Waking in the cottage at No1 will often be accompanied by the warbling of magpies in the Norfolk pine out the front or the surf crash on the rocks at South Beach. There may be a walk across the reserve to the ocean beach, lighting the fire in the kitchen… or both. In the past there would often be plans for a café breakfast but COVID changed things a little. Whatever your choice, for many the day has not started until there’s been a good fresh cup of coffee.
My son Angus knows coffee…. he has obsessed about it for years. His roastery, Blume Coffee, is in Abbotsford where his mission is to “make honest, delicious and curious coffee”. So what other coffee would we supply to our guests?
In these extra careful times Angus sends regular small quantities of coffee ground for plunger, individually packaged so that guests always have coffee that is freshly roasted and only handled by the roaster. Guests are free to take what is not drunk with them when they leave.
I was recently questioned by a guest who always percolates his coffee. He wasn’t sure how a good plunger coffee should be made. He was particularly unsure of the quantity of coffee, the temperature and when to plunge.
There’s not much more to it really so I decided it could be an idea to set it out straight and simple.
- Quantity? Roughly 15g per cup – say I domed tablespoon, or 2 desert spoons.
- Water temperature? Let the kettle go off the boil. Pouring boiling water straight onto the grounds will burn the coffee.
I like to first pour boiled water into the mugs (or cups) to heat them up while the coffee is brewing.
- When to plunge? Allow the coffee to sit for 2-4 minutes. The grounds will often form a thick crust. Stir this gently with a spoon to break it up and let the grounds fall to the bottom – then plunge.
Pour into the warmed mugs, with or without milk, and enjoy sitting in the garden sunshine or by the fire!
Seasonal coffees can be purchased selectively through the Blume Coffee website, or on a regular basis by subscription.
