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2006 Archive

The Healthy Brew – Green Tea

For the past twenty-five years, medical researchers have been studying the health benefits related to people who drank moderate amounts of Green Tea. Consuming this natural substance seems to create a protection in the body that could:

-Enhance immune system function by guarding against the oxidants and free radicals that weaken the body’s natural defensive system.

- Prevent normal cells from turning cancerous

- Suppress the formation and growth of tumors

- Help regulate cholesterol levels

- Help control blood pressure

- Help control blood sugar levels

- Ward off viruses, fungi, and food-borne bacteria

- Slow the aging process

It is not surprising that green tea promotes good health. The Chinese and Japanese people who have been drinking it for thousands of years are examples of long healthy lives. In fact, a whole book on the health benefits of green tea was written in the year 1211, in which the monk Eisai stated, “Tea is a miraculous medicine for the maintenance of health. Tea has an extraordinary power to prolong life.”

Just what is wonder beverage and were does it come from? Tea comes from the Camellia saneness plant, which is a cousin of the flowering camellia bushes that many people grow in their gardens. There are different varieties that grow in various parts of the world, but they all belong to the same species- Camellia saneness.

This is just a little side note for you: True tea is made only from the leaves and buds of the Camellia sine sis bush. Any drink made by combining hot water and leaves, flowers, or roots is commonly referred to as tea; is Herbal tea. It is not really tea at all.

At the end of April onwards, the tea is plucked by hand the leaves are taken to processing plant. There they are steamed by placing them on a conveyor belt. They remain on the conveyor and are cooled. The leaves are then put the machine that curls and dries the leaves. They are then put in the spinning and drying step. The final step is re-curling and drying. Now they are ready for us to enjoy.

I hope that if you have not tried green tea in the past you will take the opportunity to experience this healthy beverage. I am aware that Green tea can be a bit bitter for some so may I suggest adding a squeeze of orange or lemon. This is wonderful hot or on the rocks. It is so simple, healthy and calorie-free.

For those who want to be adventurous, try this Family Iced Tea:
For 1 litre of tea

1 litre filtered water
5-6 level teaspoons green tea (there are decafs available)
½ cinnamon stick
1-2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Several dashes of Angostura bitters (this is a root and spice extract from Venezuela – it has been sold for over 100 years)

Prepare by pouring water over the green tea with the addition of the crumbled cinnamon stick. Allow to brew and then sieve the tea. While the tea is still warm, stir in the honey, lemon juice and angostura bitters. Place the tea in the refrigerator to chill.
Serve the iced tea decorated with peppermint or balm leaf.

Always Kickin’
Cathy Hoormann
Kickin’ Coffee and Tea
www.kickincoffeeandtea.com

Blue Grass Cooperage Company -
Anatomy of a Jack Daniels Barrel

This sign is all the announcement that is made by the doors of this unassuming brick building in Louisville. The business Blue Grass Cooperage is owned by Brown Forman and is located near the airport in Louisville, Kentucky. I gathered that being in this city allowed the cooperage to take advantage of Louisville's proximity to Bourbon country and to the supply of the finest American Oak for whiskey barrel production.

Their barrels demonstrate how selecting the finest, tight-grain oak from slow growth American Oak in Central Kentucky, Southwest Kentucky and Minnesota can make superb barrels.


It was a well appreciated favor that George Stone, Head Taster at Jack Daniels distillery did for us by arranging a tour of their barrel-making facility. He called Neil McElroy and Jerry Nally and told them there were a couple of Chefs from Nashville that were interested in the whole wine and spirit industry including how the barrels were made.
This is Jerry Nally, the plant foreman for Bluegrass – he has been there for more than thirty years and is charge of a talented team of coopers and barrel-wrights. Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden barrels, casks, buckets, wheels and other similar objects combining wood and metal.Cask making is referred to as cooperage. A barrel is technically a measure of the size of a cask, so the term "barrel-maker" cannot be used synonymously with "cooper" as it is incorrect. In addition, the facility in which casks are made is referred to as a cooperage. A whiskey barrel is made up of staves which have been shaped into a bulging cylinder, and flat heads or ends. The staves are held in place by steel hoops. The shape is designed so the barrel can easily be rolled. The curve or Bilge allows the barrel to be spun easily to control direction.

