A flat white Australian coffee. My personal favorite.

After living in Melbourne, Australia for the past six months, I have grown to appreciate the unique Australian style of coffee.  My goal with this post is to outline the Aussie coffee experience and how it differs mostly from the American experience.

The most obvious characteristic about the  Australian coffee culture is that there are small cafes on every block.  Coffee is an abundant resource here and is often no more than a block away in the city.  What’s nice about the Australian coffee shops is that there are several independent cafe’s scattered about the city, meaning you wont find several Starbucks, Coffee Beans, or even Gloria Jeans (the local chain) condensed into the same area.  Though Starbucks does exist, I found it pressing to find one.  I would say from my experience that the majority of coffee shops are independent.  I found this a fantastic characteristic of the culture because it’s easy to try different types of coffee beans and roasts and to try out various baristas and even espresso machines.  Because the coffee shops are independent each cafe chooses an espresso machine, which is usually a commercial semi automatic machine.  I never encountered a cafe using a commercial super automatic espresso machine except at Startbucks or McDonald’s, called Maccas in Australia.  This leads to a wide variety of machines being used at cafes across the country.

The coffee menu may take a little bit to get used to.  There is the standard coffee menu throughout Australia.  This makes it easy to compare the quality of coffee and the craftsmanship of the barista at different cafes. The standard drinks will look familiar, but with an Aussie twist:

Australian Coffee Menu

Cappuccino: Textured milk extends over the rim to create a “dome.” Sprinkled on top with chocolate powder.

Caffe Latte: Latte art here seems the norm.

Flat White: An Australian invention. Shot of espreso in a ceramic cup with creamy, textured milk poured on top. This drink is not full to the top, hence the ‘flat.’ Less creamy froth on top than a caffe latte.

Caffe Mocha: Chocolate drinking powder dissolved in a shot of espresso with creamy, textured milk on top, similar to a cappuccino.  Served with sprinkled chocolate powder on top.

Short Black: One shot of espresso served in a small cup

Long Black: Two shots of espresso served on hot water.  Espresso on top of hot water as to not disturb the crema.

Short Macchiato: Shot of espresso served in a short macchiato glass with a dash of milk and two teaspoons of creamy froth spoon on top.

Long Macchiato: Long black with a dash of milk and two tablespoons of creamy froth spooned on top in a ceramic cup.

These main menu items listed above are all espresso based coffee drinks, this is because espresso is standard in Australia. If you’re looking for something close to American drip coffee, the closest relative to the American drip coffee would be the “Long Black.” Australian coffee drinks are all called brown tops, meaning that the coffee is always mixed in with the milk throughout the drink.  If you’re ever in Australia I recommend giving the local coffee a go and explore the menu to find your favorites.

Direct Process

There are several different processes that companies use to decaffeinate coffee beans. First of all coffee beans are decaffeinated when they are still green, before they are roasted. The most common process is called the direct process. In the direct process they use chemicals like methylene chloride and ethyl acetate. These chemicals are also used in paint stripper, nail polish remover, and glue. The first step of the direct process is to steam the green coffee beans for 30 minutes to bring the caffeine to the surface of the bean, and then the coffee beans are rinsed with these chemicals. If you are looking for decaffeinated coffee, I would suggest that you buy coffee beans that have not been decaffeinated by this process because of the chemicals used. At the end of the chemical wash process the beans are steamed for 10 hours to remove any remaining chemicals solvents.

CO2 Method

Another method that is used is the CO2 method. The beans are immersed into a CO2 solution that is under such immense pressure that the CO2 gas has turned into a liquid. The CO2 acts as a solvent and washes away any of the caffeine at the surface of the bean. After this initial process is complete the pressure is released and the CO2 turns back into a gas form and evaporates and leaves behind the beans.

Swiss Water Process

The best process is the Swiss Water Process. In this process the beans are soaked for 10 hours in a green coffee extract. Coffee beans are soaked for a long time to remove the flavor and the caffeine. After  about 10 hours when all the flavor and the caffeine have dissolved in the water the beans are removed and what is left is a concentrate of flavor and caffeine. The caffeine is then filtered out of this solution only leaving the flavor solids. With the next batch of beans that is soaked in this green coffee extract solution, only the caffeine dissolves in the water because of the high concentration levels of soluble flavor components that are already present in the solution. This method removes 99.9% of the caffeine present in the green coffee bean. This is the best and most natural method for decaffeinating coffee. Posh Portage Fresh Roast Coffee only roasts decaffeinated coffee using the Swiss Water Process.

