Simply Coffeelicious
Sipping a perfect cup of coffee in great company is one of those life’s little pleasures you should just not miss are some easily available red wines that won’t cost you a bomb.
What does a perfect cup of coffee mean to you? For coffee sommelier Sally Barnes, its no less than luxury. “It’s the whole experience that one enjoys, from the aroma of the fresh beans to listening to the kiss of the steam wand as it hits milk in the jug, to the first sip. A quality cup of coffee, prepared by a passionate barista is indeed a luxury.” On a more serious note, she shares, “Good coffee taste has a lot to do with proper roasting. The other crucial point is immediate packaging to ensure there is minimal loss of the delicate flavour and aroma found in fresh coffee.”
This young Aussie, who works as a regional development executive for the international coffee chain Gloria Jean’s Coffees, says the coffee drinking scene in India is quite different from other places. “For Indians, a coffee house is a destination to meet friends, organise business meets and relax over a cup of coffee. The ‘grab and go’ culture is yet to develop here.”
Making perfect coffee at home Purchase coffee in small packs only and consume within 1-2 weeks Store coffee in an airtight container in a dry and cool place. Keep it away from light and strong odours Never reheat coffee When buying coffee, keep in mind whether you prefer your coffee with or without milk; a breakfast coffee, or an all-day coffee Invest in a bean grinder, plunger, drip coffee maker and a home espresso machine
What makes your coffee taste great
Roasting: Coffee beans are roasted in a roasting drum at around 200 degree Celsius. After roasting, the beans are cooled rapidly to prevent any residual heat further roasting the coffee.
Crema: The thin layer of foam on the top of the espresso shot. The ideal crema is thick, golden, aromatic and persistent.
Pour: Espresso must fall from the group handle like honey dripping off the back of a spoon. The rate of pour determine the quality of espresso.
Time: Extraction time is measured to ensure espresso is pouring at the correct rate. 30 ml of espresso should take 23 - 27 seconds to pour.
Biscuit: A firm, dry biscuit (the residual coffee that is left after the coffee has been extracted) demonstrates that correct amount of coffee was used for a quality extraction to occur.
Milk texture: For cappuccino or latte, the milk should be textured. Texturing of the milk involves heating the milk at specific temperature through the injection of steam. The milk must be ‘stretched’ — to create volume and ‘rolled’ to create texture.
