BLOEM - JULY 2024
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FOCUS ON CHECKERS WINTER FOOD<br />
Spill the beans<br />
Stevo Kühn has had the privilege of spending his days looking at the quality of coffee,<br />
and speciality training at TriBeCa Coffee Company. He is also the 2023 SA Barista<br />
champion and represented SA at the World Barista Championship in Milan 2021.<br />
Stevo Kühn spills the beans. Here he helps you identify<br />
the unique flavours of coffee, tells us what some<br />
popular coffee bean varieties from around the world<br />
are and gives some insight on what you should look for<br />
on the label when buying coffee.<br />
Furthermore, Stevo also shares simple tips on how you can<br />
brew a barista-quality cup of coffee at home as well as some<br />
creative ways to enhance your home coffee experience, from<br />
selecting beans to creating a cosy coffee nook.<br />
According to him, identifying the unique flavours in different<br />
coffee beans can be a daunting – and sometime confusing –<br />
experience.<br />
“I believe that coffee labels should be easy to follow,” he says.<br />
“When I explain flavours to students, I try to give one descriptor<br />
for each basic taste. Acidic – like an orange; sweet – like honey;<br />
or bitter – like 70% dark chocolate. It might be nice to also<br />
describe the body or texture of the coffee, e.g.: silky, smooth or<br />
creamy,” he explains.<br />
He adds that if flavour notes on the packet are communicated<br />
well, anyone can understand it and can hopefully enjoy it.<br />
When it comes to some of the popular coffee bean varieties<br />
from around the world, Stevo says there are so many reasons<br />
that will influence the flavour of coffee and origin or terroir is<br />
getitmagazine.co.za/bloemfontein<br />
one of them.<br />
“To generalise it, coffee from South America tends to be<br />
more chocolate and nut with a full body. African coffees, in<br />
most cases, are fruity and floral with coffee from Asia having<br />
characteristics of chocolate and spice. In recent times, the<br />
processing method of coffee has received a lot of attention<br />
and has a tremendous impact on the final cup,” he shares.<br />
Stevo believes that the longer you leave the beans exposed<br />
to high energy, the more brittle it will become and the higher<br />
level of bitterness you will have.<br />
“Many link bitterness to strong, but this is not the case. The<br />
taste might be more intense, but the basic taste that will<br />
dominate the cup will be bitterness. A lighter roast will have<br />
less bitterness, more acidity and also less body due to a lower<br />
solubility,” he explains.<br />
“For many people, higher bitterness is preferable, but from a<br />
professional view, we are aiming for a balance between acidity,<br />
bitterness and sweetness. Each origin and variety will also have<br />
to be treated differently to get the most out of each of them. In<br />
the end, it is about what you enjoy drinking,” he further says.<br />
When asked what are some creative ways to enhance your<br />
home coffee experience, he says that this process should be<br />
fun.<br />
“I have a thing for cups that look great and enhance the<br />
drinking experience. Start with what you have and build your<br />
space around your personality. I found making it a bit of a<br />
routine is fun,” he notes.<br />
“Every morning I boil my kettle to 92 degrees Celsius, weigh<br />
my coffee beans out and grind it with my hand grinder. Try out<br />
different coffees, different origins and find what you enjoy. This<br />
way people will always know what to get you as a gift – coffee.<br />
Enjoy the process and let your senses run wild,” he says.<br />
A few tips for brewing a barista-quality cup of coffee<br />
at home:<br />
“I believe that most South Africans have a plunger at home.<br />
With a few simple steps, you could make some really<br />
delicious coffee in the comfort of your own home,” says<br />
Stevo.<br />
Use good quality water. “About 98.5% of what you are<br />
drinking is water, so bad water = bad coffee. Even reverse<br />
osmosis water is not ideal as this has a very low mineral<br />
content. The minerals are needed to extract the flavour<br />
from the coffee.”<br />
Try to buy beans and grind coffee fresh. “Most volatile<br />
compounds will evaporate about 15 minutes after<br />
grinding, so by grinding fresh you will be able to retain<br />
these volatile compounds and extract them into your cup.<br />
For filter coffee, we recommend a ratio of 1:15. Só, for every<br />
gram of coffee you can use 15 grams of water.”<br />
July <strong>2024</strong> Get It Bloemfontein 95<br />
Text: Justine Fortuin Photograph: Supplied