I don’t suggest that you try and emulate these processes at home since the cost and amount of time it would take would not be efficient.

This is a video explaining and promoting the Swiss Water Process.

For me freshness of roasted coffee is more important to me than any brand names, so to share my perspective I will explain the roasting process, and why I believe fresh roasted is the best way to go. FYI this will be a general overview; I will save a more detailed article and video for a later post.

Coffee is mostly sold in its roasted state, but very few people know about this roasting process.

The roasting process starts when we open the gate at the bottom of the hopper right above the roasting drum. The beans slide into the drum which is heated from below via gas burners.  The roasting drum is a horizontally spinning drum that roasts the beans evenly with a current of hot air.

At 392°F: Roasting Process Begins: Heat breaks down starches in the coffee bean resulting in caramelization. Caramelization in coffee beans is the oxidation of complex starches turning them into simple sugars; an example of this would be sucrose in green coffee beans being broken down into the monosaccharides fructose and glucose. This process results in a nutty flavor and the browning of the coffee bean.

During roasting, oils, acids, and caffeine are altered by the extreme heat,  changing the flavor

At periodic times during the process the roastmaster will check on the progress of the beans by looking at samples from a scoop, called a tryer.

At 401°F: Additional oils start developing at this temperature, again altering the flavor of the coffee bean. Caffeol is created at 392°F and is largely responsible for coffee’s distinct flavors and aromas.

When the right moment comes the roast master opens the chamber door, dumping the beans onto the cooling tray. The beans are stirred on the cooling tray as air is drawn down through them to cool them as fast as possible so that the beans cease roasting as fast as possible.

The packaging of the freshly roasted coffee is also part of the roasting process and can be just as important as roasting. In order to preserve that fresh roast taste for as long as possible the packaging must protect the beans from light, oxygen and moisture. Fresh roasted coffee is packaged within just minutes of cooling, and because coffee beans will continue to leak CO2, Carbon Dioxide, after roasting, a proper package will have a pressure relief valve to let the CO2 escape the package.

This valve will also serve to push out any oxygen that was in the bag at the time it was heat sealed. These coffee bags are also made out of foil which block out light.

Yet, even with these bare minimum requirements for fresh roast, coffee still loses 25% of its flavor within two weeks of roasting. Freshness is paramount to coffee, and coffee is a perishable product, which most people do not realize. The majority of people are drinking stale coffee, be different and taste the difference of freshly roasted coffee beans.

Wondering where to start? Our Posh Portage Coffee, look for the black coffee bag, is guaranteed fresh and will be delivered just days after roasting. Click here to view our selection.

For everyone searching for that perfect cup of joe… Never give up!

Consumers are becoming more interested and knowledgeable about their coffee drinking, so interested, in fact, that they want to be involved in the whole process from roasting to drinking. Roasting your own beans will guarantee the freshest possible coffee because most coffee bags that you can buy in the store are not fresh. Coffee loses 25% of its flavor within the first two weeks of roasting and because of this the overwhelming majority of coffee that people buy is stale.

Instead of buying roasted coffee, someone who has their own coffee roaster will buy unroasted coffee called “green beans.” Green beans don’t lose their flavor until they are roasted. To roast green coffee beans you put them into a spinning metal drum that heats the beans and roasts them evenly. The longer the beans are left in the machine to roast the darker and stronger they become.

Home coffee roaster can range from $200 to $900 depending on features and the quantity of coffee you will want to roast.

McDonald’s builds a steam powered advertisement to sell people hot coffee at a freezing bus stop. Too bad their coffee isn’t as good as the advertising.

There is no stir stick needed with this coffee mug. The self stirring coffee mug by Think Geek is powered by two AAA batteries at the base of the mug. At the push of a button a small motor at the base spins a small wheel, mixing your coffee.

The coffee mug comes with a stainless steel finish and a lock in lid that keeps your coffee hot. The mug is being advertised as a green solution to using disposable stirring utensils. To clean the mug you just pour in soapy warm water and press the button to stir.

