.
2- Lighting: The lighting is the foundation of a great photo. The brighter the area, the better for clarity! The best time to take pictures is during the day, the natural light is perfect for making your pictures look better. For example, look for a window and take a picture facing the window, you want the light source to be in front of you, not behind you.
3- Composition: Composition means how your photo is organized. The more unique the perspective, the cooler the shot you're going to get! The rule of thirds is a very popular and simple composition guideline to follow. The rule of thirds states that a photo is most appealing when the focus point of the photo is placed along lines which divide the image into thirds, both horizontally and vertically. Placing your subject in the left or right third of an image, or in the center while leaving the other two thirds more open, is an easy way to start applying the rule of thirds to your snapshots.
📸 Taking selfies with your Savorista coffee is always a great idea! Other cool ideas are cheering with a friend and their coffee or taking a photo with your first sip of the day.
We can’t wait to see the amazing picture you will take.
Happy World Photography Day!
]]>The 4th of July forecast calls for friends, family, fireworks and Cold Brew Floats! Get ready to throw the best party in the USA with this twist on a classic American dessert using delicious DECAF COFFEE!
These are super easy to make and a perfect dessert for your 4th of July cookout! All you need is 3 simple ingredients and you're on your way to impressing all of your party guests.
I always have Savorista cold brew brewing in my fridge. It's incredibly easy to make and tastes delicious with ice cream! Check out our recipe for how to make cold brew using a French press.
We love pairing vanilla ice cream with our chocolatey roasts like, Colombian Adventure, Ethiopian Ceremony, or Barely Buzzed! Make it decaf so you can fall asleep after fireworks or try a half caf version if you want to keep the party going!
Grab a glass and add your freshly made cold brew coffee. You can add a splash of club soda to add a bit of fizz, and top with one or two scoops of ice cream!
You can keep it classic with vanilla ice cream or mix it up with chocolate! Go ahead and add toppings like caramel, chocolate sauce, or whipped cream. It's your holiday, make it how you like it - we're just here for inspiration.
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Let us know if you give this recipe a try! Snap a pic to share with your friends and tag us @Savoristacoffee on Instagram and Facebook!
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Do you have a father who is hard to shop for? One who already has everything he needs and buys whatever he wants?
This one should go without saying. Many fathers will enjoy a good bottle of whisky. It’s something they can admire within their collection, take out, enjoy, and brag about to their friends .
Try our easy to make decaf coffee liquor infusions that combine two of Dads’ favorite things, Coffee + Whiskey! And it’s handmade by you, so he’ll love it even more!
All you need is decaf coffee and whisky (or another of dad’s favorite liquors).
Ingredients
Instructions
Combine ingredients in glass jar with a lid. Allow to steep at room temp for 24-48 hours depending on how strong of a flavor you like. Shake the container to mix periodically. Strain beans out and enjoy!
Spiced Coffee
Orange Coffee Pecan
Instructions
Combine ingredients in glass jar with a lid. Allow to steep at room temp for 24-48 hours depending on how strong of a flavor you like. Shake the container to mix periodically. Strain beans out and enjoy!
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Need coffee for this gift? Shop our Best Whisky Infusing Coffees Now!
We love to infuse with dark roasts that counterbalance the strong flavors in the liquor. Try Yesso! Espresso or Barely Buzzed!
Happy Infusing!
Let us know if you give this recipe a try! Snap a pic to share with your friends and tag us @Savoristacoffee on Instagram and Facebook!
]]>Here are 3 ideas for DIY gifts for the coffee lovers in your life.
This simple face and body scrub smells like a vanilla latte and leaves skin smooth and moisturized. This beauty recipe is simple and inexpensive to make, and at the end of the day, you could eat it if you wanted to!
(Recipe inspired by the Edgy Veg).
Ingredients
Instructions
For the moms who prefer a sweeter coffee experience, give them specialty coffee syrups. Pour the syrups into mason jars and label the bottles for a more personalized touch.
