Aroma of Lovely France
  – A Perfect Cup of Coffee

By:
Ng Choon Hau (Sr1A)

Ah, France, a country rich in culture and tradition dates back to the 16^th century. When one thinks about France, its aromatic and silky coffee is something that surely comes to mind. In an effort to introduce students to French culture that’s as authentic as possible and to acknowledge the many processes behind coffee making, the French Language Club held a French Coffee Workshop on 20 July 2019 after school. Students had to sign up for this workshop in advance which came with a registration fee of RM15.

There was a group of 30 to 40 cheerful students, mostly female, arrived at B101 to explore the workshop. The French Language Club had the privilege in having invited baristas from Malaysia Barista to host the event. One could see them lugging in a giant coffee making machine and various boxes in preparation for this event.

Students made their way into the classroom and the workshop kicked off with the baristas introducing the students to the art of coffee and required procedures behind coffee making. Students were then handed a cup of coffee or hot chocolate along with some milk foam (carbonated milk which you can make at home with a microwave) and sticks. The baristas then gave a quick demonstration on latte art and etching.

After the initial briefing was done, students either moved towards the front to hear more about how the coffee machine worked or sat at tables where they continued experimenting with latte art and etching while being helped out by French Language Club members and by the baristas.

Students who went for the coffee press were shown the entire coffee making process and learnt the operations behind using the equipment. It’s not every day that one can see someone handle an industrial coffee press, therefore students really appreciated and enjoyed this moment of learning something new.

Making latte art and etching are both techniques used to make beautiful images on coffee out of milk foam; basically, the former is faster and more for consumption and the latter leans towards the slower side and is for presentation purposes. Through some quick practice, students were able to make beautiful art on coffee with just some milk foam and some sticks. Afterwards, students can pat themselves on the back by treating themselves to the coffee or hot chocolate they have just created with artistic form.

Our Deputy Principal Madam Chong Siew Fah came in towards the end of the workshop and was pleased with the upbeat and lively café like atmosphere that was oozing out into the surrounding areas. After saying a few words, she gathered everyone together and took a group photo with all the attendees, committees and baristas. The workshop ended shortly with satisfied students and happy faces.

In the end, although this workshop came at a monetary loss for the French Language Club, they expressed that what mattered more was giving back to the students; they have certainly achieved that since students had a fun experience and feeling cool from the hands-on in-service training. It was certainly something out of the regular curriculum. The baristas were very pleased with the workshop, too – one of them mentioned that what mattered most was seeing everyone happy and enjoying interacting with one another. The baristas further expressed that they surely look forward to returning and having Malaysia Barista as a partner in the school activity.