The basic and basic elements of Coffee drawing

Many friends are discussing the problem of pulling flowers, and some friends have suggested that the most important thing to pull flowers is to make a good tank of milk foam. I agree with that. To pull flowers well, the most critical factor is milk foam, in fact, pull flowers is relatively simple approach.

How to make a good jar of milk foam? In fact, this thing cannot be taught by words and images. It must be taught by people who have a deep understanding of milk bubbles. Only by hand and mouth can they master it in a short period of time. This is like practicing a musical instrument, beginners must be in the teacher's hand, one-on-one teaching, from shallow to deep grasp of the essentials, and then proficient.

I. Methods used in teaching students:

The first step is to understand the correct operation process of the coffee machine steam system, understand the purpose of the empty steam pipe before and after the milk bubble, and understand the importance of towels and cleaning in coffee making.

The second step is to learn how to touch the milk surface with the nozzle, the position of the selected point, and the depth of the selected point.

The third step is to recognize two temperatures. One is the temperature at which the foam starts and ends, and the other is the temperature at which the foam is made. These two temperatures are very important for beginners, which is directly related to whether the principle of milk foam is mastered. First of all, foaming, milk is initially cold (preferably fully refrigerated at 5 ° C), which can extend the foaming time, so that it can foam fully fine foam, and then open the steam valve to foam the milk. Foaming to the same temperature as our human body (feel neither cold nor hot), foaming cut-off. Because our hand temperature is about 30° C, so I personally think that the temperature of milk foam can be mastered between 65-70 ° C. Because if it is too hot, it will destroy the nutritional value of milk.

Next, let's talk about the temperature at which the frothing stops. In fact, there are many theoretical statements about this temperature, which are unknown here, and we will talk about feelings when discussing the flavor of liquid milk in the future. Let me just say what this temperature feels like on the hand. This temperature is hot when we feel it with our hands (in continuous heating), but it can last for two or three seconds; when the temperature is reached, stop heating (stop heating the rear end feels very hot in the hand, but it can be held).

In some places, thermometer is used to measure. I think this teaching method is not good. Technology is something that needs people's heart to understand. It is not very beneficial to improve people's own technology with the help of external forces.

The fourth step is to recognize a dead angle between a milk frothing cylinder and a coffee machine steam pipe. Read a lot of domestic and foreign barista operation to play milk foam, plus their own constant attempts, found that there is a dead angle to play milk foam, just like playing video games, some dead angles are bullets can not hit you, but you can hit others. This angle is very troublesome to say in words, probably the cylinder mouth of the flower cylinder must be lifted, and the cylinder body should be inclined according to the rotation direction of the milk foam.

Step 5 Find the vortex. The role of this vortex is to foam out of the coarse foam through the vortex pulled to the surface below, so that the surface clean. Vortices have many states, and each one needs to be observed and remembered. This is a very deep point, I simply point it, to have a vortex, steam pipe nozzle can not be too deep under the milk.

The sixth step is to pull the flower jar down and up. The nozzle is in good contact with the milk surface, that is, open the steam valve. At this time, the flower pulling cylinder moves downward very slowly, and you will hear the "eat" steam and milk "shear"(about shear force, when discussing the principle of milk foaming later, talk slowly!) The sound emitted is commonly known as "intake sound". Air intake to human body temperature this sound can no longer appear, otherwise, the surface will have a particularly large coarse foam.

At this time, move the pull cylinder up a little (only one point, this is very important, many people understand it as continuous upward movement, this is very wrong), let the steam nozzle leave the shear surface, so as not to hear the "eat" sound. At this time, by adjusting the angle of the pull cylinder, remember that it is the angle, not the position of the nozzle and the surface (very small angle adjustment), find the vortex, pull the coarse foam of the foaming stage off the surface, and continue to the temperature until the temperature reaches the hot temperature.

Step 7 Know how milk is steamed and how to handle foam. After the milk is whipped, it is not our ideal milk foam, but in a layered state, the lower layer is heated milk, and the upper layer is whipped "milk foam", so we have to treat the whipped milk. Shake up and down to remove coarse foam from the surface. Shake to mix the hot milk with the top foam to form foam. This step is a good key, some friends do not pay special attention to this point, then all previous efforts have been wasted.

Before the eighth step, the milk foam has been in a shaking state in the flower-pulling jar to avoid the layering caused by this surface from appearing again. This is a professional habit and it is required to be cultivated.

II. Requirements for the quality of milk foam

Every time I talk to my friends about this topic, I get only some very general results. For example, be careful (what is careful? No one can explain it in precise words.) Like velvet (What is velvet? As an animal protected by the state, how many people dare to shoot a swan and touch its feathers? Slippery (oh, that's funny, because milk doesn't go away is the smoothest, just like this guy is lazy and leaves nothing in your mouth before he goes down), and so on and so forth. But there is a saying that I agree with and share with you: the surface should be reflective. I think this statement is very objective and direct, at least it can be seen by the naked eye as a standard.

Here to say so much, mainly to give you a hand can touch, eyes can see, ears can hear the standard, this standard has been mastered, we will discuss in the mouth through the oral mucosa, taste buds and through the upper palate of the inner nostrils formed by the comprehensive image problem, namely taste problem.

What are these criteria? The surface should be reflective first.

The second criterion is that there is not a single coarse foam on the surface. This requires very good foam control, of course, this is also the premise of reflection. So what is coarse foam? If you have to give it a definition, I think larger than 1mm in diameter are called coarse foam.

The third standard is: in the case of the same amount of milk (all added to the bottom of the cylinder mouth), whether it is 60% full or 7,8,90% or full, the temperature should be consistent, and the temperature should not be adjusted.