(Recipe inspired by A Few Shortcuts).
Ingredients
Simple Syrup Base
Vanilla Syrup
Maple Vanilla
Instructions
Looking for a delicious homemade gift to give to a mom? Then look no further than this Coffee Nut Brittle! Made with mixed nuts and coffee, it’s delicious and easy to make. Make with Savorista’s craft decaf to avoid giving mom the jitters. Shake it up by mixing in whole coffee beans for an extra crunch.
(Recipe inspired by A Family Feast).
Ingredients
Instructions
You may have heard of boba or bubble tea before, but what is it? Bubble tea has become an increasingly popular beverage around the world. It first originated in Taiwan in the 1980’s and commonly consists of flavored tea accompanied by sugar, milk, and chewy tapioca balls (boba or pearls). There is a common misconception that the name "bubble tea" refers to the appearance of the pearls, but it actually comes from the appearance of bubbles in the milk and tea blend after it has been shaken.
Bubble tea has many varieties and flavors including our all-time favorite, coffee! Today we will be showing you how you can mix up your daily coffee routine with a quick and easy iced coffee recipe featuring brown sugar boba. It’s sweet, creamy, cool, and chewy.
We love this with our new Ethiopian Essence Half Caf and Ethiopian Ceremony Decaf, but it would taste great with any of your favorite Savorista coffees!
Making a batch of cold brew can be done ahead of time! It is a simple task involving only two ingredients – coffee and water. Check out our previous blog for an easy cold brew recipe.
If you don’t have the time for cold brew, you can use iced coffee instead. Simply brew with double the amount of coffee to ice ratio so that it doesn’t become too weak as the ice melts.
Boba AKA tapioca pearls can be purchased at any local Asian food market and now is a great time to give extra support to your local Asian businesses Boba comes in a variety of flavors with this traditional black sugar being the most common.
Since these boba will be simmered in a syrup mixture, we don’t want to overcook them. Start by measuring 1/2c of boba and placing them into a heat-safe bowl. Cover with boiling water and let sit for 5 minutes.
In a saucepan combine 1/2c water and 1/2c of brown sugar over medium heat. Heat until the mixture reaches a gentle simmer. Strain your boba and add to brown sugar mixture. Simmer for 3-minutes until syrup begins to thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Now for the fun part. Grab your glass and fill it with 1/4c of the brown sugar boba. Top with Ice, 1c of cold brew, and 1/4c milk of your choice (we used vanilla almond milk). Mix it up and enjoy! You can either drink this with a large straw or use a spoon to scoop up the boba as you sip.
Let us know if you give this recipe a try! Snap a pic to share with your friends and tag us @Savoristacoffee on Instagram and Facebook!
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-3/4c Whole beans coarsely ground
-3c water
Combine in a 1-quart mason jar. Allow to steep in the refrigerator overnight then strain.
-1/2c tapioca pearls softened by soaking in hot water for 5 minutes (buy dry pearls at your local Asian grocer to support local Asian businesses now)
-1/2c brown sugar
-1/2c water
Combine ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until syrup thickens.
-1/4c brown sugar boba
-1c Ethiopian Essence cold brew
-1/4c milk of your choice or creamer
Combine boba, cold brew and milk with ice in a tall glass.
]]>Take a deeper looking inside of your brain to see how drinking caffeine competes with adenosine and interrupts your body's natural energy cycles.
]]>Have you ever wondered why caffeine makes us feel alert in the short term but can lead to a crash in the afternoon, interrupted sleep, and a sluggish feeling the next morning? The highs and lows associated with drinking caffeine is something we like to call the “Caffeine Energy Roller Coaster.” To understand this cycle, we must first look at what is going on inside our brain that gives us energy and makes us feel sleepy.
Throughout the day, adenosine molecules build up in our bodies as a byproduct of burning energy. These Adenosine molecules bind to specific receptors in our brains that tell us we need to rest. As more Adenosine binds to Adenosine receptors, we begin to feel sleepy and drowsy. During sleep, the brain replenishes its energy reserves and begins to eliminate Adenosine. Eventually you wake up when there are very low levels of Adenosine in the brain.
