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Tag: Coffee Beans

  • Quest for Coffee (5) | Frothing Milk

    Quest for Coffee (5) | Frothing Milk

    Quest for Coffee (5) | Frothing Milk

    Frothing milk is as important to a cup of brain-jolting, heart-warming coffee as family is to Dominic Toretto – immensely important, for those unfamiliar with the film reference. Yet, it can quickly become a frothing fiesta at first.

    Now, we know you can’t get lattes, cappuccinos or flat whites without frothing milk well. 

    At this point, I have a confession to make. If you have not guessed it, I have been trying to pour latte art for the last 1 month. 

    Shocking, I know.

    Is that it? Nah, there’s more: I have been trying to master the art of frothing milk for almost 2 months before the last 1 month of learning latte art.

    Nothing like Frequent Frothing

    It has been quite the experiment as I tried multiple angles, tilting the pitcher left and right, playing around with the milk temperatures and changing the duration of frothing. I was wired trying to achieve that coveted silky milk texture. I still am.  I don’t get it every single time…yet.

    Until recently, my coffee-making skills were practically pressing the button on my machine and hoping for the best.

    Latte art? Frothy milk? I saw them as sorcery reserved for mythical baristas with sleeve tattoos and espresso-stained souls. Something began to change in my milk-frothing journey. 

    I finally made frothed milk this week thrice in a row with a decent texture and “shone” when placed under lights. So did I pour a dragon or heart? 

    Nope. Sorry if I got your hopes up. 

    What did happen was I poured some blob-like design that resembled an attempt at drawing a heart, great emphasis on “resembled”. 

    The latest shot of the 3 here
    One of the earliest; not sponsored by Harry Potter
    Probably the second latest one

    But hey, there’s progress, and I’m feeling slightly closer to the magic that baristas wield.

    Over the last month when the milk began to feel more silky and ideal,  I learned several things about frothing milk, brandishing the steam wand (not literally), and some neat tricks for an apprentice of latte art magic.

    The Milk Multiverse

    Did you think that a latte, cappuccino and flat white were all names of the same drink? I did too. But there’s a surprising amount of difference between them—and no, it’s not just the size of the mug.

    • Latte: Basically a coffee bath. One shot of espresso and lots of steamed milk, with just a little froth on top. Super smooth and forgiving.
    • Cappuccino: This one has that thick, pillowy foam cap—like your coffee is wearing a tiny down comforter. Equal parts espresso, milk, and foam.
    • Flat White: Think of this as a latte’s more intense cousin. Less milk, finer microfoam, more espresso flavor. But, not quite a cappuccino.

    To whip these up, it takes some skill at the wizardry of frothing milk and nailing this consistently, unlike my attempts where the milk’s foam resembled sea foam during a storm.

    Abracadabra: The Steam Wand 

    Learning to froth milk was… humbling. Challenging would also be an understatement. 

    I kept imagining the perfect angle and tilt of the pitcher to get the mesmerising milk ‘tornado” in the pitcher. I had visions of me swirling milk like a pro, creating silky foam like a caffeinated magician. Instead, I scorched milk and somehow made the wand scream like it saw a tornado coming for it.

    But as they say, you only fail when you don’t learn.

    And I learned: 

    1. Cold milk, cold pitcher: Cold milk gives you time to texture it properly. There’s time for the milk to warm up and “embrace” the air whisked in by the wand at the start. It creates “microfoam”. Fancy. 

    If you’re curious about the science behind frothing milk and the usage of cold milk rather than warm milk, you can indulge in nerdiness here like I did.

    1. Wand placement is key: After many, many cups of coffee and rewatching the same Youtube video on milk frothing multiple times, my tests found a slight tilt of the wrist is sufficient, either to the left or the right. More importantly, place the tip of the wand just under the surface and in the centre of the top left or top right quadrant of the circular mouth of the pitcher. Let it hiss peacefully like a straw sucking a nearly empty cup of iced coffee. 

    I used to shove the wand into the pitcher with no clue of where it really should be, which just made hot runny milk. No latte art on that one. To get that much-coveted silky texture, you can watch this short video…maybe multiple times like I did.

