Gastronomic (Mis)Adventures : Search results for brazil

WARNING: This is a no-photo article... I am currently writing this right after I downed a cup of cappuccino with a scoop of vanilla malt, which I normally don't drink, so please bare with some of my incoherent thoughts.

After about 6 hours of one-on-one training, I can now officially operate an espresso machine sans the coffee art. I am a frustrated artist at heart so I am giving myself one more year to practice the art of drawing with steamed milk in my right hand and with a cup of espresso on the other.

Coffee Training 101
This was a sit-down 1.5 hr powerpoint session that reminded me about business school days. Apologies to my professor. I tried very hard not to yawn too much at 10 in the morning, but I really like learning new stuff, especially since I can now speak intelligently to coffee connoisseurs :)

Coffee seed species: Arabica vs. Robusta
Arabica beans represent 75% of the world's coffee production and has less caffeine content, 1-1.7%, compared to the darker, harder Robusta plants at 2-4.5%. Growing conditions depends on temperature, rainfall, elevation and shade.

Brazil is the world's largest coffee producing country with 45 million bags/year, followed by Vietnam and Indonesia. Of course, the Americans consume most coffee at 16.2% world consumption followed by the Brazilians at 13.9%, Germans and then the Japanese.

It was my first time seeing the coffee belt map, which looks similar to the earthquake belt. The map mostly includes countries with tropical weather in Latin America, particularly Brazil and Columbia, Asia, such as Indonesia, and parts of Africa, such as Ethopia.

Tidbit #1 (for the coffee nerds out there): this year, the world production of coffee is estimated to be at 125.2 (million 60-kg bags) but estimated world consumption is at 131.8. In 2009, production was at 130.0 and consumption at 125.7. Analyzing the demand-supply economic curve, coffee prices surely will go up (Disclaimer: Author's own drawing using estimates only. Don't use without author's consent.)

Cherry Anatomy
I never knew that the coffee plant is also called a 'cherry' and looks like one too. An unripe cherry is colored light green then becomes red as it ripens. Depulping, which is done within 24 hours of picking, the outer layer of flesh or the coffee cherry reveals the coffee bean. Who would have known that the raw seed is actually colored green (not brown!). The coffee seed turns dark brown after the roasting process.

Tidbit #2: Most coffee growing countries have only one harvest per year, excluding Columbia which has two flowerings per year.

Decaffeination
This is the part for me and for all those who are not fond of caffeine. Coffee can be decaffeinated in two ways:
(1) chemical process- beans are soaked in hot water treated with a chemical that bonds to the caffeine (either methylene chloride or ethyl acetate). This is obviously bad for the environment but most mass producers (e.g. think of the ones in your grocery aisle) utilize this process.
(2) water process using swiss water or mountain- sounds very fancy huh? These are patented decaffeination process involving no chemicals.

Tidbit #3: Coffee seeds are shipped and packaged in 3 different ways depending on what's available in the coffee mill: (1) in a jute bag, (2) vacuum pack or (3) grain pro- a jute bag with a layer of plastic inside to avoid the papery flavor.

Worldwide Buying Practices
I always wondered what fairtrade meant and why consumers are lured to buy packets of coffee with the fairtrade mark. I don't buy coffee, so I admit I am an uneducated coffee buyer (shame on me!).

(1) The common model- there is a total disconnect between buyer and producer, making it impossible to guarantee quality and that the farmers are getting paid a certain amount.
(2) Fairtrade- only co-ops can participate in fairtrade but quality is not guaranteed and no direct communication and education with producers.
(3) Direct trade- there is direct trade price negotiations and interactions with producers/coffee farmers. Thus, quality is guaranteed and there is transparency in the payment chain ensuring higher payout for the farmers.
(4) COE- Cup of Excellence. Read more here

Tidbit #4: Cupping is the international term used to taste coffee.

For more coffee education, check out sweet marias website.

Now it is time for me to practice my coffee art skills. Photos to be posted soon.

My Top Picks in Rio de Janeiro

Best of Rio (& Cusco): What to Drink?

Cheers to a New Year, New Adventures

A Dining Revolution at Leo, Bogota

When I received an invitation from Chef Leonor Espinosa to dine at her award-winning, flagship establishment, Leo, in Bogota, I didn't really know what to expect. Even after countless of gastronomic travels, I still didn't understand what Colombian cuisine is all about compared to its neighboring cuisine of Peru, Brazil and Mexico. More so, there is limited information online or from fellow food critics what a Colombian fine-dining experience meant.

