Hello Coffee Lovers
As a coffee addict, I know very well what coffee I will drink. About the types and variants of coffee, mixtures and compositions, brewing techniques, and how to enjoy them. I got almost all of this knowledge for free from the best baristas who mix coffee at every coffee shop I visited. I always build relationships with all the baristas in every place, so I always get the satisfaction and sensation if I can know all the processes that go through every drop of coffee I drink.
I have discussed coffee several times in my previous posts. You can check some of them below:
- Why Espresso?
- The coffee taste stays strong in every sip
- Real coffee and fake coffee
- The taste of coffee remains the same in your every cup
- How to store coffee
- Variant of fermented coffee - Part 3
- Variant of fermented coffee - Part 2
- Variant of fermented coffee - Part 1
This time I discuss one of the most favorite coffee variant menus in Aceh. (If you are from Indonesia - around Southeast Asia - or you have been to Aceh) Of course, you are very familiar with the pleasures of Aceh coffee and the different sensations you feel when you sip it.
One of the sensations you will get is if you have the chance to enjoy the variant of "Kopi Sareng" that is served in front of you in a foamy state on the surface of the coffee in your serving glass.
“Kopi Sareng” is the term for the most famous coffee variant in Aceh and has a place in the hearts of the majority of coffee connoisseurs here. “Kopi Sareng” is an Acehnese word meaning filtered coffee. So, the naming of this coffee variant is based on its typical brewing procedure, namely filtering. Although coffee is generally brewed by filtering, the filtering process for the “Kopi Sareng” variant is very different and unique.
Screening Process
The process is done by boiling the coffee grounds that have been placed in a filter made of fine fibrous cloth and left continuously on the stove over low heat so that the temperature is always maintained or always in a state of hot temperature.
The “Kopi Sareng” filtering process is carried out by lifting the coffee filter as high as possible to get the coffee droplets flowing into the storage container. This is done repeatedly and continuously by a barista. Every time there is an order, at the end of the filtering process which is carried out approximately 2-3 times, the last drop that slides from the filter is directed to a serving glass to be delivered to the customer's table.
You can order a glass of "Kopi Sareng" with a certain level of consistency from the waiter who was there. If you order the “hard coffee” level, then you will get a glass of strong coffee whose contents are entirely pure produced from the droplets of coffee from the filter. The "light coffee" level is half a cup of coffee mixed with hot water and will get a "not too hard" level coffee taste.
Coffee Grounds Substitution
The change in coffee grounds is intended as a measure of the number of cups of coffee that have been produced or given to customers. Each outlet has its own measure and its own flavor. At my regular coffee shop, the barista will change the coffee grounds every time they reach 40 servings of coffee.
That is, they use a filter that contains 1/2 kg of coffee grounds and each filter is limited to only 40 servings of coffee. Although each filter containing 1/2 Kg of coffee grounds can produce more than 40 servings or unlimited, the taste of their coffee will be reduced due to the continuous filtering process.
I always order a glass of “Kopi Sareng” at certain times, the barista at the coffee shop I subscribe to really understands my coffee taste. He always gives a code that I wait for the process of changing the new coffee grounds, so that I get the first cup of the new coffee grounds he brews. You will get the best taste in the first drops of coffee from the coffee filter. If I'm in a hurry, then my tolerance limit is on the first 5 glasses.
Coffee Foam
You will only get coffee foam on your first sip of coffee. The foam is produced from the filtering process by lifting the coffee filter high, the collection of coffee droplets that come out of the cone-shaped filter will hit the whole glass. The impact of the sliding water will produce foam on the surface of the glass. It is the law of water - like the effect of foam on a waterfall.
The foam produced on the surface of a cup of coffee, for me is very delicious. It feels very soft on the surface of the tongue and feels cracked in the mouth mixed with the delicious taste of hot coffee. If you have ever drank a glass of "tarek tea" which on the surface of the glass is full of foam, it is almost like that. But the foamy sensation produced by "Kopi Sareng" is more powerful and you only get it in a short time. The foam will soon disappear.
That sensation is what I always want to get from enjoying a glass of “Kopi Sareng” and the sensation is only in the first sip if you still want it, then you have to order a second glass, and this sensation you will not get from any coffee menu variant. Only on “Kopi Sareng”.
