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| The Barista Approach The Water The quality of the water used is very important for the preparation of a good espresso. It is important not to use hard water, so the taste and the aroma of the ground beans can fully unfold. The water hardness varies from region to region, depending on the potassium salts solved in it. Besides the influence on the taste, there is also another reason why you should not use hard water: Limescale can cause crust formation in the pipes and the boiler and thus cause slow water flow. Limescale blockage can also cause a reduction in temperature of the outflowing water and thus affect the outcome of the espresso. Limescale also increases maintenance costs and reduces the life of your machine. The Coffee Bean Even though the roasted beans are enclosed in vacuum or valve packages and do not lose their characteristics for many months, they are, however, at their best within the first 3–4 weeks. We suggest a dry and airy place for storage. Warmth, light and strong aromas are to be avoided. Coffee beans lose their aroma very quickly when exposed to air. Therefore the packaging should only be opened just before filling it into the grinder. Never the less, once in the grinder they are inevitably exposed to oxygen and start getting stale. Because more taste is lost more quickly when the beans are ground, only grind as much as you need. The Preparation of the Machine The espresso machine should be switched on 15 minutes before use, so that all parts of the machine have the right temperature, and the pressure needed for extraction has built up. Since most parts only really heat themselves when the espresso is being made, we suggest putting the portafilter with basket, but without espresso into the brew group and letting water flow through by lifting and lowering the lever. Repeat this action two to three times until the brew group and portafilter are hot. The portafilter must be cleaned thoroughly with a soft cloth before filling it with the ground coffee. The Grinding The setting of the grinder is extremely important, since it can alter the size of the grind. If the beans have been ground too coarsely, the water will flow through the grind too quickly and not all the desired aromatic parts will have been extracted. The result is a thin espresso that is poor in aroma. If the grind is too fine, however, the water will run through the coffee too slowly and the espresso will taste wooden and bitter. Endless factors, such as humidity, air pressure and quality, and blend and roast temperature of the beans are of such high importance to the outcome of the grind that there is not “the” right grind setting. The ideal grind setting is achieved when it takes 20 – 30 seconds to pull a single espresso shot. The Dosage After the grinding, it is important to fill the basket in the portafilter with the right amount of espresso, the ideal amount would be between 0.27 oz and 0.32 oz. Not following these guidelines would mean that the same problems might occur as with the too coarse or too fine espresso grind. Please pay attention to the right choice of basket. If you select the wrong one, the outcome can be frustrating. The Tamping The espresso grind in the portafilter basket has to be properly tamped down without any loose grinds to provide the flowing water with the needed resistance: If the espresso is not tamped sufficiently, the water will run through the grind without picking up the entire aroma, if the espresso is tamped too hard, the water flow can be very slow or not happen at all. The suggested force to be tamping with is 55.12 lb. With practice you will find out the right tamping pressure. The Extraction After tamping, place the portafilter (which holds the filter basket) counterclockwise into the brew group. If water or coffee spills out from the sides when you pull the lever down or push the button to initiate the extraction you have either put in too much espresso grind or the portafilter is sitting too loosely in the brew group. Once it has been tightened, pull the lever up slowly, and then push it back down or press the button to start extraction again. The result should be an aromatic, delicious espresso with a beautiful hazel-colored crema. |
Marcello's Approach The Water You don't have to worry about the hardness and quality of the water, as the machines we provide are equiped with water filters for professional use. You get great tasting espresso from what the water is concerned, and you save money on maintenance. The Coffee Bean We import only small quantities of freshly roasted coffee. So the coffee we supply is always as fresh as it can be short of roasting it yourself. The capsules containing the ground coffee are single-packaged in protective atmosphere and therefore not exposed to air. And they are opened only the very moment they are being used to pull a shot of espresso. The Preparation of the Machine Our machines are hot in 10 minutes. There is no need to pre-heat and clean a portafilter, as the capsule itself acts as the portafilter and filter basket. The Grinding The espresso coffee in the capsule is already ground to the ideal grade. There is no need to adjust a grinder's settings and calibration to all the varying factors. Actually there is no need for a grinder at all. And you can even change the type of espresso blend you use without adjusting the grinder or having to buy multiple grinders. The Dosage The dosage is preset with the ideal amount of ground espresso coffee in the capsule. The Tamping There is no need for tamping, as the coffee grind in the capsule is already tamped. The Extraction Place the capsule in the capsule compartment, pull the lever, and press the button to start the extraction. The result is an aromatic, delicious espresso with a beautiful, thick, hazel-colored crema. |
| Obviously it is very easy to obtain a less than satisfying result - and very difficult to produce the perfect espresso in a consistent quality. With Marcello's perfectly adapted combination of machine and capsule, the elements that can go wrong in the preparation of a great espresso are eliminated resulting in a guaranteed consistent top-quality of your espresso coffee and espressso-coffee based drinks. it's your 'BARISTA IN A CAPSULE'. |