Since the emperor said that he could have a good New Year, of course Li Qi happily accepted it and started making coffee again when he got home. He used to say that Qiniang and Shiniang would forget to sleep and eat as soon as they started working. In fact, he himself did not
Not anymore.★
Three more days passed.
That afternoon, Li Qi came to the front hall excitedly carrying a small cloth bag, and happened to meet Yelu Guxu. She saw Li Qi walking towards the door mysteriously, so she shouted: "Husband, you are so stupid
where is it?"
"It's bone desire!" Li Qile said cheerfully: "Oh, husband is looking for the image spokesperson of this coffee."
Spokesperson?
Yelu Guyu glanced at Li Qi doubtfully.
Li Qi didn't elaborate. He waved and said, "Okay, my husband is going out first. Don't wait for me for dinner." After that, he hurried out.
.......
The Spring Festival is approaching in a blink of an eye. Although Zhao Kai said that this Spring Festival is relatively relaxed, in fact, for him, it is not that he has nothing to do. He still has to check the reports sent by the various states, and the workload is also very heavy.
He got up before dawn today and started reviewing the memorials. Until the afternoon, there was still a thick pile of memorials lying here. Perhaps feeling a little tired, he put down his pen, shook his head gently, and pinched it again.
He opened his eyes and rested for a while, and when he was about to continue working, a young eunuch suddenly came in and announced, "Your Majesty, the Privy Council is asking for an audience outside the door."
What is that boy doing here? Zhao Kai was stunned for a moment and then said: "Xuan"
Soon, Li Qi walked in and saluted: "The humble minister Li Qi is here to see the emperor."
"No gift."
Zhao Kai raised his hand.
Li Qi raised his head, suddenly let out a sigh, and said, "The emperor looks very tired."
Zhao Kai smiled and said: "You look a little proud."
Sweating! Is it so obvious? Li Qi rolled his eyes and said hey: "The emperor has seen it."
Zhao Kai said: "Then I don't know if the privy envoy has any happy events to share with me."
"The emperor is really good at knowing things, and the respect of the ministers for the emperor is like the surging river---"
"No, no. You'd better tell me something."
"oh."
Li Qidao: "Your Majesty, a drink has recently been invented for this purpose. It is not only delicious, but also refreshing. I came here to offer it to Your Majesty today."
"Refreshing?"
Zhao Kai asked curiously: "What is it?"
Li Qi picked up a small wooden bucket and said, "That's it, coffee."
"coffee?"
Zhao Kai was stunned for a moment and said with a smile: "I remembered it. I remember you mentioned this coffee before, and you still praised it full of praise. What? You have already made it?"
"The emperor is right."
"Since the Golden Knife Chef King is full of praise for this coffee, I must try it."
"Your Majesty, please wait a moment, I will cook for you now."
.......
Li Qi first asked someone to get a small stove and a small pot, then started to boil water, and then poured out the ground coffee powder.
Zhao Kai looked at the dark brown coffee powder and asked curiously: "Are these coffee beans?"
Li Qi smiled and explained: "Your Majesty, this is coffee powder now. Wei Chen ground the coffee beans into powder in advance. It is convenient for brewing."
Zhao Kai nodded and said: "I see, then is making coffee the same as making tea?"
Li Qi shook his head and said: "Although they are both friends, they are still very different. After all, the targets are different and the methods adopted are also different."
Zhao Kai said oh and looked at it patiently.
Having said that, this coffee is still pretentious and has many rules. It is the same as making tea. There are various requirements. Otherwise, no matter how good the coffee beans are, if the brewing method is wrong, the taste will still be inadequate.
While boiling water, Li Qi was not idle. He first took out a wooden funnel, and then took out a round veil-like object and put it into the funnel, blocking the smaller end of the funnel.
Zhao Kai asked: "What is this cloth used for?"
Li Qidao: "Your Majesty, don't underestimate this piece of cloth. It was recently invented by Weichen. It's called filter cotton. As the name suggests, it's used for filtering." There is no filter paper these days, so cotton cloth can be used instead.
But Li Qi prefers cotton filters. In fact, in later generations, many antique coffee shops used filter cotton to filter coffee, because many filter papers on the market contain chemicals, which will not only affect the taste of the coffee, but also
Have a bad impact on the body.
Zhao Kai nodded slightly and said: "I didn't expect that there are so many rules for brewing coffee."
Li Qi smiled and did not answer. He placed the funnel on a clean royal teapot, poured some coffee powder on the filter cotton, then took some warm water, poured a little bit of it, and moistened the coffee powder.
, and after the boiling water cooled down slightly, he also tested the temperature with his hands, because too high a water temperature would destroy the taste of the coffee. When he saw that the temperature was about the same, he picked up the kettle and slowly poured it into the funnel.
