"coffee made from a barista, so he can have the best blend but if he dont know how to grind and dose or he or she are overheating milk, whats the point of 'best beans'?"

"For me everything start in the coffee bean. At least for my country coffee is an art. We want the best quality all the time, not every once or sometimes. For instance Bell I can have a SHB, and everything has been taking care as planned but if I do the handpicking a day after or a day before , the taste will be different. Or even when we roast the coffee, you can have a SHB or a specialty superb coffee, but if we mess up in the roasting, that's it. An entire year of harvest to the garbage indeed."

"1M: select green beans

2M: roast

3M: blend

4M: grind

5M: brewing

Nothing esprecial, but none of them can be missed."

"Quality coffee goes along with quality buyers, and quality roasters, and quality shops with (more than likely) quality management and baristas. It's almost safe to say it's in good hands. But as with anything in coffee, it can EASILY be mishandled and ruined along annnny of those steps."

"The greatness is in the bean already, I want only to present as much as possible of the bean's potential in my customer's cup. Not to understate the role of the barista - coaxing out this potential is not easy, and doing it well seems to be the exception, not the rule. I think if everybody in the chain, from the plant to the cup, shares the same philosophy, you'll have true quality."

"Making something drinkable from lousy ingredients does not strike me as "creating quality". It is a useful skill to posses, but I don't think you can create quality by artfully masking defects."

That said, I have also been asking customers in both chain coffee shops (Caffe Nero, Esquires and Coffee Revolution) and independent shops (The Voodoo Cafe, Coffee@Elliots and Gusto Italiano) what their views on coffee quality are - and the differences are quite apparent!

"erm, it doesn't taste like crap?"

"and Elliots - I like it but its not really what I'd call quality coffee. It's just put cup under, push button, there you go, there's your coffee, no skill!"

"good service - so, politness, the coffee not overdone or whatever, not taking too long to be served. All that stuff. And, yeah to be in clean stuff and everything. That's always nice. And, like, essential really."

"Freshly roasted beans (of a good quality), properly brewed."

"Low quality coffee is very acidic, it's got things other than coffee in it. I've no idea of quality comparisons cos I don't take much notice. I don't know where this stuff comes from, but I like the way it's made here."

"Tasty. A certain thickness. It kinda warms me, warms the innermost caverns of your soul. It's very beautiful. You must realise, I'm not the coffee aficionado, I'm very much the layman. Neophyte as it were. it's just shy of £2 and yeah I enjoy it, it's the coffee, it's the environment, it's happy associations."

"You've gotta say Fair Trade haven't you. I feel really guilty coming in here if it's not fair trade. Organic would be good too."

"It should have the consistency of mud. The best coffee I've ever tasted was Turkish coffee and you could practically turn it upside down without it pouring out. It's really thick and you know you're probably going to feel like a lie down afterwards. Until you're actually lying down and you can feel your heart pounding."

"A bit fluffy, but: it depends who makes it. You know it does make a difference."

"I mean the thing with like, having this kind of a market where there are a lot of big chains, they are trying to advertise having the same thing at every one of their stores – there's probably too much in who makes it to be able to say that. I mean, I don't generally like African coffees, I much prefer Latin American ones and so I'll notice the difference, and how well it's been tamped and how strong it is and things like that, so you can't really say, one shop over another."

Since I am also posting this on Barista Exchange, I'm including some customer views on other aspects of coffee-shop life that the cafe owners and baristas may find interesting....

On Latte Art:

"It's nice but it takes way longer for them to do it so I'm just 'give me a drink, I want to sit down' you know..."

"I don't think much about presentation – it's completely off the loop for me. If they put a pretty pattern on, then you're only going to stir it up anyway before you start drinking it."

"Yeah, the whole thing about foam – it belongs there but like, I only just feel like I'm messing something up. I like Ugly food, ugly drinks, you know,"

"it's much more the taste I think."

I don't particularly care what it looks like - I don't drink lattes so I don't know about latte art. I'd rather they didn't bother with the little chocolates on the side though! You can have it!"

