Coffee is the second most consumed drink in France after water. What a great craze! But why? We looked into the history of this drink and its manufacture. To do so, we met Mélanie Badets, elected Best Roaster of France in 2019, president of TCHANQUE GOURMET, and creator of the brands Cafés Tchanqué and Cabane 53. Visit of the boutique and roasting workshop in La Teste-de-Buch, Arcachon basin.
What an exciting meeting!
Just like wine, coffee differs according to its terroir
Its geographical area, production know-how, and processing know-how all play a part. The quality of the final product therefore depends on these factors, its two edible species, arabica or robusta, and its varieties, hundreds, the equivalent of grape varieties for wine. An essential step is the manual harvest to select the coffee “cherries” at the same maturity.
How is it roasted?
To obtain the green coffee that will be roasted, there are three processes to “pulp” the cherry and keep only the almond: plain, washed, or honey. Each method of drying and washing, carried out by the producer, will be more or less long, more or less expensive to keep the aroma of the green coffee. Green coffee can contain up to 1000 aromatic components. Roasting has the role of sublimating them. Click on the link to discover our video : A la rencontre de nos producteurs. Episode 1
In conclusion, discover coffee, like at Tchanqué Gourmet or other coffee shops and roasters who share the same passion. Don’t forget to always indicate the type of coffee machine you use, it is essential for your choice of coffee.
What do you think of this quote “To learn is to deposit gold in the bank of one’s mind”? Visit our guided gourmet walks for our coffee tastings and our Newsletter for our address books of coffee merchants and roasters in Paris and Bordeaux.
Enjoy your coffee tasting !