Vova Nevinchany, Fresh Black brand barista, won the national championship of Ukraine in the jezva category. Here's what he thinks about coffee.
Vova performed at the Kenya Kabingara and prepared both classical and author's jezva according to his unique, like dawn in the desert, method.
Now, as the winner, Vova will take part in the World Coffee International Championship. Already this June, he will go to Athens, where he will represent Ukraine. It's like the UEFA Cup, only instead of a ball, a stadium and beer, there's coffee.
On this occasion, we spoke with Vova and asked about his path to coffee, the strangest jezva and preparation for the international championship.
ABOUT COFFEE
What is the biggest mistake people make when making coffee in a jezva?
There are only 3 main mistakes:
How do you choose coffee for brewing in a jezva? Is it more difficult than choosing a wine for a date?
I prepare almost any coffee, but I prefer Central Africa. At the championships, it is often Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya. I like high acidity in coffee.
What do you like about jezva more than other methods of brewing coffee?
The extraction process in jezva is very interesting, it goes from cold to hot. In addition, there is a lot of variability in preparation. For example, sometimes, in order for jezva to be tastier, it needs to be brewed faster on sand. This is amazing! And it's pretty damn good too.
What's the wildest coffee you've brewed in a jezva?
Pure robusta to prove to my wife that coffee is not tasteless, it can be different - less acidic or vice versa, but always tasty.
ABOUT MYSELF
When did you become interested in coffee?
Until 2015, I was generally a financier and an Americano drinker. But I started looking for a new job and began to understand the coffee field in more detail, to be interested in what makes the taste of coffee so different, how it changes depending on the method of preparation, etc. Began to delve deeper. However, I still think that I know too little about coffee.
And how did you meet jezva?
Thanks to the mother-in-law. Somehow I noticed that she is constantly preparing jezva and realized that in principle I prepare espresso and purover relatively to the standards, but I do not understand jezva at all. It took a lot of time, but you have no idea how delicious and complicated it can be at the same time.
What's the strangest place you've made coffee in?
On the beach in a beer can cut in half.
In Athens, will you make coffee in the same way as at the championship in Ukraine, or in a different way?
In Athens, both pairs of drinks are also on the sand, and the rest is still a secret. Time is short, but you want to make a decent performance.