Brew - Speciality Coffee Magazine

The coffee coach

pro tips for home brewers November drop

tasting notes Weekend baking

Stem ginger cake

NOVEMBER Facebook‑F Indy coffee box club instagram indycoffeeboxuk

Indycoffeebox.co.uk We're on a mission to ensure you get every last drop of flavour from your Indy Coffee Box beans, so we asked pro coffee coach Michaela Jamieson for her tips to help home brewers create cafequality coffee at home.

Also in this month's issue of Brew are the tasting notes for the November bill of beans, plus a winning recipe for a deliciously sticky stem-ginger cake from Dark Woods Coffee in Huddersfield.

Brush up on your barista skills while it's baking, then craft yourself a top-notch brew and pair it with a sizeable slab of cake for the ultimate weekend treat.

Enjoy!

P.S. Want to increase the number of bags in your box?

Go to indycoffeebox.co.uk and log in to your account. Click 'My Subscription' and then 'Upgrade'. This isn't an option for four‑bag subscribers as that's the maximum box size.

However, everyone can take advantage of ordering a Booster Box for a second helping of the month's coffees. Keep an eye on your emails for the opportunity to order one.

Selena, Nick, Tamsin, Charlotte, Kathryn, Jo and Chris of the Indy Coffee Box team

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The coffee coach pro tips for home brewers

Freelance barista trainer Michaela Jamieson (AKA Kayla The Coffee Coach) travels the UK transforming newbie coffee brewers into skilled baristas. She shares five tips to elevate your brew skills to coffee-shop standard

1 Invest in good brewing kit Make sure you have the essentials: scales, milk jug, grinder, espresso or filter equipment and even some decent tea towels (you can find excellent baristastyle microfibre cloths online). Having the right kit will help you get the most from your beans and make the process as smooth as possible.

When looking for specialist equipment it can be difficult to know where to start as there's so much to choose from. I'd recommend paying a visit to your local speciality coffee shop as most have a retail section and will be able to advise on the best kit for your home set-up.

2 Stick with it

3 Keep it clean Never neglect cleanliness, whether you use an espresso machine, cafetiere or V60. Clean your brewing equipment every day as not doing so will have a massive effect on the taste of your coffee.

Coffee oils build up quickly and that's no good for flavour – or the longevity of your equipment. The same goes for cleaning your grinder; I'd recommend doing it after every use.

Once you're happy with your brewing set-up, stick with it. The more you use the same equipment, the more familiar and confident you'll become. Constantly changing your kit makes maintaining consistency challenging.

When I visit cafes to coach baristas, I always ensure they use their own kit rather than mine as that's what they have to use every day on the job.

Kayla demonstrating how to achieve the perfect pour in a brewing masterclass

4 Back to school

Rather than watching YouTube after YouTube video, constantly replaying and stressing out because you can't replicate what the expert is doing, book in for a masterclass to hone your techniques.

There are classes devoted to specific areas of coffee, such as latte art, where you'll learn milk techniques first-hand.

Pouring milk to craft latte art is so much easier once you understand how milk texturises, and that's best learnt from a pro in a hands-on workshop.

5 Fresh press It's tempting to pour a whole bag of fresh beans into the hopper of your grinder to save time in the future but that means the beans won't maintain their freshness.

Store beans in an airtight container and use only what you need each time. I don't recommend keeping beans in the fridge as they absorb moisture and can be tainted by the odours of other items in the fridge.

November

tasting NOTES

KEY omni filter and espresso

filter

INCLUDED IN

from V60s to batch

ALL BOXES

'spro

Colonna Coffee

espresso machine

Bristol This edge-of-Bristol roastery (founded in 2015 by barista champ Maxwell ColonnaDashwood) specialises in showcasing seasonal, single origin and small-lot beans in a pleasingly limited and carefully curated collection of high-end coffees.

Check out Colonna's cafe in Bath – it's a speciality coffee institution.

filter 'spro

Bean background This coffee comes from two washing stations, Chebumba and

Buchiro, which are located near the shores of Lake Kivu in the Democratic

Coffee Muungano

Republic of the Congo. Natural coffees are uncommon in the country, yet Chebumba and Buchiro broke the mould

Varietal

when they released their first exportable

Bourbon

volumes of natural coffee in 2019.

Origin Democratic Republic of the Congo

Process Natural

Altitude 1,484-2,000m

plum

Chebumba and Buchiro are part of the Agricole Muungano co-operative in South Kivu. This contains over 4,000 farmers, organised into 16 sectors

berry spice

within the mountains that surround Lake Kivu. It's a rich location for coffee farming thanks to its fertile soils, but farmers also grow a variety of other plants to supplement their income, including beans, corn and bananas.

wine

INCLUDED IN

ALL BOXES

Fower Coffee Scotland In 2020, speciality coffee enthusiast Stuart Jamieson did what so many only dream of doing and left his corporate career to start roasting coffee full-time. From his roastery HQ in South Lanarkshire – which doubles up as a cafe, pop-up restaurant and events space – Stuart and the Fower team roast top-grade beans for coffee lovers.

