The Best Piccolo I have had Prepared by Two UAE Coffee Champions

Cafe

Dec 6

As I gain more knowledge about coffee, I have nothing but appreciation for the work that goes on at every aspect of the coffee value chain. Two things in particular intrigue me. The first one is the experimentation in processing techniques. The second is the introduction of new coffee varietals.

The appreciation for coffee becomes even greater when you taste good coffee. In this case, a newly developed varietal used in the recent UAE Barista Championship 2021. To add to that, it was not only prepared by one local champion but two. Lameen aka From Coffee With Love accompanied me to Gold Box Coffee Roasters to share the experience.

Let me explain. My weekend ended with the best Piccolo I have had this year. Michaela, the 2021 UAE Barista Champion, craftfully extracted the Mandela XO which she used in the competition. And then, Mon, the 2021 UAE National Latte Art Champion, poured a rabbit latte art.

Before I proceed further on what this Piccolo tasted like, below is a video of Mikaela. She shares some information about the Mandela varietal and the XO process. Mandela is a new variety from the Caturra x Caturra lineage. This was crossed with multiple varietals (Timor Hybrid, Sudan Rume, Daleco and Villa Sarchi) to give it certain characteristics like rust resistance.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Syed Naveed (@sanaveed90)

The Mandela XO is produced in Cafe Granja La Esperanza. This comprises of five farms and they have a reputation for producing competition winning coffees. Unique processes that are customized according to the varieties. The result are the distinctive flavour notes. The processing on this coffee utilizes the XO method. XO is an acronym that stands for ‘extra old’.

That doesn’t mean it tastes old but it boils down to the fact how cognac is made. It undergoes a 30 hour anaerobic fermentation in plastic barrels. It then fermented again in a plastic bag for 12 hours inside a lake. This is done to maintain a stable temperature. Below is a video of Mon, pouring that rabbit for me. Lameen got a seahorse, slightly jealous.

I don’t drink alcohol so I can’t relate to the taste of cognac. For me, it tasted like intense strawberries with an ever so slight sourness. Michaela used distilled milk to compliment the Mandela. I’ll do a detailed post later on how distilled milk is prepared. But if you have to know, it gives the cup a very creamy mouthfeel.

The sweetness as I mentioned is striking on the first sip. This is a coffee that makes a very good first impression. Hard to believe it’s only been scored at 87, according to DRWakefield. I have had coffee scored as high as 91 that hasn’t had such an impact. It certainly left Lameen awestruck as he indulged in another cup of coffee, which is very rare.

As I gathered my thoughts, further analysis on the drink feels like it’s been spiked with purple grapes. Black raisins in the background giving a certain depth. A depth that I wished this Piccolo was bottomless. This is the first time I taste a milk based coffee that felt like a pour over.

When I have so much to say about this Piccolo, I only wished I could taste it as an espresso and filter. Milk based coffee will never be the same for me ever again. Some would say I am only ruining it for myself but not when it comes to coffee. Life is too short to taste bad coffee.