The humble coffee bean travels from farmer, roaster to brewer – each one has a hand in the aroma and flavour of the final product in your coffee cup. Caffeine lovers who want the right brew take matters into their own hands and invest in machines and equipment they can use in their own kitchens.
Although coffee pods are a common first choice, the head roaster at Origin Artisan Coffee Roasters, Mike McDonald, says there are more flavourful and inexpensive ways to brew your favourite cuppa, like the AeroPress.
“It's a brewing device that's easy and durable to use, and you can use it as you use a plunger, except it's the air that is used as the pressure on the coffee,” he says.
The aero press retails for about R700 and is a much easier way to get the most out of your coffee beans. “If you use it as a plunger it forces a few more insolubles into your coffee, so make sure you have a good filter,” says McDonald.
He says this is one of the coffee trends for they year: “More people will become obsessive about the extraction of their coffee.
“Coffee is a science and people are realising that and measuring their coffee by weight and making sure they have water boiled at exact temperatures."
Cold brew coffee is another trend he believes will be a fixture on the coffee scene this year.
Most good coffee shops will have a cold brew tower, it looks like a multi-tower hour glass with water dripping down a spiral of glass into a jug of finely ground coffee beans.
Using a ratio of one part water to eight parts coffee, you can make your own cold brew coffee – stir the water into the finely ground coffee and leave in a jar overnight or for at least 24 hours.
Use a sieve to remove the excess from the mixture and enjoy a cup of cold brew coffee.McDonald says that Ethiopia remains the best country on the coffee map when sourcing beans.
“Ethiopia is where the Big Bang of coffee took place. It's the home of Arabica, there are plantations where coffee is growing wild and many of the Arabica species have still not been classified."
This year, he say,s there is only one sin you should avoid committing when ordering or making your next cup of coffee.
“Don't drink coffee that shows no geographical distinction. If they can't tell you where it's from, don't drink it,” he said.