    1. Stretch, then swirl: Once it hisses, start to listen for that little ‘ch-ch-ch’ sound in the beginning (this is air entering the milk). Count to 5 then sink the wand deeper just until the whole tip of the wand is underneath the milk to create a whirlpool.

    That swirling motion smooths the foam, turning it into that beautiful microfoam everyone raves about. Keep it steady, or try to. I tried shifting positions mid-swirling to get the best ‘tornado’ effect which honestly doesn’t make a difference if you nail the position from the start. Fret not if bubbles form at the top of the milk surface! A proper ‘tornado’ of the milk would burst them and leave the milk with a glossy, silky texture when done right.

    1. The heat test: Believe or not, I used a pitcher that measures temperature. But really, all you need to do, as I now do, is just feel the side of the pitcher and stop steaming when it gets hot enough to say “ouch” but not enough to melt skin off. 

    If you observe those charismatic baristas, there is no thermometer. They use their hands. Getting the right temperature for the milk is an art. It’s magic. Magic cannot be measured, so don’t sweat this. The right temperature creates the environment for the milk to stay in that texture and allows excellent latte art. I learned about temperature and its effects from none other than my go-to connoisseur James Hoffman – check out his video here.

    Mythical Art in Progress 

    Here’s a secret you probably know: watching someone pour a perfect heart into a latte on YouTube is a trap. It looks effortless. It’s magic at its peak.

    It makes you “wow” in amazement. Yet, when I tried it, I “wowed” in abhorrence. 

    Here is a visual laugh-stimulator: my latest creation

    An afternoon coffee with a goofy-looking coffee

    The quest for coffee continues as I explore and learn to master the magic of latte art. If the images do not self-explain, the journey is just beginning. 

    Final Thoughts (on Fumbling When) Frothing Milk

    Learning to froth milk and make latte art has been weirdly satisfying. It’s equal parts science experiment, therapy session, and morning ritual. Sure, it may not look great now and the magic powers are intermittent at best. But nothing is removed from the excellent taste of the coffee. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to try making a tulip. Or a slightly abstract flower. Or… okay, probably another blob I picture to be a heart. But it’ll still be delicious. 

    For more frontiers explored on my Quest for Coffee, click below. I’ll see you there.

    Click to explore other quirky and cool stories.

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  • Quest for Coffee (3) | (Under) Pressure

    Quest for Coffee (3) | (Under) Pressure

    Quest for Coffee (3) | (Under) Pressure

    Ever wish you could silence your coffee machine every day in the morning? 

    Ah, the peace it would bring. No loud whirring or churning like a jet taking off from Top Gun. 

    I am here to say that this noise, often dismissed as just “noise”, comes from a critical part of the coffee-making process – pressure. 

    Pressure—specifically around 9 bars—is the heart of a good espresso shot. The machine forces hot water through finely ground coffee at this pressure to extract the oils, acids, sugars, and aromatic compounds from the coffee grounds in a tight 30-second window, give or take. After all, coffee-making is more art than science. 

    Want that coveted golden layer of crema gently floating above your aromatic espresso shot? Well, can’t be done without pressure – the right amount of it at that.

     Here’s how varying that pressure impacts the outcome:

    Too Little Pressure (<9 bars):

    Your coffee is under-extracted. This simply means that not all the lovely, amazing soluble compounds in the coffee grounds have been brewed into the espresso shot.

    Wasteful isn’t it?

    Once you glance at your espresso, a pale, thin and lacklustre looking layer of crema sits above it, dissipating almost as soon as you notice it. The coffee lets off a weak, grassy and unappealing scent, leaving you slightly baffled as to why your coffee is not like what the coffee bean packaging describes – “freshly roasted premium beans for the perfect espresso”.

    Surely it couldn’t taste that bad…right? 

    If you have ever tried acidic coffee, not by its origins and terroir, but as a result of poor extraction and low pressure, this is about as close as you can get to replicating it. 

