here - Café Colore

Transcription

here - Café Colore

WITH A FINGER ON THE PULSE OF COFFEE CULTURE
EDITION 02/07 / ¤ 2,40
Getting
the best
out of
the beans
The secret of
the perfect coffee
Valerie interview: The former
“Saint Privat” lead singer on her first
solo album and her love of coffee.
T R A D I T I O N A N D E L EG A N C E
The “Deco” by Gaggia combines tratition and modern design.
Espresso culture at th highest level combines with
Attractive looks and the best quality.
The “Deco” meets the expectations of real coffee experts.
TRADITION WITH FUTURE
www.gaggia.com
Contents/
Editorial
04
New from Julius Meinl
Catering innovations
06
Quality-check
The steps towards a perfect coffee
08
Top quality coffees
From cultivation to preparation
12
“Coffee is a passion,
an attitude to life!“
Celebrity interview
Interview with singer Valerie
14
JEANNETTE SKRBENSKY-MEINL
The quality trend
The new experts
18
18 International partners
Cafés in Budapest & Hamburg
20
Tips & tricks
How to achieve coffee enjoyment
22
Partners in Austria
Cafés and hotels in Austria
24
Recipes: coffee desserts
From the cook of the year 2007
26
Trendy teas
Healthy and hot
27
Life Ball 2007
Looking back
EDITORIAL
Dear partners and friends of Julius Meinl,
we are proud to present the first international issue of Meinl Lifestyle - a magazine dedicated to the
vibrant Viennese coffee house culture. This culture combines tradition, experience, the Viennese way
of living and the world's best coffees with outstanding customer service for very special moments.
Since its founding in 1862 Julius Meinl has been providing finest coffees which to this day are personally
selected by members of the Meinl family and a team of dedicated coffee sommeliers. At Julius Meinl
we continuously strive to provide our customers with top quality products and service. As ambassadors
of the Viennese coffee house culture we are passionate about our work and our professional partnerships; Meinl Lifestyle was created to foster these partnerships and continually contribute to our
partners’ expertise in premium coffee. The magazine offers comprehensive expert support, interesting
and entertaining articles, technical know-how and special gourmet tips. In collaboration with you we
would like to serve our consumers pleasurable and inspirational time-outs. Join us and plunge into
the cultivated world of the “black gold” and enjoy this issue of the Meinl Lifestyle. Get meinlized and
indulge yourself with a good cup of Julius Meinl.
Kind regards,
Marcel Löffler
Brigitte Maier
CEO Julius Meinl Industry-Holding
Marketing manager
PUBLICATION DETAILS: Publisher: Julius Meinl Austria GmbH, Brigitte Maier, A-1160 Vienna; Publisher & production: Gastrowerkstatt GmbH,
A-1060 Vienna; Editorial office: Anna-Nina Kare, Sebastian Leitner, Elias Kornfeld, Felicitas Herberstein, Daniela Pötzl, Christina Andetsberger;
Art direction: Gottfried Moritz; Fotos: Julius Meinl, Conny de Beauclair, Rainer Fehringer, Kurt Heinz, Andreas Hofer, Gerhard Nohava, Christian
Stoces; Print: Druckerei Berger, A-3580 Horn.
meinlkaffee.at | Nr. 02/07 | M E I N L 3
Products
New from Julius Meinl
ORANGE CHOCOLATE MOCCA
Be inspired!
MOCCA NOCCIOLA
2cl hazelnut liquor in a Meinl
water glass, one espresso
with milk froth.
LATTE BAILEYS
2cl Baileys in a Meinl latte glass
with an espresso, covered with
hot, creamy milk.
New Creations for
“Moor” enjoyment
WHITE RUSSIAN MOCCA
Cold espresso with coffee liqueur,
vodka and topped with whipped cream
2cl Cointreau in a Meinl milk glass.
Coat the inside with a thick chocolate
cream layer. Add hot milk froth and
one espresso. Sprinkle with cocoa
or cinnamon.
BLACK RUSSIAN MOCCA
Cold espresso with
coffee liqueur and vodka
4 M E I N L | Nr. 02/07 | meinlkaffee.at
VANILLA HOT SHOT
2cl Galliano vanilla liqueur in a Meinl
water glass. Add an espresso carefully
with a spoon and cover with lightly
whipped cream
Welcome to
www.meinlkaffee.at
Exclusive
Meinl coffee
tamper
The coffee sommelier’s or barista’s
favourite tool is used to press the
ground coffee into the filter holder. The
stamp-like form ensures the right level
of pressure is applied (15-20 kg is ideal).
For totally professional coffee making!
You can read more about how to use
the tamper on page 20.
Julius Meinl goes online with its new gastronomy website
www.meinlkaffee.at.
Looking for the latest information on Julius Meinl products, the
special Viennese coffee roasting and preparation process, or the
company, the founding father of Vienna’s coffee house culture?
Look no further – everything you need is now available 24 hours a day.
We also bring you news on our current partnership programmes,
and details on coffee machines and other accessories. Visitors to
the new-look homepage www.meinlkaffee.at will also find prizes
up for grabs – just answer the question for a chance to win one of
20 exclusive Julius Meinl coffee tampers (valued at ¤ 69.90). Entries
close on 31 December, 2007.
www.meinlkaffee.at
Meinls Limited … the
new winter collection!
Meinl Limited Jams bring something
magical to the breakfast table with
four unusual new varieties. Like
“Orange-almond-cinnamon” with the
captivating taste of finest almonds, or
“Cherry-Amaretto”, the perfect blend
of sweet, tart cherries and the subtle
bouquet of Amaretto. “StrawberryChocolate-Cherry” offers a unique
mix of delicate chocolate and strawberry flavours in a fine cherry liqueur.
And gingerbread fans will love our
“Apricot-Gingerbread” variety – the
taste of gingerbread rounded off with
sweet, ripe apricots. Meinls Limited…
the unique taste of Meinl.
Service
service
The new coffee quality check from
3
2
Better quality –
for better turnover!
1
4
Julius Meinl
Guaranteeing the best coffee for your customers is a complicated job. But help is at
hand – your Meinl coffee consultant can
now conduct a quality check on the spot.
