Seeking coffee perfection

by Philippa Stevenson
The New Zealand Herald

Little did I know that when I reluctantly took my first sip of sticky coffee-and-milk-in-a-can that a couple of decades hence I'd do a course on how to make a decent cup of the real thing.

But last Saturday I found myself, in the company of 10 others, grinding, tamping, and steaming the milk in search of the perfect espresso.

None of us, though, seemed likely to challenge the ever-growing cafe sector and its claims on the nation's taste buds. We just wanted a few of its secrets so we could go some way to matching their product at home.

There was a moment at the start of the course, as tutor Christy Fepulea'i of Hamilton's Urge coffee shop spoke of the passion for coffee she and her husband Craig shared, when I wondered why I was giving up a Saturday morning for a beverage.

Was I passionate about coffee, I wondered, or just happily hooked?

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