    Right, so let’s take it up a notch and crank up the pressure. 

    Too Much Pressure (>9 bars):

    You load up your coffee machine and brew a second cup with greater pressure. This time, you seem satisfied.

    The espresso has a dark, thick and almost-brown crema, but yet looks burnt. You notice a lack of acidity in scent and taste, but a strong hint of bitterness lingers in your mouth. It reminds you of burnt toast or worse, rubber.

    What happened? 

    Well, this is what connoisseurs call an over-extracted shot. The coffee has been brewed with too much pressure. Think of this as “suffocating” the coffee beans due to excessive pressure, leading to “some good friends (the coffee beans, obviously) screaming: ‘Let me out’.” 

    Ideal Pressure (~9 bars):

    Ok, so you are wondering what a good shot of espresso looks like with the right amount of pressure.

    It’s hard to describe (remember, coffee-making is more an art than a science), but as a rule of thumb, you’ll know it when you see it with sufficient practice. 

    Your espresso would have undergone a balanced extraction, where 9 lovely bars of pressure blends the soluble compounds harmoniously to bring the bitters, acids and aromatics together. It’s almost like assembling the Avengers if you will (pressure would either be Thanos or Tony, I’d pick Tony). 

    Espresso shot from coffee machine

    You would notice a silky, smooth and honey-like consistency to the flow of coffee from the machine, giving you a satisfying and tempting brew time.

    The art to pulling a great espresso shots lies in the mastery of several factors affecting espressos including pressure, grind size, dosage and even temperature.

    Try one cup after another. The first time I pulled an espresso shot properly, it was worth all the attempts before.

    One step at a time, let’s continue tackling pressure for now.

    With a rich, thick golden crema with a hint of tiger-striped reddish hues, your espresso shot is accompanied by a bright, fruit-like acidity that highlights the terroir and origin character. It includes a touch of bitterness that rounds off the tartness. The vicinity is filled with a deep, nuanced and even floral aroma that lingers, depending on the type of bean used.

    Here’s my chapter on beans from Quest for Coffee. 

    To find out more about how to measure pressure, enjoy this side quest.

    I know I said coffee-making is more art than science, but I can’t help but explore more of the science behind putting coffee grounds under pressure. What can I say?

    Yes, it’s a nerdy thing.

    But it’s a Quest for Coffee. (Fear not, this is not a textbook. No alien words are used. Please read on without caution.)

    What’s really happening under pressure?

    Remember that whirring, churning noise that pressure makes to force hot water (88–96°C) through a tightly packed puck (it’s that round metal tray in which your finely ground coffee is held and tamped)?

    The pressure is 9 bars. That’s 9 times the atmospheric pressure in which you exist or around 130 psi. (That’s a lot of pressure withstood by coffee grounds.)

    Nonetheless, this pressure is critical.

    This pressure is needed.

    1. Solubility Increases with Pressure and Temperature

    Just like sugar dissolves faster in hot tea than cold water, the hot, pressurized water simply dissolves the soluble compounds in the coffee grounds faster. The acids (like citric and malic acid), sugars, caffeine and aromatic compounds (which contribute to smell) are all brought out (or assembled as referenced earlier) together more easily. These molecules are small and dissolve easily in water, so they’re extracted early in the shot—often in the first 10 seconds (remember how long an amazing espresso shot takes?). 

    2. Oils and Emulsions

    That shiny finish on your dark roasted coffee beans is natural oils that are hydrophobic (they dislike mingling with water like how normal oil floats on water). The high pressure helps emulsify (think of it combining oil with water) these oils into tiny droplets suspended in the espresso to create the thick, velvety body and crema on top. These oils are also carriers of volatile aromatics (volatile just means they escape easily into the air)—the fragrant notes you smell (floral, nutty, fruity).

    3. Even Extraction Requires Force

    Coffee grounds, when tamped well, are compact and offer resistance to water flow. Without pressure, the water would just flow through the easiest paths (called channeling, see below) and you’d get an uneven, weak shot. This translates to watery espresso spurting out from the machine into your cup, rather than a smooth, slow, honey-like flow downwards. Pressure ensures water gets pushed through the puck thoroughly, but only if the puck has been evenly tamped, giving the desired espresso shot. 