1 _ CLEANLINESS & VISUAL APPEARANCE
Cups preheated to around 40°C on the coffee machine are a basic requirement for any professional café – but without the help of
a tea towel, of course. This can result in the build up of heat and
is anyway forbidden under HACCP guidelines. A clean grinder is essential and coffee bean holders should also be cleaned regularly,
as mould can build up in the oily residues found there. Check the
dosage unit for residual coffee, as this can prevent the correct
amount of coffee being used. Finally, empty (!), clean filter holders
should always be left mounted in the distribution unit and not
allowed to cool down beside the machine.
2 _ TECHNIQUE MATTERS
It is important to clean the machine regularly, also during use.
The distribution unit should be rinsed several times a day using
a blind filter or rubber washer to remove residues which can influence the taste of the coffee. Make sure the filter holder is clean and dry before use. Compress the coffee, preferably with
a tamper, by applying 15-20 kg of pressure; this will provide the
necessary level of resistance and the water should take 20-30
seconds to run through, which ensures that enough aroma is
extracted from the coffee. Always remember to wipe the filter
holder before mounting to avoid damage to the sealing on the
distribution unit.
3 _ THE PERFECT MILK
It is important to keep milk jugs and steam nozzles as clean
as possible. Steam nozzles should be ventilated and wiped with
a damp microfibre cloth before and after each use. With cold,
fresh milk and the right technique (draw in air and roll the milk)
you can produce the perfect, fine foamed milk. However, the milk
should never be heated to above 70°C. Rotating the jug keeps the
milk smooth and tapping it on the counter removes any larger
bubbles and makes for a thicker foam.
4 _THE PERFECT PARAMETERS
For the perfect espresso, you need 30ml water at a pressure of
9 bar and a temperature of between 89°C and 94°C, depending on
the variety of coffee. As a result, the water will extract the desired
aromas from 7 grams of ground coffee in 20-30 seconds. The crema or coffee foam should be 2-4mm thick, fine pored and should
always reform after being stirred.The shade of brown depends on
the blend and darkens, so a hazelnut brown tone is not necessarily the main thing to look out for. Also, dry leftover coffee grounds
are not a sign of perfect taste.
5 _ LAST, BUT NOT LEAST
5
Taste also depends on the correct water hardness, which
should be 6-8º dH. If the water is too soft (below 4º dH), this can result in poor quality crema. Knowledge of the technical side of grinding and the grinder is also important. However, the only way to
judge the taste is by trying it yourself, so to begin with every barista should make a test cup to check the setting of the grinder, water temperature and pressure. Only well-trained staff will be able
to spot problems with the machine from the taste of the coffee and
then make the necessary adjustments.
Register at www.meinlkaffee.at
Cover Story
Getting the best
out of the bean
Meinl buys its beans from coffee plantations in Brazil, Nicaragua, Honduras
and Guatemala. Coffee berries and
flowers on the branch (below)
From the choice of location for planting to roasting
and preparation – high quality is a priority to ensure
that every cup of coffee is a pleasure to drink. The
path from the branch to the cup
BY ANNA-NINA KARE & SEBASTIAN LEITNER
The origin of every popular product
is surrounded by legend and coffee is no
exception – the story goes that coffee
was actually discovered by goats, which
after eating white blossoms and red berries from a branch were capering
around the entire night.
More than 1,000 years have passed
since that particular anecdote was first
told, but nowadays nothing associated
with coffee cultivation and production is
left to chance.
The motto of Julius Meinl Kaffee,
“only the best”, is followed systematically and to the letter, starting with the
choice of location for cultivation: Brazil,
Columbia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Nicaragua
and Papua New Guinea all have a long
tradition of producing the highest-quality coffee.
The great tasting. Harvesting takes
place once a year in most growing areas,
and this is the opportunity for Jeanette
Skrbensky-Meinl to make sure that on-
ly the finest beans are offered to our customers. Careful harvesting is one of
the key criteria in determining the quality of the coffee - only ripe berries can
be processed. Skrbensky-Meinl gives a
brief insight: “On every trip I meet exporters and visit the fincas where the
first stage of processing takes place,”
she explains.
The moment of truth comes at the
tasting. 30 or 40 coffees from the region
are presented for sampling and it is up
to the coffee expert to decide which are
most suitable for the Meinl blend. The
flavour of coffee varies from year to year, so tasting as often as possible is essential, not just on the plantation, but
also after transportation and roasting,
and for that, Mrs Skrbensky-Meinl has
an entire team at her disposal.
Steps towards top quality coffee.
Quality also depends on the subsequent
steps – processing, cleaning and sorting
should all protect the aroma of the beans, while the strength of roasting also
influences aroma and acidity. The final
stage which guarantees delivery of the
highest quality coffee to the customer is
the packaging. To protect the coffee
against oxygen, odours, damp, heat and
light, which can all be harmful to the
aroma, Julius Meinl coffee is vacuum
packed after roasting.
After that it’s up to the café owner to
handle the coffee in a way which keeps
the customers happy. As Jeanette
Skrbensky-Meinl points out, “That means café and restaurant owners are
partners with the same goal: quality.”
Skilful hands make the perfect coffee.
The quality of the coffee is literally in the
hands of these partners, so a skilful approach is essential. Although perfect
beans are the basis for perfect coffee,
proper grinding, accurate timing as the
water runs through the coffee and above
all cleanliness are vital in guaranteeing
an enjoyable cup of coffee.
And this is the only way to maintain
the loyalty of passionate coffee drin-
“Café and restaurant
owners are partners with
the same goal: quality.”
JEANNETTE SKRBENSKY-MEINL
meinlgastro.at | Nr. 02/07 | M E I N L 9
Cover Story
INTERVIEW WITH JEANNETTE SKRBENSKY-MEINL
“Coffee is a passion!”
Jeannette Skrbensky-Meinl has
been responsible for buying
green coffee for Julius Meinl for
almost ten years. We spoke to
her about her love of coffee,
how to become an expert coffee
taster and her own favourite
blend.
MEINL LIFESTYLE: Ms. Skrbensky-Meinl, when you are visiting the plantations, you
have to taste up to 40 different coffees. How hard is it to taste the differences – which
must often be very small?
SKRBENSKY-MEINL: You certainly need a lot of experience. But I have been tasting
every day for the last seven years now.
