This week, we’re revisiting our exciting anaerobic natural process coffee, Indonesia Kerinci Barokah. Anthony talks a bit about the coffee and his Moka Pot method for brewing this asian delight.
When asked to share my thoughts on this beautiful coffee my mind immediately wandered to my earliest days working at Padre Coffee (8 years ago!). These were my first experiences of drinking any Indonesian coffee, let alone brewing and selling it. The Indonesian we were serving at the time had a strong following among our retail customers at Padre Coffee South Melbourne and although it was also a Sumatran, that’s about where the comparison ends.
Indonesia in my experience is an often overlooked origin within specialty coffee, at least in comparison to other overtly celebrated continents. What is really exciting about the Kerinci Barokah is that it is processed in the anaerobic natural style, bringing flavours that we might normally associate with naturally processed African coffees to the fore.
This is not however an imitation of style in order to pass Indonesian coffee off as something other than what it is. Rather, it shows the versatility of the fruit, expanding what we think is possible, but staying distinctly Indonesian all the while.
To me, the beautiful fruit grown from the volcanic soils of Sumatra has a typically rich and rustic charm, and further to the trademark base of almost savoury and spicy notes, emphasised by the processing style is a complexity that lands as melon, sugar, an almost effervescent acidity and velvety cocoa mouthfeel.
This is a coffee that is straightforward enough to serve to a square friend, adventurous enough to grab your attention, bold enough to satisfy, and pretty enough to have some allure beyond the end of the cup.
EQUIPMENT
RECIPE
METHOD
Weigh and grind enough coffee to comfortably fill the basket of your Moka Pot. For the 3-cup that I’m using this is around 25g, ground fine like for a domestic espresso machine.
Fill the bottom water reservoir up to the indicator line on the inside.
Put the basket in place, fill with ground coffee and gently even it out with the edge of a spoon, giving a couple of taps on the bench-top to collapse and distribute the coffee.
Fully assemble the Moka Pot and place onto the stove at high heat, leaving the lid open so you can watch the espresso brew.
When the coffee begins to brew, monitor the yield just as though you were watching an espresso shot pull.
As the shot approaches approximately 50ml (you’ll have to exercise your best judgement here, we can weigh as brew!) remove it from the heat, and run the base of the brewer under cold water to stop the moka pot brewing.
Pour into your favourite cup, and sip away!
DOMESTIC ESPRESSO RECIPE
On the Slayer LP we use 20.5g of coffee and aim for a yield of 38g, however your machine and set up will determine what dose (and therefore, yield) you should aim for. Some domestic machines have 20-22g baskets, however some will only be able to hold 16-18g. Use the ratio to adjust the espresso recipe.
Padre Coffee acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their continued connections to land, sea and community.
We pay our respect to Elders past, present and future, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
