Tango taps need for caffeine hit on high

KATHERINE JIMENEZ
June 21, 2013
The Australian

HIGH-FLYERS can shower on a plane, sip the finest French champagne on a flight or even be served by a personal sommelier, but one simple pleasure that has eluded passengers has been able to have a good cup of coffee — that is up until now.

Sydney-based company Tango Aviation Coffee — founded by Bernard Cheah, a former director of aircraft charter company Adagold Aviation, and Mark Diaz — is next month preparing to introduce what will be the world’s first high-altitude coffee.

“There’s been a massive race going on (around the world) for quite some time . . . to get the first coffee that actually excels at 35,000 feet,” said Mr Diaz. Depending on a number of elements, such as the cabin pressure and taste buds expanding, he said “there’s an astonishing 29 per cent variation between the taste of coffee on the ground and in the air”.

“We’ve finally cracked it.”

Earlier this year, British Airways in partnership with British tea company Twinings developed the first high-altitude tea.

The Tango founders developed the high-altitude coffee with the help of world renowned coffee consultant who calls himself Instaurator. Mr Diaz said the breakthrough moment for them came after Instaurator realised that by reversing a particular process and combining it with one of his other clever innovations, the result would be an enhancement of flavour at altitude but no decrease at ground level.

The end result was Tango developing what it said would be “an exceptional blend of coffee”.

“There’s a 29 per cent enhancement of flavour in our coffee as opposed to what they are serving at altitude anywhere on this planet,” said Mr Diaz.

Tango is now in discussions with two major airlines.

“For now, our aim is to have Tango Aviation Coffee on-board all flights within Australia,” said Mr Diaz.

“We’re confident that once the travelling public discovers such a superior alternative exists, they’ll be turning their backs on the current offerings. We’ve worked very hard to get it right and we’re implicitly aware that Tango will forever elevate the quality and standard of airline coffee not just here but around the world.”