Arts & Leisure
A coffee open bar
Posted on July 28, 2016
COFFEE, the world’s third most-loved drink next to water and tea, has become more than just a pick-me-up.
“Coffee is a lot more than just a drink; it’s something happening. Not as in hip, but like an event, a place to be, but not like a location, but like somewhere within yourself. It gives you time, but not actual hours or minutes, but a chance to be, like be yourself, and have a second cup,” said American novelist Gertrude Stein.
BusinessWorld was invited on July 19 to Starbucks S’Maison, a “reserve” and “forward” branch, at the Conrad Hotel in Pasay City for a demonstration of the four brewing techniques to get the best brewed coffee flavors possible.
A “reserve” branch is one that has an open coffee bar where caffeine lovers can watch the baristas while they make the orders. A “forward” branch means it offers special and signature coffees that veer from the usual flavors like Arabica. Of Starbuck’s 286 branches in the country (the most of any brand), there are three forwards and seven reserves in the metro.
COFFEE COUNTRY
According to 2013 data from the Caffeine Informer Web site, the Philippines ranks 49thamong the top 50 coffee-consuming countries in the world.
The Starbucks baristas said Filipinos love their cups of coffee sweet and creamy.
“Filipinos like to put sugar and cream on their coffee or have them as frappe. To appreciate the coffees as they are, we do an open bar kasi sayang naman ang layo pa ng pinanggalingan ng (it would be a waste since the coffee comes from so far away) coffee,” said coffee master Hero Bonyad of the open bars where the customers can appreciate the coffees -- like African Cape Verde beans -- before they are brewed and have condiments added.
“African coffees are innately savory and rich,” said Mr. Bonyad.
It turns out that the art of coffee making and drinking is extensive and elaborate.
Mr. Bonyad and his partner coffee master, Annie Alcantara, brewed the coffee using four different techniques to demonstrate how each gives a different “body.”
“The coffee’s ‘body’ is its weight or thickness,” said Ms. Alcantara as she started to pour the coffee. “It is where the coffee’s flavor lingers on your tongue,” she said, pointing out that most of coffee’s strong flavors linger at the sides of the tongue.
COFFEE TECHNIQUES
Starbucks S’Maison offers four brewing styles: siphon, Chemex, pour-over, and Clover.
Siphon is the most elaborate procedure of them all, taking nine to 11 minutes of brewing time. As explained on http://www.thekitchn.com, the “[siphon coffee maker] has two chambers, and the first is filled with water. By heating the bottom chamber, vapor pressure forces the water to rise into the upper chamber. Here it is mixed with the coffee grounds. The water, now mixed with the grounds, is pulled back down into the lower chamber (thanks to gravity and a drop in pressure, the ‘vacuum’ effect), through a filter which sits at the bottom of the upper chamber, and the bottom chamber in turn fills with brewed coffee.”
“Siphon makes coffee mellower and lighter in color and taste,” said Mr. Bonyad.
In stark contrast, the pour-over method is no-fuss and only takes five minutes. A ceramic cone filled with coffee sits over one’s cup of mug. Just pour hot water in the ceramic cone and wait for the finished coffee to pore into the mug.
The Chemex method, which takes nine minutes brewing time, is an upgrade of the pour-over method. Instead of a cone, it uses a glass decanter with a wooden collar.
“The Chemex amplifies the coffee’s body but produces the cleanest cup with complex flavors, meaning, no single characteristic will dominate,” said Ms. Alcantara.
For the coffee to “bloom,” or the “process of waking up the flavors,” especially during the pour-over and Chemex methods, the baristas said to let the hot water “wet” or soak the coffee for about 30 seconds to “get the most desirable coffee elements.”
Lastly, for those on the go, the Clover technique is the fastest: 30 seconds and voila, a hot brewed coffee for you. The Clover is a machine exclusive to Starbucks and “uses an innovative ‘vacuum-press’ technology that controls brew time and temperature digitally, as subtle changes can dramatically affect the flavor.”
In between the coffee making demonstrations, the baristas spoke about the art of slurping. Like a hot ramen, the best way to appreciate coffee, they said, is to smell it then slurp it. Do not sip it slowly.
“Slurping the coffee spreads out the taste, unlike when you sip it, the flavor is concentrated at your teeth and tip of the tongue,” said Mr. Bonyad. Slurping also prevents burning the lips and tongue, he said.
Other than slurping, the two coffee masters agreed that “Coffee has no rules.”
Ms. Alcantara said you can pair coffee with cakes or croissants, pastas and macaroons. Coffee over ice is also an option.