The Legend

According to Ethiopian and Coffee lore a young goat herder named Kaldi discovered coffee while tending to his goats. Kaldi noticed that when his goats ate the berries of a nearby shrub they became very animated and could not sleep at night. Kaldi told the local monk about what he had discovered, and the monk then brewed a concoction of the berries for himself. The monk noticed that he was more alert during his evening prayers, and he told the other monks in the monastery.  The effects of this beverage soon spread all over the world and history was made.

Commercialization of Coffee

Arabs were the first people to cultivate and trade coffee around 1,000 AD. (The word coffee comes from an Arabic word meaning excitement). Yemen was the first large coffee exporter and in order to protect themselves from competition no living coffee plant could leave the country. However, in the 16th century a Muslim pilgrim brought coffee and raised them in India. Soon coffee spread all over the world. By the middle of the 17th century London and Paris had hundreds of coffee houses and coffee had also become popular in the Americas. A reason that is given for the United States’ national preference for coffee over tea is the heavy tax on tea imposed by King George of England, which prompted the Boston Tea Party.Since Holland, England, and France broke the coffee monopoly held by the Arabs, coffee has been cultivated all over the world especially flourishing in the South Americas. In the 18th century coffee was the one of the worlds most profitable export crops. In today’s world of coffee production 50% of coffee is from Brazil, 25 percent from other Latin American nations, and about 20 percent coming from Africa.

Facts on Coffee Growing and Processing

Coffee comes from the Rubiaceae family of plants, which includes more than 6,000 species of tropical trees and shrubs. Out of these 6,000 species of plants only two produce the coffee beans that we consume, coffea arabica and coffea caneflora (popularly known as robusta). Arabica coffee, is used for darker roasts  and is primarily grown in the Americas. Arabica trees are cultivated under more strenuous conditions and over a longer period of time than robusta, “which may explain the beans’ complex and full-bodied flavor. Arabica accounts for about 70 percent of the world’s coffee production, and is preferred by most Americans. Robusta is used more for milder roasts and is primarily grown in Africa. Robusta is a hardier coffee tree and fruits faster, endures warmer climates, and resists disease and frost more than arabica can.

Coffee comes from a cherry that is grown on these coffee trees. Each of these cherries has two beans. It takes about a year for a cherry to fully mature after the flowering of the white flowers. Coffee trees grow in a continuous cycle and therefore it is not unusual to see flower, ripe fruit and unripened fruit on the same coffee tree.

It takes 5 years for a coffee tree to reach maturity. One roasted pound of coffee beans is the equivalent to a years harvest from one tree. The lifespan of the typical coffee is about 20-30 years. Coffee trees a able to grow in a wide range of climates as long as there is no huge fluctuations in temperature.

The roasting process is the most important part of the process of coffee production that effects the taste. The roasting process determines the color and flavor as well as intensity and acidity of the finished coffee beans. Darker roasts of coffee are processed for longer periods of time and at a higher temperature. Lighter roasts have a more delicate flavor and contain higher quantities of caffeine.

Everyday tons of coffee grounds are thrown into the trash instead of being recycled and that is a shame because coffee grounds can be used in a multitude of different ways around your garden to help fertilize your plants. Rather than throwing your coffee grounds in the trash and having it turn into harmful greenhouse gases, you should start using coffee grounds in your garden.

Follow these simple tips to get started:

• Sprinkle used grounds around plants before rain or watering, for a slow-release nitrogen.
• Add to compost piles to increase nitrogen balance.  Coffee filters and tea bags break down rapidly during composting.
• Dilute with water for a gentle, fast-acting liquid fertilizer.  Use about a half-pound can of wet grounds in a five-gallon bucket of water; let sit outdoors to achieve ambient temperature.
• Mix into soil for houseplants or new vegetable beds.
• Encircle the base of the plant with a coffee and eggshell barrier to repel pests.
• If you are into vermi-posting, feed a little bit to your worms

Watch this video for more information about using coffee grounds in your garden

How do you use coffee grounds around your home?

The key to creating a great coffee cupping experience is making sure that whenever you are tasting coffee you have a set process for analyzing what you are tasting. Consistency of each cup of coffee is the key. Watch the video to see a cupping in action.