MEINL LIFESTYLE: How do you become a really good taster?
SKRBENSKY-MEINL: It can be learned to a certain extent. But you have to have
the necessary sensory skills. I grew up with tasting and my father started teaching
me in my childhood.
MEINL LIFESTYLE: So does that mean you drank coffee as a child?
SKRBENSKY-MEINL: No, I meant tasting in general, which could be cheese or sausage.
My father is a fantastic taster and he taught me to love it too.
MEINL LIFESTYLE: Are you passing on this love?
SKRBENSKY-MEINL: Yes, I take my 10 year old daughter along to tastings.
She’s given a white coat to put on and tastes cocoa.
MEINL LIFESTYLE: What makes coffee so fascinating for you?
SKRBENSKY-MEINL: Coffee is a passion, an attitude to life! And coffee itself is
a living product. The countries where it is produced are beautiful, and coffee is
such a big part of life there because the whole economy is based on it. And the
local people are very interesting.
MEINL LIFESTYLE: How much coffee do you drink per day?
SKRBENSKY-MEINL: Actually not that much. One to two cups. Don’t forget that I taste 20 cups per day!
MEINL LIFESTYLE: Your favourite blend?
SKRBENSKY-MEINL: Our “special espresso” with the highest quality varieties from
Central and South America. The exact mixture is a big secret.
MEINL LIFESTYLE: And when you are on the road, which type of coffee do
you drink?
SKRBENSKY-MEINL: I actually don’t like drinking other types of coffee.
Usually I take my own or drink tea. But the greatest pleasure when I’m away
on business is being served good Meinl coffee.
MEINL LIFESTYLE: Can you really taste the difference?
SKRBENSKY-MEINL: Yes, of course, because it’s simply better!
Jeannette Skrbensky-Meinl tastes around
20 cups of coffee a day. The other one or
two she drinks are purely for personal
enjoyment.
kers. Nowadays, rejecting a cup of coffee
with the vague objection that “it doesn’t
taste right” is still pretty rare, but things
could be about to change. Today’s wine
drinkers have no qualms about speaking their minds, but the usual response of the disappointed coffee drinker
after a nasty experience – never coming
back again – is not such a welcome one
either.
Barista training. “This is the idea
behind our courses, which aim to help
proprietors prepare good coffee,” says
Austria’s leading barista and SCAE*certified barista trainer, Johanna Wech-
selberger. “Based on their personal perceptions, customers may come to the
conclusion that they don’t like the taste,
but that may have nothing to do with
the quality of the coffee, but more with
poor preparation by the staff, who have
not been properly trained as baristi.”
The lesson is clear: if you want to offer your customers the perfect espresso
in all its different forms, be it a small or
large coffee with milk, melange, cappuccino, café latte, latte macchiato or
Viennese iced coffee, you need welltrained professionals at the coffee machine. “Just like a barkeeper, who doesn’t use a measuring jug for every drink
he serves, a barista needs a good eye
and should be able to carry out the
different steps for making various types
of coffee automatically,” Wechselberger
explains.
For a coffee pro, the movements involved in grinding, tamping (compressing the ground coffee in the filter with
a kind of stamp) and foaming milk
should become second nature straight
away. “The modern technology used in
espresso machines is a big help, so the
café owner needn’t stand around with a
stopwatch like freaks like us!
The important point is learning just
once how to do things properly.”
* SCAE = Speciality Coffee Association of Europe
COFFEE BRIEFING – WHAT DETERMINES THE QUALITY OF COFFEE?
The beans are sorted and roasted in
the Meinl factory, then specially vacuum
packed to protect the aroma against
harmful light or humidity.
1 _ The different growing regions, their climate and the various harvesting
methods produce the vast array of tastes exhibited by different types of coffee.
2 _ Only careful sorting, storage and dry transport ensures that good quality
is delivered for roasting.
3 _ The roaster looks for the suitable varieties for his blend by conducting test roasts,
and has to be able to balance taste differences resulting from harvesting methods.
4 _ He also has to find the right roast for each type of coffee – the duration and
temperature at which every coffee generates the best taste and aromas, without
being burned or remaining too light or sour.
5 _ When the coffee has been vacuum packed, the customer has a high quality,
although not yet finished product.
6 _ With the help of professional espresso machines, the café or restaurant owner
can extract the “black gold“ from the coffee beans. However, with only one false
move, the result will be black water.
7 _ The correct choice of machine and the right kind of coffee are the first important
decisions to be taken.
8 _ The use of the machine is extremely important! The fineness of the grinding,
the time needed for the water to run through, the amount of water and the
temperature have to be checked daily to make sure that the coffee always tastes
just as good and the customer remains satisfied.
9 _ In order to avoid expensive and often unnecessary call-out charges, the proprietor
and his staff should know how the machines work so they can spot and deal
with faults themselves.
10_The staff must prepare the different types of coffee identically and above all
CORRECTLY. Only in this way will we proudly be able to talk about a single
Austrian coffee culture once again.
BARISTA* – THE COFFEE GOURMET
Coffee expert Johanna
Wechselberger knows all of
the tips and tricks of coffee
preparation.
* Barista: a coffee expert or coffee sommelier
The art of preparing the perfect espresso is often underestimated and until now has
been the domain of that rather obscure professional, the barista. They love their coffee,
their shining chrome machines and their guests. In the past two years the independent
SCAE Barista Championships have done a lot for the public image of this particular
occupation, as well as promoting espresso drinks as a gourmet experience.
A BARISTA is an espresso machine specialist who prepares and serves coffee for
the customer, and is familiar with every aspect, from varieties and roasts, to use and
maintenance of the espresso machine, and foaming the milk. Each year, the various
national champions (in four different and unrelated disciplines) go head to head for the
world championships.
Julius Meinl has a team of specialists for all activities from purchasing to roasting
and sales, and also offers coffee and barista training courses for café owners and
restaurateurs and their staff. This service is also open to those who are not Meinl
customers.
You can find further details on page 16.
Celebrity
breakfast
VALERIE
is one of Austria’s biggest
music talents and recently received the prestigious
Amadeus Award for Best
Newcomer for her project
“Saint Privat”. Now she
is storming the charts
with her solo album,
“Picknick”.
being onstage anymore. It’s about the
interaction with the audience, and seeing their faces and reactions.
