The Sunshine Coast really does showcase some great innovation when it comes to the foodie scene, and I love it when I stumble upon something new and different, especially when it comes to what might be considered a favourite pastime… coffee…

Recently, I was invited along to a ‘Bush to Cup Experience’ hosted by Montville Coffee – the ‘bush’ and ‘cup’ concerned, being none other than the humble coffee bush, and the cup, containing that life elixir many of us find ourselves so enslaved to. As with anything that promises good food and company, I was in, and looking forward to what the evening had in store, as it was, up until our arrival, a bit of a mystery.

Greeted by the lovely Karen Barnett, who has long been the passion behind Montville Coffee’s Fair Trade coffee, we were introduced to fellow coffee enthusiasts at Montville Coffee’s Roastery on Balmoral Road, Montville and an enjoyable evening ensued.

 

Now coffee is one of those things that most of us have quite a strong bond with, and while I think about coffee frequently – in my earliest waking hours and, as many a priority of the day – it has recently occurred to me that while I think about coffee frequently, I have never REALLY ‘thought’ about it at all.

We are quick to determine a good cup of coffee from a bad one, or a hot one from a cold one, and we have quite a lot to say on everything in between, but I think I have a new perspective on coffee now, and I have become a little bit defensive about this unassuming little bean and what it has had to go through in order to gain our, often fickle, appreciation.

‘Appreciation’… it is one of those words that is used rather loosely. Add the word to coffee and it takes on new meaning, but still falls short of the mark. When have you really ‘appreciated’ a cup of coffee? I mean really appreciated it? I may need to backtrack a little… Let me explain…




Coffee ‘appreciation’ took a turn for me a number of years ago when I read a book, The Various Flavours of Coffee by Anthony Capella [link http://www.pebblesandpomegranateseeds.com.au/the-various-flavours-of-coffee/].

I became infatuated with the ‘various flavours of coffee’, much in the way I had once been infatuated with the fragrance of flowers (by ‘once’ I really mean ‘still am’). Realistically, there is not really that much of a difference between flavour and fragrance, other than the way we ingest them. We breathe in the subtle aromas of our brew long before we actually take a sip. Chocolate, citrus, apricot, passionfruit, maple syrup, raisins, star anise – believe it or not, they can all be there.

 

That said, coffee is as much about appreciating mood and ambience as it is about flavour, creating a complexity that follows this little bean all the way into the cup.

But – and here is the real point – have you ever really ‘appreciated’ about what that little bean has had to go through to get there, and then translated that into through the hands of the people that actually got it there.

I will be honest. I hadn’t.

 





One little bean… it gets grown, harvested, processed, dried and milled. Villagers labour in the heat and protect from the wet, and sort each bean by hand. It is a labour intensive, time-consuming process! Then, when it has gone through its handling process, often embarking on quite an epic journey to reach its final destination, it is finally roasted, and only then, ground and percolated into the perfect cup of coffee that we then go on to scrutinise intensely before deciding whether or not it is to our satisfaction and consume it. There are approximately 70 of these little coffee beans in every cup of coffee. 70 little beans that were handpicked, hand extracted from their berry casings, and then hand processed. Okay, so maybe 70 coffee beans doesn’t overwhelm you at the thought of this. Think several billion then, or if it is easier, just a sackful… Did I mention this was all by hand…?

 

That might not really mean much to you, but when you think of it in terms of the interactive experience that Karen and Shaun entertainingly lead you on, in your journey of coffee bean discovery, it suddenly takes on greater meaning and I think for the first time I really appreciated, what it is to have a cup of coffee.

I will stop there, as I don’t want to spoil the experience by giving away too much, but The Bush to Cup Experience is about coffee appreciation from the lesser-explored perspective.




What I can tell you is that you will enjoy an incredible shared Peruvian inspired banquet, an entertaining and interactive enlightenment as to how coffee is produced and the roasting process and why Montville Coffee is so passionate about using exclusively Fair Trade coffee. And finally, you will of course, enjoy the various flavours of coffee, and appreciate it in a way that you never have before.

Oh… and look out for Fredrick… he is definitely one to be appreciated 😉

For more information about Montville Coffee’s Bush to Cup Experience visit:

https://www.montvillecoffee.com.au/products/training/sensory-analysis

This story was written by Petra Hughes – Pebbles + Pomegranate Seeds