Chapter 300
Coffee? Muddy Water?
Chapter 300 Coffee? Muddy Water?
After Daisei brought out coffee grounds ground to the size of peppercorns, Kagawa resumed her coffee-making experiment.
The aroma of coffee filled the courtyard once again.
The rich aroma, so different from chocolate and other desserts, drew the attention of everyone in the courtyard, including the three members of the Tongue Tip Club who were practicing making bread.
"What will we make with these beans this time? A dessert or a condiment?"
Ouyang Yating and Liang Gong discussed it in a low voice.
"Maybe neither. I think it might be a beverage."
Liang Gong took two deep breaths, letting the aroma of coffee in the air spread to his forehead, which aroused his great curiosity about the practical processing of this new ingredient.
"Maybe none of the above, it's just for making bread."
Aino joked casually, but the dough in his hand was already becoming flatter and flatter because he was distracted by the aroma of coffee.
Rivi sat silently in the corner, flipping through the new documents that Kagawa had just uploaded to the Information Turbulence Processing Office.
The access permission was granted to him in advance by Captain Noah, and if he wasn't mistaken, his own captain probably had the same permission.
In the latest data submitted by Kagawa regarding cocoa and coffee beans, it is clearly stated that both contain certain addictive substances.
So he didn't quite understand why this young girl would take out this food that clearly posed certain risks to human health, process it for practical use, and intend to make it public.
Is he really that hungry for these two bites? Aren't the ingredients at the Third Fleet Market enough for him to use?
As the aroma of coffee filled the air, Rivié's doubts grew stronger.
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"So that's your reason for rolling the dough into a flatbread?"
Kagawa stared blankly at the large flatbread in front of Aino.
Aino was speechless. He couldn't very well say that the irresistible aroma of coffee in the air had distracted him, causing him to forget he was rolling out a dough ball meant for bread. By the time he realized it, the dough was completely flattened, and even if he gathered it up again, it wouldn't regain its previous fluffiness. Even a not-so-picky modern person probably wouldn't accept making bread from this, right?
"Ugh, let's just throw this thing away."
Aino was about to beckon Daxin over to deal with the dough that was flattened to the extreme.
Kagawa quickly stopped him.
"No way! This thing can still be eaten if you salvage it. It's just flat, it's not moldy or hairy."
As he spoke, he put the plate of flat dough aside.
"It's just flattened, right? With a little processing, you can make it into a sandwich cookie, and it's still edible. It's such a waste to just throw it away."
Kagawa gave him a reproachful look.
Aino's lips twitched involuntarily: You didn't say this thing could be saved.
After a brief interlude, Kagawa served three dark-colored drinks.
Contrary to its somewhat intimidating appearance, the freshly made hand-drip coffee exuded an irresistible aroma, causing the three to oscillate between "I don't want to drink this dark stuff" and "It smells so good, I really want to drink it."
"What's wrong? Aren't you going to drink it? I noticed you were distracted by the smell, so I specially made some for you."
Kagawa took a big gulp from the cup in his hand through the straw.
Seeing Kagawa calmly gulp down his coffee, the three breathed a slight sigh of relief. They figured that if Kagawa could tolerate the taste, the drink couldn't be bad.
So the three of them picked up their cups and took a big gulp.
"Waaah!"
"Goo!"
"Ugh...cough cough cough!!"
The intensely bitter taste exploded in the mouths of the three men, causing them to immediately put down their coffee cups and rush to the sink to spit out the bitter beverage.
"Oh dear, if you only have a taste, don't drink so much. It's such a waste if you spit it all out in one go."
Kagawa grumbled, but still thoughtfully handed everyone a glass of warm water.
"Cough cough cough... It's mainly because... seeing how much you enjoyed it, we thought it was only as bitter as chocolate." Ouyang Yating wiped her mouth somewhat awkwardly.
Aino's evaluation was even more scathing.
"This thing looks like it was soaked in mud and water."
Kagawa simply rolled his eyes at him.
"Alright, alright, I know you can't handle hardship, but you don't have to call one of the world's most popular drinks muddy water."
And muddy coffee... Should I tease him and play with his slender fingers? Kagawa thought to himself with a wicked sense of humor.
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After rinsing their mouths, the three of them kept their distance from the beverage, which smelled fragrant and tempting but tasted even more bitter than medicine.
At this point, Kagawa was at a loss with these modern teenagers who couldn't endure hardship, so he had no choice but to bring out his ultimate weapon—a latte.
Kagawa: If you can't even drink coffee with milk, then I really can't help you.
She had only just learned that pour-over coffee could be used to make lattes. Before, when she went to the company break room or the Starbucks downstairs, she only saw lattes made with espresso. A coffee-loving colleague at work usually only made pour-over coffee without adding anything else, so for a long time, Kagawa had the misconception that pour-over coffee couldn't be used to make lattes.
She took 100ml of coffee and 100ml of milk, found a sealed bottle, poured the heated milk into the bottle, and then shook it vigorously for 30 seconds. Finally, panting, she poured the handmade milk foam into a prepared cup, and then poured in the coffee. And just like that, a simple latte was ready.
The amount was enough for three people, which meant she had to froth the milk three times. After finishing, she even felt that her hands were more tired than when she was kneading dough.
"Come and have a taste, let's see how it tastes this time?"
She handed three freshly made lattes to Ouyang Yating and the others.
The three of them initially intended to refuse the coffee offered to them again. However, they glanced at the bottle used for making milk foam next to Kagawa and their hearts softened. Thinking of their lazy company president, who had done some manual labor for them, they sighed and decided to keep him company, even if it meant risking their lives.
They picked up the coffee cups in front of them and took a small sip of their latte with a look of grim determination.
This one bite opened the door to a whole new world for them.
The original bitterness of coffee is neutralized by the flavor of milk, becoming mellow and rich, while the presence of milk foam gives coffee a smooth texture.
This... just adding a glass of milk, can it really make such a big difference?
The three looked at each other, each seeing the astonishment on the other's face, as if they were questioning the meaning of life.
"What's wrong? Still not used to the taste?"
Seeing their silent expressions, Kagawa assumed that the latte still didn't suit their taste.
"If all else fails, add some sugar. Aino, I remember you're a sweet tooth, aren't you?"
She handed the white sugar she had prepared for making bread to Aino.
"Try adding one spoonful first. Don't add too much, otherwise the sweetness will overpower the flavor of the whole drink."
Following Kagawa's instructions, Aino hesitantly added a spoonful of coffee to his cup, then gently stirred it with the spoon beside him before taking another sip. This time, the complex flavor and texture of the drink finally hit his mark.
He kept savoring the sweet latte, and finally, under the watchful eyes of Ouyang Yating and Liang Gong, he finished the whole cup, even licking his lips with a lingering sense of satisfaction.
"Kagawa, another drink, please."
Aino's eyes lit up as he handed over the cup. Upon hearing this, Ouyang Yating quickly drank her own coffee, thinking about getting another cup.
To everyone's surprise, Kagawa, who is usually very generous, frowned this time.
“You can only have one cup a day, no more.” She shook the coffee beans in her hand. “Caffeine is addictive. And you’ve been eating chocolate these past few days. Both cocoa and coffee beans contain caffeine. Our caffeine tolerance isn’t much better than that of people in ancient times, so you still need to control your intake.”
"Of course, if you eat less chocolate, then I might consider letting you drink two cups of coffee a day. You can decide how to arrange it yourselves."
Ah, this...
Kagawa's suggestion immediately put them in a difficult position.
Can't I choose both coffee and chocolate?
Kagawa: Dameyo.