Revolutionizing a Country and Its Cuisine
Colombia began its reinvention after its tumultuous past in the 90s and early 2000s. It was not until I learned that one of my good friends moved to Bogota that I now had a reason to visit.

Accolades, including the World's 50 Best Restaurant and Latin America's Best Female Chef in 2017, for the restaurant and chef/owner, respectively, definitely piqued my interest in dining at Leo. It is also run by a mother-daughter tandem - another rarity in the restaurant industry.

A 101 in Colombian Cuisine
With two of my eating buddies in tow, the receptionist at Leo welcomed us to a spacious, contemporary space in Pasaje Mompox, Centro Internacional in Bogota without the obvious white linens that surround fine dining establishments of its caliber. As our waitstaff started his explanation of our 11-course tasting named as Ciclo-Bioma, I was already bewildered on the list of ingredients on their simple menu, showcasing rare, local meats, vegetables and fruits with the specific location where they can be found in the country.

Yogurt cheese, limonero ants (tropical rainforest), native potato

I came with an open mind and left this establishment not only with a happy tummy but also with more knowledge on Colombian food ecosystem. Even if they provided a short explanation, we did end up doing a quick online search on some of the terminologies, such as the following:

Mojojoy: insect with medicinal properties from the tropical rainforest
Caiman: crocodile from the wetlands
Copoazu or Cupuaçu: a tropical rainforest tree related to cacao
Ponche: wild rodent meat from the dry forest
Borojo: Colombian viagra from the tropical rainforest

Tip: Get a crash course in a supermarket of the different Columbian fruits available for the season.

I paid utmost attention to the rare ingredients above and more, while simultaneously enjoying the pairing for each dish. Leo's alcohol pairing is also highly differentiated with mostly homemade, fermented beverages that cannot be found in the grocery or specialty stores. It is definitely not for the weak-hearted, starting with a fermented coca that blew my mind away. I've had coca tea before during my climb up the Machu Picchu, but Leo's coca was sweet and tangy with just the right amount of kick paired with delicate, savory amuse bouche. Thereafter, the white-colored cocktail, albeit pleasing on the eyes, left all of us an unfavorable taste of the salty seas.

Star of the show: fermented coca

Amouse bouche, which reminded me of Dutch bitterballen

Frothy Pacific ocean water

We further cheered our glasses full of Pink Dolphin rose with hints of blackberries and guava that felt refreshing with juicy crayfish floating on coconut milk. Then, we all giggled when it was time to sip on the fermented Borojo, a superfruit known for its energy superpowers, paired with what first looked like a mash up of grassy leaves that complemented the fruity drink.

Crayfish (Wetlands), mandarin lemon, pepper, on top of coconut milk

macambo (Tropical Rainforest), mojojoy (Tropical Rainforest), mambe, borojo (Tropical Rainforest), salt of Manaure

One of the dishes I enjoyed the most at Leo was the sweet, seasonal fish that was elevated further with passion fruit and light rum, a concoction of an alcohol based on sugar cane called viche, an exotic fruit called gulupa, and paramo leaves.

Seasonal white fish, paramo leaves, guesguin, copoazu, green peas

Unexpectedly, the caiman (crocodile) was exhibited in a non-threatening bowl. Don't be fooled of the simple presentation below though. Even with a piece of palm as the center point, the dish exuded a strong smell of adobo. With the addition of handcrafted beer made from quinoa, this pairing reminded me of home cooked meals in Asia.

Caiman, peach-palm, Amazonian pepper sauce

Sensory and Brain Overload
We're still not done yet, dear readers, since I was then introduced to pirarucu fish. The shaved ice cream-like presentation was reinvigorating cleansed with bubbly kombucha, while the local duck was displayed and tasted akin to pulled meat tacos. The finale of the savory entrees came in with the much anticipated rodent meat, ponche, swimming on savory, brown collagen and topped with the orchid Cattleya trianae, the national flower of Colombia.

Pirarucu, cacay, sour yucca, lulito pepper (Rainforest Amazon)

Local duck, cariaco corn (Dry forest)

Ponche (wild rodent meat), native red bean, Santamaria de anis

Cleansing the Soul
Now that we were introduced to many rare, local food sources, the dessert courses were dominated with sweet and citrus flavors coupled with water of citrus herbs called pirrin and fermented coffee. The most interesting of all was the flan-like bones jelly with a coquindo seed, which is abundant in the Amazon.

