Hello, we actually know nothing about coffee
As Dutch people, we are the biggest coffee drinkers in the world, averaging 4.2 cups per Dutch person per day. Unbelievable, says Aissam Tallagui, because most of the coffee we drink tastes awful. He is a coffee expert and barista, and over the past few years has learned in top restaurants and cafés what a truly delicious cup of coffee should taste like.
World championships, barista competitions—Aissam Tallagui takes part in all of them. As a coffee professional, he sees it as his duty to educate everyone a little when it comes to coffee, because honestly, we know sadly little about it. Aissam runs the coffee bar at François Geurds, where guests can even choose a menu with a perfectly matching cup of coffee for every course. What can we learn from him about coffee?
Arabica or Robusta?
Fancy coffee beans sometimes boast about their origin: beans from Java, Guatemala or Ethiopia. But that does not determine the taste, says Aissam. ‘The most important difference in taste is which coffee beans are used. Often, it is a blend of arabica and robusta. Robusta is of lower quality, but it does contain more caffeine and is considerably cheaper. The arabica family tastes much better. Most coffee professionals work exclusively with arabica.’
Washing the beans
Second point: how has that bean been processed? ‘Coffee beans are actually the seeds of the coffee fruit. How do you get that seed out of the fruit? That partly determines the taste. Some are washed, meaning the layer of fruit pulp is scrubbed off in water. They are then dried in the sun, and you taste the bean as it is, very pure. If you do not wash the beans first, but simply let the pulp ferment off in the sun, you get a richer, fruitier taste. You can also let the beans ferment, creating yet another taste sensation.’
Let’s roast
The coffee beans are shipped green, to be roasted here. Not too dark, not too light, but what exactly is right? ‘We can roast our own coffee,’ says Aissam. ‘That means you can decide for yourself exactly how dark you want it. Italians want their coffee as dark and strong as possible, which is actually a waste of the beans’ flavor. A true coffee culture has emerged in Australia. People who come from there are really spoiled. They are not made happy by a cup of coffee at the office or a cup from Starbucks.’
Dirty chai
Because of the wealth of flavors in coffee, Aissam is not a big fan of adding extra flavors to it. ‘Caramel syrup in your coffee, or another flavor? I am sure I can find a flavor that naturally occurs in the coffee itself, so you do not need any of those additions. For example, I have a coffee from Costa Rica that is so spicy and aromatic, it tastes just like dirty chai. No sugar, no honey: that flavor comes naturally from the coffee.’
