My Two Beans Worth Coffee Blog

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New Zealanders are to espresso what Russians are to chess

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:02:00 +0000

This New York Times article about the growth of quality espresso coffee shops in London mentions a cafe called "Flat White" which told me instantly that Kiwis (or perhaps Aussies) were on the ground raising the standard of espresso coffee in London. (You learned all about the "flat white" here at EspressoCoffeeSnobs.com). I love this quote from the article:

...the “flat white” is also a symbol of serious coffee: it’s basically a cappuccino-size latte — flat and white — a style imported from Australia (some say New Zealand) [we know it was NZ -ed] when a wave of baristas emigrated from those countries. (Australians and New Zealanders are to espresso what Russians are to chess: they’re just better at it.)

Anyhow, the above description of a flat white from the article is somewhat lacking. Here's where you can learn all about the flat white espresso drink.

Leg of Lamb with Espresso Coffee Marinade!

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:45:00 +0000

As a lover of both espresso coffee and lamb (can it be helped having grown up in New Zealand!), this recipe which includes a marinade of espresso coffee, cream, and honey caught my eye. It's from a Canadian newspaper which is celebrating the Vancouver Winter Olympics with a recipe-a-day from 14 of the nations competing in the games.

This one is from Finland, which was noted as a challenge by the chefs at the Vancouver restaurant tasked with coming up with the recipes for the project. No, salted fish wasn't considered appropriate for the recipe, especially since each day's recipe is featured on the restaurants menu for the day. Anyhow, I for one, am going to give this one "a shot" (pun intended).

Leg of lamb with espresso coffee, cream, and honey marinade

Good Espresso Coffee Shops in Manhattan

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:32:00 +0000

Looking for good espresso coffee drinks in Manhattan, here's a post by Alex Henry of HuffingtonPost.com, in which he discusses the best neighborhoods for great espresso in NYC, and the neighborhoods that offer the not-so-good espresso coffee too, like the one in which he lives. But like any person who knows the difference between good and bad coffee, he's willing to jump the subway for the former.

Good espresso in Manhattan by Alex Henry, HunffingtonPost

Colombian Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:32:00 +0000

I'm interested in anyone's opinions on Colombian coffee beans. My experience of them has never been good. That in large part is driven by the fact that at the two companies I have slaved at, I mean worked at, over the last 7 years, both have Colombian coffee as the "office coffee", and it is just so bad. It's just not coffee-snobby me; almost all my co-workers agree. At the last company I was at, we were lucky enough that they also provided different blends from coffees from all around the world, and that's what my group always brewed. But at the company I work at now, there is only Colombian coffee available, and it's even worse tasting than what was on offer at my previous company. In fact, it is SO BAD, that I consider it undrinkable, and have given up drinking it at all. I've taken a French press ("plunger") and my own beans to the office and make my own coffee. Perhaps that is just what the company wants; that no one will drink the coffee and the company saves money.

I have bought and used premium Colombian Popayan beans before, but while it was drinkable, I never did fall in love with them, and never found that they were that good from making espresso at home.

Did you know that what you see labelled as "100% Colombian" is a brand that falls under the control of the Colombian Coffee Federation founded in 1927 to promote the growing and marketing of coffee from Colombia under the "Juan Valdez" brand. You'd think by now they would be growing beans that tasted good.

So what is your opinion and experience of Colombian coffee? Has it been as bad as mine? I'd be interested in what you think, so please post a comment.

Bikini Baristas Bare It All

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:53:00 +0000

It was way back in January 2007 that I wrote about the Bikini Baristas in Washington State in my post Sex Sells Coffee Too. That report was about the Cowgirls Espresso chain, and perhaps those girls are behaving themselves by and large, but this report about the Grab 'N' Go Espresso bikini hut from Herald.net suggests that the girls there are serving up a good old fashioned peep show with their shots. As of now, complaints have gone nowhere because the business is considered private property.

I liked the following comments posted in response to the report:

Posted on: Sep 21, 2009 2:23 pm Author: eric smith Joined: Sep 21, 2009 2:18 pm
if you think you kids aren't seeing worse on the internet and the cell phones... you are SORELY mistaken. They arent naked. has anyone of you whiny do-gooders watched any MTV lately? there is more sexually suggestive shows on there than ANY pastie or thong shakin barista. You want to make a change? start at home. If your kids were taught to value themselves, then this wouldnt be an issue.

