Rebecca Zentveld has been roasting the fine coffee that is grown in the hills behind Byron Bay since 1993. Her specialty coffee roasting business produces fine espresso blends and plunger roasts to suit a range of palette preferences. For the sweetly smooth Medium Dark Roast and fuller bodied Ernesto Roast and Byron Blend, for plungers, Rebecca's roasting style brings out the distinctive smooth and chocolatey characteristics without any bitterness.

Here are Rebecca's tips for serving fine plunger coffee:
  1. Buy your coffee as you would your vegetables – fresh and often! Freshly roasted beans, freshly ground for the best tasting cup.
  2. Store your coffee in an airtight container.
  3. Buy whole bean coffee rather than ground - invest in a grinder!
  4. A small electric grinder is fine - just shake up & down as you grind, for a more consistent sized grind. (Raw sugar sized grains for plunger coffee.)
  5. Use at least one rounded dessertspoon per cup - 6 spoons per 4 cup sized plunger is an enjoyable brew strength for most. (small 2 cup plunger = 2 rounded dessertspoon)
  6. If you want a weaker coffee, add extra water to your cup. Don’t reduce the amount of coffee as the brew will over extract, have less flavour and body and taste watery.
  7. Use good tasting and freshly boiled water always. Bad tasting water = bad tasting coffee.
  8. Pour water that is just off the boil - wait for the bubbles to die down before pouring. Boiled water scalds the grains, producing bitter tasting coffee.
  9. Stir for a few seconds, before replacing the plunger lid and sieve on top of the brew, to hold in the heat whilst the coffee is brewing for two minutes. This makes a more flavoursome and fuller bodied brew as the coffee grinds come into greater contact with the water, extracting more flavour, quickly.
  10. Slowly push the plunger down through the stirred coffee after the two minutes.
  11. Rinse the plunger parts well and scrub away any coffee oil residue as these stains will make the next brew bitter. Reward your acid-loving plants with the used coffee grains.

  12. Remember: Fresh Fresh Fresh - Freshly roasted, freshly ground, freshly brewed ….
    for the finest tasting and aromatic plunger coffee.