It blows my mind that bush safari in East Africa encompasses a perfectly brewed cup of coffee with every meal — anywhere. What a pleasant surprise! I mean literally anywhere — breakfasts and dinners as well as picnics outside the camp.
There is the familiar pot of double-walled stainless-steel coffee press in every place we stay. Even on the road, the same coffee pot is packed in the picnic basket with other essentials. In fact, a premeasured amount of ground coffee and a thermo of hot water are always on hand. Imagine a fortifying cup of coffee is so easily and widely accessible like you’re on the streets of Manhattan. What a delight when you’re in such remote location!
I’ve learned a thing or two about making a perfect cup of coffee at a coffee plantation in Arusha, Tanzania. Here is a summary of the steps:
First, pick the ripe coffee cherries. Ripe coffee cherries are bright red and glossy. Furthermore, you can strip harvest by hand by grabbing a branch and sliding your hand forward to knock all the cherries off the tree and onto the ground.
Pulp the berries. Squeeze the cherries to separate the seed or the coffee bean from the fruit.
Soak and then dry the beans. After separating the beans from the fruit, some meat will remain on the beans. Soak them in a bucket of water for one to two days to break down the fruit and the bean. The fruit will float to the top and can be discarded, while the beans sink to the bottom of the bowl.
Drying the beans is a lengthy process (between 10 to 30 days). Lay the beans on a wire mesh. Stir and rotate the beans to make sure they dry evenly. The beans are dry when their outer skin flakes off easily.
Roast the beans. Starting with the green beans, the coffee beans will go through an array of color. Basically, the longer you roast — in a roaster (or in a pan on the stovetop), the beans will get darker as the temperature in the roaster gets hotter. The chart below shows the details on each stage of the roasting process.
Ground rules for grinding coffee. Grind the freshly roasted coffee according to the specification of your coffee machine. Coarse grind for a French press for 5-10 second. Medium grind for drip (or filter) coffee for 10-15 seconds. Fine grind for the espresso machine for about 30 seconds. Coffee enthusiasts believe freshly ground coffee will make a better cup of coffee than using pre-ground coffee.
Brew the coffee. A general guideline, called the “Golden Ratio,” suggests one to two tablespoons of ground coffee for every six ounces of water, based on your individual preference. Maintain a water temperature about 90°C or 195°F for optimal extraction. If you are brewing the coffee manually, let the water come to a full boil, but do not over boil. Turn off the heat source and allow the water to rest a minute before pouring it over the grounds. Wait for 5 minutes, if using a French press, then serve.
Finally, enjoy your perfect cup of fresh brew coffee. First and foremost we have the most remarkable cup of coffee made from scratch. That means roasting the beans to the proper condition of a dark roast, grind the coffee beans and then make a pot with a French press. As a result of adhering to the strict conditions that produce a perfect cup, we make the best cup of coffee we’ve ever had!
More on our bush safari experience in a video: The Roar of Africa.
No Comments