Now that we have had a brief understanding of how adenosine impacts energy, let’s take a deeper look into how caffeine interrupts this energy cycle and how it makes us feel at different times throughout the day.
The structure of adenosine and caffeine are very similar, which means that caffeine can also bind to adenosine receptors.
Image by: Chemistry Help
When caffeine is bound to the receptors, it blocks adenosine, preventing it from telling your brain that you need to rest. This is how caffeine makes you feel more alert, not by giving you energy, but by temporarily blocking your naturally increasing tiredness.
For an interesting detailed diagram, check out this article by Integrative Pharmacology.
“Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee.” Sound familiar? Chronic caffeine users can experience daily caffeine withdrawal symptoms in the early morning before they have their usual dose of caffeine.
Our founder, Kait, just assumed she wasn’t a morning person because she couldn’t remember ever waking up and feeling awesome. She was shocked to later find out she was experiencing caffeine withdrawal every single morning.
Over time, our bodies become dependent on caffeine and we experience withdrawal when we have gone a long time without it. If your last cup of caffeine was at 2pm, that’s 18 hours between your PM and next AM cup.
Whenever you start your day with a caffeinated drink like coffee you begin to feel more alert. Why? Not because it gives you energy, but because it temporarily hides any tiredness you are naturally feeling. You may feel wide awake, focused and at the top of your game after you’ve had your morning caffeine. Unfortunately, this is temporary.
By the afternoon your body has broken down some of the caffeine you consumed in your morning coffee, leaving those adenosine receptors empty and available. Since adenosine has built up throughout the day, these open receptors are suddenly bombarded by adenosine molecules causing sleepiness fairly quickly, aka, the afternoon crash. We’ve all been there where we’ve tried to struggle through it, but often give in to another cup of coffee.
At this point in the day, you may be ready to wind down, but your brain is not. Since the half-life of caffeine is about 6 hours, its stimulating effects may still be at work well into the evening. If you drink a cup of caffeinated coffee at 2pm, you have half of that amount in your system at around 8pm. Now it’s a waiting game for your body to break down enough of the caffeine in your system to free up adenosine receptors and trigger your body to sleep.
If you consume caffeine on a daily basis, you likely started with one cup a day and have increased that number of cups over time to combat the afternoon crash and make yourself feel better. Many of our beloved social rituals also revolve around coffee, so it isn’t surprising how much caffeine many of us drink each day! Over time, your caffeine tolerance increases and you need more caffeine to feel the same. This may be due to your body creating more adenosine receptors to compensate for the receptors blocked by caffeine.
Essentially you are fighting against your body. You drink caffeine which blocks adenosine receptors. Your body needs available adenosine receptors to function normally, so it creates more. Then you feel sleepy, drowsy or other types of awful and drink more caffeine to overcome those feelings. Then your body creates more receptors.
When you first give up caffeine, you may feel extended withdrawal symptoms like you do in the morning. If you have developed a dependence on caffeine, withdrawal symptoms may include headaches, difficulty concentrating, nausea, tiredness, and irritability.
These symptoms can last up to a week until the number of adenosine receptors return to normal. The best way to minimize withdrawal symptoms is by slowing weaning yourself off of caffeine. See our Caffeine Step Down Plan for a guide to reducing your caffeine at your own pace.
Now that you understand how caffeine affects your body’s natural energy cycles, you may see why many people who significantly reduce caffeine report more balanced natural energy levels throughout the day once they’ve left the Caffeine Energy Roller Coaster behind
If you’re tired of being on the Caffeine Energy Roller Coaster and you can’t imagine giving up the taste, warmth and ritual of coffee, check out Savorista’s astonishingly delicious decaf and half caf coffees.
