About coffee and coffee flower

[classification of coffee flowers]

Nowadays, there are all kinds of flowers, but generally speaking, we can be divided into two categories:

First, pour directly into the formation method: using foamed milk, without the separation of milk and foam, quickly pour it into espresso, when the milk, milk foam and espresso are mixed to a certain degree of saturation, use the shaking technique of the hand to make the milk bubble float on the surface of the coffee using the principle of water pattern fluctuation.

Second, specific animal and plant stripe patterns: this category is relatively simple, also known as "carved flowers".

Pouring directly into the forming method is not only the most difficult way of flower drawing, but also the most technical one.

However, what most people are most interested in and want to learn is to pour directly into the shaping method, but almost all of them will give up or stop learning basic graphics because of its difficulty.

Why is it so difficult to pour directly into the forming method? Because in this way, attention must be paid to all kinds of details, from the state of espresso, the way the milk is foamed and the degree of organization, to the skill of blending the two, coupled with the direct pouring into the forming method, the time for the pattern to form is very short, so it also requires very smooth and rhythmic movement, and rapid and accurate hand shaking control technology. And most people will retreat because they are unable to meet these requirements, so it is very important to practice correctly for a long time. If you want to become a real master of coffee drawing, you must constantly practice carefully.

The so-called hand drawing method is on the coffee that has finished the fusion of espresso, milk and milk foam, using white dots or irregular patterns produced during the fusion, using toothpicks or needles, dipping with sauces such as cocoa powder or chocolate, and sketching various shapes on the surface of the coffee.

Most of its graphics are divided into two kinds, one is regular geometry, mostly using sauces of various colors, on the surface of the coffee that completes the fusion, draw basic lines first, and then use toothpicks or needles to outline various regular geometry.

The other is a figurative pattern, such as portraits, cats, dogs, pandas. Most of the animal figures, such as Italian espresso, are first sprinkled with cocoa powder, then mixed with milk and milk bubbles, and then slightly shake their wrists during fusion to form a circular ripple pattern on the coffee surface, and then take the circular ripple shape as the bottom, using toothpicks or needles, dipped with sauces such as cocoa powder or chocolate, and sketching various figurative patterns on the coffee surface.

These hand-drawn shapes are not as difficult as pouring into the shape directly. As long as you master some key details, you can make a lot of beautiful hand-drawn graphics at home, and you can also give full play to your own creativity. draw a lot of your own unique patterns!

The principle of the screen pattern method is very simple, generally divided into two forms of expression. The first method is to let the milk and the milk foam be separated for about 30 seconds after the milk is foamed. Then use a spoon to block part of the milk foam, let the milk and espresso blend first, and then use a spoon to cover the surface of the coffee to form a snow-white surface. After that, the use of a variety of graphics or text engraved with the screen and screen, placed about 1cm away from the coffee surface, sprinkled with cocoa or cinnamon powder on all kinds of screen and screen, so that the coffee surface presents a variety of graphics or words.

The second method is similar to the first, but the difference is that do not wait after the milk is foamed, directly fuse the milk foam with the espresso, pay special attention to not producing white milk bubbles on the surface of the coffee, and then use a mesh or sieve engraved with various graphics to place it about 1cm away from the surface of the coffee, and sprinkle white sugar powder across all kinds of plates and sieves Make the surface of coffee appear in various shapes or words.

The screen pattern method is the simplest way of all the flower drawing skills. You can carve a variety of shapes or characters of the screen board yourself, or you can change it with a simple hand drawing method to create more interesting patterns.

In the market, there are many people actually have a great misunderstanding of pull flowers, the general impression of coffee flowers is that the milk bubble water is not dense enough, the amount of milk foam is not enough, the taste of drinking is very bad, and the blending degree of coffee and milk is uneven. However, these are the very wrong ideas of most baristas (Barista), because these impressions can be overcome.

Coffee flower can be drunk dense and meticulous, and has a rich milk foam, coffee with milk, milk foam is very uniform taste, but these require a high degree of professional technology, and a long time of continuous practice.

Because of this, most of the Italian coffee shops in the community are unable to make such a degree, because dense milk bubbles are not easy to pull out detailed graphics, so milk bubbles that are more watery are generally used to make the pattern easy to form and increase the success rate. Coupled with the fact that we do not know the skill and importance of integration, it leads to problems in taste and evenness, therefore, it causes such a misunderstanding about coffee pull, what is presented by a correct and professional coffee pull, it should be a cup of ultimate barista with both color, flavor and flavor.