So what do you think? Personally I choose my coffee shop on the basis of the taste, not the entertainment, but I'm, of course, a coffee snob.

Does Coffee Make You Gain Weight

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 04:52:00 +0000

Or to put it more bluntly, "Does coffee make you fat"?

Well, I don't think so, but the things you add to coffee sure can. Most people will think immediately of the sugar that they might add to coffee, but in my experience as someone who doesn't add sugar to his coffee, it's actually the milk in the cafe lattes etc. that causes you to gain weight.

You do realize that milk is not just protein and fat, right? It is actually a sugar too. Think of it this way: sucrose, fructose, glucose, and lactose. What do these four words all have in common? They all end in "ose" and they are all sugars. Milk contains lactose, or milk sugar. So if you drink a lot of espresso drinks with milk, such as lattes, cappuccinos, or flat whites, then you are consuming a lot of milk sugar.

When I went on vacation to New Zealand earlier this year I consumed the usual copious amounts of flat whites, glasses of wine, and tasty New Zealand cafe food. When I got back after 3 weeks I was 5 pounds (2kg) heavier, and the heaviest I've ever been. My god, my stomach was preceding me everywhere I went! So I decided I finally had to do something about it as in the 12 years since moving to the U.S. I had gone from 140 pounds to the 155 pounds I weighed in at when I got back from that trip. So I decided to cut back my consumption of milk in my coffee drinks. At that point I was making myself 3 or 4 big flat whites or lattes a day. I still start the day with a flat white, but every other cup of coffee I have after that breakfast cup is either an espresso or a traditional macchiato. Four months later I am down to 141 pounds! I couldn't believe it! So it seems pretty clear to me; whereas coffee won't make you gain weight, the milk in coffee drinks sure does make you fat.

How about you? Have you found that the milk in coffee has piled on the pounds for you? Has anyone else had the same experience as me, or is willing to put this theory to the test?

Cafe Recommendation: Blue Bottle Coffee, San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 02:09:00 +0000

A friend of mine was in San Francisco recently and came back raving about the coffee he got at the Blue Bottle Cafe on Mint Plaza in San Francisco. He gave it high praise saying "It was just as good as coffee in New Zealand!"

Mint Plaza is located off 5th St., right by the Old Mint building. It's in the first block coming south of Market on 5th, and before Mission St., so very easy to find.

If you agree or disagree, share your thoughts on the Blue Bottle Cafe on Mint Plaza in San Franciso. I've got to check it out next time I'm in SF.

Their website is http://www.bluebottlecoffee.net/. Not it's .net, not .com.

Coffee and Booze at Starbucks

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:16:00 +0000

This Reuters story about Starbucks' plan to run a pilot of one store, yes JUST one, in Seattle which will sell alcohol with its coffee is a big yawn to someone like me who hails from New Zealand. Almost every coffee shop where I come from sells wine, beer, and real food along with great coffee. And yes they are still called "cafes", not restaurants or bars. Which is why coffee shops in New Zealand buzz from before sun-up to after sun-down.

Is it part of the Puritan American culture that coffee and alcohol are separate in the U.S.?

I also got a laugh from the company spokesperson who said "the cafe and any others that follow, would return to making espresso drinks by hand..." How quaint!

What Starbucks needs to do, if they aren't already, is to do more homework in New Zealand and Australia to try and figure out why coffee shops are so successful there, even during this "great recession".

McDonald's seems to know what a great "social laboratory" New Zealand makes when it comes to the coffee as they trialed their McCafes for several years leading up to their launch in the "Mother Country" in the last year. Not that I'm advocating for McCafes - I have to say I haven't tried one. Perhaps one day...

In my opinion, Starbucks is never going to make it though. As popular as it seems to remain with most Americans, it is after all "corporate coffee", so you will always see the same generic branding of the same product from coast-to-coast, just like we see with food, clothing, housing, and retail throughout the U.S. It's all the same menu, same house, same line-up of stores, same pair of pants from coast to coast. You will never beat the entrepreneurial owner-operator for energy, enthusiasm, and creativity in food and beverage. For corporations operating in food and beverage, after all, it's all about economies of scale and repeatability; not about creativity.

