A good cup of coffee is like fine wine and good quality cigars. There are various different types of coffee beans and these determine the flavors that the blend presents for the coffee connoisseur.
Many coffee makers blend a combination of the lower cost Robusta beans with the more expensive Arabica gourmet beans. The Arabica beans have a finer aroma, a richer flavor and more body than the less expensive beans.
The quality of the coffee is dependant on the proportions of the mix of these beans. Quite often a coffee might be advertised as a blend of gourmet beans and lower grade beans when in fact there are only small traces of the gourmet beans in the blend.
The gourmet beans gain much of their flavor from the soils they are grown in, with the best beans coming from the volcanic regions where the rich soils produce the best tasting beans.
Coffee should always be made from fresh beans as the quality diminishes rapidly with age. This is quite noticeable when comparing a supermarket grade coffee with a coffee made from freshly ground beans at a coffee shop. Bear in mind that the supermarket coffees generally have a lower blend quality and in many cases the blends also have a proportion of older beans to reduce the production costs.
The only way you can be assured of quality and taste is to buy fresh gourmet quality. Once you have acquired the taste for gourmet coffee you might never want to drink commercial grade coffee again.
You can buy coffee from many different regions throughout the world and each one has it’s own unique flavor.
Coffee aficionados can pick the region where the coffee bean was grown just by tasting it. The method of processing the beans also has an effect on the final flavor so you can’t always assume that a coffee will be good just because it came from a particular region.
Coffee is one of the world’s most popular beverages and more suppliers are catering to the needs of an ever-growing demand.
Many coffee makers blend a combination of the lower cost Robusta beans with the more expensive Arabica gourmet beans. The Arabica beans have a finer aroma, a richer flavor and more body than the less expensive beans.
The quality of the coffee is dependant on the proportions of the mix of these beans. Quite often a coffee might be advertised as a blend of gourmet beans and lower grade beans when in fact there are only small traces of the gourmet beans in the blend.
The gourmet beans gain much of their flavor from the soils they are grown in, with the best beans coming from the volcanic regions where the rich soils produce the best tasting beans.
Coffee should always be made from fresh beans as the quality diminishes rapidly with age. This is quite noticeable when comparing a supermarket grade coffee with a coffee made from freshly ground beans at a coffee shop. Bear in mind that the supermarket coffees generally have a lower blend quality and in many cases the blends also have a proportion of older beans to reduce the production costs.
The only way you can be assured of quality and taste is to buy fresh gourmet quality. Once you have acquired the taste for gourmet coffee you might never want to drink commercial grade coffee again.
You can buy coffee from many different regions throughout the world and each one has it’s own unique flavor.
Coffee aficionados can pick the region where the coffee bean was grown just by tasting it. The method of processing the beans also has an effect on the final flavor so you can’t always assume that a coffee will be good just because it came from a particular region.
Coffee is one of the world’s most popular beverages and more suppliers are catering to the needs of an ever-growing demand.
Making A Good Espresso
Drinking espresso has become a way of life for most people, particularly those who have heavy schedules and who take time out to relax with a cup of freshly brewed espresso or coffee.
Coffee is so popular it is believed that it comes next to water as a popular drink. The whole world loves a good cup of coffee that annual consumption can reach to as high as 400 billion coffee cups all over the world.
Most avid coffee or espresso drinkers can have a cup of espresso a day or even more, without knowing where this rousing beverage came from. That heavenly brew comes from coffee beans that are sourced from evergreen trees that are grown all over the world. The evergreen tree is widely grown in Latin America, Indonesia, Hawaii, Southeast Asia and in Africa.
While the word espresso may have come from an Italian word meaning express or fast, it really is a misnomer since espresso or brewed coffee have to undergo a process before one can enjoy its freshly brewed taste. To make a good espresso, one has to start with a good coffee variety that must have undergone proper grinding. A good espresso maker handled by a capable barista can yield an espresso that can taste heavenly. The goodness of an espresso can be determined even from its aroma alone.
Coffee drinkers who are serious about making good espresso should invest in a good espresso machine. Good espresso machines come in a variety of brands, sizes and prices. You need not spend more to get a good espresso machine because there are good espresso makers that are reason ably priced. When making the espresso, always remember to turn on the espresso machine and allow it to heat properly. Establishments that have fast espresso orders do not really put off their machines to make sure it is properly heated for every espresso order.
When buying coffee beans, it is better to grind them as you use them because keeping them even in a tight container after grinding can result to a loss of aroma. Attention should also be placed on the type of grinder being used, with conical burr grinders preferred than flat burr grinders. The grinder with a conical burr is preferred because it can grind the beans without heating them and lessening their aroma in the process.
