Forum Thermomix
Questions Doubts and Requests => Questions? Technical Issues? The Survival Guide => Topic started by: Amy :-) on March 03, 2013, 06:39:20 am
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I was wondering if anyone can tell me why my Crio Bru is oily? Is is supposed to be like that?
Any info would be appreciated :)
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Sorry Amy, I've still got a full bag of Crio Bru and have no idea what to do with it apart from the panacotta in the christmas ebook.
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Amy it does seem to have a tiny bit of oil/fat or something when you brew it. According to the pack there is no fat in it. If you are concerned you could always ask Tenina on her facebook site.
When you made your concentrate how much water did you use? I have seen variations from 500 ml to 800 ml. I use round 600-700 ml. Then when I make it up I only put in about 1 cm or less.
I've just discovered the new flavour Maracaibo. I love it.
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I thought there might be a trace of some sort of oil Cookie, and from a health perspective it doesn't bother me, but I just find the texture in my mouth very unpleasant :P
I might ask Tenina if she has experienced it and what I could do to prevent it :)
I followed Tenina's recipe of 150g Crio to 500ml water. That was only with Cavalla and I found it very weak, so I might play around with it next time to make it stronger.
I saw your post on another thread about the Maracaibo, so I bought some too ;D I haven't tried it yet but I'm looking forward to it!
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Cookie, which recipe do you use for the bru? I remember one I looked at had a lot of sugar and turned me off but I'm interested in the health benefits.
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I don't like sugar in my tea or coffee Wonder so I just brew the crio without it. If I am making concentrate I use 150g crio to 500/600 ml water.
Cook for 15 minutes, 90 degrees speed 2. I then let it cool and put it through a fine sieve. I use the concentrate and add boiling water a milk as in coffee. The crio can be dried and then brewed up a second time. Tenina recommends adding vanilla , but I don't do that now.
At first I didn't enjoy the taste but felt I had to use it up. I am now on my third order. I especially love the new Maracaibo (?) flavour. I just enjoy it instead of coffee at least once during the day.
Amy have you tried the Maracaibo yet?
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I don't put sugar in my Crio either, I like it with just some skim milk :)
I have been using the same method as you Cookie. In fact, I just put another batch of concentrate on using the grounds from my last lot ;)
I haven't tried the Maracaibo yet. I've found I prefer to make the concentrate, because then I can refrigerate it and get the oil off the top. Its much more pleasant to drink that way. I will make a Maracaibo concentrate when I've used up this lot of Cavalla :D
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Thanks Cookie and Amy I might make up some concentrate tonight. DD asked for the crio bru panacotta so I've got the grounds from that to use. Perfect timing.
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I enjoy the concentrate but not a fan of straight brewed crio but maybe i need to do like cookie snd just keep going lol.. An acquired taste for sure.. I add some form of sweetener to mine... Lately i have stevia drops..
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Frozzie, I would definitely say Crio is an aquired taste. I bought my first two bags a few weeks ago, and after drinking the first cup I thought "how am I going to get through all this?" But then a couple of hours later I found wanting another one and now I love it :D
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It is an acquired taste but so worth the afford IMO I started drinking it with a little maple syrup now I drink it straight I have one of there travel mugs, so quick and easy in the mornings to take with me.
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If I don't have concentrate made up and I feel like one I use the travel mug. 2 tablespoons makes me 2 brews. Especially of the Maracaibo.
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I made up the concentrate this morning and will try it in place of my coffee this afternoon. Amy I found the oily/fatty layer offputting so glad you mentioned it.
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I hope you enjoy it Wonder. I'm enjoying mine a lot more now that I make the concentrate and can scoop the oily layer off the top :)
Cookie, before I started making the concentrate I would use about 4 tbsp of Cavalla to get the strength I enjoyed. I would use the grounds over a couple of days and just add a fresh tsp of granules for each brew. Would you say I'd only need half of that for a brew of Maracaibo?
Jenny, I agree, I think its worth it :)
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Well I've had my first cup and it reminded me of very weak hot chocolate (made with water and not milk). I'll keep trying some over the next few days as I have a fair amount of the concentrate but I can't see I'll be a big fan. DH made his afternoon smoothie with the granules and really liked it.
How many time do you reuse the granules? I must say I'm a bit skeptical about the amazing properties of the granuales after they have been cooked for 15 minutes and then reused.
