Page 31 - the Noise March 2017 Edition

A Cup of Understanding
In this series of articles about coffee we’ll explore a great many things, and together we will brew a cup of understanding. In other words, a deeper understanding about the final cup of coffee in front of you, whether it be a vanilla latte, cold brew, or regular drip. We’ll also stir in some Northern Arizona cafe culture for good measure, by including opinions and comments from our regional Baristas and coffee professionals from time to time. The following paragraphs are far too brief an introduction to the world of coffee, but I hope you’ll find them a fine beginning.
Planting A Seed
In this very brief overview, lets start by planting a seed — a coffee seed, that is — because what we’re tasting in the end is not, in fact, a bean. With proper care, that coffee seed will germinate, grow into a shrub, then mature into a tree. Farm practices and techniques vary by country and region (most of which are close to the equator at high elevations, some with two growing seasons per year) and by individual farms themselves. Some farms export directly, while most send their green (un-roasted) coffee to processing mills where they are blended all together. After numerous processes including grading, evaluating and rating the coffee, it is ready for export. Coffee is a multi-billion dollar export market reaching every corner of the
globe, and importers and roasters pay top dollar for high-rated, quality coffees.
Roasting & Purchasing
The initial crop moves, in its next phase, through importers into the hands of roasters. We know there are plenty of large-scale roasting companies, but more and more small specialty roasters are growing direct relationships with individual coffee farms. A lot of care goes into formulating properly roasted beans, designing roast profiles to bring out the most flavor, and carefully crafting blends for espresso bars and retail shelves. As a consumer, often the most complex decisions can be what brand, blend or roast to buy, or which single origin to choose from a place you may not even be able to find on a map! Marketing and retail packaging can make these choices easier or more difficult for us, depending on how well educated we are as consumers. One of my goals in writing this column is to help you make more informed decisions about the coffee you purchase, for enjoying at home or in a cafe.
The Brew
The next point in our timeline of the coffee bean is arguably most important. Brewing a perfect cup of coffee is either completely in your hands, or the trusted hands of your favorite Barista at your local cafe. No two cups of coffee will ever taste exactly the same, but well-trained Baristas strive to achieve this. At home we rely on automatic coffee machines to consistently brew the cup we want, or we experiment by using the pour-over methods becoming more and more popular for the average consumer. There are many ways to brew a perfect cup, and even more ways to brew a bad one. To get us started in the right direction, I’m reminded of an anecdotal scene from a favorite movie of mine...
Tasting & Palate Expansion
In the TV series Twin Peaks, Agent Dale Cooper speaks about a “damn fine cup of coffee, and hot too!” While this may be our end goal when enjoying an average cup of coffee, I beg of you to taste that “damn fine cup of coffee” as it cools down. This allows us to discover flavors that are inherent in the cup and allows our palate to perceive more nuance in what is there. We can then begin to detect particular flavors we might never have noticed before, and begin expanding our vocabulary to describe what we’re detecting. In no time at all, you’ll begin to feel more self- educated about the coffees you purchase, just as you would with wine or beer. Everyone likes a particular wine for their own reasons and there are no wrong answers, the same holds true for coffee. My goal, while we brew this cup of understanding together, is to help you discover just what it is that you like in that cup, and to begin broadening your palate.
| So brew and sip away! In the meantime, feel free to send me questions and comments to mrdylanjung@yahoo.com
by Dylan Jung
31 • March 2017 | the NOISE arts & news | www.thenoise.us