Participants of the Nespresso Coffee Sommelier Campus 2011
The campus is a unique education program that hopes to let these sommeliers and chefs expand their knowledge about the world of coffee and eventually become a Nespresso Coffee Sommelier. This will teach them the full diversity of coffee tasting and let them pair coffee with other food and dishes.
The participants doing their analysis
Edouard Thomas said that “coffee sommeliers will play an important role in the overall enjoyment of a dining experience with coffee. With the Nespresso Coffee Sommelier Campus, selected sommeliers will be able to develop their existing skills to have a finer appreciation and knowledge of coffee, hence helping diners to have a complete gourmet experience with coffee.
In line with the campus, Nespresso has also set up a Coffee & Tea Academy within the new campus of At-Sunrice Global Chef Academy, where students there will now get to go through a 2-day modular course on coffee as part of their curriculum. There they will go through practical and hands-on training to build up their base on coffee.
One example of a module is on harmonizing coffee. Harmony is to create equilibrium between similarities or differences and when harmonizing coffee with other food and beverages, there are many aspects to take note and be careful of.
For example,
• Coffee should always be served at a temperature between 65-67°C
• Sugar or cream should be avoided as they interfere with the taste of coffee
• Appreciate the scent first before sipping the coffee then finally tasting the food that accompanies it
• The sensations of the coffee should be equal or just lesser than the food or beverage that is accompanying it
• The perception of acidity, bitterness, body-texture and smoothness in the coffee should counterpoise the accompanying substance
• Chocolate can be eaten either together or after having the coffee
Pairing coffee with water is about letting the water tame the strong character of coffee but yet helps to soften and extend the other sensations felt. It also helps to prepare the palate to fully appreciate all the sensations by washing away other flavours.
Edouard Thomas taking a sniff of the coffee aromas
Pairing coffee with chocolate is another common combination. When chocolate melts in the mouth, it releases aromatic flavours of sweetness, bitterness and acidity together with a texture of velvetness. This lets it harmonize easily with coffee because their flavours will blend wonderfully – the texture and smoothness of coffee counters the acidity, bitterness and astringency of chocolate while the coffee’s acidity and bitterness will be countered by the chocolate’s sweetness and luxuriousness. Harmony is hence created through the complementary perceptions of the sensations.
There are definitely many more pairings for coffee with other food and beverages, and many more observations that must be made to ensure that they are able to harmonise and hence enhance the dining experience. These are just some of the challenges that await the budding coffee sommelier.
Photographs courtesy of Nespresso
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Give yourself a break from work by enjoying a good afternoon tea