Crema has often been believed to be a sign of a properly pulled espresso. More recently, crema became loved as a sign of freshness of the coffee. More recently still, a famous blogger declared that crema is rubbish. Let’s move on to the lesser appreciated, but more commonly “understood” expression of coffee oils and gas often referred to as “creme”, but that I refer to as “bloom”.
French press fans have long been fans of what is often improperly called “crema” or “creme”. It is referred to as “bloom” before poured into the cup, and it doesn’t change states between brewing and pouring, so I have opted to refer to it as bloom. Nevertheless, it has then moved on to be an indication of how fresh a coffee is. If it is “too fresh”, there will be unmanageable amounts of gas being released upon hot water contact, and the bloom risks overflowing its vessel. More recently, an earlier World Barista Champion introduced the “cupping method” of French press brewing.
The question then being, “Does it make a difference?” I have done a LOT of experimenting with French press brewing. It’s the way that coffee is most often brewed in the mornings in my household. It is full submersion brewing (read: even extraction) that you could teach a monkey to do. There were talks of using a high dose and short brew time with a french press when the Clover was taken off of the independent market. It can be used for cold brew coffee. You can brew at double strength quite easily for Japanese method iced coffee, or to tide you over until you can afford that espresso machine that you so wisely passed up in order to blow all of your money on the best grinder you could get your hands on.
The French press definitely has it merits. I would argue, however, that the single greatest contribution for the quality of home coffee brewing is the introduction of getting rid of that gorgeous foam before pressing the plunger down on your French press. It makes that big of a difference. Back to espresso.
Espresso, as we all know by now, is comprised of three parts: crema, body, and heart. By definition, espresso is not espresso without crema.. but that would lead to a philosophical debate about ontology and semantics (so let’s just leave that bit out). The heart is the concentrated solution of dissolved and undissolved solids in the bottom of your demitasse. It is the reason for espresso’s being. (I have found myself wiping clinging remainder of an espresso from the inside of my demitasse with my finger to get every last bit of flavor from one of the best shots I have ever tasted) The body is the bulk of the liquid part of the espresso, which contains water, dissolved solids, and not a whole lot else. The crema, they say, is a colloid of coffee oils and carbon dioxide gas. The carbon dioxide is a known binder of aromatics.. which is something that most aficionados recognize as vitally important to a good cup of coffee.
It seems, however, that there is something else hiding in the crema, as well as in the bloom. People have often talked about fine particles in the cup, but rarely do they blame the crema or bloom for that bitter tinge, when they are often the bulk of the cause.
Bloom lends texture to your French press coffee, and it is visually pleasing to behold. Crema can tell you a lot about the espresso that was just served to you before you even taste it. It also lends a texture, and a lasting persistence of flavor and aromatics long after the espresso is consumed.
The definitive question, however, is: Is it worth it?
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via – http://www.jimseven.com/2009/12/17/gwilyms-disloyalty-card/
The idea is simple. Take a tour of local up-and-coming cafes, and get one on the house from the World Barista Champ himself. It’s a great idea, and it would REALLY help to build local communities and cooperation between “competing” businesses.
This was taken from the Jim Seven blog, and while it is a clever idea, I think Gwilym would be happy if lots of other people started adopting the concept.
This also gives me another idea that I think I’ll save for next week.
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With the forward momentum of technology and the improvement of espresso grinders, a lot of baristas have decided that manual redistribution of grounds after dosing is unnecessary.
Most of these baristas are using a newer behemoth sized doserless grinder, and a lot of them are equipped with a timer intended to dose out a precise weight of coffee each and every time. (repeatably, in theory)
Some others insist that a doser declumps the coffee, which, they say, results in a more even density of coffee at initial dosing (which is also the initial distribution.. as the coffee falls into the basket).
I have my own opinions, but I’m curious to hear yours.
The no-redistribution method consists of a doserless funnel that drops the coffee right in the center of the filterbasket each and every time. I’m inclined to believe that you could get a similar result with a grinder-doser that has been Elvinated, with a doser that drops straight down, or with the removal of the dosing fork and good aim.
Once the coffee has been dosed, there is no touching the mound of grounds freshly piled in the filter basket of the portafilter. The next step is tamping. Straight down, with the tamper of your choice. I’ve noticed that most of the folks who prefer this method also do a fair amount of up-dosing by tapping the portafilter on the bar or dosing fork to settle the grounds. Some then dose more, and some are content to tamp at this point. It would depend on your espresso blend and how you normally prefer to pull your shots.
Then flush and pull the shot as normal.
The redistribution method is based on the premise that the coffee will never land evenly distributed, and that no amount of tamping, regardless of how much pressure is used, will ever re-distribute the grounds to an even density distribution. (if that makes sense)
This camp tends to focus on initial distribution, just like the first camp, however they also exercise some sort of manual redistribution before tamping. Everyone has their own reasons for prefering one or the other. What I want to know if what do you prefer? and Why?
Try it one way on one group head, and try it the other way on another group head. Shoot for the same dose (by weight), and the same pull time. Did one of them result in a higher final volume (when stopped based on color)? How did they taste? Which one did you prefer? What did you prefer about it?
