The Single Origin Weekend

During my university days, a mini food hub appeared in Adelaide Arcade. An authentic Taiwanese vegetarian food store with various teas, a Japanese cafe with cheap and decent mains, an Italian restaurant that served limited but good homemade pasta, and a Scottish-managed cafe that served the best white chocolate mocha in town (with the odd day where the staff had to wear kilts and long white stockings). Then there was a chocolate shop that sold only imported chocolates, organic cocoas and coffee beans.

It was at this shop, where you were not allowed to say the C word (as in Cadbury) and could only whisper "Haigh's", that I learnt about single origin chocolates. I was already relatively familiar with single origin coffees, thanks to all the exposure at Adelaide Central Market and Kappy's (I do miss sitting amongst the sacks of coffee and tall glass vats of tea leaves, and I remember my sister talking about the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee roasting session she attended there), though back then I was still confined to sipping the odd Kenya Peaberry mocha and wondering about hazelnut infused ground coffee. My single origin world just ever so expanded when my tongue tingled as it first tasted the difference between Venezuelan chocolate and that from the Dominican Republic, and realised what 65% versus 68% cocoa content meant.

The Taiwanese place has moved to larger premises elsewhere, the Italian restaurant gone and the Scottish-managed cafe changed management, but Chocolate World is still there. In the meantime, I have moved on to trialling home blends with my little Bodum grinder and three-cup plunger. As with my sister, I have also moved to looking more closely at the differences in dark chocolates based on source of origin.

These memories were triggered the weekend I entered Proud Mary with SL, RM and JJ. Four blends, five single origins for espresso and ten single origins for siphon & clover. RM, curious about single origin coffees, happily had the time of his life trying out an Ethiopian espresso followed by a Rwandan siphon coffee - siphon coffee making is always a good show to kickstart interest in single origin coffees. SL thought her Tanzanian siphon was too much like (apricot) fruit juice, while I thought the house blend latte was not a bad cup. I became more distracted by my lunch cum dessert, a hot semolina custard pudding with grilled peaches, roasted hazelnuts, rose-infused mascarpone and honey.
Only one thing to improve on this: I wonder whether pecans or macademias would taste better than hazelnuts on this? Yes I do realise what Proud Mary is famous for, thanks to Melbourne Coffee Review, but I say one definitely needs to give the food a good go. I certainly was more entranced by the food menu than by the coffee menu, though of course I do have this thing about not having too much siphon or clover coffee.

On Sunday, torrential rain led to extremely muddy shoes at Sunny Ridge Strawberries and devouring of fantastic pizza & lasagna (what a sugo) amongst giant artichoke plants at T'Gallant Winery's La Baracca Trattoria. Happily we made our way down the windy road of sea views and grazing cattle to Mornington Peninsula Chocolates. A little shop dedicated to chocolates in entirety. Cocoas, Michel Cruz bars, chocolate lollipops, delicately tempered rounds of sheer delight in passionfruit earl grey tea and coffee ganaches. Ah, what wonderful colour and subtle scents in the shining brightness from the shop's white interior.

But my heart was always with the little boxes and long glass bottles, almost hidden at the side of the shop. The corner for the true chocolate lover. Bolivia 68%, Guanaja 70%, Cuba 70%, Organic Alvesia 74%, and what is this intriguing 80%...here we have smooth velvet, there we have earthy tobacco, but what about this tropical fruit intensity compared to that peach and mango subtlety...

By the time we walked out of the shop with our little bags of goodies, all SL could say was, "And to think I thought this was going to be a chocolate factory tour experience...who needs tours when you have THAT?!"

Ah yes, single origin. Purity in food origin is so under-rated, what a pity, because it can be so marvellous. *Sigh*

Proud Mary: Coffees - 4 stars, including .5 for diversity in choice of single origin coffees;
Food - 4 stars;
Service and atmosphere - 4 stars but peak hour is crowding...

La Baracca Trattoria: Food - 4.5 stars;
Service and atmosphere - 3 stars; we HATE having to queue for 20 minutes and then waiting for just over 1/2 hour for our food...thank gosh for the vegetable garden.

Mornington Peninsula Chocolates: 5 stars. No question about it. If you are a chocolate lover and you miss this place for your ganache fine chocolates & single origin fix, then shame...