"(Having just Googled it) I think it's pretty mint. If it's done right that is. I once went to get a coffee, and the guy who served me (who seems to think he's the coffee king...) says "I've left you something on top." So i looked at my fresh coffee, then back at him saying "You spat in my foam?!" I think it was meant to be modern art of some description, but it did look more like something from the recesses of his lungs."

"I LOVE THEM. Haha, I went to Costa in Darlo once and they did this lovely star pattern in my mates Latte which was so nice. She didn't even ask, he just did,it was niceeeee. I took a pic of it, they're so cool. But erm, yeah I like them, it makes you feel like you've spent money on something good but once the pattern goes away you feel a bit sad.

"I'm not too bothered about that."

It's good, but I don't really care if they don't."

On why they go to coffee shops:

"Mostly with coffee shops...it depends where I'm going. I go to Esquires for the coffee, I probably come here because other people wanted to come here, a lot of the time when I go to a coffee shop is determined by other people suggesting it more than my personal preference."

"As a rule I don't go to chain coffee shops for the coffee. Like in here, it's not the coffee, I guess the atmosphere, but I mainly get pulled in by other people, and it's in a convenient location."

"Decent tea, nice food, nice people. I want somewhere I can sit, and enjoy myself even if I don't know anyone there. It's always nice."

"I like the place to have a buzz about it - i hate silent coffee shops because i think they're places for talking, and you can't do that if the place is silent - it just feels oppressive."

"I tend to go to Coffee @ Elliots cos they don't pretend to be Italian and you can go in there and say “I'll have a large black coffee please and you'll get a Large Black Coffee. No bloody Frenchy americano or whatever it is."

"It's like a habit – it's the going in and sitting down, not the coffee itself. I think I'm just lazy. By the time I've walked all the way in to town, I just want to sit down somewhere. Coffee just comes with it!"

"I go out to cafés fairly regularly, for good coffee. I come in here probably once a week at least, cos the coffee is very good. I avoid Starbucks and Costa, Starbucks cos it's shit, Costa cos it's too expensive."

"I do go to coffee shops, for lunches generally, um, for Cake. Definitely Cake. I'm not sure beverages come in to it too much! I tend to go for more accessible places. Where in particular? Where my friends happen to be. Again, places located around where I live in Broomhill, or in the Union area. If I happen to be in town shopping then it might be that I'll pop in somewhere and get a piece of cake. And a drink to go with that."

And finally, on value for money:

"Total rip off."

"It's why I don't usually go to chains, cos I find they generally charge more than like, more independent ones."

"They don't pay their staff that well either, as far as I know."

"I assume you are buying the ceramic as well, so I usually take that with me!"

"The prices have gone up and the cups have got smaller!! This is now £1.95 and the cup is smaller than the ones you used to get for £1.60! It is smaller! I swear it!"

"They are just trying to sell you the brand though aren't they? The atmosphere! You are paying for coffee but you're also paying for a pleasant environment to sit in."

"I think, in here you can expect it to be reasonably expensive, just by the appearance of the place, If you like that setting then you'd pay for it, I mean for me, I just like the sofas."

"It's probably about 10p isn't it? The fact that they're giving it away... I mean, you can't buy ten cakes and get a free cake, can you? Or juice or anything, so it must be the cheapest thing.Well I've seen people in here give them away to their friends and so on so they can't be that expensive."

"You know, they say that, like, people don't like things if they are cheap, like they think they're not good. We've all had the wool pulled over on us, in that this is better than filter coffee or something."

"It's just marketing though, isn't it?"

"i think that espressos are a rip-off, but i wouldn't have it any other way. A coffee shop once tried to give me my money's worth of a espresso - a cappuccino mug filled to the top with double espresso; but it just felt wrong."

"I actually think they are [good value for money], cause they give you a variety of things and are very professional about it all - plus the service is nice and fast. It's groovy."

That will do for now - but there is plenty more. And I have another group scheduled for tomorrow. I will add my thoughts in soon when I've had a chance to digest it all. Until then, please feel free to add your comments and suggestions! All feedback very welcome!

