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:

  1. Grind up the beans
  2. Put the minced mess in a filter paper
  3. Pour scalding hot water through the pulverised mass, and
  4. 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.