After learning about the background of coffee flower drawing before, what we are most concerned about is the equipment we need. "if you want to do a good job, you must first sharpen its tools."

[Italian professional coffee maker]

At present, there are many different forms of commercial Italian coffee machines on the market. If we distinguish them according to the cooking and heating methods of boilers, they are generally classified into four types: single boiler system, sub-master boiler system, double boiler system and multi-boiler system. Four different boiler brewing and heating systems will be different when we brew espresso, and the main reason for the difference comes from the different configuration of the boiler and the heating mode of the heater.

Now let's introduce the differences:

1. Single boiler system:

The hot water, steam and brewing head water of a single boiler system are all heated by the same heater. When using a single boiler to brew coffee, the outlet temperature of the flushing head will be directly affected by the use of hot water and steam, resulting in instability. So the way of a single boiler system is mostly used on a household coffee machine or a lever spring piston coffee machine. General business espresso machines no longer use this system.

2. Sub-master boiler system:

The hot water and steam of the mother boiler system are heated by the same heater, but the heating of the child boiler is heated by the way of heat exchange with the mother boiler, and when using the mother boiler system to brew coffee, it will not directly affect the outlet temperature of the flushing head. Because the heater will feel the pressure drop of the boiler and heat it back up, unless it is under the condition of using a large amount of hot water, the outlet temperature of the flushing head will be reduced, and the cooking mode of the parent boiler system, it is the boiler system of most Italian coffee machines on the market, so the stability of the machine is within an acceptable range without the use of a lot of hot water.

3. Double boiler system:

The hot water and steam of the double boiler system are heated by the same heater, and the water used in the cooking head is heated by another heater, the outlet temperature of the cooking head will not decrease because of the use of hot water or steam, and the stability of the machine is better. However, because the cost of the double boiler system is more expensive, and the high-order sub-master boiler system especially strengthens the temperature recovery speed of the heater, so There are not many Italian coffee machine brands in the double boiler system, and the proportion of personalized coffee shops in the market is relatively small. However, at present, some brands of dual boiler systems have reduced the price, so the utilization rate should be increased in the future.

4. Multi-boiler system

The heating mode of the multi-boiler system is very similar to that of the double-boiler system, except that each head has its own independent heater, which can set the temperature, so the double-headed espresso machine has three boilers. The three-headed Italian coffee machine has four boilers, and the multi-boiler system is a new way, and the visibility in the market is even lower, but there will be an increasing trend in the future.

No matter how many boilers of coffee machines have their own characteristics, the most important basic factors are:

1. Whether the ease of operation is good or not

2. Whether all the control buttons and knobs respond well

3. Whether the stability of the machine is good.

4. Whether the reheating speed is good or not.

5. Whether the amount of steam is enough

6. Whether the dryness of steam is good or not

To make a good Espresso, you also need a good espresso grinder, and Espresso needs to be able to grind the coffee beans to a very fine level, like our common bean grinder can not achieve the desired effect.

The special Italian bean grinder can be roughly divided into tapered blades and parallel blades according to the shape of the blade. As for the use of the bean grinder, it has to be considered according to the bean seed used or the taste of Epsresso that you want to cook.

When grinding coffee beans, the tapered blade grinder can rotate 400 times 600 times in one minute, while the parallel blade can rotate 1400 times in 1 minute. The more times it rotates, the more the grinder will heat up and cause the coffee beans to be heated and lose their delicacy. In this regard, perhaps the tapered blade bean grinder is more suitable for grinding coffee beans.

However, in terms of the evenness of the grinding powder, the parallel blade bean grinder is more dominant. Because of the shape of the tapered blade bean grinder, the ground coffee powder is easy to produce uneven grinding and a mixture of coarse and fine particles. In contrast, the parallel blade bean grinder, because the two blades are parallel rotation to study coffee beans, so it can be ground to a uniform thickness. If the coffee powder is uneven in thickness, the extraction quality of Espresso will not be stable.

In addition, if the shallow roasted coffee beans are studied with a tapered blade grinder, some of the particles will be thicker and the taste will not come out. On the other hand, deep-roasted coffee beans, if ground with a parallel blade grinder, will taste too bitter because the particles are thicker.

