PREPARATION

Just as there are different people, there are different preferences and tastes. It's the same with coffee. With us you will find your optimal coffee for your arbitrary and favorite preparation method. And you'll probably learn something new, too :-)

THE RIGHT GRIND

The goal is to not to allow the water to pass through too quickly, but at the same time, not make the grind so fine that your machine won’t be able to force the water through without straining.

The flow of the coffee when being extracted should be steady and even, from both apertures in the filter. If the beans are ground too coarsely, the flow will be too fast, ergo, zero crema. Likewise too finely ground & the flow will be too slow or very little flow causing the pump to strain.

BIALETTI

First, fill the water container with warm water, then fill the strainer with the "Crema Ground" and press lightly (a spoon is enough, no tamper is necessary). Then place the pot on the stove at medium temperature. As soon as a hissing sound is heard, remove the pot from the stove and wait until all the water has been pushed up by the residual heat.

AEROPRESS

First, insert the paper filter and rinse with enough water to prevent the paper flavor from ending up in the coffee. Put 35g of ground coffee in the Aeropress and pour almost boiling water (95°C, 250ml) within 20-30 seconds. Then stir with a spoon for about 20 seconds, put on the filter and turn the Aeropress upside down and slowly press down.

FILTER COFFEE

Pour the ground coffee (18g) into the filter. Then pour approx. 45ml of water (93°C) in a circle from the inside to the outside over the ground coffee and wait 30 seconds so that it moistens evenly (blooming). Then slowly pour the rest of the water again in a circle from the inside to the outside. After 150 seconds, the coffee should be completely brewed.

When using a paper filter, rinse it with 200 ml of water before use so that the coffee does not take on the taste of paper.

FRENCHPRESS

Recipe for 800ml:

Pre-rinse the container with hot water so that it is preheated. Then add the "Crema Ground" (52g) and pour with almost boiling water (let the kettle stand for 30 seconds after boiling, then the optimal temperature of 96°C is reached). After pouring, stir the coffee and put the lid on and press down a little so that all the coffee is extracted and not just floating on top. After about 3 ½ minutes, stir two to three times and skim off the foam, then press the strainer down slowly and evenly. Serve the coffee immediately afterwards, otherwise it will continue to extract and thus also become bitter.

«Coffee must be hot as hell, black as the devil, pure as an angel, sweet as love.»

Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand (1754 - 1838)

ESPRESSO MACHINE / PORTAFILTER COFFEE MACHINE

THE PERFECT CREMA

‘Crema’ is important as it is the essence of good espresso. Crema consists of caramelized coffee sugars and coffee proteins. It will be formed only when you brew your coffee at the right pressure and right temperature using good quality beans. There will be a fair amount of trial & error in your quest for the perfect espresso. Our advice is to not be afraid to change things up – you may need to vary your beans, the way you grind & the pressure you apply when tamping. Only practice will make perfect.

THE RIGHT GRIND

The goal is to not to allow the water to pass through too quickly, but at the same time, not make the grind so fine that your machine won’t be able to force the water through without straining. Two ways of achieving this. The Fineness of the bean grind or the tamping of the beans in the filter

Our recommendation: 25 seconds of extraction time, 9 gram of grounded coffee for an espresso, 19 gram for an espresso doppio. With a extracted coffee weight of 22-25ml for a single shot.

TAMPING AND EXTRACTION

This is the process of pressing down on the ground coffee in the filter. This action is done with a tool called a ‘tamper’. The tamper should fit snuggly into the filter. You must ‘tamp’ with even pressure (approx. 30kg). The aim is to achieve an even and consistent flow of the water through the coffee. If the coffee is pressed unevenly, the water will find its way through gaps in the coffee, resulting in a fast flow & without good extraction.

The temperature of the water has to be hot enough to caramelize the sugars in the coffee to produce the crema. The optimal temperature range is around 89 to 96 degrees Celsius. For effective brewing, you will need pressure of at least 9-10 bars to get a good crema.

FOAMING

You will need a stainless-steel jug. The jug needs to be large enough to accommodate the expansion of the milk as you steam it. To get the best result use full fat milk straight from the fridge. We recommend 3.5% fat.

The idea in steaming the milk is to “volumize” it, this is done through adding tiny air bubbles to the milk, called “microbubbles”. Place the tip of the steam wand from your espresso machine just a little below the surface of the milk – approx. 1cm. The absolute aim is to suck air into the milk by forming a whirlpool near the top. It is important that you do not have the tip of the steam wand above, or to close to the surface of the milk, causing steam to blow air into the milk.

Its all about technic.

Tilt the jug slightly so the air being sucked into the milk is hitting the side of the jug near the bottom. At this point the milk should rotate allowing even heat distribution & contact with the steam as it circulates around the jug.

By the time the milk has come to the correct temperature 65-70 degrees it should be volumized with tiny micro-bubbles to the extent that it has almost doubled in volume. If however there are a few large bubbles resting at the top of the milk, simply remove them by banging the jug a couple of times on the bench top to dissipate.

LATTE ART

The technic of latte art is very complex. First you should start by gently pouring a thin stream of milk into the cup, forcing the espresso to mix fully with the milk. Secondly change the angle of the cup in your hand and pour foam on top of the mixture of coffee and milk.