]]>What does Saint Patty’s Day make you think of? Likely the color green and Beer! Beer can be used a variety of ways to add flavor and dimension to food, cocktails, and coffee. Kiki, the Savorista Mixologist, crafted a delicious Chocolate Stout Cold Brew with Vanilla Cold foam to help you kick start your Saint Patty’s Day. It’s creamy and sweet with a hint of that deep rich flavor stouts are known for. Since the beer is simmered, most if not all, of the alcohol burns off. And it looks just like a beer!
For the beer jam, any stout will work, so feel free to be creative! If you want to get fancy you could try a bourbon barrel stout or a coffee stout. For this recipe I chose to use a Salted Caramel Chocolate Stout by Platform Brewing Co called, Caramelicious. It is one of Kiki’s all-time favorites.
Essentially, beer jam is a syrup that uses beer as the liquid component instead of water. The result preserves the flavor of the beer without the alcohol and yields a creamy mouthfeel.
To make it, combine your stout, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, cinnamon, and orange peel in a saucepan over low-medium heat. For a simpler version, just add the sugar and vanilla to the stout.
It is important not to leave this mixture unattended as it is prone to boiling over. Continue to stir until it begins to simmer. Reduce the heat to maintain a steady low simmer for 20-25 minutes. The mixture should thicken and begin to resemble maple syrup. That’s when you know it’s done! This can store in your refrigerator for up to 1 month and be used to sweeten your coffee whether you like it hot or cold.
Cold brew coffee can be made in advance. Start with 3/4c of Yesso! Espresso whole beans and grind them coarse. Place your coffee into a clean glass container (I used a 1-quart mason jar). Add 3 cups of water and seal with a lid. You can brew at room temperature or place it in the refrigerator overnight. Depending on how strong you like your coffee, allow this mixture to steep for 12-24 hours. (If you’re in a rush, just brew hot coffee as you normally would and set it in the fridge to cool). To strain, place a coffee filter or cheesecloth inside of a mesh strainer and pour the coffee mixture through.
The third and final piece is the vanilla cold foam. There’s a couple of ways to do this. The easiest way is to use a milk frother. If you don’t own one of these fun kitchen gadgets, try either of these alternatives.
Now for the action… Let’s put it all together! Mix 2-3 tablespoons of the Chocolate Stout Beer Jam with 1c of cold brew. Stir until the beer jam is incorporated. Add ice and top with 1/3c of vanilla cold foam. It’s as simple as it is delicious!
Let us know if you give this recipe a try! Snap a pic to share with your friends and tag us @Savoristacoffee on Instagram and Facebook!
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Recipe
Chocolate Stout Cold Brew with Vanilla Cold Foam
Mix ingredients together in a large saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 20-25 minutes stirring periodically until the mixture resembles maple syrup. Remove from heat and strain once cooled.
Yesso! Espresso Cold Brew
This is our shortcut to delicious foam! Just whip with a frother or in a blender until it reaches your desired consistency… It’s that easy!
First, all coffee has caffeine when it grows and robusta beans have twice the caffeine of arabica beans.
Once harvested, the green coffee beans are either sent to a roaster to be roasted and served as caffeinated coffee or sent to a decaffeination plant. Once you roast coffee you can’t remove the caffeine. Decaffeination must happen at the green coffee stage between the farm and the roaster.
Also, there are a few different processes to remove the caffeine that only use natural ingredients. The Swiss Water Process and Mountain Water Process only use water to decaffeinate, some decaffeination uses carbon dioxide (yup the same CO2 that we breathe out, but pressurized) and in Colombia they use a byproduct of sugarcane.
To use sugarcane in this way, you take sugarcane molasses and ferment it to produce EA (ethyl acetate), which is commonly found in wine, fruits and in bananas too. Other companies use synthetic EA, but at the Descafecol facility it is is naturally derived, and we liked that a lot. As far as we know, this is the only facility in the world that uses natural sugarcane. Plus, Colombia produces a lot of sugarcane, and the sugarcane is grown just a couple hours away from Manizales.
