The Americano Conundrum

In preparation for our café opening, Father Dearest has purchased the ultimate Barista guidebook to further enhance our coffee and espresso book collection. The Professional Barista’s Handbook by Scott Rao is widely regarded as one of, if not the best, go-to tome for professionals and even amateurs seeking espresso perfection. While flipping through the pages of Rao’s book, I came across an interesting factoid* on Americanos. This mention reminded me of a minor debate that occurred between a fairly knowledgeable coffee consumer and a café owner: Having requested hot milk for his Americano he was told that this would make it a cappuccino…???!!! Umm… Nope. It does not! “Fairly Knowledgeable Coffee Consumer” got that one right, and asking for hot milk is not an unusual request.

What is an Americano? It’s a coffee drink made up of a shot (or two) of espresso, which is then diluted by the addition of several ounces of water. This is not the same as a regular brewed coffee. However, some coffee shops do serve Americanos in place of drip coffee as this negates the need for purchasing the extra machinery. Americanos also have a stronger, sometimes more bitter*, taste than drip coffee. Because they can be quite bitter, Americanos are often better appreciated with the addition of some sugar or at least some milk- either hot (steamed/ boiled/ microwaved) or cold.

A cappuccino on the other hand, is an espresso, topped with steamed milk that is significantly aerated. The milk used in a cappuccino must be steamed to create the correct consistency. The milk froth in a cappuccino is usually around ½ inch deep. At least 6 oz – 8 oz of milk will be required.

Verdict: An Americano topped with hot milk can in no way be considered a cappuccino!

         * Factoid: An espresso tastes more bitter when made into an Americano because the addition of hot water dilutes the oil content, which prevents the oils from completely coating the tongue.
                                                            The Professional Barista’s Handbook

Husband Speaks

    ** Check out this very first post from Husband. Wonder if he'll become a weekly guest blogger??? **

While Wife is currently nursing the Coffee Bean, I’ve stolen a chance at her keyboard to have a go at this “blogging thing” :O). Now I’m not trying to be biased, but I’ve recently found that the best accompaniment to the perfect cup of coffee, is to own the perfect pair of spectacles from LOOK Opticians.

Ok, so now that I have that shameless plug out of the way, I get to share my thoughts, albeit quite limited, about coffee. I will focus on my postnatal coffee experience. As you know Father Dearest and Mother Dearest have been staying with us quite often since we became parents. As a result I wake up each morning to a freshly prepared cup of coffee that ranges between brewed coffee to a lovely latte (usually courtesy Father Dearest). Now, what is important to note is that I wake up perhaps one to two hours later after this fantastic cuppa has been prepared. Most, if not all coffee connoisseurs will cringe knowing that I left the coffee there for such an extended period. Worst of all, I reheat it in the microwave!!!! Double cringe!!! Triple Cringe!!!!

The fact is I get to put my coffee beverage into my travel mug and enjoy it while on the way to work. There is no better start to the day. Don’t ask me what flavour I’m having, don’t ask me the origin, don’t ask me about the brewing time or process – I leave that to the experts. And the comfort of knowing that my very own ‘professional’ barristas have prepared my morning java is all I need. Plus it’s a joy to know I have not resorted to settling for the popular store brand instant coffee.

Almond Milk

Having a young baby seems to be an open invitation for all sorts of advice- some good, some not so good and some just plain crazy and logic defying! I’d say that we’ve been getting all types. However, one very trusted source (actually several sources repeated the same thing) explained that in her very vast experience, avoiding dairy products while breastfeeding markedly reduced the incidence of colic. So for the last two months I’ve been staying away from two of my most favourite things in the world- cheese and milk!

The cheese was one thing. But how am I supposed to be taste testing lattes and cappuccinos without milk?! And what about my Milo and Ovaltine drinks? And cereal? And calcium? (I mean there’s only so much broccoli you can eat)! Enter a strange concoction called Almond Milk. I’ve been using two brands: Almond Breeze and Silk. So far the only difference I’ve noted is that the Silk seems to be a slightly thicker milk.