If you get the chance to visit New Zealand you will realize that America has in large part lost its soul in the food and beverage industry. Generic is not creative.

What do you think? Post a comment below.

Caffeine Addiction

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:48:00 +0000

I know it's true, and probably you know it's true too; caffeine is addicting. Some people say if they try and quit drinking coffee they get terrible headaches, and that's why they can't quit. But no such excuse for me as I can go a day without my regular 3 to 4, or is it 5 cups of coffee a day and never get a headache.

I start the day, EVERYDAY, with my cup of home-brewed latte-cum-flat-white. As much as I hate it, on work days I then drink 2 to 3 cups of the ridiculously bad office coffee with nasty powdered creamer added because there's no way I'm going to pay for a Starbucks across the street that tastes just as bad, and I am just feeding my addiction anyway, right?! And then as soon as I walk in the door after riding my bike home from work, it's straight to the espresso machine on my counter top so the machina can warm up while I take the dog for his walk. Dog walked, garden watered, followed by the reward of a cup of espresso-based whatever-I'm-in-the-mood-for. Blissful!

So it was with relish that I read this blog post by Anne Aitken Worth entitled The Caffeine Effect. When you think about it, caffeine is such a powerful drug - we know from our own experience of it; be honest now. But like all drugs used for pleasure, it is best used without going overboard. I mean, have you ever experienced the restlessness and anxiety that comes of O.D.-ing on caffeine? As much as I love my coffee, I hate it when I cross that line, that hand-trembling, anxiety-ridden line of more caffeine than is good for me.

But just like smokers who can't quit and know they could do so much more with all that money going up in smoke, my regular deliveries of un-ground green and roasted beans from an array of suppliers just keep on coming, and would be one of the last things in life that I could kiss goodbye.

Espresso Coffee Recommendations NYC

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:15:00 +0000

Here are several recommendations of espresso coffee shops on Manhattan from Australian, Monica Glare, living in NYC and writing for the Sydney Morning Herald.

Glare gives top recommendation to TriBeCa-located "La Colombe", 319 Church Street. The writer claims this is the spot where you'll find the best coffee in New York.

For Greenwich Village espresso hits, check out Jack's Stir Brew Coffee, 138 West 10th Street.

When it comes to the West Village she recommends Joe, 141 Waverly Place described as "another intimate cafe, hidden in the labrynthine West Village streets, Joe is popular with the thirtysomething crowd."

In NoHo, check out Think Coffee, 1 Bleecker Street Raw "with unpolished floorboards, huge wooden beams, blackboard coffee menus and marble-top tables make for a French cafe-meets-hippie feel at this new cafe-wine bar."

In NoLita, Glare recommends Gimme! Coffee, 228 Mott Street in the heart of NoLita.

East Village recommendation is Abraco Espresso, 86 E. 7th Street which this Aussie describes as "Melbourne-style hole-in-the-wall cafe [which] has enjoyed good reviews since it opened in 2007."

Finally, for those living or hanging out in Gramercy park area, 71 Irving Place Coffee & Tea Bar, 71 Irving Place which is described as an "atmospheric cafe with its mood lighting and French bistro-style chairs [offering] lots of 1850s Gramercy charm.

Monica Glare's post "Baristas Worth Every Bean"

Coffee in a Can

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:35:00 +0000

Not talking cans of unground beans here, but rather ready-to-drink cans of coffee. When I lived in Japan in the early 1990s one of the things I actually enjoyed where the cans of ready-to-drink coffee found in the ubiquitous coin-operated dispensers found on roadsides and alley ways all over the country. Now Coke is joining forces with Italian coffee purveyor illy to sell cans of coffee the world over.

Coke's illy issimo drinks, which include an espresso, a latte macchiato and a cappuccino beverage, cost about $2.69, or about 15 percent more than the Starbucks drinks, the company said. It is targeting upscale locations such as Whole Foods Market Inc.

The drinks will soon launch in Japan, which the companies said accounts for three-fourths of the roughly $17.4 billion market for ready-to-drink coffee beverages.

