|
Here is a telling of that journey. The travels and travails of the gentle coffee bean...
from bloom to cherry... As the pale, fragile coffee flowers wither and fall after a short life of two days, in their place appear hardy little green berries. A genus of the Rubiaceae family, the coffea plant produces berries of various sizes. Coffee offers a choice of the little Robusta, its bigger brothers the Excelsa and Liberica, and the rich Arabica in between. Grown only in a band surrounding the equator between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn -- so eloquently dubbed the "Coffee Belt" -- coffee trees boast a fascinating evergreen foliage ranging from a delicate yellow-green to a deep green to even a golden bronze. After three quarters of a year, the small green berries ripen and mature into ripe, red cherries. The fruits of the coffee plant do not ripen at the same time creating a peculiar loveliness as one is bound to find branches brimming with both red and green berries nuzzling each other -- and on occasion pleasantly flecked with the delicate white of a few late-blooming flowers. from sack to sorting hands... Coffee beans are small and of a pale shade of green, and each cherry will normally house two. The twin beans are of a semi-circular shape with their flat sides together while in the fruit. Sometimes, a cherry will have only one bean, egg-like in shape. This particular bean is called a "peaberry." After they have been milled, the beans are taken to tables where women, men, and sometimes children (isn’t this child labor?) will sort the large from the small, the perfect from the damaged, the heavy from the light, the hard from the airy -- often over an entire day of gossip and laughter. Every buyer has his own personal preference. Most will select the bigger and heavier beans and are willing to pay a premium for every sack. Oddly, midsized beans are often the best-tasting. from ordinary to exquisite... When the polished and sorted beans leave the farms and mills en route to the cities and cafés, they make one crucial stop that decides where they go, and whether they will be given the honor of being used in a brew. The stop is the cupping house, where tasters or cuppers -- who have been blest with noses, palates and tongues more sensitive than the common man's, will decide whether a particular harvest will fetch an incredulously high price in the world market or disappear into the ranks of the ordinary. Each cupper sits before a table with a lazy susan in the middle. Before him are identical cups for each coffee to be tasted, the coffee samples, a coffee measure, empty cups, a spoon -- preferably silver -- the size and shape of a soup spoon, a glass of water to rinse the spoon and another glass to rinse the palate, a spittoon, and a carafe of very hot water. The coffee samples are roasted very lightly, as a light roasting will better expose the unique flavors, and spooned into the cups. One cup per sample. A whiff of the dry coffee is taken, and observations are noted. Hot water is then poured into each cup. A few minutes are allowed to pass without touching the brew. The surface -- a crust, or dark mass of floating coffee grounds -- is then smelled, and observations are again noted. The crust is broken and again the aroma is inhaled and graded. The crust must now be lifted off the surface and poured into an empty cup. Then, a bit of the brew is taken in with the spoon. It is smelled first then sucked into the mouth with plenty of air to allow the coffee's flavor notes to lift and fill the mouth and the back of the throat. Thus coffee samples are graded, selected, bought and sold, and find their way to the world's finest cafés. from green to gold... Skillfully-roasting the beans will release its unique flavors, lift the body from the flesh, and transform what is in the bean into the richness that gives so much pleasure. At this point, flavors can be enhanced, created, sublimated, allowed to die, or burnt beyond recognition. It all depends on the talent of the roaster. Containing more than 2,000 chemical substances, the beans are heated to temperatures sometimes over 400oF to break down, burn off, or change these substances. As the beans are heated, the water inside each bean turns to steam and expands, rupturing their cellular structures with an audible "crack." Called the "first crack," this signals the first change in color from pale to a rich green. As moisture continues to escape, the color continues to change to a pale straw, a rich gold, then to a medium brown. This is created by the caramelizing of the sugars in the beans. A "second crack" will signal a release of the oils in the beans. From a dull surface, the beans begin to shimmer as their natural oils ooze out. If roasting is stopped at this point, the oils will be reabsorbed into the bean. If roasting continues, the oils will remain on the beans coating each with a rich, oily gloss. from grounds to brew... Many years ago, coffee was a drink for the elite. It was an esoteric pleasure reserved for the very wealthy, the very royal, the very holy, or the very gifted. Back then, it was a drink that required ritual or a strict set of procedures. Today, coffee has become not only very easy to prepare, but also very easy to obtain. Crucial to making coffee accessible has been the proliferation of instant or