BLOEM - JULY 2024

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