Some things are better rich

Some things are better rich

Forget all that ‘you are what you eat’ guff. The majority of the human body is water and so our identity is defined by what we drink. George Bernard Shaw once wrote, “It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishman hate or despise him.” Social snobbery surrounding accent may be most extreme in England but the phenomenon of being judged while opening your mouth to order coffee occurs worldwide.

 

Coffee is so versatile that it serves up social, economic and psychological indicators like no other epicurean offering. With tea you can have it hot or cold, with or without milk. Sometimes it’s sweet and spicy but after that you’re basically done. With coffee it’s a different story. Are you an intellectual espressonite or an airhead café au laiter? Is it the sensual steam and froth of a cappuccino that makes your heart (and, as it turns out, your brain’s adenosine receptors) sing or are you at your most melodious when your coffee has gone Celtic and taken in a tot of whisky? Are you the fashionista faffing about with curls of lemon peel in your Romano or the office bore re-boiling deoxygenated urn water for freeze-dried, instant granules? To decaffeinate or to pump up the hot water volume in an Americano, now that is the question…

No-one knows when East Africans first noticed the deliciously stimulating effect of chewing berries harvested from the indigenous Coffea arabica bush, but written reports of Arab travellers suggest that they were certainly doing it by the 10th century ad. Since those first tentative tastes, coffee has been blessed by the Pope, been banned by a governor of Mecca and (perhaps most crucially) helped Ross and Rachel fall in love at Central Perk in the TV show Friends.

Anything that has engendered so much emotional intensity is clearly cool (even when it is not served frozen into ice crystals as Granita di Caffè con Panna), but what exactly is it? The word coffee is commonly understood to mean an infused beverage prepared from the dried, roasted and ground seed of several species of evergreen shrub of the genus Coffea. The two most commonly grown coffee species are Coffea arabica and the hardier (Robusta) Coffea canephora.

In crude terms, C. arabica, originally from Ethiopia, is slow growing and high in sugar with a rich, complex flavour profile, whereas C. robusta, native to the DRC, tends to have muddier, less refined traits but an appealing upfront boldness. Both Arabica and Robusta contain numerous sub-varieties, each as distinct as those found in wine. Both species grow best in volcanic soils between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, with the best quality produced over 1 600m above sea level.

Johann Sebastian Bach’s 1732 Kaffee- Kantate includes the words, “Ah! How sweet coffee tastes! Lovelier than a thousand kisses.” A thousand kisses is a lot of loveliness to compete with, but coffee certainly has the fragrance, body, acidity and sweetness to take on the task. Just as with wine, terroir can be tasted. Soil, climate and altitude are evident in every velvety, mouth-filling, palate-lingering sip of full-bodied coffee. Agricultural techniques and roasting styles make themselves manifest in the crisp, clean mouth-feel that balances sweetness (not to be confused with bitterness, which just means that the beans were over-roasted or the beverage overbrewed). And the fragrance. Oh the fragrance. Lawrence Durrell once said of olive oil that it was “a taste as old as cold water”, and in the smell of coffee there is surely another example of a great ancient gift offered up by the ancestors.

The analogy with olive oil is apt in that neither ages well. New-crop coffee (i.e. as close to harvest as possible) is always best. Like olive oil, coffee flavour fades and the beverage loses its unique regional characteristics. In general, northern hemisphere coffees from Central America should be drunk between May and October, while southern hemisphere output (South American and African) is best between November and April. Places that straddle the equator (like Kenya and Sumatra) often have more than one harvest season.

But before getting too taken up with terroir, remember that how you roast, grind and brew coffee is at least as important as varietal, region of origin or season. Filter coffee is by definition filtered and in so doing absorbs oils and fine particles that are necessary to the flavour. Plunger-made coffee will be fuller flavoured with extra layers of flavour as oils and aromatics come through.

Posh talk of terroir and technique is all very well but let’s be honest: it’s the stimulant effect of caffeine (C8H10N402, as it is known in nerd circles) that is often a major motivation for brewing coffee. According to Buzz: The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine by Stephen R Braun (1997), the brain neurons of waking people produce adenosine. When adenosine levels reach a certain threshold, sleep is initiated. Caffeine functions as an adenosine impersonator, binding to the receptors but not activating them.

With those receptors blocked, the brain’s own stimulants, dopamine and glutamate, can work freely. As Braun puts it, “It’s like taking the chaperones out of a high school dance or putting a block of wood under one of the brain’s primary brake pedals.” Genetics and accumulated caffeine tolerance will determine the extent to which the chaperones are kept away.

Researchers at the Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University in the USA, recently studied the effects of caffeine abstinence in humans. They concluded that as little as one small cup of coffee daily can produce caffeine addiction, complete with hectic withdrawal symptoms. The good news is that there is probably no need to rush off to rehab. The strength of a coffee’s taste has little to do with how much caffeine it contains. Our perception of strength comes almost entirely from the degree of roast (the darker the ‘stronger’), and the ratio of coffee to water used during the brewing process. And before decamping to decaf instant, do remember that Robusta has twice as much caffeine as Arabica and instant coffees are generally Robusta (because it’s cheaper). So, you do the maths…

Our addiction is not only physiological. The world economy is equally dependent on the beverage. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, in 2010 coffee was the top agricultural export for 12 countries and the world’s seventhlargest legal agricultural export by value. For many of the Least Developed Countries, exports of coffee account for more than 50% of their foreign exchange earnings.

