The Coffee Thread

[BALISTC]

Yep, I know Jason quite well.. used to be my tenant at The Park Centre when he worked at Aroma

Had a yarn to him Sunday before last at the comp, he did really well!! Jonny Nease (barista at Velvet, and judge at the comp) was super impressed with him too, reckons he could be a top 3 competitor next year.

[BALISTC]

Originally Posted by mattmy99

I love this thread
Even more so than cars and fish (aquarium), coffee is my passion. (Random fact for ya)

As Joe said, if you can find a "decent" cafe in Perth, stick to it! Also as Joe said, intrinsically, an espresso shot should be slightly sweet (more so with a 100% Arabica bean) and should be strong and intense, but not bitter. If your espresso (or however you prefer to drink coffee) has significantly bitter undertones, it is generally because the dose has been over-extracted.
I dont often drink flat whites, but when I do, I order it as a doppio ristretto flat white. Basically, ristretto is a short pour, or only the first 15-20seconds of a standard pour. And doppio simply means double in Italian. Meaning the doppio ristretto flat white should still be made of a 30ml shot, however it's 2x15ml short pours. I find this way, if Im somewhere where i dont know the quality of their coffee's, I generally get something that is at least drinkable.

Some good coffee places (such as Velvet Espresso) do a Medium Macchiato... double ristretto shot with slightly less milk than a long macchiato (which is just a flat white with an extra shot anyway!)

[Jimmy S]

Originally Posted by BALISTC

Yep, I know Jason quite well.. used to be my tenant at The Park Centre when he worked at Aroma

Had a yarn to him Sunday before last at the comp, he did really well!! Jonny Nease (barista at Velvet, and judge at the comp) was super impressed with him too, reckons he could be a top 3 competitor next year.

You would have tried his coffee then? Awe... Wait for it... Some!!

[Kato]

I make a bombed coffee using my secret ingredients...

[mattmy99]

Originally Posted by BALISTC

Some good coffee places (such as Velvet Espresso) do a Medium Macchiato... double ristretto shot with slightly less milk than a long macchiato (which is just a flat white with an extra shot anyway!)

Now, that depends on who you talk to. I'm not argueing with you Joe, more so conversing, and this could quite possibly go on for years! but...
Macchiato Lungo or “long macchiato” Is technically a Macchiato made with an Americano. (being a doppio shot poured over hot water)
Basically, start with you're Americano, and put a dash of textured/steamed/frothed milk in the centre.

If I'm reading what you've written correctly, you refer to a long mac as to pretty much a double shot flat white in a tall glass. Depending on where you go, this is pretty much what you'll get (And quite honestly, what i prefer and is my coffee of choice). But, as you I'm sure know, macchiato means "spotted" or "marked" or "stained", meaning that a traditional macchiato is simply an espresso shot served in a demitasse cup with a dash/dollup of frothed milk in the centre. Making the espresso shot no such a deep black colour, but rather "stained"... hence the name.

[BALISTC]

LOL, this old chestnut

Long Macchiato at any of the good cafe's in Perth, is a small glass with a double shot, topped up with milk... and their flat white is the same with just one shot.

The big long tall Macchiato's you see at Dome, etc, are the Americano based ones.

Because there are so many variations, you can only go off what that cafe does. I like the medium macchiato's from Velvet, but this is called something else at another cafe I'm sure.

Officially:

Ristretto: 20ml shot of coffee or less

Doppio Ristretto: As above x2

Espresso: 30ml shot of coffee

Doppio Espresso: As above x2

Lungo: 40-50ml shot (yuck, but people do like it).

Macchiato: 30ml shot of coffee with just a drop of milk in it... the milk can be caldo (hot), freddo (cold) or schiuma (foam)

Long Macchiato: Not an official "Italian" coffee, but its normally a doppio espresso (or ristretto if the cafe is really good) topped up to latte proportions of milk. Basically a strong latte.

Americano: 30ml shot of coffee topped up with hot water, to about 80ml.

Latte: 30ml shot of coffee with 60ml of steamed milk. The proportion is supposed to be 1/3 coffee 2/3 milk, but usually there ends up being more milk in there.

Cappuccino: 30ml shot of coffee with 60ml of steamed milk as per above, topped with a foam cap and usually chocolate powder on top.

The massive tall coffee's you get everywhere are not a proper coffee, they are tailored to suit a market... i.e. macchiato from Dome, or an extra tall cup from a take-away coffee place is just there to satisfy a need, not because anyone is trying to be true to the tradition of Italian coffee.

[BALISTC]

Oh and the funniest thing I've ever heard, is whats known as a Ghetto Latte or Bootleg Latte..

They do this in the USA where some places rip you off on coffees, people order an espresso in a big cup, then go to the condiments bar where they top it up with the free milk or cream available there. LOL!

Apparently its become a fairly substantial problem for some people..

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entert...,5331883.story

I reckon its piss funny!!! Just fork out for a proper coffee ffs!

[DAN682]

Originally Posted by Kato

I make a bombed coffee using my secret ingredients...

How about this one John, this is heaps better than that crap

[Gordon]

Would anyone be able to tell me the proper number of shots that should be in an affogato? Some places use one, others use two... Can't seem to find any consistancy.

Thanks,
Gordon

[mattmy99]

I agree with everything you said Joe, except this..

Originally Posted by BALISTC

Americano: 30ml shot of coffee topped up with hot water, to about 80ml.

The shot should be poured over the hot water