118 THE LIST ‘1 '-
Food Drink
Eat out, drink—Up if
QUEEN BEANS
All coffees brewed using a French press cafetiere and served with full-fat milk.
I Green Mountain La Minita Tarrazu Dark Arabica beans from a Single estate in Costa Rica. Dark shiny bean. full-flavour coffee. Robust. almost buttery.
I Organic Papua New Guinea (from IJ Mellis) Espresso-y taste from a bean that doesn’t look that dark or Oily. Rich brew.
I Colombian Supremo Popaya’n One from Green
MOuntain's 'Signature' range:
lighter roast. slightly complex. sweet aftertaste. good everyday coffee.
I Thomson’s Full French Roast A robust bean from Uganda. Possibly too dark. 0in and strong for many: a serious Cup of java.
I Guatemalan Medium roast: slightly darker than Mellis' free-trade Honduran and better for it. Hints of chocolate. rounded body.
1...
“a
QaSl Oi the town
If you buy your coffee at the supermarket, you don’t know beans. \'."<>r::f;j Barry Shelby
ii any giycn altcrnoon. you might find Scotland's
\auntcd chccscmongcr. lain Mcllis. roasting coll'cc
hcans in a tooth adjaccnt to thc company ‘s \yarchousc ncat' liastcr Road. :\s the (ici‘ntan-madc l’roliat clcctric roastct' churns and thc aroma grou s. hc ptills a small lcycr lrom thc machinc to inspch a lay of thc smoking licans. .»\t thc sound ol the first PUP or 'ct‘aclslc' as it‘s known in lltc tl'adc ltc prcparcs to dump thc load into thc cooling tray.
‘lt is as simplc as making toastf hc says. And as coinplicatcd. too. Turn your back at thc \y'rong momcnt and it can hc ruincd. .-\nd indccd. this is \yhy thc i'oastcr has hccii rclocatcd hcrc from his shops: for a more consistcnt product. loo ol‘tcn cmplochs had dil'l'icultics juggling ciistomcrs \yith thc priorities of thc l’i'ohat.
l'or Mcllis. thc kcy is gctting thc ticsth roastcd hcans to thc customcr as quickly as possihlc; trcshly roastcd hcans can coyci' tip thc sins of thc poorly hrcytcd cup ol‘joc. hc says. In his \ icu. thcy hcgin to go off al‘tcr only a to“ \ycclts. Just chcck thc sack ol‘ (’olomhian you might find in 'l'csco and thc likc: its scII-hy datc may hc ncai'ly a ycar away. How old arc thosc hcans'.’
Roy ('amphcll. u'hosc company. (ilcnl'inlas. is cxclusiy c l‘ls' imlioi'tcr and distributor of col'l‘cc from (irccn Mountain ('ollcc Roasters. agrccs that thcrc is ‘nothing hcttcr than l‘rcshly roastcd hcans'. But his largcly mail ordcr rctail opcration ol‘tcn docsn't hayc thc luxury of a tyy'o-yycck turnaround. llc says that pi'opcrly packagcd hcans Using a ‘nitrogcn llush' should hay c a six month shelf life and keeping hearts in thc l'rcc/ci‘ can add anothcr 50‘} to thcir cxistcncc. Once they hay c hccn ground. howcycr. ('amphcll says thc col'tcc begins to go stalc \\ ithin tcii minutcs. lt's ti'tic: Colle hrcyycd from grounds just a lcyy hours old IasICs llal. dtlll and dcad.
(irccn Mountain studies the chcmical composition of tlic licans and finds thc roast that brings otit thc hcst. Bittci'ncss is usually thc rcsult of too much hcat. similarly thc ashy llayoiirs ot' Scattlc land Starbucksl collcc arc thc rcsult ol~ a longcr roast.
lloyy host to makc a cup ol‘ cotl'cc'.’ (‘amphcll prcl'crs thc inl'tision mcthod ot~ catctibrcs \yith thc plungcr l\li()\\l] as a l'rcnch press. The water should not hc boiling but about Ill scconds past rolling. llc lirst pours a small amount oycr thc grounds tapproximatcly onc hcaping tahlcspoon for may (io/ ol’ \yatcrl and s\\ll‘ls. \yhich 'pulls air into thc coll‘cc'. 'I‘hcn add thc rcst of thc fluid and alloyy thrcc to four minutes of stccping. Magic.
IJ Mellis coffees are available at all shops in Edinburgh and Glasgow. For more information visit www.igmellischeesemonger.com Green Mountain coffees can be ordered via www.greenmountain .co.uk or phone 0131 220 8251. Thompsons
Coffee and Tea, 79 Renfield Street, Glasgow,
0141 332 6380.
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Side dishes
News to nibble on . . r.
I PRESTONFIELD HOUSE. Edinburgh. Will be re- launched later this year under the direction ot Witchery and Tower restaurateur James Thomson. Plans fOr the 30- room hotel include a destination restaurant With new private dining spaces and vari0tis restorations. Such as w0rk on a barOQue plaster ceiling in the 17th century house. “Like the Witchery, Prestonfield is the kind of magical place that can only be created over hundreds of years.’ says Thomson.
I JUST WHEN YOU thought that beer makers couldn't possibly have another trick up their proverbial coppers, the recently established Edinburgh-based brewer Innis 8. Gunn has introduced ‘Oak Aged Beer’. Before being bottled handsomely, the ale is kept for 30 days in ‘lightly toasted American white oak barrels’ after which it is aged another 47 days in a ‘marrying tun'. According to the company, the flavours thus ‘infuse and mellow’ and natural carbonation takes places as well. Indeed, the brew is lightly effervescent. Side dishes found the taste rather akin to what an ale cocktail might taste like: beer Ieavened with a bit of sherry or something similar. Others, however, may really appreciate its subtle fruitiness - especially those who don’t particularly care for fizzy lager or bitter beer. At £1.70 per 330ml, the 6.6% ABV brew is correctly targeted at the premium market.