Especially interesting, because LatteMaestro‘s headquarter is located just a few miles north of the Revere Beach.

Source: http://www.italy-travel-guru.com/2009/09/sample-italian-history-through-cappuccino-flavors/

Visitors traveling to Bellagio through the winding commercial streets in the district found many varieties of shops and little ristorantes. These were travelers during the 19^th century Italy. It was here that the Cappuccino age, which later trickled down to the world and largely in the United States, was born in the Italian history,

A Madelena Morissi owned one of the ristorantes that was renowned for its combination of restaurants and inns. The ristorantes were well known by seasoned visitors to this town. Madelena was greatly celebrated for sticking to the cooking style of northern Italy. Her popular servings were foods such as polenta, risotto, gnocchi, and pastas which were served in Bolognese sauces.

Most of the patrons of the Madelena ristorante, after returning home, would retell poetic tales of the special coffee dessert known as caffe d’amore con un bacio’ ,or the ‘Coffee of Love with a Kiss’. This is the coffee that Madelena prepared from fresh coffee. Her drink was freshly brewed and full bodied, and was stirred in Belgian melted dark chocolate and laced with about 2 or 3 spoons of liqueur. The process was completed with a freshly made topping of whipped cream. The exquisite taste made her famous.

In Italian history, and mostly at the time, Madelena’s new coffee dessert was taken as heresy compared to the model coffee standards at that time. Coffee or Cappuccino, know so at that time, is still treated with reverence even in the present moment. It’s a perfect source of collective national pride in the country’s history. It was first made in Italia prior to the proliferation of the espresso machines in the post-war period.

After the First World War, around 1925, Madelena moved to the United States with her two young daughters after hearing of better opportunities across the ocean. She settled in Boston, Massachusetts where she opened her first restaurant by the name Cavanna. Her history is very important since she took the art of cappuccino to America and arguably to the world, In America, she bought three hotels in Cavanna and another in Revere Beach, Massachusetts. In the three hotels that she had bought and refurbished in Boston, Madelena served the celebrated coffee dessert. She frequently featured special elements, which brought Italian History to America, with a descriptive note ‘Kissing Cousin to Cappuccino’. The revolution of the Cappuccino had begun.

Espresso filters and filter holders should be as hot as possible when you prepare coffee. They should always be inserted into the group for this reason. This way you can reach a stable temperature for preparing your espresso. When the barista loads the next portion of coffee, the filter should be pure and dry.

Some other things to keep in mind:

-Before inserting the holder into the group, you have to carefully remove the ground coffee from the filter’s edges.

-After the holder is inserted into the group, it needs to be turned with the appropriate amount of force (you have to do this to get the ideal tightness in the group).

-You should begin preparing the espresso immediately after inserting the holder. In filters and holders coffee oils can accumulate, so they require regular cleaning.

If you are interested in how hard water affects your espresso – read this article!

Source: http://www.espressomachinesbuy.com/uncategorized/barista-thought-of-the-week-hard-water

You may have heard a lot about so called “hard water espresso” and how much better it taste when compared to softer water espresso. For the past few years, espresso enthusiast have been going on and on about hard water and how it is beneficial for your espresso machines. However, there is something they haven’t told you.

Hard water will destroy your espresso machine! While they are off in their coffee nirvana land and have not stopped to consider the actual risks involved when using hard water.

Hard water is a subclass of water that is essentially water that has mineral ions in it because of its source and treatment. Often the main mineral involved is calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is famous as the hard lime deposits found on many faucets and in plumbing pipes all over the world. And it does the same thing to your espresso machine as it does to those pipes. It hardens on the rim and slowly begins to clog it.

As your espresso machine’s water boiler heats, the calcium carbonate escapes from the water and beads on the inside of the machine. Later, when fresh water comes in, it leaks partially back into that water, making your fresh water even harder, releasing more calcium carbonate on the walls, and making the cycle stronger. With each new use, more calcium is deposited and more seeps into your water. This continues until you reach the breaking point. Literally. Your machine will stop functioning as its pipes clog, parts break, and boiler gets caked with scale.