    With Pressure Comes Crema 

    If done right, crema is the golden foam of oils, carbon dioxide, and coffee solids that sits atop a fresh espresso. It’s considered a sign of a well-extracted shot (though not the only one).

    Pressure in play:

    Ideal pressure (around 9 bars):

    This forces carbon dioxide gases out of the coffee grounds, which were trapped during roasting, and like previously mentioned, emulsifies the coffee oils into microscopic bubbles that are found inside the rich, stable foam on top as well as within the espresso. The pressurized water extracts proteins and melanoidins (browning compounds), which stabilize the crema and give it that deep, reddish-golden hue. Cool huh?

    Too little pressure:

    With insufficient pressure, not enough CO₂ is released or emulsified so little to no crema is produced and it dissipates fast and looks pale.

    Too much pressure:

    Overdoing it can over-emulsify oils or disrupt flow, leading to a bitter shot with dense, overly dark crema that may look nice but tastes harsh. Proper pressure not only ensures even extraction but also crafts the crema — a delicate blend of gas, oils, and fine particles that signals quality.

    Channeling: Kill Shot, Literally

    Coffee connoisseurs call the phenomenon channeling as an espresso killer.

    Channeling comes when pressure, regardless of calibration, forces water through weak spots within the coffee grounds placed in the puck.

    This occurs due to cracks, air pockets, or uneven tamping in the puck, allowing water to rush through instead of flowing evenly, as water always follows the path of least resistance. 

    How it affects your espresso:

    First, you’ll see a blonde, watery stream flow from the machine instead of a rich, syrupy consistency. Like espressos made with a lack of pressure, the crema may appear thin, patchy, or quickly dissipate.

    Not to be a harbinger of bad news, but channeling might be worse than having incorrect pressures.

    The 3 most common outcomes from channeling are espressos, which 1, fall in the under-extracted zones, where water rushed too fast, resulting in sour, acidic notes; 2, fall in the over-extracted zones, where water stalled, giving bitter, harsh flavors; or 3, have a mix of both – doubly terrible. Essentially, you get brown water. 

    You might have other observations like diminished and inconsistent espressos which smell sharp and blatantly acidic because channeling causes water to push through the coffee beans unpredictably every time. You lose the vibrant, layered aromatics of a well-pulled shot.

    Suffice it to say, channeling is not good. 

    You might ask: Can I prevent channeling? 

    Yes. Yes you can. 

    It starts right here, where I explore 8 ways to better prepare the puck for espresso shots.

    Take your next step in the Quest for Coffee by clicking below.

    Click below to explore other cool adventures beyond coffee.

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  • Quest for Coffee (2) | Roast

    Quest for Coffee (2) | Roast

    Quest for Coffee (2) | Roast

    So what is the deal with the different roasts? Do they really make a difference?

    The short answer is…yes.

    When a coffee bean undergoes roasting, some very interesting processes take place. Don’t panic. While there are some complicated scientific reactions going on, they will be explained very simply here on Quest for Coffee.

    It’ll be fun.

    So to break it down, 3 main things usually change during roasting—colour, flavour and fragrance. 

    Colour

    Different roast levels alter the colour of the beans, which consequently affects the colour of your brewed coffee.

    Different levels of coffee roasts
    Levels of Roasts by FnB Coffee Blog
    • Light Roast (Cinnamon Roast or New England Roast): Roasted for a shorter period, the process usually stops before the first crack is fully developed.

      First crack essentially refers to the moment the bean expands from the heat and starts to crack, giving that familiar curve in pictures. Beans maintain their light brown colour, giving the brewed cup of a joe a subtle, pale amber hue.
    • Medium Roast (City Roast): Needless to say, a medium roast is when the bean is roasted for some time longer than a light roast, or more specifically, before the second crack. This usually occurs at around 230 degrees Celsius.