	Most barrels weigh between 125 to 140 lbs. when empty. Six to eight hoops encircle the barrel spaced along the length. Actual dimensions vary from barrel to barrel - a result of their being hand crafted. American White Oak - Cooperage experts hand select the best oak wood for use in the manufacturing of barrels and casks. This selection is extremely important because it essentially determines the quality of the finished product. Wood is selected based on many criteria, including tree shape and growing conditions. These factors determine the textural variety of wood fibers, the fineness of grain and tannin content. Tight grain and fine tannin content are found only in the best wood. Most cooperages tend to make wine barrels from white oak.
	White Oak meets the requirements of porosity, strength, resilience, workability, weight and character. The large thick rays of the wood give white oak extra toughness and bend ability, while making it relatively stable during dry shrinkage and wet swelling. Logs must be hand split to preserve wood grain without breaking veins, essential to making impermeable barrels. The logs are quartered to obtain the wood used for the barrel staves. After splitting and planing, the stave wood is stored in tiers, exposed to air and water as the wood is naturally aged by weather. The stacks shown in these pictures make up two or more city blocks stacked outdoors for its weather aging.
The picture above is one of three large aging buildings where the weather aged wood is stored in a more controlled environment. The wood aging at this point is being done to get the wood to a pre-determined moisture content. The device to the right implants moisture sensors into holes drilled into the wood slats in the middle of the stacks of oak. These sensors indicate when the wood is right to be worked into barrel staves and heads. After aging, the stave lumber is cut to proper length, tapered at each end, beveled, planed on the outside and slightly hollowed on the inside. After being inspected, they are given to the cooper for assembly. There are two lengths that are processed, one shorter length for making the barrel heads, and one longer length for the staves.

The pictures above shows a palette of wood being unloaded and fed (left) onto one of the lines (right) that will plane and send the wood into production. Below starts the assembly of the heads. Planed and tapered wood is fed to a station where they are drilled and fitted together using small wooden dowels and compressed into square planks to be milled. The square heads are placed onto the table of a high speed milling machine and are cut and shaped into circular barrel heads.

	The shaped barrel heads are fed into the rings of the machine to the right which treats them with hot beeswax to seal the heads and make a tight seal when the head is placed into the croze. Looking deep into the chamber of this machine you will see an open gas flame heating a large vat of wax. The finished heads are put on rolling dollies and transferred to a different part of the assembly line where they will be inserted.
Starting in another area, the processing of the staves and the assembling of the barrels is initiated. The stave stock is fed through a planer, which puts a curve the shape of the inner radius of the barrel along the stave and mills the edges at an angle. You can see the curve in the wood in the picture below, and in the picture to the right as it comes out of the milling machine. Notice that there is no uniformity of width in the stave stock. This presents the cooper with a challenge that separates the men from the boys. This challenge is in the creation of the rose, which is a bit like fitting together a puzzle.
	The cooper selects the best staves, assembling them inside a metal hoop that acts as a jig. This operation is known as "mise en rose" or "raising the barrel". The cooper must have a good understanding of how much the wood will expand with the liquid that is used; a good understanding of the effect of the heat and steam used to soften the staves so they can be flexed into shape, and how much pressure the wood can endure and conform tightly and waterproof. Three metal hoops are forced into place, creating a solid hold on the staves, which are then placed on a line to pass into a shaping process.


	The barrel roses pass into a large steam and heat oven. Wood fibers, rendered flexible by the heat and humidity, can now be bent using a winch to gradually arch the staves and tighten them to obtain the shape of the barrel. The staves are held trussed until metal hoops are in place. The wenching into place is accomplished by a huge multi-ton press that presses a collar down over the open staves and slowly forms them into the shape of the barrel.

At this point, the partially constructed barrel is placed over a small gas fire. During this step, the inside of the barrel is charred or "toasted". The amount of char has an effect on the bourbon, wine or whiskey aged in the barrel. Distillers or Winemakers can select from Light, Medium or Heavy Toast. The ends of the staves must be trimmed and a "croze" or groove is cut in the staves to receive the barrel heads. To finish assembly, the cooper sets up his (or her) barrel, fits the heads into the "croze" and completes the final hooping with a large mallet.