I saw that his movements were very light, and the water flow was very slow and gentle. This was to avoid too much force and pour the coffee powder into the pot. A successful cup of coffee must not contain any impurities in it. This is the basic requirement for brewing coffee.
If you go to one of those famous coffee shops and after drinking, you find that there is still mushy coffee powder at the bottom of the cup, you can definitely get your money back.
This kind of tea has always been brewed several times to make the most delicious tea, but coffee and tea are completely opposite. Coffee can only be brewed once, and the standard one-time brewing can produce the delicious taste of coffee.
Come here, you must not soak it a second time. This requires success in the first time, but for Li Qi, this is nothing.
As soon as the coffee is brewed, a strong burnt aroma comes out.
Zhao Kai had never smelled such a burnt aroma. At first, he frowned slightly, but when he smelled it more carefully, he couldn't help but feel that the coffee was particularly fragrant. He stretched his head over and smelled it carefully. There was still something on his mouth.
Said: "The taste of this coffee is really special!"
Li Qi smiled and said: "The emperor is right. One of the advantages of this coffee is its unique aroma, which is unique to any food."
Zhao Kai nodded and said: "This is indeed the first time I smell this kind of fragrance. At first, I thought it was a bit weird, but the more I smelled it, the more it felt like it, just like that old wine."
Li Qidao: "The aroma of this coffee is just like its taste. The more you drink it, the more balsamic it becomes. It's easy to become obsessed with it."
When Zhao Kai heard what he said so well and smelled the aroma of the coffee, he couldn't help himself. He looked at the pot of coffee and said, "Can you drink it now?"
Li Qi shook his head and said, "Just wait a little longer."
With that said, Li Qi chose a cup. The cup had golden patterns on its walls, which made it look extremely noble. You could tell at a glance that it was used by the royal family. It was very beautiful.
Li Qi slowly poured the coffee into the cup. The coffee, which was thicker than water, slowly spread out with water lines around it, which was very tempting.
The coffee had already been poured. Zhao Kai thought it should be drinkable, so he said: "It should be drinkable now."
Li Qidao: "For ordinary people, this is a cup of finished product, but for the emperor, this can only be said to be a cup of semi-finished product."
Zhao Kai found it a bit funny and said: "This coffee is really snobbish, it depends on who comes."
Li Qi said awkwardly: "It's not coffee snobbery. It's --- it's Wei Chen snobbery. I believe this is what the emperor wants to say."
Zhao Kai laughed and said, "I didn't say that."
Day. I have worked hard to help you make coffee. You also insinuated that I am snobbish. This minister is really helpless. He can't even flatter you. Li Qi felt angry in his chest.
Zhao Kai didn't pay attention and said: "What are you still doing? Hurry up and do it, I'm still waiting."
Li Qi said angrily: "Reporting to the emperor, I am thinking about whether the Legislative Yuan has established a project against 'snobbery'."
Zhao Kai laughed and said: "You are so small-minded. I just said it casually, but you took it seriously."
Li Qidao: "But Your Majesty, you have no words to joke about."
Zhao Kai let out a laugh and said: "You still have sex with me, right? I'm ordering you to have sex now, so that's alright."
"That's enough."
Li Qi chuckled and began to work with his hands again. He first picked up a special spoon and placed it on the rim of the cup, and then took out a few pure white candies.
Zhao Kai saw that the sugar was square and square, with clearly visible edges and corners, and said, "The shape of this sugar is really strange. It seems to be purer than ordinary sugar."
"Your Majesty is really discerning." Li Qi smiled and said, "This sugar is specially prepared by Wei Chen for coffee, and is called sugar cube."
"Sugar cube?"
Zhao Kai nodded slightly and said, "Candy really lives up to its name!"
Li Qi put a few sugar cubes on the spoon. This move made Zhao Kai very curious. He thought Li Qi would throw the sugar into the coffee.
Then Li Qi took out a wine pot with a small mouth. The mouth was as small as a straw, and poured a stream of liquid on top of the sugar. As soon as the liquid came out of the spout, the strong aroma of wine immediately covered up the smell of coffee.
fragrance.
It is unparalleled in the world, and one of the more advanced ones in the unparalleled series.
Zhao Kai was very familiar with this taste and was secretly surprised, could this coffee be worthy of being drunk by the world's unparalleled coffee?
After a little drenching, Li Qi took off the wine pot, used bamboo silk to take the fire from the candle, and said to Zhao Kai: "Your Majesty, look carefully, this is the most critical step."
In fact, there was no need for him to say it. Zhao Kai's eyes were already very wide.
Li Qi put the flame on the spoon, and after two soft whirring sounds, a flame burst out, and the flame grew higher and higher.
The pure blue flame swayed wildly at the mouth of the cup, like a graceful girl dancing on the spoon, dancing with the unparalleled mellowness and caramel aroma of sugar cubes, combined with the strong aroma of coffee, it was really wonderful.
Although Zhao Kai had seen this open fire cooking method many times in Li Qi's hands, the flames this time were particularly beautiful and the fragrance was very special.
This kind of fragrance and this kind of visual impact are so easily intoxicating.
No matter how delicious the tea is, it is still a cup of fresh tea, but coffee can bloom such a wonderful flame and looks very noble, almost tailor-made for the royal family. In this regard, tea is slightly inferior.
However, is this really just Li Qi making a fuss and adding icing on the cake?
of course not.
Under the high temperature of the flame, the sugar cubes begin to melt and fall into the coffee. If you directly use coffee to melt the sugar cubes, it will not be evenly distributed, let alone perfectly blended. However, the most important thing is to melt the sugar cubes into sugar water first.
What's more, the alcohol can transform the sugar cubes into caramel and increase the flavor of the caramel. This is the most ingenious thing about this flame.
When the fire is gone, the sugar cubes have completely blended into the coffee.
Li Qi picked up the spoon and stirred it gently for a while, then pushed it in front of Zhao Kai and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, please enjoy."
Zhao Kai couldn't hold it anymore. He picked up the cup, put it to his mouth and blew it gently, taking a small sip. This was coffee, even if it was just a small sip, he could already taste the full flavor. Because Zhao Kai was
It was my first time to try coffee, so my tongue was too sensitive to this taste, and I had an indescribable feeling that it was not as delicious as I imagined. After all, the coffee beans were a little bitter, so I took another sip and drank it all.
, the emperor's tongue gradually adapted to the taste of this coffee. He felt that the bitterness was mixed with a hint of sweetness, which was very mellow, especially when he could smell the mellow aroma of wine that was unparalleled in the world, which added to the mellow taste. Just like
The aroma is the same, but this coffee is not a blockbuster, it is the two extremes of being unparalleled in the world.
Unparalleled in the world is like a peerless beauty. When it appears, it immediately stuns the entire audience. Whether it is fragrance, color, or taste, it can eclipse all beautiful things, as if it is the only protagonist in the entire audience.
Coffee is like a subtle and restrained girl, very attractive, and the more you look at it, the more beautiful it becomes. The deeper you look, the more you can discover the delicious taste of coffee, and the more you taste it, the more fascinating it becomes.
One bite.
Two mouthfuls.
Three mouthfuls.
.......
Zhao Kai soon got addicted to it, and the more he drank, the more delicious it became. Unknowingly, the cup had reached the bottom. He glanced at the bottom of the cup with unsatisfied thoughts and said: "This coffee really gets better and better the more you drink it.
Give me a drink."
Li Qi chuckled and said: "Your Majesty, although this coffee tastes good, it must be consumed in moderation, otherwise it will be bad for the heart. You can only drink up to two cups a day, and you can't drink it together."
Zhao Kai said in surprise: "Really?"
Li Qi nodded and said: "Actually, eating too much of anything is always bad. Each food has its own limits. The difference lies in more and less. Only by combining it reasonably and eating in moderation can the effects of food on the body be fully exerted.
supplies.”
Emperors or not, they all cherish their bodies very much. After Zhao Kai heard that drinking too much coffee was not good, he stopped forcing it. However, without saying a few words, the previous fatigue was gone and he felt very
The spirit seemed to be full of strength, and he said with a hint of surprise: "What you said before is absolutely correct. This coffee is indeed a good refreshing thing. I just drank a small cup, and the sleepiness just now disappeared without a trace.
Without a trace."
Li Qi chuckled and said, "As long as the emperor thinks it's good."
This smile seemed familiar. Zhao Kai glanced sideways at Li Qi, suddenly laughed, and said: "But the Privy Council took time out of his busy schedule to come here, he can't just make coffee for me, right?"
Li Qi said with a loyal look on his face: "Why does the emperor say this? Of course, I should share this good thing with the emperor, and I can't keep it to myself."
Zhao Kai said: "Unconditionally."
"certainly---."
Li Qi hesitated to speak, looking a little embarrassed.
Zhao Kai chuckled: "Tell me, what do you want to do?"
On the day, he saw it. Li Qiqian laughed twice and said: "Actually, there are no conditions, it's just that the minister wants to do a business with the emperor."
"As expected."
Zhao Kai smiled and asked: "What business?"
Li Qidao: "That's right, the emperor has also realized the magical effect of this coffee. In fact, many officials sometimes make mistakes while busy because they are too tired. Wouldn't it be great if they could drink a cup of coffee to take a break and relieve their fatigue when they are tired?
Get twice the result with half the effort.”
Zhao Kai nodded and said: "This is true."
Li Qi hurriedly said: "So Wei Chen wants to open a cafe in the palace to serve the ministers, but the emperor must not ask money from Wei Chen. This is too hurtful. I am sharing your worries with you.
It is the duty of a humble minister, and he will not take any money from him."
This surprised Zhao Kai very much. Who is this Li Qi? He is a huge profiteer. He even said such words as to destroy his conscience and not take any money. Anyone who knows Li Qi must be very cautious at this time.
Needless to say, there must be something fishy in it.
Zhao Kai glanced at Li Qi suspiciously and saw his eyes flashing, and he became more sure of what he was thinking. After thinking about it for a while, he immediately reacted and said with a smile: "You don't take any money, but you haven't asked me if I want to take it."
money."
It can't be so evil, right? Li Qi pretended to be ignorant and said: "Where did the emperor start with these words?"
Zhao Kai chuckled and said: "This coffee is not known to the world now. How to popularize coffee is not a difficult task for you, but if you want to popularize coffee as quickly as possible, it is not easy.
If this first coffee shop was opened in the palace, then you don’t need to use your brain at all, and the people will rush to pursue it. You are so smart, and the profit will not need to be described in detail. You said that I collect money from you, right?
Of course."
Li Qi hurriedly shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, your calculation is wrong."
Zhao Kai groaned and said, "How should we calculate it?"
Li Qidao: "Weichen admits that what the emperor said is indeed true. This is exactly Weichen's intention, but this is definitely a win-win deal. First of all, this coffee can only be grown in the two counties. Once coffee becomes popular, then there will be more in the two counties."
This will undoubtedly reduce the burden on the shoulders of the court, which is working hard to revitalize the two counties. Secondly, there is taxation. Originally, this coffee was not available. Once coffee becomes popular, it will definitely be able to
Stimulating consumption and driving many industries will bring considerable income to the court. Finally, as I just said, drinking coffee in moderation can indeed help with work. Based on these three points, the emperor should vigorously help Weichen promote it
This coffee.”
Zhao Kai burst out laughing when he heard this, and said: "It is no wonder that I am the first economic envoy of the Song Dynasty. Once money is involved, my analysis is clear and logical. It is amazing, amazing."
Li Qi smiled modestly and said: "No, no, the emperor has given me a reward."
Zhao Kai said: "It seems that I have no reason to refuse."
"Absolutely not --- oh no, I mean, the emperor is wise and powerful and has his own judgment, I don't dare to speak nonsense."
Zhao Kai shook his head with a smile and said, "Okay, just as you say." In fact, he also saw that this coffee might help the second county rise as quickly as possible, so he readily agreed.
Li Qi added: "Your Majesty, actually I have a trivial matter to ask Your Majesty."
Zhao Kai chuckled and said, "Don't say anything trivial. I will consider every word you say carefully."
Sweating! You are going too far. I am such an honest person. Do I need to be like this? Really, forget it, I won’t argue with you. Li Qi said again: "That’s right, this coffee and
There are many flavors like Unparalleled in the World, so Weichen also wants to create a series, and this kind of coffee is collectively called Yunxi Coffee---"
Zhao Kai frowned and said, "Yunxi Coffee?"
Li Qi nodded and said: "Your Majesty is right. Because Nei Zi has made a lot of contributions to coffee, the minister is named after Nei Zi."
Zhao Kai nodded and said: "That's it."
Li Qi added: "But this is just a general term. Weichen also wants to name each flavor of coffee. The coffee the emperor drank just now was the emperor who triggered Weichen's inspiration. The emperor also saw the flame just now.
It seems extremely noble, so I would like to name this kind of coffee Royal Coffee, is it possible?"
"Royal coffee?"
Zhao Kai smiled and understood very well that Li Qi wanted to promote the coffee in the name of the emperor, but this was not the first time. He was used to it, so he nodded and said: "Okay. Let's call it Royal Coffee."
.”
Li Qi chuckled and said, "Why don't the emperor do another favor and help Wei Chen write a sign?"
Zhao Kai smiled and scolded: "You really like to push your limits, how about I put the money earned from this coffee into my pocket?"
Sweat! You haven't put enough pressure. Li Qi said depressedly: "Why do these words sound familiar!"
"Ahem!"
Zhao Kai looked slightly embarrassed and said: "That's it, that's all, I'll just send Buddha to the west."
"Don't, there is a devil in the West."
"Um?"
"That's Wanyan Zongwang!"
"Ha ha!"
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