My company organized a Coffee Masterclass, hosted by Christian Vasquez. I’m a coffee enthusiast so I was eager to learn more. My preferred preparation is a pour-over coffee. I start by adding a little milk to an empty cup and heat the cup. Then I boil a kettle of water and let it stand for 30 sec. I clean my pour-over filter with the water and add 1.5 tablespoons of coffee grinds onto the filter. I soak the grinds for about 30 sec to let the coffee bloom before continuing with the pour-over for about 6 mins.

A few things I learnt were:

• Don’t overheat the milk as it can break down the sugars and ruin the coffee.
• It is important to preheat the cup because heat changes the taste of coffee.
• Don’t over-extract the coffee by placing the pour-over over the cup for an extended period (>6 mins). This can ruin the balance of the coffee.
• Add water in a gradual fashion - 100 ml first, then 200 ml, then 400 and so on.
• Medium-coarse grind is perfect for pour-overs.
• Keep the ratio of milk to coffee 1/5 and coffee to water to 1/16.
• Coffees grown near volcanic regions have a richer and more distinct flavor due to the volcanic soil.
• Dark roast coffees cannot be balanced because they are over-roasted. Prefer medium roasts.
• Try to identify the following tastes : Chocolate, Fruity, Flowery, Spicy.
• The dimensions that you can use to measure coffee are : Aroma, Acidity, Texture, Balance and Body.