Six steel hoops are fitted to maintain maximum structural integrity. Consistent with our commitment to quality, rigorous quality control inspections are conducted at every step of the process from wood selection to air and water testing of the finished barrel. The barrel is tested for impermeability and if passed, the cooper finishes the barrel with final finishing to enhance the quality of the oak and the perfection of workmanship. It takes approximately eight man hours to produce a single wine barrel. Whiskey barrel , being made from a natural material, cannot be perfectly sealed. Indeed the ability of the barrels to "breathe" is vital to the final taste of the product. When a barrel is filled, there is an initial ‘in-drink’ of about 2% and then during the years that a barrel spends in the bonded warehouse about two percent of the contents are lost to evaporation each year. When barrels are opened after say four years maturing, around 10% of the contents will have disappeared. This loss is known in the trade as " the angel's share”

What a cool event the Ice Cream Competition was this year. One of the competitors, John Vogt, Pastry Chef of the Nick of Thyme mentioned that Nashville would be hosting the National Pastry Team Competition for 2007 at Gaylord Opryland Hotel.

What?…The National Pastry Team Competition 2007 … in Nashville?
Let’s look into this.

This past July, John went to Phoenix to attend the World Pastry Team Competition - and returned with marvelous stories of skill and beauty. He went there to watch the competition, wound up volunteering to help, and thus got a real first hand view. Every other year, the World Competition alternates with the National Competition. In 2007, they will compete to choose the US National Pastry Team, in 2008, that US Team will compete at the World Competition against nine other Countries Teams.

Participation in this competition is open to professional pastry chefs who have resided in and worked as a pastry professional in the country they are representing for a period of no less than 2 years prior to the competition date.

Each team is comprised of a Team Manager, who will also serve as a member of the international jury, a Team Captain, and two Team Members. The 2006 National Pastry Team Championship will take place at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee on July 2 & 3, 2007.

The competition takes place over two days. Display tables are placed in front of each kitchen on the second day of the competition. Teams place their completed showpieces on the table from 2:00pm - 2:30pm. Teams are penalized for finishing after the allotted time. Each team must complete all work in front of spectators and judges. Judging is based on 3 categories:

1 Artistry and technical merit 2 Work ethic and hygiene 3 Degustation

There is a theme of the competition each year, 2006 was "YIN and YANG". All components must conform to the competition theme.

Each team produces:

1. 1 sugar showpiece
2. 1 chocolate showpiece
3. 3 identical entremets
4. 3 identical entremets glace
5. 3 different types of petits gateaux (13 of each type)
6. 1 pastillage tray
7. 3 different types of chocolate bonbons (14 of each type)
8. 14 identical plated desserts

Each component is judged according to very strict rules and protocols. There are very detailed pages of rules delineated for each component listed, but they have many similar items is each-

(team entries of Chocolate BonBons)

Some rules for the sugar showpiece would be:

The showpieces must be at least 3'6" in height, and the showpiece must be comprised solely of sugar or sugar products. There can be no artificial or inedible structural supports. All teams must complete all preparations in the kitchen. No molds unless they are made during the competition and in front of the judges. Only food- safe, edible colors will be permitted.
The showpiece must demonstrate proficiency in the following items or techniques.
   o Poured sugar           o Pulled sugar
   o Ribbons                     o Blown sugar
   o Pastillage                 o Pressed

(Pastillage and Sugar Showpieces)

Each showpiece will be judged on the following criteria:

Representation of the theme
Attention to execution
Degree of difficulty
Overall look of the showpiece
Structural support and how well it is put together
Quality work, Artistic value, use of color
Originality

Assembly and airbrushing/painting of all pieces, regardless of whether they are made in front of the organizing committee or any duplicate pieces must take place in front of the judges during the actual competition.

(Entremets Entries)

In addition to the above-mentioned items, each team is judged on work habits, organization, and hygiene using the following criteria:

Time fulfillment
Organization of the work space
Organization and proper use of time
Cleanliness of work space, equipment, work, and self throughout the competition
Skills
Proper use of ingredients and proportions (no waste)
All team's finished work will be displayed to the public.
All work must be done in each assigned kitchen only.
All necessary parts to a recipe must be made on site.
All hand tools must be supplied by each team.

