December 02, 2024
Introducing our last featured roaster of the year – Sydney based Infinity Coffee!
The Infinity Coffee Roasters team has been supplying Australians with delicious roasts since 2012 from their headquarters in the middle of the cafe studded Sydney suburb of Hornsby. This month we take a look at their two featured coffees and chat with their founder about his career in coffee competitions. Not a bad way to end the year!
The Interview
This month we caught up with Infinity Coffee Roaster Founder – Frankie Shi! Frankie is well recognised in the industry for being a prize-winning roaster and barista, as well as a latte art champion. We were excited to learn more about his competition career and get some ‘brewing at home’ tips.
What’s your favourite part about being a Head Judge for Golden Bean Australia?
It’s been a privilege to work with a group of talented industry experts – my fellow Category Judges! Also, I’ve loved the opportunity to taste and judge some of the best coffee from around the world.
As the Australian Cup Tasters Champion, what was the most challenging aspect of competing in that competition?
When I look back, the most difficult thing was adjusting the coffee to any dietary needs. It was also important for me to maintain a good physical and mental state – this involved lots of meditating!
What are some techniques/practices that gave you the edge in identifying subtle differences in coffees?
Well, there aren’t any particular secrets! I was blessed with great friends and mentors that gave me their time to practise together and supply training beans for regional, national and world competitions. If there was any secret, it would be cupping coffees everyday and training with at least 5-6 sets of 8 triangulations regardless of if I was sick or tired!
How has winning that competition influenced your approach as a Barista?
It encouraged me to be the best Cuptaster and Training Coach I could be!
What was the most challenging aspect of starting Infinity Coffee?
Getting customers to trust our brand, our coffee quality and know that we’re there to support their cafe businesses. It took a few years to build this level of trust and we’ll continue to prove ourselves as a high quality specialty coffee roastery.
What truly separates supermarket brand coffee from specialty coffee such as Infinity?
Simply put, specialty coffee is much higher quality than commercial coffee (like craft beer vs Bud Light). While I could fill a textbook with all the things that influence the quality of coffee, there’s a simple way to think about it: how many components are in the blend, what’s the roast degree and is it sustainable?
What is the ideal period (eg. 2-3 weeks) users should wait to grind and consume coffee beans after they have been freshly roasted?
All Infinity blends and singles get roasted weekly and all need 5-7 days to degas. After roasting, coffee continues to emit carbon dioxide. If you brew that coffee too soon, then the flavours won’t have developed and the CO2 can have a negative effect on the cup. The peak is often between 18 and 24 days depending on certain roast profiles!
What advice would you give aspiring coffee tasters who want to sharpen their tasting skills?
I strongly encourage all aspiring coffee tasters to attend as many cupping sessions, both public and private, as possible. Also, make sure you share your tasting experience with others.
The Coffee
DARK OWL
ESPRESSO COFFEE
Infinity Coffee’s, Dark Owl, is a special house blend that has won both the silver and gold medals several times at the Australian Golden Bean Roasters competition! This blend has a full body that is accompanied by milk chocolate, roasted nuts, cacao, and brown sugar notes. Enjoy the rich complexity of this month’s espresso roast – perfect on its own or with milk!
Coffee Origin:
Brazil, China and Colombia
Tasting Notes:
Notes of milk chocolate, roasted nuts, cacao and brown sugar.
Espresso Recipe:
Dose: 20g
Yield: 40g
Brew Time: 27 seconds
Ratio: 1:2
BABA ETHIOPIA CHELECHELE
FILTER COFFEE
This lot is a unique and complex coffee by Infinity that features bright fruit notes. You’ll get a hint of green apple, lime and ripe nectarine with a soft, creamy mouthfeel. These clean aromatics are supported by fresh sweetness. Delish!
Coffee Origin:
Ethiopia
Tasting Notes:
Notes of green apple, lime and ripe nectarine.
Filter Recipe (V60):
Dose: 15g
Bloom: 45g 30 seconds
Water: 225g
Brew Time: 2 mins
Brew Ratio: 1:15
The Origin
This month’s filter coffee by Infinity came from the Chelechele washing station, nestled in the kebele of Chelechele, in the Kochere district of Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe region. Chelechele coffees are known for their unique flavour profile that consists of sweet undertones of toffee, soft nuts (like almonds) and delightful floral and citrus notes.
In Ethiopia, coffee is usually grown on small plots of land by farmers who also cultivate other crops. Most smallholders bring their coffee cherries to nearby washing stations where the coffee is sorted, weighed and either paid for or given a receipt. The coffee is then processed at the washing station, often through washing or natural methods, then dried on raised beds.
These washing stations can serve several hundred or even a thousand producers who deliver cherries throughout the harvest season! Although, since all the cherries are from different producers and then are blended, it's usually difficult to trace the coffee back to a specific producer. Despite this, efforts are made to source coffee from the same washing stations yearly through export partners and their connections with mills and washing stations.