Basic Coffee Concotions

Espresso

The literal meaning of the word "espresso" is "made on the spur of the moment". In Italy, it is chiefly used to describe coffee. It is the fresh extract of coffee. Espresso coffee should be served withing 20 seconds after it has poured.

Cappuccino

A standard Cappuccino is one part espresso with about three part of frothed milk. Cappuccino is more coffee and less milk using foam milk. The foam milk on top of the cappuccino acts as an insulator to help retain the heat of the liquid, allowing it to stay hotter longer.

Cafe Latte

Consistency is milkier than Cappuccino. One part espresso with at least five parts steamed milk and only a small amount of froth on top. Latte is less coffee and more milk and has latte art by the skills of the Barista.

Cafe Mocha

One part espresso with one part chocolate syrup and two to three parts of frothed milk. Optionally topped with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle.

Types of Espresso

Different Types of Espresso

• Ristretto Italian for "shortened". 

Espresso coffee drink extracted using less water, yielding a stronger taste. In some countries, referred to as a "short black".

• Lungo Italian for "long".

Espresso made by running about double the amount of water through the ground coffee. In some countries, referred as a "long black".

• Doppio Italian for "double".

Two measures of ground beans. In most English speaking countries, referred to as "double shot".

• Americano

Espresso coffee with additional hot water added to the extracted coffee.

• Corretto "corrected"

In which liquor, particularly "grappa" is added to the extracted espresso coffee.

Other Variations

• Espresso Con Panna

Espresso with a dollop of whipped cream

Con Panna means "with cream" in Italian

• Espresso Macchiato

Espresso with a dollop of milk foam. 

Macchiato means "marked" in Italian.

Espresso Extraction

Three things that affect extraction time

1. Dose - How much coffee you put in the portafilter
2. Tamp - How hard you pack the coffee in the portafilter
3. Grind - How fine or coarse the coffee is ground

Parts of Espresso

Espresso

The literal meaning of the word "Espresso" is "made on the spur of the moment". In Italy, it is chiefly used to describe coffee. When you ask for the "espresso" in a bar or restaurant, it always meant coffee. It is the fresh extract of coffee. Espresso should be served withing 20 seconds after it has poured.

Three Parts of an Espresso

1. Crema (Emulsion)- Produced when the oil gets emulsified by the pressure of the Espresso Machine.
2. Body (Suspension)- Particles and gas bubbles that are suspended in an espresso, helps inhibit the bitter flavor of the coffee.
3. Heart (Solution)- Water soluble elements.

Processing of Coffee

Dry Method

• The oldest, most natural and cheapest method.
• The fruits either dry on the tree or the tree is shaken or stripped.
• The ripe and unripe fruits are spread out, dried and shriveled under the sun.
• The beans are raked several times to make sure they dry evenly.
• The beans passes through a hulling machine to separate the skin from the beans.

Wet Method

• The beans are handpicked; fully ripened, quality beans.
• The beans are washed and water is gently sprayed over them to remove the pulp and any debris.
• Then they are dried in the sun and finally a hulling machine removes the protective silver skin that adheres to the beans surface.

History of Tea

Most of the greatest discoveries of the world happened unexpectedly, just like with the history of one of the world’s well loved beverage- TEA. 2737 BC, Sheng Nung, a Chinese Emperor, was boiling the water he was about to drink, when suddenly, a tea leaf fell into his water. The tea then was boiled together, when the Emperor, who happened to be a scientist too, noticed that the water became so tempting, exhilarating and refreshing. From that time on, he never drank a cup of water without boiling it with the tea leaf. And that accidental falling of a tea leaf gave way for the birth of traditional drinking of tea.

Camellia Sinensis

Tea is a beverage using dried leaves from a tree called Camellia Sinensis. People often thought that each type of tea came from different plants, but in reality, it all rooted to the plant of Camellia Sinensis.