soluble coffees. Created by extracting ground coffee with water to form a concentrated liquid brew and then removing this water by some method of dehydration, instant coffees has brought the drink into almost every home across the globe. Today, the varieties of instant or soluble coffees are innumerable. Powdered, freeze-dried, blended, pure, by the pound, by the kilo, by the cup, with cream and sugar mixed in, decaffeinated, half and half, and other possibilities that are almost impossible to count. The point of all this is to make coffee accessible and as appealing to as many different taste preferences as possible. Once the beans leave the farms, their itinerary is created so that they reach as many people as possible in every corner of the world. Yet while grabbing a cup of coffee may be quick and easy, the pleasure every sip gives is sublime. from farm to shop... The expert responsible for "letting the coffee out of the bag" and creating a fascinating brew or concoction is known as the "barista." Italian for "bartender," the barista's main concern is the espresso machine. He is skilled not only in the proper use and maintenance of his machine, but also in the art of coffee preparation. Good baristas are well-trained in the art of making coffee and are passionate about what they do. In Europe, they are born from a lineage of baristas where the skills and techniques are not learned in the cafés, but in the homes, and are handed down through the generations. Today, baristas are trained in the cafés where they work. Coffee shops are known for particular flavors and singular concoctions -- many of which are secret recipes (I replaced the word proprietary with secret recipes. Is that okay?). It is with these cultures and systems that today's baristas are created from hot to cold... They began as desserts. Sweet, rich and perky caresses for the stomach to cap a wonderfully satisfying meal. Today, however, coffee dessert drinks -- irresistible concoctions of espressos tossed into fruits or jellies, fluffed up with ice cream or whipped cream, topped with rich sauces or syrups, blended with ice or flavored juices, and sprinkled with bits of chocolate or marshmallows -- answer for the bulk of many a coffee shop's profits. Much to the chagrin of coffee connoisseurs, coffee desserts are even more popular than the pure, powerful espresso, and have become a drink adored by the general public. Aside from making coffee shops a favorite hang out, coffee desserts have made the drink a favorite, even among the young. Today, when one says "Let's have coffee!" more often than not it means "Let's an ice-blended, cold mocha, java jelly, something-or-other!" from sunrise to sunset... The cup of coffee plays an integral role in the lives of the Filipino people. Often, the very first thing one scrambles for in the morning -- sometimes even before the sunrise -- is a hot cup of coffee. It warms the stomach. Clears the head. Opens our eyes. And forces the nighttime drowsiness away, making room for the new day. To many Filipinos, breakfast is not considered a meal and is, quite often, replaced by that cup of coffee. It becomes the only thing ingested before lunch. (is this true?) Lunch, once again, is taken with yet another cup of coffee. Many times, this will be the third cup of the day, as a quiet little break between breakfast and lunch is enjoyed with the second cup. Coffee washes down every bite and is so thoroughly enjoyed, that many pour the drink over their rice turning it into a soup that adds heat and flavor to the meal. For those who do not take the brew into the work hours, there is the coffee break at mid-afternoon where the fourth cup revives the lagging spirit and boosts the wearing body. Then at dinner, coffee is again enjoyed with the meal and beyond as it accompanies midnight conversations that fulfill the Filipino's need for companionship and story-telling. And often, even before the used cup has grown cold, it is morning again, and time once more to be filled up with that hot cup of coffee. from espresso to concoction... Often snubbed by "coffee cognoscenti," milk flavored espresso drinks have been critical in expanding the coffee-drinking public. While a coffee purist will claim that such concoctions are not real coffee and those who drink them are not real specialty-coffee connoisseurs, it is the lattes, macchiatos, cappuccinos, mochas, and americanos that have helped make drinking coffee a daily habit in most of the world. In Italy itself -- the European coffee capital -- aside from the ubiquitous espresso, there are specific coffee concoctions taken for specific times of the day. Cappuccinos, for instance, are preferred in the morning to ease the stomach gently into its daily coffee regimen of four to six cups scattered throughout the day. Interestingly, a number of "espresso-based" drinks were not created by Europeans. The latte, mocha, and the americano are children of -- what else -- America, and are at the core of American coffee culture. The latte softens the power of an espresso with milk; a lot of it (lattes contain at least seven ounces of milk for every ounce of espresso). A mocha softens the espresso with chocolate -- either ground or syrup -- and steamed milk. The americano was born during World War I when American soldiers overseas, being unable to handle the intensity of the