Hi Guys is Cian,
Finally, I arrived at the Brew Bros Coffee! It took me a while walking down the stairs and under the bridge, there is a feeling of comfort in my heart! It was quite full inside but luckily I could sit next to on the chair next to the coffee bar. I got to see the whole process of how the barista brewing my coffee for me! While I was waiting for my salmon toast with scrambled eggs and my specialty coffee (Jigesa , Sidamo, Ethiopia; will discuss more in details) I was curious about the background of the coffee shop owner – Hikaru Ono! What we knew about him is:
1. winner of the Hong Kong Aeropress championship around 2013
2. while working in Australia, he met her lover (from Hong Kong) and soon married!
3. First coffee shop in Hong Kong, the beauty of true love!
4. lived in Melbourne before
5. bring in the coffee beans from a coffee roastery: Market Lane from Melbourne
6. serve Prana Chai, tea also from Melbourne!
I will interview Ono san if I get the chance to meet him! (Fun Fact: I had interviewed someone in the past, a boss from Ethiopia: Acacia Tree Farms!)
The cafe is not that big, with the kitchen at the back! 5 tables and two blackboards with food best to served! Simple beauty!
About the coffee that I tasted: the description was from the card!
It was grown in Ethiopia’s Guji zone! Processed at the Jigesa washing station. Around 850 smallholder farmers deliver their ripe coffee cherries to the station. The majority of these farmers grow coffee organically on small plots of land – it’s typically their main source of income. The Jigesa station is owned by Testi Coffee, a family – owned company that works closely with farmers and other washing stations to improve the quality of Ethiopian Coffee. The company is also committed to contributing to the development of social conditions in the coffee – farming community. To this end, Testi has launched Project Direct, a program that has so far helped build schools in the area and secured access to clean water for local families. After being hand-picked and then processed, the coffee is laid out for 10 – 12 days, during which time it is sorted and turned regularly to ensure an even and consistent dry.
Have you ever thought of the questions below while you were drinking a cup of coffee?
1. Where are the coffee beans come from?
2. Who planted those coffee trees?
3. How long does it take for the coffee trees to grow and when can they harvest?
4. What are those coffee processes from coffee fruit to coffee beans?
5. If you are buying the green beans, who are you buying from?
There are lots of questions to consider for buyers, farmers and sellers! While we are enjoying a cup of coffee, maybe ten to fifteen minutes; there are so many people working at the back! That is the beauty – there is always a story at the back! To answer the questions:
1. There are lots of places growing coffee beans. Ethiopia, Kenya, Columbia, Brazil, etc are famous in growing the best Arabica coffee beans! Specialty coffee is arabica coffee. What my acquisition is that Arabica coffee beans are having more various flavor than robusta. Arabica and Robusta are genera of a coffee plant with different species underneath! People will ask what is specialty coffee?
Specialty Coffee definition:
1. The process from farmer to cup using single origin coffee, and how the coffee beans are being roasted and extracted
2. By the definition of the Specialty Coffee Association of America, coffee with a grading of 80/100 or above will be considered as specialty coffee!
2. Obviously, the local farmers are the one growing the coffee trees! Generally speaking, there are four ways to grow coffee trees: they are gardening, foresting, semi – foresting and plantation! I am not going to discuss right here! Just want to let you guys know it is not easy as you think of drinking a coffee in the cafe!
3. It depends on what type of species you are talking about! It varies from 3 to 5 years and depends on species, you may harvest the coffee fruit one to two times a year!
Generally, there are three types of processes to turn coffee fruit to green beans:
– Dry Process (Unwashed or natural process)
– Semi-Dry Process
– Honey Process
4. You are not buying the green beans from farmers! Instead, you are buying from those middlemen who might take huge advantage from the farmer’s hand!
There is a lot more to discuss from the roaster, cup tasters and so on! The feeling is real while I was reading the background information Brew Bros Coffee! This is what I like the most! It is a true connection by a cup of coffee to you and the farmers!
