With the majority of coffee shops being closed over lockdown, I think it’s safe to say we have all been a bit experimental with our morning coffee. With many emerging coffee trends coming from social media such as the Dalgona coffee (or as most people know it, whipped coffee) I have been keen to dive deeper and learn more about the coffee bean and the different flavours it can create.
Last week I got the opportunity to take part in a Coffee Masterclass led by Ricardo (who is also a scuba diver!) I was very excited to learn how to make the perfect cup of coffee from an expert barista.
Ricardo led this experience from Roma in Mexico. At the beginning of the experience, he panned over to show me the streets of Mexico; it was a lovely sunny day in Roma. Unfortunately, the weather outside my window did not match up to Ricardo’s… But I tried my best to imagine I was in a nice warm country too.
Ricardo then told us a bit about himself and the story behind his coffee workshops. He previously had a very successful coffee shop business in Mexico, until a terrible earthquake struck the city and unfortunately destroyed all his shops, leaving him bankrupt.
Ricardo explained that coffee was the only thing that made him happy, so he decided to start up these online coffee workshops as a way to keep doing what he loves!
To begin I learned about the 5 tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami. This would help me to recognise the different tastes that different types of coffee can have.
Ricardo then began to teach us how to identify each of these tastes within food. To start with, he told me to bite into a slice of lemon. I thought he was just trying to prank me at this point, but it turns out it was all for good reasons. The lemon was obviously sour, but I picked up on a hint of sweetness too.
I then took a bite of a pear and identified it as sweet and only sweet! Ricardo then explained that there can be complex flavours or simple flavours. The pear was a very simple flavour as it only had one very basic sweet taste, compared to the sweet and sour lemon.
He then told me to mix together some sugar and cinnamon. I was worried I was about to take part in the cinnamon challenge… luckily I wasn’t. Ricardo told me to hold my nose whilst tasting this mixture, as your sense of smell actually plays a big part in what you taste. I was pleasantly surprised by the flavour!
After learning how to distinguish different tastes within food, it was time to use these skills with coffee tasting. Ricardo began by teaching me how to make the perfect cup of coffee: 2 tablespoons of coffee and 245g water, heated to 96 degrees Celsius for 3.5 minutes!
I learned that if you do not extract your coffee for long enough it can taste very acidic, whereas if you extract it for too long, it’ll end up tasting bitter! Ricardo told me a very interesting fact – we are not meant to eat bitter foods, for example, this is why fruit seeds are bitter. They aren’t meant to be consumed so they are able to continue their circle of life. This makes sense as to why as humans we don’t enjoy the bitter flavour!
After brewing my coffee, using the skills I had learned at the start of the workshop I began to taste my coffee to identify its flavour. My coffee was over-extracted, which meant I should use less heat to reduce the bitter taste. I also identified it to have a floral taste, apparently this is a sign of good coffee, so maybe I am a coffee expert after all!
I really enjoyed learning the complexities that go into making the perfect cup of coffee and the different flavours that different coffee roasts can produce. Ricardo also recommended me some of his favourite coffee that I should try, and although they are very pricey compared to what I buy from the shop, I think I’ll treat myself to some luxury coffee to enjoy from home!