Source: Reuters

The Bad Coffee Blues

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Wed, 27 May 2009 01:47:00 +0000

Don't get on the wrong side of Lane Nichols who blogs for Wellington-based "The Dominion" newspaper. Rue the day you "cock up" (mess up) his order for a "Long black, poured halfway. Make it strong." Nichols is obviously "one of us" as evidenced by his comments:

But send out an over-extracted, lukewarm double espresso with no crema and I'm likely to explode in a furious caffeine-depleted rage.

I guess you could call me a coffee snob.

Way to go, Lane!

Read Lane's full post on the Bad Coffee Blues. (Translation of Kiwi-English not provided!)

Best Beans for Espresso

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 05:49:00 +0000

I ran across a question posted to Yahoo Answers recently that read something like "I just got an espresso machine for Christmas. What are the best beans to use"? The answer was "Any dark roast. French roast would be good".

I don't think the person who posted the answer really had a clue and expressed the common misconception that espresso roasts are dark. The fact is that French roast would be about one of the worst roasts to use for espresso. I know; I've tried them myself. You definitely won't be getting any crema out of French roast and altogether it will be a very unsatisfactory outcome and for the beginner at home something that is likely to put them off home espresso brewing completely not knowing that the wrong beans were recommended.

Actually, most of the best espresso roasts are light to mid-roast. What is known as "city roast" is a mid-roast and is the type of roast that is used for the best espresso-based drinks that come from the best coffee shops.

Dark roasts get to the point where the oils of the bean are being forced out through the outer hard shell of the coffee bean because of the extra roasting time and heat. The beans are dark, shiny, and wet looking. If that's how your beans look, then you won't be getting any crema out of them. Use them for filter coffee of French press/plunger coffee. Beans that you use for espresso, even if a darker roast, should look dry without any evidence of the oils having come to the surface of the bean during roasting.

Here are some of my coffee bean recommendations for espresso at home. And if you're really adventurous, then I have a whole series of posts on roasting green coffee beans at home for espresso drinks.

Good espresso-brewing at home for 2009!

Christmas 2008 Coffeemaker Recommendations

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:07:00 +0000

In the latest edition of the Consumer Reports Magazine (January 2009) the organization reviewed and rated various kinds of coffeemakers. No espresso machines were in the tests, but 8-12 cupp carafe models, 12-cup brew stations, 8-10 cup grind and brew models, and 1- to 2-cup to-go models were.
I have added the recommended models to our store so that if you're in the market for a coffeemaker for yourself or someone on your Christmas list then they are all in one easy to locate spot for you.

Two models that got recommendations seem to not be currently available at Amazon.com, so do not appear in the store. They are the Mr. Coffee JWX27 and the DeLonghi Multi DCF-212T.

Click here to research the coffeemakers that were recommended by Consumer Reports. Happy Christmas shopping!

The Golden Rule of Perfect Espresso

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 03:32:00 +0000

The Golden Rule: Don't send your crema down the drain!

By now you've probably studied my 9 steps to making perfect espresso coffee and the separate section on making perfect crema. In the section on making perfect crema, I made reference to "The Golden Rule" that you see frequently quoted, which is: "Extract 2 to 2.5 ounces of coffee into your cup in 20 to 30 seconds from the moment you turn on the pump."

I have a completely different Golden Rule for making perfect espresso coffee that I am going to share with you now.

New Zealand where I grew up has an even more deeply entrenched "espresso coffee culture" than the United States, and there is one significant difference in how espresso coffee is made in New Zealand cafes and coffee shops. That key difference is this: in the United States the espresso is typically brewed into a pitcher and then poured into the cup.

In New Zealand, and many other countries for that matter, the espresso is brewed directly into the cup from which is will be drunk. This one simple difference makes a huge difference in flavor. Why? The crema!

Crema is the caramelized coffee sugars and coffee proteins that float on top of a well-brewed espresso coffee, and carries with it immense aroma and flavor. If you've had espresso and not liked it, it may have been because the "barista" didn't do a good job of making the espresso and literally threw most of the crema down the drain! How so? Quite easily; by using the technique popular in the U.S. of brewing the espresso into a pitcher and then pouring it into the cup, most of the crema is left clinging to the sides of the pitcher, to be washed down the drain. What a crying shame! But it happens millions of times all over the U.S. every day in every Starbucks, and other coffee chains you frequent. Why do they do it?