[Colombian sugarcane fields that could be turned into caffeine-removing EA]
But before you put the EA to work, you have to take a few steps to prepare the beans. First, you steam the beans with water, to open up their pores and soften the beans. Next, you moisten the beans, which swells them further to improve caffeine removal.
Finally, you bathe them in the natural EA bath which dissolves out the caffeine. The EA (with caffeine) gets drained, then distilled, leaving just the caffeine. Apparently, other companies need caffeine as an ingredient (for pharmaceuticals and cosmetics), so it doesn’t get wasted.
Afterward, the beans get steamed one last time, at a temperature higher than the boiling point of EA. This ensures that any leftover EA evaporates, and you are left with just the original beans, minus the caffeine, which are left to cool before they can be sent to a coffee roaster. Any potential residual EA would evaporate during the roasting process so you aren’t consuming it. The caffeine free beans are sent to a roaster to be transformed into a coffee you can drink at any time of the day or night.
One of the things we loved about their process is the mini circular economy it creates. Meaning the byproducts of sugarcane are used to decaffeinate the coffee, then the extracted caffeine is sold to be used in other products rather than thrown away.
[With our friends from Descafecol, before touring the facility]
Even though this process uses natural ingredients like water and sugarcane, don’t forget that the quality of your decaf coffee is only as good as the beans in the first place. No matter how natural the decaf process is, low quality beans will still produce low quality coffee.
[The beans on the right are great quality and look like what we share, the ones on the left...well that may be your other decaf]
That’s why we’re starting with really high quality beans from Colombia, running them through a natural decaffeination process in the same country, and then roasting it right before we send it out so you can enjoy perhaps some of the best and freshest decaffeinated coffee you’ve ever tried. In fact, it’s better than a lot of regular coffee, simply because of the quality of the beans.
For example, a regular 8 oz coffee has about 100 mg of caffeine or more, while a decaf of the same size has only about 5 mg of caffeine or less, so the regular has more than 20 times more caffeine!
In comparison, black tea has about 35 mg of caffeine and green tea has about 25 mg, for that same 8 oz cup. Herbal teas (like peppermint or chamomile) have no caffeine. The herbal teas are steeped leaves or flowers that never had caffeine in the first place.
So is decaf safe to drink if I want less caffeine?
First, I am not a doctor. Any medical decisions should be made with your doctor and not your coffee company.
But, many people have shared that their doctor encouraged them to switch to decaf for health reasons. And our coffees are only decaffeinated with natural ingredients, like water or a sugarcane product.
Thanks to the Mayo Clinic for the data!
]]>But what makes it so bad? And could it be better? Savorista’s founder, Kait, asked herself the same questions as she set out on her global quest for great decaf.
Decaffeination can be costly. In order to balance the cost, many companies often resort to using lower quality or older beans for their decaf coffees.
We treat our decaf selection as a priority, not an afterthought. That's why we use only the highest quality arabica beans. These are beans grown at high elevations, in good soil.
Our coffee cherries, the fruit the coffee beans grow in, are hand picked when they are at their ripest. Picking the ripest coffee fruit ensures that the beans will be consistently better quality, compared to beans of varying ripeness. Think about the difference between bananas with bright green peels versus yellow peels. One is ready to be eaten and the other needs more time to mature. Coffee is the same way. You only want to pick a coffee cherry when it is perfectly ripe.
[The beans on the right are great quality and look like what we share, the ones on the left...well that may be your other decaf]
There are a variety of ways to decaffeinate coffee, either with natural ingredients or chemical solvents. All are approved by the FDA; however, our coffees are only decaffeinated with natural ingredients, like water or a sugarcane derived ingredient. Many of our coffees are decaffeinated with a natural ethyl acetate (EA), which comes from sugarcane. The sugarcane is grown in Colombia, and the EA is sent to a decaffeination plant in Colombia. EA occurs in fruit, and there is more of it in a banana than in our coffee. The rest of our coffees have been decaffeinated by Swiss Water, which uses only water from glacial runoff to decaffeinate.