Bean background Coffee Factory Espresso Blend

'spro

filter Bean background Factory Espresso is Fower

Varietals Mondo Novo, Catuai, Typica, Bourbon, Kaapi Royale

Origin Brazil, Guatemala, India

Process Natural, washed

Coffee's original espresso

This Ugandan coffee comes from several small community

Coffee Ugandan, UGO1

farmers around the village of Ibanda in the foothills of

blend and has become a

Varietals

the Rwenzori Mountains.

staple in its collection, thanks

Heirloom

The farmers bring their

to its rich body and well balanced sweetness/acidity.

Factory is a complementary combination of natural Brazilian, washed Guatemalan and washed Indian beans which results in a reliably

ripe cherries to Ibanda where

Origin Ibanda, Rwenzori, Uganda

Process Natural

delicious espresso.

they're sorted, weighed and sold. The cherries are then taken to the Bugoye coffee station for processing.

Once the green beans reach Fower HQ, they're lightly roasted to reveal notes of juicy berries, praline and dried fruits.

stone fruit

praline brown sugar

dried fruit

dark chocolate berry

November

tasting NOTES

KEY omni filter and espresso

INCLUDED IN

filter

3 & 4 BAG BOXES

from V60s to batch

'spro

Pilgrims Coffee

espresso machine

Northumberland Located on beautiful Holy Island on England's north east coast, this roasterycafe cooks up first-rate coffee in an astonishing natural environment.

Founder Andrew Mundy and team's deliciously diverse range of coffees are crafted in a converted shipping container in the Island's tiny village.

'spro

Bean background This Pilgrims blend was

Coffee Daily Bread

built around the idea that great coffee should be as easy to source as a loaf of bread.

Varietals Mixed

Origin 25% Peru San Fernando; 25% Peru Apyalla; 25% El Salvador Renacer; 25% Brazil Bom Jesus

Process Natural, washed

cocoa

To create the mediumroast coffee, the Pilgrims gang collaborated with small-scale importers who work closely with farmers in Peru and El Salvador.

In the cup, Daily Bread delivers oodles of sweet chocolate notes,

almond

followed by a fruity kick. Be warned: it's highly swiggable – the Pilgrims crew admit to drinking it in excessive quantities.

raisin

Exclusive to

4 bag BOXES

Carringtons Coffee Co. Lancashire After developing a passion for coffee on a trip to Colombia in 2019, wife and husband team Suzy and Alex established their own roastery just south of the Lake District. The duo roast small batches of single-origin beans and an exclusive blend (PB&J) in a forest-green Giesen roaster.

Bean background

jam

omni

Packed with peanut butter notes and sweet jammy flavours, this is a brew for PBJ fans.

Coffee PB&J

An 80/20 split, the Brazilian coffee is sourced from Espirito Santo do Pinhal in Mogiana which is known for its distinctive nutty bite.

The jamminess comes from a bright, clean and full-bodied Ugandan coffee, sourced from a farm located high up in the Rwenzori Mountains.

peanut butter

Varietal Acai, SL14, SL28

Origin 80% Mogiana, Brazil; 20% Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda

Process Natural

Altitude 1,150–1,900m

Stem Ginger Cake This deliciously sticky loaf cake is the perfect partner for a fruity filter and was created by Paul Meikle-Janney of Dark Woods Coffee in Huddersfield Serves 8-10 Preparation time 30-45 minutes Cooking time 30 minutes 1. For the cake: preheat the oven to 160°C / gas 3. Line the tin with baking parchment.

You will need 30 × 23 × 4cm loaf tin

2. In a small saucepan, gently heat the butter, treacle and sugar until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

For the cake Salted butter 250g, softened Black treacle 120g Dark muscovado sugar 250g Plain flour 375g Ground ginger 5 tbsp Ground cinnamon 2 tsp Crystallised stem ginger 4 pieces, minced Free-range eggs 2, beaten Whole milk 300ml Bicarbonate of soda 2 tsp

For the icing Salted butter 100g, softened Icing sugar 200g

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, ground ginger and cinnamon. Pour in the treacle mixture and give it a good stir, then stir in the stem ginger and eggs.

4. Gently warm the milk in a saucepan, add the bicarbonate of soda and allow it to foam. Slowly pour into the cake mixture and stir until incorporated.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30 minutes, or until dark golden and springy to the touch.

Leave it to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

6. If time allows, place the cake in an airtight container and ice it the next day.

7. For the icing: in a bowl, mix the butter and icing sugar to form a breadcrumb-like texture. Stir in the cream cheese, stem ginger and a drizzle of the ginger syrup (don't beat the mixture as it could split).

8. Cut the cake in half lengthways. Spread half of the icing on the base, then place the other half on top of the cake. Cover with the remaining icing.

Cream cheese 250g Crystallised stem ginger 6 pieces, roughly chopped Syrup from the crystallised ginger a drizzle

Perfect Christmas gift

Recipe from the new Volume 2.

Indy Cafe Cookbook y‑to‑make Discover 39 other eas hero speciality dishes from the UK's by purchasing cafes and roasteries ycoffee.guide your copy now at ind

Chef's tip: 'Baking this in a loaf tin makes it easy to serve in neat, even portions'

Searching for a great gift for a fellow coffee fan, or curating your own Christmas wish list? Get all the latest editions of the Independent Coffee Guides in the adventurers' bundle

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