Sips and tips for the wannabe coffee connoisseur

Coffee-drinking has evolved into an art, a culture (if Anthony Bourdain is not to be believed) that has become so much bigger than the tiny, unassuming cup of black coffee of yesteryear.

At least during my parents’ time, coffee “culture” involved puttering about with cups, teaspoons, a fresh pot of brew, milk, sugar. Nothing else.

There were no heart-shaped foams, whipped cream, dark to medium to light roasts, blending of beans from different parts of the world, friendly and chatty baristas, and so-called café interiors. Yes, life was much simpler, but definitely less exciting.

With the popularity of artisanal coffee, and the name-drop of “third wave coffee” in the food and beverage scene, yuppies and teens who fancy themselves true-blue coffee drinkers can learn from a recent coffee workshop held by The Coffee Beanery. Bloggers and journalists were invited to try making coffee themselves to better appreciate the art of brewing and drinking coffee.

Here are some tips you can try:

1. Do not be intimidated by the paraphernalia

If science was never your forte, then the lineup of coffee brewing paraphernalia can seem like an amalgam of test tubes and chemicals that can explode.

But hold on, the siphon (a cross between a large hourglass and decorative glass décor is the best description I can do), the AeroPress (which one blogger commented looked like a fat injection) and the pour-over (a cone-shaped thing which is actually just like your regular brewer) are actually light-weight and user-friendly.

2. Know how you like your coffee: light, medium or dark?

Want to impress the coffee baristas? Don't just ask them what they recommend. Chances are, they would ask the same question: how do you like your coffee?

If you don’t want to be up and about until midnight, ask your coffee to be siphoned. Siphoning coffee involves an amusing heating of the water, and the evaporation of the coffee around the water under high heat. Because the ground coffee does not directly touch the water, the brew ends up very light and smooth.

If you’re reviewing for an exam or rushing a presentation due tomorrow, ask for a French-pressed or AeroPressed coffee.

The AeroPress jolts the coffee into the water, instantly releasing the flavors of the ground coffee. The result is a darker, stronger brew. And, according to the coffee master, it is the easiest coffee method.

If you’re looking for a moderate caffeine fix, then ask the barista to pour-over your coffee. It’s just like your regular coffee brewer, where ground coffee is placed in a cone lined with a filter, and water is poured over the coffee, which drips directly to the pot. The barista warned, though, that the “pour-over” should be fast and smooth to keep the pot from having a bad brew.

3. For Instagrammers, latte arts are the best.

No one likes a plain picture of a cup of joe on Instagram. Instead, latte art of smileys, hearts, leaves and letters will evoke the ooohs and aaahs on your social networks.

Watching latte art being made is also a joy to behold. Even if you end up drinking it anyway and giving yourself a “milkstache,” it’s a happy start to your day and your coffee routine. After all, coffee, for the real connoisseurs, is not just a wake-me-upper, but an activity that is meant to be savored and enjoyed with every sip.

4. Try new concoctions.

With food and beverage, it’s easier to order something you’ve tried before to lessen the chance of getting something you won't like.

But a true coffee connoisseur knows better. Always try something new.

Zaldy Mangaliag, the Coffee Beanery’s tall and soft-spoken master barista, won the 2010 Professional Barista Cup Competition with the Mocha Taho—Spanish hot chocolate, taho, milk, coffee jelly and an espresso shot, which impressed the judges.

Zaldy thought that since Filipinos both love coffee and taho for breakfast, why not combine both?

5. Dare to go black.

Only a few people drink coffee in its purest form: just plain black. True, adding sugar and milk makes it more enjoyable. But these take away the fun in drinking coffee and being able to describe its smell, taste and character, sip by sip.

Don’t be limited by the fact that black coffee tastes bitter. That’s where knowledge of the dark to light roast comes in.

And if you intend to push your coffee interests further into studying it like fine art, there is no way to go but black. Maybe one day you can become a true master, someone who can guess which part of the world your coffee comes from—Brazil if it’s fruity, Ethiopia if it’s floral, Philippines if it’s strong and dark—with just a sip. — BM, GMA News