The prize money is awesome

1 st Prize- $50,000.00
       2 nd Prize- $15,000.00
             3 rd Prize- $10,000.00
                   4 th Prize- $ 5,000.00
                       5 th - 12 th $ 2,500.00

The decision of all jury members is final and binding, and cannot be challenged.

(Chocolate Showpieces and Sugar Showpieces)

This brief survey of the rules above is just a taste of the full text, which can be found at RULES on the Pastry Championship website. WEBSITE

The whole show is open to the public, and John tell us that the best way to see the show is to go and volunteer for service. This would give you a back-stage pass to all the happenings.

Chili: detestable food passing itself off as Mexican

( The historical information contained here is credited to Linda Stradley, on the website http://whatscookingamerica.net)

Charles Ramsdell, a writer from San Antonio, proclaims that the only thing certain about the origins of chili is that it did not originate in Mexico.

"Chili, as we know it in the U.S., cannot be found in Mexico today except in a few spots which cater to tourists. If chili had come from Mexico, it would still be there.”

If there is any doubt about what the Mexicans think about chili, the Diccionario de Mejicanismos, published in 1959, defines chili con carne as (roughly translated):

“detestable food passing itself off as Mexican, sold in the U.S. from Texas to New York.”

There are many legends and stories about where chili originated and it is generally thought, by most historians, that the earliest versions of chili were made by the very poorest people.

San Antonians have the strongest claims to be the originators of chili. In 1731, a group of sixteen families (56 persons) arrived from the Canary Islands at Bexar, the villa of San Fernando de Béxar (now know as the city of San Antonio). They had emigrated to Texas from the Spanish Canary Islands by order of King Philip V. of Spain. According to historians, the women made a spicy “Spanish” stew that is similar to chili.

Some Spanish priests were said to be wary of the passion inspired by chili peppers, assuming they were aphrodisiacs. A few preached sermons against indulgence in a food which they said was almost as "hot as hell's brimstone" and "Soup of the Devil." The priest's warning probably contributed to the dish's popularity .

Records were found, indicating that the first chili mix was concocted around 1850 by Texan adventurers and cowboys as a staple for hard times when traveling to and in the California gold fields and around Texas. Needing hot grub, the trail cooks came up with a sort of stew. They pounded dried beef, fat, pepper, salt, and the chili peppers together. This amounted to "brick chili" or "chili bricks" that could be boiled in pots along the trail.

It is said that some trail cooks planted pepper seeds, oregano, and onions in mesquite patches (to protect them from foraging cattle) to use on future trail drives. It is thought that the chili peppers used in the earliest dishes were probably chilipiquíns, which grow wild on bushes in Texas, particularly the southern part of the state.

There was another group of Texans known as "Lavanderas," or "Washerwoman," that followed around the 19th-century armies of Texas making a stew of goat meat or venison, wild marjoram and chili peppers.

Chili historians are not exactly certain who first "invented" chili powder. It is agreed that the inventors of chili powder deserve a slot in history close to Alfred Nobel (1833-1896), inventor of dynamite.

The Fort Worth chili buffs give credit to DeWitt Clinton Pendery. Pendery arrived in Fort Worth, Texas in 1870. It is said that local cowboys jeered his elegant appearance (he was wearing a long frock coat and a tall silk hat) as he stepped onto the dusty street. It is also said that he was initiated into the town by a bullet whipping through his coat. He casually collected his belongings and continued on his way, earning immediate popular respect. By 1890, after his grocery store burned down, he started selling his own unique blend of chilis to cafes, hotels, and citizens under the name of Mexican Chili Supply Company. Pendery's products are still sold today by members of his family.

Folks who make chili are as proud and contentious as those who specialize in Barbeque. There is Texas Chili, Indian Chili, Tex-Mex Chili, Arizona Chili, California Chili; there is beef chili, made with chunks of beef, or ground beef, pork chili, ground or chunk, chicken chili, vegetable chili, red chili, white chili, green chili, chili with beans, chili with cheese, and the list go on and on.