Other places to check out while around the Red Hill area:

Montalto Vineyard - famous restaurant, ok wines, definitely best brownies on that side of Victoria...
Red Hill Brewery - be sure to do the beer tasting especially the seasonal brew, and if you turn up during lunchtime you get some pretty decent pub grub like a traditional Welsh Rarebit too.
Red Hill Cheese - enjoying a platter of cheeses on the deck surrounded by bushland on a warm sunny afternoon is always lovely. Just watch out when reversing your car to leave as there is not much space for a proper reversal.

What tastebud renewal does

On one of the hottest Melbourne days in November, I found myself getting ready for a meeting on Spring Street. I was keen to re-acquaint myself with Postal Hall, but the heat was almost oppressive. Then I spotted a tiny almost-hole-in-wall cafe very close by, and thought, "hey why not? A La Marcozza, sustainable coffee, should be all right..."

Poor guys never knew what hit them when they, out of the kind of courtesy that only people in hospitality risk, asked me how I had enjoyed my iced coffee ten minutes later.

"Ditch that pre-made pitcher of coffee, your coffee tastes sour and bitter from being left to sit like that, such a waste of a decent coffee. Just whack two shots of espresso on top of the ice cream when someone asks for an iced coffee."

"What about the temperature?"

"Just add milk."

Almost in awe (and mild fear in case I was a caffeine psycho and decided to hold their coffee machine hostage), they asked "Are you in hospitality?"

"No, just a blogger."

Out of the kindness of my heart (and feeling like I should make up for being so cruel that early in the morning), I ordered a latte to go for the meeting. Light, milky, so bland. Hmm.

Four hours later, I passed by the very well hidden Eclipse, and thought, "well, I have not had a decent shot of coffee yet today, let's try this place. SL did say the house blend was pretty decent, though I'll be darned if I order another El Salvador in Victoria..."

Light, milky, bland. What on earth...wait, we read over the weekend that our tastebuds are "reborn" every ten days. Could it be...oh dear, that means I could have been unfair to that cafe in the morning then. Oh dear. Too late, I can never show my face there ever again.

I did not dare touch coffee again until three days later; thank gosh my tastebuds were revived by the time I was on my regular jaunt to Toby's Estate. In the meantime, SL was enjoying Panamas around the place (why have I not seen any around yet?!) and letting me know at work how tasty they were, not to mention the Indian at Jasper's.

Then, the day after I had sneaked in a delectable Cuban "short" macchiato at Espressino (it looked more like a long mac and it was a tad too hot for my liking but what a bean!), I got an text from SL:

"Why are coffees all tasting bland to me today?"

Me being me, still grumbling over how Panama has eluded me, could only text back:

"Your tastebuds are renewing..."

Eclipse

LS always says 'eat whatever you want, drink whatever you want, and you still can loose weight as long as you excercise', which I prove it true. So, I started the day by having cupcakes at The Cupcake Family in QV before heading to other side of CBD for coffee, ofcourse :D


Mini cupcakes in a pic above 're green tea cake and blueberry cheesecake. In a picture below 're Strawberry-chocolate cake and orange-almond cake. I think it 's a good deal 4 mini cupcakes for $7 and it's a pleasant place to catch up with friends.

After finishing cupcakes, we walked to Eclipse which located half town away from QV. We couldn't find it eventhough I knew that the entrance 's on Flinder lane. My friend and I then went through Intercontinental Hotel from Collins Street side. When we there, we still not sure we came to the right place but I was drawn by the name of coffee bean on the single origin board: 'Panama Geisha'. So, we walked through the door.


Yes, we came to the right place, Eclipse. I started with House blends latte, which 's smooth and strong coffee. I later found out that the house blend called 'coffee junkie', lol. After satisfied with my latte, I decided to try Panama espresso. It 's woody, earthy, chocolatie, a hint of sweetness, and mild punchiness.

Coffee Wrap Up - For Now

The Melbourne Coffee Review 2010 Guide is out in good bookshops and newsagencies now, and naturally the first inclination for all coffee geeks (and wannabes) is to find out whether their favourite haunts have obtained or retained their three-bean score. After all, coffee is as subjective as wine; some like their coffees light and fruity (hello P, how are you?), some like their coffees Italian-style (hey JG), others like their coffees nutty and intense (hey that’s me!) or strong and chocolatey (the rest of the Foodie Team). A favourite is affected as much by the season and origin of the coffee bean as it is by the roaster and barista.

