Book Review: Canephora by Mikolaj Pociecha

Book Review: Canephora by Mikolaj Pociecha

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Book Review: Canephora by Mikolaj Pociecha

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Book Review: Canephora by Mikolaj Pociecha

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Book Review: Canephora by Mikolaj Pociecha

Book Review: Canephora by Mikolaj Pociecha

minimum dose size?

Jan 31, 2024 |

I use the Hario switch to brew my coffee and am trying to reduce my caffeine consumption. Hence I would like to brew smaller cups of coffee. I am currently using 10g of coffee with 160g of water. (1:16 Ratio) I am wondering if there is a minimum amount of coffee...

Book Review: Canephora by Mikolaj Pociecha

Mikolaj Pociecha looks to make robusta cool with his latest book.

BY TANYA NANETTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT

Photos courtesy of Suedhang

Mikolaj Pociecha, head of quality and roaster at Suedhang Kaffe in Germany, doesn’t like to waste time. 

Not even a year has gone by since the publication of Brew, a tiny book self-described as an introduction to brewing coffee by hand. Now Mikolaj is back with a new book called I would like your fruitiest, funkiest, most fermented Canephora on the menu—or, simply, Canephora). 

A front view of the book on a dark blue background. It features the hilariously long title in purple on a deep blue cover: I would like your fruitiest, funkiest, most fermented Canephora on the menu. At the bottom is the name of the roaster in all caps: SUEDHANG in a tiny font.
Mikolaj extols the virtues of robusta in his new book.

Also published by the coffee roaster itself, Suedhang, Canephora was written with a simple purpose: to change the general opinion that the coffee community has about robusta coffee. 

Contents

Divided into nine different chapters, the content of Canephora is mostly technical. First comes a general explanation of the Coffea canephora species—also known as robusta—and its most famous varieties through a series of “postcards” with brief but detailed descriptions of some of the best robusta coffees Mikolaj has tried. Then the book covers all the different aspects that could help change the generally negative response to robusta. 

Back view of the book, explaining the purpose of the book by Mikolaj Pociecha as an appreciation of Canephora and hoping to shift the perception and experience of Robusta beans.
Canephora hopes to draw attention to an often-misunderstood coffee species.

Canephora Brew Tips and Personal Anecdotes

The book extensively covers tasting, processing, roasting, and brewing robusta from a scientific point of view. There is an overview of “typical filter roast profile parameters” to be followed during the roasting process, as well as a discussion on the perfect water to use for cupping. Mikolaj goes through the extraction stages of a classic pourover robusta. There’s even an in-depth explanation of how to brew with a Phin filter, the classic Vietnamese coffee brewer. 

But Canephora is not just about geeky technical stuff.  

Side view of the book binding with CANEPHORA and author's name on the spine in all caps.
Not just a scientific guide, the book also features a robusta history and interviews with the author’s friends.

Through chapters such as “Sen no Rikyu” (about the Zen Buddhist monk who reformed the tea ceremony in a way that, according to Mikolaj, could also benefit robusta tasting), “Stories from Zürich” (where Mikolaj’s encounter with coffee pros Emi Fukahori and Mathieu Theis is told in detail), and “Conversations with Friends” (a series of interviews with some of the author’s most inspiring friends), Mikolaj is able to lighten up the story, making everything more fluid and enjoyable. 

All in all, Canephora is an interesting read that brings attention to a side of the specialty-coffee market not often covered—at least in such a detailed way. You can order it from Suedhang here.

Another front view of the book by Mikolaj Pociecha from a slight angle, this time with a white satin ribbon bookmark protruding from the bottom.
You can order the book directly from Suedhang here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tanya Nanetti (she/her) is a specialty-coffee barista, a traveler, and a dreamer. When she’s not behind the coffee machine (or visiting some hidden corner of the world), she’s busy writing for Coffee Insurrection, a website about specialty coffee that she’s creating along with her boyfriend.

The post Book Review: Canephora by Mikolaj Pociecha appeared first on Barista Magazine Online.

Book Review: Canephora by Mikolaj Pociecha

Perfect Little Beans

Chinmey Hill Coffee uses specialty-grade beans with zero primary defects (such as black beans or sour beans) and less than five secondary defects (such as broken beans). This is important because primary defects will greatly affect the taste of the coffee. Having zero defects allows the coffee to be the most optimal flavor.

Window for Optimal Flavor

Chimney Hill Coffee ships our coffee the same day it was roasted, so you will receive it before it enters the window of optimal flavor.  This means you’ll never miss the opportunity to enjoy the coffee’s peak flavor.

Coffee Ratings

Coffee undergoes many scoring processes by professionals who achieved their Q Grader certification. Coffee is first graded when it’s green. If there are defects the coffee is determined to be “not-specialty grade”. For those coffees that pass green grading, they are sample roasted and cupped. (Cupping is the official term for critically tasting and scoring coffees. The official cupping form is standard worldwide, and where the 100-point scoring system comes from.) A coffee’s dry fragrance, wet aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, balance, and overall impression are taken into consideration while uniformity issues and defects, will lower the overall score.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee, coined by Erna Knutsen in 1974, refers to a coffee that receives a quality grading score of 80 percent or higher. While “premium” or “gourmet” seem like they’re synonymous with “specialty,” they simply are marketing terms with no defined standards. Specialty coffees are grown in specific and ideal micro-climates, and have distinctive and unique flavor profiles, with little to no defects.

Third-Wave Coffee

We’re currently in the third wave of coffee. The first wave of American coffee put pre-ground, vacuum-sealed cans in kitchens across America. The second wave started with the late ‘60s introduction of Peet’s coffee (by Alfred Peet) through the proliferation of Starbucks. The third wave of coffee focuses on origin transparency, nuanced flavors, and artisan roasting. The term “third wave” is synonymous with specialty coffee.

Book Review: Canephora by Mikolaj Pociecha

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