Today we went to meet the roasters and experts from Perth at Yahava's. The franchise in Singapore is located at Upper Thomson.
Yahava Koffeeworks
4 Jalan Gelenggang, 578188
It is a 4-6 min walk in from the bus stop and about 7 stops away from the Marymount MRT. I don't drive so we took the public transport.
They let us try the Costa Rica roasted beans prepared using 4 different brewing methods. The French press, V60 drip, siphon and Aeropress.
It was difficult to tell the difference because the same beans mostly taste the same... (Pardon, I'm a newbie) but it was a good experience that I never would have explored on my own. It is expensive (total of about $400?) to get all the whole quality equipment.
For each type of brewing method, the beans have to be grinded of a different coarseness. Eg. For French press, they grind it coarser so that it does not pass thru the wire gauze and make it muddy and eeky. For Aeropress, because it has a filter paper, they can grind it finely and the paper can still filter it properly, removing the sediments.
Woohoo! After 2 months of exploration and reading I finally know it better!! I never bothered. A nice latte over the counter would be sufficient. I just need to keep myself awake.
Here's my review. Was trying so hard to smell, taste and detect any difference... It's like opening up a new taste palatte or learning a new language. Heh.
1. French Press
The drink itself is a little grubby/powdery because of the finer sediments. Some of the finer sediments somehow will get through and effect the drinking sensation. My tongue and throat was like in slight protest because of the texture. Rougher I would say. But the guy say that from this, it is the most honest way to test and taste. They can taste whether it is over roasted, if the beans used were good or mixed with leftovers and the real character without applying any pressure to it.
To tackle the sediments rough texture problem, we can always let out drink sit before drinking. But not too long that it oxidizes or turn cold.
How it works: Pour hot water in, add the coffee powder, stir and wait for a few minutes. Press the syringe like wire gauze down to seperate the sediments from the brewed water. We're done! Voila! Less force is required because nothing is compressed compared to Aeropress.
2. Aeropress
This is my favorite!
How it works: The filter paper is inserted, then hot water then coffee powder is added. Temperature checked, 1 minute checked, ready to press it into a cup. Person has to manually use some force to compress it so that the water and air passed thru, forcing the brewed water out.
Results: It was very clear that the drink was really smooth. The sediments taken away, I can really focus on the taste and enjoy a sip. Because of the compression and additional pressure, I could taste a bit more sweetness. Maybe this part/chemical in the beans in only extractable with additional pressure. Now it makes sense why cafe needs pressurized machines to extract out the beans' goodness. Ah ha!
Aero press is probably the closest to the machines. The barista was saying how convenient it is to brew a cup of good coffee even without electricity. We take it for granted but on the plane, out camping, we don't have such luxury. Aeropress would come in handy to getting the closest we can for a good cup of coffee!
3. V60 Drip
How it works: It's just a funnel with a piece of filter paper on it. The good old traditional way. They probably used cloth back then.
Here's a photo of an original old industrial drip. Took it at Tiong Hoe a week ago.
Results:
Clean and smooth texture. No sediments. Taste similar to the French press. I can't taste the difference. Can't comment much.
It is the most hassle free to wash. Just remove the filter paper and rinse the funnel. Nothing stuck in between.
4. Siphon
This is the most fancy equipment. Reminded me of my chemistry lab test days.
How it works: water is boiled at the bottom by the Bunsen burner. Water vapour occupies more space and expands, hence pushing other water up. Most water travels up till not much water is left in the glass bulb below, partial vacuum is created. Water at the top is now about 90-95 degrees, we can add in the coffee powder. Wait for it to sit and brew for about 1 minute before removing the heat source.
Once the heat is removed the air in the glass sphere contracts thus pulling the water back down into it. The brewed water is forced through the filter and comes down to the bottom. The coffee sediments remained at the top and is vacuumed dry, extracting all the goodness out. Lastly, it will suck a bit of the air in, creating some bubbles. Now it's ready!
No manual force required, all science and nature. Pretty cool and fancy! You just need to do some washing...
Results: Again the coffee is clear and smooth in texture. I do taste slight sweet in it too. The coffee was a bit hot so we need to cool it for about 1 minute before it becomes drinkable. The other methods we can almost drink it immediately after brewing.
Just read that with cloth filters, the more volatile oils and aromas can seep through to give you a good cup of coffee. Cloth is better than filter paper.
That's all for my coffee tasting adventure.
After most of the crowd left, the staff let us try their new pre-launch blend. Pre-launch in Singapore. The winter blend was really popular in Perth and Australia so they decided to bring it over.
It was supposed to be more nutty, warm and chocolaty. That is what we somehow crave for on a cold days. The blend is a heavier and fuller body coffee. Beans from Papua New Guinea roasted to get a stronger flavor. It tasted slightly more earthy (think mud or more burnt I suppose) and the taste stays on longer in my mouth. There was a slight sweetness. That's about it that I could taste.
That's all for my 2 intensive hours of tasting and learning. Would love to do this cupping and tasting more.
I just realised that I didn't buy any item from their store. So I drank lots of specialty quality coffee for free. It was good. Definitely would buy something if I hadn't gulp that much coffee in that 2 hours.
What a taste adventure.
SOLD!