In the case of the Foodie Team, the focus this year has not just been about finding our favourite baristas (e.g. the redhead mo-bro at Handsome Steve’s, Chris in the Brunswick branch of Toby’s Estate, Jesse at Dancing Goat) but also our favourite beans and blends for use on percolator and stovetop. On the point of coffee trends, Toshi from the St Ali family has certainly made his mark as one of the top siphon-coffee brewers in the country, even becoming the Australian spokesperson for the siphon-equipment manufacturer Hario. Those who enjoy their Kenyan beans will do well to watch out for the smooth and clean flavours the siphon exposes in a well-roasted Kenyan.

We have also been fascinated by:

- the financial success of the cup that looks like a disposable coffee cup – what happened to the normal mug and lid?

- the oddity of the cold drip at Outpost – “it takes five hours to set up?!”

- the user-friendly coffee filter for a cup – golden mesh or ceramic makes more sense than paper, of course, and

- the Vacuum Press.

How the baristas in town view and encourage or discourage the use of these coffee making equipment in 2010 will be something to watch out for. The Foodie Team, drooling over the latest release of coffee machines and pondering over the Vacuum Press, will not be moving away from the percolator and stovetop just yet. There is always that thing known as "tight on budget".

This year also saw the scale-back of coffee franchises as the independent cafes re-took the suburbs and street corners with their brunch-pumping kitchens, homemade muffin displays, home blends and single origin offerings. The caffe latte continued its reign as Australia’s favourite way of enjoying coffee, while the increase in coffee sales signs using “fair trade” and “organic” continued.

The Nicaraguan bean has certainly conquered mocha taste buds this year whether roasted by Padre, Jasper or Toby’s Estate, but Toby’s organic Mexican has had the most successful fan accumulation rate from what we can gather (or rather, from whom we have gathered). A Guatemalan is tastier cold than hot (try as a double shot over two scoops of vanilla bean ice cream), but the Brunswick East Project boys know their Padre blend kicks butt whether in a silky latte or an iced coffee served in a bowl. While the idea of drinking a Veneziano or Vittoria Gold blend at home has yet to cross our minds, Jasper’s has enjoyed a nice steady income from its blends courtesy of SL’s filling orders from overseas.

While FH enjoyed an El Salvador short macchiato at Yahava Swan Valley (WA), I struggled to ever go beyond the “sour” verdict for the same bean in Victoria. We have had no luck with Zimbabwe, and the Indonesian beans have also failed to impress this year. Brazil’s fame was only justified via a Cup of Excellence bean found ever so briefly at Seven Seeds, and we mourned over the fact that Seven Seeds only offered its Neopolitan blend for one day after the Victorian State Barista Championships. Coffee that tastes like Neopolitan ice cream is just bamboozling and marvellous at the same time. The light pleasing tones from Rwanda and East Timor continued to rule the aisles though much avoided by the Foodie Team (they do get ever so boring unless served in Clover style) and India’s offerings divided baristas and coffee geeks. Intense, nutty and earthy at the best of time, beans of Indian origin have been described as “powerful”, “metallic”, “bitter bitter bitter” and “bloody” as well.

Back to the 2010 guide. The guide, which scores independently from the blog of the same name, is unsurprising in its conclusion though coffee geeks may struggle to work out what happened to the three-bean members of previous years such as Mart 130 and Dancing Goat. Melbourne’s love affair with the St Ali family continues, with all three key members (St Ali, Brother Baba Budan and Seven Seeds) being the only cafes to get three beans this year. Luckily, to ensure that the Foodie Team is not dismissed as a bunch of idiots for having “issues” with the St Ali family this year (I knew I was in trouble when Chris at Toby’s Estate exclaimed “Shame on you!” after I confessed I was not a fan of Seven Seeds), the guide also awarded 2.5 beans to the following cafes:

- Atomica Caffe, 268 Brunswick St Fitzroy

- Auction Rooms, 103-107 Errol Street North Melbourne

- Brunswick East Project

- Maling Room, 206 Canterbury Road, Canterbury

- Social Roasting Company, http://www.socialroasting.com.au/

- The First Pour

- Toby’s Estate

I think I will save my money and keep reading the blog.

Choosing

Today I did something unthinkable – I told a vegetarian she should seriously rethink her diet and shopping habits if she really wanted to save the world.