Decaf can be a bit more challenging to roast and requires extra attention. If roasters don't prioritize the quality of their decaf, they may not focus on the quality of the decaf roast. And, starting with bad beans sets the coffee up with no interesting characteristics to highlight, resulting in over-roasting, or burning, the beans to cover up the bland taste that was there to begin with.
Our coffee is freshly roasted in small batches, and with attention to detail. It is a delicate balance of art and science to make sure it knocks your socks off. Because we want to taste all of those incredible flavors too!
We invite you to try out our coffees, and let us know if you can taste the difference.
]]>If you chose any of the above statements, you might want to keep reading.
Caffeine might actually be a contributing factor to your sleeping challenges, sluggish mood, constant stress and anxiety, and energy fluctuations - speaking from personal experience here.
Nevertheless, coffee shouldn’t have to be something you give up completely. For those of you who especially love coffee for the taste and ritual, this might’ve been your first concern. Perhaps try reducing your caffeine.
This may seem like an intimidating venture; however, it doesn’t have to be. Savorista has created a Caffeine Step-Down Plan for those of you who are interested in limiting your caffeine on your own terms and at your own pace. There’s no need to cut yourself off cold-turkey. Savorista offers a variety of astonishingly delicious decaf and half caf coffees, so you can find the perfect coffee that suits your taste and ritual.
It is incredibly important to listen to your mind and body. You can start by creating a relationship with caffeine that works best for you!
Find the Savorista Caffeine Step-Down Plan here. ]]>Maybe you’re using this as an opportunity to layer in health changes, like drinking less caffeine. If you're looking for a delicious decaf online, you're probably wondering how you can possibly differentiate the good online coffee products from the bad.
Here are our five tips for choosing a high quality decaf, online:
BONUS TIP: If you’re looking for a longer commitment and are choosing a coffee subscription, look for subscriptions that offer flexibility in their plans. You’ll want to be able to adjust it to your life or change your coffee. Look for easy schedule changes and cancellations. Free shipping on subscriptions is also a perk (and one we offer to our Savorista subscriber).
]]>Surprisingly, it isn’t required to list how a coffee was decaffeinated on the label. At Savorista, we want you to know which decaffeination method was used in our coffees (spoiler alert, only the ones that use natural ingredients) so we label it clearly on every bag.
Most coffee is decaffeinated with harsh chemicals, including methylene chloride which has been banned by the EPA for use in paint thinners.
The Clean Label Project recently tested some of the most popular mainstream decaf coffees for methylene chloride, and found levels that were higher than they expected in many coffee brands, but still under the FDA limit.
But, even if the FDA approves, we just didn’t want to add more chemicals (even at tiny amounts) to our bodies. There are so many chemicals that are almost impossible to avoid, so when we can, we prefer to choose natural ingredients for ourselves. And we thought you'd appreciate that, too.
At Savorista, we only use decaffeination methods that use natural ingredients: the Swiss Water Process or the Sugarcane EA process.
The Swiss Water Process uses diffusion (a process similar to osmosis) to remove the caffeine.
Remember the idea that if you slept with a textbook under your pillow, knowledge would flow from where there is a lot (the textbook) to where there is less (your brain)?
At Swiss Water, diffusion is used to relocate caffeine from where there is a lot of it (in the bean) to where there is less of it (the water it soaks in).
Learn more about how The Swiss Water Process works
In Colombia, sugarcane molasses is fermented to produce EA (ethyl acetate), which is commonly found in wine, fruits and in bananas too. The beans are steamed and moistened before being bathed in a natural EA bath which captures the caffeine from the bean.
Learn more about the Sugarcane EA Process
We’ve been told we’re not real coffee lovers if we’re not in it for the caffeine.
We disagree.
As caffeine-conscious coffee lovers, we’re happy to share that the benefits of cutting out or lowering caffeine consumption are pretty darn amazing:
We’re even happier to state that, with Savorista, the only thing you’re really giving up is the ridiculous assertion that caffeine is the only reason you get anything done.
