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Coffee maker gives scoop to java junkies
0424UncommonGrounds
Dr. Joseph John president of Josuma Coffee Company informs the audience at Uncommon Grounds about brewing the perfect cup of coffee during a seminar Tuesday afternoon. - photo by Phgoto by Patty Leon
“The coffee industry has failed the consumers by not educating them on what the process is and how to brew the perfect cup of coffee,” Dr. Joseph John, president of Josuma Coffee Co., told an audience Tuesday during a presentation at Uncommon Grounds.
“Because of this, the coffee people normally consume on a daily basis is 98 percent water and only 2 percent of coffee flavor.”
John gave his presentation to nearly 40 people at Uncommon Grounds, a local coffee shop and eatery in downtown Hinesville.
He talked about the origins of Indian coffee, how it’s harvested and how to extract the best flavor to make the perfect cup of joe. He also explained the difference between Arabica and robusta beans, regular coffee and a true cup of European espresso.
“Part of it was to educate people about coffee because there is so much that I think most people don’t realize and, of course, to share our love for coffee with everybody,” said Uncommon Grounds owner Jennifer Cole. “It’s like so many things, you think you know everything about a subject but like he was explaining last night there is so much that goes on even before the coffee gets to us that it’s unbelievable.”
According to John, the labor of getting the product from the bean to the cup is intensive and the pickers are able to pick up to 80 grams of beans a day. They have to be careful to only pick red, ripened beans because they don’t get paid for the green ones. Those are left on the plant to be picked later.
The beans are sorted, graded by size and exported to countries where they are roasted to develop flavor. The product can be shipped and is ready to be ground and brewed.
Cole said she thinks learning about the work it takes to get quality beans and more flavor will help her customers realize they are getting a top notch product at her eatery.
“A lot of the mentality is, ‘Folgers cost this much at the store so why does yours cost this much?’ ” she said. “Hopefully, this will help them understand that quality makes a big difference.”
Among the topics covered John explained the importance of knowing the date the coffee was packaged and the roasting date of the beans.
He said store products might have a “use by” date but by then, they’ve already been on the shelves anywhere from six to nine months. He said while coffee doesn’t necessarily expire, the quality and taste begin to deteriorate 30 days after  beans are ground.
The best flavor comes from using beans immediately after grinding. John said coffee drinkers should only grinding enough for one day.
Cole said John traveled from California to give his presentation and help the staff.
“He came in yesterday morning and we spent most of the day training and perfecting our process between customers,” Cole said. “We were tweaking what we knew to make it better.”
For example, Cole said even minor things like tamping the grounds and steaming the milk affects the taste of the final product.
“The average person will notice the difference in the taste even though they don’t know why it tastes different,” she said.

About Josuma
Josuma Coffee Co. is a privately owned family operation run by Joseph and Urmila John, a husband and wife team with connections to Indian coffee growers. John holds a doctorate in nuclear physics and an MBA. He serves as president of the company and its resident coffee expert, as well as acting as the public face of Josuma. Learn more at www.josuma.com.
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