Espresso crema - the liqueur of coffee.
Crema consists of caramelized coffee sugars and coffee proteins. It will be formed only when you brew your coffee at the right pressure and right temperature. Read here about how to make perfect crema.

Here's an illustration of what I mean. I brewed an espresso into a glass demitasse cup so you can clearly see the caramel-like foam on the top called "crema". Sometimes it may even appear milky-white when looking down on it, hence the name "crema".

Then I poured the espresso out into another cup. Look at all the crema left behind on the sides of the demitasse cup! The same thing happens when the coffee is extracted into a stainless steel pitcher and then poured into a cup.

Why do American coffee shops wash cream down the drain?

So that's my Golden Rule: Make your espresso directly into the cup from which you are going to drink it! Don't be guilty of washing your crema down the drain. You'll be amazed at the difference in flavor!

How to Make Perfect Espresso Crema

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 01:29:00 +0000

Crema is the essence of good espresso coffee. I like to think of it as the Holy Grail of espresso coffee. Without it you might as well pour it down the drain, and in fact at the cafe where I was trained as a barista, MacFarlane's Caffe in Inglewood, New Zealand, that's exactly what we had to do; no crema or bad crema and we had to start again. Down the drain it went. The test was to drag a teaspoon through the crema and if it didn't close up again and completely cover the surface of the coffee, then it was not good enough. So don't forget: espresso coffee without good crema is not good espresso.

There are several elements to "extracting" espresso coffee and achieving rich, creamy crema.

The beans. Some beans will never produce crema, even some that are sold as espresso roast. The best espresso roasts use primarily Arabica beans, which originated in Ethiopia, but have spread throughout the coffee-growing world. Some Robusta beans are typically included in the blend because of their ability to generate crema. Most people imagine espresso roast beans to be dark, but it all depends on the roast. You can get both light and dark espresso roasts. The beans in an espresso light or mid-roast tend to be quite dry and shrunken when compared to dark roasts which are plump and oily. If you are buying your beans from a good source, they should be able to describe for you the crema-producing qualities of the beans.

The grind. It seems everything has to be just so when making espresso and producing good crema. The next thing is the grind. Basically you are aiming at not allowing the water to pass through too quickly, but not making the grind so fine that your machine won't be able to force the water through without straining. This is achieved in two ways: the fineness of the grind of the beans, and the tamping of the beans in the portafilter. To achieve good crema, for a double shot, extract 2 to 2.5 ounces of coffee into your cup in 20 to 30 seconds from the moment you turn on the pump. You will see this referred to in various places as "The Golden Rule". (I have a completely different Golden Rule for perfect espresso you should read about.) A single shot should still take 20 to 30 seconds, but now you will want 1 to 1.5 ounces of coffee in your cup.

The flow of the coffee when being extracted should be steady and even, coming from both holes of the portafilter. If your coffee beans are ground too coarsely, the flow will be too fast and no crema will be produced.

On the other hand, if they are ground too finely, the flow will be too slow, or hardly any flow at all and your pump will be straining. To a certain extent, you can make up for the grind being too coarse by tamping the coffee harder, or if the grind is too fine, by tamping more gently. With a bit of trial and error, adjust your grinder setting until you achieve the correct flow and perfect crema production. You need to use a conical burr grinder that grinds the beans to an even consistency and which has multiple variable grind setting. Here is my recommendation for a conical burr grinder.

Tamping. Tamping is the process of pressing down on the ground coffee in the portafilter with a tool known as a tamper. The tamper should fit snuggly into the filter basket. Tamp with even pressure of about 30lbs. How do you know what 30lbs is? Get out your scales and put them on the counter and practice so that you get the feel for how hard you need to press down. Tamping is aimed at achieving an even and consistent flow of the water through the coffee. If the coffee is packed unevenly, the water will find its way through gaps in the coffee, flowing too quickly through them for there to be a good extraction; most of the water will flow through the more loosely packed coffee, and not flowing through some of the coffee in the filter basket at all. In fact it is possible to bang out the coffee after the extraction is finished and see whole areas of coffee that are completely dry. You can't make good crema without tamping your coffee before the extraction.

