Custom Coffees happened upon Koray and this wonderful product last year at the 2012 Melbourne International Coffee Expo and started the Central Victorian distribution of it.
Brett Henry, Custom Coffees Sales Manager and Koray Gencel.
"Our process is beautiful in its simplicity. We source fresh, whole spices from many parts of the world such as India, Sri Lanka and Guatemala. We crack open and blend these spices with tea and honey, by hand! Then we put it in a bag and send it on its merry way. All the ingredients are natural and all the ingredients are good for you, it’s an honest product. We do not use machines, additives or preservatives to ensure the Prana (life force) in our product stays intact."
It's an exceptional product, freshly hand made in Melbourne, with a superb aroma and flavour, its a big seller for Custom Coffees and our clients and we're very proud to be associated with Koray and his beautiful Prana Chai.
"..excuse me you've made a mistake, this isn't decaf."
Justifiably, consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about the provenance and safety of foods—that is, where their food comes from and how it is processed. Such inquiry reveals that currently about 65% of the world’s coffee is decaffeinated using the solvents methylene chloride and ethyl. If this sounds unpleasant to you and you prefer to drink decaffeinated coffee, you’ll want to check out our Swiss Water® coffee blends.
Swiss Water® decaf is processed in an environmentally friendly, chemical-free manner and 99.9% caffeine-free, while still offering a superb roasted coffee flavour. In particular, the Swiss Water®Cascadia Decaf Blend—a mix of Bolivian, Guatemalan and Sumatran Arabica roasted coffee beans—was awarded ‘Australia’s Best Decaf’ at the2012 & 2013 Golden Bean Awards, proving you can still have great taste in a decaf coffee. With no chemical residue to detract from the beans’ deep flavour, you’re ensured a cup of coffee worth savouring, as well as all the health benefits of drinking a decaffeinated coffee. It’s no surprise then, that the demand for decaf coffee continues to grow.
If you would not put a cake into
a cold oven, don’t expect to brew sweet coffee in a cold group handle.
Don’t leave coffee in a hot group handle.
Commence pouring immediately.
The fineness and quality of grind is CRITICAL.
The best espresso comes from
coffee brewed no later than 20 minutes after grinding. A coarse grind will
produce a faster pour, meaning the coffee particles are less likely to cook
thoroughly in the elapsed time, making the drink sour, astringent, bitter, or
thin, visually, evident by a yellow (not brown) crema.
Finer grinding produces a slower
pour, which develops more flavour & sweetness in the cup. The crema will be
darker (meaning the natural sugars have caramelised), and will be thickened.
Coffee ground too finely may burn
or become over-extracted too soon. Ideally look for crema that resembles thick brown
paint. If you can’t achieve this, and the grinder is set correctly, then your
machine is probably not running at the correct temperature.
Not all coffees are the same.
Forget the theory of 7 grams of
ground coffee per shot. Some coffees taste better when ground more finely, and
others, when more coarsely ground - the amount of ground coffee used per shot
should be gauged according to the fineness of grind - which is gauged by the
taste in the cup. Usually, more than 7 grams is necessary.
Once the correct grind and dose
is achieved, the correct tamping pressure can be applied. For finer grinds tamp
more lightly, and coarse grinds more firmly.
Don’t flush the group for longer than two seconds.
Or sourness may result from the
altered brewing temperature.
Look for a slow extraction.
That falls STRAIGHT down from the
cup runner, with no horizontal aspect at all. The ideal pour commences with a
few drips, which then become a “mouse tail”.
Do not over-extract the coffee.
This is evident when the “brown”
colour of the pour turns pale. Stop the extraction if the colour becomes too
pale. Dark colour is sweet, pale is bitter. We recommend no more than 25ml per single
shot – with a slow pour, this should afford plenty of flavour with out
bitterness.
Keep the machine pristine!
Of all the call outs we attend to, 18 out of 20 are because of a pour cleaning regime.
Coffee oil is the flavour in the
coffee bean, and Grata coffee is loaded with it. Coffee oil turns rancid
quickly. Rancid oil erases the soft, sweet flavours and leaves an ashy, bitter
aftertaste. The espresso machine should be back flushed WITH CHEMICAL at least
once per day. (yes that’s right - once per day – not once per week!)
The group showers should be
removed at least 2 times per week for cleaning. Don’t forget to soak the group
handles in chemical at least twice a week.
Do not store your fresh coffee in the fridge or
freezer.
Artificial cooling of fresh
coffee upsets the volatile compounds on the molecular level, resulting in low
sweetness and aromatics.
Store in a cool dark place.
This information can be downloaded as a PDF with pictures here.