Teas made from herbs, flowers or fruits are not actually teas. They do not contain Camellia Sinensis at all, and the caffeine content and the health benefits are not as same as with the real tea that came from the plant of Camellia Sinensis. These are called as “Tisanes”, often associated or called as tea simply because the method of steeping is also involved in its preparation.

Types of Tea

Generally, all kinds of tea originated from a single plant called Camellia Sinensis, these type of tea were differentiated after the processes it had undergone. The three basic types of tea are as follows:

Green Tea

It is steamed, rolled out on mats and heated

Oolong Tea

This type is the hybrid of green and black tea. To produce this type, leaves are wilted, withered, rolled out and semi-fermented.

Black Tea

 This type of tea has the highest caffeine content. Its leaves are fully fermented. Fermentation refers to the breaking down of chlorophyll which makes the leaves black (science calls this enzymatic oxidation).

Green Tea

Black Tea

Oolong Tea

Wine Storage

How Wines should be stored?

• In a horizontal position
• In a cool, still, dark and ventilated room
• Away from strong odors to ensure the wine does not become contaminated

Type of Wines

Wines - An alcoholic beverage that is produced from partial an/ or complete fermentation of the juice of fresh ripe grapes. Wine is usually fermented from grapes.

General Types of Wine

Table Wine

Appropriate with the main course. Includes still white, red, rose, blush or light white. They are called natural or still wines because they are produced out of natural fermentation.

Appetizer (Aromatized) Wine

Made at the same way as natural wines but during fermentation, aromatics are added. These types of wine have no production and no vintage. They are usually served as aperitif. Appetizer wine is usually served before meal to stimulate appetite.

Dessert or Fortified Wine

Appropriate after dinner or to complement a dessert. Includes sweet white table wines and fortified wines, examples are port wine and ice wine.

Sparkling Wine

Considered as "King of all Beverages". Its quality is perfected by a secondary fermentation in the bottle. It can be served any time. Example - Champagne.

History of Chocolate

History says that chocolate before started out as an alcoholic beverage, fit only for a king. The process used was same with the process of making wine. Anthropologists discovered a cacao residue on a pottery which appears that the sweet pulp of cacao fruit was fermented into an alcoholic beverage date back as far as 1400 AD. It was also believed that chocolates were served before as a spicy drink, flavored with chili powder. Ancient tribes in Central America serve this drink only to the most high rank officials and important visitors of their tribe.

The etymology of the term “chocolate” came from the Aztec word “xocoatl”, which refers to the frothy and bitter drink made from the cacao beans. The Latin name of the Cacao tree has a scientific name of Theobroma Cacao, which means "food for the Gods”.

Chocolate in the ancient period was also used as a monetary unit. 1000 AD, cocoa beans are used as a form of payment. Taxes are paid using these beans. Over the centuries, only the Kings and Queens can afford to drink this and the poor cannot. Cocoa beans are also used as a unit of calculation. Like for example, 100 cocoa beans can bought a slave, 10 cocoa beans can bought the services of a prostitute and four cocoa beans got you a rabbit for dinner. After 30 years, the price of rabbit was equal to 100 cocoa beans, and one single cocoa bean could buy a ripe avocado or tomato.

When chocolate reached Spain, it was first called “the bitter drink for the pigs”. Spaniards did not like it spicy, until the Spanish Princess Anna tried drinking it with sugar. Chocolate then became a famous drink to them, and again, only the elite and royalties could enjoy.

Health Benefits of Coffee

Researches indicates that coffee provides protective effects for the following conditions:

Asthma

Drinking coffee can help to control asthma and in some cases can also be used to treat an asthma attack when conventional medication is not available.

Colon Cancer

Two or more cups of coffee per day can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 25%

Gallstones

The likelihood of developing gallstones is decreased nearly 50% by drinking at least two cups of coffee per day.

Headache

Coffee cures or diminishes some types of headaches.

Live Cirrhosis

The risk for this condition is reduced by 80% with the ingestion of two or more cups of coffee each day

Parkinson’s Disease

Six studies have found that regular (caffeinated) coffee drinkers reduced their risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by as much as 80%.