People love to see latte art on their coffees but what happens when they also want chocolate sprinkled on top as often happens with the cappuccino? There are a couple of ways to give your dinner guests (or customers) latte art and chocolate sprinkles at the same time, here are two of my favourites:

1. Sprinkle the chocolate over the espresso shot and then pour your textured milk (as pictured)
2. Pour you textured milk through the espresso shot as for a latte and then sprinkle chocolate without covering the art (pic on the way ...)

Give it a go. When I get my camera fixed, I'll post a video.

Cappuccino prepared using a Rancilio Silvia from Jetblack Espresso.

Estimated day of opening: October 20, 2008

We are opening a high quality espresso bar were you will be able to find the best tasting and looking coffee in Cancun.

Our baristas/latte artists are being trained to make fabulous espresso drinks by Luis Acosta, store manager. Luis is a professional barista and has competed in many Latte Art competitions.  In the Atlanta 2007 Millrock Latte Art Competiton he won second prize for his beautiful latte art.  He worked in Vancouver, Canada in some of the top espresso bars,  Caffe Artigiano, Re-Entry, Blenz Coffee and Waves Coffee.

The architects are working hard daily on this brand new, attractive and inviting location.  They are days away from finishing the interior construction.

Our premium quality coffee is from the Jocutla plantation located in Coatepec, Veracruz, Mexico.  It is organic and shade grown in a beautiful high altitude, subtropical climate. Most importantly, it tastes amazing!

You can reach us by e-mail at tradicioneslatteartcafe@hotmail.com

Written by Lori Thiessen

Latte art or foam art is what happens when your skilled barista makes a picture or design out of the steamed milk that’s put in your coffee.

Here’s a vid of the art form in action.

If the artiste in you is aching to learn how it’s done, you can go to barista school. The American Barista and Coffee School (http://coffeeschool.org) will be happy to teach you everything you need to know about running a specialty coffee shop to become a premier barista. It is situated in Oregon, USA.

For Canadians who want to devote their lives to the art and artistry of coffee, the Canadian Barista & Coffee Academy (http://www.canadianbaristaacademy.com) offers workshops in the major cities across Canada. It also organizes the Canadian Barista Championships.

Q: What is the prettiest picture or design you’ve ever had in your latte?

Until Next Time,

May your coffee always be freshly brewed!

my cups

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Data una tecnica corretta, la montatura del latte avviene per la trasformazione, con il vapore caldo, dei grassi e delle proteine presenti nel latte. Questa trasformazione che avviene fino a circa 65°. Questo fatto ci porta ad alcune considerazioni.
Il latte deve essere più freddo possibile, avremo così più tempo per lavorare la crema prima che il latte raggiunga i 65°
È difficile usare il latte più volte, per la denaturazione delle proteine. in ogni caso bisogna lasciarlo raffreddare.
Non si può scaldare pochissimo latte, avremmo poche proteine e si scalderebbe troppo velocemente.

La regola base nella tecnica di montatura del latte è la posizione della punta del bollitore (o dei fori di uscita del vapore) rispetto alla superficie del  latte. Se la punta è troppo in profondità nel latte farù un rumore sordo e non riuscendo a incorporare aria non monterà il latte. Se la punta è troppo sulla superficie il rumore sarà gorgogliante e sarà causa di molte grosse bolle.
Il punto perfetto (the "sweet point") è circa mezzo centimetro sotto la superficie del latte. Siccome il latte tende a montare (deve!) potremmo avere bisogno di abbassare man mano il bricco in modo da tenere sempre il bollitore agli stessi 0,5 cm.

La posizione della punta rispetto al bricco (come se fosse visto dall'alto) dovrebbe essere leggermente spostata su un lato, in modo da permettere al latte di ruotare, spinto dal vapore, di formare un vortice.

