The Wonderful World of Coffee
November 18, 2009
Thanks to Ria for my “tapis”. So perfect for the event, haha!
I don’t know if I’ve told anybody this. But I used to not drink coffee. I’m more of a juice kind of person. But since I went out with Peter in 1999, I slowly got introduced to the wonderful world of coffee. When we got married seven years ago, I witnessed how coffee was very much a part of Peter’s family’s life and it still is until now. And I’m not talking about the 3-in-1 instant kind. I’m talking about their family, particularly his mom, brewing her own and Peter concocting all sorts of flavor for it — cinnamon, hazelnut, vanilla, etc. It was so awesome! Needless to say that through the years, I became quite addicted to coffee myself and eventually, I learned how to brew my own too. I started with a coffee maker and now, due to time constraints, I find it easier and faster to use a coffee press for my daily dose. Lately though, we make sure that we buy Philippine coffee. Ours taste so much better anyway. ^_^ So when I found out about the Coffee 101 Seminar to be conducted by Ms. Pacita “Chit” Juan , co-chair of the Philippine Coffee Board, I signed up for it. ^_^
with my fellow coffee addicts
(from top, left-right: Ria, Arvin, Jonel, Earth, Azrael, me, Sire, Leirs)
The seminar was held yesterday, Nov. 17, 2009 at Le Bistro in Fraser Place, Valero St., Makati. It was my first time there. It was huge and cozy and since the holiday season is here, I keep thinking how perfect it would be to hold meetings and Christmas parties at Le Bistro. Hmmm. That’s really something to consider. I better tell my friends about it.
Le Bistro’s ambience is sooo cozy! I loved the wall painting too!
Le Bistro is a coffee shop and restaurant that offers a lot of delightful dishes, desserts, coffee and drinks at very reasonable prices. They have salads, sandwiches, wraps, food for the soul, pasta, pizza, breakfast, spirited partners, hot and cold drinks and pastries. Better check their site for the complete list of menu. ^_^
This was what I got — yummy Putanesca with fresh vegetables, Chicken Ceasar sandwich, soup and veggie salad!
Anyway, the following were the topics discussed by Ms.Chit Juan:
The Myth and History of Specialty Coffee
Did you know that coffee was used and utilized primarily as food and medicine before it became known as beverage? Did you know that coffee originated in Ethiopia? It was first cultivated in the monastery gardens of Yemen (c.1000). And the people who brought coffee to our country were the Franciscan friars who brought 3 gantas of coffee beans into the Philippines and planted them in a monastery (1740). Today, coffee is the most drank beverage next to water. It is a giant global industry employing more than 25 million people! It ranks second only to petroleum in terms of dollars traded worldwide. How astonishing is that?!
Coffee Species
Coffee is the seed of a berry/cherry from an evergreen tree that grows in a subtropical belt that circles the globe, and grows to heights of 20 feet. It has four (4) species. We call them REAL Coffee: R - Robusta, E - Excelsa, A - Arabica and L - Liberica. Robusta is the most disease resistant and high yielding (from the word “robust”). It is used in blending coffee because of its body and strong character. Most, if not all, instant coffee blends are made up of Robusta because it is the most affordable of the species. I learned that this is the strongest kind, the one that has the most caffeine content and the one that can cause my heart to palpitate. Yikes! Excelsa is characterized by a fruity taste. It is more popular as a blending variety and often used as extender. Arabica is smooth in flavor. It is the most widely-traded variety of coffee in the world and the most fragrant among the four species. Liberica is locally knwon as “Kapeng Barako”. Its berries are the largest among the four and have a distinct earthy flavor and aroma.
Phases of Specialty Coffee
Planting coffee takes 3-5 years. Next comes harvesting (selective picking, strip picking, mechanical picking), processing of cherries (wet [pulping, fermentation, dying] and dry), milling, hulling (friction and impact hulling), polishing, sorting and grading (gravity & screen, electronic, hand), decaffeinating (chemical and swiss water), roasting (hot air and drum), grinding and brewing (levels of roast: Cinnamon, City, Italian, French), blending , flavoring and cupping, packaging and storage. Whew! And did you know that per tree, one can only harvest about a kilo of fresh cherries per year? Once selected and roasted, this will go down to around 400 grams harvested per tree per year. No wonder coffee is so expensive! So beware of those selling cheap ones. They may not be made from real coffee beans. Or worse, they may be made from old coffee beans! Eww!
Espresso 101
A concentrated coffee extract from 1.5 ounces of hot water (198 degrees F) passing through 6 to 8 gms of finely ground coffee at 135 psi within 20 to 25 seconds.
Coffee Trivia
“Over all research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful” - Dr. Tom De Paulis, Instiutute for Coffee Studies, Vanderbilt University. I guess, as long as it is taken in moderation, then coffee is a pretty safe bet to health.
The whole session was so educational and informative! I learned a lot that night. But there are still so many things I gained. What I’ve shared with you is just the tip of the iceberg. It would be better if you attend a session yourself. I promise you fellow coffee lovers and addicts — you will have a grand time!
The Philippine Coffee Board holds Coffee 101 with Barista 101 Training. I learned how to make my own mocha coffee using Le Bistro’s very expensive coffee machine (Ms. Juan said it’s priced around Php350,000.00.) Woot! And you will be trained too when you sign up for their courses:
BASIC BARISTA TRAINING
An intensive 3-Saturday course for corporate types looking for a new skill to learn . At the heels of Coffee Month, this special course module is conducted by the Philippine Barista and Coffee Academy.
Le Bistro in Fraser Place, Valero St. Salcedo Village, Makati
November 7,14 and 21
Call Pam at 813-1028 or text 0915-576-7886 for inquiries.
COFFEE 101 with BARISTA 101
Basic knowledge about the world’s most popular beverage. Conducted by Chit Juan, Coffee advocate and Philippine Coffee Board Co-Chair. A three-hour course to introduce you to the wonderful world of coffee. Includes Espresso-making and basic preparation of cappuccino and latte drinks.
Le Bistro at Fraser Place, Valero St., Salcedo Village, Makati
Schedules are after office hours! November 17, 530-830pm
Call 8131028 or text 0915-576-7886 for reservations
L-R: Azrael, Ria, Dante,Janette, Ms.Chit Juan, Arvin, moi
Towards the end of our Coffee 101 and Barista 101 training, we were given wonderful tokens by ECHO Store. They are Philippine-made, of superb quality and beautifully packaged. I think, how perfect it would be to buy Christmas gift baskets at Echo Store. The green baskets would be fantastic gift alternatives today! There are numerous packages to choose from! Take a look!
These are the tokens I got — Antibac hand sanitizer (I love its lemon scent!), peppermint lip balm and Kape Isla’s Yrong Yrong Coffee Blend
So what do you think? Aren’t they awesome? Let’s go and check the Echo Store now and sign up for that Barista Training! We can use the skills we’ll learn when we get to set up our very own coffee shop in the future too. ^_^
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see you soon!
email mo ko sis kasi sinoli ko phone ko sa office while im on loa.
