The making of espresso is both a science and an art. Over the years they have found that precision is required to make a great espresso. There are four factors that affect the making of a great shot. They are also called the four M’s.
The first factor is Macinazione or the proper grinding of the beans. Great baristas in fact will only grind beans for an espresso right before using them. 30 seconds after they have been ground, the beans are already too stale for a good espresso. The proper grind is between fine and powdery. The grind has to be uniform in order to insure the best taste. Instant powder will definitely make an awful espresso.

The second factor is Miscela or the coffee blend. Good beans means better tasting coffee. Perfectly logical, right?

The third factor is the Macchina or the espresso machine. Thanks to many inventors, you now have eay to use tools to help you make your espresso. But it will not magically make perfect espresso if you don’t know how to use it properly. The Rancilio Silva is considered the best by most espresso lovers but feel free to shop around til you find the machine that you are comfortable with.

The last factor is Mano or the skill of the barista – that means you. More than half the battle is knowing how to use your equipment properly. You need to know how to properly fill your filter basket. Some espresso lovers will tell you to tamp the ground coffee, others will tell you not to. Like all skills, making the perfect espresso takes practice so that your every espresso shot has that beautiful crema that is the mark of true espresso.

Coffee grounds have been used for so many things in the past few years. Ever since it became the “in” thing to be conscious about the environment and our impact on it, every little thing has been scrutinized to see how it can be re-used. Coffee grounds were not exempt. Even Starbucks and other coffee shops came up with their programs to help get rid of their used coffee grounds and have them used for a good purpose.

But I never thought that I would live to see a clothing line based on material made from coffee grounds! This is the brainchild of Jason Chen, the general manager of Singtex Industrial Company, a Taiwanese company. Chen was having a cup of coffee at – you guessed it – Starbucks when the idea came to him.

Now, Singtex gathers used coffee grounds to use in their line of sportswear. So how do they do this?

I have no idea how fabric is made, but according to The Guardian, the process is much like how they turn bamboo into a viscose-like substance:

The resultant fabric is soft, light, flexible and breathable and can also be used to produce an outer shell that is water resistant. It’s impregnated with ‘activated’ carbon, derived from coconut, which makes it UV-resistant, wicks water away, keeps the wearer cool and binds to sweat to eliminate unpleasant odours.

I don’t know how they do it but it sounds good to me! Even better, they say that you only need about one cup of coffee grounds to make several T-shirts! Amazing, isn’t it?

For now, I have one compelling reason to get one. You see, I went on vacation about three weeks ago and once again, I was reminded of one of my pet peeves: the hotel didn’t have brewed coffee. Can you believe that? I had no choice, so for the next 6 days, I was drinking instant coffee.

Then it hit me. I should just get a French press and bring it with me every time I go on vacation! You see, I like going to “exotic” locations where brewed coffee is not a daily need. I had already considered taking a small drip machine before but I would probably have problems at the airport. Perhaps a French press would be easier to lug around.

Aside from that fact though, what other reasons are there for me to get a French press?

The answer lies in the flavor of the drink that is made from a French press. Anyone who drinks drip coffee machine every day and then suddenly tries a brew made with a French press will know this: coffee made from the latter is definitely stronger and has more flavor. So, aside from being able to make coffee in a relatively simpler way, you also get to produce a more flavorful brew.

I think I am convinced. I shall take a look around when I get the chance and find me a good French press. Suggestions anyone? (Oh, and please don’t tell me to go to Starbucks to get one.)

Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephencarlile/487699768/sizes/s/

Yesterday, the baristas at the Buena Vista Café in San Francisco attempted to make the world’s largest Irish coffee. As can be expected, they want to set a world record. So what went into this gigantic drink?

Let’s see – 10 liters of whiskey (almost 10 liters, that is), 10 gallons of coffee, a gallon of heavy cream, and over 4 pounds of sugar. This concoction was served in a giant glass, which is 3 feet tall. Its capacity is 12 gallons. Naturally, this glass was specially made for the event, with a tap at the bottom to make for easier serving.

The Mercury News has this report:

“We took the same ration that we’d put in a 6-ounce glass and converted it to a 12-gallon glass,” Carden said.

