Coffee bitter? Chocolate Cherry Jam is more than just a dessert topping! Imagine the possibilities when you stir a teaspoon of sweet chocolate and tart pie cherries into your coffee drink!
“Sometimes coffee drinks are just too bitter. That is when I stir in a spoonful of Chocolate Cherry Jam. The chocolate and cherry round out the flavor. A great weekend sip!” Charlie Pinson, Friends Drift Inn
Coffee Drink with Chocolate Cherry Jam?
I drink tea with jam stirred in, especially on the weekends.
Charlie is the coffee drinker. His eyes do not come unglued until he has at least two cups every morning at breakfast. Plus, there is his afternoon coffee break.
As a rule, he does not add cream or sugar to his morning coffee. But he got on a kick with gourmet coffees, and one of them is particularly bitter.
On a whim, he stirred LINK Friends Drift In Chocolate Cherry Jam into the offending Cup of Joe. I thought that was crazy.
But not only did the jam tame the bitterness, the chocolate and cherry enhanced the flavor notes of the dark roasted coffee.
What a surprise!
I still do not drink coffee often, but Coffee with Chocolate Cherry Jam is a no-guilt indulgence of mine at Sunday Brunch.
Stirring Jam in Coffee Drinks
There are many factors that can contribute to the bitterness of coffee drinks. One of the main offenders is what the industry calls “extraction;” the actual brewing process. Extraction includes how hot the water is and how long the coffee is processed.
We use a Keurig machine with one of those refillable gizmos.
In that method, there is no way to control the temperature and time of brewing. It is what it is.
Needing individual servings, and not a whole coffee pot, we are not likely to change.
To tame coffee acids and bitterness, a teaspoon of Friends Drift Inn Chocolate Cherry Jam makes for an enjoyable coffee experience without heading to the local coffee shop.
Sara Schroeder from Taste of Home suggests, “Skip the expensive cafe and make your own coffee drink recipes!”
She is so right!
A jar of jam will last you several months if refrigerated. It probably won’t last that long because you will want to try chocolate cherry jam on cheesecake, stuffed in chocolate muffins”, or as a decadent topping for chocolate waffles or ice cream. We don’t blame you!
What is it About Coffee and Chocolate?
Is chocolate good in a coffee drink? Well yeah. Duh.
Chocolate is perhaps the most popular coffee partner.
A coffee and tea industry magazine freshcup.com has much to say about trends in the beverage industry.
Quoting Jael Rattigan, owner of French Broad Chocolates near Asheville Fresh Cup writer Robin Roenker notes:
“Coffee and cacao are the ultimate compadres. They hail from a common latitude. They’re both seeds of a tropical fruit that are fermented and dried at origin. And they both are carefully roasted to bring out their flavor profiles,” Rattigan says.
And if you add cherries and chocolate to coffee, well the party gets down-right interesting.
How is Coffee Grown?
From a farmers’ perspective there is a lot that goes on to get that cup of coffee in your hand!
Planting, harvesting, sorting and processing, drying the beans, milling the beans, exporting, roasting, grinding, and finally brewing are just part of the process. There is also marketing, wholesaling and packaging and dozens of additional business procedures to be followed.
Growing is the first step. Trees can grow up to 30 feet tall, according to several sources. Unlike other tree crops, sometimes you find flowers, buds and berries all on the same limb. The harvest comes in over a period of week.
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee!
I don’t usually think of coffee as being grown in the US, but the USDA , United States Department of Agriculture, does offer crop insurance plans for coffee grown in specific counties of Hawaii. The insurance even covers volcanic damage!
That boggles the mind of this Appalachian farmer!
You never know what a farmer has to overcome, just to get that cup of coffee in your hands!
It goes without saying that the National Coffee Association of the USA is passionate about coffee. They offer these insights into coffee production:
It takes nearly a year for a cherry to mature after first flowering, and about 5 years of growth to reach full fruit production.
The average coffee tree produces 10 pounds of coffee cherry per year, or 2 pounds of green beans.
Coffee trees prefer very rich soils, with dappled sunlight, and regular irrigation or rainfall. Warm moderate temperatures are required for production.
Coffee farmers work hard for their money. Buying free trade coffee is so important!
Free-trade coffee agreements are set in motion to assure farmers can produce a sustainable product, but still turn a profit. Farmers should not work for free.
What Kind of Cherries Are In Chocolate Cherry Jam?
Friends Drift Inn Chocolate Cherry Jam features real cherries. There is no added cherry flavor or preservatives.
We use a very tart sour cherry, which gives a unique flavor contrast to the sweet chocolate. As the world turns, sour cherries are becoming increasingly popular.
These are not the sweet Bing cherries often found in Grandma’s cherry pie or dangling precariously in a bourbon cocktail.
Montmorency cherries have a zing!
Named for a growing region near Paris, France, Montmorency cherries are the most popular sour cherries.
According to Montmorency US Tart Cherries leading cherry industry experts:
Almost all Montmorency tart cherries grown in the U.S. are the Montmorency variety. Montmorency tart cherries, also known as sour cherries, are bright red when harvested, and they retain that bold color when dried, frozen or juiced.
Tart cherries are harvested in the summer months.
How to Enjoy the Taste of Coffee Drinks
Do you watch NCIS? In the office dynamic, sometimes people’s little habits can be annoying.
Tony hates it when McGee sips coffee. McGee does a little “huff” before taking in his caffeine.
It may annoy Tony, but McGee is probably flooding his palate with flavors. The lesson learned is you can improve how you experience your coffee break just by following these steps.
- Smell the coffee. Like a fine wine or bourbon, coffee has a “nose.”
- Slurp a quick sip and take a big breath. This will spread the flavor sensation across your palate.
- Repeat.
If you senses tell you the coffee drink is too bitter, or the flavors seem unbalanced, that is your cue to stir in Chocolate Cherry Jam.
But then again, do you really need an excuse to elevate coffee’s flavor?
If you do, then mark National Coffee Day, September 29 on your calendar! But why wait for a good cup of coffee?
Choose Your Assortment
Coffee Drink with Chocolate Cherry Jam Tames Bitterness
- Prep Time: 1 Minute
- Cook Time: 3 Minutes
- Total Time: 4 Minutes
- Yield: 1 cup
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Brew
- Cuisine: American
Description
Stirring Friends Drift Inn Chocolate Cherry Jam into coffee drinks tames bitterness. Even a good cup of coffee becomes a coffee celebration with the addition of chocolate and cherry jam!
Ingredients
- Cup of Freshly Brewed Coffee
- Heaping Teaspoon Friends Drift Inn Chocolate Cherry Jam
Instructions
- Brew coffee.
- Stir in Chocolate Cherry Jam.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Friends Drift Inn uses tart pie cherries in our Chocolate Cherry Jam.
You could strain the coffee after you add the jam, but we like those bits of cherries in the last sip. Giggles.
Like all our recipes, this article was inspired by our own Friends Drift Inn Chocolate Cherry Jam. We cannot predict how other products will perform.
Keywords: coffee, coffee drink, coffee break, chocolate cherry jam,
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