      Second crack is the technical term for when the coffee bean undergoes a breakdown of cellulose and release oils. They continue to darken and often become oily and shiny.

      Now your brewed coffee is a deep, rich brown with a fuller colour. Think of your average Americano at the coffee shop.
    • Dark Roast (Espresso, French Roast): Unrivaled in the dark shades of brown, these beans are roasted until they are nearly black and could have an oily, glossy surface due to neutral oils forced out of the beans.

      Most commonly used for espresso shots, the beans give a very dark final brew, with a possible hint of reddish hue. (Try it for yourself by pulling an espresso shot with dark-roasted beans versus light-roasted beans and notice the subtle colour differences)

    Craving coffee?

    Now just imagine a warm, fragrant cup of freshly brewed coffee from perfectly medium-roasted beans off the shelf of your favourite coffee shop!

    A Quick Break – The Maillard Reaction 

    As our tiny green, raw and harvested beans undergo roasting, they inevitably also undergo the Maillard reaction.

    You might have stumbled upon this fancy term in a cooking tutorial (as explained by Masterclass), where the browning of meat on a grill is described with this reaction. When meat is grilled, the heat causes the proteins and sugars to react, producing a brown, crispy crust with rich, savoury flavours.

    The browning is a direct result of the Maillard reaction. This same chemical reaction occurs during roasting, where the amino acids and sugars give the coffee its complex flavours and colour.

    Rule of thumb? The darker the roast, the more pronounced this reaction becomes, the more “caramelised” our beans, the more complex the flavour.

    Flavour

    Now that we know how heat causes the Maillard reaction, here’s its massive role in shaping the flavour profile of coffee. 

    • Light Roast: In a light roast, the original flavours of the bean, called origin characteristics, are more noticeable.

      You’ll taste fruity, floral, or even herbal notes. How in the wondrous wizarding world could this happen?

      Well…it’s due to terroir, a fancy name for “environmental factors”. Some of the natural flavours and characteristics of the environment where the bean was grown get carried forward through processing and roasting.

      Some of that original “genetic” flavour stays with the light roasted bean.

      Here comes the kicker: acidity. Often thought of as sourness, acidity is ironically not the same as sourness, but rather a lively, sparkling taste that some describe as fruity or wine-like.

      Try to taste the acidity (like in an orange) in your next coffee from light-roasted beans rather than the sourness (like a lemon), you might have a new discovery.
    • Medium Roast: Further roasting causes the natural acids to decrease and the sugars in the beans to caramelise.

      This balances the acidity by bringing out chocolatey, nutty, or caramel-like flavours. It’s really just more “sweet” flavours, like sugar to lemonade to neutralise the sharpness.

      Coffee brewed from here may have a slightly earthy undertone but a smooth, balanced cup.

    Remember our Maillard reaction? Well, this is the time. After the first crack, the browning effect becomes more pronounced as the Maillard reaction intensifies and out comes a rich, sweet flavour, cutting through the perceived acidity. 

    But what if you like your coffee strong and bold? Fear not, introducing…the dark roast.

    • Dark Roast: Dark roasts are known for their bold, smoky, or even burnt flavours.

      The original flavours of the beans take a backseat to the flavours developed during roasting, such as chocolate, toffee, or even bitter burnt notes.

      A French roast (another interchangeable name for dark roast) coffee might have hints of dark chocolate, molasses, and a tad of smokiness. It is often described as more full-bodied.

    Wake Up And Smell The roses Coffee

    The fragrance of coffee is one of its most delightful characteristics, and it’s profoundly affected by the roast.

    • Light Roast: Freshly brewed, light roasts often have a more delicate fragrance, usually citrusy or fruity.

      A freshly ground light-roast Kenyan coffee will release a vibrant, floral aroma that might remind you of bergamot or green tea.

      If you ever wondered how such aromas waft through the air, it is all thanks to compounds called “volatiles”. Volatiles are aromatic compounds in coffee released during grinding and brewing, partly due to the heat.

