Coffee lovers are in for a delight as they can now participate in coffee tasting sessions at their nearest Starbucks. Ambassador Major Cohen speaks to Rupinder Kaur about his association with the aromatic bean
A yawn is said to be a silent scream for a hot cup of coffee. Numerous cups of java will also be consumed to make those conversations even more interesting and make you look forward to those intimate bonding sessions in future. You would post pictures of that beautiful cappuccino or a latte with a foam heart or a smiley or maybe an iced mocha with some whipped cream and caramel syrup. You stick to your favourites every time you place an order at a café and switch to a wake-me-up-from-my-slumber black coffee when need be, with a nutty cookie on the side.
But, imagine travelling around the world to huge coffee estates, looking for those perfect beans which will then be roasted and processed. Imagine going around to different countries and introducing new blends and flavours to coffee lovers while also teaching them the proper manner in which the coffee is to be tasted/slurped. This envy-inducing job profile is held by Starbucks coffee ambassador Major Cohen. He was recently in the city to introduce a new beverage called Flat White and also paired some delicious foods with blends like Veranda, Indian Estate Blend and Sumatra for an ultimate coffee experience.
“I started as a barista in 1995. I was a coffee-loving school teacher prior to coming to Starbucks. My subject was photography. We want all the people working here to be passionate and curious. When I started working, I made people very comfortable by expressing my passion because I was not afraid to be excited about what I was doing. You have to constantly think about the growth of the people working in your company and that was something that I’ve taken advantage of here,” a smiling Cohen shared.
We then embarked on our coffee-tasting journey with a mellow and soft blend called Veranda (from latin America) which was also paired with almond and butterscotch cookies and roasted salted almonds. “Feel free to slurp” is what we are told and we obliged.
When asked about the need to introduce a lighter blend, Cohen explained, “We selected the beans and roasted the coffee for a wide appeal but some will like it and some will prefer something else. We also know that much of the coffee here is taken with dairy and sugar so we made sure that the coffee would still taste delicious and will not be lost.”
Cohen calls it one of the most amazing sounds ever while recalling an event where he served coffee to some 10,000 managers in Houston. “The coffee had to be brewed and served in about 10 minutes. We then asked them to slurp at the same time and it was so brilliant,” he said.
We then moved on to the Indian Estate Blend which is one of the signature coffees of India. “Introducing this here was one of the proudest moments I’ve had in my 20 years of coffee career. Veranda was light but the taste of this one would linger for a while. Everyone will experience something slightly different and some might find it lighter than Veranda,” Cohen told us as we paired it with a delectable basil tomato and mozzarella cheese sandwich and a chocolate brownie.
The herbal Sumatra was next which we were told is the number one coffee in the world because of its complex flavours and “it also has a nice finish.”
We were in for a surprise when hot steaming mugs called Flat White arrived.
“It starts with an espresso (not a bean but a treatment we give to green coffee beans and created using an espresso machine) which is 100 per cent sourced in India. We also made an adjustment on the espresso machine which allows the barista to create ristretto shot which is flavourful and the milk in poured in. When we steam the milk, the barista has learned to create micro foam where there are tiny bubbles,” Cohen informed.