The format of the competition goes like this

• 15 minute time limit
• 6 minutes to adjust the grinder so your shots pull perfectly.
• 9 minutes to produce 2 Short Black’s and 2 Cappuccino’s, with each pair served simultaneously.

Points on the Short Blacks were awarded based on the following

1. Colour of the Crema (Hazelnut, Dark Brown, Reddish)
2. Consistency and persistence of crema
3. Taste balance (of sweet vs acidic vs bitter)
4. Tactile balance (full bodied, round, smooth)
5. All espressos served simultaneously
6. Correct espresso cups used (Hurr Durr)

Cappuccino points were awarded on a similar standard, though the criteria reflects the drink

1. Visually correct cappuccino
2. Consistency and persistent foam
3. Temperature of cappuccino (not too hot or cold)
4. Taste balance (rich sweet milk vs espresso)

Additional points were awarded for how technically correct the use of the espresso machine was, as well as the workstation tidiness. As you can see very few details go un-noticed.

Want to improve on your Barista Technique, visit The Mighty Coffee.

Beville-BES-860

I’ll step you through what I do and use to make my coffees and I’ll take some pictures of the ones I make tomorrow and post them up, but it’s a bit late now.

The machine I use at home is a Breville BES-860. I really like it because its got a conical grinder built in, which is fully adjustable and pretty much everything is adjustable. The notable exception here is the temperature of the water. However I don’t see this as an issue. It would just confuse people and outside of the hands of a skilled barista, whose coffee technique was good enough to make full use of this feature it would just confuse people and provide another way to muck up their shots. Although I recommend this machine I’m sure that there are other systems on the market that will do just as good, if not better, I’m simply not familiar with them.

I use a 600ml steaming jug, with a pointed spout. The Breville comes with one, but I find that it’s not as good as a more traditional shaped jug. Having said that, use what works for you, I’m not out to tell you what to do, I’m just writing about what works for me.

One thing I would recommend for everyone is a tamp pad. Also known as a barista mat. This is a piece of rubber that sits on your bench, near your machine. You rest your group head on it as you tamp so you don’t damage the spout of your group head. A tamp pad will also allow you to lightly tap the group head without damaging either your bench top or your group head. I’d recommend a tamp pad to anyone, regardless of your skill level.

I don’t have an external grinder because my machine has one built in that does a darn fine job.

With these appliances in mind I’ll now step out exactly how I go about making my coffees.

1. Turn on the machine (durrr); make sure it’s got enough water and beans in it. Assemble anything that is in pieces.

2. Get your milk and steaming jug out of the refrigerator. Pour into your jug enough milk for one cup. This machine isn’t big enough to make more than one cup at a time.

3. Purge the steam wand and get your milk going. With this machine you can rest the jug against the wand so that you don’t have to hold it.

4. While your milk is steaming away you should have enough time to grind your beans and tamp them down.

5. The Breville has a little quirk where it purges the steam so that you can pull shots within seconds of the time when you finish steaming, and this is enough time for you to load the group head into the machine, get your cup ready and wipe down your steam wand.

6. Pull your shot, pour your milk, and enjoy your coffee.

It’s as simple as that. You’ll notice in this method that I steam the milk first, this is because with the Breville it takes a while to steam the milk, and in this time the shot has gone off, so to avoid this I do the milk first, which leaves it enough time to settle but not too long, avoiding it separating.

Now that I’ve said all that go, enjoy your brilliant and fantastic coffee from home.

Want to improve on your Barista Technique, visit The Mighty Coffee.

When Magimix first introduced their food processors about 30 years ago, they came in strong, providing home owners in Burgundy, France, a feel of professional kitchen but in a smaller scale. It is no happenstance as well that such introduction was in the area where gastronomy was noted to be glooming well.

Food and culture and Magimix appliances pretty much mix well together. Their production of coffee makers gives additional illustration for this.

Quality, simplicity, practicality and appearance being their four main values, they do not compromise when it comes to these things, even with people’s coffees. Having owned their Magimix coffee maker machines, users can not describe them something lesser than brilliant.

Brilliance is no accident, though. Their well acclaimed design does not stop at their great facade and stylish colored capsules. The feeling of exclusivity is the product comes with their brilliant marketing, as well, of course. The coffee machine accessories even extend this, as well. Although the cups would require a little more cash out, they provide that feeling of exclusivity, as well as the capsule design.

Exclusivity has its price, though. This is perhaps the slight downside to this. It costs a little bit more than the regular coffee makers you’d find around, and you generally can’t find them in mall stores, rather you have to mail order them.

But as they are backed with a really good system and machine make-up, you’ll get that freshly brewed coffee right at your home counter. After all, that’s what is most important, right? The coffees are great, so much so that this is likely an understatement. Creating them would not be a problem, as well. Be it espresso, capuccino or latte that you’d like, expect to have it fresh and just right – as real as it can get.

As every brew is fresh and consistent, your expectation would not go astray. Imagine waking up to fresh cup every time and anytime of the day you’d want your fresh coffee.

For heaps more coffee maker reviews check out CoffeeMakerCritic.com where you will find reviews and ratings on all the leading coffee machine brands including Zojirushi coffee makers, Black and Decker, Breville, Delonghi, Kitchenaid, Krups, Mr. Coffee, Capresso and more. Get your FREE ‘Coffeemaker Buying Guide’ full of tips and tricks on how to buy the best coffee maker for your needs.

This is a guest review, If you have any experience that you’d like to tell us about, leave a comment below.

Want to improve on your Barista Technique, visit The Mighty Coffee.