Zen and the art of Espresso - the steps to serving great coffee from seed to cup!

Espresso Principles : what makes a fine espresso?
3 key elements : the beans / the machines / the barista skills

beans

quality of blend / freshness

machine

clean, well serviced machine working at the correct pressure and temperature.
clean grinder with sharp blades and set to dose correctly.

barista skills

 crucial to extracting the best pour and ensuring a fine espresso is served.
Barista Skills Development - 3 areas to understand before making espresso coffees
the grind || the pour || and milk frothing.


1. Grinder grind set correctly: check fineness of the grind
dose set correctly: at 7-8 gms per serve.
tamp set correctly: to suit grind. Press and twist down for a polished surface.

check for clean lugs on the group handle before inserting in group head.
2. The Pour length: 1/3 of a cup. 30 - 45 ml max. for an espresso
(Use this espresso length as the basis for ALL coffees.)
time: 20 - 25 seconds
visual: thick golden orange/brown streaky crema.

The coffee should pour "like honey off the back of a spoon" - not gushing out like water. Stop the pour when it starts to look white. i.e before the coffee tastes bitter from over extracting.

There should be a thick, solid crema on top of the black liquid.
Little or no crema = bad pour.

Do not serve a coffee without a fabulous solid, golden crema. Give to staff or save for iced coffees.

note - the first 2-4 coffees poured for the day are usually not the best
the machine is not hot enough.

Demonstrate
extraction of the pour changing over time using 3-4 glasses.

over extraction, e.g long black - too long a pour, or too fine a grind, or over dosed or tamped.

under extraction - grind too coarse, stale coffee or under dosed or under tamped.
3. Milk Frothing
  • Select size of jug to suit number of coffees making at one time
    (suggest 1 litre medium size)
  • Keep cold in the fridge
  • 1/3rd full only of fresh cold milk
  • refer to milk frothing tips sheet

Demonstrations and practice of espresso drinks
Practice milk frothing and making different coffees: try
machiato, espresso doppio, double shot espresso, long black, latte, layering espresso over milk or water based drinks, cappuccino, mocha and flat white coffees.
Machine Maintenance
& Cleaning		 Grinder - empty at the end of day, store extra coffee in airtight container.

Wipe down weekly as oil builds up and goes rancid.
Check regularly for grinder wear. Grains should be of consistent size.

Machine - Keep clean at all times!
 A clean machine = a well functioning machine = untainted coffee
Wipe down and rinse around the group heads, steam wand and drip tray all day long.
Back flush anytime with water, using the blind filter basket.
Nightly backflush with the cleaning powder, using half a teaspoon and flushing until all the dirty 'backflushed' water turns clear. Then rinse until no residual bubbles are in the blind filter.
Soak filters and filterholders and removed showerscreens in a jug of hot water with a half teaspoon of espresso cleaner - to keep rancid oils from turning black and clogging up the holes.