 Coffee Storage Tips
Roasted coffee should be kept from coming into contact with moisture, light and oxygen. This will ensure all natural flavours and aromas are contained. So here are some storage tips:
- Keep coffee in an airtight container in a cool dry place. Refrigeration is not required.
- Grind coffee as close as possible to your intended use. The enemy of fresh coffee is air and ground coffee has more surface area than coffee beans, so delaying grinding as long as possible helps to retain freshness.
- Never move coffee from one container to another, if at all possible, as this created a decanting effect, exposing coffee to more air and reducing freshness.
- Ideally, coffee should be purchased in small quantities on a regular basis to ensure freshness.
You can purchase Coffee Storage Canister at Home Barista Institute by visiting us or calling us with your credit card details.
How to Assess the Quality of the Espresso:
A perfect espresso should have the following features:
- It should have good body. If you hold a glass up to the light, you should not be able to see the light through the glass.
- It should have a thick rich caramel coloured crema on top. The crema should be uniform in colour and support sugar before falling through. If you stir it, it should re-form quickly.
- It should have a good aroma and smell
- It should be between 25-30mls in volume and should be extracted in 25-30 seconds. The extraction should look like “mouse tails” as it pours from the spouts.
- It should have a strong balanced taste.
- When you knock out the coffee cake it should hold together and resemble a chocolate biscuit. This is a good indication of whether you have the correct grind, dose or tamp. If the coffee cake is wet and sloppy the grind may be too coarse, tamped too lightly or dosed too small.
If you want to learn more, enrol in our coffee classes. Click here for more details.
 Tips on How to Texture Silky Creamy Milk
Texturing milk correctly is achieved with time, practice and care. In order to create silky smooth milk:
- Always use fresh cold milk in a clean jug.
- Fill the jug 1/3 to ½ full. This allows for the milk to expand and double in size.
- Keep the tip of the steaming wand just under the surface to maintain a gentle hissing sound. During this stage the milk is aerated and the volume increases. If the tip of the steam nozzle is too far below the surface of the milk, you will hear a howling sound – an indication you are scalding the milk.
- When the temperature of the milk reaches 20-40°C raise the jug and submerge the tip of the wand a little deeper into the milk so the hissing (expansion) stops. The milk should now create a whirlpool around the steam wand. During this stage, the milk is stretched and rolled and any bubbles should disappear, while it is heated to the correct temperature.
- When the temperature of the milk reaches 60-65°C turn the steam wand off, remove the jug, wipe the steam wand with a clean cloth, and flush the wand. Remember milk burns at 72°C.
- If there are any bubbles bang the jug on the bench to break them. Work the milk by swirling the jug clockwise until the milk becomes thick, creamy and shiny.
- Pour the milk immediately. If you want to do coffee art, it’s important you get your milk right!
If you want to learn more, enrol in our coffee classes. Click here for more details.
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