In molte nazioni si usa spesso un termometro a sonda messo dentro il latte per vedere quando viene raggiunta la temperatura di 65°. In Italia questa abitudine non è così diffusa, anzi. Comunque si può ovviare tenendo una mano sul bollitore, quando questo comincia a scottare e diventa difficile appoggiare il palmo più o meno ci siamo (certo che se a bollire il latte è un marinaio norvegese il discorso potrebbe essere diverso…)

Finita la montatura si chiude il vapore e si toglie il bricco dal bollitore (mai il contrario) e si comincia a "lavorare" il latte.
Il latte si lavora sbattendo leggermente il bricco per eliminare le bolle (funziona solo se il latte è montato bene altrimenti potete sbattere fino al giorno dopo). Quindi si ruota il bricco con movimenti ampi amalgamando bene il latte e la schiuma, che tendono rapidamente a separarsi.
Se il latte è bene amalgamato sarà facile versare schiuma e latte insieme in un'unica deliziosa crema.

Poi si versa il latte e si entra nel mondo della latte art, ma questa è un'altra storia…

I really enjoy it!

 Photos by Claire Sternberg

latté art free pour!
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 Claire Sternberg, photographer and graphic designer at doubleshot

But to be honest, I was pretty much dismayed at the city's meager offerings, with Caribou and Starbucks fighting for every corner. And sure, the District has its share of indie coffeehouses*, but none have ever really satiated my need for a place that serves really good coffee and espresso in a laidback but stylish atmosphere. The sort of place I could duck in for a coffee-to-go; stay for hours, just me and my laptop; or chat with a friend in a comfy chair.

Well, friends, I discovered my new Holy Grail: Big Bear Cafe. We've heard good murmurings about this spot for months now but had yet to make the trek over to Bloomingdale until this past weekend. Maybe it's premature to declare a new favorite after one visit, but I feel pretty confident in my gushing.

Big Bear serves French-press coffee, as well as the tasty organic drip-grind variety. Espresso drinks feature foamy "latte art"—a totally superficial draw, of course, but also the sign of a talented barista. The place's decor is simple but well-designed, with exposed brick, dark wood furniture, big open windows, a patio with seating, and a concise menu scratched on chalkboards. I don't know much about Bloomingdale, but at least the day we went the surprisingly cute corner (@ 1st and R Streets NW) felt charming and friendly. Most impressively, I didn't even mind the fact that Big Bear doesn't offer any artificial sweeteners, in spite of me being an Equal hoarder. Though next time I might bring some with me...

Next stop: the new Peregrine Espresso in Eastern Market.

*Gratuitous Epilogue on Other D.C. Coffeehouses: I like Tryst a lot, but it's too packed and fancy for regular coffee-drinking patronage. Same goes for Busboys and Poets. I think I would have liked Sparky's on 14th Street, but it closed shortly after we moved here and I never got a chance to try it out. Other contestants I'd be remiss in excluding: I really wanted to like the for-now-shuttered 14U, but its consistency was spotty and the place was just a little too, well, weird for my taste. Jolt 'N' Bolt is fun but hardly my favorite. Murky is sort of "meh" and now only in the 'burbs (not to mention apparently the owner is quite the d'bag). Mocha Hut on U Street is pretty good, but I tend to forget about it. And brand-new Commissary is a welcome addition to the neighborhood, but they don't take their coffee nearly as seriously (not to mention the vibe feels a little too much like a cheesy hotel restaurant, in Noah's words).

Photo via Flickr

It truly is sad to see an article like that.  I wonder what the editor's selection critera and such were.

The doubleshot sundial in action, time for a...

yes... one of those! Karin's 'artisan pour'...

Doubleshot art on early winter's morning just before opening.  Tatum's "Proteas", Klaus Oppenheimer's b&w photography, and a black&white photo by Marty, of a woman going through a Sangoma ritual...very interesting as it is reminiscent of a Leigh Bowery picture, slightly blurred and taken at an angle between an old lady's leg and her walking stick...

Latte he(art)...

If you link to Origin Coffee Roasters' website, you are confronted with "THE ARTISAN ROASTERS OF AFRICA". At ORIGIN they source, roast, and blend with passion and dedication and supply us with their high quality coffee beans. They have a variety of coffee, both single origin as well as blends. We predominantly use their HOUSE ESPRESSO blend, a smooth blend of beans from six countries, including India, Guatemala, Indonesia, El Salvador, Dominican Republic and Rwanda. Soon we hope to be offering Single origin beans as a Filter Coffee alternative.

doubleshot mocha perfection, powered by Origin!