Correct brewing temperature. The temperature of the water has to be hot enough to caramelize the sugars in the coffee to make the crema. The optimal temperature range is around 92 to 96 degrees Celsius (198 - 205 Fahrenheit). The best machines use a metal for the boiler that has good heat retention, such as brass. Also, many machines offer separate boilers for coffee brewing and steam generation. This is because the water used for steaming has to be heated to a higher temperature than is the optimal temperature range for brewing the coffee.

Correct brewing pressure. Effective brewing requires pressure of at least 130 psi, which some domestic machines just don't seem capable of. The pressure rating for your machine will be quoted in "bars". Many of the cheaper domestic machines achieve 8 bars of pressure, which is a stretch when it comes to achieving good crema. Get a machine that is rated about twice that. Sometimes these machines are described as "semi-commercial", but don't you believe it; consider this the minimum standard for your home espresso machine.

At the beginning, you will have to accept a certain amount of trial and error. Practice, practice, and practice some more. Vary everything: the grind, the amount of tamping pressure you use, and your beans.

With just a little bit of practice, provided you are using good fresh beans, you too will be pulling the perfect espresso shot with a rich layer of crema floating on top. Yum!

How to Make Milk for Espresso Coffee Drinks

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:43:00 +0000

Typically the milk is prepared in a stainless-steel pitcher or "jug" as it is called in some countries. You need the pitcher to be large enough to accommodate the expansion in the volume of the milk as you steam it. Choose the size of the pitcher based on how many drinks you are going to prepare. If you are going to prepare several drinks, you might consider preparing more than one batch of milk, or at least "recharging" what is left by adding more milk to the pitcher and preparing more. The fact is that once you have poured off milk for the first two drinks, you will be left with milk that is not sufficiently volumized to make a good drink and pleasing your guests.

In steaming the milk you are setting out to "volumize" it by adding tiny air bubbles to the milk, what are called "microbubbles". (Another expression you'll hear that means the same thing is "stretching" the milk). Place the tip of the steamer of your espresso machine just a little below the surface of the milk. Your aim is to suck air into the milk by forming a whirlpool near the top of the milk. Do not have the tip of the steamer above the milk or so close to the surface of the milk that the steam is blowing air into the milk: you are wanting the air to be sucked into the milk.

Do not move the pitcher up and down in an action that takes the steamer head in and out of the milk. Unfortunately, this is something that you'll see happening at quite a few coffee shops, and when you see it you can be sure the "barista" is poorly trained and you are about to be served an inferior drink.

Tilt the pitcher slightly so that the air being sucked into the milk is hitting the side of the pitcher near the bottom and is making the milk rotate so that the heat is being distributed and all of the milk is being brought into contact with the steam as it circulates around the pitcher.

By the time the milk has come to the correct temperature for your drink, it should be volumized to the extent that it has approximately doubled in volume. As I said before, make sure you leave sufficient room for this expansion to occur when you start out otherwise you will have to stop the steaming process before it is at the right temperature.

The milk should have been volumized by the addition of tiny "micro-bubbles" of air. It shouldn't be full of large bubbles which is what will happen if you lift the steam tip above the surface of the milk and blow into the milk. If however there are a few larger bubbles on the top of the milk when you are done, you can remove them by banging the pitcher on your counter top to break them

That's the basic preparation of your milk. However if you are going to be making a "flat white" or macchiato you have one more step to follow. That is to fold the micro-bubbles from the top into the milk at the bottom using a spoon or by swirling the milk in the pitcher until it becomes one consistent velvety and rich mixture. Use this milk for the preparation of flat whites and macchiato coffee. But here's what I do to save all the messy clean up when steaming your espresso milk: I use an Aerolatte whisk. Using the steamer in your home espresso machine can be a bit of a hassle. For a start, you need to have a machine that has a separate boiler for the water used to steam the milk. The reason for this is that to make steam, the water has to be heated a lot hotter than the water that is used to brew your espresso. If your machine has only one boiler for both brewing the espresso and steaming the milk, then don't use the machines steamer. (I give you an alternative below.) Some machines I found also cause the pressure in the espresso side to increase to the point that you get "blow back" when you remove the filter cup from the machine and coffee grounds will be blown all over your kitchen. (This was a fault of the "Briel" espresso machine I owned for a while; other than that fault, it was a good machine though. When using the steamer you also need to be meticulous in keeping the steam head clean of milk so that the the tiny hole that the steam comes through doesn't become blocked with dried milk, not to mention obvious health and hygiene reasons that demand you keep the steam head clean, milk being such a wonderful breeding medium for bacteria

