GENERAL MANAGEMENT - THE ESPRESSO COFFEE EMPORIUM - MOKAFLOR COFFEE IMPORTERS AUSTRALIA.

In recent years, the Philippines, Indonesia, became very famous in the world of coffee to the Kopi Luwak, the famous coffee made with grains eaten and is fermented in the Luwaks intestine, an Asian rodent.

But the vein of discovery by this Asian nation doesn’t end here, given that one of the latest news in the world of coffee comes from there. A novelty really bizarre, yet for us Italians should not be so strange. This is the coffee, corn coffee, or maize. To produce it the beans are roasted, which with the roasting, aroma and flavor of “roasted” ending up to looking like, coffee.

As I said, for us Italians this should not be so strange, given that since the 1930s, another cereal, barley was created and sold using the same motivations that Filipinos promote with their corn coffee: the fact that it is caffeine-free and that it is healthy …is a bonus, but, ah, well, you may be also aware that Indonesia also produces the strongest coffee in the world ….so a healthy corn coffee is an added bonus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ0e8qn6HCA

Next dates for our school at MOKAFLOR HQ in Florence Italy, on espresso and cappuccino perfection! You can find the new dates here

As always are full immersion courses for a day, from 10 to 17 with no more than 5 members.

The program of the latte art course includes a brief theoretical part in which he talks about the right milk, the right mix of coffee cappuccino (exist, a cappuccino made with coffee bad feels!) of milk to the milk just art. Then follows a long part practice that mounting of milk you care the versaggio to get the basic figures: the heart and the leaf, and learn the basic rules that will allow us to do the other figures like the Dragon and the butterfly. All with the help of video and the “dry” technique.

For those who were interested in the world of Coffee quality course the program is as follows:

• History and geography of coffee
• Botany and plant knowledge
• Systems for collecting and processing.
• Picking and stripping. Natural and washed method
• Roasting and Blending. How do I create a mixture
• Knowledge and maintenance of machines
• The preparation of the espresso, grinding and pressing coffee
• Introduction to wine tasting coffee; taste of some coffee in single source for its organoleptic differences. The sweetness of the central body of the Indonesians.
• Cappuccino in theory and in practice. The frame of the Italian latteLe classic preparations: latte macchiato, Café latte, espresso macchiato etc.The latte art.
• Video, “dry” technique and a lot of practice for the realization of the leaf, the heart and the Dragon.

For any interest in course please contact Gabriele at gabriele@mokaflor.it

You can find reviews and opinions about our school here:

http://www.tripadvisor.it/Attraction_Review-g187895-d1182366-Reviews-Espresso_Academy-Florence_Tuscany.html

THE BARISTA, FOR I-PHONE

2, March 2011 by gabriele (English Translation : Marcello from The Espresso Coffee Emporium - Mokaflor Coffee Australia)

INDIAN MONSONATO COFFEE

18, February 2011 by gabriele (English Translation Marcello Iozzi - The Espresso Coffee Emporium)

The dream of many people who come to our latte art courses is to begin a journey that takes them to participate in competitions for latte art, decorated cappuccinos taking place at various levels, from regional Championships & World Championships held this year in London.

But like the competitors, these competitions develop themselves?

Many guys/girls expect to be awarded only for the beauty of the decorations, designs that you make on the Cappuccino’s, but that is not the only case, it is very very important also to have the technical part and of knowledge of how latte art is done.

The race begins by setting the machine and the coffee grinder settings. The machine is largely the same for all competitors, but each competitor, using his own blend of coffee will have to change the grinding up to make the coffee flow in approximately 25 seconds, so changing a grinder for each individual blend is an important factor in good coffee making.

Also the choice of the blend of coffee cannot be random. Each competitor shall explain which blend they use and why; but don’t say simply that is a blend of 100% Arabica or 80/20, that doesn’t explain anything about the bean blend, you must add your knowledge about what kinds of Arabica and Robusta beans make up the blend and what sensations come from the palate!

The formula for judging on the coffee machine is in the same for all Championships, it is the preparation of espressos, spotted/stained, two milks, and finally two cappuccinos, decorated with the use of milk-only (no topping and chocolate syrups to write!). Even time is significant, the maximum is 8 minutes for all.

Every technical detail is evaluated during the competition. Cleaning the machine, cleaning the filter holder is important as it would have old Coffee in it (always brush away or remove with your hand cloth). It must have clean edges once pressing/tamping has been done (which must be perfect, well leveled and strong).

It evaluates the elegance and efficiency of the movements and finally evaluating sharpness and accuracy of the drawing. Everything will then be served to the judges adequately.

The judges will assess how well they did the coffee, the beauty of the decoration and also the taste of preparation which has to be perfect with temperature and pleasantness of the mix

(This means that even the milk quality is very important also)

The competitions take place usually with qualifiers, semi-finals and for the final best 6.