These are the questions I was hoping to answer for myself. Hopefully there are others that will find the results helpful:

1. How much "swing" is there in the boiler temperature?
2. How does the temperature swing affect espresso extractions?
3. How effective is temperature surfing in overcoming the temperature swing?
4. How effective is a PID controller in overcoming the temperature swing?
5. Any other benefits of fitting a PID to a Silvia?

Some notes on the experiments:

• I only conducted these experiments once and all of them on the same near-new Silvia. As far as I can tell, it's a typical Silvia (and I have used a few over the last year or so), and none of the results surprised me, but I am unable to draw any conclusions about the variance in the Silvia "population". So I can't say how different another Silvia is likely to behave. If anyone would like to add to the sample size, let me know.
• The PID is a Watlow SD3C with steam control from MLG. Jetblack Espresso "donated" the Rancilio Silvia . It is now back on the demo bench :-(
• For experiments with PID "disabled" I reinstated the Silvia's temperature control via it's brew and steam thermostats and unhooked the PID's control of the heating element. The PID was still indicating where it would energise the element via the little light on the PID display, however the message wasn't going anywhere. The PID is basically a fancy boiler temperature guage
• The thermocouple is mounted at the top of the boiler. If this temperature is different from the steady state group head temperature, there will be some temperature "smoothing". This is where the Silvia's liberal use of brass helps. However, I did not attempt to quantify this effect. One day I will get my hands on a Scace device and do the next series of experiments. For now, it's a matter of measuring actual top of boiler temp and taste testing the resultant espresso/latte's.

1. How Much Temperature Swing is there in a Rancilio Silvia?

On my Silvia, I measured a 32 deg C (58 deg F) swing in the boiler temperature:

Min: 85 deg C (185 deg F)

Max: 117 deg C (243 deg F)

Procedure: I flushed the machine until the boiler element light came on and waited until the temperature "topped out". Here is the video:

But what's the effect of such a swing?

2. The effect of temperature swing in espresso extraction

This test was intended to show the a worst case scenario - pulling a shot at the bottom end of the boiler temperature cycle and then steaming milk after the light goes out. The results are pretty subjective, basically it came down to watching and then tasting the shot. The shot was predictabley pale and sour and the resulting latte was weak. Here it is:

3. Temperature Surfing the Rancilio Silvia

I have used a Silvia at home for the last few months and over that time I have used a reasonably consistent method of temperature surfing. I would hit the brew button until the boiler element light comes on and then prepare the portafilter - grind, dose, tamp - by which time the light has gone off, then I'd insert the portafilter and hit the brew button. My reasoning was that this was repeatable and anything that increases consistency is a good thing when we're trying to control all the variables that go into the espresso making process. Here is that process, but with the addition of the PID showing us the temperature as the espresso extraction proceeds. Remember the PID is NOT controlling the boiler element.

Using this method of temperature surfing, the boiler is at 116C (241F) when I hit the brew button which is arguably too high. The temperature drops to 106C (223F) by the end of the shot so the intra shot temperature swing is 10C (18F).

The resulting shot had a crema with some very dark tones and lighter tones. The shot was a little burnt/bitter.

(i) (Advanced) Temperature Surfing

The good news is we don't have to leave it there. So long as the procedure is repeatable it can still be used. The obvious addition is a small cooling flush before brewing which should bring the boiler off its maximum temperature just enough. The other commonly employed technique is to wait a certain number of seconds after the element light goes off - but I'm usually too impatient for that technique ;-)

This is what happened:

The boiler hits 116C (241F) again just as the portafilter is ready, this time however, the brew button is activated for about 2 seconds which drops the boiler temperature to 110C (230F), then the portafilter is inserted and brewing begins. By the end of brewing, the temperature is 99C (210F): a swing of 11C (20F).

The crema seems to be a more consistent reddy-brown. The shots aren't tasted but the latte's taste good.

