Three years ago, if you had asked someone about their coffee order, they would have asked you to grab a cappuccino from the nearest cafe or they would have probably settled for the beloved but regular filter coffee at home. However, in the last couple of years, the coffee experience has undergone a drastic change. It has become more individualistic, partially putting an end to the coffee versus tea debate.
You would hardly spot a person instructing you to seep their tea a certain way but coffee has joined the leagues of aged wines. It needs to be made differently for different people. Different people use different roasts. And even if two people enjoy the same roast, they are likely to brew it differently. There is a lot of coffee calculation involved and all of this has thus given rise to home brewing.
What started out as a hobby for some has made its way into the full-fledged routine for many. Home brewing has become a rejoicing new activity for many people, especially in cities like Bengaluru where coffee is second nature. These home brewers or even home baristas are replicating the cafe-like coffee experience at home after doing their diligent research.
Now, if you are new to the game but committed to making a good cup of joe at home, we speak exclusively to two Bengaluru-based home brewers on the brewing start and end point and everything in between.
Ashish D’abreo, Q grader, coffee roaster and co-founder of Maverick & Farmer Coffee, a hotspot for artisanal beverages speaks to us about the method of home brewing that you can try out for starters. He suggests that as an amateur, you should start with the pour-over brewing process and you have greater control over the dosage of coffee and water used and you can manipulate these factors as per your liking.
“As a home brewer, your journey should be towards adopting the pour-over method of brewing coffee. It is one of the finest ways of brewing coffee and logistically also more convenient. It involves all your senses, it is invigorating and a great way to start your day,” he shares.
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We also chat with Vivek Vishwanathan, coffee lover and marketing manager of Something’s Brewing, an e-commerce platform known for coffee gear and accessories. He lets us in on some expert brewing tips and says, “Brew your coffee with freshly roasted speciality coffee. Your coffee might not expire for a year, but the coffee flavours tend to erode as soon as you open your coffee bag. Try using your coffee before 30 days from the roast date mentioned on your coffee bag.”
He also spills the beans (pun very much intended here) on the importance of the time water is in contact with the coffee and how that changes everything from the taste to the mouthfeel. “For an espresso machine, it’s usually 25-30 seconds based on the volume of coffee you use and if it’s a single or double shot. For manual brewers, it can go from 2 minutes to 5 minutes or even 18 hours (if you choose a cold brew). You could find these ratios easily over the internet or feel free to reach out,” Vivek adds.
Ashish then takes the conversation to a rather interesting tangent and talks about the importance of food pairings. To some of us, coffee equals dessert and vice versa. But with the wrong combinations, we can mess up the taste of our caffeinated elixir and also the sweet delight.
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“If it's a nice bright coffee then maybe a dense chocolate cookie would go well. A sweetish coffee with a nice nutty slice of cake or sweet. There are different ways to pair and the aim should be to accentuate the flavour profile of the coffee. It should be contradictory to the flavour profile of the coffee to really bring out the finer nuances of the beverage, which ordinarily would be difficult to pick up,” he signs off.
In the spirit of International Coffee Day, tell us what is your go-to coffee orders on X @indulgexpress.
Mail: muskankhullar@newindianexpress.com
X: @Muskankhullar03
Also Read: From bean to your cup