Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Gourmet Coffee

Today I attended a gourmet coffee workshop organised by Sarika, the people behind the Suzuki brand of gourmet coffee. We learned about the history, family of coffee beans,roasting methods, how to prepare the perfect cup of coffee and did some sensory evaluation exercises which was immensely fun, considering my l=o=v=e for the dark brew.

There is this little contraption called the Syphon which in my opinion makes the perfect brew but it requires abit of patience as it took a l-o-n-g time to get a decent cuppa. However, it was really aromatic and rich minus the foamy part which is actually oil from the coffee bean. This is in comparison to the 'Pourover' (the Macdonald's type of coffee machine, not so yummy!) and the 'automated machine' (espresso machine, fast but...) which is widely popular in regular coffee joints like Starbucks or Spinelli's. I have included a link to Coffee For Connoisseurs' website featuring the syphon and a brief but informative description on using the syphon to make your perfect cuppa.

http://www.coffeeco.com.au/syphonbrew.html

To end the day, we were invited to make our own blend of coffee, choosing 3-4 different types of coffee bean varietal depending on our individual taste/preference and we get to bring home a pack of freshly grinded coffee blend. Mine is a 40% mix of Sumatra Mandheling, 30% mix of Brazil Santos & 30% mix of Mocca. Smells good but does it taste good? Well, I'll have to share it with my coffee aficionado friends who are better at giving me an honest opinion of my 'rojak blend'.

So if I do start a little café of my own, I'll be sure to serve my coffee using the Syphon. Although it is a little costly but the pleasure of savoring a perfect cup of coffee is worth the wait and price.

ps: for those who are unfamiliar with the different types of coffee usually served in coffee joints, here's the link for you to check out the diff between cappucino & Café au lait... (courtesy of suzuki coffee).
http://www.suzukicoffee.com.sg/moby/cms/mykindoffun/cafestylecoffee/

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