However, no matter what kind of bean grinder is used, the blade will gradually become blunt under long-term use. Therefore, the tapered blade grinder grinds about 1000Kg coffee beans, and the parallel grinder should replace the new blades after grinding 500Kg coffee beans. If the blade becomes blunt, even if the grinding scale is set, the extraction quality will be unstable due to uneven grinding of coffee beans.

But what criteria do baristas use to adjust the grinding scale? The answer is: take the pull-out time of Espresso as the basis of judgment. That is, the adjustment of thickness, to the extent that the extraction can be completed between 20 seconds and 30 seconds, is the most ideal. It is recommended that you first use some coffee beans to grind and pull out. If the extraction is completed 20 seconds ago, the scale should be set at a finer grinding; conversely, if it is more than 30 seconds, the scale should be set at a thicker grinding.

Of course, this also requires that the barista's filling method is correct.

The overall steps of filling coffee powder are as follows:

1. Let the coffee powder fall into the handle

2. Flatten the coffee powder and fill the handle without leaving gaps.

3. Fill and press the coffee powder.

There is nothing special about letting the coffee powder fall into the handle. The only thing to note is that every time you pull the joystick, please turn the direction of the filter handle so that the coffee powder can fall evenly into the filter handle and fill every corner. Because the mouth of the powder has only one direction. Until the coffee powder accumulates into a hill.

To flatten the coffee powder, you can use the hand or the lid on the bean grinder to scrape the high part of the coffee powder, but at this time, you should also pay attention to let the coffee powder fill flat, do not let its interior too loose.

The most important step is to press the powder, first of all, to make sure that the hand should be placed in a balanced position, and the second is to keep the balance of the hand when pressing the powder and press it down vertically. The third is to tap the side of the filter handle, but don't push too hard at this time, so as not to make the coffee powder loose again. The fourth is the specific filling pressure, which should be based on the specific situation, as long as you can ensure that you can make 20~30ML coffee within 20 to 30 seconds.

In terms of the amount of powder, it is necessary to control the amount of a cup of coffee between 6.5 and 10g, and if you have two cups, 17mur18g will be fine.

After the powder is pressed, the next steps are still very important. in terms of Espresso machine, to make a standard Espresso, you need to know the following four aspects:

1. Air pressure-up and down 9 atmospheres

When drawing out a cup of Espresso, it is said that the most appropriate pressure is 9 atmosphere. Therefore, many baristas who pay attention to taste use 9 atmospheric pressure Espresso machines. If the air pressure is higher than this, it is easy to produce the scorched smell of coffee beans, or other miscellaneous smell; if the air pressure is lower than this, the aroma will fade.

Second, the water temperature is about 90 degrees Celsius.

When pulling out a cup of Espresso, it is said that the most appropriate water temperature is about 90 degrees Celsius. However, what is the most appropriate water temperature still varies slightly depending on the roasting degree of the coffee beans.

If the water temperature is too high, it is easy to produce the scorched taste of coffee beans, or other miscellaneous flavor; if too low, the aroma will become lighter, but more prominent sour taste, the color of Crema will become lighter. If deep-baked beans are used, the water temperature should be slightly lower. In addition, the temperature at which Espresso is extracted is considered to be the most appropriate temperature between 67 and 68 degrees Celsius.

III. Extraction quantity-20~30ml

The extraction amount of single espresso (Espresso Solo) is generally 1 ounce (slightly less than 30ml). And, depending on the barista, there are some slight differences, but about between 20~30ml.

IV. Draw-out time-20: 30s

The extraction time of Espresso is 20: 30s. The extraction time has a great relationship with the flavor of Espresso. If the extraction time is too long, the taste will become light, tasteless, mixed with astringency and other miscellaneous flavors. On the contrary, if the extraction time is too short, the essence of coffee beans can not be completely released, and is not delicious enough.

The success of this cup of coffee can be determined and tested in some subtle places before, during and after the Espresso is drawn out.

1. Before installing the filter handle on the Espresso machine, press the switch for 2 or 3 seconds to let the hot water flow out to warm the head.

2. After installing the filter handle, be sure to tighten it.

3. Before leaving the cup, be sure to warm the cup, which is also a necessary step in making any coffee

4. The extraction process is 20 to 30 seconds to extract 20~30ml coffee liquid is the most ideal state.

5. The extraction process is that the flow rate and thickness of the coffee liquid at the two outlets are the same, which is the best. If one is slow and the other is fast, it may be caused by the uneven strength of the filling process.