You also have lived and played in
France, so why did you decide to
launch your music career from Austria?
Austria is home and that’s a stroke
of luck for me because there are a lot
of fantastic musicians here. Austria is a
musical country, you can feel that.
Is your decision to sing in German
also connected to that?
German is a beautiful language.
I had a few inhibitions at the beginning about being able to express
myself the way I wanted, without that
simple, attractive sound that the
French language has. But once you
get over your prejudices, you realise
how beautiful German can be in songs,
and how gentle the language can
sound. Coming to that conclusion
was a really exciting process.
Until now, you have always performed as a band or a project, but now you
are giving your first solo performance.
Maybe rock music, or a musical?
There’s definitely still a lot. But I
doubt that I’ll become a punk rocker
any time soon! I could imagine myself
taking on a role, though, maybe in a
musical or a film, perhaps something a
bit more dramatic.
As a child you spent several years in
Russia, because your father worked there as a diplomat and your mother as a
journalist. What are your strongest memories of that time?
The colour grey, concrete high rises, anonymous calls. As a foreigner
you were kept under surveillance and
from time to time there were control
calls. But I also remember the sincerity
and generosity of the Russians.
You also spent a lot of time in France and the USA. Did you miss Austrian
coffee being so far away from home?
Oh yes, the coffee and the coffee
house tradition.
What do you associate with
drinking coffee?
I really enjoy drinking coffee. So-
“Drinking coffee helps me
when the ideas dry up
during song writing. It
helps me relax.”
metimes coffee is the motivation for
me to get up and sometimes just a way
of passing the time when I’m at a loose
end, like when I’m writing songs together with my musicians. Then someone
says “Let’s have a coffee” and the situation becomes more relaxed straight
away. I always associate coffee with visits to my grandmother as well. She always offered me the choice between a
mug and cup – I always went for the
mug because it was bigger!
How important is it for you to enjoy
drinking coffee?
I think the art of preparation is important, it has to be done with love.
There’s nothing worse than drinking
bad coffee which upsets your stomach.
Coffee is a high-quality product and
that quality has to be preserved. Coffee
drinking is also connected with time.
VALERIE SAJDIK was a member
of the Austrian girl band “c-bra”.
Their most famous single: “Make
up your mind”. After the breakup of the band Valerie teamed up
with the Viennese electronic artist Klaus Waldeck on the “Saint
Privat” project for which she
received the Amadeus Award for
Best Newcomer. In 2006, Valerie
started her solo career. Her album “Picknick” came out in May,
and her latest single “Regen”
was released at the start of
November.
www.valeriesajdik.com
BY ANNA-NINA KARE
Music for pleasure
In a Meinl Lifestyle
interview she talks about
the start of her career as
a musician, why she
sings in German and
why coffee drinking
needs time.
MEINL LIFESTYLE: Valerie, you started
out as a singer at a really young age
and had your first recording contract at
14. Coincidence or strategy?
VALERIE: Absolute coincidence. I had
a small singing role during a school
performance. There was a producer
sitting in the audience and he asked
me if I would like to record a demo,
which actually ended up as a few
dance singles.
Despite this early chance at a singing
career you studied law. Did you have
some doubts about whether music could
really be your career?
My heart was pretty much set on it,
but I decided to take my time. I just
never wanted to work aggressively towards a career in music. Mind you, I
took every chance I got to make music,
and when I was in Paris during my
studies I was always hanging out with
different musicians. Then about five
years ago I finally decided to take the
plunge.
Your latest CD features some of your
own songs and lyrics. Will there be even
more Valerie in your songs in future?
For me, song writing is a real
process and a craft which you have to
learn. I’m right at the beginning, but
that’s nice too, because I still have the
chance to develop on that front.
I would never see myself as a pure
performer. My lyrics are stories which
emerge from my observations and
feelings.
You’re also giving more and more
live performances. What do you like
about that?
Singing live gives me a lot of pleasure, and now I can’t imagine not
VALERIE SAJDIK
How does that feel?
I stand there totally alone and
take all responsibility. But that’s exactly
what I wanted to do. This was a necessary step for me, a process of development which hasn’t been completed
yet.
On the subject of the future: Is there
anything you would still like to try?
Celebrity
breakfast
VALERIE
is one of Austria’s biggest
music talents and recently received the prestigious
Amadeus Award for Best
Newcomer for her project
“Saint Privat”. Now she
is storming the charts
with her solo album,
“Picknick”.
being onstage anymore. It’s about the
interaction with the audience, and seeing their faces and reactions.
You also have lived and played in
France, so why did you decide to
launch your music career from Austria?
Austria is home and that’s a stroke
of luck for me because there are a lot
of fantastic musicians here. Austria is a
musical country, you can feel that.
Is your decision to sing in German
also connected to that?
German is a beautiful language.
I had a few inhibitions at the beginning about being able to express
myself the way I wanted, without that
simple, attractive sound that the
French language has. But once you
get over your prejudices, you realise
how beautiful German can be in songs,
and how gentle the language can
sound. Coming to that conclusion
was a really exciting process.
Until now, you have always performed as a band or a project, but now you
are giving your first solo performance.
Maybe rock music, or a musical?
There’s definitely still a lot. But I
doubt that I’ll become a punk rocker
any time soon! I could imagine myself
taking on a role, though, maybe in a
musical or a film, perhaps something a
bit more dramatic.
As a child you spent several years in
Russia, because your father worked there as a diplomat and your mother as a
journalist. What are your strongest memories of that time?
The colour grey, concrete high rises, anonymous calls. As a foreigner
you were kept under surveillance and
from time to time there were control
calls. But I also remember the sincerity
and generosity of the Russians.
You also spent a lot of time in France and the USA. Did you miss Austrian
coffee being so far away from home?
Oh yes, the coffee and the coffee
house tradition.
What do you associate with
drinking coffee?
I really enjoy drinking coffee. So-
“Drinking coffee helps me
when the ideas dry up
during song writing. It
helps me relax.”
metimes coffee is the motivation for
me to get up and sometimes just a way
of passing the time when I’m at a loose
end, like when I’m writing songs together with my musicians. Then someone
says “Let’s have a coffee” and the situation becomes more relaxed straight
away. I always associate coffee with visits to my grandmother as well. She always offered me the choice between a
mug and cup – I always went for the
mug because it was bigger!
