Joy (and Caffeine) to the World – Some (More) Coffee Taster Notes
It is gift-buying season and there is one gift we received last year which, as foodies we really appreciated – Whittards collection of nine ground coffees from around the world. It certainly educated me in a pleasing way about the various subtle flavours of coffee available according to where the coffee bean is grown and how it is fermented or roasted. It provides a palette history of this fascinating beverage, still one of the most important food commodities to this day.
I must confess as a Northern British tea drinker the subtleties of coffee have previously been lost on me but it was a delight to sample a different flavour every few days and familiarise our palettes to a variety of tastes comparable to the tasting range of red wines or artisan chocolate.
At intensity level ‘one’, the subtle and fruity flavours of the Kenyan and Ethiopian varieties are light and almost tea like. In fact the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is slightly fermented before roasting to bring out its refreshing sunshiny flavour which is great for summer mornings.
At the next level Monsoon Malabar was smooth but which dark and deep notes – very similar to a French coffee, with a sweet rich undertone which would go well with croissants. This bean is stored in a way to replicate the long sea voyages the beans used to have to endure to reach Europe, which gave the beans a particular flavour the Europeans came to love, and is dark roasted to bring out the depth - and this ‘distance’ - of flavour.
Then there are the rich Java and Sumatra coffees, also deep-roasted for a full intensity of dark flavour - a great strong hit of caffeine that could be balanced with milk or cream if you so wish but the smooth flavour is lovely in its pure form. The Santos and Java variety blends Brazilian and Sumatran beans to bring out the rich yet creamy quality of the coffee. They are great coffees to savour after dinner.
There are also single blend examples of the South American coffees, such as San Augustin in Columbia. This was soft, mid palette and very pleasant to drink with dark chocolate and strawberry undertones, also a hint of citrus and cloves.
We look forward to exploring coffee further, with the help of a good coffee maker we recently invested in, and are eager to explore the many other varieties.
Whittards is certainly a good place to start and their website is informative about the types of beans and roasts they have to offer. The Coffees of the World selection, I believe, is still available in their clearance sale. Also they offer a coffee club, which sends you two varieties per month with tasting notes, which sounds like another possible Yuletide gift.
The Algerian Coffee store also provides a wealth of expertise and information about coffee to help you order from its website (though it is worth a visit to the original London store if you are in the area - it is quite magical just to smell the aroma).
We hope this may help you to select the perfect foodie gift, or the right coffee for a breakfast pick-me=up, or an after dinner coffee to savour, over the festive period!
(It is also worth spreading the comfort and joy that good coffee is a festive indulgence which is actually good for you. Health benefits can include protection from colon cancer, kidney cancer, gall stones and dementia when you drink up to three cups a day. More on this in the New Year!)
I must confess as a Northern British tea drinker the subtleties of coffee have previously been lost on me but it was a delight to sample a different flavour every few days and familiarise our palettes to a variety of tastes comparable to the tasting range of red wines or artisan chocolate.
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| To see the world in a cup of coffee, and taste history in a sip.... |
At the next level Monsoon Malabar was smooth but which dark and deep notes – very similar to a French coffee, with a sweet rich undertone which would go well with croissants. This bean is stored in a way to replicate the long sea voyages the beans used to have to endure to reach Europe, which gave the beans a particular flavour the Europeans came to love, and is dark roasted to bring out the depth - and this ‘distance’ - of flavour.
Then there are the rich Java and Sumatra coffees, also deep-roasted for a full intensity of dark flavour - a great strong hit of caffeine that could be balanced with milk or cream if you so wish but the smooth flavour is lovely in its pure form. The Santos and Java variety blends Brazilian and Sumatran beans to bring out the rich yet creamy quality of the coffee. They are great coffees to savour after dinner.
There are also single blend examples of the South American coffees, such as San Augustin in Columbia. This was soft, mid palette and very pleasant to drink with dark chocolate and strawberry undertones, also a hint of citrus and cloves.
We look forward to exploring coffee further, with the help of a good coffee maker we recently invested in, and are eager to explore the many other varieties.
Whittards is certainly a good place to start and their website is informative about the types of beans and roasts they have to offer. The Coffees of the World selection, I believe, is still available in their clearance sale. Also they offer a coffee club, which sends you two varieties per month with tasting notes, which sounds like another possible Yuletide gift.
The Algerian Coffee store also provides a wealth of expertise and information about coffee to help you order from its website (though it is worth a visit to the original London store if you are in the area - it is quite magical just to smell the aroma).
We hope this may help you to select the perfect foodie gift, or the right coffee for a breakfast pick-me=up, or an after dinner coffee to savour, over the festive period!
(It is also worth spreading the comfort and joy that good coffee is a festive indulgence which is actually good for you. Health benefits can include protection from colon cancer, kidney cancer, gall stones and dementia when you drink up to three cups a day. More on this in the New Year!)
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