The other "trick" employed is to start steaming the milk while the element light is on (as close to possible as it going off - which is a trick). This keeps the element energised which keeps the steam pressure as high as possible and the steaming operation as quick as possible. This is a lot easier with the temperature gauge in place, but in practice it works ok to start steaming about 30 to 40 seconds after hitting the steam switch.

Put all this temperature surfing stuff on top of getting everything else right - grinding, dosing, tamping etc and it's a process. Which is why the PID controller is so popular.

5. PIDing the Rancilio Silvia

A PID controller keeps the boiler temperature at a predetermined setpoint so we don't have to temperature surf. Fitting a Rancilio Silvia with PID is a popular modification and this video will illustrate the benefits.

Here are a couple of lattes prepared with the PID controller activated:

Things to note:

• Silvia is at 106C when shot starts (which is the setpoint)
• Intra shot temperature minimum is 98C
• Intra shot temperature swing is only 8C as opposed to 10C without PID
• While steaming milk, PID re-energises the element if the temperature gets down to 147C

Conclusions

On a standard Silvia there is enough of a temperature swing to produce the occassional sour/underextracted or bitter/overextracted shot. A simple temperature surfing method will ensure sour shots don't happen, while a more advanced temperature surfing technique is required to ensure bitter/burnt shots are history.

It is possible to improve the steam performance of the Silvia with a relatively simple temperature surfing technique.

For all the advantages of the most elaborate temperature surfing techniques, the simple (albeit more expensive) option is to fit a PID kit. The other advantage to having a PID kit is that the temperature readout allows the barista to be more involved with the process, for example you could spend a couple of days doing temperature experiments and then writing a blog entry about it ...

I've been have a little fun with etching over the past few hours.

They all look a bit dead but have a look and see.....

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Moose"][/caption]

Can you guys do better? I should think so.

Post some links to your photos in the comments

We are a private start-up company specializing in decorating lattes. You got it right: we make industrial robot machines that do nothing but pretty up tasty beverages.

Gallery of latte foam art using a new printer.

フランスでcoffeeを頼むと、エスプレッソが出て来るなんて言いますよね。ドリップすると言う事はあまりしないのですね。ドリップコーヒーに近いものでAmericano（エスプレッソをお湯で割ったもの）が好きなので、私は、それがあれば良いですがw スターバックスにもあるので、ドリップコーヒーと比べてみるのも良いかも。フレンチプレスに似た、香りの強いコーヒーです。

English.
I went to the sports gym today. Because I felt hungry, I ate pasta in a certain shop near a gym. In a shop to go to for 20 years, the pasta of the cod roe is very delicious. Did you have you divide spirit in old days because you were able to meet the cheerful staff who did not change? 　It is the exercise of the caffe latte since it returns to the house. Do you know that you say Latte art ? The caffe latte pours plentiful milk into the espresso. I draw a design with this milk. I see heart and a leaf well. There is the person drawing an animal. I like drawing a letter, but am particular if there is not chocolate syrup. I drew it with an ice pick, but am clumsy today.

French.
Je suis allé au gymnase de sports aujourd'hui.Parce que je me suis senti affamé, j'ai mangé les pâtes dans un certain magasin près d'un gymnase.Dans un magasin les pâtes du roe de la morue sont très délicieuses pour aller à pour 20 années.Est-ce que vous vous aviez diviser l'esprit dans les vieux jours parce que vous étiez capable de rencontrer le personnel gai qui n'a pas changé?　C'est l'exercice de la latte du caffe depuis qu'il retourne à la maison.Est-ce que vous savez que vous dites .....? La latte du caffe verse du lait abondant dans l'express.Je tire un dessin avec ce lait. Je vois bien coeur et une feuille.Il y a la personne qui tire un animal.J'aime tirer une lettre, mais est particulier s'il n'y a pas sirop du chocolat.Je l'ai tiré avec une pioche de la glace, mais suis maladroit aujourd'hui.

