What I’m Brewing: From Coffee With Love Filter Blend by Lameen Abdul Malik
Credit: From Coffee with Love
When Lameen launched his espresso blend, I was tempted to buy an espresso machine. I felt like I was missing out because I know it is not possibly to try his coffee in any of the cafes here. Lameen, however, has many times advised against buying a machine for home use. He warned that the frustration sometimes will offset the positive experience of drinking delicious espresso at home.
But, when dialed in perfectly, the experience is quite exhilarating. He quite liked the way his blend turned out during the development and tasting stage, focused more on vanilla, tobacco and chocolate notes. I rarely have blends in a cafe but I always make sure to ask what origins are in it, and I can safely say that this is the first time I am I having a blend of a Brazil and an Indonesia.
And yes, I finally got to have this as a cappuccino brewed by Lameen with a cute little latte heart on it. Thanks Lameen, one word comes to my mind - comforting. I could imagine myself sitting in front of a fire, it's cold outside, sipping on the coffee with those notes of chocolate, vanilla and spice is simply, in Lameen’s words, “love in a cup”.
Credit: From Coffee With Love
I know this post is about the filter blend, but I felt like I had to start with espresso, since that’s the way Lameen likes to start his day. If you know me or have read my previous posts, I like to start mine with a filter. And this filter blend has become my weekday workhorse. The driver to my 9-5.
Growing up Lameen didn’t want to throw coffee away and sometimes he would mix the old remaining beans with new coffee. He started blending the remaining beans with a different origin.
It turned out quite delicious and this gave him an idea, since everybody’s doing single origins on pour over, why not do a blend. Since Lameen is half African, half English, this blend is a homage to African coffee. He loves coffee from this continent, especially from Kenya.
For the development of this blend, he worked with a Q Grader in Dubai. His preference for the filter during the tasting was hints of fruity and floral notes, with medium acidity. After six or seven attempts, the coffee he chose turned out be a blend of Uganda and Burundi.
The Coffee Story
One on One with Lameen Abdul Malik
Read more about this and his coffee journey in a one on one interview.
Even Square Mile has a filter blend and they release a new one every season, the most recent one is called Jam and it comes in a glass jar. Pity they don’t deliver here. I always thought that I was the only one blending coffee when a bag was getting over. I, however, did it out of necessity. Lameen did his out curiosity.
When Lameen launched the espresso blend, I whined that I don’t have an espresso machine and I won’t be able to brew it. No excuses when this was launched, I had to order it. And what did I think of the coffee? Just the way he wanted his coffee to be - fruity with the right amount of brightness to it.
How does Lameen brew it? He has revised his V60 recipe recently following Mariam’s guidance. If you don’t know who Mariam is, she is a talented artist, and the UAE Brewers Cup Champion last year. She currently works at Seven Fortunes Coffee Roasters. He uses a 225/15g or 250/16g ratio with the whole process not taking more than 3 minutes.
He has relaunched his coffee brand as Escape Caffe, the name is an inspiration from his cafe in Cape Town that he used to run a decade ago. Both the espresso and filter blend are now available to order.