European espressos, started adding water to their drinks. It is also called the Espresso Lungo, or "lengthened" espresso. from farm to store... Coffee has become, via a history that spans centuries and moves across the entire face of the world, one of the three most imbibed drinks across the globe. Aside from the caffeine content that shocks one's system into a frenzy… Aside from the smooth flavor that relaxes one's thoughts, making the world seem clearer and more colorful than before... Aside from the wealth of tales and adventures coffee's past and present have created... And, aside from the comfort and healing it brings to the human body and spirit... Coffee's popularity is also largely due to the fact that it is a soothing, flavorful drink that has become very easy to obtain. Farmers and sellers have made sure anyone who wants a cup of coffee can get one. Coffee producers have created so many ways of packaging and serving the brew that this guarantees that one form or another will appeal to just about everyone. Beyond the form options are also the source options. Coffee shops, market places, street sides, farms, and of course, the groceries, supermarkets, convenience stores, and in the Philippines -- the sari-sari store, all have made sure coffee is accessible to anyone at anytime. Coffee dispensers in supermarkets allow the aficionado to customize the selection, weight, form and cost of the coffee he purchases. With such a variety of options, coffee may well be on its way to becoming the most imbibed drink across the globe. from brew to perfection... After much talk about espresso laden drinks and desserts, there is a desperate need to pay tribute to the hearty espresso. Potent, perfect and powerfully strong, the espresso is one ounce of pure oomph. What makes the espresso particularly intense is that it is one dose of strong, often dark-roasted coffee extracted very quickly by highly-pressurized hot water. This quick extraction accentuates the coffee's keener, sweeter, and richer flavors, releasing its notes and body. Thus, it is meant to be drunk in one gulp, as it is the aftertaste that should be enjoyed. A well-made espresso creates a refreshingly sweet aftertaste that could last for up to half an hour after the drink had been swallowed. It is in the creation of an espresso that the Barista's skills are tested. Unless he knows his coffee, his grind and his machine like the back of his hand, he may fall into the trap of over or under extracting his espresso which will create a bitter, burnt, watery brew. A perfect espresso is a lovely sight to behold: rich, thick, the consistency of maple syrup, and capped by a reddish-brown layer of fine crema or foam. from everyday to holiday... It is indeed an uplifting adventure to enjoy a quiet afternoon accompanied by nothing more than one's thoughts, an involving piece of literature, or the quick lives of people passing by -- and a rich cup of coffee. Coffee, throughout history, has been the perfect accompaniment to good conversation or good books. Beyond the basic human need for contemplation, coffee has also become the perfect companion to an excellent meal, and the quintessential centerpiece to any celebration. Normally enjoyed after the feast to calm the belly and clean the mouth, coffee-drinking is as much a human ritual as eating itself -- many times even replacing desserts. In the Philippines, particularly on holidays, coffee is not only enjoyed after the meals, but during. Breads and rice cakes are dipped into the brew, enriching the flavor and texture of every bite. Coffee is also sipped between mouthfuls in place of the more common, less tasty, glass of water, juice or soda. And most Filipinos will vouch that nothing perfectly matches the Noche Buena feast and the cold Christmas night as well as a piping hot cup of thick, full-bodied, perfectly brewed coffee. from modern to traditional ... Coffee can be roasted anywhere there is fire. From the discovery of its blessed gifts on an Ethiopian desert centuries ago, coffee has been roasted in pots of clay, cans of tin, over wood, on heated rocks, in lamps, cups, pails, out in the deserts, on mountain trails, inside quiet homes, in great roasteries, or on the stoves of history's finest cafés. In appreciation of the simplicity of the creation of this fine brew, coffee can be roasted in almost any container, over any fire, according to anyone's preference. While much of the coffee world turns their beans from green to gold in marvelously state-of-the-art roasting machines that control and monitor every millisecond of the roasting process, many of the world's greatest coffee lovers choose to roast their own coffee, over their own stoves, in their own frying pans or griddles. Many farms, plantations and coffee cooperatives still churn out exquisite coffee on old-fashioned traditional roasters. The flavors produced, the body created, are no less powerful, no less sumptuous, and no less addicting. The magic is obviously not in the machinery, but in the hands of the man who controls the roasting.
2002 copyright |
From the blooms of a delicate white flower, scented like a garden of jasmine and orange blossoms, every coffee bean embarks on a journey that takes it thousands of miles from its home on lush, green mountainsides, to where it settles in a brew that warms the lip and lifts the spirit.