Good java boils down to preparation and freshness
Good java boils down to preparation and freshness
Adam Diamond lives and breathes coffee. It's all part of his
work as a store operations consultant for Starbucks Coffee
International.
With Arabica sourced from the world's major producing centers
of Indonesia, Latin America and Africa (Robusta is often used for
instant coffee and as essence, but also drunk as a specialty
coffee by some Indonesians), the American is on hand to help
ensure that the best product reaches consumers.
For Diamond, who is currently a consultant for the opening
months of the Starbucks at Plaza Indonesia, Central Jakarta,
coffee drinking is an art and a ritual.
He cups a small beaker of a brew in his hands, thumbs pointed
forward, to savor its aroma. Is it sweet or spicy? Is it fruity?
If so, does it most resemble a citrus or a berry?
In his daily work life, Diamond eschews cologne to make sure
he can get the most out of the coffee aroma, as our sense of
smell accounts for about 90 percent of our sense of taste.
Also up there in importance in coffee-tasting are the acidity
and the body, which is the weight or thickness of a beverage on
the tongue; they all culminate in the overall impression of the
flavor.
It all boils down to PGWF, or proportion, grind, water and
freshness. Here are some tips from Diamond and Starbucks, which
provides brochures at its stores on all manner of coffee-related
subjects, on how to make the best cup of coffee at home.
* Boiling causes bitterness, so never boil coffee, because most
of its taste comes from the oil in the beans. Coffee should be
made off the boil, from 90 degrees Celsius to 96 degrees Celsius.
* Use fresh cold water. Water is 98 percent of every cup, and
filtered or distilled water is best.
* For best results, use 10 grams of ground coffee for each 180 ml
of water. Keep these proportions consistent, regardless of the
quantity you make. To moderate your coffee's strength, simply add
hot water after it has been made.
* Use the correct grind for your coffeemaker. Too fine a grind
will cause overextraction and bitterness. Too coarse a grind
leads to watery coffee. For drip brewers, the appropriate grind
should allow the coffee to finish dripping in several minutes.
Ask a barista (coffee expert) at a specialty store about what
grind is best for your maker.
* Diamond believes the best way to make coffee is the coffee
press, or French press, because it retains the most body and
flavor. Although drip coffeemakers are improving with the
addition of metal mesh and synthetic filters, paper filters
remove subtle flavors and add a taste of their own.
* Ideally, you should not keep your ground coffee beans longer
than a week, because they will probably lose their flavor through
exposure to light, heat and moisture. Buy only enough for the
week ahead, and it's probably best to chuck those cartons that
have been sitting on the shelf for longer than you can remember.
* Do not reheat coffee. Make it fresh each time you serve it, and
make only as much as you plan to drink. Coffee holds its flavor
best at 86 degrees Celsius (Starbucks throws out unused pots of
coffee after an hour). Never reuse the grounds, except on your
garden: Diamond says grounds make a great fertilizer. (Bruce
Emond)