The drink was initially going to be 15 gallons, but the cafe chose a 12-gallon glass to help keep the proportions and shape of the glass in line with the traditional Irish coffee they serve.

“It looks like a giant replica,” said cafe manager Larry Silva.

The unveiling of the Irish coffee happened around 1 p.m. today and it took about 20 minutes for four bartenders to pour the ingredients in the glass.

“Everybody went wild,” Carden said of the crowd when the drink was revealed.

Attendees of the cafe’s 56th Irish coffee anniversary celebration were given drinks from the huge glass, which had a tap at the bottom.

Bartenders added cream to the top of each individual glass served.

Guinness needs time to review the materials supporting the record setting attempt but I sure hope they get it.

I have always perceived myself as a simple person. Even when it comes to coffee, I do not really pay that much attention to the technicalities – temperature, timing, and so on. All I know is that if a cup of coffee tastes good to me, then I am happy.

Purists would certainly scoff at my attitude but I am sure that they would be happy to know that there is new technology that has been developed to enable average people to brew coffee perfectly. Dubbed the ExtractMoJo(TM), the technology “combines a sophisticated coffee analytics software application and a specially designed, hand-held digital refractometer that enables users to quickly and simply calibrate their existing equipment to brew coffee that meets high quality, internationally recognized Gold Cup standards with cup-to-cup consistency.”

This was developed by the George Howell Coffee Company and free trial software is available at http://software.terroircoffee.com. So basically, you still need brewing equipment. The product is merely a tool to help you calibrate what existing equipment that you have.

ExtractMoJo includes the ability to design, save, chart, print and recall unlimited coffee brewing recipes. ExtractMoJo improves coffee quality dramatically, allowing users to keep extraction and strength to the desired ranges, for consistently great tasting coffee without the guesswork and limitations of former techniques.

I guess that’s me – the guesswork part, that is. I do not know if I would be able to use this software. Perhaps those who operate cafes and restaurants might find better use for it than I would. Would you buy this software?

In the last post, we took a look at how the Middle Easterns brew their coffee. Soon after that, I went around the city looking for Turkish coffee – well not really, I just looked online for shops that brew coffee this way. I turned up with nothing. Perhaps I should look for the restaurants later – they just might offer this kind of coffee. Anyhow, here are a couple more brewing techniques, again courtesy of Alexander Haas.

Concentrate Brewing
The next method, concentrate brewing, is very popular in Latin America and some other parts of the world, and is starting to make a commercial appearance in the US. In concentrate brewing, large amounts of coffee are brewed with little water to brew a concentrate, when one desires a cup of coffee, some of the concentrate is mixed with some hot water. The concentrate can either be brewed hot or cold. When brewing cold one must let the coffee sit for at least a day. This method results in a mild, light-bodied cup with little aroma, and often little acidity and a muted flavor.

This sounds interesting as well – although I don’t know if the flavor will be strong enough.

Percolating
Percolating, the procedure that involves continuous brewing of coffee grounds using boiling water which then turns to boiling coffee liquor brewing overextracted grounds. This method, while practical, is a disparaging disgrace to the coffee bean. Even brewing with boiling water is bad enough (coffee should be extracted at 195 – 205 degrees F), then actually boiling the liquor is asking for a thin, bitter, tarry cup. To add insult to a sufficient mangling, the grounds are continuously being overextracted.

I am not so sure that this method is so bad. I actually like coffee which is percolated, do you?

I am sure that you know that there are various ways by which you can brew coffee. But do you know them in detail? I certainly don’t! All I know is that my drip coffee machine works just fine. I found a very informative article on various coffee brewing techniques and thought I’d share them here.

Thanks to Alexander Haas for this information. According to him, there are 6 primary ways of brewing coffee. Here they are.

Middle Eastern, “Turkish” or “Greek”
Middle Eastern, “Turkish” or “Greek” brewing involves boiling in water coffee that was ground into a very fine dust. Traditionally the coffee is often brewed (boiled) with large amounts of sugar, but it may be brewed without the sugar. Middle Easterners seem to like to add spice to their coffee, and their spice of choice is often cardamom. The coffee is not filtered from the liquor and one is left with a pungent, thick, and muddy brew. In the western world this method is more of an occasional indulgence as opposed to an everyday brew.

