Toast to the Roast!
By Janice Leong
Photos by Natalia Chioang
Edited by Vanessa Nah
In NTU USP, we look forward to exciting events from the dedicated USP Special Projects committee, often led by talented USPians. This month featured USPRESSO, a coffee-making workshop conducted by our very own Year 3 USP student, Max Huang.
Held on 1st and 2nd September at the USP lounge, each session held an air of chic sophistication and calm for our coffee connoisseurs. Max’s careful set-up was meticulously constructed to hit the sweet spot between cool serenity and artful refinement. At the center of the room lay an impressive display of brewing equipment and fine tools, including a notable selection of coffee beans. Had the soft café music and an inviting aroma of coffee wafting through the room not greeted us the moment we stepped into the lounge, one could almost mistake the set-up for a chemistry lab. The relaxed ambiance and cool vibe instantly put everyone at ease. What better way was there to spend a peaceful morning with pleasant company?
As the participants settled, Max began the workshop by introducing the cultivation process of the coffee beans – from the growing, picking, processing, shipping, roasting phase to the brewing stage. He explained that understanding the intricate process of how we get from bean to cup is essential, as each process can be varied and adjusted to affect the flavor of the end product.
Having bean grounded (pun intended) in some basic coffee knowledge; we were guided through the first part of the workshop – a cupping session. Max led us around the room to smell and taste different types of coffee that he had prepared in advance. Each bean has a distinctive flavour profile, a complex combination of flavours: citrus, berry, dried fruit, tartness, milk chocolate, macadamia, and countless more. The cupping session aimed to let us experience and become more attuned to five essential qualities one should look out for in any good cup of coffee: fragrance, aroma, flavour (acidity), mouth-feel (body) and aftertaste. Even the procedure for coffee appreciation is no simple affair; one has to first smell the coffee before tasting it. Max demonstrated this by picking up a cup of coffee and holding it close to his nose. Next, he tasted the coffee using a special technique – forcefully slurping up a spoonful, swish the coffee around the roof of the mouth and then spitting out the swished mouthful. This was done to enhance the flavour.
We’re not gonna lie – as laymen – it is tough to properly distinguish the subtle layers of flavors, unlike coffee connoisseurs who are trained and sensitized to pick out the most delicate nuances. But boy was it amusing to see and hear everyone slurp up and spit out their coffee! The symphony of loud slurping noises all around were strangely reminiscent of how the Japanese enjoy their ramen – very classy. On the whole, however, the cupping session was eye-opening and engaging. Year One student Vanessa Hui mused: “It’s very fun and informative! It exposed me to more kinds of coffee, because usually I just drink the regular ones with milk, so I don’t get to taste the different kinds – like the blueberry, orange notes.”
In the second part of the workshop, Max led us on a brewing session and explained more about the art of coffee brewing. In pairs, participants picked a piece of brewing equipment each and got a hands-on experience of brewing coffee. We observed different brewing methods using different equipment: the V60, Chemex, Aeropress, and Cyphon. Max taught USPians everything about how to brew coffee from scratch. First, one has to measure the beans, then grind them accordingly; different beans require a different grind size. Next, one has to filter the grounds and fill the reservoir in the equipment, and only then will you get your caffeine fix. Who knew there is so much effort and precision put into creating a good cup of coffee!
The Siphon was undoubtedly the main highlight of the brewing section. During the demonstration, USPians whipped out their phones to snap videos of the equipment at work, faces filled with awe. On the science behind coffee brewing, USP Special Projects director Elyse Yap commented: “I thought it was very interesting we could get exposure to all the different sorts of brewing, and also to see the Siphon that looks like a Bunsen burner. It’s so cool, it’s like mixing physics and coffee to get the perfect cup of caffeine!”
As the event came to a close, participants sat around the lounge and enjoyed their freshly brewed cups of coffee. In just two short hours, Max had managed to explain the basics and techniques of coffee making, while also engaging participants with an unforgettable brewing experience. USP director, Professor May Lwin, said: “I think it’s a good opportunity to get behind the scenes on something that is so familiar to almost all the students and to understand the mechanics and processes behind it. I am not a coffee drinker but this workshop has opened my eyes to more of the intricacies of coffee making.”
Evident to all the session’s impressed attendees was Max’s passion for the art of coffee making and appreciation. When asked about what triggered this interest, he explained that it had all begun with a good cuppa and a casual chat with a café barista one day. “The cup of coffee we had [at the café] was very nice, so we started talking to the barista. The barista introduced us to all sorts of different types of coffees and different brewing methods. From there, we started off with one brewing method and as we went along we started accumulating more and more equipment.” This collection of brewing equipment that Max spoke of is as impressive as his knowledge about coffee making – totaling up to a value of about $1000 – with each piece ranging from $10 (V60) to $400 (coffee grinder).
Although Max educates himself mainly through the Internet, the cupping session was modeled after a session that he had attended outside. For interested parties who may share his passion for caffeine and wish to attend similar sessions, or are simply curious to know more about the mechanics behind a perfect cup of coffee, Max recommends Common Man Coffee Roasters. This café conducts free cupping sessions every Wednesday at 12pm.
Feeling more lazy, and just want a good cuppa? Max suggests heading over to Nylon Coffee Roasters, Common Man Coffee Roasters, or Pacamara Boutique to get your caffeine fix. Coffee lovers, toast the roast!
