drinkable reno tahoe
GUIDED SLURPING
Custom coffee tastings educate enthusiasts of the bean.
WRITTEN BY HEIDI BETHEL
PHOTOS BY SHEA EVANS
Magpie Coffee Roasters is bringing something new to Reno that is sure to excite the palate of any coffee aficionado. With their customized coffee tastings, owners Matt Sewell and Mark Hirose hope to stimulate a new appreciation for demitasse brew.
“Our intent is to offer coffee tastings that give the consumer an opportunity to taste and evaluate coffee the way we do when selecting what we want to offer our customers,” explains Sewell, whose father Mark is the master roaster at the Eldorado Hotel Casino (see story in this edition). “With an approach to simple coffee, Magpie Coffee Roasters strives to impart little roasting essence in our small-batch artisanal coffee, while bringing out some of the natural sugars and maintaining a fully developed taste.”
Not only will customers learn about different flavor profiles, they also will master the official coffee-smelling and-slurping techniques.
“Evaluating coffee is much different than just drinking it,” Sewell says. “By slurping the coffee, you aspirate the flavors so they hit you simultaneously, allowing the experience of different sensations at the same time. Often, when drinking coffee, you taste in order. First the sweet hits the front of your tongue, which basically mutes the other components, such as acidity and bitterness.
“Slurping gives a complete balance of flavors,” he says. “It’s sort of like wine or olive oil tasting (see story in this edition). You get the full effect.”
For details about Magpie Coffee Roasters and upcoming customized coffee tastings, visit 917 Wilson Ave., Reno, or http://www.Magpieroasters.com.
While writing this piece, Heidi Bethel enjoyed a recent tasting event at Reno Public House, where she shared a few laughs as attendees polished their coffee-slurping techniques.
