mokk ▪▪▪ a® Coffee

The Charm of Europe

Karen Glavimans is an American coffee lover who was determined to bring Europe’s finest coffees home and has now “charmed” the hearts and coffee palates of coffee lovers everywhere. To acquire the recipes, she followed her dreams to the tiniest villages in Europe including the south of Italy, a coastal town in Sweden, and the Bourgogne region in rural France.

Her adventure began while traveling in Sweden with some friends. They stopped at a café and she fell in love with the “exquisite coffee flavor”.  She lingered in that café until the proprietors shared its origin, a very small local roaster. “I searched for him, spoke with him and fortunately for me, he loved my ideas!  He agreed to work with me and Café Svenska was born. Something inside compelled me to go on, although it may have just been the caffeine….”

Her journey continued to Italy. She arrived in Naples in February 2008. There she met Angelo, the son of the owner of a small family coffee roasting facility located in a village about an hour outside of Naples. By June, the recipe for Café Italia was hers!

And then on to Puligny–Montrachet, in the Burgundy region of France. She was going to meet with an elderly roaster whom she had heard about. His recipes had been passed down through generations. “Entering his very small shop (which looked like something out of a Harry Potter movie) I explained that I had tried his coffee and found this particular one lovely. Would he consider selling me the recipe?“  In early 2009 Café Svenska, Café Italia, and Café France, had their official launch in the US market.

We sampled mokk ▪▪▪ a® beans by grinding them, and tasting all three blends. Not only did we think that the coffees were excellent, fresh and rich, but we loved the idea of the international and regional origins of the recipes. As we sipped, our imaginations traveled to enjoying a cup of coffee one cool morning in a bustling Paris café, drinking an espresso on the bustling streets of Rome, and savoring a steaming cup of coffee in the early morning while sitting at an outdoor table in Stockholm. Yes, we’ve actually done all three, and enjoyed revisiting these experiences quietly sitting at the breakfast table in our kitchens! We prepared our samples of Café Svenska and Café France in a drip coffee maker. We chose a French Press for Café Italia.

Café Svenska: “Medium roast, smooth, fragrant. The blend of beans in Café Svenska gives it a full, vibrant, smooth body, a fragrant aroma and a hint of chocolate. It is so smooth it demands cup after cup.”

Café France: “The blend of beans in Café France gives it a floral aroma and a flavor that has wonderful chocolaty undertones, rich body and a satin–smooth finish. A blend of five different beans sourced from plantations in Africa, India, and Central America.” The recipe for this French roast comes from the Bourgogne region in Central France. la joie de vivre, roasted with the art of perfection.

Café Italia; “Strong and elegant, …a perfect wake-up call, or dessert cup. ..a creamy texture and a flavor burst that’s fruity, sweet, with traces of chocolate, and hidden in the mix, a touch of almond.”

For more details about mokk ▪▪▪ a® coffees, and some recipes using mokk ▪▪▪ a® coffees visit mokka.com. Available at speciality retail locations and Whole Foods Market. 
12-ounce bags sell for about $8.99; bulk bags available as well.

January 23, 2012