The talents of a barista can make or break a coffee, writes Max Moola.
Now, as you may or may not be aware, I do not ‘do’ coffee. There was a time when I quite enjoyed a small libation of the South American liquid to set my day in motion – until one of those trendy coffee places tried to poison me.
Cheap coffee beans combined with poor roasting technique actually produces a substance akin to arsenic, both in flavour and ability to kill your tastebuds.
With the destruction of my tastebuds almost complete, I embarked on a trip to the good old US of A. Now those Yanks really know how to stuff up coffee in four quick steps:
- Grind up the beans
- Put the minced mess in a filter paper
- Pour scalding hot water through the pulverised mass, and
- Leave to stew in a pot, before serving to locals and unsuspecting tourists.
As a youth I think I may have experienced better tasting dirt on the football field.
I hear you mumbling under your breath, “Max, why are you sharing this rubbish with us?”
Well, I wanted to tell you that I have been reborn. I’ve rediscovered coffee thanks to someone who is possibly the Messiah of the Colombian liquid gold.
Recently while stomping Teneriffe I found Carlos, alias ‘the Messiah’. He and his family have opened a coffee boutique in Commercial Road (just across the road from Harcourt Street) and are serving a unique coffee blend.
Carlos hails from Colombia so one would expect him know a bit about his product. I know the Italian coffee aficionados amongst you will get upset, castigate me and insist that good coffee should be served lukewarm, but Carlos insists it should be served HOT and I for one agree.
So if you want a fantastic cup of HOT coffee head down to Carlos’ Morning Glory coffee shop, take a moment to soak up the atmosphere, and I promise, you will not be disappointed.
Your taste buds aren’t as receptive to flavour at higher temperatures as they are in the 50 degree range. If you’re going to review coffee and recommend it publicly you should learn about it first to save yourself from looking like a dunce.