How important is it for you to enjoy
drinking coffee?
I think the art of preparation is important, it has to be done with love.
There’s nothing worse than drinking
bad coffee which upsets your stomach.
Coffee is a high-quality product and
that quality has to be preserved. Coffee
drinking is also connected with time.
VALERIE SAJDIK was a member
of the Austrian girl band “c-bra”.
Their most famous single: “Make
up your mind”. After the breakup of the band Valerie teamed up
with the Viennese electronic artist Klaus Waldeck on the “Saint
Privat” project for which she
received the Amadeus Award for
Best Newcomer. In 2006, Valerie
started her solo career. Her album “Picknick” came out in May,
and her latest single “Regen”
was released at the start of
November.
www.valeriesajdik.com
BY ANNA-NINA KARE
Music for pleasure
In a Meinl Lifestyle
interview she talks about
the start of her career as
a musician, why she
sings in German and
why coffee drinking
needs time.
MEINL LIFESTYLE: Valerie, you started
out as a singer at a really young age
and had your first recording contract at
14. Coincidence or strategy?
VALERIE: Absolute coincidence. I had
a small singing role during a school
performance. There was a producer
sitting in the audience and he asked
me if I would like to record a demo,
which actually ended up as a few
dance singles.
Despite this early chance at a singing
career you studied law. Did you have
some doubts about whether music could
really be your career?
My heart was pretty much set on it,
but I decided to take my time. I just
never wanted to work aggressively towards a career in music. Mind you, I
took every chance I got to make music,
and when I was in Paris during my
studies I was always hanging out with
different musicians. Then about five
years ago I finally decided to take the
plunge.
Your latest CD features some of your
own songs and lyrics. Will there be even
more Valerie in your songs in future?
For me, song writing is a real
process and a craft which you have to
learn. I’m right at the beginning, but
that’s nice too, because I still have the
chance to develop on that front.
I would never see myself as a pure
performer. My lyrics are stories which
emerge from my observations and
feelings.
You’re also giving more and more
live performances. What do you like
about that?
Singing live gives me a lot of pleasure, and now I can’t imagine not
VALERIE SAJDIK
How does that feel?
I stand there totally alone and
take all responsibility. But that’s exactly
what I wanted to do. This was a necessary step for me, a process of development which hasn’t been completed
yet.
On the subject of the future: Is there
anything you would still like to try?
Gastro trend
The quality trend
Our guests always want
the best. They want to
Äbe pampered. And most
importantly, nobody can
fool them anymore. Our
guests are increasingly
becoming experts in
enjoyment and quality.
Proper tasting can be learned in
special sensory courses.
Quality is “in” again. It is becoming
more and more important for consumers to be able to separate the proverbial
wheat from the chaff.
As Klaus Wübbenhorst, economist
and head of market research institute
GfK puts it, “Consumerism is still
strong, but brand loyalty is also becoming a more and more influential factor.” To put it another way: three out of
four Austrians now base their purchasing decisions on product quality. Price
is playing a less important role – quality
can now be seen as a trademark.
Not only technical equipment, cars
or shoes are now expected to meet these high expectations; top quality should
now be a feature of consumer goods as
well. And since more and more of us
want to test quality ourselves, the trend
towards developing expertise is booming. Be it wine, whisky, cheese or coffee, plenty of courses now exist which
give ordinary consumers the chance to
become half-decent experts (see box
left).
Gastro trend
WHERE TO BECOME
A SPECIALIST
COFFEE SPECIALIST COURSE
The Julius Meinl Coffee Academy can
turn anyone into a real pro. A range of
seminars on coffee-related subjects are
offered, with Meinl’s own experts providing information on coffee cultivation
and processing, the proper preparation,
and coffee machines and grinders. Viennese and international preparation methods are also featured. A real favourite:
coffee tastings. For more information
and course registration, go to:
www.meinlkaffee.at/service
Starting in 2008, Julius Meinl Coffee
Academy’s interesting new course programme will be offering a few surprises
to participants in the various seminars
and training modules. Make sure to
register early via our homepage to receive
information on upcoming courses.
COURSES
From A (Anfängerkurs Diplom-Barkeeper
= Beginners course, certified barkeeper)
to Z (Zigarren-Spezialist = cigar specialist)
A glance at the latest course book of the
Wirtschaftsförderungsinstituts WIFI (Institute for Business Development) confirms that gastronomy specialisation is a
growing trend: certified barkeeper, coffee
specialist, barista, wine consultant, certified sommelier, certified cheese sommelier, cigar specialist and many more are
all part of the course programme there.
For more details, see www.wifi.at,
www.sommelier.at
Johanna Wechselberger, co-founder
of the Vienna School of Coffee shares
that opinion: “Vienna has a very well
developed coffee house culture, but not
everyone knows what is required to
make a really perfect coffee”, says the
quality fanatic who missed out on last
year’s “National Coffee in Good Spirits
Championship” by just a single point.
This could soon become a problem,
as increasing numbers of coffee drinkers are not only buying the best machines on the market for use at home,
but also seeking private training at the
same schools. “People who are used to
quality at home will also demand the
same in a café,” explains Wechselberger, who herself has taken the step up
from enthusiastic amateur to expert.
She remembers the early stages of that
development: “I bought this huge professional espresso machine and I could
only install it outside in our winter garden. The first thing I did was to take it
to pieces and then reassemble it so that
it was attached to the garden hose.”
The few remaining coffee roasters
are also looking to take advantage of
the consumer trend towards high quality coffee. “Once you’ve learned to appreciate freshly roasted coffee, it’s pretty hard to kick the habit”, says Christian
Schrödl from the roasting company Alt
Wien.
The trend towards quality in the catering industry is still massively underestimated, is star cook Johann Lafer’s diagnosis. To skimp on the quality of the
ingredients and to sell mineral water for
¤ 1.80 is the wrong approach, is Lafer’s
forthright comment.
