Tuesday, June 26, 2018

1985 Birthplace of Coffeehouse Mysteries + New Interactive Website Giveaways from Cleo Coyle



Above is the actual, physical NYC birthplace of
Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse Mysteries (circa 1985). 

To read the full story, click here, and visit
Cleo's new, interactive website.

Over the weekend, Marc and I launched an interactive website for readers of our Coffeehouse Mystery series. We named the site...




Against a stunning background of New York's skyline, the site presents visitors with a series of locked doors. Click on one door at a time to see what it opens. Depending on what door you choose, you may learn secrets about a different location featured in our Coffeehouse Mystery series, including...

* New York's Diamond District 
* The Secret Courtyards of Greenwich Village 
* New York's Secret Train Station 
* The 21 Club's Secret Room
Or a locked door might reveal...
* A Free Coffeehouse Word Search Game
*3 Beautifully Silent Places in the City That Never Sleeps
* Recipe Secrets...and more!

We'll be adding content over time. Right now we're having a Grand Opening Party at the site with two, fun prize package giveaways, and we cordially invite you to check out the website and enter the giveaways! 



To learn more about the prize packages and the details on how to enter, check your email box for our latest Coffeehouse Mystery Newsletter OR simply write an email that reads "Sign me up" and send it to...


CoffeehouseMystery@gmail.com  

You will receive an auto-reply with links to our latest newsletter, which includes info on the giveaways and prize packages + 4 delicious summer recipes and happy Cleo book news...



As for The Birthplace of The Coffeehouse Mysteries, the actual New York address where I lived in 1985 was 178 East 7th Street. My apartment was located over a small, woman-run coffee shop and bakery called Bread and Roses and across from a city park that was (at the time) notorious for drug dealing. This juxtaposition of a cozy, friendly coffee shop in a land of not-so-nice noir is what inspired the unique vision for the Coffeehouse Mystery series that I now write with my husband--and, I'm grateful to know, many of you read! 

There's more to this story, including why I lived in that section of the city, where I was working at the time, and the roots of our fictional OD Squad. I invite you to read all about it here at our new website.


While Bread and Roses no longer exists in that ground floor space, the C&B cafe does, and it serves plenty of coffee. With summer's heat finally upon us, Cold Brew is a customer favorite, and that is my recipe for you today!


👇




A Note from Cleo 

Cleo Coyle has a partner in 
crime writing—her husband. 
Learn about their books
by clicking here and here.
Our readers may remember this recipe from our recent bestseller Dead Cold Brew, the book where our amateur sleuth Clare finally agrees to marry again. 

Cold Brew Coffee is a smooth and refreshing beverage. The flavor is outstanding, never weak or watery as many iced coffees can be. Cold Brew is also insanely easy to make.

The method we shared in the book is the very same one we use at home: 
Coarsely ground coffee is stirred into cold water and allowed to steep in a sealed Mason jar for roughly 12 hours. After steeping, the grounds are strained into a clean jar. Then the Cold Brewed Coffee can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week. 

🍴

Free Recipe Guide
Click this image to see what
other recipes we included
in our bestselling culinary
mystery DEAD COLD BREW.

If you're new to cold brew, just remember that it's a coffee concentrate, and you should dilute it before serving. Some people use water. Others simply pour it over ice. You might also add chilled milk, half-and-half, or light cream. Sugar or other sweeteners, including flavored syrups, are delicious additions, as well. However you make and serve your Cold Brew Coffee, Marc and I hope you drink with joy! ~ Cleo

Cleo Coyle's 

Mason Jar Cold Brew Coffee

Although there are many recipes for Cold Brew, our favorite is this Mason Jar Method. The jar’s lid seals the coffee in an airtight lock, keeping it fresh as you steep it—and after you filter it. This process is easy, practical, and (best of all) inexpensive. So let’s make some Cold Brew! 


Makes about 3 2/3 cup of concentrated Cold Brew, which will give you about 48 ounces of drinkable beverage, once diluted

Ingredients:

2 wide-mouth Mason jars, quart size (see or buy examples here)

¾ cup (50 grams) coarsely ground coffee 

4 cups cold water (filtered or bottled for best quality)

Coffee filter cone (pour-over cone), size #2 (see or buy example here)

Paper coffee filters, cone shaped, size #2 or #4 (see or buy example here)

Cleo Tip: We like to replace the metal lids on the wide-mouth quart jars with re-usable plastic lids. See or buy examples here.

Directions:

Step 1—Choose and grind your coffee: The best coffee to use for Cold Brew is one with a strong, bold flavor, which is why we suggest a medium-dark or dark roast. Be sure to use freshly roasted coffee and grind your coffee fresh, on the coarse setting, as you would if making hot coffee in a French press.





Step 2—Steep your coffee: Place your ground coffee into the wide-mouth Mason jar. Add your water. Note that because of the amount of coffee grounds, you will not be able to fit all four cups of cold water into the quart-sized jar, and that’s okay. Stir the grounds between pours and you will be able to fit more water in. Pour all the way to the top of the jar and stir well.





Seal the jar, gently shake it, and stand it in the fridge with a label that indicates when 12 hours have elapsed. 




Step 3—Flip and shake again for good mixing: After a few hours, we like to gently shake the jar again and turn it upside down, just to make sure the grounds stay well mixed.



Step 4—Filter the coffee: After the Cold Brew has steeped, filter it. While you can use cheesecloth and a kitchen strainer, we suggest that you invest in the purchase of an inexpensive coffee filter cone (aka pour-over cone) size #2. This is the perfect size for placing right over the mouth of your Mason jar. (FYI: This size cone also can be used over a coffee mug to make a single, pour-over cup of hot coffee.) You will also need disposable paper filters (cone-shaped size #2 or #4), to place inside your plastic cone. 