Tooth Decay

A compound in coffee called Trigonelline has adhesive and antibacterial properties, which helps prevent cavities.

Diabetes (Type 2)

A Harvard longitudinal study of 126,000 people found that one to three cups of caffeinated coffee per day can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by less than 10%, while six or more cups per day reduces women’s risk by 30% and men’s by 54%. Drinking decaffeinated coffee reduces the risk of diabetes by approximately half that achieved  with caffeinated coffee.

Coffee Cupping

Cupping

This is the traditional method of tasting coffee, just as in wine tasting, it uses all of the sense of smell and taste to determine the overall quality and flavor of coffee. A typical day of cupping can include 24 to 75 different cups.

How to Taste Coffee

1. Begin by getting your nose as close to the coffee as possible  Draw in a steady and very deep breath through your nose, slowly exhale and repeat. What do you smell?
2. Let coffee cool to about 120-140 F
3. Loudly slurp the coffee in your mouth. The intention is to spray coffee over your tongue while drawing air in with the coffee. This action will bring the olfactory senses back into play. Make note of the body. Repeat.
4. Again, slurp the coffee into your mouth concentrating on the tingle at the side of your tongue  Make note of the acidity level. Repeat.
5. Slurp the coffee again. What does it tastes like? Repeat.
6. Let the coffee cool more and taste again.

Decaffeination

Caffeine

Caffeine is a mild central nervous system stimulant, found in over 60 pieces of plants and trees. Caffeine takes effect approximately five minutes after digestion, reaching its peak effectiveness level 20-30 minutes. The body clears itself of caffeine within three to sic hours.

Decaffeination

This is the removal of caffeine from the beans

A coffee must have 97% of its caffeine removed in order to qualify as decaffeinated coffee

The Swiss Water Method

The Swiss Water Method uses a patented "Flavor Protection Process" that maintains the full flavor of each and every bean. Consumers also care about naturally decaffeinated coffee. Swiss Water is all natural, using only pure water and guaranteed to be 100% chemical free.

Roasting Scale

The batch system is being used with four different degrees of roast. This allows us to find the perfect roasting temperature and time for each specific bean. It also allows unique system of quality control.

American Robusta

Commonly referred to as Medium Roast, chestnut brown in color. It is delicate with stringer flavor overtones. It is an excellent roast level by itself and tends to be more acidic than the darker roasts.

Italian

The darkest roast, giving the bean a very dark color and a shiny oily surface. This roast produces a brew that is rich, assertive and extremely flavorful. While this exquisite looking coffee has a much more intense flavor; it is lower in acid than lighter roasted coffees.

Viennese

The roast used for special coffee blends. It is a medium to dark roast. This roast uses beans that are roasted or on average length of time but a slightly higher temperature at the end of the roast. The result is a full-bodied but never bitter cup of coffee. It is an excellent all purpose coffee or base for blends.

French

It is a dark roast- very dark brown with an oily surface. It gives the coffee a complex taste, which is highly flavored for both its strength and bittersweet flavor. Because the beans are roasted at a higher temperature, the aromatic oils within the bean are further developed and drawn to the surface of the bean where they caramelize and turn in deep, rich brown.

Kopi Luak

Kopi is the Indonesian word for coffee, and Luak is the local name of the Asian Palm Civet Cat (paradoxurus hermaphroditus), also known as Toddy Cat, is a nocturnal omnivore found in Southeast Asia and China.

Kopi Luak or Civet Coffee is made from coffee berries which have bean eaten by and passed through the digestive tract of the Asian Palm Civet. The civet digests the soft outer part of the coffee cherry but does not digest the inner beans, these undigested beans are picked from its drippings, cleaned, washed, dried and made into coffee. The theory is that the enzymes in the civet's stomach do things to give them great flavor.

The resulting coffee is said to be like no other. It has a rich, heavy flavor with the hints of caramel or chocolate. Other terms used to describe are earthy, mushy and exotic. The body is almost syrupy and it is very smooth. 

