In April my wife and I went on a holiday via the Murray NSW and Vic, Barossa, Adelaide, Fleurieu Peninsula, Limestone Coast, Mt Gambier, Portland, Great Ocean Road then returning to the Blue Mountains via Wagga.
Of course there was a need to have a good coffee at least once a day. Sometimes we got what we wanted and sometimes we were quite disappointed.
It took a while to realise that I was part of the problem. What I am getting at is the communication issue between the customer and the Barista.
How can we expect to get what we want if the Barista has only a general idea of our expectations?
There are problems in communication, including
1) Direct communication with the Barista is available only some of the time
2) Is the customer (me) capable of stating what he wants in language that is (or should be) universally understood by the Barista (or order taker)?
When I can get to talk directly with the Barista the conversation usually goes like this after any pleasantries.
Me “We would like two flat white coffees served in a cup (pointing at standard ceramic cup warming on the top of the machine). We really like to taste the coffee. You would know the coffee you use. Should we have a single or double shot?”
Barista “Our coffee is pretty strong a single shot should suit”. Sometimes a barista has suggested he will pull an extra shot in a glass and we can add that if required. We have always used the extra shot! Baristas are loathe to suggest that we need a double shot to get a good taste of his coffee. That is understandable.
On the trip we probably ordered coffee about forty times. It took some time for it to sink in but to get close to our requirements we needed to order double shots. About 70% the time the result was very fair to very good. Other times the result was poor (in our view) due to incompetence of the Barista or other unknown factors.
What are we looking for?
I’ll do my best to describe our perfect cup.
It has an overall lively full-bodied flavour with an excellent crema. It has the luxurious “mouth feel” of milk with good microfoam. The temperature of the coffee is hot enough so you can linger for maybe 3 minutes or so and the coffee stays pleasantly warm. The coffee should be approachable instantly.
At home I make a form of Ristretto by limiting the quantity of coffee extracted, typically extracting for 20 seconds only. I get a fair bit of variation due to the limits of the grinder I use, principally. (Shortly I will be upgrading. I have both grinder and machine, ordered.)
I think there is a better chance of getting a higher percentage of coffee to our taste by ordering what I do at home. That is, I should order double shot Ristretto flat white.
I hesitate doing this because it sounds pretentious and how will this be interpreted by the Barista directly or through communication with the order taker?
The article I picked up through a post somewhere here tells a story that relates.
http://bit.ly/kz1qXr
Of course there was a need to have a good coffee at least once a day. Sometimes we got what we wanted and sometimes we were quite disappointed.
It took a while to realise that I was part of the problem. What I am getting at is the communication issue between the customer and the Barista.
How can we expect to get what we want if the Barista has only a general idea of our expectations?
There are problems in communication, including
1) Direct communication with the Barista is available only some of the time
2) Is the customer (me) capable of stating what he wants in language that is (or should be) universally understood by the Barista (or order taker)?
When I can get to talk directly with the Barista the conversation usually goes like this after any pleasantries.
Me “We would like two flat white coffees served in a cup (pointing at standard ceramic cup warming on the top of the machine). We really like to taste the coffee. You would know the coffee you use. Should we have a single or double shot?”
Barista “Our coffee is pretty strong a single shot should suit”. Sometimes a barista has suggested he will pull an extra shot in a glass and we can add that if required. We have always used the extra shot! Baristas are loathe to suggest that we need a double shot to get a good taste of his coffee. That is understandable.
On the trip we probably ordered coffee about forty times. It took some time for it to sink in but to get close to our requirements we needed to order double shots. About 70% the time the result was very fair to very good. Other times the result was poor (in our view) due to incompetence of the Barista or other unknown factors.
What are we looking for?
I’ll do my best to describe our perfect cup.
It has an overall lively full-bodied flavour with an excellent crema. It has the luxurious “mouth feel” of milk with good microfoam. The temperature of the coffee is hot enough so you can linger for maybe 3 minutes or so and the coffee stays pleasantly warm. The coffee should be approachable instantly.
At home I make a form of Ristretto by limiting the quantity of coffee extracted, typically extracting for 20 seconds only. I get a fair bit of variation due to the limits of the grinder I use, principally. (Shortly I will be upgrading. I have both grinder and machine, ordered.)
I think there is a better chance of getting a higher percentage of coffee to our taste by ordering what I do at home. That is, I should order double shot Ristretto flat white.
I hesitate doing this because it sounds pretentious and how will this be interpreted by the Barista directly or through communication with the order taker?
The article I picked up through a post somewhere here tells a story that relates.
http://bit.ly/kz1qXr
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