As a devoted coffee drinker and lover, I always thought I know a thing or two about coffee and how to drink it. Well, turned out I actually know very little. During the short but intense Coffee Cupping session at The Cupping Room Canberra, I learnt so much about Coffee, and how to enjoy it the best. Did you even know that not every type of coffee is even made to be paired with milk? I see the black gold now with completely different eyes.
The Cupping Room Canberra is a Restaurant/Café by ONA Coffee, Canberra’s largest speciality roaster and supplier. For a glimpse on what Foods & Drinks they offer, check out this pdf document. But besides coffee specialities made with ONA Coffee, they offer all-day breakfasts and snacks, a seasonal lunch menu and educational cupping sessions. Besides tables inside The Cupping Room offers a limited amount of seats outside on their terrace, a perfect place to enjoy good food and even better coffee in the warm months.
ONA Coffee was founded back in 2008 and over the years they have built strong bonds with coffee farmers worldwide. For ONA Coffee they only source coffee beans of farmers they have a personal connection to. And additionally, they pay the farmers more than the worldwide market price, to not only support them but only support their local communities. It’s not like a traditional charity project, but by purchasing and drinking ONA Coffee you also support locals. Of course, it’s possible to buy the Coffee online direct from their website.
How to make the best Cappuccino, as learnt at The Cupping Room Canberra
Latte Art is a true art and (probably) takes a lot of Cappuccino’s and Latte’s and Flat White’s to perfection the often heart-shaped designs. But no nice Latte Art can substitute for a bad tasting coffee-milk mixture underneath, a milk-based coffee should have both, a good body (nice foam) and a good soul (delicious coffee and the right amount of milk). Some years ago, I head the best milk for Cappuccino’s is the 1,5% milk. But no, it actually is not, according to the The Cupping Room Baristas, as theirs has 4,8% of fat. Besides sourcing their own coffee beans, for the ultimate good coffee, they have also created their own milk, in partnership with a local dairy farm, to even optimize the main ingredient of milk-based coffees. So said, you will enjoy the most complete tasting milk-based coffee at the Cupping Room Canberra! As you have noticed, I call it milk-based coffee, as I’ve learned during my Cupping Session, as this is the way they are offered there. They have found a perfect combination of Espresso and Milk, and it’s this one drink, no Cappuccino or Flat White in particular, just one shot of Espresso plus around 120 ml milk per portion. According to their Baristas, this will create the most whole-tasting milk-based coffee. And they are right. I have tried the Black Betty Coffee milk-based and my taste buds were jumping with excitement. You have just the right amount of foamy milk at the top, followed by a silky coffee-milk combination to sip from. As they use a Milk with such a high amount of milk, it just lifts the wholesome taste to another level.
To learn more about Coffee yourself, ONA Coffee offers Barista Courses for Beginners, advanced Baristas or solely Latte Art Courses. You can find more information such as prices and dates on their website. Oh, and besides their four Café venues across Canberra, they are about to open a first one in Sydney.
Address The Cupping Room Canberra
1/1-13 University Avenue
New Acton / Canberra ACT 2601
Australia
Pictures of my Coffee Cupping session at The Cupping Room Canberra with ONA Coffee