I have read about how the Middle Easterners like their brew really thick. I have not tried it myself but I am not sure about having grounds in my drink. The spices, however, make sense. I have only added cinnamon to my coffee but am open to other stronger spices. How about you?

Let’s look at other methods of brewing next time.

We have been hearing about these Clover machines for quite some time now. Supposedly, they make use of a distinct way of brewing coffee. Proponents of these machines – and some people who have tasted coffee brewed by them – say that once you have tried “Clover coffee”, you will never want any other kind of coffee ever. I cannot say that I agree as I have never tried coffee made by a Clover machine but hey, I would want to try one!

Anyway, despite the recent spate of news that Starbucks is in dire straits, it seems that the coffee giant is still alive and kicking. Though they have closed numerous stores all over the world, they are still in the process of revitalizing their product line. The news is that they have developed a new line of coffee specially made for the Clover machine. Before you get excited, you have to know that these special coffee will NOT be available in all of the Starbucks stores. Apparently, only 10 stores in Seattle will have them, plus about 30 stores in Boston, and some stores in San Francisco. If you are not from any of these areas, good luck to you!

So will this new line of coffee and the special Clover machine make Starbucks coffee better? I am sure that you will get different responses from different people. Those who already like Starbucks on the outset will definitely say yes while purists who have a dislike for the chain will most definitely say no.

Let us know if you ever get to taste these special brews yourself!

We’re all familiar with the English tea ceremony but have you heard of the Ethiopian coffee ceremony? You probably already know that Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee. Naturally, they have some sort of ceremony to celebrate the wonders of this brew.

The Ethiopian coffee ceremony is part of their culture. In fact, whenever they entertain visitors, the ceremony is required. So how does it go?

Emily Doyle explains the ceremony:

The ceremony is usually conducted by one young woman, dressed in the traditional Ethiopian costume of a white dress with coloured woven borders. The long involved process starts with the ceremonial apparatus being arranged upon a bed of long scented grasses. The roasting of the coffee beans is done in a flat pan over a tiny charcoal stove, the pungent smell mingling with the heady scent of incense that is always burned during the ceremony. The lady who is conducting the ceremony gently washes a handful of coffee beans on the heated pan, then stirs and shakes the husks away.

When the coffee beans have turned black and shining and the aromatic oil is coaxed out of them, they are ground by a pestle and a long handled mortar. The ground coffee is slowly stirred into the black clay coffee pot locally known as ‘jebena’, which is round at the bottom with a straw lid. Due to the archaic method used by Ethiopians, the ground result can be called anything but even, so the coffee is strained through a fine sieve several times.

The youngest child is then sent out to announce when it is to be served and stands ready to bring a cup of coffee first to the eldest in the room and then to the others, connecting all the generations. The lady finally serves the coffee in tiny china cups to her family, friends and neighbours who have waited and watched the procedure for the past half-hour.

I have never experienced such a ceremony but just the thought of being part of one makes me want to go to Ethiopia.

How does one even begin to describe the joys associated with this bean, this brew? I honestly don’t know! Perhaps the best way would to be go ahead and concoct your own brew and share it with friends as you lounge around on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Or maybe, you can get this book by Corby Kummer and give it as a gift!

The Joy Of Coffee: The Essential Guide to Buying, Brewing, and Enjoying has been around for quite some time now. It has been recently updated and revised, though, to keep up with the changing landscape of the world of coffee. This book is an easy read with roundabouts 300 pages. From the growing of the beans to buying to roasting, storing, and brewing – all of these things are presented by Kummer.

I like how Kummer pays attention to the minutest details in his book as he recounts his experiences over the past several decades. I think it is his unique and authentic experience and knowledge that gives his book an edge over the countless other printed materials on coffee available in the market today. In the book, Kummer also shares tons of recipes which the average person – like you and me – can try out at home. For me, that is one of the best aspects of The Joy of Coffee.

So what are you waiting for? You can get a copy on Amazon for only about $10. Alternatively, if you want a preview before getting your own copy, you can check out Google Book Search.