This video gives you a clear idea of how the race is held and one.

www.mokaflorence.com

(English Translation Marcello Iozzi -The Espresso Coffee Emporium – Mokaflor Coffee Australia)

Creating the perfect temperature of milk is crucial for the preparation of a good cappuccino. A thermometer probe for cappuccino is very useful to always serve the CAP at the same temperature even in the bar where there are several baristas.

In this blog post we talked about how many times on a cappuccino how to heat the milk froth and pour the milk to make latte art.

In this article we have discuss also the temperature of the milk which has a great importance in cappuccino.

First there is a maximum temperature to which milk can be heated to produce foam. This temperature is 65-70 °. Of course you can bring the milk to warmer temperatures, even to 200 degrees, but besides this temperature will no longer be possible for degradation of fats and proteins, and will not create a good lather.

The temperature also lends itself to some international considerations. The Cappuccino’s abroad are often warmer than in Italy, this is because only we have the habit to drink cappuccino at the bar/bench, standing with a croissant in hand, while as the cappuccino abroad like America, coffee  is experienced as a break at the table, with the newspaper or the computer. This is reflected on degrees centigrade: the Cappuccino’s are often around the mythical threshold of 65 °, while in Italy rarely exceed 50 and with our Mokaflor coffee courses, many participants want to learn how to make the Cappuccino’s at temperatures decidedly lukewarm, around 40 ° (but not in Australia) because it seems that both the temperatures required by their customers are a personal thing.

But how to control the temperature? In Italy you go with your sensation, one hand resting on the bottom helps us to evaluate the temperature of the milk, while is some abroad countries instead  they rely greatly on thermometers that are used for milk, milk jugs for indicating immediately the temperature of milk and allowing to serve every cappuccino at the same temperature even if in a bar where there are many different people & baristas and several sensitivities and skills, but also wanting to make it to be cool for your clients?

Thermometers making a cappuccino found on youtube.

Written by Gabriele Mokaflor.it (English Translation Marcello Iozzi -The Espresso Coffee Emporium – Mokaflor Coffee Australia)

The filter holder that holds the coffee grounds has spouts for one or two coffees are a standard in any espresso bar, but now we also find on the market three coffee groups and even a filter holder without spouts, with this portafilter you are able to see the coffee that comes directly from the filter holder. Very cool! And a great training tool.

Every person who starts to make the coffee and prepare the espresso begins to recognize that there is the group, or rather the filter holder, two holders to make 2 and the one to make just one. Baristas are bit more experienced they also know that a single dose of coffee is seven grams of coffee and a double coffee, or done with the 2 group, is 14 grams, precisely twice.

Yet there are few, even experienced barista’s, know that there are also three coffee filter holders, precisely with three spouts and can accommodate 21 grams of coffee. Below is a small photo to of a 3 spout. Just you think about that when some people ask three coffee in one go? WOW.

Coffee world experts are also witnessing another trend, one that aims to get rid of all the spouts and dripping coffee from a portafilter “bottomless” or “naked” as it is known in America and Australia, i.e. without the spouts.

This type of filter holder is actually quite spectacular and is often used in training & filming or to highlight a maximum colour & consistency of the crema of an espresso. As you see here…

Written by Gabriele @ Mokaflor.it (English Translation Marcello Iozzi -The Espresso Coffee Emporium – Mokaflor Coffee Australia)

Pressing down of the ground coffee properly is very important. Attention to levelling and to press vigorously, even with the right tools makes all the difference.

Between the posts in this blog we have already had the opportunity to talk about how important proper coffee pressing is to get a good espresso. The goal of this operation and to allow the boiling water to extract all substances from the dust of espresso coffee, yielding a rich and full bodied espresso with a perfect crema on top.

Water, that is the key to this operation, tends to go by its nature, to the point where it finds a less resistance or an easy way out.

In the drawing you will find here, we see some bad errors of tamping/pressing the coffee.

In the first case, if the tamping/pressing of coffee is not level, “even” not like the American coffee, the water will tend to fall slipping on the inclination of the coffee, finishing just to extract substances only in a corner of the “cake” of coffee.

In the second case the tamping/pressing is too soft, the water will tend to dig a hole in the Coffee by extracting substances only at that point.

Then Tamping/pressing in the third case is correct, nice level and well pressed, (you must press firm!!!) .

It is not to say that we should not use the plastic diskette stuck to grinder (nooooo) by all means use it, but surely a nice presser must be used. We can use even some support for a perfect tamping  without risking slides or angled coffee tamps.

Written by Gabriele @ Mokaflor.it (English Translation Marcello Iozzi -The Espresso Coffee Emporium – Mokaflor Coffee Australia)