Normally I do not criticise food and drink choices. After all, Catholics have Fishy Fridays and the Lent season for fasting, Muslims have Ramadan for fasting and abstention from pork or alcohol, the Jewish stay away from pork and shellfish, the Buddhists and Hindus try to be as vegetarian as they can be, and there are plenty of people restricted by allergies & super-taste buds for particular flavours. We are all affected by our upbringing, and so can be adverse towards some things which are part of others’ normal meals.

However, I am concerned when people look unhappy or confused with the food they eat. Eating gluten as a meat replacement product is bizarre when mushrooms and lentils offer protein replacement in a more natural and healthy manner. Rejecting eggs and bananas because “they are bad for me” is an ignorant denial of the nutritious value and happiness points offered by these foods. Saying that “coffee makes me fat” is an insult to decent baristas around the world, most of whom are fit and thin. It’s the way you consume it, people.

Eating based on ethics is also always fraught with risk as the sustainability debate rages. Cattle reared for meat and milk cause a lot of methane but not eating heritage animals mean they become endangered from a lack of incentive to breed them. Eating organic vegetables is pointless for sustainability if they are shipped in from another country. Salmon and tuna are the best kinds of fish to eat for health but are terrible to eat for the environment.

You end up having to take a strong personal stance for the way you eat. The misconception around vegetables i.e. that “they are yucky and not very nice” is fading but not enough to convince people, short of a famous heart attack or three, that meat is not meant to be eaten alone by the kilogram on a weekly basis. On the other hand, the idea that fruits or vegetables alone can deliver all the required daily nutrients is misleading and a source of many pale faces around the place.

To that extent, I provided the vegetarian with a link to the Melbourne Farmers’ Markets, where she can ask the farmers about the way they grow their produce and support local industry instead of buying her produce shipped in from gosh-knows-where in Safeway. I encouraged her to think about incorporating sustainably-caught fish into her diet if she enjoyed her brief fishy encounter(s). Whether she will seriously consider my words is another matter altogether but at least I have done my part in information sharing.

In the mean time, SL has had to convince her mates that she has not lost weight from any special diet. The weight loss is a result of cooking her own meals instead of takeaways, a reduction in junk food intake, a decent amount of sleep and a lot more walking between meals. Again, the idea that losing weight means “diet” is incredible. Staying healthy does not mean starvation or deprivation, it means balance. It is not about reduction in enjoyment nor obsessive food label reading. It is about consumption in moderation, exercise in moderation, knowing your nutrition requirements and what you need to meet those requirements within the religious, taste, sense of adventure, ethical & medical parameters you operate in.

Overdue on South Yarra

For all to know - you can do a Coffee Crawl in South Yarra now :)

Start from Outpost, the St Ali family's newest member which has received so many accolades from coffee geeks it is mildly hysterical.

Down a relatively obscure alleyway next to the railway tracks, the place is actually tiny. While the barista in charge can come off as cocky, the chef is an absolute gem. They will not mind you getting what I think is the best seat in the place - near the siphon machine, cold drip filter and wee kitchen which serves a tasty dish of the day.
Next, try out Crue, a brother of Sweet Agora which has taken a small spot on Toorak Road near the South Yarra train station and on the same side as Ganache Chocolates. While I must admit that the barista had no luck with me the day I went as I am no fan of beans from Zimbabwe or El Salvador in a single origin form, I think this place still has decent potential.

Grab a couple of chocolates (and homemade ice cream) at Ganache. Then, for an old favourite, Pound is down an alleyway near Bloom Cosmetics off Chapel Street, and still serves a decent caffe latte & lemon tart.

Want more? That is the next round of coffees for us :)

Some Brunches Worth Looking At

Toby’s Estate: Charlie the Brunswick head barista’s macchiatos using full-bodied, rich Mexican Organic beans have become our benchmark by which all single origin short macs are to be judged on. This Sydney ambassador serves a pretty good breakfast menu including some funky fruit smoothies too. While I really like the baked eggs with beans, the French toast with bacon and blackberry sauce was not bad either – il Fornaio’s is still the best we have tasted in Melbourne so far but hey when one looks this good…

Kappaya: this place was once reviewed as being “on the wrong side of Hoddle Street”. I am not sure the locals had cause to complain about that. The lack of a conspicuous shopfront and distance from tramlines meant this quirky Japanese café managed to retain its grunginess in the form of op-shop mismatched furniture and 1930s smoky jazz while serving high-quality Japanese green tea and ten-dollar rice ball bentos.

