Posts Tagged ‘coffee australia’

By Rob Stewart

Algebra, trigonometry and calculus caused me many headaches at school and I have India to thank for that, they invented it.  We can also thank them for snakes and ladders, chess and the art of navigation. So too can we applaud India for their efforts in coffee as they produce arguably the best Robusta and some of the very finest A-grade Arabica’s in the world; yet, it is Monsoon Malabar that has become the accidental hero of Indian coffee. (more…)

Prices of coffee in key international markets are expected to stay firm on the short term, after an overall increase in the cost of agricultural and mineral commodities.

Analysts said the trend would further be supported by a sizeable drop in export volumes of the commodity following hitches in several producer countries including Brazil.

A market report by the International Coffee Organisation (ICO) showed that exports during the first nine months of the coffee year 2007/08 fell by 4.3 per cent to 71.29 million bags-triggering a tight market condition that upholds prices on demand factors. (more…)

Editorial 30th July 2008

Well, it had to happen. Not wanting to say ‘I told you so’, but we’ve been forcasting the demise, or at least the diminishing, of the Starbucks’ empire in Australia for a number of years. 

A recent article in The Australian newspaper refers to recent sour news out of the company’s US [Seattle] headquarters as a possible reason for Starbucks’ abrupt decision to close 61 of its 84 Australian stores, but we have felt for a long time that there was a much stronger reason – the inherent strength of Australia’s domestic espresso industry.

On observing Starbucks’ worldwide rise over a number of years, they have clearly been a phenomenal success story in most countries where their tentacles have reached, but for a few countries – most notably Italy, and now Australia. And the reason is clear – its the strength our own domestic espresso culture.

A recent second place in the World Barista Championships in Copenhagen, along with three consecutive winners of the World Latte Art Championships are testament to this. It’s actually a huge compliment to the increasing strength and depth of our own unique espresso culture!

Ashley Felderhof, Founding Director of Crema Magazine, was interviewed by ABC News Radio to give his opinion on the demise of Starbucks in Australia. Click here to listen to the interview.

Reuters Nairobi has reported that Kenya’s coffee output will rise 38 percent to 57,830 tonnes in 2008/09 (Oct/Sept) crop year, from an estimated 41,861 tonnes this year, on improved farming practices and good weather, a trade association said on Monday.

A terrible bout of Coffee Berry Disease (CBD) caused a drop in production in 2007/08 but a crop survey by the Kenya Coffee Traders Association (KCTA) held in May showed that unseasonal rains caused flowering in January-March.

“Due to unusual intense flowering of the coffee trees in January, a big proportion of the late crop will mature and ripen earlier than normal by nearly two months,” the Kenya Coffee Traders Association (KCTA) said in a report. (more…)

We asked the 3 winning finalist from the recent Danes Grand Barista Championships to give us an insight into what drives them to be part of Australia’s growing band of elite baristas, and what keeps them there.

Here is what Habib Maarbani from NSW, Jesse Hyde from Victoria and David Seng, also from Victoria, had to say.

These professionals are only the ‘tip of the iceberg’ when it comes to passionate baristi in Australia and we intend to profile many more in the coming months (and years) as we showcase Australia’s passion for coffee and the dedicated people behind the machines. (more…)

Congratulations to both Con Haralambopolous and David Makin (both from Victoria) for their outstanding performances at the 2008 World Latte Art and World Barista Championships, held in Copenhagen, Denmark 19th – 22nd June.

In an unprecedented result, Australia brought home the World Latte Art title for the third year running. Cool, calm and collected, Con Haralambopolous out-performed the other competitors from over 50 countries to bring home the crown ahead of Russia’s Kira Malchenko and Japan’s Akihiro Okada.

We have always known that Australia is a leader in the world of coffee but now there can simply be no question with Scottie Callaghan and Jack Hanna (both contributors for Crema Magazine) having won in 2006 and 2007 respectively and now Con Haralambopolous completing the hat trick! (more…)

By Emily Oak

Every year between April and June, the World Barista Championships are held somewhere on the globe, in search of the world’s best barista. And every year across the world, and particularly in Australia, the question is often raised and fiercely debated as to the value of such ‘staged’ competitions – primarily that the baristas who participate in such competitions are more performers than professional baristas.

The main argument against competitions that I have encountered over my ten years in the specialty coffee industry is that the condition of competition and the tasks that the baristas have to perform are not valuable in ‘the real life situation or a café’. Many baristas who work day in and day out behind an espresso machine producing hundreds of coffees for their loyal following, are not willing to have their skills judged by their peers because the format of competition does not mimic reality…. Or does it? (more…)

World Latte Art Champion, Jack Hanna, speaks to us and shows off his talent as well as sharing a few tips for creating latte art.

Young, focussed and confident; these are all words that could be used to describe Sydney’s Jack Hanna, World Latte Art Champion 2007. But there are two words that best sum him up – driven and talented. At only 21 years of age, Jack’s journey to World Champion has been swift and decisive. “When I really get into something, I want to be the best that I can be, otherwise I feel I am wasting my time”, explains Jack. (more…)

This one’s a bit of a perennial. It’s true, that there is a breed of wild cat in Indonesia that apparently eats coffee beans and then excretes them, only for someone following behind to extract the undigested beans for an ‘out of this world’ coffee experience.

Some say that it tastes of caramel or chocolate. Others describe it as earthy and musty. Whatever the flavour, connoisseurs are happy to pay a lot of money to savour a single cup of luwak coffee.

It’s now being marketed in Australia by Allan Sharpe and his wife, Michelle Heritage of the Heritage Tea Rooms in Hervey Bay as ‘the world’s rarest and most exclusive coffee’. According to Mr Sharpe, ‘People who willingly pay the $50 are uplifted by the thrill of the experience.’

Every month about a dozen people sample the café’s luwak coffee. One taster was quoted as saying: ‘This is the kind of coffee you renounce your religion and sell your child for.’
Customers are rewarded with a ‘certificate of experience’ as a memento. Gift boxes of luwak coffee, also imported from Indonesia, include the animal’s droppings wrapped in plastic, which the Sharpes say are treated with gamma rays by quarantine officials on arrival in Australia. The beans, which are gathered from forest floors by hand and initially resemble slabs of peanut brittle, are cleaned and lightly roasted. The boxes, including 250g of coffee and the droppings encased in plastic, retail at $160.

According to the article, orginally published in the Times, it is not known when the first cup of luwak coffee was brewed, nor how the first cup came to be brewed from their excrement. Annual world production is believed to be only about 300kg,with a market price of about $1100 per kilo.
Guelph University in Canada is one of the few institutions to have studied the make-up of luwak coffee beans. Its scientists found them to have less protein, a lower bacterial count and some pitting on the surface compared with the popular Colombian variety. This may explain why luwak coffee was less bitter and had a more attractive aroma.

Still, it seems like a lot of money to pay for what some people unkindly refer to as ‘cat-poo coffee’!

It wasn’t so long ago that coffee came in only two forms – black or white. But there are endless opportunities to be more creative with coffee…these ‘creative coffees’ have really only come of age in the last few years, and I believe their inclusion, in the form of the ‘signature drink’ in barista championships has given them increasing popularity in the world of espresso coffee.

So what makes a great creative drink? No doubt, it requires an understanding of espresso and the ability to start with a great shot of espresso.  But it also requires an understanding of the different ingredients and how they combine, as well as the way they compliment the espresso. And lastly, there’s the almost intangible factor of harmony or what I call ‘balance in the cup’. (more…)