The secret to perfect coffee

It takes precisely 60 beans to make the perfect mocha, at least for Ludwig van Beethoven, according to the rumors. In fact, choosing the right coffee is a very personal matter, and everyone has his or her preferences.

Sales figures at the OMV VIVA stations tell us that the Verlängerte or Americano is the preferred coffee in Austria. In Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary the Italian espresso is the classic. A total of about 30 million cups of coffee are sold at the OMV VIVA stations per year – that’s a lot of coffee. Plenty of reason to take a closer look at the subject.

What makes a good coffee?

Each coffee has very specific criteria for quality, explains Oliver Bocher, professional Austrian barista. And he knows what he’s talking about. He has been an independent coffee consultant for years, providing training and developing new coffee blends with partners. “An Americano still has to taste good, despite the added water, because the water pulls bitter compounds from the coffee that you actually want to avoid. With espresso, on the other hand, it’s important to have a thick crema,” explains Bocher. Pulling a strong espresso with a tangy fruitiness but without the bitter aftertaste is a fine art. Preparing a coffee with milk is a real balancing act – cappuccino, for instance, requires the perfect ratio of milk to coffee: One espresso shot, two thirds foam, and one third warm milk.

The new coffee at VIVA

Developing a coffee blend that tastes equally delicious in all of these variations was the great challenge when creating the new coffee for VIVA, explains Alberto Pipan. The quality manager at the Italian coffee roaster Gimoka on Lake Como was partly responsible for the new coffee at the OMV filling stations and knows what it takes to make really good coffee: “The mixture of crema, body, and fruitiness with a finish of chocolate is the secret to the new coffee.”

The coffee blend was researched over a period of six months. There were internal blind taste tests, consultations with experienced baristas, and finally it was tested by customers. The details were just as important here as they were for Beethoven – Oliver Bocher, who also worked on developing, explains: “Sometimes you sit there and actually count the individual coffee beans. That’s how we realized that we wanted to have a blend with 80 percent Arabica.” In the end, beans from Brazil, Central America, and Asia were chosen.

Markus Erkinger, International Gastro Manager at OMV, was involved in developing the new roast as well. Finding the perfect flavor was not the only priority for OMV, but also quality and Fairtrade.

The new VIVA CAFE that is sold in Austria and Germany is 100 percent Fairtrade – that was important to us.
Markus Erkinger, International Gastro Manager at OMV

Enjoying coffee at home

In case you don’t have an OMV VIVA station nearby, barista Oliver Bocher gives us a few tips on how to make the best coffee at home.

• Freshly ground coffee is the best. If you don’t want to spend the money on an expensive fully automatic coffee machine, an affordable coffee machine is also sufficient. The most important rules here are: always grind fresh, use the coffee as quickly as possible, and store it well so that the beans are not exposed to too much oxygen, causing them to lose their aroma.
• But it’s not just about the beans – filtered fresh water is also a prerequisite for the perfect cup of coffee. If it is old, the coffee will taste stale.
• No matter which coffee maker you use, you have to take good care of it. Regular cleaning and maintenance guarantees the best flavor.