Secret Blend Coffee Masterclasses

When Melbourne coffee aficionado Salvatore Malatesta ran a series of dinners at his St Ali Cafe in South Melbourne pairing food with coffee two years ago, he was amazed by the response. “We ran 12 dinners at $150/head using five different brewing techniques and eight different coffees accompanied by eight dishes,” he says. “I was blown away by the response. The only problem was that people couldn’t sleep,” he adds with a laugh. “Next time we’ll have to run them at lunchtime.” The good news is that Malatesta will be running free coffee masterclasses mid-morning in December in Melbourne and Sydney where you can learn to make coffee tailored to your own tastes, and drink it accompanied by delicious dishes prepared by Melbourne chef Adam D’Sylva. The classes are being held at St Ali in South Melbourne on December 1^st and 8^th; and at The Grounds Roasting Room in Alexandria, Sydney on December 15^th and 22^nd. Malatesta will be featuring the slick new JURA ENA Micro 1 machine to show how to make the perfect cup. “The JURA machine not only allows you to choose your own beans, it is also designed with water filtration and great grinding capabilities, which are important to the quality and taste.  Unlike a pod machine which uses pre-packed ground coffee, you can easily enjoy your own choice of freshly ground coffee at home.” To add even more flavour to the mix, he’s designed three secret blends which will be available at the masterclasses to try when you buy one of the new machines. “The first is a crowd-pleaser which goes well with milk; the second has a dark chocolate, stone-fruit flavour with a hint of aniseed on the back palate; and the third is a sweet, citrusy Costa Rican blend which goes well with Adam’s desserts.” Increasing interest in single-origin coffees has led to coffee lovers wanting to draw attention to its many flavours, and what better way to explore those nuances than with food. So is coffee the new wine? “We treat coffee with the same respect that winemakers treat varietals,” he says. “When you make good champagne nearly everyone gets it, but when you roast a special coffee to the right profile not as many people get it. You have to remember that coffee is actually a cherry.” While most of us have teamed coffee with cakes and desserts such as tiramisu and affogato, adventurous chefs are now trying combinations such as D’Sylva’s Thai-style cured kingfish with Asian herbs with a short black; or his coffee-infused coconut cream and tapioca dessert with a latte. The classes will also  teach the finer details of sourcing, storing and making coffee, as well as how to make the perfect coffee at home. To learn more, sign up for the JURA secret blend masterclasses here.