The fourth standard is: make two cups of cappuccino, make it in WBC standard cup, pour milk foam into cup, pull flower jar without a drop left. If this standard is sublimated a little more, it will become: how much milk foam you want, only how much milk foam you want (except for micro-milk foam such as macchiato), which is difficult to practice, takes a long time, and the author can only do it occasionally.

The above four standards have been achieved, in terms of vision, feel and technology, at least it is a good tank of milk foam. Also mentioned above is an auditory sense, which depends on the milk, just beaten milk foam, must not hear a very continuous burst sound, this can ensure the durability of milk foam in the cup. A topic about cappuccino is the classification of cappuccino. Cappuccino can be classified into three categories according to the quality of milk foam: wet cappuccino, dry cappuccino, and half cappuccino. How do we distinguish between these three cappuccinos? If the milk foam technology passes, the quality of the milk foam can be used to distinguish, as follows: premise: 600ml(medium) left and right pull flower tank, milk in the bottom of the cylinder mouth.

1, wet cappuccino milk foam is 6,7 into full;(this milk foam leaves and other grain requirements of the pattern is very good, at the same time, this milk foam can also be used to do latte) 2, dry cappuccino milk foam is full; 3, half cappuccino milk foam is 8 into full; I prefer 9 into full milk foam. (This foam is great for hearts, apples and tulips). In fact, we usually use this kind of milk foam the most, and use it to make cappuccino, which is common in our daily work. Tip: now go to practice, the heart wants to play a tank 7 into full milk foam, never play 9 into full. Let's go! Third, several misunderstandings of milk foam For milk foam, there are several misunderstandings that we need to understand, which can help us better understand milk foam. The first error: use up and down shake pull flower cylinder, remove the surface coarse foam. This is a very good method, but many friends have a strong dependence on this method, their milk foam is not good, do not summarize why not play well, and use this means to make up. In the long run, there will be dependence, here I must say, if only this way to coarse foam, milk foam technology is no way to improve, also can not practice the advanced skills of pulling flowers. The second mistake: spoon off the surface of the coarse foam. This method is the one I most reject. Although some players in the competition with some methods, but I think this is its foam technology is not up to standard, the surface of the rough foam is too much, shake also can not shake off, can only scoop. If you use similar techniques to treat foam, be sure to strengthen your steam control techniques in the foam.

The third mistake: after the milk foam is played, it is placed next to it for a while. This method is annoying, and it's a form of frothing that hasn't been introduced yet. This will aggravate the stratification of milk foam, hot milk and milk foam fusion will not be completed late, a little careless, it becomes milk is milk, foam is foam. The whole cup of coffee has no balance. The fourth error: two pull flower vats will fall when in a very high position, the original purpose is to fuse, but to stimulate more rough bubbles.

The fifth mistake: milk foam is not good, blame steam. The author believes that the steam pressure of the coffee machine (i.e. boiler pressure) is better to master the foaming pressure, this pressure is very long, and it is easy to understand the principle of milk foaming, but it takes about 13 seconds to make a cup of milk foam. If the air pressure is 1.0 or 1.1 BAR, the way and method of frothing will change, but the principle is the same. (This point should be ruled out due to impure steam, resulting in the phenomenon of "vomiting", pull flower jar also shook badly, if this phenomenon occurs, please exhaust the steam, and then try to fully heat once.) Fourth, milk foam can not be smoothly injected into the espresso solution

We often make cappuccino coffee, there will be milk foam can not be smoothly injected into the espresso problem, why is this? The first is that the milk foam is 80% or 90% full, which is relatively dry. It can be solved by 10% less. The second is that the crema surface of espresso is too shallow from the bottom of the cup, causing milk foam to float on the crema as soon as it is injected. Solution: tilt the glass as much as possible, increasing the depth between the crema surface and the bottom of the glass. When injecting, inject towards the deepest point. The third is that the milk foam is injected into the espresso when it is close to the cup, resulting in insufficient strength of the milk foam to penetrate the crema. Solution: Put the pull jar 10-15cm higher than the cup mouth into the milk foam, increase the acceleration of milk foam injection into crema, so that it can penetrate crema smoothly. The fourth is to use fusion techniques to solve. If the milk foam is still white on the crema when injected (for a small amount, about 1/3 of the surface has an effect), then immediately reduce the amount of milk foam injected, make a circle in the cup, and then lift the flower jar upward, you can flush the whitened below the crema.

The fifth is to use seven full or six full milk bubble pull flower, has not increased the flow, crema to wash away. Solution: Reduce the foam flow and slowly circle the crema until it is fused in place. The sixth is to pull flowers, according to the individual like to pull flowers flower type, and inject milk fusion degree to choose the flower type you need, I personally think that in fact pull each kind of flower milk foam thickness is not the same, so when you decide what flower type to pull milk foam when deciding the thickness of milk foam, if too much pull flowers is very affecting the taste of coffee. The seventh is to pull the flower when do not hesitate, when you pick up the flower jar to decide what you need flower shape do not think about this flower type for a while and think about that flower type, this will lead to you finally pull anything bad, the technique is also very important, when the milk and coffee into the fusion to 6-7 minutes after the full can start to flower. When the flower in the center of the coffee cup and then a little bit behind the beginning of the flower, flower when the water slightly increased so that it can better appear flower shape and then evenly shake the hands of the flower tank to 8-9 minutes full, shaking when the action is not too big, when the flower is almost full when the technique slowly forward into the milk and then improve the water flow after the end so that you can get a similar heart-shaped pattern.