There are all sorts of stories that come along with making chili. Like it is rarely made with any tomato and uses mostly goat meat and dried chilis. Around here in Tennessee, it seems that chili is made with ground beef , green bell peppers, tomato sauce, and kidney beans – where I grew up, that was called Sloppy Joe – you would be laughed out town if you tried to serve that as chili. Maybe you could get away with calling it hot-dog sauce.

In point of fact, if this Chili were presented at a Chili Cookoff, the judge, “given a spoonful, would spit it out all over the referee's foot. He would go into convulsions. He would ram a white handerkerchief down his throat as though he were cleaning a rifle barrel, and in an agonizing whisper he would pronounce himself unable to go on." ( this passage adapted from Gary Cartwright, writer for Sports Illustrated, commenting on the Terlingua Chili Cookoff when judge Dave Witts was given a spoon of chili with beans )

In, the little Texas town where I was born (50 miles from Fort Worth), there are several benchmarks for real chili, or “a bowl of red” as it is known.

It’s made with chunks of meat, beef, pork or both – the meat is not ground.
It uses real chili peppers (poblano, or the dried ancho) which are blistered to remove the skin; smoked, grilled or fire roasted or dried. It uses Jalapenos or Serrano chilis for heat
Chili doesn’t have any sugar in it, you don’t use canned tomato sauce, ketchup or chili sauce. You can use diced tomato or tomatillo.
The final product, if it needs thickening, is thickened with masa harina (corn flour) or old crumbled up corn tortillas.

Within these guidelines, there is still room for individual character in recipes. There are lots of different types and proportions of chili powders, and spices, onions, peppers, diced tomato, cooking times, and preparation techniques.

To be real Texas chili no beans are used

If you make chili with beans, they must be pinto beans! (kidney beans or black beans are criminal )

This recipe for chili comes about from growing up with country Tex-Mex folks in rural Texas near Fort Worth. Those memories guided me in remembering how their chili tasted. Then, as a college student, a grad student friend from Texas reminded me how to make it and we formalized the recipe. I’ve been making this Texas style Chili for 30 years, and I know that it is often met with surprise by folks that are not used to it, but it has always been met with approval.

"Whenever I meet someone who does not consider chili a favorite dish, then I've usually found someone who has never tasted good chili.
Jan Butel, author of "Chili Madness," published by Workman Publishing, 1980

Just like a tradition of serving fine caviar with all its garnishments, there is a tradition involving the serving of chili. The appropriate garnishments are sour cream, shredded cheese, diced onion, saltines, crisp corn chips, guacamole and salsa. Personally, I love fresh made yellow corn tortillas, steamy hot, to eat with my chili.

Pay attention here, chili oils can irritate skin and sensitive tissue. Skin contact doesn't bother many people, but other's have a skin sensitivity that makes exposure to hot chili amount to second-degree burns! Watch out when handling fresh jalapenos, serranos, bonnet, chilipiquíns, japonnese, or any chilis'. Until you handle them, you don't know if you are one of the sensitive ones! And for goodness sakes don't touch nostrils, eyes, ears, and other stuff after you have handled fresh chilis'. Use lots of soap and water to clense hands - consider using protective gloves when working with chilis'.

Chili recipes can be spicy. If you need to lighten up the heat, reduce the amount of chili or chili powder you use in the recipe or replace chili powder with paprika powder, which is a chili that has had the heat bred out of it, but retains chili flavor. You will have to experiment.

There are two recipes here, one is quicker and takes advantage of canned products in your grocery store. The second recipe is for the aficionados who want to go to all the trouble to do it from scratch. I have to admit to one big discrepancy- I surrendered to my wife’s cajoling and added beans to this recipe, but don't string me up - I said optional.

