Haitian coffee tastings at TiGeorges’ Chicken
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George Laguerre, chef-owner of TiGeorges’ Chicken, has decided that many folks don’t know just how good his Haitian coffee is. So he’s hosting free coffee tastings on Saturday mornings. If you’re familiar with his chicken, roasted whole on the giant custom-made medieval-looking spit near the restaurant’s front window, you might have an inkling of how unique his coffee is. Laguerre imports his organic coffee direct from Haiti, actually his own backyard in Haiti, where his father used to be a coffee grower. In the back of his cozy restaurant, he pan-roasts the beans, caramelizes them with a bit of brown sugar, grinds them in a burr grinder (see above) and then tamps the coffee in the Pasquini machine you can see on the left.
A shot of espresso, thick as syrup, is topped with steamed milk that has first been ‘cured’ with key lime slices and bay leaf (that’s a piece of bay leaf on top of the foam, at right). ‘Haitian coffee is at its best with sugar,’ says Laguerre, as it brings out the subtle bay and lime flavors of the milk, and accentuates the caramel notes of the coffee. As for the unusual flavors, Laguerre says it’s a custom in the northern part of Haiti: ‘I got that from my grandmother.’ For more on Laguerre and his cooking, see Charles Perry’s story from April. Or ask him yourself, some Saturday morning over coffee.
TiGeorges’ Chicken, 309 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles. (213) 944-1515 www.coffeehaitian.com. Coffee tastings are Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon, from now until Jan. 15. Free.
-- Amy Scattergood
Photos of George Laguerre making espresso and Haitian coffee by Karin Schoen Wasler
