Every Day I Learn Something New About Coffee

Posted by Paddy on 10/08/2011

I still see myself as 'the new kid on the block' when it comes to coffee, Scott and I set up Paddy and Scott's five years ago and it was initially a very steep learning curve but what amazes me is every day I learn something new about coffee. Yesterday we had a company Barista day where, Oz, who makes probably the finest cup of coffee I know, updated us on the latest techniques in serving that perfect cup of coffee. We dabbled with latte art, were given a science lesson on the properties of milk and how temperature can effect its taste and texture and learnt about the more specialty coffees that are mainly found in Europe.

My main skill is in the roasting process so I can talk for ages about why our All day Coffee is milder and totally different in flavour to our stronger Great with Friends blend. It is not just the fact that the beans are from different continents but also that the roast times and temperature vary!! However, I have enormous respect for the art of a Barista as, like a golf shot, unless everything is perfect, it can ruin the best coffee in the world, however well we have roasted it.

Here are just a few snippets of coffee wisdom from Oz!!

1. Make sure that The Espresso Cup has been warmed with boiling water, if it is cold prior to pouring the espresso it will be luke warm within minutes.

2. Coffee Beans once ground will start going stale within minutes so only grind enough coffee required for the drinks being made.

3. To help get that perfect froth you must start with chilled milk and also if possible a chilled frothing jug.

Also we learnt about two drinks you do not see very often in The UK:

1.  A Ristretto- This is half a single shot (0.5oz or 15mL) of espresso. It is also known as a "short black" in other   parts of the world and a "Corto" in Italy. Because it is not a full espresso it is usually a more dense syrupy coffee.

2.  A Cortado – This is a single shot of espresso with a small amount of hot milk. The Cortado should always be served in a 150–200 ml (5–7 fl oz) glass and the milk should only be steamed; maybe a little foam settles to the top but the essence of the drink must be steamed milk.

So, next time you order a coffee, do not get confused by The Barista with their talk of skinny decaf single shot layered latte’s, blind them with your knowledge of what makes that perfect cup of coffee and then order a Caffe Con Panna and see their blank look!!