Top Five ... Modern Coffee
The Age
Saturday June 20, 2009
Fair trade and organicMELBOURNE has long prided itself as Australia's coffee capital. But how many coffee drinkers know, or care, whether their daily caffeine hit is a blend or single estate? Who roasted it? Where it's from and how it was processed? Does your barista use a clover or siphon, or are you steadfast in spooning dusty instant into a mug of boiled water? The days of deciding between a long black, macchiato, flat white and latte may soon be behind us as baristas emerge as the new sommeliers, informing on provenance and demonstrating new brewing techniques. The organic and fair trade movement is perhaps not as new, but is nonetheless increasingly changing the buying habits of coffee drinkers. Fair trade labelling indicates that farmers, producers and workers in low-income regions are not exploited and are paid fairly for their work. Certified organic defines coffee beans grown without the use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers. Behold, coffee with a conscience.Single originBARISTAS wax lyrical on coffee origin the way sommeliers speak about wine regions. And like grape vines influenced by the climate and soil in which they grow (think sauvignon blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand, or shiraz from the Barossa, South Australia), the same principles apply to coffee beans. Single-origin coffee, sourced from the one plantation, is pure and un-blended, with the characteristics of the plant variety and region where it is grown on show. Factors such as frequency of rain, sun, shade, season and soil and water quality - collectively known as terroir - all play a part in the final product. For a range of single-origin, visit Toby's Estate in Brunswick (tobysestate.com.au), Jasper Coffee in Fitzroy or Prahran (jaspercoffee.com), or cafes St Ali in South Melbourne, Hawthorn's Liar Liar, or Brother Baba Budan in the city.BlendsAMONG connoisseurs, blending coffee is considered an art, much like winemaking. Single-origins are sometimes mixed together to achieve varying levels of aroma, acidity, body and flavour; the art is in the balancing of these. Each coffee house will blend its own and the options are endless. Toby's Estate Broadway Blend is described thus: "Rich, smooth blend with deep caramel, smoke and almond flavours and aromas, with a light sparkling acidity to add dimension and long, sweet finish." So long, milky lattes.SiphonTHE latest trend to hit Melbourne's cafe scene is the siphon coffee maker that produces a delicate, fine-flavoured coffee, popular in Japan. Cafes St Ali and Liar Liar, both owned by Salvatore Malatesta, embrace this alternative method, as does Auction Rooms cafe in North Melbourne. Similar to a stove-top and perfect for home brewing, siphons look scientific but are essentially two glass tubes separated by a filter, the bottom one heated, which pushes water through coffee into the top glass container. Once brewed, the coffee is then filtered down again into the bottom. This method brings out the nuances in flavour of single-origin coffee and can look spectacular when lit up.CloverMADE in America, the clover machine comes with a price tag of $10,000, so is not likely to be found at your local cafe. A mechanical version of the siphon system, the clover has built-in metal filters and produces a clean, crisp flavoured cup. Liar Liar has such a machine and serves the coffee black, always, in a brandy glass, $5. Cafe manager Rob Chiovitti says this style is the "ultimate tea version of coffee" in which one can appreciate and savour the finer tastes of the brew. -- TESSIE VANDERWERT
© 2009 The Age