While the kind of coffee beans used for the espresso must be chosen well, baristas should also make sure that only filtered water is used for the espresso as the water’s mineral content can affect the taste of the espresso.
When one finds a good coffee blend, the tendency is to buy more for storage. When you do this, do not commit the mistake of keeping coffee in the freezer or refrigerator. It is best to store them in a container that is foolproof and clean and place them in a dark and cool area.
Barista Competitions
A barista is a person who prepares coffee drinks in a coffee house as his or her profession and especially strives to create the perfect espresso. The barista possesses extensive knowledge on different kinds of beans and roasts and has the technical skills required to master the espresso machine.
Baristas consider the extraction of coffee as art and they actually perform in front of their customers each time they prepare an espresso, a cappuccino, a caffe latte or a caffe mocha. However, if they wish for larger audience and consider themselves as really talented they can consider competing in barista competitions. These events take place every year and they are held at local and national levels. The ultimate title to win is the World Barista Champion.
The World Barista Championship was first held in 2000 in Monte Carlo and it became quickly a public event where the best baristas from different countries battled for espresso making supremacy. The World Barista Championship takes place every year in a different country and the competitors are the winners of the national barista competitions.
In the United States the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) hosts several local barista competitions. There are ten regions, and each state has been assigned to a region. Local competitions are sponsored by businesses, and the winner of each of the local events has the chance to try to impress the jury at the US Barista Championship. There are many barista competitions in Europe and the United Kingdom. Canada, Australia and Central America also have barista competitions at the local, regional and national levels.
In a barista competition the judges have to assess both the contenders and the coffee drinks they make. The criteria based on which they score each barista involve the quality and taste of the beverage, personal presentation, technique and also the presentation of the coffee drink.
The baristas race against the clock as they are only allowed to perform for 15 minutes. They also have 15 minutes before the actual presentation to prepare with every detail for the show - ingredients like syrups, chocolate sprinkles or anything that you can think of except alcohol, cups, trays, blenders, mixers and portable burners. Contenders even roast their own coffee and bring it with them at the competition. After serving their drinks, baristas have 15 minutes to clean their station before they make room for another contestant. The espresso machines used in the competition are key to the taste of the coffee. The machines must be left absolutely clean and free from any impurities.
During the 15 minute performance interval baristas have to prove their skills by preparing 4 espressos, 4 cappuccinos and 4 signature drinks. Four sensory judges that have to decide on the quality of the drinks sample each one of the beverages. While preparing the beverages, the baristas have to present their work, give details about the ingredients they used to the audience and also treat the judges as customers in a coffee shop. One can only imagine the stress.
After the espressos and cappuccinos, which are finished with latte art - complicate designs drawn atop the cup with foamed milk by using the pitcher, the time comes for the signature drink. It is the competitor's original creation and this is where baristas reveal their creativity and skills combining roasts, syrups, steaming and frothing milk and using all sorts of ingredients and flavours that turn their beverages into savory works of art. The baristas can spend even months to invent this perfect drink that can bring them the victory in a competition.
Here are some examples of drinks that barista champions have invented:
- Troels Poulsen, the 2005 World Barista Championship winner, created a drink called ESB, as in "enhanced sensory balance" by combining melted pepper-gel, espresso and lavender syrup.
- Phuong Tran, the 2005 USA Barista Champion, was inspired by her childhood in creating the Crimson Sage, a drink made of sugar cane juice, white pepper powder and steamed milk infused with sage leaves. She said that as a child she loved drinking sugar cane juice with ice and she always dreamed of using it in a drink.
- Sammy Piccolo, the 2004 Canadian Barista Championship winner, created "Insieme" by using raw sugar, egg yolks, curry, bittersweet chocolate and milk.
- Bronwen Serna, USA Barista Champion of 2004, entitled her signature drink "Sweetness" because the main "secret" ingredient was honey. She also used dark chocolate powder and served it with a dark chocolate square.
Barista training
Well, perhaps after reading about the competition requirements it might be wise to brush up a bit on your skills. There are several ways to either get basic skills training as a barista or enhance your existing skills:
- Books and manuals. There are many books or manuals available that take you step by step through the processes of making an espresso, a cappuccino and other specialty coffee drink. The drawback is that you only have still pictures to look at which may make it difficult for beginners to see the details of the methods.
- Videos. These provide both visual modeling as well as commentary on how to produce the perfect cup of espresso.
- Training classes. There are training locations in most areas that offer courses that range from three hours to a full day on learning the secrets of a barista. Many of these programs also deal with how to care for the espresso machine and offer a certificate upon completion.
- Hands-on. Some experienced barista will offer personal training or mentoring for those interested in becoming a barista or in improving their skills.