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That's exactly how I would describe it Wonder! I haven't been back for seconds yet (had my first three months ago)...
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Lol Jam ;D
Well I've had my first cup and it reminded me of very weak hot chocolate (made with water and not milk). I'll keep trying some over the next few days as I have a fair amount of the concentrate but I can't see I'll be a big fan. DH made his afternoon smoothie with the granules and really liked it.
How many time do you reuse the granules? I must say I'm a bit skeptical about the amazing properties of the granuales after they have been cooked for 15 minutes and then reused.
Wonder, I make my Crio with half milk, half concentrate. I like it strong and milky ;) At first I didn't think I would be a fan either but it does grow on you if you've spent $50 on a couple of bags ;) I would try them in a smoothie but I'm quite enjoying my concentrate now and I can just use that to make a cold drink :)
I'm not sure how many times you can reuse the grounds, but I'm just going to keep using them until I can taste the concentrate getting weaker. I know the health benefits wouldn't be as good after a few brews, but I want to get my money's worth ;)
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You can brew the granules twice. After that they get fairly weak.
Amy I find the Maracaibo stronger than the others. I preferred Vega Real before that. I use 2 tablespoons of granules and about 1 cup water and leave it to brew for about 15 minutes. I then use the granules a second time and after that put them on the lemon tree.
I think when you get over the fact that the taste is not going to match the smell( very chocolatey) you begin to accept it for what it is.
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I haven't thought about making up a concentrate and using that for my morning brew. I make it up in a single serve French press each morning, and reuse the grounds a few times, topping up with fresh ones. I'm almost out, so I think I'll try the new flavour. Oh, and I drink mine with a splash of cream.
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Thanks for the 'recipe' Cookie...I might try that tomorrow morning. Do you feel any health benefits?
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Amy back to your original question regarding the oil, after doing quite a bit of research on Crio Bru and Cacao nibs I've found that Crio Bru is roasted ground cacao nibs and cacao nibs have a form of butter in them which is extracted prior to making cacao powder. While I haven't been able to compare the nutritional value of the cacao powder or nibs with Crio Bru (Crio Bru don't split the nutritional value to the same extent), I would think the cacao powder as long as it pure and raw would have the same benefits of the Crio without the butter still being present so no oily residue.
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Sorry Jamberie I must have missed this somehow. I'm not too sure about any health benefits. My energy levels are much the same, but I do find it a teeny, tiny, tiny bit easier to lose weight with the crio. I do feel better for having it. The weight loss thing is that I always watch my weight ( I am a little pudding) and with crio I just find it a teeny bit easier. It isn't a weight loss answer I just find that.
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Jamberie, my husband has Crio Bru in his smoothie everyday and thinks it acts an appetite suppresant although he definitely doesn't need to loose weight, he also think's it's giving him some additional energy and is interested in the health benefits.
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Wonder, thanks for that info, much appreciated :) :)
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Thanks Cookie & Wonder. I'm just feeling tired a lot lately (have heaps on my mind right now), and thought Crio Bru might help. I will have to try putting it in a green smoothie soon.
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Jamberie, I tried in my green smoothie but really don't like the combination of flavours - my smoothies at the moment are kale, organe, strawberries, mango, linseeds, almonds, chia and sunflower seeds but DH has banana, milk, and egg and he now sears by adding the crio and i think that taste combination is probably a bit better. I find it too bitter in mine.
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Tenina's site has a good selection of recipes for ways to use Crio Bru.
I like my Crio straight. It does help with feeling full and helps satisfy chocolate cravings. I'm not a coffee drinker and only occasionally tea.
The fatty stuff wasn't as noticeable in my first bag but more so in subsequent. Not so nice. Thank you for researching it.
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I agree its a taste you need to get used to. the first time I tried it I thought it was bitter and quite foul!! I now almost like it !!!
I use two TBS to 200 ml in a cafetiere and use the granules twice, I add a dash of milk ( frothed by the coffee machine if it happens to be on) and about half a teaspoon of sugar. Now I seem to remember somwhere that you can use the granules once finished with them, can anyone point me in the right direction for using the brewed granules??
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GHM maybe Tenina's website might help. I purchased some but haven't used it yet
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GHM, my brewed granules I just chuck in cooking or baking. Or on the compost ;D
I usually only add a couples of tablespoons to dishes unless it is actually listed in the recipe and states a quantity.