Plants for People: Beverage Crops
TPSS 120B
Faculty:
H.C. Bittenbender
Semesters taught:
Fall 2016, Spring 2017
Goals:
To develop an understanding of the importance of the major beverage crops in the world economy, their cultural and social significance, history, production, processing, marketing and consumption.
Skills and knowledge to be acquired:
Recognize the major beverage crops as whole plant and part used to prepare beverages and how they taste. Know origin and production areas in today's world of important beverage crops. Know the basic sustainable production practices for important beverage crops. Understand the proper stage of maturity, harvesting and processing, and know how to prepare plant-based beverages. Know how to evaluate the organoleptic characteristics of these beverages.
Pre-requisites:
Consent
Text(s):
None
Films and videos:
None
Course organization:
Schedule
- Class photo, Introduction
- Temperate Fruit & vegetable discussion and tasting
- Sustainable tropical fruit - discussion and tasting
- Smoothies- theory & practice
- 10-MIN. QUIZ Kava –history and origin
- Kava –growing, processing, tasting
- 10-min. QUIZ Cacao history, origin, production
- Cacao processing, tasting
- Chocolate making and tasting
- 10-MIN. QUIZ Coffee - history and origin
- Coffee - sustainable growing practices
- Coffee - harvesting, processing, roasting and tasting
- 10-MIN. QUIZ Tea history, processing, tasting
- Herbal teas, sources and tasting
- 10-MIN. QUIZ Fermented grains
- Fermented fruit and distillation
- Final exam
Detailed Schedule
| Theme | Activities | Lectures |
|---|---|---|
| Intro | Photo, student expectations, taste bitter, sweet, acid, salt |
Intro |
| Temperate fruit and veg. Juices discussion/tasting |
Taste tomato, cranberry purchased juice apple, 2 vars juiced, sweet and sparking cider, hard cider |
Lect. on history, production stats, and uses. Various forms to taste |
| Tropical and subtropical juice discussion and tasting | Taste orange juices, guava, pineapple | Lect. on history, production stats, and uses. Fresh squeeze, frozen concentrate, canned, chilled from conc., chilled not from conc. |
| Smoothie | Taste two banana smoothie recipes | Lect. on history, theory, and practice |
| Kava – history and origin | QUIZ 1, Taste fresh kava – ‘Mahakea’ | Lect. – history, physiology |
| Kava – growing, processing, tasting | Taste dry kava – ‘Mahakea’ | Lect. – sustainable production, processing, future |
| Cacao history and origin |
QUIZ 2, Taste Mayan drink, hot chocolate, Break pod, start ferment |
Lect. on history & sustainable production of cacao |
| Cacao production and processing | Roast and Taste generic cocoa nibs and milk vs dark chocolate | Lect.- processing |
| Chocolate making, tasting | Taste different origin chocolate, roast, grind taste cocoa mass of initial cacao | Lect.- on chocolate making |
| Coffee - history and origin |
QUIZ 3, Start wet and dry process Taste final chocolate |
Lect.- history, origin |
| Coffee - growing and processing |
Dry mill and Roast Use press pot vs. drp, coffees |
Lect.- sustainable growing practices |
| Coffee - roasting and tasting |
Taste processing Taste roasting level |
Lect.- harvesting, processing, roasting and tasting |
| Tea history and origin | Quiz 4, Taste English, Chinese, Japanese style teas | Lect.- history and production |
| Herbal teas | Taste Herbals | Lect. on sustainable production and processing herbals |
| Fermented fruit juices | QUIZ 5, Taste non-alcoholic red & white | Lect. on sustainable grape production, wine making, distillation |
| Fermented grains and distillation | Demo beer making Taste 2 beers | Lect. grain, sustainable hop growing |
| Final Exam |
Grading:
| Attendance | 15% |
| Quizzes | 50% |
| Final Exam | 35% |
Other:
Beverage tasting: every session
Office Hours: 2-3 pm M-TH, or by appointment