6. After extraction, you can observe the state of the coffee powder: ideally, the coffee powder absorbs water completely, without caking, and does not touch any moisture when touched with your fingers. If you can get water on your fingertips and the coffee powder is wet, it's too bad. In addition, if the coffee powder is poured out, it is still in the shape of being stuffed in the filter handle and the whole thing falls down, which is also the best condition. If the loose plug falls, it will be bad.

To take another look, the Crema layer of Espresso to account for the entire coffee liquid 2 raceme 3 is the most ideal state, if the Crema is very thick, added sugar will not immediately sink. A good Crema is a very important prerequisite for flower drawing.

The best Espresso must also have the most suitable Espresso cup. Like many things, you must have a container that suits you. And pay attention to be sure to warm the cup in advance, generally put the cup on the coffee machine, use the waste heat of the coffee machine to warm the cup.

The Espresso cup, preferably with a thick texture, is narrower and narrower at the bottom of the cup. The ideal cup capacity is 70ml.

A thick cup can keep warm, while the Espresso of 20~30ml, because of its small capacity, will not get cold when it is finished. In addition, because the bottom is very narrow, even if the capacity is not much, the cup will be deep enough, but the color of the coffee looks both dark and beautiful. And this shape of the cup, when the coffee is extracted, can easily form a tiger skin pattern-like Crema.

The two most basic ingredients for making flowers: Espresso and steam foam. On the basis of Espresso, we can practice foaming.

To beat steam foam, a thick, stainless steel milk bubble pot is the most suitable. Because stainless steel conducts heat quickly, temperature can be easily felt by hand touch, and heat resistance has strong properties, so it is easy to sterilize and wash very clean.

The capacity of the milk bubble pot should be at least twice the size of heated milk. In general, when doing cppuccino, if it is the weight of one cup, it is to use the milk bubble pot of 300ml, if it is the weight of 2 cups, it is to use the milk bubble pot of 600cc. If the capacity is not large enough, not only the milk will spill over, but also can not make soft foam.

In addition, when playing steam foam, a large quantity had better be done than what is actually used, and the effect of a good steam bubble will be more effective.

Generally speaking, when you do flower drawing, you will use a milk bubble pot with a longer spout, and it will be easier to grasp the thickness of the lines when you pour it into the coffee, but it will also vary according to your personal habits.

Matters needing attention when making milk foam:

When playing steam foam, special attention should be paid to the temperature, time, texture of these elements. As for the types of milk, we generally recommend using Nestle's all-official milk.

Temperature-never more than 65 ℃

The milk used when making steam foam must be fully refrigerated beforehand. If the Espresso machine is used, the steam pressure is very strong, and the milk can become hot in tens of seconds. However, the composition of milk will greatly deteriorate after the temperature exceeds 65 ℃, so keep in mind that the temperature must not exceed 65 ℃, and the milk must be fully refrigerated in advance to slow down the temperature rise.

As for the degree to which it should be heated, it should be adjusted according to the taste of the boiled Espresso or the quality of the milk. in addition, different baristas will have different practices. It is recommended that when heating with steam, it is best to use a thermometer to confirm the temperature rise at first, until you can get used to and remember the temperature you feel on your hands.

Time-- spray it with steam and do it in one go

If you use steam spray for too long, the milk will immediately exceed 65 ℃. In fact, the time required is very short. For example, if the steam is strong enough, it only takes about 15 seconds to heat 250ml's milk. In addition, the time required will vary depending on the coffee machine used.

Texture-thick and smooth

The texture of steam milk foam is neither rough and uneven foam, nor soft, light foam. The ideal milk foam should be very dense, thick and smooth as a whole, shiny, and make people feel moderately thick.

After hitting the steam foam, the most important thing is to pay attention to cleanliness, first carefully wipe the milk on the nozzle and nozzle with a wet cloth, then wrap it with a thicker cloth, and then let the steam spray (be careful not to burn). Rinse the remaining milk in the tube. The most important thing is to rinse immediately after bubbling without delay.

Clean in time, including after Espresso before.

1. Tap the filter handle face down to let the used coffee powder fall.

2. Clean the interior carefully with a cloth

3. pay attention to flushing the coffee powder left on the showerhead with hot water.