For all these "drawbacks" I personally have dispensed with using the steamer at home, and use a wonderful little gadget called an "Aerolatte", which is basically a battery-powered whisk. I use a plastic mug in which to heat the milk in the microwave oven; 1 minute is the perfect time for bringing the milk to the right temperature in my case. You then use the Aerolatte to achieve the same volumization effect talked about above. Again, position the whisk head sufficiently below the surface of the milk for it to cause a vortex that sucks air down into the milk. I works perfectly, and all it takes to keep the whisk clean is to run it briefly under some running water after each time you use it

You can buy an Aerolatte at Amazon.com. You can get them in several finishes. The one I have at home is the matt black. I recommend getting the stand that goes with it too so you can keep it conveniently next to your espresso machine.

How to Make a Flat White

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:14:00 +0000

Flat White is an espresso-based drink common in New Zealand and Australia. I'm not sure if this terminology is used elsewhere in the world, but I offer it since it is an exceptional espresso-based drink, rich and velvety in the mouth, and my personal favorite. I find that it appeals to my American friends when I make it for them, which is surprising in a way since Americans are used to espresso-based drinks that have a high proportion of milk to espresso - flat-white has a much lower ratio of milk to espresso.

In making a flat-white you are essentially making a latte, but pouring less milk to start, and then placing less of the micro-foam milk on the top, hence the word "flat" in the name. Whereas a latte has about half to one inch of micro-foam on top depending on preference, a flat-white has only about 1/4 inch of micro-foam on top. As I said before, the milk to espresso ratio in New Zealand and Australia is much less than is typical of espresso-based drinks in the United States.

Make sure you learn how to prepare the milk for your espresso-based drinks. When preparing your milk for a flat-white, blend or fold the micro-foam into the rest of the milk either with a spoon or by swirling the pitcher. The milk should be velvety and wet.

Flat-White lends itself well to making what is referred to as Latte Art. With a bit of practice you can make patterns such as leaves and hearts. But first of all just perfect making a great flat-white; it tastes as good however it looks when well made. Even without the pattern, the drink should look rich and inviting since the espresso, crema, and velvety milk all combine to make for a rich and inviting palate. It's a work of art to see, let alone drink!

Here's an answer, by the way, to a question asked by a nibbler789 at StumbleUpon.com: What is the difference between a flat white and a cappuccino?

Now that I've wetted your appetite for a flat white, make them at home. To get going you will initally need to make an investment in some appliances, so here are my recommendation for a home espresso maker and coffee grinder

If your thing is latte or cappuccino, etc., I have posted other how to make Espresso Based Drinks.

LA Mill Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:18:00 +0000

Saw a show on the local Southern California PBS station last night, KCET, about LA Mill Coffee in Silverlake. It was on the Huell Howser "Visiting" series which is a show that features the places and faces of California.

Seems like this is a place worth checking out, with a big emphasis on quality and standards in food and coffee that would make any coffee snob proud. They don't even have filter coffee which is like a donut without a hole in the U.S. of A. Also did not see any sign of paper cups, another very good indicator of quality and standards. Even filter coffee is made one cup at a time. S

ome of the styles of coffee brewing seemed a little gimmicky, like the Japanese "syphon" method, but a place that's willing to spend about 10 to 15 minutes of a staff time devoting a crew member to brewing your coffee in a chemistry set complete with Bunsen burner shows commitment to the customer. No doubt you pay for it, though.

Espresso shots are made with the care and precision necessary to turn out quality, and no "barista" is permitted to work the espresso machine before they have undertaken 100 hours of training. So next time I'm in the area, I'll check it out. Anyone out there been already and got any comments to post? Go ahead.

The LA Mill Coffee is located at 1636 Silverlake Blvd in Los Angeles, and their website is http://www.lamillcoffee.com/.