You may have your doubts. But trust us when we tell you that by reducing your caffeine with Savorista low-caf and decaf coffees, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
It’s easy to use caffeine to give you the energy to do all of the things that—if you took the time to really think about them—you’d realize are reactions to constant and sometimes unreasonable demands on your time.
Savorista gives you the permission and presence of mind to slow down, check in, and ask yourself what really matters.
]]>This past weekend, the world celebrated Mental Health Day, an annual observance for mental health education and awareness as an effort to end the stigma attached to mental illness. This year felt especially relevant amidst a global pandemic.
Facing COVID-19 has been a challenge. Whether it’s been adapting to remote working or learning, losing a job, contracting the virus, losing a loved one, becoming anxious about the future, or anything else, these unprecedented times have created obstacles for everyone. In many ways it feels as if the existing challenges in our lives were amplified by this pandemic. Between these difficulties and having to self-isolate, mental well-being may seem almost impossible to obtain at times.
For Olympic marathoner Molly Seidel, leaning on her closest friends and teammates has been extremely beneficial to her mental health. She openly discusses the importance of not being afraid to ask for help and having a support network. Make sure to check out the full interview above to hear what else she had to say.
At Savorista, we too understand the importance of mental health. It’s part of the reason we’ve made it our mission to craft delicious decaf and half caf as one way to normalize reducing caffeine for your mental health. According to Mayo Clinic, and many other experts caffeine has shown to worsen anxiety. Consider dialing back on your caffeine intake as one piece of the puzzle to reduce your stress or anxiety.
There is an overwhelming amount of resources available for mental health and psychological support. You can visit the World Health Organization or the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Mental Health as a starting point, where you will be able to find multiple guides and tips on how to navigate stress and anxiety. It really comes down to what works best for you.
How do you care for your mental health? What can others in our community learn from you?
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Molly is an inspiring runner and caffeine conscious coffee lover. She has won 12 state titles in high school, 4 NCAA titles, and recently qualified for the Olympics for the marathon. Even with so few racing opportunities in the world of COVID-19, Molly was invited to run in this year’s pro-only London Marathon on Sunday, October 4th. If a pandemic can’t stop Molly, nothing can!
Clearly, there was a lot to talk about with Molly. We dove into how Molly trains for such a high-stakes race like the London Marathon, to which she responded frankly by “learning how to be bored for long periods of time.” She makes it sound easy.
We also discussed what her coffee ritual looks like when she’s training. Some pros drink decaf to save the boost of caffeinated coffee for races. Molly enjoys a cup of coffee in the morning before her runs and a caffeine gel towards the end of a marathon.
Here are some of the key highlights from our conversation, but make sure to check out the full interview to hear what else she had to say:
To follow more of Molly’s journey as a runner and caffeine-conscious coffee lover, follow her on Instagram @bygolly.molly. While you’re at it, send her a message to let her know that we, the Savorista community, are all rooting for her!
You can watch the race live from your home by going to NBCSN this Sunday, October 4th at 2:00 AM EDT. Molly, we’re all cheering for you, and can’t wait to tune in this Sunday!
]]>This new recipe is perfect for everyone who enjoys coffee and carbonation. Whether it’s regular soda, soda water, or sparkling water, we think this pairing of coffee and sparkling water is perfect for a summer afternoon.
We’ve adapted this recipe from coffee blogger, Alexander Mills. Alexander is an avid home brewer and coffee blogger working to break down barriers in language and education in specialty coffee culture.
I had tried mixing club soda with my cold brew, but it didn’t quite taste right. Alexander tipped me off that the trick is to make a coffee syrup to mix with the sparkling water.
Instructions
Looking for a sweet treat? Toss in a scoop of ice cream for the coffee version of a root beer float.
I hope you enjoy this drink as much as I did and you can now add it to your repertoire of home brewed coffee recipes!
