If you want to keep your machine in top condition the single most important thing you can do is descale it regularly. When water is heated up the solid particles in the water separate and form over the heating element and inside the coffee maker. In hard water areas this can happen at an alarmingly…
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How To Froth Milk For Coffee Like Cappuccino And Flat White Frothing milk is key to making many coffee drinks such as cappuccino, espresso, mocha, Americano, Latte, Macchiato, Flat White and others. If you’re young, enthusiastic about coffee and do not have the equipment for making these more complex and sophisticated kinds of coffees and…
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If you live in a hard water area it is a good idea to descale your espresso maker frequently as the build up can eventually cause a blockage and descaling becomes incredibly hard. A scaled machine makes poor coffee as flow and pressure are affected and in bad cases the heating element is almost ineffective.
A few weeks ago I found myself the proud owner of a milk allergy. I never realized how much it limited my choice when it comes to coffee leaving me with an Americano or espresso. I really like my Flat whites and Cortados, and sadly due to the amount of milk in them I am…
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The world loves coffee, so much so, that over 2 billion cups are consumed per day. In the United States and United Kingdom, overall coffee consumption has increased dramatically in the past 10 years, and show no signs of stopping. In the United States, the daily consumption of espresso based beverages has tripled since 2008,…
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Being able to pull perfect espresso shots is a skill every barista needs, but in order to pull such shots, one must perfect the art of tamping ground coffee in the portafilter. Note that this article is mainly for those not using super-automatic espresso machines that do the grinding, tamping, and pulling, all in one…
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While many coffee aficionados tend to stay away from instant coffee, it make up around 13% of all coffee consumed. And with there being over 100 million daily coffee drinkers in the United States alone, that 13% is quite substantial. Though, when comparing instant coffee to freshly ground and brewed coffee, there are tons of…
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First invented in the 1770’s in Britain, instant coffee wasn’t able to easily be produced in mass quantities until much later in 1910, when the instant coffee business started to really take off. There are two main ways that instant coffee is produced, the first uses dry hot air to absorb the moisture in the…
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Here is a list of our most frequently asked questions, in one easy reference page. The site expands on most of these topics further so please use the search function for more information.
When shopping for an espresso machine, among the millions of features advertised is the bar pressure rating of the machine, meaning how much pressure is used to force the water through the coffee grounds in the portafilter. Bars are a measurement of atmospheric pressure, so one bar of pressure is equal to the amount of…
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Let’s take a look at some commonly held myths about espresso and put some facts out there. 1. What is the crema, and why is it so obsessed over? Crema is the lighter cascading portion of an espresso shot, that slowly dissipates the longer the shot sits. Crema is responsible for a ton of the…
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Drip coffee makers come in all shapes and styles; from inexpensive models up to models up in the hundreds of dollars. One thing these different machines have in common though, is that they need to be descaled and deep cleaned every so often to ensure the quality of coffee is always high. If a coffee…
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When looking for a home or commercial espresso machine, it’s best to find one that suits your needs. And while a lot of the features that espresso machines offer can seem like complete jargon, understanding that jargon can be the difference between buying what you need and want, and buying something not suited for you.…
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For anyone looking to up their espresso without spending a ton of money, a bottomless or naked portafilter is one of the best ways to do so. A bottomless portafilter is essentially a normal portafilter, but without spouts, leaving the brew basket completely exposed. While it might not seem very different, the lack of spouts…
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Keeping coffee beans and grounds fresh is imperative to the overall flavor yielded by the desired brewer, meaning that fresh coffee is usually the best. One of the biggest threats to all kinds of coffee is humidity. When it comes to green coffee beans, too little humidity will cause the beans to dry out too…
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Camping coffee – cowboy coffee brewing! Making coffee yourself while traveling, especially while camping, is no easy feat. Either you have to travel light to avoid paying extra fees at the airport, or you lack the electricity to use a standard coffee pot. In any situation, here are a few ways you can make coffee…
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Coffee is expensive, especially good coffee. While it may not cost as much as a diamond ring, or put a hole in your wallet equivalent to filling the gas tank of a Hummer, everyone wants to have their coffee beans last as long as possible. Storing coffee is not as difficult as it may seem,…
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Here is a step by step guide to drinking coffee! To fully appreciate the coffee and assess it quality an expert will adopt a methodical approach and some of this method will allow you to fully appreciate every sip of coffee you take. Coffee tasting, or cupping as it also goes by, is the art…
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If your coffee has a very sour or bitter taste it could be down to the following factors. So if you are struggling to work out why your coffee tastes bitter or sour, read on and take note. However if you prefer lemons, vinegar, bitter greens and sour sweets then you can use this information…
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We often get asked how to make a good coffee. There is a wide variation on opinion as to what a good coffee actually is. However there are some priorities that you should pay attention to if you are serious about the quality of your coffee. For good coffee we recommend you focus on the…
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Foamed or frothed milk is a crucial part of some espresso based drinks, such as lattes and cappuccinos, seeing how it is often the only other ingredient involved. While just about all coffee shops steam their milk using an espresso machine, there are a few ways to do it at home that can yield steamed milk…
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Espresso machines are the heart and soul of the professional and home cafe world. But, much like cars, espresso machines of all makes and models require preventative maintenance to be done on them to ensure their lifespan. Be it the tiny steam powered espresso machine that can be purchased at any supermarket, or the kind…
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Espresso machines are the heart and soul of the professional and home cafe world, and are required to make high quality espresso based beverages from a standard latte or cappuccino, all the way to drinks similar to a mocha or an undertow.
For chocolate and coffee lovers around the world, the mocha is the ideal drink; a mix of smooth and sweet chocolate, coupled with decadent espresso shots, perfectly steamed milk, and topped off with whip cream. It is also a great introduction to coffee for those who are used to sweeter drinks.
Latte art: the beautiful designs made in espresso beverages that highlight the contrast between the white milk, and the dark espresso. The trend started around the 1980’s and 1990’s, and latte art has been a growing trend in the professional cafe business, and home barista. The chances are, if you frequently go to a cafe,…
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