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Espresso Love
Making espresso is an art that takes skill and patience to master. However it is one of the few arts that anyone can do quite well with a little practice. There are 4 important components to making espresso.
- The espresso bean.
At Peace Coffee we roast our bean to a medium dark roast; which allows for the complex flavor components to shine. Any darker and some of the aromatics are lost as well as a sweetness that only good espresso can impart, lighter and you are left with a bitter and overly acidic taste in your mouth. Most companies over roast their espresso and so many people find espresso to be harsh and uninviting.
- The milk.
Whole Milk tastes the best when steamed. Hands down. It also creates the most substantial foam, essential to make a beautiful cappuccino. Use whole milk whenever possible unless somebody absolutely specifies otherwise. The brand used also makes a difference. We've noticed here in the shop that organic milk steams far better, forming the velvety mouthfeel that is so often lost in these days of fast food coffee chains but will make people remark on the quality of your coffee drink.
- The equipment.
The grinder is essential and should be checked and adjusted regularly. And of course the machine, the center of the entire set up without which you would have only fine coffee grounds dumped in cold milk. There's a certain romance to the machine, all the shiny chrome and sparkling accoutrements extending from it. Though over the top it looks, it is actually a highly practical setup that perfectly houses a copper coil bathed in hot water that cold water is forced through into your group thus creating the perfect shot. Oy. I get excited just thinking about it. That hot water bath would destroy your perfectly ground coffee by boiling out all the flavor components, however it is essential for heating the water in the tubing to the proper temperature (about 192 degrees) and for creating steam. You also need to be sure to have enough milk pitchers (at least 2), a thermometer, little stainless steel pitchers for catching the espresso in the unfortunate case where they can't be pulled directly into their cup, and of course, mugs! These should be stored on top of the espresso machine to keep them prewarmed.
- The barista!
Cheesy as it may sound, even if all the other factors are in place to make perfect espresso drinks if the barista doesn't know what they're doing it just doesn't matter, your drink will likely taste bad.
YOUR ROLE IN BLENDING TOGETHER ALL OF THE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS
For the barista the perfect drink begins at the grinder. Only the freshest beans should be used and if not being used often, only enough to last the day should be poured into the hopper. If the grind is too fine the shot will take too long, because the water will be forced through a much too compacted coffee bed, thus causing the over extracted shot to become bitter. If it is too coarse the shot will run fast, it will be watered down tasting and have an underdeveloped crema, because there was not enough surface area of coffee available for extraction. Ideally, the shot should take between 18 and 25 seconds, but you'll get a general idea of what's best with your machine, some run a little longer than others. You should only grind the amount of coffee you need for each shot into the grinder, once coffee is ground it quickly loses many of it's volatile components, including aroma. Empty out any excess that will not be immediately used.
So once you've got the grinds into the basket you'll need to tamp it. Most professional grinders have a little tamper built right into them; if yours doesn't that's fine you'll just need a little hand tamper. To properly tamp one must first level the grinds using your finger. Then you tamp it lightly to form the "pellet" some grinds will remain on the side of the basket during this first pressing, that's normal gently tap the basket to drop them onto the pellet. Now using a larger amount of pressure, tamp one more time to create a solid coffee bed.
You are now ready to take your group to the machine and pull your shot. Time it whenever you can and watch out for a thin white crema! That's bad and means your grounds have been over extracted, this usually happens at the end of a shot, so if your grind is right and your machine is programmed right you're not likely to see it.
As your espresso is pouring into the cup you'll notice a caramel colored foam. This is the much-worshipped crema, the essential in making a good cup of espresso, the ingredient that separates the good from the bad. Ah poems have been written about this most beautiful of creations, but don't stare too long! You've got 15 seconds to either get that shot out or "marry it" with the milk.
Milk should be steamed before pulling the espresso shot as it needs to settle out, and is far less volatile than the espresso. Your stainless steel pitchers should be kept in the fridge; the colder the milk the more time you get to steam which means more texture. Place the thermometer on the side of the pitcher and pour in just enough milk you will immediately use. Milk should not be resteamed after cooling down; it loses some of its sweetness and can turn sour. Take the steam wand and expel any water that may be in it by opening the valve. Turn the steamwand back off and submerge it approximately one inch under the surface of the milk. Turn the wand on and pull up very lightly, always keeping the wand under the surface. Be careful not to pull up too fast or you'll "stretch" the milk, creating really big bubbles, these are not what you want, you want textured milk. For a latte you need minimal foam so just a light upward motion is all that's needed. A cappuccino needs twice as much so a little more pull is necessary. The milk will start to make a sound like an airplane overhead at around 120 degrees; stop at around 130. The temperature will continue to rise to about 140 to 160 degrees, the ideal temperature range. If you go over this you risk scalding the milk and making it lose some of its sweetness. Wipe off the steamwand as soon as you pull it out of the milk!
Prep your espresso shot and pull it into the mug you'll be using. For a latte you'll pour mostly milk and add just a dollop of foam. For a cappuccino it's 1 part espresso, 1 part milk, 1 part foam. Empty the pellet into the tamp box and run water through the espresso machine screen for 1-2 seconds.
CLEANING
Cleaning your group, and espresso machine is one of the most important things you can do. Everyday pour a dime sized amount of purocaff into the blind basket and put in the espresso machine like you would the normal group. Using the water pitcher button, flush the system. Stop the water and empty out the head after about 30 seconds. Do this about 5 times or until the water in the basket is clear. Separate the basket from the group and put in to a small container with about 1 tsp of purocaff to 1 gallon of water. Scrub the group out with a brillo pad. The group should be silver, not carbony black. Rinse well with water and put back in the machine. Never leave the steamwand in water over night. Some of the dirty water could be sucked into the machine. Gross.
DEFINITIONS
- Crema- The caramel colored foam on the espresso.
- Group- The Portafilter which includes the handle, the basket and the spouts.
- Pellet-The espresso in the basket after having been tamped.
- Stretching- when the steamwand is pulled upwards to quickly you stretch the milk
creating larger bubbles that need more time to settle out.
- Tamping- Applying pressure onto the loose grinds in the basket to form the pellet
- Tamp box- the stainless steel container with a padded rod on the top running side to side To knock the used pellet into.
AN OVERVIEW
- Steam your milk. Never ask for preference, if not asked use whole milk. Whole milk works best. Empty the steam wand of any water, and place 1" under the surface of the milk. Pull up gently until the temperature reaches around 130 degrees. Turn off the valve and let the milk settle. Wipe down the steamwand.
- Grind your espresso while the milk is steaming, about 10 seconds will do. Dose it into the group basket and tamp down first lightly then with much more pressure.
- Put into machine and pull your shot into a prewarmed mug.
- Pour milk into the espresso. A latte gets mostly milk with a dollop of foam, a cappuccino 1/3 of each. A mocha is a latte with chocolate.
- Knock the used pellet into the tamp box and run water through the espresso machine screen for 1-2 seconds.
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