“By
many accounts coffee is the most popular beverage on earth after water.
According to the World Bank, as many as 500 million people are involved
directly or indirectly in the global coffee trade. Coffee is the most actively
traded commodity on the planet after petroleum…. Finding a good cup of coffee
can be hard, and a great cup of coffee can be really elusive. The vast array of
brands, styles, certification labels, and drink preparation methods make it all
the more confusing.” (http://dethroner.com/2006/12/11/what-is-coffee/)
Taking the above comment into
consideration, why is it that a good cup of coffee, let alone a GREAT cup of
coffee, is so hard to find? To produce a good product, a relative amount of
time, preparation & care needs to be taken. The Barista producing your
coffee needs to be competent enough to know how to work with every aspect of
the coffee making process. Basic principles that affect the out come of any
coffee are as follows to produce a quality beverage:
- Freshness – Moisture, Oxygen, Light & Heat are the main
factors that affect the freshness of the coffee.
- The Grind – Depending whether you are using an Espresso
Machine, a coffee plunger/press or a drip coffee maker, different grinds
will have a big affect on the end product & the type of beverage you
are making. A shot of espresso will be ready in approximately 25-30
seconds, where as coffee made in a French press could take up to 4 or 5
minutes to brew as it is in direct contact with water.
- Proportion – Depending on the café you are going to & what
coffee company they are with will determine the appropriate proportion of
ground coffee to use in an espresso machine. A figure that some cafes/companies
work with is approximately 7g-10g ground coffee = 1 x 30mL espresso
shot.
- Water – Purified water is the best kind of water a person
should be drinking, but purified water is also ideal for a great tasting
coffee as the filtration system eliminates the impurities that cause the
beverage to take on a different taste, therefore hindering the finished
product of the Barista. Water that is just off the boil will ensure the
extraction of the all the right flavour elements of the coffee.
Café management & Baristas often ignore
the fact that the grind of the coffee needs to be changed throughout the day.
Depending on the location of the café, the time of day or even the season will
impact on the type of grind a café should be using at any one time. The last
thing that any paying customer wants to have served to them is a coffee that
looks, smells & tastes like a used ashtray. “Unfortunately everyone and
their dog does coffee these days, but not everyone does it great or does it
great consistently” (http://www.espressoelements.com.au/about/).
In a lot of cafes around Sydney it is not
uncommon for a Barista to ruin a coffee when they are texturing the milk that
is needed for a milk-based beverage. Milk texturing, whether being made using
an at home espresso machine or with an industrial machine is more often than
not, an art form, not just technique. A drink is usually ruined when the milk
either contains too much air (froth) or the milk is burnt & has a custard
like smell to it. The perfect milk for any milk-based coffee should be around
65°C to 70°C as well as silky & smooth with a slight sheen.
No matter if you are a Barista working in a
café or a customer ordering your coffee, always keep these few points in mind
as they will affect the end result & that satisfaction that is derived from
it.
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