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Wake up and smell the coffee at Monmouth |
Quality coffee takes more than an instant
Don Ryan visits a coffee shop which successfully blends globally sourced beans with local expertise
MAKING coffee is a simple task: take a cone-shaped object with perforations in the lower part, place on a waterproof receptacle, then add some ground coffee. Pour in water that’s just off the boil, and there it is – invigorating coffee.
It’s no harder than making tea, so why are we, when in our homes, a nation of instant coffee drinkers?
To make good coffee using a simple appliance requires – according to Anita Le Roy, proprietor of the Monmouth Coffee Company, a shop and café in Covent Garden – good quality beans, carefully roasted in a special oven by a highly experienced operative.
These were difficult criteria to meet in post-war Britain and that probably explains why our parents and their parents before them welcomed the convenience of Nescafé and Maxwell House, rather than engage with the real thing.
Monmouth was founded in 1978 by hippy entrepreneur Nicholas Saunders. A devotee of the alternative society philosophy, he created an assortment of bohemian businesses including Neal’s Yard Dairy.
Having established a number of successful enterprises, Saunders abandoned the world of commerce. The ventures and the philosophy he left behind were taken over by Anita and her husband-to-be, Randolph Hodgson.
Randolph took over Neal’s Yard and went on to found the pioneering Borough Market; Anita became the driving force behind The Monmouth Coffee Company.
Monmouth’s beans come from all over the world and are purchased directly from producers and co-operatives, with the exception of Cuba, where the government is the governor and direct commercial relationships are not allowed.
The Monmouth Coffee Company is certainly different. Trendy marketing fads are not automatically embraced; there is no fair trade but there is organic choice.
The varieties of coffee beans are frequently changed and the knowledgeable and well-trained staff advise customers and offer free tastings.
Enthusiastic servers subject customers to a gentle interrogation.
“Whole bean or ground?,” they ask.
Reply, “Ground please,” and the examination continues: “Cafetiere, espresso machine or filter?”
Taste preferences are then explored, and when all the “coffee questions” are answered the customer is presented with the perfect blend.
In my case, it was 250g of freshly ground, expertly roasted Columbian, with the name of the supplying co-operative printed on the bag.
The coffee was handed to me in a brown paper pouch which stated: “This coffee is freshly roasted and needs no packaging devices to prolong its shelf life.”
Sipping some cups at home with friends later that day, I graciously accepted the compliments and congratulated myself on an excellent choice.
What it is:
The drink coffee is produced from seed of the berry of the Coffea, an evergreen bush mainly grown in Central and South America, Africa and Indonesia.
There are two kinds, robusta and arabica. Arabica beans produce the better coffee. Most coffee sold in the UK is made from the robusta variety and sold as instant.
This guide relates only to fresh coffee made from the arabica bean.
What to buy and why:
There are three types of fresh coffee styles available:
Roasted coffee beans.
Ground, roasted coffee beans.
Unroasted coffee beans.
Unroasted coffee will stay fresh for months and can be up to 50 per cent cheaper than the roasted variety, but you need a roaster. (A popcorn-maker, in the rights, hands will do.)
Roasted coffee is best drunk as soon as possible after roasting, as roasted beans degrade quickly, and only stay fresh for 3 to 6 days or a couple of weeks if stored carefully.
Even if stored correctly in a glass, airtight container, roasted coffee will have lost most of its flavour within 3 weeks.
Best bet: buy unroasted beans and roast them yourself
Next best: buy unground roasted beans, self-ground as required. Worst practice: an enormous, open bag of factory-ground coffee, stored in a cupboard for weeks.
The world of coffee:
South America: Columbia, Brazil, Bolivia
Relatively light-bodied, bold tasting with high acidity.
Central America: Costa Rica. Jamaica, Mexico
Similar to South American but slightly stronger taste.
Indonesia, Yemen:
Heavy bodied and full flavoured. Low in acidity with a long smooth finish. Relatively cheap.
Africa: Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia
The birth place of all the coffees. Fruity and spicy with exotic flavours that may be off putting for some; nevertheless well worth trying for the hell of it.
Coffee grinders
There are two kinds:
Blade – the cheaper of the two, slices the beans to a fine finish.
Burr – grinds the beans more evenly.
The right grind for the best coffee
Coarse: percolators or cafetieres.
Medium: Flat-bottomed filter machines.
Fine: cone filter machines.
Extra fine: espresso.
Top Tip: buy from a coffee store.
Here are three of the best:
The Coffee Shop, Delancey Street, NW1
Monmouth Coffee Company, 27 Monmouth Street, WC2
Algerian Coffee Stores, 52 Old Compton Street, W1
Where to relax and enjoy good coffee:
Tinderbox, 21 Upper Street, N1
Patisserie Valerie, 44 Old Compton Street, W1
Monmouth Coffee Company, 27 Monmouth Street, WC2
The Wine Cellar, 193 Kentish Town Road, NW5
Information: on buying a coffee maker and accessories:
www.johnlewis.com/12_Buying+a+coffee+maker/Content.aspx
www.algcoffee.co.uk/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=1263
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