Awe & Wonder Photography 1/30/21 Awe & Wonder Photography 1/30/21

the coffee wheel of tasting

I can remember the first time I had a cup of coffee. I can remember the first time I had a great cup of coffee. After the first cup I didnt really care too much for coffee. I took it sometimes (it was the non optional social convention) and it tasted ok. All of this was 25 years ago when if the coffee revolution had started it hadnt reached here.

Then just over 10 years I had a cup of coffee and it changed everything. It didnt taste like thick tar, or like the dust some coffee makers put into jars (a few generations may have been brought up on this).

This cup started as an unroasted green bean. It was then roasted over a charcoal fire in what looked like a frying pan and then ground in front of me using a mortar and pestle. The ground coffee was then cooked in a little kettle /pot and if you preferred sugar it was added into the pot.

I then had to ask what this was to amazed on lookers, as it didnt taste like any coffee I had had before. This was in Ethiopia. In a village called Bekoji. If you went to the local coffee house/hang out - this is what happened. It was also a ceremonial tradition for people when you visited their house. It was something else. But it was very strong. More than two small cups had you buzzing. It was once reported that someone I know had 7 of these and that night woke up and saw little green men.

Since then I have been chasing everything to do with coffee making, the whole process of how it gets here and trying to find my best cup of coffee. Its still about preference.

Following a quick history check of the coffee revolution, arguably about the early 00’s, its hard to find one exact cause of influence. Some saw the migration of people from Australia and New Zealand as something that might have influenced the market. The increase of coffee drinking in China too at this time may have impacted the whole market. Some say Tim Wendalboe the 2004 world barista champion changed the idea of coffee making, as one person I know hilariously put it ‘when they started charging £4 for half a cup of coffee’. What is true is that 20 years ago the ALCN started ground breaking research into this market. Read about it here. So a change did happen.

Then it took a step further. At this time people discussed the roast and its influence, but over the past 10 years the idea of farming and growing beans ethically has changed the industry further. We are getting better coffee. The people who are growing it are getting better prices and it goes to their farms. The process of plant to wholesale is a massive niche industry for connoisseurs. Even the process it goes through has a huge amount of variance. I’m not complaining if the taste is always getting better.

Recently I had probably one of the best bags of coffee I have had in a while. This is based on my home brewing technique which does not always follow the recognised guidelines. I wondered why it tasted so good and what made it stand out.

Most coffee comes with some information about the bean and the tasting notes. And the roast. I definitely prefer a lighter to medium roast.

I have also attended a few coffee tasting nights and listened as they talked about notes, where it was grown and how it was processed. For me back then I wasnt tasting any of these notes. I didnt really get it. I liked the taste or I didnt. Even on another tasting night I was completely off the mark. I still knew which one I liked.

So I read up a little about it. On the second tasting night I was told about the coffee wheel for tasting. What? So here it is. The more you read the more complicated making a good cup of coffee sounds.

However while I’m not great at picking out those notes, I can see from the coffee wheel what my preference is. I also saw this diagram and it made a little more sense.

Its hard to remember the great bags of coffee one from another over the years. We have companies roasting across the UK like Monmouth and Square Mile. These guys have been at it quite a while.

However preference according to what we see above, means that there are lighter and sweeter roasts happening. More companies are starting up with their own roasts.

So the coffee I had was from Kiss the Hippo in Richmond London. It was a Red Bourbon bean which is known for being lighter and sweeter. Its a variety of Typica which is in itself a variety of Arabica. Some argue that there are 2, some 4 , some even 7 types of coffee beans but with the variants there is quite a list. This coffee was grown in the Sholi district of Rwanda and its tasting notes where Watermelon, Pink Apple and Raspberry coulis. So very sweet and light.

Unfortunately at this time it has sold out of stock. It still stands as the best coffee I’ve home brewed to date.

Awe & Wonder Photography 8/9/20 Awe & Wonder Photography 8/9/20

the coffee in my cupboard

My coffee bean tastes will differ to everyone elses. In trying to describe the taste i will list the tasting notes but more often that not I couldn’t pick those items out so i will give my own revised version - starting with initial tasting , after tones and how it feels at the back the throat.

5. SlumberJack Columbian Espresso

Roasted and batched in Antrim I hadnt come across this coffee until recently (Mark takes the credit for this one!)

