What is Specialty Coffee?
I remember being asked this question by my soon to be employer. It was during an interview for a position within their coffee company. “What is Specialty Coffee?” To be honest, I had never heard the expression before. I think I answered something along the lines of “A coffee with caramel" in it”. After some research, I was quite embarrassed of my answer. Although I came from a management position within a well known Australian coffee franchise; Specialty Coffee was a complete mystery to me.
Costa Rica - Colima - Natural
Very fruit forward with a delicious sweetness and boozy aroma, this Natural Costa Rican is beautiful brewed black. With notes of Apricot, Nougat and Orange, this coffee is wonderfully refreshing and complex. We’ve been using it as a filter and can’t wait to put it through Cold Brew. Enjoy.
Home Espresso Tips #4 - Dialing In
There are many variables that can affect how coffee extracts and how it behaves over time. Once you have adjusted your dose, grind setting and recipe on your machine, that doesn’t mean it’s a set and forget scenario. There is a lot of fine tuning that goes into creating good coffee consistently and that is true for the home as well; not just cafe’s.
Home Espresso Tips #3 - Brew Ratio
If you’ve ever remembered having that perfect cordial to water ratio for your favorite glass in your cupboard, then Brew Ratios should make a lot of sense. You would also know that if you use too much or not enough cordial in water, then taste is definitely affected, sometimes for the worst. This is exactly the same for espresso.
Home Espresso Tips #2 - Grind
Grind size, or how fine or coarse you grind your dose, is such a major variable in specialty coffee brewing. This largely affects flavour, mouthfeel, finish and taste in all brewing methods, especially home espresso. Let’s go through some of the basline key indicators that we should be aiming to start hitting with our brewing at home.
Home Espresso Tips #1 - Dose
Making espresso at home can be daunting; especially if you have no experience using the equipment or understanding around the processes. Hopefully this series will help improve your espresso extractions and comprehension around why barista’s do what they do and how to make your home coffee, taste better.