Coffee Cat

How consistent is your coffee?

Espresso Coffee

Originally from Italy, espresso coffee is made by expressing or forcing a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans. The resultant coffee should be full of flavours in a concentrated form. Espresso is also the base for other drinks such as a caffè latte, cappuccino, caffè macchiato, caffè mocha, flat white, as well as short and long black coffees. There are major differences between the way coffee with milk and coffee without milk are made. Milked coffees are made by first putting the espressed coffee into the cup and then adding the frothed milk. Short and long black coffees you place the hot water in the cup and then float the coffee on top of that water. This helps preserve the crema.

Consistency is key

How many shots?

Most coffee shops these days use 120ml espresso/ piccolo cups, 240ml small latte, cappuccino and flat white cups as well as a larger size mug of 360ml. • When making piccolo's and macchiato's a ristretto (20-25ml) shot works best • Espresso requires a full shot (30ml) to ensure flavour is there but we aren't overpowering the coffee to milk ratio. • For 240ml cups use a single shot (30ml) as this ensures the milk to coffee ratio and gives a balanced cup of coffee. • For 360ml mugs a double shot (60ml) is used as we want to give some strength to the coffee.   Remember if customers want added strength then use a double shot (60ml) to increase the strength.

Tamping

Espresso is made by forcing very hot water under high pressure through finely ground compacted coffee. Tamping down the coffee promotes the water's even penetration through the grounds. Using a tamp allows the coffee in the filter basket to be evenly distributed before use in the espresso machine, as well as to compress the grinds. As a barista it is possible to control how much pressure is applied through tamping and this can be varied slightly to make adjustments to the pour time of your extraction. Consistency in tamping allows for the best possible flavours to be in the coffee. Following this simple guide will allow your coffee shop to serve consistent and flavoursome coffee to make sure that your customers come back satisfied every time.

Conti Espresso Machines

Conti Coffee Machines are designed and developed in Italy and built in France. Conti provide an extensive range of espresso machines, from the traditional compact espresso machines to the sophisticated multi-boiler Monte Carlo models.