Coffee 101 by Conlin Coffee Academy

10:55 AM

The aficionados, as well as the-not-so coffee drinkers, hear a lot of misconceptions about what specialty coffee really is.
We constantly hear people talked about third wave coffee, "pour-over" and such.
So what is it really?
Grateful to be part in a one-of-a-kind coffee morning with blogger friends, a more thorough knowledge of coffee and why are some certain coffees going for such high prices were discussed and explained further by one of the only 2 Q graders here in the Philippines, Eric Conlin, a coffee guru and owner of the Conlin Coffee Academy who is certified to grade coffee, went to a more theoretical part of coffee with us for a better grasp to it.

The grading is normally done 6 days with 22 tests, to test the coffee knowledge  and the palate ( roasting, sorting and whatnot ) so they can further grade the Arabica Coffee, catered to a more specialty coffee.
As he said, Robusta is not for him because of it's low elevation , not really a specialty per se.
Arabica is more dynamic and diverse.
If it's a specialty coffee, enjoy it black, as what he wants to advocate.
Coffee may be just an energy booster for me, perks up the mood for others, or just like in the series FRIENDS --simply an idea of social aspect , wherein everybody gather in the famous Central Perk to spend much of their free time conversing.
Today, people are more into the coffee itself.
Questions regarding the difference between an Arabica coffee and Robusta is frequently being asked nowadays.
And of course, the age-old process of pouring hot water over ground coffee into a single cup is what’s hot-literally.
Eric Conlin initially introduced to us the Hario V60 , one of the most easiest or technical "pour-over" sets available also at Alessi in Bonifacio Global City where the Coffee Masterclass was held.
With perfect knowledge and some techniques using the Hario V60, you can be prepared to awe your guests for a quick specialty coffee the next time they visit.
To start off with, Eric have revealed that there is no such thing as "French roast" or "Italian roast" for that matter.
Included in the coffee-growing countries are of course the Philippines, Central America, Africa and such. But the origin is in Ethiopia. Basically it's where Coffee arabica, the coffee plant, originates.
Eric explained that per estate, per crop , the coffee is contrasting.
For instance, oftentimes we hear Colombian coffee is the best in the world.
Coffee from Colombia has the general characteristic to be bolder and balanced whereas in Africa tend to be more fruity, more fruit pulps.
In Asia , however, based on elevations, water and soil quality, the flavor of your quality will change dramatically even if it's in the same region.
Good quality coffees are quite expensive because farmers take time to go in there and manually handpick the right coffee cherries one by one. Now with larger scale commercial quality coffees , some estates and farmers will just strip the cherries. They'll use a machine that will basically pulls everything from the stem all at the same time.

Did you know that : Robusta grows locally in lower elevations like in Batangas while Arabica in higher elevations like in Baguio.

Basically there are two ways on how to process the coffee cherries after being handpicked.
With the "Dry" process, they let it dry under the sun on the street and arrange them after while with the "Wet" process, they'll wash the cherries first, bring it to the processing plant to remove the pulp, let it sit in it's juices ( fermentation ) , wash then dry.

During processing, perfect knowledge, proper care and concern are always crucial to the ultimate flavor of coffee in the cup.
Maybe that is why certain coffees like the Panama Honey, is expensively priced at 24,000 for a kilo ,because of the meticulous handling and processing done prior and by batch.
Colombia coffee has a strong and bold fragrance
Eric Conlin let us have literally cups of different kinds of coffee for cup tasting and breathing in some fragrance of the coffee.
Cup- tasting also called "cupping" tells a great deal about the coffee that a careful scrutiny of just the beans cannot.
Cupping not only reveals these distinct qualities but also identifies coffees that can be used in flavorful blends.




Fact : Brewed coffees are highly caffeinated and stronger than Espressos so you might want to grab a cup of brewed coffee instead if you want something strong to boost your mood in the morning. 

 Without the trad cream and sugar, he let us savor the coffee goodness in cups namely the Guatemala La Maravilla, El Salvador Picacho, Red Cherry Ethiopia Sidamo and the Panaman Esmeralda Geisha.
All have strong aromas and taste , the Red Cherry is on the fruitier side.
Although my taste buds went after the El Salvador, all coffees are unique and flavorful nonetheless.
El Salvador is my cup of tea or joe for that matter. 

Making your own specialty coffee at home is now as easy as 1, 2 ,3. Just pick out the perfect bag of great beans and eventually it will become an obsession. 
If not, start looking for a coffee shop that does exactly like that. 
By having a habit of drinking coffee less the sugar and cream, benefits will arise like you're less likely to have type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and dementia plus less prone to certain cancers, heart rhythm problems, and strokes. ( Source : WEBmd )


 Alessi is located at 

Alessi Concept Store
   Bonifacio High Street in Taguig (856-4452)

Conlins Elements Stores
 Greenbelt 5 Makati (729.9698)
     Trinoma, Quezon City (900-0668)


Keep calm and have a coffee :)











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