4. at the end of each day, put the filter handle on the machine, repeat the switch to pull out the control button, and let the hot water rinse repeatedly, which is conducive to washing off the dirt hidden in the tube; and when the hot water flows out, remove and install the filter handle. Wash the coffee powder away thoroughly

5. After drawing out dozens of cups, you should also take off the filter screen of the filter handle and clean it.

6. Clean with detergent once a week, because the fat of coffee beans cannot be completely cleaned by brewing only with clean water.

Pull flowers, beauty is important, but the most important thing is that this cup of coffee is delicious!

[secret of Cappuccino Cappuccino]

Cappuccino is one of the most popular espresso drinks. Especially in Taiwan, I think "cappuccino" is more temperamental than "cappuccino". After all, it's okay to be on a latte in a cafe, or a cup of Italian espresso (espresso) would feel much worse (perhaps another reason why espresso itself is out of fashion?). Let's talk about cappuccino here.

[popular version of Cappuccino]

Let's take a look at the popular version. When you ask an "expert", he will tell you in a tone of "only I know in the world" that the cappuccino is "1/3 espresso, plus 1/3 steam-heated hot milk, and 1/3 foam". This popular version is not a big mistake, there is only one problem, many coffee shops do not do this! So many people use this method to make espresso for a long time, and then use steam engines such as Mini to make cappuccino. They always feel that their cappuccino is more bitter than the outside, and they also think that the outside is full of gods. That's not true. Let's keep watching.

[coffee shop version]

In fact, many coffee shops do not let espresso account for 1/3 of the proportion! First, if I am like most coffee shops in the United States or Taiwan, the espresso made is bitter and astringent (again, the real espresso is not like this!), how can I let people drink it? of course, add more milk to block it! Second, if I really make a "paste" espresso, it's strong enough. I can put more milk, mixed with the aroma of coffee and the sweetness of milk, and it will be a great cappuccino! So now, at least in American coffee shops, the ratio of espresso to milk (including milk foam) in a cup of cappuccino is 1:5 to 1:6, not the popular 1:2! This is true from Starbucks to Espresso Vivac in Seattle. The difference is that Starbucks's cappuccino guarantee is bitter and astringent, while Espresso Vivace's is fragrant and strong. This is, of course, caused by two factors: Espresso and the quality of milk (it's nonsense, what else is there for cappuccino?)

[milk and foam]

Do you like milk foam? Oh, I'm not saying whether you like watching, I mean whether you like drinking. I always thought cappuccino was beautiful with foam, but I didn't know how to drink it. If you drink milk foam and coffee separately, you will find the milk foam tasteless, and the espresso in most coffee shops is terrible. It's a little difficult to mix and drink. I really don't know what to do. In fact, cappuccino with milk foam is not "wrong", but in Italy, cappuccion without milk foam is not unusual. In fact, most of their cappuccion does not have milk foam. No milk foam is not an accurate statement, it should be said that the milk foam is very fine. When doing cappuccino, put this thin milk foam and slowly pour it into the thin "paste" espresso. At the top, the coffee and the fine milk blend into a beautiful pattern. When you gently suck, the strong coffee is mixed with the soft milk foam. I can't describe it any more. My keyboard is about to flood.

[temperature of milk]

There is no certain standard for how hot the milk should be. It's about 150-175 degrees in Huadu. A thermometer that measures the amount of milk. Note that unless you bought a thermometer that was introduced before Arny, most thermometers are slow. If you see the pointer pointing to 175, the milk is already scorched! Espresso Vivace boss David Schomer advises not to use the thermometer, use your hands to feel it, when you can't hold it, it's almost enough. I do not recommend this method of milking at home, because the speed of your home machine is much slower than that of a professional machine, and the temperature may be too low as soon as you can't hold it. You have to put up with it for a while. So there is no strong heat resistance, or use a thermometer to measure.

[doing cappuccino at home]

No matter what kind of cappuccino you want to do, a good espresso itself is of course very important. At home, there are at least two ways to make foam. One is played with an espresso machine, and the other is played with a milk cup. We mainly talk about machine-made foam. If you insist on putting a lot of foam on the top of the popular version, always put the steam vent on the part that touches the milk slightly when playing. You will hear a hiss, and then there will be a lot of bubbles. Finally, pour the milk into the coffee, and then put the top foam into it. The other is to beat the fine milk foam. At first, put the steam vent on the top layer, slowly blanch your milk cup, and adjust the angle to make the milk rotate in the cup. The sprinkler should be put to the bottom at about 100 degrees in Huachi, which is mainly to heat the milk and no longer produce milk bubbles.