Araza fruit, caqueta cheese, meringue tiles

Bones jelly, coquindo, salt of Galerazamba

Be Fierce, Be Unafraid
Leo is not for someone who is a beginner in fine dining experiences. It would be easy for a diner to be overwhelmed with the unfamiliar ingredients, presentation, and even the alcohol pairings. Despite that, I highly commend the waitstaff who meticulously explained each dish and answered our questions, such as how we could buy the fermented coca, without any hesitation.

The experience at Leo though is perfect for a gastronome who is eager to arm herself or himself with a new bible of ingredients and further knowledge of Colombian geography and food ecosystem. I can definitely say for sure that I learned a lot spending 2 hours at Leo as much as the guided walking tour in the historical district of Bogota.

Disclaimer: I was provided a complimentary dining experience at this establishment in exchange for an honest review.

Do you know the parts of the meat?

Fresh off the Press: Cebu's First Mango Wine

It took me awhile to publish this since my trusty Mac is miles away (i.e. no Photoshop) and I forgot to bring my sd card uploader. Anyhow, I had to make reservation for two bottles of Conrad's mango wine at Tinderbox to ensure I get my hands on the first mango wine of Philippines' mango capital, Cebu. Conrad's distribution channel seems to be limited. For exclusivity, perhaps? Based on the price point of below PHP1000, I expected it to be a mid-range wine.

Tastes like a Rose
If I were blind-folded and were to do a wine test, I would say the taste resembles a Rose or a White Zinfandel. Refreshing. Lightly sweet although hints of mango is close to null. To quote my foreign guests who also tried the mango wine, "where is the mango in it?" According to their website, it is being categorized as a dessert wine. However, due to its lack of bold flavor and sweetness of a Muscat or a Tokaji (my favorite), I disagree with their categorization. According to US standards, a dessert wine is legally defined as any wine over 14% alcohol, whereas Conrad's mango wine only has 12%. There are also some examples of meals that one can use the mango wine for cooking. Isn't it too expensive to be utilized as cooking wine?

The Wine Label Makes a Big Difference
I am very particular about wine labels since I specialized in research projects for one of the biggest wineries in the world in my past life- testing wine labels for new wines was one of them. Disclaimer: My comments below are meant to improve and help better market the mango wine both locally and internationally.

Sometimes, the truth hurts. Imported mangoes from the Philippines are marketed as "Manila Mangoes" overseas. It also perplexes me since the mangoes obviously come from Cebu, but my best guess is that it is a matter of brand/place recall. More non-Filipinos know where Manila is compared to Cebu- this is a problem of the DOT (Department of Tourism of the Philippines). For my predominantly American readers, Cebu is pronounced as "Seh-boo". But I digress.

Recommendations
On a bigger scale, there are many ways to get the word out (e.g. by joining international wine festivals, getting featured by the likes of New York Times or the Wall Street Journal, etc.). Locally of course, there is always the celebrity endorsement method (e.g. send a box of wine for free to your target market like Kris Aquino or socialite/bloggers Divine Lee or Jenni Epperson). Getting a nod from the big wigs in Manila is different from getting a nod from the Lhulliers of Cebu, for instance. To make it purely Cebuano, how about a Mango Wine bar in Cebu with a similar concept to the Academia da Cachaca of Brazil where all drinks are infused with the national Brazilian liquor, cachaca.

The smaller details count a lot. Conrad's SEO/SEM strategy is weak. Invest in adwords to gain exposure online and make it easier for researchers/writers/bloggers to find out about Conrad's mango wine. It also pains me to see businesses with unpolished websites so please hire a creative website designer. Before choosing a new wine label, hire a credible international market research firm to conduct image highlighter and ransom note/text highlighter analyses. Hope they have funding to make it all happen.

Introducing a new (wine) product is challenging, especially to a non-wine producing nation where a wine culture is yet to be established and cheaper San Miguel products have saturated the market for alcohol consumers. No one wants this to be another Indian wine story, which is struggling to compete with wine-producing nations in the international shelves. Although Conrad's makes a good effort to promote Cebuano food and culture, focus on making the business scalable and profitable in the long run. Overall, Conrad's mango wine has potential and must be marketed with caution.