“When buying coffee,
make sure it has the
date of roasting on it —that means something
under six weeks’ old,”
says Sabados.
“Make sure you
know where it comes
from: if it doesn’t
come from a single
estate or collective
of farmers, it isn’t the
best you can buy.”
Where the coffee
is grown has a
huge effect on
taste, so paying
attention to whatareas you like will be
a big assistance when
buying down the track.
And if you’re
serious, there’s no
more discounted tubs
of freeze-dried from
the supermarket or
dodgy 7-Eleven.
Men’s Fitness
has tried and
recommends Mongrel
Joes premium
roasting coffee.
mongreljoes.com.auTIP NO. 1
Learn what the pros
look for
■Believeitornot,
cofee tasting isn’t just
a spectrum that goes
from “that’s quite nice”
to “a bit muddy”. The
Speciality Cofee
Association of
America (SCAA) has a
scoring system buyers
use to objectively
evaluate cofees called
“cupping”. Stop
giggling.
Cofees achieving a
scoreof85orhigher,
fromamaximum
possiblescoreof100,
are regarded as
“speciality” grade
becausetheyhaveno
defectsandapleasant
flavour profile. Here,
George Sabados,
owner and roaster of
Mongrel Joes cofee,
gives his expert guide
to cupping.
1)8.25g of coarsely
ground cofee is
measured into a
specially made
shallow cup.
2)150ml of water
heated to 92° is added,
and left for four
minutes.
3)Aspoonisusedto
break and remove the
“crust”, which provides
the first opportunity
to sample the
cofee’s aroma.
4)After a further six
minutes, the cupper
begins to taste the
cofee. Diferent
attributes are
evaluated at intervals
as the cofee cools.
70° Flavour and
aftertaste
FlavourThe cofee’s
principal flavour —
whatareyourtaste
buds telling you?
AftertasteThe length
of positive flavour
qualities after the
cofee has been
swallowed.
70-60° Acidity and
body
AcidityBright for
positive acidity, sour
for negative. Positive
acidityaddstothe
cofee’s sweetness.
BodyIs it heavy like a
good Bordeaux, or light
andrefinedlikea
sauvignon blanc?
40° Sweetness and
cleanliness
SweetnessIs the
cofee sweet and
pleasing?
CleanlinessWhen no
defects are found, the
cupisclean.
Andfinally,there’s
also overall balance.
Cofeeisgreaterthan
the sum of its parts.
Flavour, aftertaste,
acidity and body all
work together to
achieve balance.TIP NO. 2
You’re only as good
as your grind
Ahandgrinderwill
haveadramaticefect
on your cofee. “You
havetouseaburr
grinder,” says Sabados.
“Its cutting discs canout,” says Scott
Bentley, founder of
Cafeine magazine
(caeinemag.com).
“That means they’ve
pre-ground in
advance, so that cofee
is going of as you wait,
givingyouaflatand
uninteresting drink.”TIP NO.3
Tryroastingathome
If you drink cofee all
the time, it could be
worth roasting your
owncofeebeansfor
improved freshness
andflavour—but
evenifit’saless
frequent treat,
you can try it
without breaking
the bank. While
commercial roasters
are expensive, you
don’t need to drop
hundreds on
specialist gear.
“Youcanuseanold
popcorn popper,” says
Bentley. “Just don’t put
intoomanyatonce
— you need to makeTIP NO.4
Know what makes good coffeesure the beans can
move with the hot air.”
The beans should
beroastedataround
215°. A light roast will
take around six
minutes, darker
roastsaminuteor
two longer. If you
do use a popper, keep
aneyeonit—itcan
catchalightiflefttoo
long. Roasting puts
quiteastrainona
popcorn maker and
willalmostcertainly
reduce its lifespan, so
pick up a second-
hand one on eBay.MF top pick.DéLonghi
PrimaDonna Elite Fully
Automatic Coffee Machine.
delonghi.com.au, $3,599Get a real lift.
A caffeine hit
enables you to
go harder for longer.millthecofeetoa
specific size. “The other
option is whirly blades,
buttheycreatea
mixture of pieces that
aretoobig(hardtoget
flavour out of) and way
too small (adding
bitterness).”
Remember cofee
oxidises within
minutesofgrinding.
“If I don’t hear the
grinderwhenI’m
waiting in a cofee
shop, I walkAUGUST 2016 MEN’S FITNESS 53