The relationship started at the office coffee dispenser many years ago.
It was instant.
One click of coffee.Three clicks of milk. Three clicks of sugar.
Six times a day!......into a paper cup.
Mr. Toastmaster, ladies and gentlemen,
Let me ask you this.....
If coffee is a drink made from roasted coffee beans, which are the seeds from the berries of the coffee plant, then what is instant coffee?
Instant coffee is a combination of roasted robusta beans and chicory.
Robusta beans are bitter and high in caffeine. Chicory is the root of the endive plant, which is a kind of lettuce. The chicory root is roasted and toasted and added to roasted robusta beans as a filler. Chicory masks the taste of the cheaper beans and can be used as a substitute for coffee.
The first thing that hits you when you walk into a roastery is the smell.
The gloriously rich smell of freshly roasted coffee beans.
The full hessian coffee bags with labels from countries all over the world are piled up and ready to process.
The ladies at the roastery were very proud of the 100% arabica status and explained to me....
Robusta beans are a lot cheaper to farm than arabica beans. Apparently they taste like burnt tyres and are repellant to insects. Robusta beans are used as a filler to add to the arabica beans to bulk up the coffee and popular with an Italian blend for the high caffeine content. The arabica bean has 1.5% caffeine to the robusta bean's 2.7% caffeine. Arabica beans have more lipids (oils) and more sugar and are more costly to farm.
I left with a plunger and a few bags of ground coffee - 100% arabica of course!
A few more visits to the roastery and
I wanted that smell in my house.
So, I left with a packet of beans, to buy myself a grinder.
There are two options, a blade grinder and a burr mill grinder.
The
blade grinder has basically no respect for the coffee bean whatsoever.
The blade chops wildly and ungraciously at the coffee bean, slashing it in the most irreverend and unholy way.
A
burr mill grinder on the other hand wraps around the bean drawing it into itself, breaking them passionately and evenly. The beans are bruised and crushed to your perfect setting.
Of course......
I bought a burr mill grinder for better flavor and even grinding.
Have you noticed that the selection of coffees in a restaurant is much greater than years gone by and is almost as long as the wine list?
The man (or woman) driving the espresso machine is the barista. (from the Italian "barman")
Espresso, double espresso, compressed espresso each with an appropriately delicious name.
The well loved cappuccino with foam or steamed milk, a milky latte, add heavy cream or whipped cream, condensed milk and ice cream.....not to mention the moccas' which include chocolate and then the coffees with alcohol...the combinations are wonderful and many.
The barista my friend, can also give you a "black eye"!
He would prepare you a regular black coffee topped with a double espresso.
....and if that doesn't wake you up then nothing will.
He regulates the temperature of the water, which is forced, under pressure, through the perfectly packed coffee.
He also creates your foam art.
At first there were only ferns.
After a while we had hearts.
Then there were faces and landscapes, cats and dogs, monkeys and planets.
This art can be seen all over the social media of facebook and twitter to pinterest and instagram.
Put up your hands anyone who HASN'T posted foam art somewhere.
Today I am more in love than ever..... from the first attraction at the instant coffee dispenser many years ago, to today and when a waiter approaches me.....I know exactly what I want.
Please darling,
it's an americano black.
No milk.
No sugar.
.....and that's that!
MgM (c)