      Light roasts tend to have more volatile compounds preserved, contributing to their fragrant, fruity notes. 
    • Medium Roast: The fragrance becomes a little more rounded and caramelized. You might catch a whiff of nuts, chocolate, and brown sugar. (Again, the Maillard reaction is at work.)
    • Dark Roast: Dark roasted beans release a rich, often smoky fragrance, which is a mix of charred sugar and heavy caramelisation. Think barbeque but without meat. Some beans might give a heavy, almost leathery fragrance, with notes of tobacco and dark chocolate accompanied by a strong, smoky scent.

    Conclusion

    Just as the type of beans play a role in the overall look, taste and smell of your coffee, so does the roast.

    You could think of roast as the magnifier of flavour and the prelude to the brew, without which coffee would not exist.

    Ever wonder what beans would do under pressure? The adventure continues…

    Take the next step in the Quest for Coffee to explore beans under pressure.

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  • Quest for Coffee (1) | Beans

    Quest for Coffee (1) | Beans

    Quest for Coffee (1) | Beans

    You sit uneasily. You trip over words when speaking.

    You hit your toe against the table. (That’s a sobering sensation of pain unlike any) Why? Well…you haven’t had that cup of morning Joe.

    That coffee is crucial. From bean to ground, that coffee plays a vital role in deciding the fate of your morning. Yet, do you understand what you’re drinking?

    Fret not, Quest for Coffee is a series presented by Quirkbag Collections. I describe in simple terms and personal experience what I feel makes coffee the national drink of numerous countries. 

    Background (Before Getting to the Coffee Ground)

    Recently, I became interested in Joe – brewing coffee from beans at home. I used to think coffee was just this dark fragrant liquid from a brown bean. There were buzzwords like ‘medium roast’ and ‘tannins’ that sounded like baloney to me. As my curiosity would have it, I dug a little deeper into coffee. Fortunately, I am not a cat so I live to tell my tales. 

    Origin of the Beans

    Right. Beans come from many countries, most commonly Colombia, Italy, France and Kenya. According to one of James Hoffman’s YouTube videos – I most certainly would recommend checking out this tutorial series – the best places to grow coffee beans are regions with high altitudes.

    There is a whole classification of the beans based on the altitude at which they grew.

    High altitudes give a magical mix of intense heat from the sun during the day and the icy breeze at night. The beans are given the greatest chance to develop to their fullest potential.

    If you are a complete beginner to coffee like me, I recommend this coffee guide that summarises how coffee is made, from the plant to the drink. It certainly helped my understanding of the basics.

    From Arabica, the most popular type of coffee bean in the world (at 60% of the world’s volume), to Liberica, its more caffeinated and less famous cousin, the guide above can broaden your knowledge of the basics in several minutes.

    However, do the types really taste different? Kind of.

    Picking Coffee Beans from Tree
    Source: Pexels.com

    Depending on the climate in which beans are grown, and of course the chemical composition of the bean, they take on various flavour profiles. 

    Click on the buttons at the bottom of each box to explore more.

    KENYA

    Acidic, Floral, Fruity

    • Usually has distinct blackcurrant notes
    • E-grade beans are the largest class of beans, among which Kenya AA beans are the biggest
    To kenya!

    COLOMBIA

    Light, Smooth, Refined

    • Usually said to be more expensive and of higher quality
    • The harmonious mix of soil, altitude and climate births a unique origin of beans
    To colombia!

    JAMAICA

    Luxurious, Unique, Famous

    • Home of the Blue Mountain Coffee Beans
    • Known to be the home of the pinnacle of coffee luxury lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
    to jamaica!

    Because of favourable altitudes, the beans are grown slowly and matured with more nutrients, giving them Strictly High Grown (SHG)/Strictly Hard Bean (SHB) status. 

    Additionally, despite the beans’ natural flavour differing ever so slightly, the final flavour in the drink can be impacted greatly by heat. That brings us to roast. There are 3 main types.

    To learn more about roasts, check out next week’s chapter of Quest for Coffee. Feel free to have a coffee while waiting.

    If you are curious about that delicious fragrant dark liquid, join me for the next step in Quest for Coffee.

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