Coffee beverages for all occasions
Piston coffee makers are the only way to prepare a café créme in the correct way. This long coffee beverage is prepared under pressure, but is not an extended espresso, and is also not made from espresso beans but from a Swiss roast (a blend of coffee beans with different roast grades). Born of historical necessity – due to a lack of coffee supplies – this roasting process has unfortunately been largely forgotten in Switzerland. This is a shame, as it produces an unmistakable and unique taste profile for the coffee.
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Passion for coffee in Belarus
"Minsk, the capital of Belarus, is one of these names that doesn't conjure up too many images in your mind, right? At least compared with Paris, New York, Stockholm or Budapest. I had no idea about Minsk either, and especially from a professional perspective it’s not known for its coffee culture at all. On top of that, it’s a very small market as Belarus has only 9.5 million inhabitants and the country just dropped a few places to 52 on the Human Development Index list, right between Kuwait and Oman. So why should we invest any time in traveling to this country? Because one of our global customers asked us for some support. And when a global customer needs us, it doesn’t matter where the location is – as long as it’s on the planet Earth.
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Mouthfeel is the key to good taste
Somatosensation (mouthfeel), or haptics, is probably the most underestimated area of sensory perception. Whereas most people are at least conscious of taste (gustation) and smell (olfaction), they are mostly blissfully unaware of the importance of mouthfeel. However, it is just as important for the overall taste perception (flavor profile) as gustation and olfaction.
This can be easily illustrated by a few practical examples. Perfectly cooked spaghetti still has a slight bite to it – called “al dente” – whereas spaghetti that has been overcooked becomes mushy. The nutritional value of both is identical, but most people have a clear preference for spaghetti that is not too soft in the mouth.
“If it says Til, it means Til”
Interviews, congratulations and DIN A3-sized pictures, all printed on eco-friendly paper: the newsletter announcing the Barefoot Hotel’s “grand opening” lives up to its name. Equally authentic is the conversation it publishes between the two main protagonists regarding the origins of their joint project. In late 2014, Mirko Stemmler, CEO of Jasika Holding, read that the German actor Til Schweiger dreamt of one day opening a hotel that would express his vision of architecture and interior design. Just 14 days later, the two men met at the Baltic Sea resort of Timmendorfer Strand, where the holding company had recently acquired the aging Meridian Hotel.
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Olfaction – Consciously drinking and smelling coffee: practice makes perfect!
The term olfaction – from the Latin “olfacere” (to smell) – refers to the perception of smells via receptors in the nasal cavity. These odor receptors of the olfactory epithelium, located in the mucous membrane, can perceive chemical stimuli.
The perception of smell is the most differentiated and complex aspect of perceiving the overall taste – thousands of different aromas can be recognized and identified.
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Fourth round of Gastro Gründerpreis launched
For the fourth time, the food business award “Gastro Gründerpreis” will be looking for the most compelling gastronomic concepts in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Business owners can take part in this largest competition in the German-speaking world for young restaurateurs by registering at www.gastro-gruenderpreis.de by July 15, 2017. The five winners chosen by a jury of experts can look forward to prizes worth over 50,000 euros.
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A place of honor in the cake fairy’s café
The delicate aroma of cakes and freshly brewed coffee permeates the premises of Törtlifee (“cake fairy”), a specialty cake shop and café in the Swiss town of Suhr. Owner Eliane Rohr invites customers to enjoy a revitalizing cup of coffee while admiring the numerous colorful delicacies around them. The shop is full of warmth and Eliane’s devotion to detail can be seen everywhere.
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Gustation – tasting with the tongue
The term gustation – from the Latin “gustare” (to taste) – refers to the perception of taste via the tongue’s receptors. In this case, chemical stimuli are perceived via taste buds on the tongue’s surface.
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Vinolivio: enjoying coffee in the greenhouse
Towering palm trees, olive trees with huge trunks, sunshine, cars rushing by. Guests at the Vinolivio are not sitting at a street-side café on the Riviera, but in a greenhouse – just a few meters from a busy road in the commercial district of Hohberg near Offenburg, Germany. A contradiction? No, the eye-catching greenhouses located near busy main roads are key to the success of the three Vinolivio locations which already exist, with two more in the pipeline. Open every day, hot food until 11 p.m., an excellent range of cakes and high-quality coffee – prepared by a Melitta® Cafina® CT8 – these are the further ingredients of this successful catering concept.
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Sensory perception – the key to food
Sensory perception refers to how we process the stimuli our senses receive from their environment. Without these perceptions we could not see, hear, taste, smell or feel. The respective senses are called vision, audition, gustation, olfaction and somatosensation. The last three are particularly important in the field of coffee.
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