Gaining ground

Before the British public's education in the subject, it might have been possible to get away with serving an inferior cup of coffee. But this is no longer the case. As consumers become more aware of different styles of coffee and what a decent cappuccino or espresso should taste like, it's more important than ever to offer a quality product.

 

And there's plenty of it about, if you know what you're looking for. Producers can acquire good quality coffee either from established merchants or single estates. Once a decent quality bean has been sourced, the skill is in the roasting, blending and grinding. An understanding of these elements will help caterers ensure they are buying in the best possible product.

 

Generally coffees are supplied in three roasting formats - light, medium and strong. The art, where the producer is concerned, is not to over-roast the beans and burn them. Grinds start fine and become coarser.

 

Caterers using espresso machines should be aware that too fine a grind will produce an excessively strong end product, with the water taking longer to pass through the grind and, therefore, picking up more of the coffee's characteristics - not all of them good. If the grind is too coarse, the resulting drink will be bitter, with the water passing through too quickly and extracting the wrong elements.

 

Using a cafetière or filter system offers the caterer more flexibility on the styles of coffee they can offer. Certain coffee types just don't agree with the espresso machine method. A Kenyan blend, for example, will always taste below par if served as an espresso, with the machine burning off the oil that gives Kenyan its distinctively sharp taste.

 

All major coffee-growing regions produce a bean with specific taste characteristics. Latin American countries, for example, tend to produce light- to medium-bodied coffees with crisp refreshing flavours. These form the base of many house blends, and are often easy-drinking coffees with a variety of strengths, depending on whether the beans have been harvested in Brazil, Guatemala, Costa Rica or Colombia.

 

Indonesia produces full-bodied coffees with deep, lingering aftertastes that can make excellent after-dinner coffees.

 

Coffees from Africa and Arabia vary widely from citrus-toned Kenyan, through to floral and spicy Ethiopian coffees. Yemen coffees, which are rare today, have a spicy floral aroma and are low in acidity.

 

The characteristics of coffees from different countries and estates are influenced by a number of factors, including soil, which varies greatly from country to country and will be made up of different chemicals and vitamins. The pH value of the soil plays a major part, as it's directly linked with the acidity.

 

General climate conditions will also affect the product. Night and daytime temperatures, plus the amount of sunshine to which the coffee tree is exposed, will all produce slightly different flavour qualities.

 

Rainfall is another important factor. Without rain early on in the growing process, the flowers that create the berries won't grow, while later rains help the berries to mature.

 

Altitude also plays a vital role. Coffee grown at a high altitude, Arabica, is generally considered to be of a finer quality, producing a less acidic product; coffee grown at a lower altitude, Robusta, is more susceptible to frost and likely to be more acidic in taste, and, as the name suggests, more robust in flavour.

 

Robusta is not bad coffee if used correctly as part of a blend to add an edge to the flavour, but many producers believe it's being overused as a means of adding bulk and keeping down costs.

 

Knowledge is important, but ultimately the best test of a good coffee is to drink it black and unsweetened. If it tastes good, the chances are you have a decent coffee.

 

TASTING NOTES

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  The following terms are likely to crop up during a coffee tasting.

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  Aroma Refers to the smell of brewed coffee ranging from lacking aroma, to faint, delicate, moderate, strong or pungent.

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  Bitter A characteristic of over-extracted brews, over-roasted coffees and those with taste defects.

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  Body The texture and sensation of coffee in the mouth. Coffee may feel thin, light, medium, full, heavy or even syrupy in body.

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  Caramelly An aromatic sensation created by the sugar compounds that produce sensations reminiscent of caramelised sugar.

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  Flavour The total impression of aroma, acidity and body.

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  Aftertaste The taste and feel of the coffee after it has left the mouth.

 

SUPPLIERS SAY:

 

"While customers in the UK seem to be more aware of strength of taste and are slowly becoming more discerning about what a good cup of coffee should taste like, the majority of consumers have white or milky coffee, so naturally find it more difficult to detect its origins."

 

Barry Kither, UK foodservice sales director, Lavazza

 

"The producer is able to influence the quality of his product by three methods. The first is through the selection of the green coffee beans. The second is through the preparation of various blends, which changes the desired flavour and aroma of the coffee. The third process is roasting, which brings out the aroma and flavour of the beans."

 

Bregje Breij, customer development manager, Douwe Egberts

 

"Like wine, consumers have become increasingly more aware of the factors which enhance the appreciation of coffee."

 

Niki Spencer, own-label brand manager, 3663

 

"You can have the most expensive car but still be a bad driver - it's the same with coffee. There needs to be skill and care, from the grower to the producer to the restaurant or hotel."

 

Aldo Ormi, chairman, Drury Tea and Coffee Company

 

"Coffees, just like wine, are absolutely the product of their specific environments and microclimates. But as most of the coffee trade treats its customers as uneducated, and doesn't take the time to show them a better way, most consumers of coffee in the UK remain unaware of this."

 

Jeremy Torz, co-director Union Coffee Roasters

 

"Robusta tends to contain a fair degree of acidity and in the UK many suppliers add it to blends simply to add bulk and weight. If coffee is dryer and sticks to the palate, it's likely to contain a high level of robusta. It should be used like a seasoning to add an edge to espresso coffees."

 

Soner Yilmaz, managing director, Coffee House

 

"While the world's largest coffee producers are Brazil, Colombia and Vietnam, the properties of the Brazilian coffee bean are quite different to those of Colombia and Vietnam. The unwashed arabica bean in Brazil has a more neutral taste, less acidic than its counterpart in Colombia, which is a more aromatic, acidic and fruity bean. Vietnam grows a coarser, fuller-bodied bitter bean with little or no acidity."

 

Donna Plumb, category communications manager, Nescafé

 

CONTACTS

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  Coffee House 020 8455 3055

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  Douwe Egberts 020 8236 5000

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  Drury Tea and Coffee Company 020 7740 1100

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  Lavazza 020 8740 3820

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  Nescafé 0800 745845

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  3663 0870 3663 000

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  Union Coffee Roasters 020 7474 8990

 

WHICH COFFEE, WHEN?

 

Breakfast time

 

To start the day a light, long coffee is often preferred, such as cafetiŠre or filter coffee made with 100% Arabica beans. Some customers opt for a short espresso, believing it has more caffeine than filter or a longer cappuccino, when in fact it has less because of the shorter infusion time.

 

All day

 

Columbian or Kenyan blends can make good all-day drinking coffee. Columbian blends tend to be a darker roast, but with a relatively mild flavour. Kenyan coffees are generally of a lighter roast, but with a slightly citric edge.

 

After dinner

 

Indonesian coffees are full-bodied with deep, lingering aftertastes that can make excellent after-dinner coffees.