Today I had a coffee class on my lunch break from work, courtesy of Richard in The Counter Deli. I know I’ve mentioned the Deli a couple of times before (I’m not sponsored by them!) and don’t mean to harp on about them but it really is such a lovely little place. I strongly believe in supporting local businesses and we really are very lucky to have a place like this in Letterkenny. Now I love coffee. In fact I’m pretty sure I can’t live without it. There was nearly divorce in my house on the (several) occasions my husband broke the French press. But after today’s class I realize I knew nothing about coffee really.
It was a short hour long class where we were taught what to look for in coffee, different origins and blends, how to properly taste coffee and we all sampled four different types. It was really interesting smelling the coffee before hot water is added, before breaking the crust and tasting it and noting how the different blends smell differently after adding water. It was great to hear what other people tasted and smelled, and which ranked favourites. Before the class I would have told you I love their house blend – Red Rock – by Badger & Dodo, I’ve always bought that one for takeout coffee when I’m in. However, after tasting the different coffees today I learned that my favorite by far was the Ethopian blend. This one had hints of bergamot, orange and pecans (not a surprise considering I’m an Earl Grey drinker I guess). The most popular one was the house blend – Red Rock – and the Sumatran single origin one.
So apparently coffee brewing is a much more precise science than I had previously known. Ensuring ground coffee + boiling water makes it into a mug first thing in the morning and then consumed before killing anyone isn’t enough for coffee professionals. No, you need the exact amount of ground coffee (14g) to combine with the exact amount of water (30ml, I think) for the exact amount of time (4 minutes). You then break the crust, which is the collection of ground coffee that gathers on the top of the coffee. This crust allows it to brew underneath and once the 4 minutes is up you can break the crust with a spoon by stirring 3 times(exactly). The coffee will sink to the bottom with just a few grinds floating on top. The same principles are applied to making it in a French press only larger quantities.
I would highly recommend trying some different blends and coffee origins, and I am definitely going to be more precise with my measurements because I genuinely believe it makes a difference. If you need any help discovering which one is for you I’ve no doubt the staff in The Counter Deli will help point you in the right direction. The class was well worth the fiver and it definitely beats spending a lunch break in a windowless office in front of a computer!