These new levels of quality awareness are most obvious in the case of wine. Sommelier courses have taken off,
giving more and more people an insight
into the mysterious world of the fruit of
the vine. The training on offer appeals
to every taste and budget, ranging from
a one-evening crash course to a one-year wine academy course. Austria seems
to be good terrain for producing sommeliers as well, as the case of Aldo
Sohm from Tyrol illustrates. This year
he was crowned the top sommelier in
the USA only two and a half years after
making the move across the Atlantic.
He is also a four-time winner of the
award for Austria’s best sommelier.
Even water has its own professionals now. Mineral water sommelier Arno Steguweit has made a name for himself in Berlin and caused something of a
stir with his reviews.
The water expert of the Hotel Regent in Berlin also knows a thing or two
about the tastes of the stars – Madonna
prefers a drop from the Norwegian wilderness, Mariah Carey goes for water
from the South Pacific, and actress Catherine Zeta-Jones’s favourites come
from her Welsh homeland. This fascination with differences in quality is what
makes Steguweit a true purist – a slice
of lemon or ice cubes are an absolute
no-no. In other words, a real quality
fan…
70637
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Tel.
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Fax 07722/66918
www.dopplerschirme.com
International
showcase
Tradition and modernism –
the art of confectionery in Budapest
Café Gerbeaud in Budapest is famous for its sweet delicacies
and its exquisite coffee. BY ELIAS KORNFELD
Café Gerbeaud shines with the
splendour of bygone ages.
A meeting point for artists, intellectuals
and lovers of its unique sweets.
IN THE HEART OF BUDAPEST
“Gerbeaud”. The name alone melts
on the tongues of visitors to this the
most famous café in the very heart of
Budapest. Not to mention the sweet, fine
delicacies of Hungarian confectionery
that accompany the espressos or cappuccinos.
With its unique Gründerzeit (Literally: the Founding Epoch) ambience, including a Louis XIV-style rococo ceiling,
Gerbeaud is a meeting point for artists,
intellectuals and journalists, and has lost
none of its original flair. The name of
Emil Gerbeaud is also still revered and
admired. The Swiss-born Gerbeaud took
over the café in 1890 and enchanted
guests with Parisian cremes, and countless cakes and sweets, and within a few
years had become synonymous with
quality and the art of baking. His creative business acumen also brought him
recognition and an invitation to sit on
the jury at the World Exhibition in 1898
and 1900 in Brussels and Paris respectively. As in those days, Café Gerbeaud today blends tradition and modernity, so
why not enjoy a fine cup of Julius Meinl
coffee there on your next trip to Budapest.
www.gerbeaud.hu
Viennese melange and croissant
in the centre of Hamburg
The Julius Meinl Café brings Vienna’s world famous café culture
to the far north. BY FELICITAS HERBERSTEIN
EUROPA PASSAGE
HAMBURG – the
shopping arcade with
its exclusive location
directly on the Binnenalster between the
Jungfernstieg and
Mönckebergstrasse.
FROM VIENNA TO HAMBURG
Central Europe’s cultural jewel and
the prosperous Hanseatic city between
the Elbe and the Alster rivers lie 940 kilometres apart. Just as Vienna is labelled
an “East-West axis”, for many people,
Hamburg with its impressive port is a
“gateway to the world”. But what connects the diverse, cosmopolitan city of
Hamburg with traditional Vienna? An
especially delightful location where
Vienna’s café culture is presented in a
more modern style: The Julius Meinl
Café in the chic Alster district.
NOT JUST A CAFÉ – MORE AN ORIGINAL
VIENNESE COFFEE HOUSE
This one-time centre of work and life
for famous writers and regular haunt of
well known artists, politicians and scientists, the Viennese coffee house is as important a part of cultural life today as it
was in the past – and not just in Vienna.
Sometimes cosy and plush, sometimes
stylishly reserved, each has its own
charming features.
Ope ning a t th e r.e nd
of No vembe
JULIUS MEINL: A NEW TWIST ON
VIENNESE CHARM
The Julius Meinl Café in Hamburg is a
skilful blend of Viennese tradition and metropolitan modernism. Star designer Matteo Thun gave the café an international
flair with its deep red tones and polished
oak, tempting the residents of Hamburg to
take time out from their hectic everyday
Lives and enjoy a Viennese melange with a
jam-filled croissant, mocha with whipped
cream accompanied by a “hand-pulled”
apple strudel, or Sachertorte washed down
with a “kleiner brauner” coffee.
Rich red tones and
burnished oak – the
perfect setting to take a
break and enjoy a coffee.
Tips & tricks
The path to perfection
A coffee is more than simply a coffee – a lot goes into making it as pleasurable an
experience as possible for the customer. A new book from Julius Meinl, “Tips & Tricks”,
offers some advice for perfect coffee enjoyment.

With its special form, the
new Meinl-design tamper
guarantees perfect coffee
pressing (15-20 kg of pressure
is ideal).
Pick up a copy of
this high-quality publication for you and your
staff by ordering from
our homepage at
www.meinlkaffee.at
and we will do the rest
– one of our coffee
experts will deliver it
personally.
WRONG
RIGHT
The coffee must be pressed evenly.

The perfect espresso needs a perfect crema. The crema is a good indication of how well the coffee has been prepared.
WRONG: The cream is light in colour and dissolves quickly, the coffee has a very light taste.
POSSIBLE PROBLEMS: extraction time too short ,
temperature and / or pump pressure too low.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: Grind more finely, press
more strongly, put more coffee into the filter, use
fresh coffee, check the temperature and pump
pressure.
WRONG: The crema is dark with bubbles and
white droplets, the coffee tastes bitter.
POSSIBLE PROBLEMS: extraction time too long ,
temperature and / or pump pressure too high.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: Grind more coarsely,
press more lightly, put less coffee into the filter,
check the temperature and pump pressure.
RIGHT: Golden brown, even,
thick crema without bubbles.
ct
Th e persfseo!
espre
COFFEE VARIETIES – THE SUBTLE DIFFERENCE
KLEINER/GROSSER BRAUNER
A single or double espresso with the
cream served separately (the guests add
the cream to the coffee themselves).
VERLÄNGERTER –
black/ white
An espresso with additional hot water;
for white, served with milk.
