Of Baristas and beans
Cebu baristas reveal their fave coffee beans and why
By Elisha Judy Tabaque
Image: Alex Badayos
DRINKING coffee at home or in coffee shops has become an integral part in the lives of many Cebuanos. Even so, we really do not give much attention to the kind of coffee beans used to achieve such aromatic flavorful coffee we love. A good excuse perhaps is that “only baristas can tell” because they are, after all, the experts in the aromatic world of coffee.
As the one who prepares and serves your espresso-based coffee drinks, every barista also has his or her own preferences and favorites among the many kinds of coffee beans. SunStar Weekend is lucky to have some of them eagerly share with us their individual choices when it comes to coffee beans and their flavor notes, among others. Let’s check them out!
Jairus Janssen B. Pataytay, 26
Team leader at Bo’s Coffee
“There are many kinds of coffee beans. One of the best coffee beans I’ve known is the Arabica bean because it has less acidity and is less in caffeine but it has wide taste range. In our store we have five types of coffee beans and one of its classification is the Philippine Coffee Origins (PCO), which is the Sagada, Benguet, Mt. Apo, Kitanglad and Matutum. Another personal favorite among the PCO is the Benguet beans because it has a varietal of typical or red and yellow bourbon and its flavor profile are well-balanced with herbal notes and a winey taste.”
Angel Felyn L. de la Fuente, 24
Barista at Degree 9 Coffee
“I would absolutely say I highly worship Kenya. I even had chills one time possibly because every sip of that perfectly brewed Kenyan coffee felt like I’m sipping wine with those fruity like notes — there are berries, citrus and sweet fruit feels, and a light clean finish. I fell in love with Kenya when I first had a sip on my cold brew Kenya Aricha from Linear, and from there I’ve been trying my best to perfectly brew Kenya.”
Jeiel Lemuel R. Albor, 26
QAF Coffee Roastery, Al Khobar Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia
“My favorite kind of coffee bean is from Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Kochere Debo, an Ethiopian coffee with sweet and high aromatic character, and balanced acidity, with an average texture and flavors that mimic cranberries and tropical lychee fruit (the bean is roasted here in the shop). I like this because whatever brewing method you use with this coffee origin, its taste notes will still come out and you will enjoy it until the end of the cup.”
Joanna Roxanne L. Panulde, 21
Fujinoya
“As of now, my favorite is Kochere. I like the fact that it tastes floral, fruity and tea-like when it’s freshly brewed or even if it’s already cold. Also, it is not harsh on my palate.”
John Michael A. Hermoso, 28
Head Barista and Roaster at Linear Coffee Roasters
“My favorite coffee bean is none other than the famous geshas/geisha. Geisha is an original variety of coffee that was discovered in the 1930s in the mountains around the Southwestern town of Gesha, Ethiopia. It was imported from Costa Rica to Panama in the Boquete region. It gained prominence and popularity in 2004, when Hacienda La Esmeralda entered a competition with a lot of Geisha that proved to be very unusual and distinct, attracting record prices.
It is considered to produce a very floral and aromatic cup of coffee and the demand for it has grown over the past 10 years up until now.
Now the flavor profile of this coffee will blow up not only your palate but also your mind, because you will think for a while if it is really coffee that you are drinking or a juice.
Gesha coffees have a lot of flavors but the most present in them are the floral, peach and orange notes. Although different gesha farms and different processes yield different flavors such as rose, jasmine, lavender, berries, blackcurrants, plums, bergamot, sometimes it will have aftertaste like lime peel, orange peel or pomelo peel, and green grapes. On the other hand, vanilla and sweet chocolates can even be present depending on how the roaster roasts it.
Now your mind is already blown just by reading all of those flavor notes. You would doubt if it is really coffee that I’m talking about or not.
Now there are only two reasons why I like it so much. First, I’m a front-palate coffee drinker, I enjoy clean, light-bodied coffees, I enjoy drinking it in the front of my tongue. Best examples are washed process coffees with flavor profiles of tea-like and florals, very light mouthfeel. Although I also appreciate chocolatey, nutty, fermented fruits and medium to heavy bodied coffees, but if cupped side by side, I’d prefer the lighter ones.
Second reason is that no matter how you brew or prepare it, it will still taste very good given that you are following the right parameters and essentials in brewing coffee.There was this one time that I tried brewing it using a very out of the box parameters; very low coffee to water ratio, very fine grind size with water temperature at 98°c, and brewed it in kalita 155 for 5 minutes with one pulse technique. Believe me or not, it still gave me a very balanced and pleasant flavor.”
