A Lesson about Coffee Appreciation

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I have to admit, I’m not a fan of coffee. I always thought it to be a black and bitter mixture which keeps me awake until wee hours of the night. In an unpredictable twist of fate though, I ended up in a Coffee Appreciation session organized by Mbuji Coffee (pronounced as boo-ji), and it changed my perception ever since. Over the 2-hour session, I have learnt the answers to several major queries on coffee.

All types of roasted coffee beans

#1: Where does Coffee come from?

Coffee beans were first discovered in Ethiopia but it was in Arabia that they were first roasted and brewed.

#2: What are the types of Coffee beans available?

Only two: Arabica beans (that grow on high grounds) and Robusta beans (that grow on low grounds). It is also easy to differentiate them because Arabica beans’ flat top have a sinuous groove (shaped like ‘S’), while Robusta beans are shaped like pear with a straight groove. It is also safe to say that Robusta beans are of slightly lower quality and are sold at a cheaper price compared to the former.

The Coffee expert – My Gus Savvas

#3: How do we taste Coffee?

You might not know it but there’s actually a way to drink and taste coffee. The way to enjoy coffee in its purest form is to drink a cup of espresso.

• With the small cup in hand, inhale and capture the aroma of the coffee, then slurp the coffee in, making a loud slurping noise in the process. This slurping process actually enhances the taste and aroma of the coffee as you get the taste and smell of coffee at the same time.
• Once the coffee is inside the mouth, spread it all over the tongue and the sides of the mouth, letting it linger for as long as possible while recognizing the components in the taste.
• Identify the taste of the coffee, whether it has an instantaneous sharp flavour (the ‘oomph’ factor) or a consistent and mild one, or both.
• Once the taste is identified, wait for a minute and find out if the taste still lingers on your palate after that. If it does, it has a full body effect, whereby there is a consistent flavour from the beginning (the smell), the middle (the taste) until the end (the after taste).
• To investigate it further, you can add milk into the espresso and find out if the milk can penetrate the coffee well. If it does, it enhances the taste of coffee, and if it doesn’t, it changes the taste of the coffee to become sour and unpleasant.

Arabica grounded beans

#4: How to differentiate the types of coffee from the taste?

We were taught to differentiate among 3 types of coffee – on whether it is an African coffee, a South American coffee or a Blend (the mix of both). Incidentally, each coffee has its own distinct characteristic. The African coffee has full body, with a lingering taste in mouth even after swallowing. The South American coffee on the other hand, has a sudden sharp and instantaneous bitterness upon the first sip, but disappears soon after. As for the Blend, it is a combination of both, resulting in a sharp flavour that remains in the palate even after swallowing.

Mbuji blend

Can you identify if this is the Arabica or Robusta bean?

#5: How to clear the palate during a coffee-tasting session?

In any coffee-tasting session, one has to taste and differentiate among tens or hundreds of glasses of coffee. In order to have a clear palate after each glass of coffee, one is recommended to eat something sweet such as cakes or dates. In fact, dates are the most popular neutralizer used due to its natural sweetness.

Coffee-tasting cups

Desserts and dates to neutralize the palate

Coffee bean chocolates

#6: What are the ways to brew coffee?

Traditionally, there are many ways to brew the perfect cup of coffee, some of which are:

Greek Coffee (sometimes known as Turkish coffee) – this is the oldest method of preparing coffee, by boiling fine powdered roasted coffee in a pot (cezve/Briki) and serving it into a cup, where the coffee sediment (dregs) settles. To prepare a cup of coffee, use a teaspoon of coffee and place it into the Briki with cold water. Add sugar to taste. Bring to boil and serve in a demitasse cup (espresso cup).

Cezve/Briki pot for Greek coffee

Filter method – is prepared by using a dessert spoon of coffee per cup. Insert filter paper into the cone within, measure required amount of coffee and pour the equivalent amount of boiling water over the coffee. Allow water to filter through coffee into the pot.

Coffee pot

Espresso method - is produced by forcing high-pressure hot water through finely ground coffee. Compared to other brewing methods, espresso has a thicker consistency and higher concentration. To prepare coffee with an espresso pot, fill up the bottom reservoir with cold and clear water. Then place a dessert spoon of finely ground coffee into the funnel-shaped filter section above, screw the top half on and put the pot to boil. Heat the pot until the water is forced from the lower section through the stem into the top section. When you hear bubbling sounds from the pot on top, the coffee is ready to be served.

Espresso pot

Heating the espresso pot

Coffee is forced out from the stem on top

Mbuji – The Coffee Adventure

The Coffee Appreciation session had indeed taught me more things about coffee than I have learnt over my life time. It was enlightening to know the ways to differentiate coffee beans and coffee flavours, as well as to identify the sources of the coffee.

Coffee beans

Beans from around the world

Coffee grinder

It did help that the coffee session was held in a comfortable dining environment with plush seats and comfortable cushions, as well as the soft music playing in the background.

Comfortable dining environment

Mbuji counter

At Mbuji Coffee, the coffee adventure begins. If you’re interested in this Coffee Appreciation lesson too, there will be another session held on 4th of May 2011 at IOI Mall, Puchong. For more details, check out the event page here.

Mbuji “The Coffee Adventure”

Mbuji Cafe
Lot No. FC Restaurant 1,
Carrefour Shopping Centre Subang Jaya,
47500 Subang Jaya,
Selangor, Malaysia.
Tel No.: +603-5611 6382 / 6383
Fax No.: +603-5638 3382
Opening Hours: 8am – 12am daily
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Mbujicafe