A Few Minutes of Foam

A Few Minutes of Foam

If you leave a latte for a few minutes on the countertop, sometimes the foam starts to break up — but sometimes it doesn’t. Why? No matter how long you’ve been slinging shots, sometimes a latte will go bubbly after pouring. If you’ve ever had to remake a coffee...
Wheels of Steel

Wheels of Steel

The pros and cons of stainless steel, copper, and brass when it comes to boilers, portafilters and blocks. Call me a nerd, but I vividly remember the first time I used a machine made with all stainless steel. The coffee tasted vibrant and clean, and the salesperson...
Implementing a Life Cycle Analysis in Your Coffee Business

Implementing a Life Cycle Analysis in Your Coffee Business

Now let’s look at how the app can inform your own life-cycle analysis. As we learned in Lesson 1.01, the first phase of an LCA is Goal Definition and Scope. The scope of the app is limited to the carbon footprint of coffee brewing, so the inputs and outputs are all...
Aroma and Aftertaste

Aroma and Aftertaste

You asked us, ‘Why is it that the aroma of coffee can be so different to the aftertaste; even though presumably the same chemicals are involved?’ Here’s what we found out: Aftertaste, in coffee, refers to the tastes and aromas left in the mouth after...
Espresso Headspace

Espresso Headspace

In in our recent poll on the Barista Hustle FB forum, you asked us to research this topic: Why do they say you need a penny worth of headspace between the coffee puck and the shower screen?  Received wisdom in coffee says that if you put a nickel, or a penny, on top...