Cooking Guides & Tips
What is Umami?
Umami, which translates from Japanese to mean “delicious taste” or “essence of deliciousness,” is a type of flavor and it's gotten a lot of attention recently in the culinary world. When we talk about flavors, we tend to divide them into five categories: Sweet, Salty, Bitter, Sour, Umami These are the main flavors that our taste buds are wired to recognize. But while the first four are pretty familiar, umami is still not what you’d call a household name. The addition of umami as the fifth flavor was originally proposed by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda in 1908 and officially recognized as an official scientific term in 1985. The umami flavor is rich, deep, and meaty, coating the mouth and tongue. Foods that are high in it have a tendency to make people say “yuuummm!” Umami is sometimes also called “savoriness.” Some examples of foods with strong umami flavor are cured meats, anchovies, aged cheeses (like parmesan), mushrooms, seaweed, garlic, tomatoes (especially sundried), soy sauce, and long-simmered broths. Want to experiment with some umami flavors? Try these savory blends: Cascade Mushroom Mix Garlic Salt Nigella Caesar Osaka Seasoned Salt
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A Beginner’s Guide to Spicing Up Your Coffee
The practice of adding spice to coffee is common all over the world. Turkish, Egyptian, and Indonesian-style coffee all contain warming spices like cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric, and nutmeg. In Mexico, café de olla is a popular spiced breakfast coffee with a rich cultural history. No matter your heritage, adding spices to your coffee can brighten your morning and, in our opinion, set you up for a great day, no matter what your plans are. If you’ve never experimented with spicing your coffee the whole idea might be a little intimidating, so we put together this guide to get you started with confidence. Sprinkle The easiest way to spice up your coffee is to simply sprinkle your spice right on top. This works best with coffee that has steamed milk foam or whipped cream on top. Our favorites for this method: Cinnamon Toast Spice Gingerbread Spice Nutmeg Matcha Stir Ground spices can be stirred into brewed coffee in the carafe or by the individual cup. You can do this with black or milky coffee, but the creaminess of milk will help distribute the spice flavor better. Our favorites for this method: Pumpkin Pie Spice Maple Sugar Cocoa Powder Turmeric Brew Toss a little scoop of whole or ground spices in with your coffee grounds and brew it all together. This is the best way to really infuse the flavors of the spice into your brew and the tastiest choice if you prefer your coffee black. Our favorites for this method: Cardamom Cinnamon Allspice Ginger Sweeten Did you know you can make syrups as good as the ones at the coffee shop at home? Here’s a quick how-to for making a basic flavored syrup: Bring 1 cup of water to a boil Take off the heat, add about 3 heaping tablespoons of spices, flowers, or tea Cover tightly and let infuse for 8 - 10 minutes Strain out the plant matter and add 1 cup of sugar or honey to the liquid portion Stir over gentle heat until fully dissolved Once it has cooled, store in the fridge Although there is some work on the front end, once you’ve got your syrup made it is quick and easy to add to any coffee beverage. Our favorites for this method: Lavender Roses Advieh Juniper Notes: Less is more Start with a small amount and work up until you’ve found your perfect spice level Stick with warm or floral flavors When trying out new spices with your coffee, the best options will be warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom, or florals like roses and lavender. Have fun and stay spicy!
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DIY Chai
10 min
The teas from India are legendary, and the warm aroma of simmering spices will instantly transport you there. The beauty of this DIY Chai is that you can customize it in so many ways to suit your taste. Traditional chai spices include cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, pepper and clove but don’t stop there. We’ve tried everything from star anise and fennel, to coriander and orange peel with great success. The spice possibilities are endless. We keep our bestsellers, Classic Chai and Roast Chai, on hand year round. You can also switch up the proportion of spices and tea to highlight one or the other.
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