今日は、スポーツジムへ行きました。スタイル維持って大変ですね，食べても太らないヒトが羨ましい。
お腹が減ったので、ジムの近くにある店でパスタを食べました。小さい時から２０年近く通う店で、たらこのパスタがとても美味しい。久しぶりに昔と変わらない、元気なスタッフに会えたので、元気を分けて貰えたかな。

　家に帰ってから、カフェラテの練習です。ラテアートと言うのを知っていますか？
カフェラテは、エスプレッソにたっぷりのミルクを入れます。このミルクで模様を描くのです。 ハートやリーフを良く見かけますね。動物を描いたりする人も居ます。私は、文字を描くのが好きですが、チョコレートシロップが無いと難しい。今日はアイスピックで描いてみましたが、下手ですね。
*日本だとカフェオレは、ドリップコーヒーをミルクで割る事が多いかな。でも、国に依って認識違うかも。

 前は、よく誕生日の友達にチョコでHappyBirthDayなんて描いて写メを送ったけど、久々の練習で腕は鈍っていたみたい。そしてマシンも不調・・・あたらしいマシン欲しいなw

$185!   Why not $200 or $150?

Anyway, take a look at this latte art competition sign they made.  Look at the dang picture of that latte art.  How in the world?

As I was leaving for work this morning, Jes stood at the top of the stairs so I could see how much her belly dropped overnight.

A few minutes ago at the coffee house, one of our volunteers - Mattie - poured my good friend Seth a latte. He immediately came over to me and said, "Look, it's Jes."

I really couldn't agree more:

Rather cute, I think...and delicious. 1.5 weeks to go.

love.

chris

It's a printer that will put any image onto your foamed milk. Pretty cool!

Eppure il caffé, per i baristi italiani è spesso solo abitudine, banalità; tutti sicuri di fare un caffé buonissimo, tutti dicono di essere punti di riferimento per il caffé nella loro zona e tutti dicono di non aver alcun bisogno di formazione, anzi, tutti potrebbero insegnare…
Provate allora a chiedere a questo gestore se sa che miscela usa, non la marca (quella l'ha scelta solo perché costava meno o gli dava la macchina in comodato d'uso) ma proprio il tipo di miscela, le percentuale di Arabica (attenti, non sempre 100% arabica vuol dire top…) da quali nazioni vengono i caffé che usa, quali caratteristiche hanno e perché sono stati così mixati. Il caffé che usano è stato coltivato con criteri biologici? In base a quali parametri viene regolata la macinatura? Qual è la temperatura fino alla quale monta il cappuccino?

Curiosamente sembra che una grande cultura sul cafè espresso si trovi dove non la cercheremmo mai, all'estero.
Chiarisco questo punto: è vero che nella maggior parte dei casi all'estero si bevono i famosi sciacquoni, ma è anche vero che si trovano (magari uno per ogni grande città) dei veri templi del caffé, con persone capaci di raccontarti tutto, in teoria e pratica, su questo prezioso chicco, raccontando pure, come è successo a me, come puliscono le macine del macinacaffé con il riso (in Danimarca…).
Una prova di quello che dico? Date un'occhiata ai forum sul caffé: in Italia sono praticamente inesistenti, in inglese si trovano forum con 106.000 post…

Un altro esempio… conoscete la latte art? la tecnica per fare i disegni con il latte sui cappuccini? Guardate Youtube, e vedrete che le cose più fantastiche le fanno all'estero.

Le cose forse stanno cambiando anche in Italia, ci sono scuole che affrontano il mondo del caffé in maniera strutturata, dalla conoscenza della pianta alla tazzina,

e che cominciano ad essere frequentate da ragazzi giovani che cominciano a pensare al caffé come ad un elemento distintivo, ad un mondo la cui conoscenza farà bene al proprio locale e alla propria professionalità.
E con questo vi auguro buone vacanze e vi do appuntamento a settembre.

Adesso mi bevo un caffè!

Di sini menggunakan San Marino 2 group dan grinder Mazzer. Dan kopi yang digunakan pada waktu itu adalah Kopi Bali. Oya sebelumnya saya diberi tahu oleh mas Sahid barista Bakoel Koffie Senopati, kalau spesialisasi cafe ini adalah latte art. Tapi seperti biasa saya pesan single espresso.

