Brian Hockenhull, who runs Toast! coffee shop and wine bar in Delph Business Centre, talks about the world of coffee and introduces you to their Coffee and Wine of the Month.
For more information, phone 01457 820 270, visit their website or find them on Facebook.
THIS MONTH I thought we’d take a look at coffees suitable for Espresso and also one of our hot-selling wines, but, first of all, I’d like to thank everyone who’s been to TOAST and helped to spread the word about my little venture.
It’s now a roaring success after only one month of trading! It really has been a pleasure to meet you all and see the looks of delight when you realise here is a business that is successful simply because we don’t rip the customer off.
So, on to espresso coffees… Espresso is both a coffee beverage and a brewing method. It is not a specific bean, blend, or roast.
Any bean or roasting level can be used to produce authentic espresso. For example, in Southern Italy, a darker roast is generally preferred whereas further North the trend moves toward slightly lighter roasts.
The modern espresso machine was invented in Milan in 1945 by Achille Gaggia and spread across the rest of Europe and North America in the early 1950s.
The rise of espresso consumption in Italy was associated with urbanisation as espresso bars were a great place for socialising. Coffee prices were controlled by local authorities, provided the coffee was consumed standing up and so encouraging the ‘stand at a bar’ culture.
Today, coffee culture commentators distinguish large chain, low-end market coffee as ‘Second Wave Coffee’, and upmarket, artisanal coffee as ‘Third Wave Coffee’.
Espresso is generally thicker than coffee brewed by other methods, has a higher concentration of suspended and dissolved solids, and has ‘crema’ on top. As a result of the pressurized brewing process, the flavours and chemicals in a typical cup of espresso are very concentrated.
Just about any coffee shop that roasts coffee will have a variety of roasted beans. If you find yourself wondering what the difference is, don’t worry, you’re not alone!
One thing you should keep in mind when buying freshly roasted coffee is you have to judge the coffee by your own eyes. None of the coffee should look charcoal black – the darker roasts should be oily and shiny. Darker beans should produce a slightly sweeter coffee, as the natural sugars in the beans will caramelize.
As the roast gets darker some of the acid and the caffeine get burned off. This means the lighter coffee is more bitter, acidic, and less sweet. For espresso, darkish roasts are best as they create espresso that’s sweet with a less bitter aftertaste.
So, at TOAST we offer four types of beans roasted specifically for espresso coffee: our House Espresso Crema, together with French, Italian and Continental Roasts. Each has unique characteristics but there are others in our range suitable for espresso, and other brewing methods, such as Old Brown Java, Monsooned Malabar, and Sulewesi Kalossi.
Meanwhile, this month’s wine recommendation is Arengo Barbera from Vinchio Vaglio Serra in Piemonte
A really fruity red wine (at £5.99), it’s going down particularly well in TOAST. Barbera is the staple grape of the Piedmont region in Northern Italy, and the wine is well paired with poultry, pork, spicey food and soft cheeses.
Arengo is a young Barbera in the modern style with a moderate alcohol content, well-balanced and easy to drink and with a great fruity taste. At this price just snap it up!
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