Month: September 2013

What’s Brewing #5 – Indonesian Aceh Gayo

/ Pete Denison / 1 Comment
Young boy in Guel dance, Gayo country, Aceh pr...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It’s nice to review a coffee produced “locally” here in the Asia-Pacific region. This Indonesian Aceh Gayo Gr1 Organic was originally roasted to go in my Three Bean blend (see What’s Brewing #4), however I was obviously keen to assess it as an origin in its own right. Living here in Australia, there are a number of smaller coffee producing countries in the region, however most of my experience has been with those originating in New Guinea. Lets see how this one stacks up.

(Right: Young boy in Guel dance, Gayo country, Aceh province, Sumatra, Indonesia)

The Whack

What: Indonesian Aceh Gayo Gr1 Organic

* Origin: Gayo Megah Berseri estate in the Central Aceh region of Sumatra
* Altitude: 1400–1600 metres
* Processing: Semi washed, sun dried
* Harvest: March 2013

How: Latte, Aeropress, V60

Assessment:
Dry Aroma – Probably best described as spicy/herby with floral notes, mingled with brown sugar

Latte – Does surprisingly well through milk. I would not say there is a lot of body, though definitely enough to give it some punch, carry through the chocolatey undertones and floral notes. Performed better than expected here.

Aeropress – Very well suited to this form of brewing, possibly even shading the V60 in allowing the herb and floral flavours to come to the fore. Made me think a little of dandelion. The only negative here is it probably lacks a little sweetness.

V60 – Smooth, very smooth. Shows more sweetness than the Aeropress however a little less of the herbal and floral notes. The medium body and a crisp finish make this a very enjoyable brew overall.

Conclusion; Know this:
Though assessed across the three methods above, you may note no Espresso. No conspiracy here, I have simply been playing with the V60 a little more (or a lot judging by the dwindling filters), having only purchased this a couple of weeks ago. I had high hopes for this variety given it is a “local”, and certainly was not disappointed. This is one of the best all rounders across the different brewing methods I have had in recent times, and would highly recommend this either on its own or in a [blend](What’s Brewing #4).

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Related articles

iFingerprint

/ Pete Denison / 2 Comments
English: Picture of a whorl fingerprint pattern

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Do we really need a fingerprint sensor in the new iPhone?

Whether or not you believe the new iPhone(s) to be announced this week will actually have a fingerprint sensor is immaterial to this question. That decision has already been made at Apple HQ in Cupertino. My point is, what would we really use it for?

I have often thought about this, since the early rumours suggested the upcoming model would have this feature. Would a device with this type of technology really be more helpful, secure or efficient than one without?

Beyond the obvious secure unlocking of a device, where I do believe this would be extremely beneficial would be in some sort of partitioning of user accounts on an iPhone, or to secure certain applications that may contain sensitive information, whilst leaving the remainder of the device “open” as it were. I’m still not convinced how this would really work, however Craig Hockenberry has some thoughts on his blog, which provide a nice summary of what could occur should this feature be implemented on our iPhones, particularly with some form of iCloud integration. The article is worth reading if you are at all interested in this sort of thing.

I myself am not due for a phone upgrade this year, however my wife is, and I will be looking closely at whatever features appear on this new device once it is in our…ahem, her hands.

Related articles

Human for iPhone

/ Pete Denison / 1 Comment

Human4

Human is a recently released free app for iPhone that is designed to track and encourage users to achieve at least 30 minutes of physical activity or movement per day. It joins many other systems such as the Fitbit, Jawbone Up, Nike+ Fuelband, and apps like Runkeeper currently on the market, however the philosophy differs to these offerings. The overall philosophy behind Human is to provide simple, elegant and meaningful data about your daily activity entirely through your iPhone, with an emphasis on the health benefits of achieving at least 30 minutes of daily movement (The Daily 30).

Human was released in the App Store on August 31, with a further update on September 5, said to improve both movement detection/tracking and battery life – two critical features for the success of the app. Users of these types of products expect (and rightly so) accuracy of information without excessive drain on battery life. Having just activated my account, I have not yet had the chance to determine what impact the app has on battery life though it is something I will be monitoring. From the developers:

Human is a passive tracker, which means that the software runs in the background of your phone, and tracks your activity automatically. You don’t have to check-in, log, or record anything manually. We access your phone’s location services and sensors to achieve this. Our primary concern has always been tracking activities accurately without draining too much battery life.

Why Human?

My interest in Human came about as I spend the usual work week sitting at a computer (to the detriment of my overall health and productivity), however routinely walk when I get the chance, getting off the bus two stops early in the morning (after a 45–60 minute commute), with additional walks mid morning and at lunch time. I am keen to see how much of this incidental activity actually stacks up.

To do this, I require an app I do not have to think about, one that will provide accurate results, and equally as important, something that is visually interesting and thoughtfully designed. I have said this before and will say it again now and no doubt in the future, ugly apps have absolutely zero appeal to me, regardless of the feature set (though I acknowledge the eye of the beholder). Finally, I prefer not to wear any additional receiver on my wrist or anywhere else, so using my phone for the entire process also appeals to me.

Using Human

Once an account is set up, the app really is a set and forget system, though you are obviously required to have your phone with you for measurement to occur. Checking the app a few times today showed my progress towards the 30 minutes with an elegant dial, and upon tapping this, a timeline of activities so far (see below).