IMHO single espresso @Box Café & Resto :

Penampilan : Cup demitasse tipis dan panas.

Crema : Lumayan tebal.

Aroma : 6-- Earthy, Choco.

Flavor : 5 -- Choco.

Acid : 3 -- Low.

Body : 5 -- Light.

Aftertaste : 5 -- Spicy Wine.

Balance cup : 5 -- Too flat with spicy wine finish.

Total : 29.

Sambil menikmati single espresso saya ngobrol dengan mas Yudhi si barista, dan 2 orang temannya tapi saya lupa namanya (maaf ya mas). Ternyata di sini juga mengadakan training latte art tapi on site alias di tempat klien, dan kalau tidak salah My Cofeena di Pacific Place itu salah satu kliennya.

Dan bila saya pesan latte ini bukan karena saya sudah naik gaji atau dapat bonus ( karena saya lebih sering minum kopi tanpa gula dan susu, karena bagi saya susu dan gula itu mahal :) ), tapi karena penasaran dengan latte art-nya.

IMHO latte @Box Café & Resto :

Double shot Latte: free pouring tulip latte art, froth bagus dengan hasil microfoam, double shot espresso yang terasa adalah 55% kopi dan 45% susu. Apabila nilai tertinggi itu 5, maka saya beri nilai 3.

Single shot Latte: butterfly latte art, froth bagus dengan hasil microfoam, single shot espresso yang terasa adalah 30% kopi dan 70% susu, terasa bitter. Dengan nilai 2 dari nilai maksimal 5.

Mohon maaf apabila untuk latte tidak bisa menilai secara detil, karena saya terbiasa dengan kopi tanpa gula apalagi susu.

Wah, ada yang kelupaan nih. Saya lupa berapa harga single espresso dan latte yang sudah saya minum. Walaupun single shot latte itu gratis, tapi single espresso dan double shot latte itu saya bayar lho.

Sekedar informasi mas Yudhi itu bartender yang baru 1 tahun beralih menjadi barista. Kalau tidak salah mas Yudhi belajar dasar barista dan teknik dasar latte art pada pak Franky dari Schibello Caffé. Karena awalnya @Box Café & Resto menggunakan Schibello Coffee.

Oya ada tambahan informasi, ternyata Schibello Caffé yang dimaksud oleh bro Tony Arifin itu bukan Schibello Caffé yang tadi saya coba di STC Senayan lantai dasar. Karena Schibello Caffé yang tadi saya coba itu hanya klien yang menggunakan Schibello Coffee. Jadi Schibello Caffé yang dimaksud bro Tony Arifin itu adalah Schibello Caffé & Showroom yang ada di lantai 1 STC Senayan, yang dipimpin langsung oleh pak Franky.

Disclaimer only :

• Review ini dibuat berdasarkan apa yang dirasakan lidah saya, yang belum tentu sama dengan yang dirasakan lidah orang lain.
• Review ini dibuat oleh saya dengan kapasitas yang masih pemula.
• Review ini dibuat secara jujur & obyektif, tanpa ada niat untuk melebih-lebihkan atau menjelek-jelekkan atau membanding-bandingkan dengan tujuan untuk menguntungkan atau merugikan atau mendiskreditkan pihak-pihak tertentu.
• Review ini bukan merupakan promosi atau propaganda pihak-pihak tertentu.

I’ve been slowly drip feeding Georgie with coffee information over the past few years hoping to increase her knowledge but not scare her away from the coffee industry. I think it’s worked. She seems to have discovered the infectious world of coffee now and there is no stopping her. The key was latte Art.

Georgie is an artist and has always been fascinated by the pretty patterns that I pour on the bar and in practice for competition. She loved them so much that it got to a point that she asked me to teach her.

We reached a pivotal point in her learning process yesterday when she nailed 5 rosettas on the trott and felt confident enough to challenge me to a mini ‘Throwdown’.

Post your comments on who you think wins bellow!