Happy New Year!
First and foremost, I want to wish you all a fantastic 2022. May it be much better than the past couple of years, even if that's a low bar, and may all your good wishes be realised. I am grateful to be alive and well, considering so many can no longer say the same. If there's anything we've learnt from the past two years, it's that life is delicate and is to be lived to the max. Let's seize this new year by the horns shall we?
International Coffee Day
Would you believe that International Coffee Day falls on my birthday? Coincidence? I think not. I think the Universe knew exactly what it was doing :). I was going to actually originally create this post on that day, but I wouldn't have had enough time, so I put it off until now.
I was given this beautiful gift on my birthday and I've only just opened it today. I put it off because I wanted to do an unboxing video, haha, as well as a short writeup about it for this community, as alluded to earlier. The video is above, in case you didn't notice, so be sure to watch that if you have the time.
"Be Your Own Barista"
It's a pack of 10 brewing bags from five different countries. It's called "BE YOUR OWN BARISTA" from The Brew Company which I believe is based in Denmark. I had a look at their website and found that they make a whole bunch of other products that are similar to this one, e.g., Christmas presents. I'll sure be ordering from them in the near future. Actually after looking at the website, I am not confused as to what the actual name of this product is. It's also referred to, on the individual bag basis, as "The Coffee Brewer" or even "Coffeebrewer".
I really love this package, and company, because they appear to be very conscientious about the environment and the wellbeing of the coffee farmers. They tick most of the boxes; fairtrade, plastic free, recycling, carbon footprint neutral, hand-crafted from end to end, natural materials, organic, e.t.c,.
"The coffeebrewer is best described as a hybrid between the pour over coffee and the french press. The patented brewing system gives a state of the art coffee infusion that enables a taste as rich as a french press brew. The inside filter contains between 20-22 grams of freshly ground speciality coffee. All our coffees are single estate and hand roasted. With the coffeebrewer you get a freshly brewed quality coffee, but with the convenience of instant coffee."
As mentioned before, the packaging is plastic free, which means it's mostly biodegradable. However, the bags are re-usable so I will be cleaning them out and re-using them at least once. There is a QR code on each back, where the instructions are, that you can scan to order refill coffee, but I suspect one can use any filter coffee with these bags. I'm going to try that out at some point too.
This box contains coffee from Ethiopia, Brazil, Columbia, Honduras and Guatemala. That's from Africa, Central America and South America. Effectively three continents, two bags per country. I opted for Brazil for to try first, since I've never had coffee from Brazil to the best of my knowledge. I may have had it in a cafe without my knowledge of where the coffee came from though, so never say never.
I actually had a look on the internet before opening the bag to make sure I didn't make a dumb mistake and waste a precious bag of coffee. This seems ideal for camping and outdoorsy activities like hiking. As long as you have a way of boiling water, this is a great solution for outdoor coffee.
Coffeebrewer
Brewing with the "Coffeebrewer" is extremely easy. You tear open the bag at the top, which happens very easily, and push open the zip-lock to reveal the coffee chamber. You then pour boiling water directly into the chamber, being careful not to burn yourself in the process. There are clear directions on the back of each bag including filling lines and times to achieve the desired coffee strength.
Since this was my first time tasting this particular one, I went for medium strength, as recommended, so I could get a fair idea of what "Brazilian" coffee tastes like. It's a strong medium dark roast. It's not just coffee though, it's mixed with a little hazelnut and chocolate in their own formula. I've had that combination before, but the beans were from Peru.
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Be sure to watch the video above for my reaction.
Africa vs South America vs Italy vs Scandinavia
Coffee originated in Africa, specifically around the geographical area of Ethiopia. This is why some of the best coffee still comes from the general region; Burundi, Kenya, e.t.c. South America, however, has been putting out some epic coffee too. Notable countries are Colombia and Peru. Apparently, Brazil is a heavy hitter in the coffee scene too. This blend ranks with any I've tasted and it suits my palate well.
When it comes to retail coffee though, Italy probably takes the top spot. They don't grow coffee there, of course, but they just know how to present it. The most popular coffee derived drinks all have Italian names because the recipes were put together either in Italy or by Italians. This probably has something to do with the history between Italy and Ethiopia. That is something I'd love to dive deep into one day.
When it comes to vibes though, nobody does it like the Scandinavians! The best coffee shops, hands down, are either in the Scandinavian countries or are Scandinavian in origin. They just seem to be able to create that atmosphere that fits naturally with coffee drinking. I don't know how else to put it. It may be a design instinct/culture, I don't know. Maybe any Scandinavian reading this can enlighten me.
Look at the design aesthetic of this coffee brewer bag. From the fonts to the artwork to the coffee blend combo to the colour scheme, everything rhymes together in a very attractive, yet simple way. They've also managed to marry the essence of "Brazil" with the "Danish" dry wood and brown fabric look. I don't know, maybe I'm reading too much into this. Makes me want to drink the coffee though.
Peace & Love,
Adé ☕️
▶️ 3Speak