Its described as a medium coffee more suitable for french press (cafetiere)

The tasting notes are: bright, winey acidity, creamy body, sweet and nutty, notes of dark chocolate and caramel. (sounds to me like they are covering their bases)

Revised tasting notes (mine) : initially bright and sweet but not too heavy at the back of the throat. A little strong and dark after initial sweetness.

This is an espresso which are generally a little darker and stronger. I was pleasantly surprised as I thought it was good. Quite consistent in the pour over too.

18g for 250ml (cup)

4. White Field Coffee

While this is quite a nice coffee I haven’t been able to find out a lot about it. The coffee shop it comes from is based in Finaghy near Belfast. Quite a light coffee for pour over , it was already ground. I suspect it may be for french press.

La Julia from Wild Heart Coffee Roasters

3. Wild Heart Coffee Roasters.

A local roaster!!!! I was excited when a photography friend said he was roasting and couldn’t wait for this to arrive. Hopefully in the future we might be able to get down to the roastery and show whats going on there!

I got the 50/50 box which arrived in a cool cardboard box with stickers. Stickers win me over every time. Send me a free sticker and the world has been righted.

The coffees where the Gitesi no 38 and La Julia. the first is a Rwandan and the second Honduran.

Both tasting great but whereas the one below is quite dark, these two are quite light. Highly recommended.

Gitesi - Berry, Grapefruit, Honey washed Bourbon

2. Bothy Irish Whiskey Coffee (Special Addition)

We had one and now we have another local roaster. I even know the roaster. I find it all very fascinating. There is even a great story behind the beans! Bothy has two coffee shops., but the Whitepark Bay one is the one where the roastery sits. Some days you will even catch them roasting!

This one is a special edition with the beans sitting in a barrel that contained whiskey. I dont think the beans are actually soaked in whiskey! However there is a strong smell of the old firewater when you open that pack!

This is a strong dark coffee with a very distinctive taste. Its heading toward the heavy end of coffee tasting spectrum. See the coffee tasting wheel for that! Definitely worth tasting!

Honey Caramel, Chocolate with citrus fruits.

1. Origin - San Fermin

I have tried a few of the Origin coffees (one of my local coffee shops Browns brought them in and I have been few quite a few bags. So much so my wife is actually thinking about a coffee budget for the month! What a disaster that would be.

This one, San Fermin is constantly one of the best coffees i have had. It tastes amazing. It also is not that light especially in the aftertaste. For me sometimes the coffee cup to cup can sometimes taste slightly different maybe an extra bean or not enough. However this Origin coffee time after time gets the same taste. And having that validated by someone else is also great to here.

Orange Sherbet, Caramel, Berries

15g to 17g per 250ml water.

V60 mostly.

What have you got in your cupboard?

Awe & Wonder Photography 5/7/20 Awe & Wonder Photography 5/7/20

intros - espresso with sugar (short and sweet)

The list of things I have wanted to do in life is exhaustive. However being in the middle of a lock down might stir enough thoughts to get a few of them off the ground. Stir, ground, This might truly be that awful. It will certainly not be any better.

What is this? Its about coffee. That I know. Just trying to get some things i have found interesting out to those who might want to know more. For people who want to ask questions, like why all good coffee shops have bearded men serving? How did it all start? Best techniques for making? Equipment, coffee sources, best coffees and everywhere in between. A blog? No one says that now. And most of them have articles that last too long. If we get past two minutes and you are like me, then that’s it. Done. Throw a few pictures in and that will be it.

A friend recently said that the whole idea of making coffee for him was trading one hobby he was passing up on for another which he was just getting into.

I feel that’s a great way to look at these posts. Having a coffee fascination while I’m finding out more about this whole industry. I am no expert. Just interested.

So i’ll be breaking this randomly up into the areas above, with some history and other little bits I have found out along the way.

I’ll hopefully get others involved who have some insight and others who just love coffee. There is a reason we dont have a jar of coffee dust in our cupboard. Maybe through what you see hear will get you interested and you will start your own coffee journey.

So whether you like a dark roast or light, prefer beans from africa, south america or out of a civet’s butt, take milk or drink it black, add sugar, like an espresso, short or tall, americano, a cuban con panna, a pour over, a press or a siphon, all are welcome. Except those who make coffee from dust in a jar. Its not coffee its just the dust on the floor from when beans are ground.

Embrace your preference. In Ethiopia, from where coffee originated, certainly in a village I have visited they drink it short, without milk and with sugar. Should we all drink it like that? Everything in life is a preference. For coffee, mine is short and sweet.