How to Achieve Perfect Coffee – by Gwilym Davies, World Barista Champion

Knowledge – make sure you know where your coffee beans come from – at the moment Gwilym is using a blend of two – 50% Yellow Bourbon, pulped natural from the Fazenda Passeio Farm in Minas Gerais, Brazil and 50% Gerbicho Rogicha, a dry processed coffee of heirloom varieties from Southern Sidamo in Ethiopia.

Coffee is an agricultural product – the varietal, processing method and growing conditions have a huge impact on its flavour, aroma and texture e.g. Yellow Bourbon beans are particularly sweet – pulped naturals have a good body and the growing region give it low acidity and Hazelnuts, mixed with the dry processed Ethiopian beans, which bring a dried fruit flavour, in this case Apricots.

For freshness sake, you need to know when the coffee was roasted – it should be used within three weeks, with an optimum time of 6-10 days from roast.
Look out for roast dates on the bag – this is a clear indication of a roaster's philosophy concerning freshness.

Gwilym’s coffee is roasted by Squaremile Coffee, his advice is: “Build a mutually beneficial relationship – Find out from your roaster how fresh the coffee is and get a starting point brewing recipe. In-turn, give feedback on how the blend behaves, they can then pass this on to the importers/farmers.”

Liken coffee to wine – it is not enough to know that a wine is simply French, as the varietal and growing conditions have a big influence on final flavour!

• Go for a burr grinder, not one with helicopter blades because they don't grind evenly.
• A good-quality machine with a stable temperature is key!
• The steam wand must be kept clean – a dirty wand, as well as being unhygienic is also a good indicator on the machines general cleanliness.
• Be careful not to overheat the milk – If milk is steamed too hot it will lose sweetness and texture.

If you have something to say on this story or anything else join the debate at Table Talk - Caterer's new networking forum. Go to www.caterersearch.com/tabletalk

Caterersearch.com jobs
Looking for a new job? Find your next hotel job here with Caterersearch.com jobs