TIP: Never prepare a simple espresso with
twice the amount of water – after 30 seconds, only bitter and harmful substances
are extracted from the coffee, giving it an
unpleasant taste!
MELANGE
An espresso with milk and
a little foamed milk.
(= small latte)
CAPPUCCINO
The Italian recipe: 1/3 espresso,
1/3 creamy milk, 1/3 fine milk foam,
topped with a sprinkling of cocoa.
LATTE MACCHIATO
Put 2/3 foamed milk into a glass,
wait until the foam settles and carefully
add a single espresso from a small jug.
This creates 3 layers.
(„Macchiato“ = speckled)
The perfect espresso!
Register at www.meinlkaffee.at
Showcases
Austria’s ultimate coffee enjoyment
Coffee chez Mozart
The charming Café Classic forms part of “Wolferl’s”
Salzburg home. The best in coffee tradition, served
up by Markus Götzenauer.
Markus Götzenauer, who runs the Café Classic in Salzburg, expresses his idea
of quality in simple terms: “Just coffee
and cake isn’t enough”. A carpenter by
trade, he trained part-time to become a
chef and is an enthusiast in every sense
of the word. His café in Mozart’s house,

A lounge? A bar? A restaurant? Limes on the Hoher Markt in Vienna is
not easily labelled. During the day, it’s a
cool location for a business lunch; in
the evening, a lively chic restaurant
with the finest cuisine and a bar for
parties as well.
One thing never changes, though: the
quality of its cuisine. Limes operator
Franz Haslauer (previously at Cantinetta
Antinori and Novelli) ) offers Austrian cuisine with Mediterranean influences
and always uses the freshest ingredients. For those who prefer something
a bit heartier, the menu also includes a
selection of excellent burgers.
which also houses a museum drawing in
over 100,000 visitors a year, enjoys great
popularity and has built up a large base
of regular customers over the last seven
years.
This is mainly thanks to the choice
Austrian and Italian coffee specialities on
Limes – the chameleon
Singles hotel AVIVA –
Markus Götzenauer, manager of Café
Classic in Salzburg and a big fan of quality
products like Meinl coffee.
offer, not to mention the six different
breakfasts, two daily set lunches and
range of snacks.
“I’m a real quality fanatic about what
goes onto the guests’ plates, or into their
cups,” says Götzenauer of his philosophy.
The applies especially to the coffee,
hence his decision to serve only Meinl’s
“Espresso Spezial” and “Del Moro
Espresso”.
But even the finest products have to
handled carefully, and to guarantee top
quality for the customer, all nine members of staff have completed a barista
course. Markus Götzenauer and his sales
manager Jürgen Bauer have a close personal relationship: “We know that we
can rely on each other 100%,” says
Götzenauer of the partnership with his
longstanding coffee consultant.
looking for that
one true love

Ready for a holiday, but all alone – it’s enough to put a
damper on anyone’s holiday planning. Travelling alone, with
no one to talk to, isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But help is now
at hand for lonely hearts looking to hit the road – in St Stefan am Walde in Upper Austria, the site of Europe’s first hotel for single travellers, which opened this autumn.
Franz Engleder and Werner Pürmayer, the managers of
AVIVA Single Resort & Spa see a huge potential in the single
travellers market: “According to our research, single travellers are interested in relaxation and the great outdoors, and
they definitely have the income to be able to afford such a
The men behind the singles
vacation.” The four-star hotel offers a roomy wellness area,
hotel: Franz Engleder and
Werner Pürmayer.
wonderful cuisine, a disco and tasty Meinl coffee.
So, take a break, get to know new people – and maybe
even your ideal partner. Someone might even ask: “How about coming back to my
place for a coffee?” Just let the waiter take care of that bit.
www.cafeclassic.at
of the restaurant scene
www.singleresort.at
The décor at Limes could be described
as lounge style. Leather furniture,
veneer counters, transparent curtains
and more than a touch of green. And if
you’re thinking of lime green, think
again: history is much more influential
than fruit in this respect. Says Haslauer: “In Roman times in Vindobona, the
city limits were at the Hoher Markt, so
we decided on a historical reference in
the name for the new café restaurant –
from the Latin for “limit”, “limes”.
www.restaurant-limes.at
Cool but comfy: the décor at
Limes mixes dark wood and
bright green.
Recipes
JOACHIM GRADWOHL, Cook of the Year
Crème brûlée on
fig carpaccio (serves 6 to 8)
Iced Coffee
Chocolate Tart (serves 6)
Ingredients
600 g milk
75 g cream
125 g sugar
250 g egg yolks
3 sheets of gelatine
4 g instant coffee
8 ripe figs
Ingredients
150 g marzipan
50 g coffee-flavoured chocolate
2 eggs
40 g sugar
250 g cream
1 tsp instant coffee
Preparation: Bring the cream, sugar and instant coffee to the
boil and add the softened gelatine. Beat the milk and egg yolks
and add the cream mixture. Put into a rimmed baking tin and
bake in convection oven at 90°C for 90 minutes. Peel figs, place
between two sheets of cling film and squash until thin, put
into the freezer for a few minutes and then remove the cling
film. To serve, place the figs on a plate and marinate with a
little lemon and sugar (Grand Marnier).
Preparation: Beat the eggs with the sugar and instant coffee in a
bain-marie, remove, and beat until cool. Roll out the marzipan
thinly and put into a cake tin. Brush with chocolate. Whip the
cream. Add the remaining chocolate to the egg mixture, fold in
the cream and empty into the cake tin. Place in the freezer for
four hours.
TIP: Make sure the brûlée has cooled completely, cut into pieces,
then remove carefully from the baking tin with a palette knife
and place on top of the figs. Sprinkle with cane sugar and
caramelise.
MEINL COFFEE TIP
MEINL COFFEE TIP
Latte Macchiatto
Espresso
2/3 foamed milk, add a single espresso from a small jug,
3 layers, served in a latte glass.
7-8g coffee, 20-30 seconds cycle time, 30 ml water, served
with a golden crema in an espresso cup.
2007, presents the best coffee desserts.