Chili with Beans

Serves 6 to 8

3lb. Chuck roast cut into 1” chunk stew meat
2 medium onions, coarse dice
2 medium green peppers, coarse dice
4oz. can diced green chilis
4 Tbls. minced garlic
2 oz. Corn oil
2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1-2 diced jalapenos or Serrano peppers
1 Tbls leaf oregano
4 Tbls ground chili powder
1 Tbls. Ground cumin
2 14 oz. cans pinto beans (optional)
salt to taste
3-4 Tbls. masa harina to thicken

Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees. Heat oil in a large dutch oven on the stovetop, and sauté the onions, peppers, garlic and chilis until soft. Add canned tomatoes and spices, mix to combine. Stir in meat and bring to a boil. Cover and put in the oven for 2 hours. After the 2 hour simmer, add the canned pinto beans, mix, salt to taste, place in oven for one more hour. Bring back to stovetop on medium, sprinkle masa harina over top of chili and stir in to thicken. It will thicken within 30 seconds, add more or less to your desired consistency. Serve.

Chili for Food Aficionados

3lb. Chuck roast cut into 1” chunk stew meat
2 medium onions, coarse dice
2 medium green peppers, coarse dice
2 fresh green poblano peppers
4 Tbls. minced garlic
4 oz. Lard (some folks render fat bacon)
3 cups peeled, seeded, diced tomatoes
2 diced jalapenos or Serrano peppers
1 Tbls leaf oregano
4 Tbls ground Ancho chili powder
1 Tbls. Ground cumin
1 lb.dried pinto beans (optional)
2 cups beef stock (if using beans)
salt to taste
2-3 Tbls. masa harina to thicken

Pick through the dried pinto beans, soak overnight in lightly salted water.

Roast the two fresh poblanos over an open fire or burner to char off the skin. Remove skin, core out placenta and dice chili into small dice. Set aside.

Peel, seed and dice up fresh tomatoes. Set aside

Using half the lard, brown off all the cubed beef- the browner crispier the exterior, the better the flavor imparted to the final dish. Set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees. Heat remaining lard in a large dutch oven on the stovetop, and sauté the onions, peppers, garlic and chilis until soft. Add diced tomatoes and spices, mix to combine. Stir in meat, beans and beef stock and bring to a boil. Cover and put in the oven for 3 hours. Bring back to stovetop on medium, salt to taste, sprinkle masa harina over top of chili and stir in to thicken. It will thicken within 30 seconds, add more or less to your desired consistency.

A couple of notes – spicy white onions are better for chili than sweet yellow onions, this is one time where Vidalia or Maui onions are not the best to use.

Delmonte, Red Gold, and Hunt’s all make a new product called Chili-ready diced tomatoes, it is a great product to use, but lower the amount of chili powder in the recipe. (It is not the diced tomato with green chilis like Ro-tel, it is called Chili-Ready).

I know it is not altogether politically correct to say this, but leaving the fat and grissel on the meat, makes for a more flavorful chili.

Whichever approach one takes, the point is to get flavorful, well balanced chili: real chili cooks NEVER make ultra-hot chili (at least , not on purpose.) Another hint: chili is somewhat acidic, so serious cooks never use cast-iron pots, which would impart a metalic flavor to the stew. Instead, most use pots with stainless steel or ceramic interiors.

Official Rules and Regulations for Cooks at the World's Championship, State, Regional and District Chili Cookoffs states “True chili is defined by the International Chili Society as any kind of meat, or combination of meats, cooked with chili peppers, various other spices, and other ingredients with the exception of items such as beans or spaghetti which are strictly forbidden.”

Much of the historical information is credited to Linda Stradley, and the website http://whatscookingamerica.net

For the past twenty-five years, medical researchers have been studying the health benefits related to people who drank moderate amounts of Green Tea. Consuming this natural substance seems to create a protection in the body that could:

-Enhance immune system function by guarding against the oxidants and free radicals that weaken the body’s natural defensive system.

- Prevent normal cells from turning cancerous

- Suppress the formation and growth of tumors

- Help regulate cholesterol levels

- Help control blood pressure

- Help control blood sugar levels

- Ward off viruses, fungi, and food-borne bacteria

- Slow the aging process

This is just a little side note for you: True tea is made only from the leaves and buds of the Camellia sine sis bush. Any drink made by combining hot water and leaves, flowers, or roots is commonly referred to as tea; is Herbal tea. It is not really tea at all.

