The past two years has been a goldmine for coffee lovers in Singapore with more specialty coffee places to choose from. Simultaneously, there has been an increasing trend of coffee aficionados becoming home baristas. As a coffee lover myself, this tantalizing trend fascinated me. I spoke to Danny Pang (barista and cafe owner), Danny Hor (barista-turned-trainer), as well as home baristas, Raymond Toh and Andrew Hoi, to find out more.
Fancy a cup of espresso?
They unanimously agreed there is a growing trend for home baristas. Consumers are becoming more well-informed, with resources readily available on the web.Coffee appreciation and barista courses are also becoming easily accessible.
It was love at first sight, or should we say… savour. After relishing a well-extracted cup of espresso, all four became baristas, yearning to replicate the flavour that excited their senses. Their progress was fuelled by a vision to perfect the art of making espressos and their deepening appreciation for the flavours that different blends and varietals offered. They also experimented with various methods of brewing coffee such as the pour over, the siphon and the drip.
Traditional espresso machines are preferred due to the control over the degree of extraction. The machines also enable optimal steaming of milk. Well-frothed milk has silky “microfoam,” which is essential in creating beautiful Latte Art and a sweet taste.
Serious caffeine junkies attend cupping sessions where different types of coffee beans are brewed in the manner that best suits the characteristics of the beans. One shouldn’t have to add sugar to a well-brewed cup of coffee because the flavour should be smooth enough and not excessively bitter or sour.
Having attended a cupping session myself, I couldn’t help but note that it was like attending a wine tasting session except instead of wine, coffee was being swirled and analysed.
Have you ever tried a blind tasting of wines? The jargon thrown out by wine lovers range from Old World/New World, Left Bank/Right Bank, and even the blend of grape varietals. Likewise, coffee lovers evaluate their cup of joe by guessing the origin of the coffee and the blend of beans. Some tasting notes even described the coffee as having the flavour of red wine or fruits; it was a real eye-opening experience for me.
Just as wine lovers have a wide selection of accessories to choose from, coffee lovers can select from a large variety of machines, tools and accessories to suit the discerning brewer at different price points. Available at affordable prices, espresso machines and single-serve coffee machines are fast becoming key kitchen appliances in a busy, modern home. So we say brew away!
