For the love of coffee
"Let's grab a coffee someday !" was once a line we would only hear in movies. But over the last few years, coffee shops have been popping up literally all over the island. And tea lovers are quickly becoming coffee lovers as the country develops. Offering a moment to unwind, indulge and refuel, a cup of coffee at a coffee shop is an experience in itself… be it alone, with a lover, with friends or family. Curious, we wanted to discover the art and science (yes, science!) behind the perfect cup of coffee. To do so, we talked to the artists : the baristas !
Vishan Taka Moka'z – Les Allées
Vishan, 33, has been working as a barista for 4 years. He tells us that, "A lot of people in Mauritius, when they think about coffee, they think Ricoffy. But when we brew a cup of coffee, we freshly grind the coffee beans." Humidity dampens roasted coffee, which affects the gases, and oils that contributes to its flavour.
Pre-ground coffee has heightened chances of being affected by humidity due to its greater surface area. The result? Less flavourful coffee. "At Moka'z, we freshly grind and prepare coffee only after the customer orders it to ensure a much fuller and richer flavour."
So many things can happen in a coffee shop: you can get a bright idea, start interesting conversations, work, meet people or even find love. It's a place that brings people together. And at Moka'z, you truly feel at home… it's less crowded… so you can enjoy good coffee and real food in tranquillity.
Christina Mustapha Café LUX* – Bagatelle Mall
Christina, 24, brews over 100 coffees per day. "As a barista, we are always learning new things, such as latte art designs, the clients' preferences, different coffees…"
According to her, the most popular orders locally are cappuccino and café latte – two coffees that come complete with those oh-so Instagrammable latte art designs. For this she tells us, "The way in which we froth the milk is a very important factor when it comes to latte art." It needs to be done perfectly – at the right temperature and for just the right amount of time in order to achieve the right consistency.
She ends by saying that,
Coffee shops allow us to discover other ways of enjoying coffee – such as the mochaccino (an espresso shot with steamed milk and chocolate) and the affogato (a scoop of vanilla ice cream drowned in an espresso shot) – which are different from the ordinary instant coffee with milk that we drink at home.
Rooben Vydee Illy – So'Flo
Rooben, 35, didn't know much about coffee before starting to work at Illy. He told us, "through the different trainings, both the off-site theory training and the on-the-job training, my knowledge of and my passion for coffee increased."
Rooben and Jude Yagapen – the Chief Quality Controller at SIP, the managing company for Illy in Mauritius – tell us, "Each step of the coffee-making process is important." This involves ensuring the quality of your ingredients; using the right equipment effectively and keeping it clean; precise measurements; the right temperatures; and careful timing.
If we overlook any of these steps it could affect the taste and quality of the coffee
Imported from Italy, Illy offers roasted coffee beans that come packed in a pressurised metal container with natural, inert nitrogen. This not only keeps it fresh and dry up until the moment it will be used, but intensifies and rounds out its flavour – a lot like fine wine. Even their water goes through a purifying reverse osmosis filter.
If ever you're looking to assess the quality of a coffee, Jude told us to, "drink an espresso and time how long the flavour stays in your mouth." The longer it lingers on your tongue, the better the coffee is.
Muzamil Mundarrun Vida e Caffè – Phoenix Mall
Muzamil, 24, Assistant Shop Manager, has passed through the different job posts within Vida e Caffè over the last three years. But he tells us that, "As soon as I became a barista, I immediately loved the job and became passionate about coffee."
Muzamil explains, "We try to serve our customers the best espresso in the world through the perfect timing of our shots. The best espressos are extracted between 25 and 30 seconds. But the perfect shot of coffee is extracted within exactly 26 seconds."
Vida e Caffè are the Portuguese words for life and coffee. "And that's what our concept is all about." The Coffee shop also embraces a concept that they call the Vida vibe – which in short encompasses the employees lively and passionate way of being. Muzamil continues, "It's about the way we communicate with each other and serve our customers."
Although the most popular coffees locally are café lattes and cappuccinos, here at Vida e Caffè, we have our signature Portuguese coffee called meia-de-leite.
It's made up of half a cup of coffee and half a cup of milk, which gives it its silky smooth texture. Muzamil adds,
It's my personal favourite as well. I start each of my working days off with a meia-de-leite, to give me that extra boost of energy.
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