“Coffees have different profiles when they are hot or cold. But then again, nothing can ever go wrong with a cup of coffee,” the two baristas said while the strong aroma of the coffee lingered in the air. -- Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman
BusinessWorld was invited on July 19 to Starbucks S’Maison, a “reserve” and “forward” branch, at the Conrad Hotel in Pasay City for a demonstration of the four brewing techniques to get the best brewed coffee flavors possible.
A “reserve” branch is one that has an open coffee bar where caffeine lovers can watch the baristas while they make the orders. A “forward” branch means it offers special and signature coffees that veer from the usual flavors like Arabica. Of Starbuck’s 286 branches in the country (the most of any brand), there are three forwards and seven reserves in the metro.
COFFEE COUNTRY
According to 2013 data from the Caffeine Informer Web site, the Philippines ranks 49thamong the top 50 coffee-consuming countries in the world.
The Starbucks baristas said Filipinos love their cups of coffee sweet and creamy.
“Filipinos like to put sugar and cream on their coffee or have them as frappe. To appreciate the coffees as they are, we do an open bar kasi sayang naman ang layo pa ng pinanggalingan ng (it would be a waste since the coffee comes from so far away) coffee,” said coffee master Hero Bonyad of the open bars where the customers can appreciate the coffees -- like African Cape Verde beans -- before they are brewed and have condiments added.
“African coffees are innately savory and rich,” said Mr. Bonyad.
It turns out that the art of coffee making and drinking is extensive and elaborate.
Mr. Bonyad and his partner coffee master, Annie Alcantara, brewed the coffee using four different techniques to demonstrate how each gives a different “body.”
“The coffee’s ‘body’ is its weight or thickness,” said Ms. Alcantara as she started to pour the coffee. “It is where the coffee’s flavor lingers on your tongue,” she said, pointing out that most of coffee’s strong flavors linger at the sides of the tongue.
COFFEE TECHNIQUES
Starbucks S’Maison offers four brewing styles: siphon, Chemex, pour-over, and Clover.
Siphon is the most elaborate procedure of them all, taking nine to 11 minutes of brewing time. As explained on http://www.thekitchn.com, the “[siphon coffee maker] has two chambers, and the first is filled with water. By heating the bottom chamber, vapor pressure forces the water to rise into the upper chamber. Here it is mixed with the coffee grounds. The water, now mixed with the grounds, is pulled back down into the lower chamber (thanks to gravity and a drop in pressure, the ‘vacuum’ effect), through a filter which sits at the bottom of the upper chamber, and the bottom chamber in turn fills with brewed coffee.”
“Siphon makes coffee mellower and lighter in color and taste,” said Mr. Bonyad.
In stark contrast, the pour-over method is no-fuss and only takes five minutes. A ceramic cone filled with coffee sits over one’s cup of mug. Just pour hot water in the ceramic cone and wait for the finished coffee to pore into the mug.
The Chemex method, which takes nine minutes brewing time, is an upgrade of the pour-over method. Instead of a cone, it uses a glass decanter with a wooden collar.
“The Chemex amplifies the coffee’s body but produces the cleanest cup with complex flavors, meaning, no single characteristic will dominate,” said Ms. Alcantara.
For the coffee to “bloom,” or the “process of waking up the flavors,” especially during the pour-over and Chemex methods, the baristas said to let the hot water “wet” or soak the coffee for about 30 seconds to “get the most desirable coffee elements.”
Lastly, for those on the go, the Clover technique is the fastest: 30 seconds and voila, a hot brewed coffee for you. The Clover is a machine exclusive to Starbucks and “uses an innovative ‘vacuum-press’ technology that controls brew time and temperature digitally, as subtle changes can dramatically affect the flavor.”
In between the coffee making demonstrations, the baristas spoke about the art of slurping. Like a hot ramen, the best way to appreciate coffee, they said, is to smell it then slurp it. Do not sip it slowly.
“Slurping the coffee spreads out the taste, unlike when you sip it, the flavor is concentrated at your teeth and tip of the tongue,” said Mr. Bonyad. Slurping also prevents burning the lips and tongue, he said.
Other than slurping, the two coffee masters agreed that “Coffee has no rules.”
Ms. Alcantara said you can pair coffee with cakes or croissants, pastas and macaroons. Coffee over ice is also an option.
“Coffees have different profiles when they are hot or cold. But then again, nothing can ever go wrong with a cup of coffee,” the two baristas said while the strong aroma of the coffee lingered in the air. -- Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman
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