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Weekend Blend

The secret is out! For some time now, the roaster boys have been developing blends every week and distributing them to staff each Wednesday. With ageing, the Weekend Blend is at peak performance on the weekend. The roasters like to think that it is a result of their endless single origin cupping sessions — but hey, let’s be honest… The majority of us just want a treat for the weekend, wouldn’t you? The Weekend Blend is the staff favourite of the preceding four weeks each month.

So after a hard week, treat yourself to the November Weekend Blend — you’ve earned it!

One of the great things about working at 5 Senses is the company’s ongoing commitment to investing in staff members. Richo recently returned from Coffee Lab International in the States, where he trained under Mané Alves, one of the specialty coffee world’s leading figures. (Check out the full story here.)

Richard returned very fired up, and looking to try out some fresh new approaches to roasting and drinking coffee. In Australia, espresso is the predominant brewing method, and we tend to have a preference for milk-based drinks. Therefore roasters have developed blends and roast styles to suit this particular brewing method, predominantly to ‘punch’ through the milk. This means that the intrinsic characteristics of the coffee are often ‘roasted out’ to make them more attractive with milk.

When you are making the effort to buy the best green beans as we do at 5 Senses, it’s a shame to see those intrinsic characteristics disappear. So Richo is fighting the good fight for coffee purists everywhere, and has taken it upon himself to introduce us to a new approach to coffee.

The two key concepts of this approach are a) reducing roast times to create a brighter, more expressive coffee and b) matching it to an appropriate brewing style, like plunger or drip filter. We enjoy using a plunger as you tend to have greater control over the water temperature which is a key component in making great coffee. (For a quick refresher on using a plunger, check out Ben Bicknell’s previous article, The plunger is back!)

Bearing this in mind, for November’s weekend blend Richo has picked some bright coffees which are renowned for their unique qualities. The Kenyan Gathima Wet Mill ‘AA’ bursts with sparkling, juicy, citrus notes backed by a subtle blackcurrant note in the background. The Ethiopian Yirgacheffe has an earthier, spicier flavour with just a lick of lemony acidity. The Colombian — Supremo Pensilvania pulls it all together with a slightly heavier body, contributing a silky mouth feel.

Straight from the plunger, it’s clean and refreshing without a hint of bitterness, and just keeps getting better as it cools. Leave the milk in the fridge, savour this coffee black — you will be richly rewarded.

This approach to coffee is about stripping things back. No need for high tech equipment or tricky barista techniques. Just great coffee, roasted knowledgably and handled sensitively to unlock its full potential. Just as Jamie Oliver stripped food back to basics, Richo is applying the same philosophy to coffee. So, does that make him The Naked Roaster?