However, some hard water fans have found an imaginative way of getting around this problem of scale build up. Just remove it. That is easier said than done. It requires a the espresso machine to be descaled at least once a year using a highly acidic solution. This is not only costly, but the descaling solution is known to weaken welded parts within the machine, leading to even faster break down.

In the end, espresso snobs who want to seem like experts who are better than everyone else, promote hard water as a way of making their espresso seem even fancier. They even encourage people to artificially harden their water. This in itself can be another added cost that a barista doesn’t need to pay. Add to this the cost of descaling and repairing the machine, and it makes sense. Hard water is just simply not a smart choice for any smart barista. Let the coffee snobs keep it and their broken machine. We prefer to have functioning espresso machines without added unnecessary costs.

Tamper – Used for manual pressing of ground coffee in a portafilter. While choosing your tamper you should pay special attention to its diameter, which should be approximately 1 mm less than the diameter of the filter. The ideal tamper is made with a combination of stainless steel and wood.

Tampers

Tampers are often made of aluminum or plastic, but ones made from these materials are considered much less reliable. The shape of the base of the tamper can be flat or oval (convex). Recently tampers with an oval basis have become increasingly popular.

Pitcher – A special metal jug for frothing milk by steam. Usually pitchers are made of stainless steel. They differ in shape and style as well as volume. The most popular pitchers are 0.2-0.5 in volume. Regardless of the pitcher you choose, remember you should only fill it halfway with milk.

Pitcher

Jigger – Two metal volumetric glasses connected together. There are symmetric jiggers in which both glasses are equal in volume, and asymmetrical ones. Baristas make espresso in the jigger while preparing coffee cocktails. Also the jigger is used for measuring the amount of syrups and the alcoholic drinks added in a coffee cocktail.

Jigger

Bar shaker – The traditional tool of the barman, necessary for preparing iced coffee cocktails. Shakers are made of strong metal – cupronickel, silver, or stainless steel. This tool represents a vessel, two pieces inserted in one another. In the top part of a shaker, there’s a sieve, which detains pieces of ice and hard impurities.

Espresso shot – A volumetric cup made from glass. It’s used for measuring the volume of espresso, milk, or any other liquid used in a coffee cocktail.

Espresso shot

Tools for Ice Scooping:

Bucket and scoop for ice – Without these, it’s impossible to manage the preparation of iced coffee cocktails. Usually buckets and ice scoops are made of metal, but there are also plastic scoops.

The thermometer – The device used for measurement of the temperature of fresh brewed espresso or frothed milk. This tool is especially important for the barista to be familiar with during his training. The thermometer can either be old-fashioned or digital. Recently digital thermometers have become more and more popular.

The timer: The device for time measurement which helps to define the duration of the espresso extraction. It’s especially important during the barista’s training. The timme readout is conducted from the beginning of the passage inclusion.

Scales – The device which helps precisely measure the necessary quantity of the grinding. Also, baristas use scales for adjusting a dosage of coffee in a coffee grinder.

The OverPressure Valve (OPV) or Expansion Valve

I have written an short article (click on the image of the .pdf file) with photos for those interested in learning more about this critical area of your machine.

I received some intelligent and well thought out feedback about the article on the OPV and felt I should include it below. It makes some valid points and is well worth considering in conjunction with whatever equipment is installed in your own machine.

I just reread your article on the OPV. A marvellous piece that I have directed several of my friends to. Your comments regarding the quality and lack of adjustability as regards the Fluidotech OPV raised my concern since my new Dalla Corte mini came with both a Fluidotech pump and OPV. Despite expectations, however, I seemed to have no problems adjusting it down. Actually, in order to get 9 bar (10 using the pf gauge) I had to turn it in quite a bit.