]]>Ever wonder why people are so shocked to learn our coffee is decaf?! We believe that you shouldn’t have to give up delicious coffee just to reduce your caffeine. So we’ve traveled around the world and tasted hundreds of coffees to bring you the best craft decaf and half cafs.
To select which green coffees to buy, we “cup” the coffee to develop a deep understanding of it. Cupping is a formal way of tasting the coffee, complete with all kinds of Specialty Coffee Association protocols and best practices.
Coffee cupping involves learning about the coffee through different senses. Before even tasting the coffee, you smell the coffee grounds to see what flavor notes pop first.
Then you taste the coffee by slurping it off a spoon. You want to taste at different temperatures to evaluate the evolution of the taste profile as it cools. It’s terrible to find a coffee that tastes great hot, but soon after is bitter.
Everyone’s palate is different. What you smell and taste may not be the same as what I smell and taste. It’s partly influenced by the variety of foods and drinks you’ve had in the past. There are Certified Q Graders, essentially “Coffee Sommeliers” who complete rigorous training and calibrate their coffee palates. At Savorista, we encourage you to explore coffee and enjoy identifying the flavor notes that jump out for you.
You are actually supposed to spit out coffee after each sip, but I’ve never been able to do that. Why? Because I love coffee. And, as Daniel will point out, I’m not quite coordinated enough to juggle a spoon, notebook and pen, and spit cup, while moving around the coffee table to taste coffee.
Sometimes we cup caffeinated coffees for our half caf blends. Given I don’t drink much caffeine these days, I typically end up over caffeinated and jittery on those days.
We cupped hundreds of coffees in our travels. Now that we are social distancing and staying home, we are cupping stateside for now.
This summer, we even held our own virtual cupping experience with our team! We tasted Savorista coffees to see which flavor notes each of us could point out. It was a great team experience and we will take any excuse to drink more delicious Savorista coffee!
Want more info on how to do a cupping at your home? Would you like to join us for a virtual cupping in the future? Let us know!
For now, taste a couple different coffees side by side and let us know what flavor notes you taste.
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Affogato means “drowned” in Italian. While it sounds super sophisticated, it’s also very easy to make at home.
Simply place a couple small scoops of your favorite ice cream in a short glass (or large scoops-- it's been that type of summer). Pour a shot of hot espresso or a few ounces of strong coffee (brewed any way you like) over the ice cream so the flavors melt together into creamy, coffee-flavored goodness!
Any coffee will work, but we love it with darker roasted coffees that balance out the creaminess of the ice cream. Try it with our Yesso! Espresso Craft Decaf or Barely Buzzed Half Caf.
If you’re feeling creative, add fruit, chocolate shavings, caramel or your favorite toppings for a restaurant-style dessert in the comfort of your own kitchen!
]]>Now that summer is in full swing, how about some fun new brew tips to mix up your coffee ritual! First up is French Press Cold Brew!
Why cold brew? And how is it different than iced coffee? Well, iced coffee is brewed hot and then poured over ice. Cold brewed coffee is steeped in room temperature water for over 12 hours and then poured over ice.
Many people love cold brew coffee for its smooth taste, lower acidity and bold flavor. Cold brew is delicious black or with your favorite creamer!
Step 1: Find the perfect beans! We won the People’s Choice Award at the Cincinnati Coffee Festival in 2019 for our Panorama Half Caf Cold Brew.
Step 2: Weigh or measure your coffee. Weigh out 1 gram of coffee for every 7 grams of water. For an 8 cup French Press, measure out ⅔ cup of coffee and 3 cups of room temperature filtered water.
Step 3: Grind on a coarse setting to make sure your coffee isn't too fine for your filter.
Step 4: Pour the coffee grounds into the french press and add the water. Stir to make sure all of the grounds are wet.
Step 5: Steep for 12-14 hours. This is where the magic happens and your perfect cup of cold brew is on its way!
Step 6: Plunge, pour, and enjoy!
More tips: