{"id":2307,"date":"2014-11-04T08:41:48","date_gmt":"2014-11-04T08:41:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/?p=2307"},"modified":"2014-11-04T08:43:40","modified_gmt":"2014-11-04T08:43:40","slug":"a-few-thoughts-about-coffee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/?p=2307","title":{"rendered":"A Few Thoughts About Coffee"},"content":{"rendered":"

Subspecies of Coffee Plant<\/strong><\/p>\n

2 major types:<\/p>\n

Robusta<\/strong>: about 36% of global production<\/p>\n

High caffeine content, can survive in a broader climatic range, strong coffee taste,\u00a0produces thick \u201ccrema\u201d in Espresso<\/p>\n

Arabica<\/strong>: ca. 60% of global production<\/p>\n

More expensive, slightly lower caffeine content, plant is a bit more delicate, more\u00a0complex range in aroma, produces less \u201ccrema\u201d.<\/p>\n

Italian Mixtures are typically a mix of Robusta and Arabica, in varying parts.\u00a0A small percentage of Robusta (10-25%) does by no means imply lesser quality, even\u00a0though some experts may say so. On the contrary, it can cut off the edges and make for a\u00a0more pleasant, \u201crounder\u201d experience.<\/p>\n

Provenances &\u00a0<\/strong>Specialties<\/b><\/p>\n

This list can of course not be exhaustive. There are so many coffee producing countries\u00a0around the globe, so this could easily fill a book. Let me just mention a few that come to\u00a0my mind immediately:<\/p>\n

Ethiopia (Sidamo Province):<\/strong> Original habitat of the coffee plant. High genetic variety.\u00a0Beans are quite small, complex in aroma, sometimes stunning fruity undertones. Mild\u00a0and delicate, perfect for Espresso but not for Milk Coffees, as the aromas are too fragile.<\/p>\n

Middle & South America (Peru, Colombia, Honduras, Caribbean, Brazil, Mexico etc.):\u00a0<\/strong>Very diverse range of coffees. Some nuttiness in flavor is what they have in common.\u00a0Brazil is mass production and cheapest. Peruvian Highland coffees can be very tender\u00a0and delicate. Colombian on the other hand usually has a very strong nutty, spicy\u00a0chocolate flavor. None of this can be generalized though, as many other factors (like\u00a0roasting) play an at least equally important part.<\/p>\n

The most highly praised (and priced) variety is Jamaican \u201cBlue Mountain\u201d, which costs\u00a0easily 100US$++ per kg. \u00a0Another highly praised variety is Hawaii Kona.\u00a0Both of these very expensive coffees are usually not used for Espresso, but should better\u00a0be prepared with a French Press (more about that later).<\/p>\n

India:\u00a0<\/strong>The \u201cMonsooned Malabar\u201d has become extremely popular among European Espresso\u00a0lovers over the past few years. The raw beans are exposed to the rains and start\u00a0fermenting, which creates complex chocolate aromas. It produces huge amounts of\u00a0\u201ccrema\u201d and is also very good for Cappuccino and Milk Coffee. The micro roaster where I\u00a0get my coffee from told me that this is by far his best selling variety.<\/p>\n

Others:\u00a0<\/strong>In Africa, Kenya and other countries produce top quality coffees, in Asia, Indonesia is\u00a0particularly noteworthy. Sulawesi and Bali coffees enjoy high praise.<\/p>\n

Indonesia is also responsible for an abomination called \u201cKopi Luwak\u201d.\u00a0The most expensive coffee in the world, hyped excessively by the media over the\u00a0past few years, and cherished by people who don\u2019t know how to spend their money\u00a0responsibly.<\/p>\n

It is collected from the dung of Asian Palm Civets who have before eaten the whole\u00a0coffee berry. The digestive enzymes of these mammals are responsible for fermentation\u00a0processes in the bean, and this coffee can reach prices as high as 6.000 US$ per kg.<\/p>\n

No surprise then, that these poor creatures are now caught in the wild, kept in cages\u00a0under horrible circumstances and force fed coffee berries.<\/p>\n

Needless to say that there are lots of fake Kopi Luwak on the market as well.<\/p>\n

Roasting:<\/strong><\/p>\n

With darker roast, acidity is gradually removed and replaced by a more bitter and also\u00a0sweeter note.<\/p>\n

There are two important factors here:\u00a0Temperature and Duration.<\/p>\n

Mass Manufacturers will roast the beans for a short time at high temperatures (500\u00a0Celsius for 2 minutes). Small roasters and blenders (micro roasters) will go for 200\u00a0degrees at 15-18 minutes instead, producing a more full-bodied, less bitter product.<\/p>\n

European Standard Filter Coffee will be roasted until golden brown, French roast would\u00a0be slightly darker, while Italian (Espresso) roast will appear dark brown to almost black.<\/p>\n

Grinding:<\/strong><\/p>\n

For a really good result, it is imperative to grind the beans just in time before preparing\u00a0the coffee. Ready ground coffee will have lost all the volatile oils that make the aroma.\u00a0An hour in the open is enough and it will all be gone.<\/p>\n

Equally important is to choose a suitable grinder. The particles of the flour should\u00a0ideally be all of the same size, and the grinder should not heat up during grinding, as\u00a0to preserve all those precious volatile oils as well as possible. Also it should be finely\u00a0adjustable in order to allow you to carefully choose the coarseness of the powder.<\/p>\n

There are two different types of good coffee grinders: Cone based and disk based. There\u00a0are no distinct advantages to either. Just choose a good one.<\/p>\n

A common household mixer will not<\/strong> work, as it doesn\u2019t grind the beans but rather chops\u00a0them into different sized pieces.<\/p>\n

Preparation:<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the connoisseur, there\u2019s only three different ways to make coffee.<\/p>\n

So, I will omit the obviously brain-dead ones like the German Filter Coffee method, for\u00a0example.<\/p>\n

Mokka (Greek\/Turkish\/Middle Asian Style):<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is the most ancient and original way to prepare coffee.\u00a0The beans are ground very thin, and the flour is topped with hot water and plenty of\u00a0sugar, then stirred, so that the flour sets on the bottom.<\/p>\n

Strong, nice, and best served in small cups after a rich meal.<\/p>\n

French Press:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The coffee should be ground quite coarsely for this one.<\/p>\n

Hot water (90 Celsius) is being poured over the powder, and after several minutes a\u00a0metal piston with a sieve is pushed down, containing the powder at the bottom of the\u00a0jug.<\/p>\n

This is the preferred method for very valuable coffees as it allows to discern a lot of\u00a0different aromas and does not require the beans to be roasted too dark.<\/p>\n

Served in standard tea cups (250ml) and suitable for all situations (morning, afternoon,\u00a0with cakes and cookies).<\/p>\n

Espresso:<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is the most difficult, yet for me the most rewarding way to prepare coffee.<\/p>\n

Expensive equipment and a lot of technique are required, while the learning curve is\u00a0steep.<\/p>\n

The perfect Espresso is brewed at 90-95 degrees Celsius, at 9-10 bar pressure, within\u00a0strictly 22-28 seconds for a portion of 25-30ml, using 7-8g coffee powder for each.<\/p>\n

Anything that falls short of any of these parameters is not<\/strong> to be called \u201cEspresso Coffee\u201d.<\/p>\n

The beans are roasted darker than for any other preparation style.<\/p>\n

The grind has to be adjusted every day according to temperature and humidity in order\u00a0to fulfill the above requirements.<\/p>\n

Obviously, a dedicated Coffee Machine has to be used (for example an \u201cIsomac Zaffiro\u201d,\u00a0which would be one of the cheapest at around 800 US$).<\/p>\n

The perfect Espresso has \u201cCrema\u201d on top that resists a spoon of sugar for at least one\u00a0second. It has no obvious bitter or acidic overtones and unfolds a silky smooth array of\u00a0flavours in the mouth.<\/p>\n

It is best enjoyed by itself in the afternoon (maybe with a cookie) or as the final digestive\u00a0after a sumptuous meal in the evening. Sometimes the cup is being \u201ccleaned\u201d with a shot\u00a0of whisky, grappa or brandy while still warm.<\/p>\n

Cappuccino is a single or double espresso shot topped with foamed milk. A Caff\u00e8 Latte\u00a0(or Latte Macchiato) features even more milk, so the double shot will be topped up with\u00a0approximately 200ml of foamed, hot milk.<\/p>\n