Remember that the focus here is on taste, not convenience.
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A signature drink menu, served Friday and Saturday nights at the West Lynn location of Caffe Medici in Austin.
I figure they can tell you more than I can, and I have heard about it a third time from a barista friend who just loved it.
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For many people, the idea is pretty straightforward in regards to restaurants and food.
1. If the food is fantastic, but the place is a dump (i.e. – renouned barbecue joints), people will come back in droves.
2. If the food is forgetable and the service was good, it tells you something about the place.
3. If the food is wonderful, the service is great, but the ambience is lacking, you will notice, but you will still return.
4. If the ambience is fantastic, the service is great, but the food is mediocre, the odds are good that you will not return because while it scored highly on the peripherals, it missed it where it counts.
Why is this different than in part 2, where the business will still survive? Expectations.
In scenario 4, it seems that the ambience and service were building up to a glorious climax of fantastic cuisine. The food did not deliver, and thus, the entire experience is anti-climatic. They will not have bad things to say, necessarily, but the odds of their returning are very slim.
This is very easily understood by most people. You don’t get innovative high end cuisine from Applebee’s , but you also don’t expect it when going in, even if your neighborhood location has great service.
Translated to specialty coffee retailing, one can use the same logic. If a fortune is spent on the ambience, and the service is knock-your-socks-off-great, one should expect the coffee to be on level as well. More often than not, the coffee fails to deliver the satisfaction of a culinary climax to the experience, yet many of these places ride the wave of niche market branding. The niche of Specialty Coffee.
Many have gotten away with it for a long time in part, I believe, because the mediocrity found at well-known ubiquitous chains became the standard for the average consumer. Serve the same with a better cultural feel, and it’s low-hanging fruit: gauranteed success.
So why are we seeing some of these places going out of business these days?
The economy is partially to blame. This is a factual truth. The big chains are feeling the effects as is evidenced by their menu changes and shifts in marketing strategy. People are still willing to spend money, but now they are paying more attention to the value of what their money is getting them. In short, they are more concerned with the quality of the products they are buying. (key word: products)
While the service may have stepped up a notch, and while prices may have been reduced, some retailers may find their sales still dropping. Take the new French “fooding” approach. Give them more for their money. Great coffee can be easily approachable for the average joe (no pun intended).
This doesn’t have to mean spending more money(although it could). I am often amazed at how many retailers don’t actually take the time to learn about coffee before opening a company that specializes in making and serving it. Many have been convinced that selling culture is the way to run a coffee house, but what good is that for people who drop in on their way to work in the morning? All those people want is a great cup of coffee done well, and done in a timely manner. This means that what is important for a profitable coffee retailer is, above all, the quality of their products.
Yes, atmosphere is important, but in a hierarchy of factors, I would argue that it takes a back seat to product quality. After all, you’re not selling atmosphere. Atmosphere is intended to draw people in to buy products. It is secondary.
In a time when it is important to really focus, why not take a look at your shop’s coffee and training program. Is it enough? Have you shopped your competition? What can you learn from each other? It may be time to reevaluate things, and to start focusing on the heart and soul of your business. Your products.
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Via Facebook:
Sugar Brown’s Coffee is feeling generous. Espresso happy hour – take a break from your back-to-school shopping with a free espresso macchiatto Tuesday from 1-3 pm!
You heard it here. What a great way to promote new customers to try them out. Also a great way for existing customers to try a real macchiato, risk free.
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This is less a comparison and more of a question.
Do you find yourself preferring any specific brew method for your coffee?
If you work in the industry, consider this a question based on a morning or afternoon coffee for pure enjoyment, and leave all analysis aside.
I’ve found myself being awfully fond of macchiati lately, regardless of the coffee used (be it a blend or single origin). Of course, this falls under the Espresso category.
I still enjoy other brew methods immensely, but I find myself most satisfied with a small blast of flavor rather than taking enjoyment in the act of consumption itself. Which is something I discovered I used to enjoy as a reason to prefer larger drinks(cups of coffee, that is.. I’ve never been fond of lots of milk). It seems like a strange contrast to make, I realize.
I have seen more and more references to Toddy (and other cold-brews) on the web and more people taking an interest in French Press here in Lubbock. Some people are discovering the Abid “Clever” filter brewer.
What do YOU tend to prefer? Why? I always like reading the thoughts of others. Leave a comment.
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Thanks to Aaron Heil of AAH Coffee (Carrollton) for putting this together, for Ashlind McAshin for getting the word out(and helping to make this thing happen!), and to Lorenzo Perkins for passing it on to Texas Coffee People.
Be there. (I won’t, but you should be.)
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Sugar Brown’s has put on a weekly latte art throwdown for the entire month of June.
A local photography enthusiast was kind enough to document the last two of them.
Here are a few photos from these two throwdowns. Enjoy!
The first four photos are from the first Sprodown. The rest are from the second.
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Black Diamond Espresso… Up there.
For advanced skiers and boarders only.
I took this with my phone/pocket pc while in Taos a couple of months ago.
Have a Great Weekend!
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