Barista training part 2: Brew-ha-ha

During the actual barista training, we learned about beans, tamping, extraction, steaming and stretching milk, and how, if prepared correctly, a perfect latte could have even a sugar-lover skipping the sweetener.

Here are some facts we uncovered about beans and brewing:

• Coffee changes from year to year and crop to crop. Ethiopian coffee, for example, comes in the late spring. Sumatra beans are higher in moisture content, which translates to a lot of body and depth.
• Coffee is more stable in the green state than in the roasted state.
• The Agtron is a spectrometer used to gauge roast level. The number it gives is a universally accepted standard of measurement. It’s the only way for roasters to calibrate their roast since merely saying, “dark roast” can mean ten different things to ten different people. However, if the Agtron retuns a rating between 30–35, this is accepted as “French roast.”
• The coffee fruit is pulpy and its seed is like a cherry pit. There are two beans per fruit. The fruit is very dense — not as dense as grapes, but similar.
• Espresso refers to a brewing method. Any coffee bean can be espresso brewed. Espresso brewing results in a higher coffee-to-water ratio and involves brewing under pressure for flavor concentration.

Barista training part 1: Adventures in Coffeeland
Barista training part 3: Brews Clues
Barista training part 4: Hot & Steamy