This is traditionally strictly reserved for breakfast. Come noon, a normal or double\u00a0Espresso Shot is the only viable option.<\/p>\n

Originally confined to Italy, this method of coffee making has by now spread across the\u00a0whole of Europe and is even slowly gaining momentum and gathering fans in the US\u00a0(where some people are already starting to take perfectionism to the next level).<\/p>\n

The larger portions of coffee, like from a French Press, you can of course (and many do) have a full\u00a0slice of cake.<\/p>\n

Same like with tea, actually. Also, I wouldn’t see any reason why for instance a samosa or a piece of\u00a0onion pakora should be wrong.<\/p>\n

The sugar thing is one of those things. Some self proclaimed experts say you mustn’t add anything. I\u00a0say that’s BS.<\/p>\n

I for example NEED sugar in my espresso, because else all I taste is bitterness. I would say this is\u00a0highly individual and probably even determined genetically.<\/p>\n

The “longer” coffees, like from the French Press, instead I enjoy most with a few drops(!) of milk, but\u00a0without sugar.<\/p>\n

Here’s more about the French Press: http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/French_press<\/a><\/p>\n

The French typically don’t drink “real” Espresso. They serve what is called “Sch\u00fcmli” in Switzerland\u00a0(from “Schaum” = German for “Foam”).<\/p>\n

It is basically an espresso brewed with more water and the powder ground on the coarse side.<\/p>\n

The opposite would be the italian “doppio ristretto” which means, even less water is used than in a\u00a0regular espresso, i.e. 20ml instead of 30. Doppio ristretto (“double restricted”) then is 40ml made from\u00a015g coffee powder (2 portions).<\/p>\n

Another way to turn an espresso into a full cup size drink would be the “Americano”, where a regular<\/p>\n

double espresso (60 ml) would be topped up with hot water.<\/p>\n

There’s yet another way to make a coffee similar to espresso, yet very different, and also sometimes\u00a0falsely termed “espresso”, which is very popular in both France and Italy, and that’s the stovetop\u00a0machine (often called “Bialetti” after its most prominent manufacturer).<\/p>\n

The popularity comes from the low cost of such a “machine” and the comparatively nice results.<\/p>\n

Check it out here: http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Moka_(coffee_pot)<\/a><\/p>\n

The major disadvantage is that the water has to boil in order to produce the pressure, which means it\u00a0will always exceed the optimum brewing temperature of 90 degrees.<\/p>\n

By Nikhil Agarwal, Director & Sommelier – All Things Nice<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Subspecies of Coffee Plant 2 major types: Robusta: about 36% of global production High caffeine content, can survive in a broader climatic range, strong coffee taste,\u00a0produces thick \u201ccrema\u201d in Espresso Arabica: ca. 60% of global production More expensive, slightly lower caffeine content, plant is a bit more delicate, more\u00a0complex range in aroma, produces less \u201ccrema\u201d. … Continue reading A Few Thoughts About Coffee<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89],"tags":[17,711,727,705,704,702,719,732,725,709,708,707,715,730,735,734,731,729,712,723,726,706,717,733,724,64,718,720,713,728,710,716,130,714,722,721,703],"class_list":["post-2307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-our-blog","tag-all-things-nice","tag-arabica","tag-asian-palm-civets","tag-caffe-latte","tag-cappuccino","tag-coffee","tag-coffee-peru-colombai-caribbean-brazil-mexico","tag-connoisseur","tag-crema","tag-double-espresso","tag-espresso","tag-espresso-shot-topped-with-foamed-milk","tag-ethiopia","tag-european-standard-filter-coffee","tag-few-thoughts-about-coffee","tag-french-press","tag-french-roast","tag-grinding-coffee","tag-italian-coffee","tag-jamaican-blue-mountain","tag-kopi-luwak","tag-latte-macchiato","tag-milk-coffee","tag-mokka","tag-monsooned-malabar","tag-nikhil-agarwal","tag-original-habitat-of-coffee-plant","tag-peruvian-highland-coffees","tag-provenances-of-coffee","tag-raosting","tag-robusta","tag-sidamo-province","tag-sommelier","tag-specialities-of-coffee","tag-spicy-chocolate-flavor-coffee","tag-strong-nutty","tag-subspecies-of-coffee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2307\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}