Black Coffee by Café Younes offers an incredible masterclass with a wealth of information about the world of this elixir. Ipshita Sharma falls in love with coffee all over again!
I am not a coffee connoisseur, but I had to leap at the chance of learning more about this fascinating drink. As I headed into this gorgeous yet laidback café in the heart of Dubai, something felt right and familiar right away. Café Younes that has cafes all over Beirut is run by four generations of coffee lovers and I have loved going to their café in Achrafieh.
Mark, their coffee-crazy scientist, is a master of everything to do with this bean. He can wax lyrical about everything from roasting to acidity, to the importance of elevation, to how coffee pods are terrible in every way.
The masterclass starts with how the fruit that the seeds come from are grown and how the location makes a huge difference to the taste much like wine varietals. Then we got up close and personal with their in-house roast machine and we were told how each coffee bean has a different roasting process. Slowly the smell of roasting beans fills the air and puts smiles on everyone’s faces.
After the roasting, comes the grinding. The nutty professor was quick to point out each of the beans he would give us a chance to taste had different kinds of grinds! There are quite a few options for how to brew your coffee, and according to Mark, the average home user can use the French press, which he recommends over most other options.
For the purposes of the masterclass though, first we tried out the Pour Over Coffee Brewer with the Geisha coffee from Columbia. Some of the best coffee in the world, this bean doesn’t need too much in the way of roasting or brewing. Mark gets us to blooming the coffee (or helping it release its CO2) by moving the hot water all over it. After Mark correctly guesses the time taken to percolate the coffee, we get to taste, and it is nothing like any coffee I’ve ever tasted before. Light, aromatic and silky-smooth, this drink is more of an aperitif than a cuppa joe!
Next up is their signature cold brew made from Kenyan Swara AA and it is so light and refreshing that I can picture myself drinking it on a beach somewhere. Brewed in their special cold brew drip machine, this coffee has a very distinct aroma and chocolate-y undertones.
Last came the turn of the Siphon Coffee Brewer with the Ethiopian Guji Hambela that was the coffee-est of the lot with slightly bitter aftertaste but well-bodied flavour. This type of brewer is recommended by experts that can manage to equitably distribute the heat in just the right way.
The masterclass ends with a little lunch where you can choose from sweet or savoury options made in house and there are quite a few options of coffee is used in the food as well. This drink is truly at the heart of what they do at Black Coffee by Café Younes.
The Good
I discovered that coffee is so much than just the pitch-black and bitter drink that the world tells you it is.
The Bad
Just a bit on the expensive side, this masterclass is definitely something to try on a special day.
The Trendy
Try some of the best coffee blends in the world roasted by one of the most experienced coffee scientists in Dubai.
Visit https://blackcoffee.ae/ to book your Masterclass today!
Review By: @ipshieyesdubai