|
|
Meet The Staff |
|
|
|
Tia Prouhet
You will usually find Tia at the shop in the mornings as she has become one of our most popular openers. Tia came to us with a wealth of experience, having spent the last 5 years working in various coffee shops around town. Want to know something about coffee, Tia is one to ask.
Tia is one of five children born and raised in the Houston area. In addition to a full time schedule at Coffee Oasis, she is enrolled in school where she is working on a bachelor's degree in communications. (Although she claims that she has no idea what she wants to do with that degree when she earns it.) She is also a student of photography and an aspiring poet. If you have interest in publishing, you should make it a point to talk with her. |
| Meet the Regulars |
 |
|
Lisa Babb
Lisa has been coming to Coffee Oasis since .... well, forever. Some claim she lives here. She does seem to find lots of reasons to hangout. As a lab technician student, she can often be found studying (or pretending to study).
She is the mother of one delightful and irrepressible six year old girl who enjoys joining in on the conversation. (We start training them early in our customer development program.) Lisa plans to marry in January 2009, so feel free to stop by and give her your blessings or admonishments! |
|
Coffee of the Month March |
|
Mocha Java
Mocha Java is a blend from two of the oldest coffee growing regions on earth. It has a mild flavor characteristic of Java coffee with the subtle taste of chocolate that naturally occurs in coffee from the Mocha region of Yemen all brought to a peak by our choice of a medium roast.
Special Price: $11.00/lb $9.90/lb |
| Cooking with Coffee |
|
Tiramisu |
|
Mix the espresso, Marsala and Amaretto in a measuring cup.
Beat the cream until it holds soft peaks. Separately, beat the mascarpone to smooth it out. Beat 1/4 of the cream into the mascarpone and gently fold in the rest of the cream.
Place half of the ladyfingers, flat side down, in a 8"x10" glass pan. Brush with half of the liquid. Cover with half the mascarpone and cream mixture. Sprinkle with half of the chocolate. Repeat for a second layer of each of the ingredients.
Chill for about 4 hours before cutting with a serrated knife.
Then, (this if the important part) enjoy this by sharing it with friends.
| |
|
|
|
|
Greetings!
This is the second edition of the Coffee Oasis Newsletter. You may notice that we have incorporated some of your suggestions for additional features. We hope you enjoy it.
Once again to encourage you to read to the end, we have a special offer. The first 30 people who come in and mention the subject of the last article in this newsletter will receive half off any coffee or espresso drink or 25% off on one pound of the whole bean or ground coffee of your choice. Note: there is no special bonus awarded for finding and pointing out spelling and typographical errors, although we do appreciate your close reading.
Share the Coffee Oasis experience. Please feel free to forward this to any friend by simply selecting the button in the left.
Thanks for being part of the Coffee Oasis family.
Rusty |
  |
|
Nashville comes to Coffee O
Music is an important part of our life at Coffee Oasis. For the most part we provide a venue for many talented local performers. In addition to our weekly Open Mic Night on Tuesdays and the Celtic Song Circle on Thursdays, we feature various musicians on other nights. In March we are fortunate to host two Nashville veterans.
On March 22nd we will host Joe Green and Gary Lynn Williams. Joe presents his original Texas cowboy poetry with his own brand of western and country music. His shows invite audience participation. Crowds whoop and holler, laugh and sing along with poems and songs. Gary is just returning from a successful stint in Nashville. He will help represent Texas Folk Music Foundation and Nashville Songwriter Association International at Kerrville Folk Festival. Gary's original music includes Americana, Folk Rock, and New Country.
The following weekend, March 28, we will be treated to an evening of music by Donna Frost. Donna is a native Nashvillian dedicated to her creative spirit. She performs across the US, the Caribbean and the UK. Donna has a distinct style, blending folk, blues, and pop. Her current CD, "Feels Like Home," has been added to many play lists overseas as well as indie stations in the US. Tracks from the CD have received airplay worldwide, with some making top 25 in various countries and #1 in Australia. Donna tours year round in major cities throughout the US. When not on the road, Donna performs in Nashville clubs and is a very accomplished singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She also works as a demo and background singer in Nashville studios as well as in film & video. Donna is an actress in local theatre and currently stars as Janis Joplin in the musical, "Kozmic Blue-An Interview with Janis Joplin". She has been on Nashville TV and radio programs including WSMs Opry Star Spotlight, Mornings on Fox, and Music City Showcase. Donna performed with long-time friend and idol, the late Skeeter Davis on tour and at the Grand Ole Opry from 1996-2002.
For more information about activities check out the calendar here. | |
|
Brewing it Up |
|
Over the centuries people have devised a mind boggling variety of ways to produce a drinkable beverage by introducing roasted coffee to water. Over the next few months we will discuss the pros and cons of several of the most popular methods. (Except for percolators ... in that case we will simply say: "Don't!")