For those who want to be adventurous, try this Family Iced Tea: For 1 litre of tea

1 litre filtered water 5-6 level teaspoons green tea (there are decafs available) ½ cinnamon stick 1-2 teaspoons honey 1 teaspoon lemon juice Several dashes of Angostura bitters (this is a root and spice extract from Venezuela – it has been sold for over 100 years)

Always Kickin’ Cathy Hoormann Kickin’ Coffee and Tea www.kickincoffeeandtea.com

Their barrels demonstrate how selecting the finest, tight-grain oak from slow growth American Oak in Central Kentucky, Southwest Kentucky and Minnesota can make superb barrels.

This is Jerry Nally, the plant foreman for Bluegrass – he has been there for more than thirty years and is charge of a talented team of coopers and barrel-wrights.

Most barrels weigh between 125 to 140 lbs. when empty. Six to eight hoops encircle the barrel spaced along the length. Actual dimensions vary from barrel to barrel - a result of their being hand crafted.

White Oak meets the requirements of porosity, strength, resilience, workability, weight and character. The large thick rays of the wood give white oak extra toughness and bend ability, while making it relatively stable during dry shrinkage and wet swelling.

The stacks shown in these pictures make up two or more city blocks stacked outdoors for its weather aging.

After aging, the stave lumber is cut to proper length, tapered at each end, beveled, planed on the outside and slightly hollowed on the inside. After being inspected, they are given to the cooper for assembly.

There are two lengths that are processed, one shorter length for making the barrel heads, and one longer length for the staves.

The pictures above shows a palette of wood being unloaded and fed (left) onto one of the lines (right) that will plane and send the wood into production.

The shaped barrel heads are fed into the rings of the machine to the right which treats them with hot beeswax to seal the heads and make a tight seal when the head is placed into the croze. Looking deep into the chamber of this machine you will see an open gas flame heating a large vat of wax.

The finished heads are put on rolling dollies and transferred to a different part of the assembly line where they will be inserted.

Notice that there is no uniformity of width in the stave stock. This presents the cooper with a challenge that separates the men from the boys. This challenge is in the creation of the rose, which is a bit like fitting together a puzzle.

The cooper selects the best staves, assembling them inside a metal hoop that acts as a jig. This operation is known as "mise en rose" or "raising the barrel".

The cooper must have a good understanding of how much the wood will expand with the liquid that is used; a good understanding of the effect of the heat and steam used to soften the staves so they can be flexed into shape, and how much pressure the wood can endure and conform tightly and waterproof.

Three metal hoops are forced into place, creating a solid hold on the staves, which are then placed on a line to pass into a shaping process.

The barrel roses pass into a large steam and heat oven. Wood fibers, rendered flexible by the heat and humidity, can now be bent using a winch to gradually arch the staves and tighten them to obtain the shape of the barrel. The staves are held trussed until metal hoops are in place.

The wenching into place is accomplished by a huge multi-ton press that presses a collar down over the open staves and slowly forms them into the shape of the barrel.

At this point, the partially constructed barrel is placed over a small gas fire. During this step, the inside of the barrel is charred or "toasted".

The amount of char has an effect on the bourbon, wine or whiskey aged in the barrel. Distillers or Winemakers can select from Light, Medium or Heavy Toast.

The ends of the staves must be trimmed and a "croze" or groove is cut in the staves to receive the barrel heads.

To finish assembly, the cooper sets up his (or her) barrel, fits the heads into the "croze" and completes the final hooping with a large mallet.

Six steel hoops are fitted to maintain maximum structural integrity. Consistent with our commitment to quality, rigorous quality control inspections are conducted at every step of the process from wood selection to air and water testing of the finished barrel.

The barrel is tested for impermeability and if passed, the cooper finishes the barrel with final finishing to enhance the quality of the oak and the perfection of workmanship. It takes approximately eight man hours to produce a single wine barrel.

Whiskey barrel , being made from a natural material, cannot be perfectly sealed. Indeed the ability of the barrels to "breathe" is vital to the final taste of the product.

When a barrel is filled, there is an initial ‘in-drink’ of about 2% and then during the years that a barrel spends in the bonded warehouse about two percent of the contents are lost to evaporation each year.

When barrels are opened after say four years maturing, around 10% of the contents will have disappeared. This loss is known in the trade as " the angel's share”