SimoneBarista
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The Specialty Coffee movement, the so-called "Third Wave", of which, little by little, you begin to hear talking even in our country, considers and proposes coffee as an artisan product discovering all the features and qualities that are kept in the entire supply chain, from the "Farm" to the cup, as shown for instance, by this coffee.
We too on this blog, during our courses and in our bars, try to spread, not without difficulty, these concepts to final consumers used to drink his cup of espresso as a kind of medicine to remain awake without fully appreciate the immense differences existing in the fascinating world of coffee, that finally some company are allowing us to know...
A help in the communication often comes to our aid relating to the world of wine, a beverage that during the last years has made a huge path for telling and diffuse knowledge of the different aromatic qualities that each bottle can give, both to professionals and towards the average consumer who gradually became more and more demanding and expert. Sommelier courses, guided wine tastings, wine bars, promotion events related to the territory as "open cellar" helped to create awareness in the population that does not exist only the white wine and the red wine.
This route in the coffee world, especially in Italy, has just begun. The study, the knowledge of the product are topics that every professional in the forefront must know in order to convey to the consumer the quality of their little cup. This is thanks to a new generation of bartenders, educated and professionals that try to propose and tell different varieties of coffee, blends or monoorigins, and different extraction methods in addition to espresso could lead the customer to ask for a "Coffee list" very similar to a "Wine list."
Obviously both beverages come from a plant, the grapes and the Drupa (or Coffee cherry) are merely the fruits of the Vine or Coffea, and their cultivation is a mix of art and science.
In the coffee there is a large number of botanical varieties (Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, Catuai, Sl28 ...) as well as in wine (Sangiovese, Malvasia, Ribolla, Pinot, Merlot ...) each with very different organoleptic characteristics.
The characteristic aroma and flavour of both wine and coffee are strongly influenced by the altitude, the climate and soil on which the coffee plant or the vine is grown. Even the same botanical variety grown in two different areas of our planet will have very different results: a Boubon grown in Brazil will have different sensations in the cup from the same grown in Africa, for example in Burundi. Similarly, a Chardonnay grown in Friuli will be very different from a Chardonnay grown in Sicily, staying within our peninsula. If winemakers use the word terroir to describe how this impacts on the cultivation, the concept can be extended certainly also to the coffee.
The label of a Specialty Coffee is very similar to that of a good wine, with the company name, the region of origin, the botanical varieties, the altitude at which the coffee is grown, any certifications (organic, Fair Trade, Utz ...), and not least the aromatic notes are essential to guide the consumer in choosing.
Speaking of the processing methods of the drupes the natural method can be compared to the one used for the winification of red wines in which the skins remain in contact of the most during the fermentation. It’s not by chance that the "natural" coffees are often more sweet, fruity and full-bodied. The washing method, which gives very clean coffee, citrus, and with a good acidity, may instead resemble to that used for white wines in which the skins are removed almost immediately or during the fermentation. If we add that the World Champion Barista, the Australian Sasa Sestic won the title thanks to a coffee processed with a Carbonic Maceration as the one of our "Vino Novello" ... (you remember this post !!)
And if we talk about tasting? Well, the tasting process is almost identical. Both the coffee tasters and wine sommelier use the same method to highlight the characteristics of the beverage.
You rotate the beverage in the glass or in the cup to expose the liquid to a greater amount of oxygen, essential to let out the aromatic notes from the beverage.
You put your nose into the cup or glass and inhale deeply to perceive all the aromas
You "suck" a small dose of the beverage trying to oxygenate the drink during the aspiration to allow the present flavours to escape.
You spit in order to limit consumption and not to abuse of alcohol or caffeine.
Probably for each aroma descriptor that is used for a specific wine we could find a coffee that corresponds to these aromas. Chocolate, fruity, spicy, floral, nutty, grassy, citrusy, sweet ... .. after all these kits of aromas were born just for the wine
Cheers!!!
We too on this blog, during our courses and in our bars, try to spread, not without difficulty, these concepts to final consumers used to drink his cup of espresso as a kind of medicine to remain awake without fully appreciate the immense differences existing in the fascinating world of coffee, that finally some company are allowing us to know...
A help in the communication often comes to our aid relating to the world of wine, a beverage that during the last years has made a huge path for telling and diffuse knowledge of the different aromatic qualities that each bottle can give, both to professionals and towards the average consumer who gradually became more and more demanding and expert. Sommelier courses, guided wine tastings, wine bars, promotion events related to the territory as "open cellar" helped to create awareness in the population that does not exist only the white wine and the red wine.
This route in the coffee world, especially in Italy, has just begun. The study, the knowledge of the product are topics that every professional in the forefront must know in order to convey to the consumer the quality of their little cup. This is thanks to a new generation of bartenders, educated and professionals that try to propose and tell different varieties of coffee, blends or monoorigins, and different extraction methods in addition to espresso could lead the customer to ask for a "Coffee list" very similar to a "Wine list."
Obviously both beverages come from a plant, the grapes and the Drupa (or Coffee cherry) are merely the fruits of the Vine or Coffea, and their cultivation is a mix of art and science.
In the coffee there is a large number of botanical varieties (Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, Catuai, Sl28 ...) as well as in wine (Sangiovese, Malvasia, Ribolla, Pinot, Merlot ...) each with very different organoleptic characteristics.
The characteristic aroma and flavour of both wine and coffee are strongly influenced by the altitude, the climate and soil on which the coffee plant or the vine is grown. Even the same botanical variety grown in two different areas of our planet will have very different results: a Boubon grown in Brazil will have different sensations in the cup from the same grown in Africa, for example in Burundi. Similarly, a Chardonnay grown in Friuli will be very different from a Chardonnay grown in Sicily, staying within our peninsula. If winemakers use the word terroir to describe how this impacts on the cultivation, the concept can be extended certainly also to the coffee.
The label of a Specialty Coffee is very similar to that of a good wine, with the company name, the region of origin, the botanical varieties, the altitude at which the coffee is grown, any certifications (organic, Fair Trade, Utz ...), and not least the aromatic notes are essential to guide the consumer in choosing.
Speaking of the processing methods of the drupes the natural method can be compared to the one used for the winification of red wines in which the skins remain in contact of the most during the fermentation. It’s not by chance that the "natural" coffees are often more sweet, fruity and full-bodied. The washing method, which gives very clean coffee, citrus, and with a good acidity, may instead resemble to that used for white wines in which the skins are removed almost immediately or during the fermentation. If we add that the World Champion Barista, the Australian Sasa Sestic won the title thanks to a coffee processed with a Carbonic Maceration as the one of our "Vino Novello" ... (you remember this post !!)
And if we talk about tasting? Well, the tasting process is almost identical. Both the coffee tasters and wine sommelier use the same method to highlight the characteristics of the beverage.
You rotate the beverage in the glass or in the cup to expose the liquid to a greater amount of oxygen, essential to let out the aromatic notes from the beverage.
You put your nose into the cup or glass and inhale deeply to perceive all the aromas
You "suck" a small dose of the beverage trying to oxygenate the drink during the aspiration to allow the present flavours to escape.
You spit in order to limit consumption and not to abuse of alcohol or caffeine.
Probably for each aroma descriptor that is used for a specific wine we could find a coffee that corresponds to these aromas. Chocolate, fruity, spicy, floral, nutty, grassy, citrusy, sweet ... .. after all these kits of aromas were born just for the wine
Cheers!!!
