Product Q & A

Sweetened Condensed Milk is shelf stable because it has enough sugar to preserve the product.  Regulation requires a minimum addition of sugar to preserve the product without refrigeration. The ratio of sugar to single strength milk is 20 parts sucrose per 100 part milk.  Upon concentrating the mixture, sugar becomes 45 parts per 100 parts product.

Unlike raw milk or pasteurized milk, the whey proteins in SCM or Evaporated milk are fully denatured so they no longer interfere with the dough leavening process, as the raw milk or pasteurized milk would.
Baking leaveners are CO2 producing media, either through yeast fermentation or through chemical release from carbonates.   Nothing in milk (in any milk) would interact with them directly. 

Evaporated milk can be used to enrich soups and sauces, makes them a little creamier than regular milk. Evaporated milk can be substituted in equal amounts for cream or half-and-half in most recipes.

Sweetened condensed milk cannot be used in place of creams or milks without drastically altering the recipe, and then only in very sweet recipes.  So in almost all cases, SCM cannot be substituted for regular cream or milk.

It is not easily whipped like heavy or whipping cream, so cannot be substituted for that use. However, it could be used in place of half-and-half or cream in some soup and sauce recipes. If need be, very cold whole evaporated milk can be whipped, but it will collapse quickly. Whip just prior to serving and don't expect to store any leftovers.

Evaporated milk can stand high temperatures without curdling, making it a good choice used whole-strength in recipes to add creaminess to thick sauces, puddings and crock pot recipes. It's also good as a dipping liquid for breading meats, fish, and poultry. The natural lactose sugar is concentrated in evaporated milk, so you may need to reduce the sugar when using it as a fresh milk substitute in recipes. To substitute, one cup whole milk is equivalent to 1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water.

To make condensed milk, high quality milk is first pasteurized to remove any potential contamination. The pasteurized milk is transferred to a sealed evaporator in a closed pipe system and subjected to high pressure, which lowers the boiling point of the milk. As a result, a lower heat can be used to remove as much as 60% of the water content of the milk, which is homogenized, stabilized, sweetened, and canned in sterile containers. Sugar helps to fight bacteria, making sweetened condensed milk particularly shelf-stable.

Canned Sweetened condensed milk should retain its quality and color for 24 months. Sweetened condensed milk in a plastic pouch is good for 15 months. After opening, refrigerated sweetened condensed milk has a shelf life of 7-10 days. Canned evaporated milk typically will last 12 months.

UNOPENED: Coffee stored beyond the recommended shelf life might not taste as good, but it won't be harmful. The length of time an unopened product remains fresh depends on storage conditions. For best results, package should be stored in a cool, dry place.

OPENED: For best results after opening, ground coffee should be stored in a closed container. (Coffee in brick bags should be transferred to a closeable container.) Coffee will stay fresh one to three weeks at room temperature. Storage in freezer is not recommended for ground coffee, as it might result in flavor loss. Condensation builds up on ground coffee, and if it sits out at room temperature and is refrozen, it causes staling of coffee. You can freeze whole bean coffee in an airtight container for up to twelve months.

We placed this message on our coffee packs because it is a good practice to dispose of filter and grounds immediately after brewing to prevent drip-through of unwanted flavors trapped in used coffee grounds remaining in the brewer.

The "film" forms in all coffees, but is more pronounced in harder/alkaline waters. Depending on how the brewed coffee is handled, it sometimes will appear and sometimes not.

The "film" forms on the top surface near the end of brewing or after coffee sits. It is not an oil or lipid. It is a complex of the calcium and/or magnesium in the water with phosphorus compounds in the coffee. In hard-water areas, even fountain-dispensed colas will show this film layer.

Removing calcium and magnesium from the water (softening or reverse osmosis) will virtually eliminate the problem (so will using bottled water). In-line filters, which inhibit lime scale (polyphosphate feeders), do not correct the "film" formation because they do not remove the calcium and magnesium from the water.

The "film" is tasteless and is very thin on the surface. It is more of an optical reflection change. Also, it will tend to trap air bubbles and then look like a scum layer. With cream, it really gets ugly.

SOLUTIONS:
Recommended: Get rid of the hardness by using a water softener or bottled water.

Sometimes a more acidic brew will counter the probability of the film formation. To raise the acidity in the coffee, simply use more grounds. Try using an additional half or even whole pouch of coffee.

We've developed a safe and effective decaffeination method, preserving the full coffee flavor you're looking for. We begin by steaming the coffee beans to draw the caffeine to the surface. Next, we pour ethyl acetate over the beans to extract the caffeine. After the caffeine is removed, we steam the beans again and they're ready for roasting.

Ethyl acetate is a substance that occurs naturally in a number of foods, including apples, bananas, and pineapples. It's been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the purpose of decaffeination, as well as for a flavor ingredient in a variety of foods and beverages.

A trace amount of ethyl acetate might remain in the coffee beans after we complete the decaffeination process. The amount is so small (less than 10 parts per million) that a person would have to drink more than 500 cups of our coffee to equal the amount of ethyl acetate in one very ripe banana.