Today, we will share a few general points that will help you brew a delicious cup of coffee when you can't come by your favorite coffeehouse.
- Use plenty of coffee. We recommend at least 2 level tablespoons per 5-6 oz cup.
- Grind the coffee as fine as you can depending on the design of your coffee maker but never grind it to a fine power. The individual grains should be identifiable to the naked eye and always larger than the holes in the filter you are using.
- Use fresh pure water and a clean pot.
- Use hot but not boiling water. We recommend 190 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Do not boil coffee. Boiling cooks off the delicate flavor and leaves the bitter chemicals.
- For the same reason, try not to keep coffee on a heating element.
- Generally, you will have better results if you brew a full pot.
Even better ... come by your favorite coffeehouse often and and let us brew it for you! |
|
In the Beginning ... |
Coffee originated in Ethiopia, where it grows wild. However the first commercial plantings of coffee are believed to date from around the 6th century in the country of Yemen, on the Arabian peninsula. The first major port for the early coffee trade was the city of Al-Mukah (Mocha), a port on the southwestern coast of Yemen on the Red Sea.
Coffee grown in this region has a distinctive flavor, unlike any other in the world. Today we would call it chocolaty. However, back then there was no such word. It was just Yemen Mocha and it was highly prized.
Chocolate, was a New World discovery. The processed seeds of the cacao plant were unknown to early coffee drinkers in Asia, Africa, and Europe. The natives of Central America were producing flavorings, moles, and beverages, and medicines from chocolate for perhaps as long as the Arabs have been brewing coffee but the two delightful treats did not come together until some time after the European colonization of the Americas.
The exact moment is lost to history but someone, probably a Dutch trader, came up with the idea of mixing chocolate with inferior coffee beans to imitate the premium flavor of Yemen Mocha coffee.
That is how the combination of coffee and chocolate came to be known as "mocha". The combination has become so popular that we frequently have to explain that Yemen Mocha coffee is an all natural product with no added flavorings.
So the next time you order a Cafe Mocha consider how, sometimes, a cheap imitation can surpass an original.
|
|
Rusty's Corner |
 Politics and Coffee
As I was growing up, I was taught that one should never discuss politics or religion at the dinner table. The reason for this bit of etiquette and folk wisdom is that people often hold strong feelings about those topics and such discussions can become uncomfortable very quickly.
It seems to me that some politicians, of all stripes, have come to appreciate this social norm and often use it to their great advantage and to the detriment of statesmanship and our civil society. It seems that is why discourse has been reduced to bumper sticker slogans, unexamined assumptions are presented as policy, and "us vs. them" divisions are actively promoted by too many in our political class. If they can keep us from talking about the far greater number of things we have in common (by focusing on the few areas where we disagree), they win. Thus the utility of so called "wedge issues." As long as the political class can keep us focused on our differences they increase their power and diminish their accountability. After all, in a divided world, any failure can be conveniently blamed on the obstructionism of the "other side." What is worse, any tactic can be justified as necessary to beat them.
I propose that coffee may just be the cure for what ails us. Throughout history coffee has been a convivial beverage. It just seems to be the natural drink of people who want to have a real discussion. The caffeine sharpens the mind and the warm soothing flavor calms passions. People have been coming together to discuss their unique perspectives over coffee since the beverage was first served in Arabian coffeehouses in the 6th century. Coffee is a social beverage and for centuries people have been getting to know one another and resolving their differences over a cup of coffee.
We are entering the time one presidential candidate recently called the silly season. The landscape fairly blossoms with political signs like a Hill Country road with blue bonnets at Easter. Everywhere we look one politician after another is seeking our attention, if not our consideration.
Despite my suspicion that some of our politicians use division and the absence of dialogue as a tool. I firmly believe that a far greater number of people seeking office do so because of a sincere desire to serve; because they really do believe that they can and should make a difference. Such people are even more frustrated with the current state of affairs than I am.
In this spirit, I am issuing an open invitation to any one seeking office in this area to hold formal and informal meet and greet sessions at Coffee Oasis. Perhaps if they practice sitting down with us over a good cup of coffee they might have a real dialogue that could elevate solutions over slogans. Over coffee we might be able to put aside the partisan labels that divide us and consider the common challenges that face us all.
It is just a thought. | |
|
We hope you enjoy this newsletter almost as much as you enjoy your favorite treat at Coffee Oasis. Let us know what you think. Feel encouraged to tell us of any topics or features you would like to see in future issues.
See you soon at the Oasis.
Sincerely,
Rusty Cates
Coffee Oasis | |
|
|
Coffee House News