On the eve of its moving to Abbotsford Convent and become part of the slightly-left-of-centre cafe scene there, I found myself there once again lugging green bags full of vegetables and fruits from the monthly Abbotsford Farmers’ Market. The irony of reading Matt Preston’s take on the top five restaurants in the world, all in Europe, was not lost on me as I munched on an exquisitely shaped rice ball with prawn & seaweed and sipped early-spring Japanese tea. The enticing aroma of miso soup and teriyaki chicken floated from tables around me, but alas I had had the usual coffee and parma + parmesan croissant at Handsome Steve’s House of Refreshment beforehand.

For dessert, the little sign on the glass cabinet indicated "special of the day - green tea mousse cake". Ah the understatement of the week. Green tea mousse cake with a cream cheese base and a crunchy biscuit topping, served with an intense green tea sauce and brandy-soaked raisins, seems pretty out there but if the biscuit layer were just a tad softer and a tad more combined with the mousse and cream cheese layers, it will be easily in the list of Must Have Desserts for me.

Pardon the artistic blur effect on the photo - the lighting of the day was against me but I promise the 15-inch screensaver version does due justice to the dessert.

Food: 4.5 out of 5 stars - you cannot get this kind of stuff at better prices anywhere else near the city.

Atmosphere: 4.5 out of 5 stars - creaky furniture, quirky wall art, smoky jazz, free papers, what is not to like?

Service: 5 out of 5 stars - love places that make sure you have many refills of hot water for your tea and do not seem to care that you have only spent a few bucks there.

Dukes Coffee Roasters - After an alert from FH, the full Foodie team turned out to try this new cafe in Windsor (two doors down from Borsch Vodka and Tears, another great place for brunch if you like your Polish food served with a morning cocktail). The Melbourne Coffee Review had turned up in July to review this place and gave it a bean, always a good sign.

The usual Melburnian wood panelling was in abundance here, and we could spot the industrial-sized roaster sitting at the back of the cafe. I have to admit I got rather excited seeing six single origin coffee varietals, complete with geographical origin and tasting notes, listed in chalk on the long blackboard hung above the bar. However, as with most (if not all) current cafes on the market, the house blend and one single origin was available for drinking on site for the day.

The plan had been to have a quick coffee to test the barista's skills and maybe a morning snack, but plans went awry when I took a cursory glance at the menu and my stomach flipped at "sweet potato and corn fritters with harissa mayo". SY similarly settled in for a decent stay when she saw pancakes on the menu. The waitress was thrown by our enquiries regarding the single origin coffee of the day (we must have been the first to ask, or she had just got on duty) but happily took our food orders.

FH and SY took to discussing the Guatemalan caffe lattes they had ordered and other single origin beans they preferred in comparison - we are all for strong roasts, none of the wimpy weak stuff for us thank you very much. Then the scent of curry powder wafted onto the table as my soft fritters fell apart by the cut of a butter knife. Harissa mayo decently spread between layers of roast sweet potatos shredded and mixed with sweet corn, served with bacon and spinach...I got right into them but FH could not determine whether she actually liked them. I have to admit I would have preferred my fritters browned on the surfaces and edges to give that crispy edge to the otherwise tasty dish. SY found her pancakes "light but not fluffy, but nice citrus sauce". Ah, another case of batter not standing long enough.

As I had enjoyed the house blend latte - strong, nutty, milk at the right temperature - I decided to test the single origin in a short macchiato. By now the barista must have tweaked that we were serious coffee drinkers and so decided to personally serve my cup. Either that or he could not find any of the waiting staff at the last minute, which would seem strange given how many there were.

Ah, the crowd-pleasing latte heart. The only thing is, short macchiatos do not usually have sufficient milk froth to be able to execute such latte art...nonetheless, the silky chocolate bourbon tones of the Guatemalan bean were fully expressed in this cup, leading me to proclaim to SY and FH that I, unlike them, did think that this bean created "not a bad drop".

Food: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Atmosphere: 3 to 3.5 out of 5 stars; we do get a bit tired of coffee places = brown wood, especially since Windsor is meant to be about more creative interior designs.

Service: 3 to 3.5 out of 5 stars; bit slow on the serving side, bit too quick on the dish collecting side.

Coffee: 4 out of 5 stars; I would go again for the house blend that is for sure, and maybe a piccolo or an espresso for the single origins.