While keep on searching the information behind, you found that all the coffee beans from this cafe come from a company called Market Lane Coffee! This is a boutique coffee roastery and retailer situated in Melbourne! Best coffee beans are what they look after from all around the world, and most importantly they are dedicated to high-quality coffee! With a smaller scale of roasting in Prahran Market roastery, the unique characteristics of the coffee beans are their target! What is its mission?
Our mission is to make good coffee accessible and exciting, simple to understand and appreciate, and easy to brew and enjoy.
Today is 2019, is the ten year anniversary of Market Lane coffee! They are here to ignite positive change in the coffee industry by redefining what coffee is and can be, building a market teaching people how to appreciate specialty coffee. By focusing on one thing, for extremely well so that the coffee can be exceptional coffees! This is truly one of the believes Japanese live in their life!
Now, I began to understand why Ono san is selling their products with a huge distance in between! I guess this is what he believes, and he lives for his whole life! I appreciate what Market Lane Coffee has done through different perspective creating a ripple in a different part of the communities:
- Cafes: this is the place you share a pleasant moment with your friends and family! With the best work and connection of the barista, this is your second home, a place for you to relax!
- Team: Good team, creative culture, and the environment will create an environment that encourages staff to learn, develop and flourish!
- Education: When people understand more about specialty coffee and the values behind, people will appreciate the whole supply chain! With activities like cupping of the coffee, planting coffee plant themselves, it provides the best experience in applying their knowledge!
- Buying coffee beans: They are buying coffee beans from a producer substantially so they get more time and effort to investigate in their own research and techniques! Meanwhile, they support World Coffee Research, an organization with the mission of growing, protecting and enhancing the supplies of quality coffee and improve the livelihoods of the families that produce it! Want to know how World Coffee Research work! –> HERE!!
- Relationship with Origin: To ensure the best quality they will get, they will visit the farms every year to select the best quality of coffee beans for customers! This is why they travel some times:) Strong relationship builds in this way, with a common belief: A long-lasting relationship, based on trust, openness, and respect is the utter goal deliver the highest quality of coffee to customers!
- Environmental protection: This is the relationship that we all have! We all have to take responsibility. To provide the best environment for the next generation, with sustainable development, little step by everyone will help!
How amazing is this place! I learn a lot while having brunch! This is truly how coffee connects people! I am blessing for what I have, doing what I like because of financial freedom I have, my friends and family and last; I know my goals and passion! To help more people in all the ways I can!
If you would like to know more How I achieve it –> one of my ways are here!
As I believe, there is always a story behind and stories are how we connect people! In the end, I would say, for dreams to happen not just hope! I will see you guys in my next article!!
P.s (Photo credits to photographers)
The song that I was listening while creating! 35xxxv by One OK ROCK!
One OK Rock (stylized in all caps as ONE OK ROCK), is a Japanese rock band, formed in Tokyo, Japan in 2005. The band currently consists of Takahiro Moriuchi (vocalist), Toru Yamashita (guitarist, bandleader), Ryota Kohama(bassist), and Tomoya Kanki (drummer). They have been playing many different styles of music, with songs ranging from alternative rock to emo to post-hardcore to pop rock.
The band’s name comes from “one o’clock”, the time that the band used to practice their music on weekends. They chose to play at one o’clock in the morning because it was cheaper to use the rehearsal space during such hours. However, noticing that the Japanese language made no distinction between R’s and L’s, “O’CLOCK” transformed into “O’CROCK” or “O’KROCK“, which later transformed into “OK ROCK”.[15] In addition, One OK Rock can be expressed as “10969” (wan-ō-ku-ro-ku). The band uses both Japanese and English lyrics in their songs.
One OK Rock has won Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards for Eastern Breakthrough Male Band in 2016, and Rock Sound Awards for Best International Band in 2017. The band was also nominated for two Alternative Press Music Awards – Best International Band in 2016 and Best Breakthrough Band in 2017.
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