Let’s just start off by saying I have always loved coffee. My friends and I love to hang out at nice cafes for a cup of good cuppa. The rustic atmosphere in a nice café with spirit lifting coffee scent in the air is enough to kick off a positive day, or warm you up when you’re feeling a little bit under the weather.
Therefore when I saw a Facebook event being posted on the SUSU page (now US. page) way back when I was having my finals, I immediately went to the box office online to snatch up the deal. It sounds like a perfect way to spend 2 hours one of my post-exam evening and it is such a bargain, only ÂŁ5!
The day came and although I went there alone, few minutes after stepping into The Bridge, I found myself chatting happily with a few people while waiting for the event to start! It is so nice to be able to mingle with new people and ask about simple things like each other’s days.
There were 3 stations and I started with learning the basics about brewing coffee. For example, how pack should the coffee powder be because it affect how long would take for the first stream of coffee liquid to seep through (ideally 11 seconds). This directly affects how strong or diluted the coffee tasted. Then we moved on to making the milk foam which I thought takes the most skill to get the correct amount of steam through the milk. Then the final part is to pour the milk into the coffee to get a nice heart shape! Oh the satisfaction when that simple heart forms.
The 2nd station was learning a few simple types of latte art from the master himself, Dhan Tamang, the winner of UK Latte art championship for 4 years. He effortlessly showed us how to make a beautiful swan, leaf and some of his creation on Instagram. But when it was time for us to make a simple leaf, it turns out a lot harder than it seemed like. I managed to pull off a decent looking leaf which I’m happy of.
The final station, we were introduced to different types of coffee, their origins and their different subtle scent. Some has more earthy tone, while some has a more floral scent to them. There were also different types of coffee machines, from expensive commercially used ones to affordable domestic usage.
I definitely feel like I have learnt a lot about coffee and now I appreciate my cuppa a lot more. Also very nice to be able to meet many coffee lovers and have such an amazing time. There are so many events being hosted regular that I am certain a few will interest anyone. You just have to keep a lookout on the Facebook page and snatch tickets before they are sold out! I mean, what better time to gain different kinds of knowledge than when you are in the university.