After some pondering I think I found the explanation for both the problems of the Fluidotech when mounted on the Brewtus machines and why it seems to work on the Dalla Corte. Look at the attached brew pressure profiles of the Fluidotech and Ulka pumps respectively. Whereas the Ulka max out at about 15-16 bar and then has a fairly straight approx 45 degree curve down, the Fluidotech exerts a maximum of 12 bar pressure and has a much steeper curve down.

Thus, an OPV used in conjunction with an ULKA pump, as used in the Brewtus, would need to relieve much more water than one used in conjunction with a Fluidotech pump. The problem is thus not necessarily that the Fluidotech OPV can’t cut it but rather that they were never intended for use with the ULKA of CEME pumps. From my initial series of measurements with the pf gauge, the max pressure seems to be the same every time, with a steady ramp up and no flutter. Whether it will stand the test of time, however, remains to be seen….¹

Used coffee tablet:

Inspect the look and structure.

If the espresso has been brewed correctly, the coffee tablet:

* will be slightly damp

* keeps a structure — as plasticine

* The portafilter keeps its shape, and doesn’t collapse.

* Breaks, but does not crumble.

Correcting mistakes:

A dry and crumbling tablet means the grinding is too coarse, the amount of coffee too large, or the tamping too strong.

A tablet that’s “spreading” means that the grinding is too fine, the amount of coffee is too small, or the tamping is too weak.

Cremá (foam):

Inspect the: color, density, features of structure and stability.

Cremá is formed in during the extraction: proteins, fats and high-molecular sugar turn in emulsion; allocated gases, entering with emulsion interaction, make foam. The characteristic color is due to the caramelization of sugars and oxidation of phenols.

If the espresso has been brewed correctly, the crema will:

* Have a reddish-brown color (colors of a nutshell of a filbert);

* Have a thickness of over 2 mm;

* Be continuous, without any holes or ruptures

* Not have any large bubbles

* Be steady, and keep for over 2-3 minutes

* Be “live”, it’s restored after drink hashing

* Have dark brown strips or specks (like a tiger or a leopard’s skin).

Correcting mistakes:

A light brown color or small density of foam is due to insufficient extraction. Usually it’s for the following reasons: The grinding is too coarse, the tamping is insufficient, or the temperature or pressure is below normal.

A dark brown color and appreciable bubbles is a sign of excessive extraction. The grinding was too fine, the tamping temperature was too high, or the pressure was above normal.

A dark color with shades of gray or an earthy color is a sign of a considerable quantity of robusta coffee in an espresso blend.

A non-uniform friable foam means uneven tamping.

Aroma:

Inspect: both positive and negative characteristics.

Good aromas would be roasted, fruit, or flower. Examples of bad ones include: smoky, prorancid, grassy, straw, or rotten.

Taste:

Inspect: both positive and negative characteristics.

Good tastes include: sourish, wine, citron, chocolate, pleasantly bittered, flower, and balanced.

Bad tastes include: astringent, earthen, mealy, wooden, sour, medicine-y, and pith.

Poor smells and the flavoring characteristics shown in espresso can be the result of both the use of poor-quality beans and a consequence of unfair care of a coffee grinder and espresso machine.

Hello everyone,

If you are carving for a new latte recipe – there is the great one. Try and enjoy!

” Makes 1-2 Servings Ingredients

2 cups milk (used skim milk)

2 tablespoons canned pumpkin (we used more than called for – around 3 tablespoons)

2 tablespoons sugar (you can half this amount – we didn’t)

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice

1-2 shots espresso (about 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup strong coffee if you don’t have an espresso machine) (used Starbucks bold espresso beans)

Directions

1. In a saucepan combine milk, pumpkin, and sugar and cook on medium heat, stirring until steaming.

2. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and spice.

3. Transfer to a blender and process (we used a submersion blender in the pan) and process for 15 seconds until foamy. (If you don’t have a blender just use a whisk!).

4. Pour into a large mug (or two mugs) and add the espresso.

5. Optional Top with whipped cream and pumpkin spice.”

Source: http://www.poshportage.com/home-espresso/espresso-machines/october-pumpkin-spice-latte-recipe