Slowly pour the steeped Cold Brew through the filter, into your second, clean Mason jar. This process will take a few minutes, as the coffee drips down into the jar, leaving the grounds and silt in the filter.




Step 5—Coffee concentrate service: As mentioned above, this is a concentrated coffee. To drink it, you will need to dilute it. You can add cold water; and/or pour it over ice; and/or add half-and-half (or milk or cream). Sugars and syrups are up to you. Experiment with what makes your taste buds happy.


WHERE DO I GET IT?

We are often asked where to buy materials. 
Our best answer for a national audience is an online store. Click the links below to learn more or purchase these items, or look for them in a local store...


Wide-Mouth Quart-Size
Canning (aka Mason) Jars

CLICK TO LEARN MORE OR BUY
*

Plastic Lids for Wide-Mouth Jars
CLICK TO LEARN MORE OR BUY
*

Pour-Over Cone - Size #2

CLICK TO LEARN MORE OR BUY
*

Coffee Filters - Size #2

CLICK TO LEARN MORE OR BUY
*


To download this recipe in a free
PDF document that you can print,
save, or share, click here.


Click for the Free Recipe PDF.

🌙


AND DON'T MISS...

Click to join us!



Eat (and read) with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author
of 
The Coffeehouse Mysteries 


Alice and Marc in Central Park. 
Together we write as Cleo Coyle. 

Learn more about us here.
Friend us on facebook here.
Follow us on twitter here.
Visit our online coffeehouse here.




Our NEW Coffeehouse Mystery!


Mystery Pick of the Month! --Library Journal
*

Amazon * B&N

IndieBound * BAM

*

"A gripping and entertaining mystery"
--Library Journal (Starred Review) 
*
"Penetrating insights" --Kirkus Reviews 
*
"Sure to delight" --Publishers Weekly



🍴

This culinary mystery includes
25 delicious recipes! To get the
Free Recipe Guide,
 click here.





The Coffeehouse Mysteries are bestselling
works of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark
Greenwich Village coffeehouse, and each of the
17 titles includes the added bonus of recipes. 


NOW CLICK THE CUP!


...and get a free checklist of
our books in order.



🔍



🔍

Book #1 of

with a brand new book (#6)
coming this fall!


Haunted Bookshop 
Mysteries


Or learn more about the books
and meet Jack Shepard,
our PI ghost by clicking here.


Cleo is now working
on her next book!

Don't miss her news...


To sign up for Cleo Coyle's
Coffeehouse Mystery Newsletter
and get the latest news on
Cleo's books, 
bonus recipe,
and 
fun giveaways!




9 comments:

  1. Your books always leave me dying for a cup of good coffee! Besides Bread and Roses, do you have any other favorite present-day coffee shops in NYC you love to visit? I'd love recommendations!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, S.E. – Thanks for stopping by today. Marc and I are going to add a page like that to our site in the near future. Until then, I can tell you that a fun shop to visit for historical reasons is Caffe Reggio in Greenwich Village. It's nearly 100 years old, has a gorgeous antique espresso machine on display, and is cited as the first cafe in America to serve the cappuccino. Our fictional Village Blend is more modern in look and feel, but its history is nearly the same--a landmark, century-old Village coffee institution!

      ~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
      “Where coffee and crime are always brewing…”
      www.CleoCoyleRecipes.com
      Cleo Coyle on Twitter
      Friend or Follow Cleo Coyle on Facebook

      Delete
  2. My computer is so excited about the new web site that it kept jumping from this post to that site all on its own!
    Smart computer!
    The muffins look fabulous. Love the twist in the glaze action.
    My mother drank her hot coffee black, no sugar. But iced coffee got milk/cream. I loved to watch the milk swirl down into the the glass of coffee. Magic.

    Continue to keep us supplied with delicious books and foods.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Libby - Oh, I like your computer. :) Thank you kindly for the muffin props. (For anyone wondering what we're discussing, you can find the muffin recipe at the new site.) Those babies are amazing with coffee, especially with the maple glaze. And I agree on milk in the cold brew. For us, it's half-and-half (if you're British that's "light cream") -- culinary magic, indeed!

      ~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
      “Where coffee and crime are always brewing…”
      www.CleoCoyleRecipes.com
      Cleo Coyle on Twitter
      Friend or Follow Cleo Coyle on Facebook

      Delete
  3. I've enjoyed your Coffeehouse Mysteries for years, Cleo, keep up the wonderful work. The recipes are a delightful bonus, and this new website is so much fun. I'm looking forward to "unlocking more doors" to your New York Coffeehouse locations in the future. Thank you. - Jan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank *you*, Jan. Marc and I appreciate your longtime support. We're now working on Coffeehouse Mystery #18 (title to be revealed soon), due to be released next year (2019), and we promise to do our very best to keep you reading (and eating) with joy!

      ~ Cleo
      Coffeehouse Mystery.com
      “Where coffee and crime are always brewing…”
      www.CleoCoyleRecipes.com
      Cleo Coyle on Twitter
      Friend or Follow Cleo Coyle on Facebook

      Delete
  4. The cold brew coffee looks so good. I just got some in the mail to try. Now, if I just had some Mason jars...
    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  5. i love this and all your books iam always looking forward to a new book

    ReplyDelete
  6. That coffee looks delicious! I can’t wait for your next book!

    ReplyDelete