EXPERT EYE: RESTAURANT COFFEE

After a 15-year career in coffee retail and roasting for companies on three continents, Tim Williams now works as an independent green coffee buyer, connecting farmers in Africa, South and Central America to roasting clients globally. He is also commercial director of the unlikely sounding, but very real, World Aero Press Championship

Despite the huge growth in the speciality coffee industry – sustained by a swathe of independent roasters – it remains a largely ignored ingredient even in the very best restaurants. A friend of mine once laid an accusation at the feet of an experienced and successful restaurateur, asserting that chefs prioritised their ingredients as follows: meat and fish first, followed by vegetables and dairy. Then salt. Coffee was at the bottom of the list. To date, his hypothesis stands. Because it’s only coffee, right? Perhaps, but do we think it’s also only a carrot or potato until it makes its way into the skilled, conscientious hands of a great chef? No, we realise and accept that these are agricultural products that vary in quality relative to the conditions in which they’re grown, harvested and transported. Michelinstarred chefs don’t use the pre-peeled, pre-quartered carrots available, but some serve the equivalent in coffee. Thankfully, we’re seeing change at the top. René Redzepi oversees an exceptional coffee programme, working closely with Noma’s coffee-sourcing and roasting partner, Tim Wendelboe. Closer to home, both The Clove Club and Lyle’s in London have restaurant operators who understand that the final flavours offered to guests might well be the most, not least, important of the meal. The truth is that serving a great cup of coffee at the end of an expensive meal isn’t difficult. But it is about expectation and demand. Try asking your waiter the same questions about the provenance of their coffee that you might of the chicken or fish they serve. With enough people asking, perhaps coffee could become as important as wine to the sommelier. In an industry where we’re told that quality ingredients are the cornerstones of flavour, it might just be our only avenue to redress one of its last remaining anomalies.