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June 18, 2015

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Sumerian pours it any way you like it

My first cup of Yunnan coffee — a homemade espresso — didn’t leave a very good impression due to the high acidity. Something must have gone wrong as I realized every step in making coffee matters, from freshness, processing and roasting of the beans to the grinding and extraction.

I decided to go on a hunt for a proper Yunnan coffee made by a professional. It lead me to Sumerian café, which offers three different ways to enjoy a cuppa using Yunnan coffee beans.

The beans Sumerian uses are organically grown in Pu’er of Yunnan Province, the country’s most popular coffee growing region. Organic Pu’er Manlao tops the single origin coffee menu as the café’s “it” beans. The hand-dripped Manlao had a pleasant floral aroma with a touch of citrus. The coffee itself was very light but with a distinguishing chocolaty aftertaste. The cold brew version was even more chocolaty, almost as if drinking a cup of iced hot chocolate.

According to one of Sumerian’s baristas, the café uses medium to dark washed beans for its cold brew drinks in pursuit of a better texture. They change beans along with the season. Adding ice to the coffee creates an explosive flavor of dark chocolate. Cold brew coffee is especially popular during the summer at Sumerian. Go early as the café only makes a limited amount each day due to the lengthy making process.

Nitro coffee is another trend within the industry. Poured directly from a beer tap, the Nitro Yunnan Manlao looked like a pint of Guinness and tasted like a coffee-flavored “beer” with a really smooth body and a chocolaty aftertaste. However, the magic drink contains no alcohol. It takes up to 48 hours to make, which enables the flavor and aroma of the beans to reach their peak. Similar to its signature cold brewed coffee, Sumerian varies the coffee on the nitro tap, from their house blends to selected single-origins.

Sumerian uses Yunnan Manlao in its espressos. The café offers two to three different house blends for espresso-based drinks, varying from season to season. Ask before you order.

Sumerian also serves a selection of desserts, sandwiches and other food and drinks. The café also sells its own roasted beans in bags and a variety of coffee making accessories.

 

Address: 415 Shaanxi Road N.

Tel: 135-6475-5689

Opening hours: Mon, 7:30am-6pm, Tue-Sun: 7:30am-7:30pm

Web: http://sumeriancoffee.com

Chill out with cold brewed coffee

This has become a popular coffee making method.

Coarse-ground coffee is soaked in water at room temperature for at least 12 hours and dripped at a slow rate — one drop per second for Sumerian. After being filtered, the coffee concentrate can be diluted with water or milk.

The method allows softer flavors like chocolate and vanilla to be experienced. Unlike hot coffee, the flavor does not change over time. Some say cold brewed coffee concentrate stays fresh for up to three weeks.




 

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