Guests were ‘Beanstruk’ at recent Hirsch’s Coffee Networking
Local coffee roastery owner, Michelle Hendrikz of Beanstruk Coffee Roastery captured her audience’s attention at a recent Coffee Networking Event at Hirsch, Ballito.
Hirsch Ballito hosted an afternoon event at the Home Store, offering guests a full bodied, richly entertaining talk for the connoisseur of coffees.
Michelle Hendrikz, the passionate owner of local boutique coffee roastery Beanstruk at the Litchi Orchard offered a few simple pointers in how to buy, prepare and store coffee.
A Coffee Roaster’s Hints:
Coffee, like wine, has its own unique flavors and undertones. Each growing region offers particular nuances of flavor. Be adventurous, explore the coffees of the world and find what YOU like.
Premium coffee is 100% Arabica. Robusta beans are smaller, more irregular in shape and therefore do not roast to the same degree of flavor as Arabica beans (and are therefore cheaper.) When selecting a great coffee, 10% Robusta bean will give more ‘Crema’ – that golden frothy topping on top of a cup, but any more than 10% Robusta in a coffee blend will be to the detriment of the coffee flavor.
Coffee should be prepared just before water comes to the boil. Any hotter and the coffee is ‘burnt’ and therefore flavor is lost…(real coffee connoisseurs will never send their Cappuccino back asking it to be ‘boiling hot.’)
The best cup of coffee is prepared with freshly ground beans. The longer the ground bean ‘sits’ the less flavor to the coffee.
Different coffee making methods require different ‘grinds’ of coffee. French Cafetieres require a more coarsely ground bean than an espresso making coffee machine.
For more information and help in finding your perfect flavor of coffee, chat to Michelle at Beanstruk Coffee Roastery. She has a gift of understanding an individual’s unique preferences for coffee and will recommend or created a blend of coffee beans to your particular tastes.