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COFFEE DOS & DON’TS
Your creation is always unique. With the highest quality raw material from our Coffee Roastery and the necessary Home Barista tools, you follow your own path at home for the preparation of your beverage. Thus, you have unwittingly acquired a special daily ritual full of complex aromas and special flavours.
What could break it to you?
Like every fairy tale has a hero and a villain, you have to face the enemies of coffee. It may sound strange to you, but even if you have chosen specialty coffee with exceptional aromas and an incomparable taste profile, it's the little details that make the difference and guarantee you the perfect result or... failures that you want to avoid.
Let's go discover them!
The barista's tips
1. Choose the "right" water
Did you know that 99% of an espresso coffee is water? So make sure you use the... right one. What is it?
Bottled or filtered water. The easy solution may be tap water, but it's definitely not the best, since water contains salts and other substances that affect the extraction and thus the taste of the coffee.
2. Freshly ground coffee for... fresh aroma
It's a fact that when coffee is ground, it loses some of the magic of its aroma. So each time, in the grinder, put the amount of coffee you're going to drink at that moment. That way, the coffee aromas will wake you up with the very first sip.
3. Be the bodyguard of your coffee
The beans need to be protected. This is your job. Their enemies? Oxygen, odours, moisture and light. At the same time, keep them at room temperature. Store them properly and keep the taste and aroma of the coffee intact.
Extra tip: Don't buy more than you will consume in a week. That way, every day you'll be drinking the fresh coffee you love.
4. Strengthen or reduce tension
Myth If you increase or decrease the amount of coffee you use, you will increase or decrease the intensity of the beverage accordingly. True: If you want stronger or lighter coffee, experiment with different blends and varieties.
Change habits, not coffee!
Apart from the general tips that should always be followed for a unique coffee experience, we need to know about the specificities of each type of beverage. What makes a perfect filter coffee? What should you look out for in espresso? How can you further spice up your Greek or how to properly whip a frappe?
For those who put a filter on coffee and not... on life
Are you a slow drinker with a love of company and the warmth of a filter coffee? Do you close your eyes with every sip and let yourself indulge in the pleasure of your beverage? These tips are for you!
Paper-scented filter?
Filter coffee has various aromas and flavours that suit it perfectly. But "papery" is not one of them. So to avoid it, wet the paper filter with warm water that neutralizes the paper flavors and you're good to go.
Grinding is a way, not an effort
Do you make your filter coffee with a paper filter, a cloth filter, in a metal filter machine or in a piston? Then, you should know that each way requires different grinding of the coffee. Ask the barista at our coffee shop which filter you have and he... will guide you to the right coffee grinding.
Creation needs the right tools
Become a Home Barista = unique result.
How can you make the perfect, more perfect? By choosing devices that will give you a quality tasting cup of coffee, making the extraction process interactive. Next time offer your guests a hot cup of coffee extracted by V60 and they will remember it.
Press to impress for filter and cappuccino
Do you have a plunger, or French press? In addition to filter coffee, you can also make the froth for your hot or freddo cappuccino. It may sound strange, but try pouring the milk halfway through and bumping up and down the metal filter until it becomes a delicious frothy milk.
Extra tip: Use hot or cold milk, depending on the coffee you want to enjoy.
Espresso: Can everyday coffee become an art form?
Of course, art can be seen in everyday things. In the things we take for granted and the espresso or cappuccino is one of them.
Cleanliness is half of nobility
Did you know that... if you don't clean your espresso machine, oils are left behind, giving your drink a bitter taste? So you have to clean your machine every day and even clean it with a special liquid to prevent it from catching salts.
Fluffy frothed milk? From us it is yes!
Thermometer and swirl. The two elements that make a frothed milk so delicious, you'll eat it with a spoon! As the milk heats up it becomes sweet, but be careful! If left too long it burns and gives off a burnt aroma and sour taste.
You want an elastic texture without bubbles? Adjust the position of the nozzle to create swirls.
The extraction of an espresso under the microscope
A perfect espresso yields about 30ml and should be extracted in 22 seconds to 27 seconds. If the flow is too thin, the espresso too bitter and the cream colour too dark, your coffee needs a coarser grind. If the flow is fast, it wants a finer grind.
Traditional Italian... espresso
Reminder. When you clean it, don't assemble it to avoid moisture build up.
Yes, and Hellenic has it's tricks.
The meracled kayak!
Step 1: Use a stirrer, not a spoon.
Step 2: Choose a Greek brisket with a narrow neck.
Step 3: Pour the coffee low and close to your mug for a "richer" kaimaki.
(Not) burning and slowly boiling
The secret to Greek? Keep the fire or temperature low so that it simmers and doesn't burn!
Caramel flavored Greek?
How? Add some flavored filter coffee to your Greek for extra aroma and flavor.
And the frappe has his secrets
As much foam as needed.
So that your cold instant isn't 50% foam and 50% coffee, put the water in first and then the coffee with sugar. In 10 seconds of beating you should have the perfect froth.
Go off the beaten track.
Put a twist on your coffee by choosing instant caramel flavoured coffee!