Unlocking the bean's secrets
The brewing is the key, say the boys at Drip Coffee Gallery cafe
The pungent aroma of freshly roasted coffee at newcomer Drip Coffee Gallery cafe is being savoured by a crowd of youngsters and office workers. Launched just two weeks ago by photographer Natthiti Ampriwan and his friend, Drip is actually a flood for coffee connoisseurs thanks to its unique range of java varieties plus yummy home-made desserts.
Crazy about drip-brewed coffee, Natthiti consulted books on brewing and on how to recognise the best beans at local roasting houses. Very popular in bygone days, a drip brew extracts smoother coffee by pouring water over roasted ground beans contained in a filter.
“We prefer drip coffee. We like to buy ‘weird’ coffee beans from several sources. Different weather and soil conditions create different-tasting coffee,” Natthiti says. “We also use light-roasted beans to retain the original flavour and aroma.”
Their cafe is also designed as a gallery. Surrounding drinkers is a collection of photographs as well as an exhibition of java beans and coffeemaker. The result is a homey, cosy space with a towering bookshelf, natural wooden tables, chairs and stools that seat 30. Customers can also grab a stool at the counter bar for a ringside view of Natthiti in action making his brews.
“We use a wooden-handle grinder for rough coffee. We need to use 25-30 grams of coffee and spend 3-4 minutes per cup to extract good ‘juice’ from the coffee,” Natthiti explains.
Highlights on the menu at the moment include the Ethiopia Yirgacheff, Kenyan, Colombia Supremo and Rwanda Sacof Rulindo. These tastes of the world range in price from Bt85 to Bt135.
For something closer to home, try the signature Gallery cup of peaberry from Chiang Rai (Bt55), or for something sweeter, the glass of iced drip-coffee jelly for Bt80.
Tea lovers can slake their thirst too, with delicate blends of Ceylon, Chinese, Malaysian and Thai at Bt65 per cup. For a punchier brew from Japan, the delectable matcha green tea latte in a glass (Bt60) goes well with the scrumptious tofu and lemon cheesecake (Bt70) or the sticky matcha mochi cupcake (Bt60).
Next month, Natthiti plans to bring in coffee from Papua New Guinea and El Salvador too.
THE ART OF JAVA
Drip Coffee Gallery cafe is on the ground floor of Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (across the intersection from Siam Discovery). It’s open daily from 10am to 9pm except Monday. Call (081) 989 5244, (089) 967 7022 or visit www.facebook.com/
gallery-kafaedrip.
