The daily grind
Above: Ethiopian coffee
I drink a lot of coffee. I prepare it in a cafetière and the fact that my Sainsbury’s course ground comes in a shiny packet and requires some preparation before finding its way to my mug gives me the impression that I know something about the coffee. However, what became abundantly clear during a morning of coffee tasting at Green and Blue was that I am sadly mistaken – I am but a fresher in the university of caffeine.
Green and Blue, as the name suggests (the colours of grapes), began life in Lordship Lane specialising in the sale and consumption of wine, but of late they’ve begun to add coffee to their portfolio. Much of this is inspired by Olly Bartlett who was recruited to be manager of the new Green and Blue in Clapham North and who has spent several years as a coffee taster for Starbucks. On Olly’s recommendation Green and Blue is stocking and serving Union Coffee from Canning Town (www.unionroasters.com), and it was three of their most varied blends that we were tasting – a Burgundy, a Rioja and a Malbec as it were.
Olly introduced me to the tasting table which was covered in an array of bowls each filled with a variety of herbs, spices, fruits and food stuffs – looking exactly as though it were set up for a wine course in fact. Before we got to the tasting however, Olly explained something of the journey from bean to mug, as it is in this process that each coffee gains its characteristics.
Coffee originated in the highlands of Ethiopia where goat herders apparently became interested in it after noticing the effect it had on their livestock. Gradually, the plant and beverage spread to Egypt and Yemen, and from there across Europe and to the various empires. With each stage of the journey the soils in which the plant grew, the rainfall and the process by which the bean was prepared changed. The rainfall in Ethiopia, for example, is very inconsistent, so the crop can vary greatly in taste. In Latin America meanwhile, where there is an abundance of water, the taste is much more consistent. Coffee from Yemen is one of the oldest varieties in the world and flourishes with little water, often growing wild in the shade of poplar trees and this result in a heavy-bodied flavour.
Processes vary also. Today, Ethiopian and Yemenite coffee-makers still remove the skin of the berries by drying them in the sun and then shaking them until the outer layer falls off. Latin American producers meanwhile tend to wash the beans to remove the skins. The result is that African and Middle Eastern beans tend to give bolder, earthier, wilder tastes, whereas washed beans give more consistent, lighter flavours.
The three coffees Olly had chosen essentially covered the full spectrum of coffee flavours.
BRAZIL – Fazenda Lambari
Smell: Vanilla, sugar cane, Hobnob biscuits
Taste: Nutty, fine, elegant
Eat with: Torta di Santiago (almond cake)
Drink with: Saumur Blanc – an elegant, slight acidic wine with hints of vanilla, like the coffee
Expert view: A morning cup. It’s light, gentle with a slight acidity.
rise verdict: A traditional coffee, tasting strong but easy. It’s the least challenging of those on show and I certainly wouldn’t confine it to morning.
ETHIOPIA – Konga Yirgacheffe
Smell: Citrus fruits, black pepper, flowers
Taste: Lemony and floral
Eat with: Banana cake
Drink with: Bandol rose – a floral crisp and fruity
Expert view: Refreshing and exotic, this is a bold taste – but be aware you never quite know what you’re going to get.
rise verdict: A coffee like no other. You can clearly taste lemon followed by a perfumed floral flavour. I found this a stunning tipple, not too heavy and utterly intriguing. Having said that, the exotic flavours are demanding on the palate so perhaps just the one cup.
YEMEN – Mocha Mattari
Smell: Blueberry, chocolate and game meat.
Taste: Intense, heavy with caramel and chocolate flavour – the origin of mocha
Eat with: Chocolate brownie
Drink with: Massaya Classic – a Lebanese red which is also intense and flavoursome
Expert view: The Burgundy wine of coffees; deep, bold and very rich.
rise verdict: This coffee is incredibly thick on the palate and not for the faint hearted (quite literally perhaps). The chocolate and caramel flavours sit like oil in the tongue giving the feel that it’s not been served with enough water. It’s exactly what you’d expect from an Arabian coffee – should a robed Bedouin have entered the room it would not have seemed out of place!