It is the most expensive coffee in the world, selling US $50 per cup, and almost US $600 per pound.

Arabica and Robusta

Arabica Coffee, also known as "Coffee Shrub of Arabia" represents 75% of the world's coffee production. It is generally grown on high plains at altitudes above 4,000 feet. Robusta, a lower quality bean, grows at lower altitudes, ranging from sea level to 4,000 feet.

The Arabica bush takes approximately five years to mature and is harvested at most two times per year. The Robusta bush on the other hand reaches maturity in approximately two years and is harvested up to four times per year. The Robusta is more resilient, bears more cherries, is more resistant to disease and has higher yield. For those reasons, the Robusta is more commonly used and is the cheapest coffee.

The Art of Hand-Picking Coffee Cherries

Each cherry must be picked at exactly the right time and handled with extreme care to deliver the highest quality and full-flavored coffee. The pickers must have a great deal of expertise because the difference between a ripe cherry and an over-ripe one can mean as little as two or three days. Over ripe cherries are purplish in color, and if left on the tree too long, will begin to ferment. Once fermented, they are known as "stinkers". A coffee that has been picked before it has fully ripened is called "quaker".

It takes approximately 2,000 handpicked cherries to create one pound of coffee depending on the type, size and density of the bean.

The Cultivation of Coffee

Coffee tree grows at altitudes between sea level and 6,000 feet. The global location is between the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, also called the "coffee belt". Botanically, the coffee can grow as high as 10 feet. It is kept trimmed to facilitate harvesting methods. Arabica tress are left to mature for a five-year period before they are put into production. Numerous stages of development occur simultaneously.

The Emergence of Coffee as a Beverage

Coffee first emerged in the form similar to tea today. The leaves from coffee shrubs were boiled in water and the liquid was consumed "black."

This preparation technique gave way to the use of cherries and later the roasted seeds of cherries known as coffee beans.

It did not take long for the opportunity of coffee to spread, and as a result a great demand was created for drink.

Coffee is both functional beverage as well as a sensual experience. An understanding of the romance and history of coffee is integral to truly enjoy a fine cup of coffee. Few people realize the history they hold in their cup.

The Barista

Barista is a person who is highly skilled in coffee preparation with a comprehensive understanding of coffee, coffee blends, espresso, quality, coffee varieties, roast degree and espresso equipment.

Making quality espresso is both art and science. It requires care and consciousness on the part of the operator. In Italy, the title "Barista" refers to a person who prepares espresso coffee. The title is only earned through proven skill and experience and is considered an honorable profession.

A professional Barista is not only skilled in the preparation of espresso beverages, but is also a theatrical performer whose 'show' includes:

• the sights
• the sounds
• the aroma of extracting the espresso brew
• the mixing and garnishing of ingredients

The History of Coffee

The History and development of the beverage called "coffee" has come from 1,300 years of violence, piracy, pilgrims, warriors, smugglers and politics, which contributed to a cup of your cappuccino being what it is today.

Most popular is the Legend of Kaldi, a third century monk and a goat herder living in Ethiopia. He happened to notice that his goats would get hyperactive after eating the red cherries from a certain plant. He tried a few himself and was soon as overactive as his herd. Hearing about Kaldi's new fruit, other monks were said to use it to keep them awake during long hours of praying.

A few hundred years later, coffee crossed the Red Sea to Arabia. Wherever the Islam traveled, coffee went to - North Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean, and India.

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How to Evaluate the Quality of Coffee Beans

• Color
• Appearance
• Aroma
• Flavor/ Taste
• Freshness
• Type of Grind

Methods Used in Evaluating the Quality of Coffee

• Use of visual and other sensory means including smelling and tasting coffee
• Customer Feedback
• Consistency of Product

What Makes a Good Coffee

• Water - filtered, measured, calibrated
• Coffee Beans - freshly gound
• Espresso Machine - Clean and in good condition
• Dose/ Grind - 7 grams per shot; sand like texture
• Barista - must be confident, consistent and accurate