I’m cupping a mug of what might be the most expensive coffee in the world: Hacienda La Esmeralda Special from Panama, a bean so highly sought-after it commanded prices of up to USD 51.50 per pound at this year’s farm auction – and that’s before the beans are even roasted. Mike Yung, Coffee Ambassador for Graffeo Coffee in Hong Kong and a World Barista Championship Certified Judge, is leading today’s tasting and introduction to the coffee session. “This coffee is almost like a tea,” he explains, “with light, floral, jasmine and citrus notes.” And I have to agree – this is coffee at its most complex, delicate and refined.
Enveloped by the comforting smell of freshly-ground beans in Graffeo’s Hong Kong studio and surrounded by sparkling grinders and polished machines, Mike introduces me to the basics of coffee. Like wine, it has its own terminology which is lush and evocative. Sniffing out medicinal, lemon, tobacco, apricot or even sweet pea and almond notes, those in the specialty coffee industry have a nose for the subtle flavours that make up the unique character of each bean. “Even coffees picked from different regions within the same farm have their own flavour profiles thanks to what we call ‘micro-climates’,” he explains, “and that’s not even taking into account the impact blending, roasting and preparing the drink has on its taste.”
We do a side-by-side tasting of two of Graffeo’s most popular blends in the form of espresso: the Dark 1935 House Blend and Teres Grand Cru Coffee, both of which are small-batch roasted in Singapore. The first is what I traditionally think of as coffee: rich, heavy, aromatic. Compared with the Teres Grand Cru, which zings and zips along playfully thanks to its citrus notes, it’s easy to see how coffee connoisseurs think of coffee and wine as sharing similarities – the taste varies depending on the region, varietal (number of different beans), method of processing and even preparation.
An espresso will bring out different flavours to filter coffee, and even within that there’s the art of pulling the ‘perfect’ espresso: the crema contains the most volatile and aromatic compounds and dissipates within minutes, while the heart is the sweetest part of the drink. The key is to sip deeply and get a balance of flavours at the same time.
We move on to the grand tasting trio: comparing filter-prepared Teres Grand Cru, Hacienda La Esmeralda Special and Ethiopian Nekisse 90+ Micro Selection. The latter is a special dry-processed coffee which sings fresh blueberries – a note I’ve never detected in coffee before – and is faintly sweet, while Hacienda La Esmeralda’s fruity and floral tones show that light doesn’t mean simple.
But will your average punter really appreciate this kind of coffee?
“Asia’s coffee culture is developing at an amazing rate”, says Mike, who previously trained and worked in Canada before moving to Hong Kong. “Specialty coffee is a fairly young industry, but there’s a huge opportunity to educate people about it and showcase the quality-focused artisanal coffee roasters who are producing something really special.”
Graffeo holds coffee courses for professionals and enthusiasts / www.graffeocoffee.com
