Cold-Brew Coffee and The 3-Week Plan: Day10

Tuesday:

In April, I saw an article in the paper about a new local coffee, called Lemmel, as in lämmel (= lemming). The story (as told by Markus Lemke of Gällivare, here in the photo from the article) is that the lemmings are so aggressive because they are guarding their great secret, their coffee rosting-house. This is the first dark-roasted boiling coffee (which is usually a light roast), advertised for outdoor use with the catch-phrase "no sleep, just coffee". I bought 3 half-kilo packets by mail (I have repressed the price, it was horribly expensive), gave one packet away for a gift and started on one myself. It tastes very good, but I do find the process of boiling coffee just for myself a bit tedious on an everyday basis (I usually make my cup when I´m barely awake), so it´s been sitting for a while in the fridge.

Now I read in the Guardian about cold-brew coffee, According to the recipe, you should use coarsely ground beans, which is exactly what this is, and it´s supposed to taste less acidic and more chocolat-y, which sounds like a very good thing to me! I had to try at once! It takes some planning, though, as it needs to sit for 24 hours to brew. Well, it´s not like I have to sit and guard it like the lemmings, do I?

Wednesday:

Not quite 24 hours later, but 20 perhaps, when I filtered my first two deciliters of this stuff. It was black, allright, and strong to the taste. I diluted it 50/50 with water, but it still tasted odd. It occured to me that I can´t really say one way or the other, since I´m not used to drinking cold coffee, so I made a cup of the 50/50 mix and heated it in the microwave.

Let me tell you, it´s gorgeous. Just as they promised, not acidic at all, but full of wonderful taste. I then added just a dollop of milk and the flavour was unlike any coffee I have ever had. I think I´m firmly hooked!

These are the instructions that came with Lemmel coffee:

1. Leave civilization.
2. Make a fire.
3. Fill your pan with water from a lake or stream.
4. Add enough coffee to allow a wood mouse to walk across without getting his feet wet.
5. Bring to the boil.
6. Let it draw until it´s strong enough. Fill your soul.

On Vimeo, you can see how it´s made: kokkaffeporr! (= boiling coffee porn)

As for my dinner plan, it was cancelled. We took my mum-in-law and sister-in-law to a restaurant, where we ate suovas, which is smoked reindeer shavings. I shall make it myself someday soon, just for the blog - to make up for having chosen such a lousy time to blog my fabulous 3-week plan, when I can´t stick to it at all... Oh well.