Adjust Your Roasting Profiles for Summer

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 18:42:00 +0000

I'm reiterating a previous post I made on this topic - as the temperatures rise going in to summer, you need to adjust your roasting profiles to account for the higher ambient temperatures. It makes a big difference I have found.

All the profiles I saved during my earlier series of posts are way too long now and I have had to start the cool down manually on my i-Roaster to prevent the beans from burning.

I just opened a bag of Ethiopian Natural Harrar beans. These are one of my all-time favorite beans and I don't want to spoil them by over-roasting. I have them on a profile of 385F for 5 minutes, 430F for 2 minutes, and a final 465F for 2 minutes right now. The temperature in the shade of my patio where I do my roasting is currently 77F.

If you find your beans are getting too dark you can interrupt the profile on your i-Roaster at any time by pressing the Roast/Temp button. This will start the 4 minute cool cycle.

One other thing I read some time ago that helps with the cooling cycle is to loosen the top of the roaster (the piece that has the grille that the air is forced to on the top) so that the air can escape more easily and help with the cooling. Don't do this inside, though, as you will get the chaff all over the place. It ends up on my deck but that is easily taken care of with my leaf blower.

The Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:33:00 +0000

Here's a blog post about the health benefits of our favorite addiction. Jake, whose name rhymes with cake we are told, is a professional triathelete, and I'm sure such people are driven not only to excessive exericse, but also to finding out all there is to know about health, fitness, and the effects of the stuff that they shove into their ever-hungy mouths. And Jake has the facts, figures, and diagrams to reassure us what we've always wanted to be reasurred about: coffee is good for us in so many ways, and we'll all live longer, healthier and happier lives for being coffee addicts. As Jake tells us: "habitual coffee drinkers are half as likely to die of heart failure as those who don't fill their mug daily. And while caffeine spikes blood sugar, a java habit may help you dodge diabetes."

Thanks, Jake! I'll drink to that!

Tanzania KNCU Green Coffee Beans

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:47:00 +0000

I was so happy with the 5lb sampler pack of green organic coffee beans the I bought from Seven Bridges Cooperative at Amazon.com which I featured here in my series about roasting green coffee beans at home that I subsequently bought their 9lb sampler pack. Some of the same beans as before were included of course, but some were new. I am just finishing up the 1lb of Tanzania KNCU beans. Described on the label as recommended for medium to French roasting, I have been roasting them using the first preset on my iRoast-2 home roaster. This results in a medium "city roast".

The espresso produced is excellent. Rich in crema and sweet and citrusy with a little acidity. Absolutely no bitterness at all. A friend from whom I brewed a cup on the weekend commented "This is the best coffee you've ever made" so it gets an independent vote as well.

I just searched the Seven Bridges storefront at Amazon but didn't see it listed - perhaps it was only available in a short run or only as part of the sampler pack. I think the sampler packs are variable in their content so it's a bit of a crap shoot, but you get to try some beans that you no doubt would never get to try otherwise.

Anyhow, if you ever see Tanzanian KNCU beans anywhere, grab a pound or two.

Don't Overdo Colombia Popayan Beans

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 06:12:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

I have been making my way through a 1lb bag of Green Colombia Popayan Beans lately and have found that it's very important not to over-roast them. These beans are characterized by bitterness whichever why you roast them, but the longer the roast, the more bitter they become. Definitely not a bean for straight espresso shots in my opinion, but great for espresso drinks with milk. Roast them "city style" and avoid ending up with a dark roast and you should find something you can enjoy.

Adjust Your Roasting Profile for Ambient Temperature

noreply@blogger.com (JohnC) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:27:00 +0000

My recent series on roasting green coffee beans at home took place during the winter months here in Southern California. I take my iRoast-2 home roaster outside onto the patio since if I use it inside it sets off the smoke detectors! You can buy a venting attachment but I don't have a range hood that vents to the outside, so that's a no-go for me.

Anyhow, with the arrival of warmer spring weather I noticed a big difference in the darkness of the beans using the same profile I have favored throughout the winter. The roasts have resulted in very dark beans, akin to French roast. The beans are also sweating oil which also is indicative of a dark roast.

So if you're like me and roasting outside, take into acount the ambient temperature when you're roasting. Small differences in the temperature makes a big difference to the outcome of the roast using the very same profile.

Happy roasting at home and saving money!