It’s been over six years since I landed in Melbourne. This city keeps on amazing me with its decadent food and coffee culture. Little did I know how Melbourne would change the way I think, drink and talk about coffee.
My discovery of the coffee world
As with most travellers settling in Melbourne, I took a casual job in the hospitality world. I hardly knew the subtle difference between a latte and a flat white, but I slowly started discovering that coffee has a different meaning here and baristas are proud of their trade. As I was running lattes and cappuccinos, I saw how people were picky about their brew and wouldn’t be shy to return a coffee if it wasn’t exactly how they wanted it.
I started working with a speciality coffee venue in the CBD, and from that experience, I got exposed to another kind of cafe culture. Coffee bean origins, blend and process matter and where we don’t just talk about a flat white or long black but also flavour profiles and coffee acidity that defines how we should brew the coffee.
I got addicted! I was drinking more coffee than ever, learning what I like and don’t like – It was an exploration of flavours and myself.
Brewing, extraction & senses
Depending on its origin and drying process, a coffee bean can have a distinct flavour profile. Indeed, some types of coffee you can taste blackcurrant, chocolate or nutty flavours. Some have fruity notes at the end. It’s a little bit like wine or music, some people have a stronger experience with it and want to appreciate its subtleties. If you take the time, you can start to feel the different nuances and sharpen your taste for it.
You can have it in the morning or at the end of dinner. As a short, intense espresso or a bottomless cold drip to sip through the day while working. It’s a drink that we all recognise by name, colour and smell and yet two different cups of coffee can be so different, depending on how you like it and when you drink it.
Bringing people together: Coffee-cupping event
I had an idea! I wanted to organise an event around coffee. This event would bring people together and allow them to learn more about coffee beans and various processes.
So, I brought my plan to the manager of ‘Hash’ speciality coffee where I worked. I contacted our coffee roasters ‘Reverence coffee’ and organised a cupping event where experts can serve their coffee to perfection.
I was a bit nervous about organising an event without having a high level of expertise in coffee, but I was glad to work with people that knew what they were doing and were passionate about it.
We organised a cupping event called the ‘After work: Coffee cupping’.
A Coffee cupping, or coffee tasting, is the practice of observing the tastes and aromas of brewed coffee.
This one-off event had a great turn out with all kind of coffee lovers; it was great to meet so many people that loved coffee and learning together about coffee beans.
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**Sharing is caring!
Since this event and myself starting to work in an office, I decided to start sharing my foodie adventures on social media hoping to connect with more people, sharing Melbourne food and café culture.
I am happy that I get to share some of that experience on Google map as it’s not linked to a timeline and help others to make an educated choice on what place to visit or not.