But very few of us order hot beverages with one eye on our adenosine receptors or the economy. We just want decent coffee in convivial surroundings. So what follows are some of South Africa’s top coffee hot spots for cool people.

WHAT TO BUY
If you’re in the market for überglamorous, super-seriously deluxe coffee-making machines, pop in to Culinary Equipment Company, R512 (cnr Airport Rd), Lanseria. For more information, call 011 701 2200 or go to www.culinary.co.za. 

FOR THE COFFEE CULTURISTS

Cup size
Small , medium and large are often referred to as tall, grande and venti.

Espresso
refers to coffee made using a brewing method in which hot water is pressed through finely ground Arabica beans. Espresso is traditionally served in short ‘shots’. Espresso variations include Espresso Freddo (served over ice) and Espresso Medici (two shots of espresso served over chocolate syrup and orange zest).

Cappuccino
is prepared with an espresso base topped with hot milk, and steamed-milk froth. The name comes from the Capuchin friars’ habits.

Latte
is an espresso made with steamed milk.

'Why Bother'
is a term used to describe a decaffeinated espresso served with non-fat milk on the side.

'With Room'
refers to a cup of coffee served with space for the subsequent addition of milk or cream.

'With Wings'
is take-away coffee served in a cup with folding paper handles.

WHERE TO GO FOR SPECIALIST COFFEE

WHEN IN DOUBT go back to the source. Ethiopian spice shop owner Netsi Abera Jira makes coffee for customers just as her ancestors did before her. An Ethiopian coffee ceremony has incense and elegance galore and always starts with green beans . so set aside at least half an hour for the experience. She also supplies green and roasted beans and all manner of traditional Ethiopian coffee tools.

NETSANET
1st floor, corner of Jeppe and Troye streets, Majesty Building (colloquially known as 'Little Addis', formerly Medical Arts Building), Johannesburg Tel 0113337446, 072493 3380

IF YOU ARE ANXIOUS about going into central Johannesburg, Netsi’s friend Amsale Debela has a quiet, suburban restaurant in Kensington where the coffee ceremony is also served up to perfection. Lovely Berberspiced stews too.

ABYSINNIA
Corner of Langermann Drive and Queen Street, Kensington, Johannesburg Tel 072 918 8824

FOR GAUTENG FAIR TRADE CHIC, head to Bean There. This boutique roastery and coffee shop sells singleorigin coffees from Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda. Sign up for the cupping sessions (like wine tasting). Highly knowledgeable staff will help you choose coffee, and there are also brownies and cheesecake.

BEAN THERE
44 Stanley Avenue, Auckland Park, Johannesburg Tel 0861 232686 or 087 310 3100

RENATO CORREIRA’S ESPRESSO LAB is a speciality micro-roastery at the terribly trendy Old Biscuit Mill in Cape Town. This artisanal enterprise roasts small batches of premium coffee. The stark white ‘science lab’ decor combines minimalist chic with technical knowhow. Renato says, “When roasting it’s like conducting an orchestra; light and shade, strong and light.” Multiaward- winning chef Luke Dale-Roberts (The Test Kitchen, where he is currently wowing diners, is featured on page 74) is a regular, so know it’s seriously hot stuff.

ESPRESSO LAB
The Old Biscuit Mill, 373–375 Albert Road, Woodstock, Cape Town Tel 021447 0845

A COFFEE ROASTERY ON A WINE FARM is surely the definition of double-whammy heaven on earth. Set on the Lourensford Estate, this artisan operation sources and roasts to order high-quality, single-origin, green beans. State-of-the-art infrared drum-roasting technology and highly trained workers ensure coffee-loving clients get the perfect buzz. Daily roastery-to-door deliveries. All coffees are labelled with the roasting date.

THE COFFEE ROASTING CO.
Lourensford Wine Estate (at the top of the Lourensford Road), Somerset West Tel 021 847 0536 or 087 802 2047

DURBAN’S BEST-KEPT SECRET, Colombo Tea & Coffee Co. was founded in 1923 and the founding family still owns and operates the company. They specialise in roasting single-origin, seasonally supplied coffee and tea blending.

COLOMBO TEA & COFFEE CO.
369 Gale Street, Durban Tel 031 205 3283

FOR A DELICIOUSLY DAFT EXPERIENCE, seek out the thick, full-bodied, chocolaty flavour of the world's most expensive coffee. Bizarre as it may sound, Kopi Luwak is produced via the intestines of an Indonesian civet cat.

Yes, you read right; the beans are ingested, digested and excreted by the kitty, before being washed, roasted and ground by the human coffee producers. Until recently this caffeinated cat treat was not available in South Africa, but Robertson’s boutique roastery and merchant Strictly Coffee now sells beans and ground Kopi Luwak.

Demand exceeds supply so it’s not cheap (a 250g packet sells for R712) but how can you quibble when cat-processed caffeine is on the table?

STRICTLY COFFEE
5 Voortrekker Road, Robertson Tel 023626 6691 or 083 270 9668