Brian Hockenhull, who runs Buckley’s Yard Coffee Shop at 2 New Street, Uppermill, talks about the world of coffee and introduces you to their Coffee of the Month.
Visit Buckley’s Yard at New Street, Uppermill or phone Brian on 07973 155030 or email buckleysyarduppermill@gmail.com
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I HAVE been asked hundreds of times about how to get that perfect cup of coffee – the one which tastes just right, where you can sit back and really enjoy the flavour.
It’s a tricky one to answer because your sense of taste is personal and really depends on your mood, the environment you are in, what you’re eating or have just eaten, etc.
However, if you really want to appreciate coffee at its best then the single most important factor is how freshly roasted your source ingredients are. Coffee is at its best 2-9 days after the beans have been roasted.
The equipment you use is not really all that important – a cup of coffee made in a cheap plastic cafetiere using freshly roasted beans will taste a lot better than one made using old beans in an expensive coffee maker.
A chastening thought for those of you fortunate enough to have bought one of those expensive machines or maybe some filmstar-fronted coffee making system.
However, these days there are inexpensive adaptors available which allow you to use real ground coffee and, better still, you have a little place on your doorstep from where you can buy beans guaranteed to be freshly roasted.
All you need to do is find the coffees which you like best – and it’s great fun finding out!
COFFEE OF THE MONTH – MEXICAN FINCA MUXBAL
This is a quite outstanding coffee that I roast every week in Uppermill for the growing band of coffee connoisseurs, but also to supply my brother’s authentic Mexican restaurant near Bristol.
Coffee was introduced to Mexico during the 19th century from Jamaica and since then the country has become the fifth largest producer in the world with an output of around 5 million bags per year.
Around 75% of production takes place on small farms and much of the country’s coffee is produced by co-operatives. There are estate grown coffees, particularly in Chiapas, Mexico’s largest coffee producing state, and it is from here where I source the fantastic Muxbal beans.
In the local Mame dialect Muxbal means ‘place surrounded by clouds’ and this is the name chosen for a most unique coffee farm on the slopes of the active Tacana volcano.
The farm is managed by mother and son team Maeggi Rodriguez and Jorge Gallardo. It was purchased in 1959 by Maeggi’s father, Don Enrique.
He introduced three key principles: social responsibility, environmental sustainability and the production of very high quality coffee. These principles can be seen around the farm and tasted in the cup.
The quality is wonderfully complex and fruity, with a long lasting tangy aftertaste, probably due to the altitude – 1,600 metres above sea level – the rich and fertile volcanic soils and the meticulous care and attention in all aspects of harvesting and processing.
The farm is fully Rainforest Alliance certified. It has been achieving an astonishing 100% in recent audits and was the first in Mexico to achieve such perfection. Great emphasis is placed on social needs of the workers – that’s why I source my supplies of beans very carefully.
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