"Welcome to Five Senses Coffee"

Folks, it’s time to delve into the recesses of the kitchen cupboards. Push past the long forgotten bread maker, the pasta machine that you used once before relegating to the back of the cupboard and dust off the trusty plunger that served you so well, before it was replaced by the shiny espresso machine.

In Australia, we have a very espresso based culture and that serves us well — most of the time. There are, however, a number of the world’s greatest coffees that just don’t shine through an espresso machine. The intensity of the espresso can often overpower the nuances and complexities of more delicate coffees. Espresso can often become an exercise in mouth feel and viscosity that can mask the underlying flavours.

Just about any coffee can be enjoyed through a plunger, but it’s the livelier coffees that seem to shine the brightest. Think a fine Kenyan — Gathima Wet Mill ‘AA’, a Colombian — Supremo Pensilvania, lemon juicy Ethiopian Yirgacheffe or one of the greatest all rounders ever (apologies to Andrew Symonds!), our very own Direct Trade PNG. Or, if a blend’s more your style, we’ve combined a few classics to create the 5 Senses Plunger Blend especially for the plunger.

Here’s what you need:

• Grinder (no blade grinders);
• Plunger (squeaky clean — take a look at our range of Bodum Plungers if you’re plungerless);
• Electric kettle;
• Timer (oven or microwave will do nicely); and
• Quality water.

The Preamble — Take the time to prepare your coffee with a relaxed frame of mind. Allow yourself ten minutes to get it right and show respect for the people who grew your coffee and the people who roasted it for you. Most importantly, make it an enjoyable routine that rewards you with a quality coffee that you can sit and savour.

1. Flick on a kettleful of good quality water while you prepare to grind the coffee beans. The grind will need to be quite a bit coarser than your espresso setting. Enjoy the aroma, but don’t dilly dally. The quicker you get your coffee brewing the more flavour you capture in the plunger instead of allowing the gas to escape into the atmosphere.
2. When the kettle has boiled, throw some water into the plunger to pre-warm the glass. Cold glass will suck all the warmth out of the brewing water. This also allows the water to cool to just below boiling point. A maximum of 45 seconds off the boil is what we recommend.
3. Pour out the water in the plunger, give it a quick wipe dry then add a heaped tablespoon per cup of coffee required. (This is a rough guide; you may need more or less depending upon personal preference.) Pour the water in immediately with a bit of vigour. Use the stream of water to mix the coffee and thoroughly wet the grounds. You should notice a nice bloom if you are using fresh coffee. This indicates some carbon dioxide is still present and will look like a creamy mousse-like substance. If you don’t have a nice bloom, your coffee is a bit long in the tooth and you need to get on the net and order some fresh stuff from the good people at 5 Senses!
4. Give it a quick stir to ensure the grounds are wet, pop your plunger top on, and lower it enough to submerge the bloom and bring the coffee into contact with the water. Hit the timer and wait for 4 minutes. If you have some hot water remaining you can use this to pre-warm your cups as the clock counts down…
5. Bing! Immediately depress the plunger all the way. A little finesse may be required here. Nice and steady will ensure a clean bench top! Pour the coffee into the cup. Any coffee left in the plunger and still in contact with the grounds will continue to extract flavour and will become increasingly bitter. Pour any leftover coffee into a thermos pot for later use.
6. Drink the coffee as you like but try giving it a go black, or just ease up on the milk and sugar a little to let the coffee shine through. You may be pleasantly surprised.
7. Relax in your favourite chair and really TASTE the coffee. Roll it around in your mouth and allow it to coat every taste bud you have. Ponder the flavours and mouth feel, see if you can pick out anything from the flavour library in your head. See how the coffee evolves as it cools and new flavours start to emerge.

Hmmm, what to try next? Maybe I’ll get some of that Indonesian (Sumatran) — Gajah Mountain next time…