Words: Eunice Visagie. Photos: Eunice Visagie & Brett Nattrass. Article from the DO IT NOW Online Magazine.
Entertainment
These days, most people just don’t have time in the morning for a big breakfast before heading out to work. However, they will always make time for a cup of coffee. And although their lives revolve around this dark and bitter nectar, chances are they don’t know much, if anything, about where it comes from. Eunice Visagie learnt about the world of coffee and its fascinating history from Barista Training.
A cup of coffee was the inspiration for storyteller Jan Spies’ (who starred in the well-known Cremora advert) words, “Daar is net een ding wat beter is as die eerste koppie sawwe lyf in die oggend en dit is die tweede koppie.” The only difference between Oom Jan and me is perhaps that my coffee will never be consumed with Cremora.
History of coffee
The history of coffee goes at least as far back as the 13th century, with a number of reports surrounding its first use. The original native population of coffee is thought to have come from East Africa, specifically from Ethiopia, and was first cultivated by Arabs from the 14th century, before making its way to the Americas in the 1600s.
There are various accounts of the origin of the drink itself, but according to the National Coffee Association of America, the generally accepted one is that of the Arabian shepherd named Kaldi, who found his goats dancing around a dark green leafed shrub, with bright red cherries, in the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Kaldi soon determined that it was the bright red cherries on the shrub that were causing this peculiar euphoria and after trying the cherries himself, he learned of their powerful effect.
From Ethiopia, the beans were taken by the Arabs to Yemen (www.ico.org), where the first so-called coffee shops – kaveh kanes – originated.
However, because coffee shops were seen as a place for political activities, coffee was prohibited. Europe’s first coffee house opened in Venice.
Coffee in South Africa
The concept of espresso bars is also now beginning to take root in South Africa. The difference between a coffee shop and espresso bar is that a coffee shop is a place where coffee and related hot beverages are served. While espresso bars specialise in espresso and espresso-based drinks.
So the next question is, “What is the difference between coffee and espresso?” Wikipedia explains: Coffee is brewed by forcing a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans. Espresso is generally thicker than coffee brewed by other methods, has a higher concentration of suspended and dissolved solids, and has crema on top (foam with a creamy consistency). As a result of the pressurised brewing process, the flavours and chemicals in a typical cup of espresso are very concentrated. Espresso is the base for other drinks, such as a caffé latte, cappuccino, caffé macchiato, café mocha, or caffé Americano. Espresso has more caffeine per unit volume than most coffee beverages, but because the usual serving size is much smaller the total caffeine content is less.
A part of the coffee industry that is becoming very popular is Barista training.
The idea of being the creator of your own coffee and latte art is very appealing to coffee lovers throughout South Africa. Latte art is the pictures baristas make with the steamed/frothed milk, such as a heart or leaf. For baristas, latte art is also a matter of pride and as a result, they will go the extra mile to come up with art like teddies, dragons, faces and figures. So you not only get the opportunity to make your own coffee or espresso, you also get to express your creative side.
Gourmet Coffee Roasters in Blackheath, Kuilsrivier, offers one-day courses in Barista training. Carmin Martin, who has 20 years of experience in the coffee industry, presents the course. To be a barista is not just an art and science. You must have a passion for coffee; not only to drink it, but the whole process.
The course starts with the fascinating history of coffee (thanks to our observant herdsman), takes you through the whole process from when it is hand-picked to the grinding of the beans, and ends with the ultimate experience of drinking coffee and or espresso.
The next step is choosing from the many different coffee machines that are available, such as the plunger, filter, aeropress and the real thing, the espresso machines. No machine’s coffee and or espresso taste the same. To make matters a little more complicated, you also need to bear in mind that beans are ground differently and if the milk is not steamed right, there will be no latte art!
So learning how to make coffee, right from the grinding process up to the latte art, will open up a new world and you will never again think the same about your cup of sawwe lyf.
Did you know?
Instant coffee is also called soluble coffee or powder coffee, and is made from brewed coffee beans. Instant coffee is commercially prepared by freeze or spray drying. Freeze drying is when the product is literally frozen, while spray drying is where a gas is used to dry out the product. Once water is added, it dissolves.
Fast facts
- The coffee belt, the countries where coffee is produced, is between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Countries between Tropic of Cancer and the equator are Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Sudan, Ethiopia, Yemen, India, Vietnam and the Philippines. Countries between the equator and Tropic of Capricorn are Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Angola, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. (Source: National Geographic)
- A coffee bush delivers just under a kilogramme of coffee.
- Coffee bushes have red berries and every berry has two beans.
- Coffee bushes are evergreen and grow to about 9 m high.
- Plunger coffee is considered the purest form of coffee.
Never
- Freeze coffee beans or put them in the fridge. Keep your beans fresh; it was made to drink not to store.
- Grind all your beans in the same way. All ground beans cannot be used for the same purposes: for espresso it must be ground fine; while it needs to be medium to coarse for filter and plunger coffee.
- Use boiling hot water because coffee does not like heat. If you pour boiled water directly on ground coffee, it will give a burnt, bitter taste.
Top 10 coffee producing countries
- Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, Ethiopia, India, Mexico, Guatemala, Peru and Honduras.
More information
If you would like to sign up for a Barista Training course, with Gourmet Coffee Roasters in Blackheath, Kuilsrivier, contact 021 9050550 or email info@gourmetroasters.co.za.
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