Coffee has gone gourmet, and there is now a much wider awareness of the varieties of origin, blends and roasting techniques. New flavours and sensations are to be found to rival the variety of experiences offered by wines from different areas and kinds of vine.
So it was only to be expected that after entering the world of the high-quality gastronomic experience, in all its subtle variety, coffee would break out of its mould as a simple beverage and become a major player on the gourmet cuisine scene.
Infused as a liquid or in solid bean form, every part of the plant is now used. Coffee-based dinners, often with corporate sponsorship, are nothing new.
Vergnano was involved in one such dinner by chef Francesco Passalacqua at Eataly some time ago. Another took place at Hawaiian Daylight Mind Coffee Company restaurant, which over eight courses used every part of the coffee plant, from the bean to the leaf and the hull.
And at the Le Calandre restaurant experiments were being made with
coffee powder over ten years ago – it is a well-known fact that the great concerns are ahead of their time.
Gourmet coffee is very much a part of Caffè Carraro, which confirms the increased awareness among consumers, something it says needs to be followed and refined, as CEO Giulio Zanandrea explains:
“We have been supplying single-origin and gourmet coffee to the best cafés for twenty years and now they have become fashionable.
So much the better if that helps to create a lasting, sophisticated awareness of the product over time. We get the sense that what our consumers want – whether they realise it or not – is a knowledge of the culture of espresso coffee.
Baristas and restaurateurs should try to educate to attentive, sensorially evolved consumers, that is to say those who are able to appreciate a cup of espresso without any “external” conditioning, as a cool testimonial or luxury package.”
Andreas Juerss, marketing manager of Neuhaus Neotec also focuses on the roasting process: “Host 2015 exceeded all our expectations. We saw a huge amount of interest in our new Neogrind machine, which we previewed at the fair, and in our RFB hot-air roasting system.
Among specialised roasters there is a great demand for consultancy to which we respond with the workshops we run periodically.”
Another trend on the increase is that of the single portion and aluminium capsule, as Alain Adler of the Belgian firm Belmoca explains: “We operate in this specific sector and each year our business grows, especially countries more traditionally associated with tea drinking.
At Host we met professionals from all over the world, from Europe and the Americas to Asia and Arab countries. It really is the trade fair of reference, especially for our segment.”
So coffee drinking styles are changing and so are the things that go with the beverage. Coffee is not just about where it comes from, but it’s also about the sweetener or milk that goes into it – and a coffee’s origin may indeed even dictate the best combinations.
In an age of food intolerance, there is not surprisingly now a great deal of interest in “alternative” milks (with almond out in front, but also soy, rice, oatmeal and hazelnut).
Alongside these, “alternative sweeteners” are also making their presence felt, with the focus on natural rather than artificial, as in the case of stevia.
And one of the very latest ideas from the States is sugar syrup flavoured with herbs and spices that adds an intriguingly different aroma and flavour to coffee
