Hand drip, French press or espresso machine? Single origin or blended beans? Ethiopia, Brazil or Col

When it comes to choosing the right bean, it is more about the smell than taste, says Wong. “Roasters choose the beans and test them to make sure the taste is good,” he explains. “Yesterday we tasted about 12 types of beans and next week we are tasting 28 coffee beans just from one country – Ethiopia.

“When a barista makes coffee, it looks like we just press a button, but we have to control a lot of variables, such as temperature, amount of water, and the grind. All this will affect the taste of the coffee. Even if I use the exact same beans as someone else, the results can be different. So if the coffee tastes watery or acidic, it could be an indication of bad technique. At Elephant Grounds, we spend a lot of time training the baristas so they can get a good, consistent cup every day. So behind the scenes, we spend a lot of time adjusting the recipes.”

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The brewing technique also affects the taste of coffee. “I like percolation and hand drip coffee – some people call it pour over – which produces a clean, silky taste,” says Wong. “Basically, all brewing methods involve a filter. For hand drip coffee, the filter is paper whereas for the French press, it is a metal mesh. French press produces coffee on the strong side of the spectrum, but it tastes clean in comparison to espresso, which can be very strong, powdery and bitter.”

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Then there is the siphon method, which is a completely different brewing style. “The water is heated from the bottom and sealed on top. When it begins to boil, because of the pressure it quickly gets to about 88 degrees Celsius, and then you add the coffee and stir. It is brewed at a higher temperature in comparison to hand drip, which does not reach 88 degrees straight away. With siphon brewing, the water on top is heated to a much higher degree, which extracts more flavours from the coffee.

“At the same time because it is brewing at such a higher temperature, you can get some unwanted flavours like smoky, astringent and bitter if brewed too long. But done right, it can be sweet and aromatic. Also, siphon coffee has a thicker body in comparison to hand drip, and ranks somewhere between French press and hand drip in terms of strength.”

The beans are very important to the type of coffee you want. Single origin means the beans are sourced from one area, such as Ethiopia, Brazil or Colombia.

“For hand drip, I recommend single origin but for milk-based coffee, single origin often lacks depth, and you don’t get a lot of the flavours out of the coffee,” says Wong. “When making a cappuccino or latte, we use coffee blends for a fuller body and more complexity. For example, if I use Ethiopian coffee for espresso, it tastes all right, but as a milk-based coffee it will taste watery. So blending is another art that we take pride in.”

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Anson Wong’s tips on brewing the perfect cup at home

1. French press brewing is one of the easiest ways to make coffee with consistent results. Personally, I believe French press is good when you use single origin beans.

2. Get yourself a home grinder and grind the beans right before you want to brew. We recommend you brew your coffee within four minutes after the beans are ground so the flavour is better. After that amount of time, the flavour deteriorates fast.

3. If you love making coffee, invest in an electronic scale and weigh the beans and water. I recommend a coffee ratio of 1:15 in general. So, for example, if I use 15 grams of coffee, I will start with 225ml of water. That is a safe recipe. Then you can play with the amounts if you like it stronger.

4. Never use distilled water because it does not contain any minerals. This means you won’t get enough flavour out of the coffee. Imagine it to be like sandpaper – without the minerals you cannot strip the flavours from the coffee. So the taste will be watery. I recommend a mineral water that is not too hard or soft.

5. Arabica coffee beans, which are grown at a high altitude, have a lower caffeine content.

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