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Barista training - 2006/03/15 00:33I was wondering if any offers Barista course for the home novice?
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colin
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Re:Barista training - 2006/03/15 00:43There are videos and DVD's -- at great expense...
We are currently scripting a DVD that should retail for under 30$ --
There is a "coffee school" that is associated with coffee companies like Second Cup... but you have to be an employee -- obviously.
Other than that -- no substitute for on the job training.Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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dave
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Re:Barista training - 2006/03/15 02:02Dave is an Ottawa resident and Coffee Expert
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Scoobydoo
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Re:Barista training - 2006/03/15 05:49Thanks guys
I would like to work in a good coffee shop (ie. know what they are doing) even if its part time. I have a good paying job so I would do it for free even.
So for now..I guess home will do. As for equipment..I need to get a good grinder but will wait and have my coffee ground at the place I buy my beans from. Lately its been Discovery coffee. I do have a Miss Silvia which I understand is a half decent machine. I have the rest.
I have been thinking about getting a book or dvd but they are pretty pricy and do they do the job?
I guess, I'll read read and read some more. colin when you get a video together, let me know, I'll definitely buy one.
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dave
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Re:Barista training - 2006/03/15 08:31How often can you drop by discovery? The more frequently you buy your beans the better, particularly when getting them ground at the store.
However, preground coffee is not all instant doom and gloom as many would attest with unwavering sterness (assuming, of course, that we are talking about peak freshness coffee ground competently at the store). True, it isn't the same as fresh ground, but it doesn't just go >poof< after five minutes. Discovery will be able to grind very precisely for you, which makes it possible to still get good espresso from coffee ground away from your machine. It does take trial and error and a repeatable roast profile.
Attached is a picture of the visual comparison between shots pulled on a Gaggia from coffee ground 4 hours and 24 hours prior to pulling the shot. The shots were a bit problematic, since it is difficult to pinpoint the correct setting for your next lot of coffee before you are actually using it in your machine (this is where the repeatable profile helps). Hence, these images were not cherry picked.
If you compare shots pulled right away, within 30 minutes, and at longer intervals as shown in the picture, you will notice a progression where first the aromatics fade out (significantly depleted by day 2), then the buttery texture of the crema starts to flatten out, but overall taste, colour, and crema volume degrade more slowly. It can actually take several days for your crema to thin out severely. Latté art is entirely possible with practice, though over time the resulting crema starts to become more rigid, making it more difficult to work with.
Let us know how you are making out and about how freaking fantastic Sam's coffee is!
Dave
Dave is an Ottawa resident and Coffee Expert
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dave
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Re:Grinding coffee - 2006/03/15 13:09I also wanted to suggest avoiding store-grinding coffee that is "overly fresh." This is the same advice as for grinding at home; rest times vary by blend and personal taste, but overtly high carbon dioxide levels in the cup are bad.
I haven't had good experiences, myself, having coffee ground before letting it rest a couple of days post-roasting. It doesn't seem to settle out well despite the rapid degassing that you would expect to take place. There is a lingering brightness or harshness in the cup in the coffee. I haven't really tested this out with several blends, but it has been my experience as the 'posterboy for preground.'
DDave is an Ottawa resident and Coffee Expert
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dave
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Re:Barista training - 2006/03/15 15:13Scooby,
Never completely answered your original question.
I don't know if there are any analogous programs in BC (namely, Vancouver), but there have been some espresso enthusiast courses showing up in North America. Intelligentsia in Chicago, for example, offers them and they have been well recommended. Being near a major airport hub, well ...
Some folks have found them in Australia ... I don't know where all they are offered. I haven't heard tell of any culinary school courses that fit the bill, but I really haven't a clue beyond speculation and the comments of a few disheartened seekers.
If you were through Ottawa, I'd be happy to show you what I know. [At home] In Victoria: Drop by Discovery Coffee and also drop Colin a line. In Toronto? If I'm not out of line for suggesting it, drop by Everyday Gourmet Coffee and ask Sara if you can watch her make your drink.
There is a small collection of home-brew videos on things like latté art preparation and some hard-to-see distribution techniques, free for the download.
D
[edited for being awake now and remembering that you are in Victoria ]
Post edited by: dave, at: 2006/03/16 03:08Dave is an Ottawa resident and Coffee Expert
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Scoobydoo
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Re:Barista training - 2006/03/16 02:10I'm like a 5min walk to Discovery..and that's including stopping for the walk signal.
Thanks for all the help. I guess what I should ask next time I go in there is fo 1/4lb of coffee. I'm holding off getting a grinder right now due to the fact that my hidden fund account has been used to fund the 'unknow to the wife' portion of the Miss Silvia. I told her I got it for $375 (yeah would that be a sweet deal). So I'll have to build it up again before dropping the money on a Rocky Grinder.
Where is Everyday Gourmet Coffee? That's in TO correct?
I have yet to venture across this great nation. I've been to Alberta, New Foundland (yes I'm half newfie), Winterpeg and have only stopped over in TO.
I may ask Sam one of these days about getting some pointers.
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dave
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Re:Barista training - 2006/03/16 03:32Scoobydoo wrote: I may ask Sam one of these days about getting some pointers.
On my one visit to 2% Jazz, Sam was extremely generous with his time and showed a passion for bringing education about coffee and preparation to the consumer. Hence, I would suggest doing just that. He's probably running around a lot, but I get the impression that he would be happy to lend a hand if he can.
It can be difficult getting started, working out the correct grind for your machine. You may need several samples and several visits, ground from relatively coarse (for espresso) to relatively fine to ballpark the range you need to target. I seem to recall Silvia needing a somewhat finer grind than commercial machines, much like Gaggia home machines. Find a time when it is least hectic and ask if it would be ok to get a bunch of samples of the same coffee at different grinds for your first order, as little as 50-70g per sample. Judge your sample sizes on how many shot attempts you might need to make per sample (or what they are willing to humour you with). Be sure to LABEL each sample with the specific setting and specific grinder used, as well as the coffee. The rest is experimentation; I came up with a sort of moving average technique for tweaking my grind when having it ground in the store. For the longest time, it was actually very consistent and I only needed small tweaks. When I ran into trouble, I really ran into trouble due to a fluke roast or very low humidity. Throughout most of the year, I was just fine.
It isn't optimal, but it is feasible.
Yes, Everyday is in the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto, on Front Street: http://www.everydaycoffee.com/, where you can find Sara carefully tending to her roaster.
I've actually travelled more in the States than in Canada, a fact that I still hope to remedy. I had a great, if brief, visit out in Victoria late last year, finally adding a stop in BC to my list.
DaveDave is an Ottawa resident and Coffee Expert
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dave
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Re:Barista training - 2006/03/16 03:36Oh yeah,
If you are a 5 minute walk from Discovery, you are very lucky indeed.
You can buy your coffee once a day, if they'll sell you a smaller amount, and make as many trips as you need when sorting out the grind that you need. You are likely in about the best "preground" situation that you could hope to be in.
It should be very doable, and your shot quality should actually be pretty decent if you can get fresh coffee each day.
DaveDave is an Ottawa resident and Coffee Expert
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