Coffee mousse on
vanilla foam (serves 6)
Ingredients
125 g white chocolate
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 sheet gelatine
2 dessert spoons
strong coffee
300 g cream
100 g coffee beans
Mocca soufflé with
kumquat ragout (serves 6 to 8)
VANILLA FOAM
250 g milk
90 g cream
50 g sugar
3 egg yolks
1 vanilla pod
Preparation: : Bring cream and coffee beans to boil and leave to
cool in the refrigerator. Dissolve the chocolate in water. Beat the
egg and egg yolk in a bain-marie, then remove and beat until
cool. Fold into the chocolate. Strain off and whip the cream.
Dissolve the softened gelatine in the coffee and fold into the
chocolate mix, fold in the cream and leave to cool for about two
hours.
Vanilleschaum: Boil the milk and cream with the vanilla pod. Mix
the egg yolk with sugar and blend into the milk until it thickens.
TIP: Warm the vanilla foam before serving, blend and put into a
soup bowl. Shape the mousse into small dumpling-like forms
and place on the vanilla foam. Garnish with caramel.
MEINL COFFEE TIP
Maria Theresia
Ingredients
200 g curd cheese
80 g sugar
20 g instant coffee
5 eggs
30 g white, ground
almonds, orange
rind (untreated)
KUMQUAT RAGOUT
300 g kumquat*
100 g sugar
250 g orange juice
125 g water
*kumquat = a small citrus fruit
that can be eaten with the
skin.
Preparation: Blend the curd cheese with the instant coffee, yolk
and orange rind until smooth. Beat the egg whites with the
sugar until stiff and fold carefully into the curd cheese mixture
with the almonds. Empty into buttered soufflé forms and bake
in a preheated oven at 185°C for approximately 27 minutes.
Kumquatragout: Quarter the kumquats and bring to the boil
quickly in water (to remove the bitter taste), strain and boil with
the other ingredients.
THE MASTERS OF MEINL
GOURMET CUISINE
Joachim Gradwohl (left) was named
Cook of the Year 2007 by Gault
Millau, one of many awards for the
chef at the Meinl Restaurant am
Graben in Vienna. Josef Haslinger
(right) is the house chef patissier.
He uses only the best ingredients
for his sweet creations, like Belgian
violet chocolate, Piedmont hazelnuts
and Bourbon vanilla.
A small espresso with orange liqueur, brandy, sugar and
whipped cream topping. Served in a melange cup.
Tea collection
A nice cup of Meinl tea, perhaps?
The Julius Meinl tea
range includes
various black teas
from Assam, Ceylon
and Darjeeling, and
a wide variety of
fruit and herbal
teas. For big tea
drinkers, Meinl Tea
Big Bags are now
available – one bag
for a whole pot!
The days are drawing
in, the nights are
getting longer – and
colder. Which means
more time for a nice
hot cup of tea. Julius
Meinl offers a wide
and attractive range
of high quality teas.
BY SEBASTIAN LEITNER
If you only associate the name Julius
Meinl with coffee, then you would be
missing half of the picture – we have a
long tradition in tea as well, and it has
been an important part of our product
range since the company was founded in
1862. Our Assam, Darjeeling and Ceylon
varieties are imported from the world’s
best plantations.
New design, new varieties. We have
plenty to offer tea lovers: black teas from
Assam Special to Earl Grey, green teas,
herbal teas, fruit teas from mixed fruit to
rosehip hibiscus, each in individually
wrapped tea bags, and now in a newly designed pack. We also have two tasty new
flavours, Apple Cassis and Mixed Herbs,
and for those who just can’t get enough
of their favourite tea, why not try the “Tea
Big Bags” option – two black tea and four
fruit tea varieties in four gram bags. Ideal
for a pot or a jumbo-sized mug!
Rising tea consumption. Tea is not
just a relaxing wellness drink, but also
an important source of revenue for the
catering sector. Tea consumption in
Austria has been on the rise for many
years now. So in addition to the extended
product range, Julius Meinl is also offering customers a new, high-quality tea
selection which should make a good cup
of tea even more attractive.
Serving tea correctly. For that perfect
tea experience, the amount and temperature of the water are vital, as well as the
infusion time. Black teas need 99°C and
three minutes, while for white or green
teas, depending on the variety, 80 to 90°C
and between 40 seconds and two minutes will give that perfect taste.
Julius Meinl salespeople have all
attended special tea seminars and are
glad to pass on their professional knowledge.
STAY HEALTHY, DRINK TEA
Tea is not just a luxury product, but also a natural form of medication. 5,000 years ago, tea was used in China only as a
healing remedy. When tea arrived in Europe in the 17th century, the leaves were sold as a miracle cure for various illnesses.
Numerous current scientific studies have also proved that tea has a positive impact on health.
Decreasing the risk of cancer. Current press reports have shown that green and black teas strengthen the immune system and
decrease cancer risk. They contain amino acids which stimulate the killer T cells, the body’s “health policemen”, which in turn can
recognise and fight cells infected with viruses. In addition to vitamins A, B, B12, C and minerals such as potassium, calcium and
fluoride, green tea contains some 130 substances, including vital flavonoids which give plants their colour and protect them from
harmful environmental factors. They also have a positive impact on several metabolic processes. Flavonoids are also said to decrease the risk of cardiovascular illnesses. White teas contain polyphenols, potent antioxidants which neutralise free radicals and
strengthen the immune system.
Julius Meinl at Life Ball 2007
L ife B7all
200
Comedian Elton
FANS OF THE MEINL COFFEE LOUNGE
The Meinl Coffee Lounge was certainly the place to be for those who needed that little caffeine shot to make sure
the fabulous night did not come to an
end too soon. This year’s celebrity coffee
lovers included ORF Director General
Alexander Wrabetz, comedians Thomas
Hermanns and Elton, and columnist Karl
Hohenlohe.
Ch ristoph
Wagner-Trenkwitz
Karl Hohenlohe
Peter L . Eppinger
Klaus Eberhartinger
Alexander Wrabetz
+ his wife
Thomas Hermanns
Nicole Burns-Hansen
Nigh thawks
The
unique taste
of Meinl.
Meinl.
So schmeckt
nur
Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann
Thankfully
there
no Hauben
caps on für
coffee
enjoyment,
Gut, dass
es are
keine
Kaffeegenuss
otherwise
we would
havewir
to change
gibt, sonst
müssten
unser schönes
Markenzeichen verändern.
our trademark.