Human2

Activity is logged in various categories including walking, running, biking, and transport (vehicle etc). Upon reaching 30 minutes of activity in a day, users receive a push notification advising this has been achieved. This app is not filled with excessive statistical data, nor does it provide a timeline of all activity on launch – two positive features as far as I am concerned. If I’m after more specific details around an interval workout, I will continue to use Runkeeper, however as mentioned above, I am simply looking to assess my incidental activity over the course of the day. It doesn’t hurt to receive a pat on the back once you get there either:

Human3

The beauty of Human lies in its simplicity in both measuring your movement (which goes completely unnoticed, with nothing to wear, launch or log), as well as the flexibility in allowing input of various activities (30 minute gym workout for example) or changing those that may have been inaccurately tracked. For example, an 8 minute drive was today picked up as running, which was easily corrected, though may be worth keeping an eye on for accuracy. Reverting incorrectly assigned modes of movement is easily done, and does not require you to remember what the activity was, as it is visually represented on a map within the change screen. The usual sharing options to Facebook and Twitter are also available.

An article by The Verge compares the various systems currently available for tracking and measuring both overall activity and individual workouts, and other reviews of Human can be found at Techcrunch and again at The Verge.

I am looking forward over the coming weeks to see whether my intermittent walking affords the benefits I think they are, though regardless of whether I achieve “the daily 30”, they are certainly worth their ‘head clearing’ benefits. Given my son was with me today in achieving the daily 30, I wonder if we can claim 60 all up…

Human for iPhone is available free in the App Store now.

Related articles

Crop to Cup – Part 1

/ Pete Denison / 5 Comments

photo (1)

While the above title may sound rather exotic, the reality is I have been lucky enough to be given a small, recently harvested crop of beautiful red coffee ‘cherries’. Receiving such a gift carries significant responsibility, and I am determined to process, roast and cup the resulting brew with all the dedication and care I can muster. As regular readers will know, I have been roasting at home for some time now (purchasing green beans online), however to this point have not processed beans straight from the tree. This is a whole new ball game for me. How to proceed?

photo (3)photo (2)

The first step was a call to my parents, who grow, and therefore regularly process, roast and drink their own crop. Next, an internet search to see what is out there on this topic. I was surprised to find the most helpful instructions on my state government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry website. For additional reading on the types of processing methods, the International Coffee Organisation (ICO) provides a good summary.

Wet or Dry Processing

Firstly, there are two options, wet or dry processing. What follows in the section below outlines the wet processing method I plan to use, said to “better preserve the intrinsic qualities of the bean”. This method is the one outlined on the state government website, and also the one my parents use.

In the dry processing method, the entire coffee cherries are dried in the sun for approximately 4 weeks (to a minimum 12.5% moisture content), followed by removal of all outer layers around the bean by hulling equipment. States the ICO:

The dry method is used for about 90 percent of the Arabica coffee produced in Brazil, most of the coffees produced in Ethiopia, Haiti and Paraguay, as well as for some Arabicas produced in India and Ecuador. Almost all Robustas are processed by this method.

Wet processing generally follows the procedure outlined below, though obviously on a fairly large scale for commercial operators. As opposed to the dry method, the seed is extracted and fermented first, the drying process then follows, again until the beans reach 12.5% moisture content. The beans are then stored, and the hulling process is completed just prior to export. Again from the (ICO):

The wet method is generally used for Arabica coffees, with the exception of those produced in Brazil and the Arabica-producing countries mentioned above as users of the dry method. It is rarely used for Robustas.

My wet processed micro lot

The wet processing technique I am using involves the following steps:

  1. Pulping
  2. Fermentation
  3. Drying
  4. Parchment removal (hulling)
  5. Roasting
  6. Grinding, strong and brewing

Comparing the method my parents use with those online saw many similarities, with only some of the time frames differing a little in each stage. We will focus on steps 1 to 4, as other posts deal with roasting, grinding and brewing, and in any event, steps 5 and 6 occur independently of the processing method used. Today we will look at Pulping and Fermentation, and return in future posts as my drying process proceeds.

  1. Pulping
    Here we are removing all of the skin and pulp (flesh) from the cherry, and extracting both halves of the coffee ‘seed’ from inside, and should occur as soon as possible after harvesting. Be sure to discard any underripe (green) or overripe (black) fruit which will reduce the quality of what ends up in the cup.

    Seed extraction in the pulping phase.

    Seed extraction in the pulping phase.

    This process can either be done by hand (squeezing each cherry between your thumb and finger), or in the bottom of a bucket using a piece of wood to squash the fruit, resulting in the seeds being forced out from the flesh. Adding water will then allow removal of the skins and one other critical element – any floating beans. Good coffee beans will not float, and those that do should be discarded as they are unusable, and will spoil the batch.

  2. Fermentation
    There is not a lot to say about this step, apart from the fact it should last anywhere from 18–48 hours to a few days, and involves natural enzymes breaking down the ‘mucilage’ (the outer slippery substance) around the parchment layer.

    Removal of floating beans (left); fermentation (right).

    Removal of floating beans (left); fermentation (right).

    Fermentation should be done in a plastic bucket or container (metal may affect the taste), with the entire bean mass covered by water. To test for completeness of this phase, washing a small amount of beans should see the ‘slippery’ coating disappear, resulting in a clean, gritty feel. If so, agitate and wash the remaining beans until he water is clear (again removing any that float), which may take several washes.
    Once washed and clean, the beans are then ready for drying.

At the time of writing this post, the pulping is completed, and the beans are sitting fermenting…

To be continued in Crop to Cup Part 2

Related articles