Black Brew Deconstructed Class at Pulp

Coffee is all on paper.

Pulp by Singaporean-based coffee company Papa Palheta has been the epicentre of all things specialty coffee in Bangsar since opening a little over a year ago. From sourcing and roasting beans to serving coffee and selling espresso machines and brewing equipment in its café, Pulp does it all.

Yet few of Pulp’s customers, including diehard regulars, know of their spectacular coffee appreciation classes and workshops called C-Platform.

There are four types of classes available under C-Platform. Espresso Redefined Level 1 is for the home barista or someone looking to enter the coffee industry. Using both the commercial Synesso and pro-sumer (“professional consumer”) Giotto machine, participants are taught the basics of proper espresso extraction and milk texturing.

For the more experienced home or café barista, Espresso Redefined Level 2 focuses on calibrating the taste of espresso via variables such as the grind size, dosage, tamp, and temperature. For lovers of “hearts” and “tulips”, the Latte Art Workshop offers students a solid foundation in free pour latte art and texturing.

The first three classes are all based on espresso coffee or pressurised brewing. What about those of us who don’t have an espresso machine at home, admittedly a hefty investment for most individuals? (The price of a decent machine is in the four-to-five digit range.)

This is where the Black Brew Deconstructed class comes in. By focusing on alternative, non-pressurized brewing methods such as the V60 drip, Aeropress, and the Clever Dripper, the class is perfect for the home barista who is interested in hand-brewing their cuppa.

For our class, head barista Shane was the instructor in question. A former bartender, our affable teacher had a relaxed and easy-going way about him. Unlike some instructors who lecture endlessly, he was accessible and involved us in every activity and discussion. This was a big plus for us, for we had all attended classes where the instructor would drone on until every student has fallen asleep!

In an orderly fashion, Shane took us through the entire spectrum of brewing coffee at home: from explaining physical factors such as water, coffee, and the type of brew equipment, to discussing procedural variables including grind size, dosage, temperature, steeping time, and the amount of turbulence introduced during the brewing process.

After the theoretical portion of the class, we underwent the practical part. This meant hands-on experience of brewing coffee ourselves instead of simply watching the instructor conduct a demonstration.

We all appreciated the structured flow of the class. Rather than jumping from one topic to the next, there was a meaningful stream of information. Our workspace was set up for us ahead of time so that we may all experiment with different brewing equipment such as the V60 and the Clever Dripper.

The best part of the class was the tasting, where we got to sample our own brews and those of our classmates. Our instructor guided us in understanding the coffee aroma and flavours better, and how adjusting the variables, such as the amount of water or the temperature, could make a startling difference.

What’s the sign of a good coffee class? Let’s just say I’ve been brewing coffee at home again… and enjoying every cup!

坐落于Bangsar區的咖啡館Pulp，
是新加坡咖啡商Papa Palheta大版圖的其中一塊。
這裡除了提供咖啡、熱食；售賣豆子和各種咖啡儀器外，
其實還開辦了一系列和咖啡有關的課程。
對意式咖啡有興趣的初學者不妨試試Espresso Redefined Level 1。
在課程裡頭，導師將會細心傳授和意式濃縮咖啡有關的基本理論課程。
而Espresso Redefined Level 2 則是進階版，
主要的對象以有經驗的家庭或商業咖啡師為主。
對於大眾喜歡拿鐵拉花，
Pulp也開辦了Latte Art Workshop，傳授拉花技巧。
前面介紹的這三項課程都以意式咖啡有關，
而第四項課程Black Brew Deconstructed，
所針對的則是偏愛手沖黑咖啡的大眾；也是我們當天所參與的課程。

黑咖啡的沖泡過程看似簡單，
仿佛把熱水倒入咖啡粉裡頭，再過濾一番就完成了。
但實際上，許多因素都會影響著一杯黑咖啡成果。
為了讓我們更容易理解和吸收課程中所傳授的知識，
三個多小時的課程共分成了理論和實踐課兩部分。
在理論課里導師Shane和大家介紹了影響一杯咖啡的各種變量和因素，
例如水質、水溫、豆子、豆子的粗細、分量、和萃取時間等等。
接著在實踐課里讓我們以不同的儀器和變量沖泡咖啡，
親身體驗這些因素的增減所帶來的變化，
然後再和其他參與的同學相互討論印證一番。
閒時在家裡我也會翻翻一些和咖啡有關的書籍，
像豆子的分量、粗細和水溫會如何影響一杯咖啡都有些基本的慨念，
但都缺乏實際的比較和實踐。
這次的課程除了學到新知識，實踐課更是給了我們親身體驗的機會。