A beginner's guide

ROASTING
Coffee does not grow ready for use. All coffee must be roasted before it is ground and then brewed. Unroasted coffee is referred to as 'green coffee'. The roasting process demands the skill of a Roast master whose senses are finely tuned, much as the palate of a wine-maker or a perfumier's nose. Roasting is both a science and an art.
As the beans roast, distinct stages of appearance and flavour occur. Although roasters have identified these flavours, they have a hard time agreeing what to call each one. A full roast in one store may be called Viennese in another.
LIGHT OR PALE ROAST is used for delicately flavoured beans. The beans have a dry, cinnamon - coloured surface and are often brewed to serve as morning coffee. Try, as the French do, serving 'caf頡u lait' using an oversized breakfast cup and serving equal portions of warm milk and piping hot coffee.
MEDIUM, CITY OR AMERICAN ROAST is the all purpose roast most Americans prefer and drink in the 'bottomless' cup of coffee. The beans are medium in colour and their surface is dry.
FULL, HIGH OR VIENNESE ROAST is the favourite of many specialty coffee stores. The taste strikes an even balance between sweetness and sharpness. The beans are chestnut in colour and show patches of oil.
FRENCH, CONTINENTAL OR DARK ROAST have a tangy, rich flavour. The beans are the colour of semi-sweet chocolate and shiny with oil. When chicory is added to this roast you have a Louisiana-style coffee.
ESPRESSO OR ITALIAN ROAST is the darkest of all roasts. The almost black beans have a glossy surface and a pungent flavour - a favourite of espresso lovers.

Who's for coffee?

SOME TASTING TERMINOLOGY TO HELP YOU ON YOUR WAY
By developing your taste buds, through lively experimentation, the sea of coffee beans will certainly become less formidable and more familiar.
Acidity is the sharp, snappy taste that defines your coffee.
Aroma is fragrance.
Body is the heaviness and thickness of a coffee as it touches your tongue.
Flavour is a combination of all the above and is defined by the relationship they have to each other; rather like describing the elements of a love-affair.

My best wishes

A dear friend who shares my passion for coffee and knows how to make a good brew is celebrating her b-day today... Like me, she travels with her own plunger and ground beans (and she also travels a lot) but when she's home she always has a steaming hot cup ready, makes time to chat, share dreams, tell stories and listen!

Leani, have a good one! Net soms, mis ek jou (so 'n bietjie)...

Where NOT to have coffee...

Never, ever, under no circumstances have coffee at any of the following places:

1. Appel se Ma, Stellenbosch
2. MaxNewYorkLife, Gurgaon
3. Wimpy, anywhere
4. Mugg&Bean (veral daai groot sopkom wat jy self moet optop met flou kasaterwater)
5. Economic class (any airline)
6. Business class (most airlines except Emirates)
7. Clipper lounge, Mumbai airport
8. Anywhere where you could also have good red wine!
9. "Gat" from the Karoo (contributed by Heksie)
10. * insert your bad experience here *

Please perform a service to me and all of mankind by warning us about the worst coffee experience you've ever had!

Profile pic?

Which pic should I use with my profile?
	CoffeeBeenz
	CoffeeArt
	CuppaCoffee
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It's all about Passion

My other passions in life: art, work, music, friends, travel, foie gras & champaigne, my Pink Possum, sensational gastronomic experiences
(not necessarily in that order)*

Most of these can of course be combined with coffee!

The work of art here is: Coffee-and-Conversation by Greg Carter.
It is worthwhile to also have a look at the other 'featured artists' at the Vinings Gallery here.
Have a look at Fabian Perez's work - WOW!

* Probably (roughly) in reverse order

Here we deal in Coffee

New Job

My new job is to organise friend Willem's social life. For tomorrow I scheduled some 'own time' for him. He's very unhappy. I'm afraid it might not work out. I can still give 24 hours notice. It's like selling UBL cologne spray in NY... destined to be interesting, challenging but doomed to fail!

Trouble in Paradise

In an attempt to get someone (anyone?) to leave a comment on my blog, I informed my fiance, the FABULOUS Marthie, that I will in future only communicate with her through my blog...

I'm still waiting... I'm afraid we might never talk again!!

New find in Delhi

Discovered "COSTA 'Italian about coffee' since 1971" today in Delhi's Nehru Place Market. Not even the 'locals' know about this place as it is brand new and very evidently not open from 1971 but sometime last week... The 34 year lineage however count for something as it is 'a cut above the rest'!

The focaccia, paninis (I had a mushroom & cheese one) and 'wedges' (sandwiches) are great but the REAL treat is their coffee. My Doppio Espresso was perfect and although I missed some music (there was a large sub-woofer installed next to our table, which my companion used as a handy storage area for his cellphone, 'BB' and wallet) the 3 beautiful (and most helpful) 'baristas' wholly made up for it!

Any coffee shop would have to go a LONG way to turn the tables on either Barista or Cafe Coffee Day. Both have strong brands and a loyal following here in India. If anyone can do it, COSTA can!

Branches can also be found in CP, GKII, GreenPark, Pitampura, Noida (x3!), Rohini, Alaknanada, Dwarka and Ghaziabad.

In the words of Arnie (from Terminator) "I'll be back"!

Top 10

My Top 10 coffee spots:

1. Umaid Bhawan Palace - Johdpur, Rajastan
2. Market Cafe - Khan Market, New Delhi
3. Starbucks - Circular Quey, Sydney
4. The Brazillian - Fox Street, Marshalltown
5. Pret-a-Manager - London, UK
6. Barista - Metropolitan Mall, Gurgaon
7. Costa Coffee - Nehru Place, New Delhi
8. Cafe Dulce - cnr Sauer & Marshall St, Marshalltown
9. Any street cafe in Paris
10. King Street, Perth

My own coffee

It's true that at my office here in India there's a drink called 'ChristoCoffee'.

The standard way of making coffee in India is with milk (and some creamer), frothy and very sweet. Normal tea is also white (called 'chai') only lemon tea is black and only with tea do you get a choice with regards to sugar!

Espresso is my drink of choice. In the office, where this is simply not available, I drink coffee strong and black with one sugar. In no time drinks orders for meetings were placed with the pantry as 3 chai, 2 coffee, 4 lemon tea and one ChristoCoffee.

Not surprisingly the canteen back in South Africa has had a customised toasted sarmy called a ChristoSpecial on the menu for many years now!
Long Live individual choice!