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The Perfect Espresso Drink.
by Tabasco

In order to achieve perfection, the Awaken Café will extensively sample and select excellent coffee for our drip coffee, espresso drinks, and decaf. 

Once we have selected a roaster (or perhaps multiple roasters, as we may select a drip coffee bean from one roaster and an espresso bean from another, etc.), we will hire baristas with a passion for learning and coffee.  Our focus will be to educate the barista first in the theory behind making excellent coffee drinks.  We will teach our baristas to become aware of and master the various factors that go into making and serving coffee.

How do you make the perfect espresso drink?  It comes down to four primary factors:  espresso, milk, composition, and style.  Within each of these primary categories, there are several variables to consider, including:  machine cleanliness; sharpness and style of the bean grinders; heat, purity and mineral content of the water; and the certain factors in the environment in which the coffee drinks are prepared.  

Espresso should not be "pulled" two long or two short, so that each shot has a perfect amount of oils extracted as you push water though it at high pressures.  Depending on the type of espresso, this should last for 23-30 seconds to receive 1 to 1.5 ounces of espresso.  A properly pulled shot will have a “crema” on top that gives the espresso the look of a freshly poured Guinness.  If the shot comes out incorrectly, we will dispose of it and redo it.  It will never be served in the hopes that the customer does not notice the difference, a practice akin to a pastry that slipped onto the floor and the server blows it off before handing it over to a customer.

The milk should resemble satin sheets fresh from the makers; light, fluffy, and just the right texture.  Each drink should start with fresh milk to prevent over steaming and burning of the milk.  When steamed perfectly the sugars in the milk are activated bringing out the sweetness in the milk and without expert training, it is easy to burn these sugars and ruin the perfect cup.

Drinks should be put together separately, each one having it's own distinct characteristics.  A cappuccino should not look like a latte and vice versa.  The milk and the espresso should be timed and come together before either has time to become stale or bitter.  Each drink should have it's own flair, the cups for serving, the dollop of foam on top on a cappuccino or macchiato, the chocolate or cinnamon in a mocha or Chai.  Each customer will be able to customize their coffee by experimenting with a number of factors in the composition, including the type of milk, flavors, strength, and size.

And finally each barista will develop a slight difference in the flavor of their cup.  This will happen with art and creativity, strength and techniques, as they create their individual expression of a coffee drink.  We will encourage baristas to experiment with the techniques they have developed to perfect the art and come up with a personal specialty drink of their creation.

A perfect cup of espresso comes down to creating the best possible drink, and is finished off by adding a personal flair to the drink to achieve the perfect taste.

(© Photos and Latte Art by Tabasco 2007)

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