In general, Almond milk is the consistency of fat free/ skim milk and has a pronounced nutty flavour. It’s not the best accompaniment to coffee as the nutty flavour introduces a whole new dimension. I’ve been enjoying my coffee black as a result… not hard to do since Father Dearest has stocked us up on yummy Social coffees. I did try a latte with the Almond milk but the thin texture made it all but impossible to produce a good microfoam!

As an addition to black tea, the Almond milk isn’t too bad. It goes quite well with Milo and Ovaltine and adds great flavour to most cereals. All in all, not too bad for a substitute. However, I am looking forward to getting back to the good stuff eventually!

As for the colic? No problems so far. Coffee Bean has been doing quite well and suffers from no prolonged bouts of unexplained crying or major digestive issues. I guess I’ll be enjoying the benefits of the Almond for a bit longer!

Café Progress Report

Coffee Bean was two months old yesterday; and it’s been just about that long since I’ve checked in on work at the café! Thankfully, most of the work has been handled by the very capable Father Dearest. Today was the first time since Coffee Bean was born that I was up and about working on the shop (of course I've been doing other vital bits and pieces from home :o). The Bean spent an hour or so with Husband at LOOK, while Father Dearest and I went to choose moldings and a dishwasher for the café.

Perfect Cup is slowly but surely filling up with the essentials. Our shelves are in, the sink is installed, storage tables are in (still to be mounted), the cold display unit came in this week and our espresso machine - the beautiful and wonderful Evolution - should be on its way to us by the end of this week!!! Work on our counter, customised couch, tables and chairs will also begin either by the end of this week or early next week.

So much still to do but all so very exciting!

Special-Tea: Emperor’s 7 Treasures

The star of the last (for now) installment in the Tea Series is the Emperor’s 7 Treasures. The name alone peaked my interest. What was it? 7 flavours? 7 types of tea? Tea that’s so great it’s fit for a king… or an Emperor? Turns out that the grand title of this tea is well matched by its fantastic taste!

Emperor’s 7 Treasures:
This tea is a fusion of green and black teas with floral additions. The packet boasts that the Emperor’s 7 is a “select blend of the finest black and green teas… enriched by fruity, sweet flavours… [of] rose blossoms and sunflower blossoms.”
Some teas/ coffees are described as “complex in flavour”. I’d say that this is definitely one of those. Each sip (and sniff) brings quite an array of flavours to the palate. When I opened the packet, the sweet aroma of rose blossoms was unmistakable, but just as that fragrance dissipated, the smoky scent of black tea and the grassy fragrance of green tea came to the fore. The taste profile is quite similar. Fruity, floral flavours greet the drinker, but those are quickly replaced by the smoky, malty taste of black tea. A slightly bitter but surprisingly enjoyable aftertaste revealed the green tea ingredient in this fusion.
This tea is darker in colour than green or fruit teas thanks to the black tea pieces, but not as dark as a pure black tea.

Serving suggestion: I tried this tea with no milk and sugar, with milk only and with milk and sugar. Interestingly enough, I found no major difference in the taste profile across my serving variations. Mother Dearest, however, seemed to prefer the addition of some milk. Husband has not tried the tea as yet as he is still enjoying the many coffee options we have around the house!

Emperor's 7 Treasures - showing green and black tea pieces and floral additions

Special-Tea: English Breakfast

As the Social Tea series continues, this post is about the English Breakfast Tea.

Okay, so English Breakfast isn’t that uncommon. In fact, it’s one of the more well known black tea varieties. However, the Social version of this tea is packed with great flavour that comes through in every sip. This is certainly not your average mass produced, long-storage, overly processed cuppa.

English Breakfast:
This black tea is a blend of Assam and Sumatra teas. It produces a strong, dark infusion which, if left to steep long enough, provides quite a caffeine kick. Predominant flavour: malt! “Malty spiciness” is actually how the folks at Social describe this drink- and it’s quite accurate. This is a heavy tea as compared to the Red Chai and the super light Roasted Almond. Serving suggestion: best enjoyed with a touch of sugar (or honey) and a little milk or cream.

Stay tuned for the Emperor’s 7 Treasures (which I haven’t tried as yet :o)