These metal or plastic sleeves that fit over the end of the steam wand may be OK for the beginner or casual latte drinker. However, the CoffeeCrew had come to the conclusion long ago that microfoam is just not attainable with these devices.

Talking to Sara we got a sense of what it is like producing some of Toronto's best coffee.

Everyday Gourmet Coffee opened in the St. Lawrence Market in 1979, specializing in coffee, tea and spices. In 1997, coffee roasting came to Everyday Gourmet with the addition of a Toper drum roaster from Turkey. This gas fired coffee roaster can do 20 pound batches of coffee at a time

A coffee bar is built around a classic old Gaggia two-group and the on-site drum roaster anchors one of the corners of this delighfully warm space. Sara and her small crew of coffee lovers offer fairly traded and organic coffees, roasted daily, from a wide variety of estates.

Everyday Gourmet stocks 20 single origin or varietal coffees. With varied roasts from light-to-dark and blended, Sara creates over 50 different selections of quality Arabica coffees, including a full line of flavoured coffees and custom roasts. She also offer fair trade organic coffees as well as premium SWP(Swiss Water Processed) Decaf.

At the coffee bar, they brew six different coffees daily, as well as all the espresso based beverages, made with their signature espresso blend.

Life in the St. Lawrence Market is one of diversity with a colorful mosaic of produce, meat, seafood, arts and crafts. There is a sense of community unlike anything else in downtown Toronto.

The St. Lawrence Market, open Tuesday to Saturday, is home to 55 of the best food shops in Toronto. The Market also features the St. Lawrence Farmer's Market with over 49 Ontario farmers every Saturday year round and a Market Carts program with over 30 arts and crafts vendors selling one-of-a-kind collectables, unique crafts, custom-designed jewellery and ethnic imports.†

Here you will find the largest selection of cheeses from all over the world, some that you will not find anywhere else, 6 bakeries with over 300 types of breads, 8 butcher shops with exotic and everyday meats, a variety of fish stores, delicatessens, coffee stores, etc. The Market has been in continuous operation at this location since 1803 and is the preferred food shopping destination of Torontonians.

At left, Sara prepares to load the Toper Roaster with some Organic bean. Sara is a hands-on kind of roastmistress but encourages her clients and customers to understand all the dynamics of great coffee... from farmer to cup.

Sara Spector, roastmistress of Everyday Gourmet Fresh Coffee Roasters of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has generously sent us some of her coffee for testing, tasting and appraisal by the coffeecrew team. This "taste-snapshot" is going to become a regular feature on the coffeecrew.com pages. Why do this? There are a myriad of undiscovered or underexposed roasters around North America and we want to find out where they are.

Let's get to the coffee!

Sara sent 3 "mystery" coffees in whole bean, her "private" blend as well as the house espresso. The delivery of 3 mystery coffees serves several purposes. One: It tests our mettle. Two: It makes us work for our coffee. Three: It keeps us from pre-judging the samples.

We brewed up a sample of Mystery-sample #1 to start with. Our first guess upon taking a few lungs full of the fresh and fragrant and fresh whole bean was Sumatra Mandheling. More on how this guess went later.

We were informed that this was an Organic and/or Fair-trade coffee. We guessed kiln-dried and wet-processed. It had a hibiscus (floral) aroma around the cup with a very clear and undistracting coffee flavor across the center of my palate. No bitterness or resonating earthiness was present. We picked out some light-duty tobacco flavors as well as some very soft sugar notes, and a little caramel or chocolate in the cup. This was a very good example of a slightly undeveloped Sumatra, perhaps by about 2 or 3 minutes within the roast cycle. As a sample of "sumatra" goes, I would rate it at about 80 - 82 points out of 100. Better than 80-90% of other similar varietals.

Mystery-sample #2 had a medium sized body in the cup, a fairly light duty aroma, with very little astringency in the first sips. There was an oddball fruitiness at some depth within the taste profile. We pegged it as a Monsoon Malabar and we were right. It was lightly roasted at a second or two beyond first crack. It would have or could have benefited from another couple of minutes in the roast cycle.

Mystery-sample #3 had a citrus quality that jumped out of the cup like a cluster of whole lemons. Some people love this flavor profile which is common in Kenyan quality arabicas. There were wonderful singing notes and berry fragrances that danced around the mouth in this cup. I suggested that this bean was from Uganda. Sara told me it was from Malawi. Keep an eye on this bean!

House espresso: The taste crew found the house espresso pleasing and distinct. There were a variety of twangy flavors in the profile as well as deep dark chocolate notes. A hint of bitterness resonated in the finish. The coffee, as brewed fresh, had a good head of crema that hung in for about 30 or 40 seconds before it started to dissipate.

Our final test was of "Sara's Private Blend". We suspected, and it was not confirmed, that there was some Sumatra and Mexican coffee in this blend. It had a pleasant soapy aroma with medium-dark chocolate notes without any jarring acidy notes in the cup.

Summary

Sample-1 Sumatra Mandheling Rated 80% of some of the best SM Coffees that I have ever had. Very fine. Two thumbs up.
Sample-2 Monsooned Malabar Rated 75% of some of the best MM Coffees that I have had. Needed a longer roast period. Very good.
Sample-3 Malawi organic This is a great coffee for those who love the citrus high-life flavors of great Kenyan coffees. 80% rating. Great!
Sample-4 House espressoRated 75% of some of the best we have had.
Sample-5 Sara's Private Blend We liked it. It was a nice cup of coffee.

Conclusion: Sara's Everyday Gourmet Coffee Roasters at the St.Lawrence market in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in in a city of 5 million. This is a city that is short on great coffee. Sara is changing that. Head down to St. Lawrence market on the lower level and tell Sara and her gang that Colin sent you! ††

This tutorial covers and any and all pump machines by Gaggia, Saeco, Krups, Braun, Pavoni, Delonghi and Starbucks. They really are all the same other than a different plastic or steel skin. All the same rules apply. These machines have some pretty basic features so I will highlight them here and now:

• A powerswitch. (has to be plugged in and on to work!)
• A brew switch that has to be pushed to brew espresso.
• The steam switch.
• The portafilter handle and filter.
• The steam wand.
• The steam knob.

Rule number one. The unit must be plugged into a functional 110 Volt A.C. socket to work, preferably in the kitchen and not too far from the sink.

Fill The Reservoir!

Before using the Barista espresso machine, pull out the water reservoir. After filling the reservoir with water, slide it into place while making sure that the water intake tube is inside the tank. Failure to do so will result in an unhappy and humming machine.

Turn it on and warm it up!

The button on the left  (identified with a [1]ONE) turns on the machine. Depress the button, and the button turns red. Wait for approximately 15 minutes for the machine to warm up. The water temperature has been achieved when the green light on the right side of the machine is illuminated. That said, the unit should have warmed up, and I mean, the whole unit! Superior espresso will be achieved when everything in the unit is comfortably warm and toasty. This is called seasoning the machine. Trust me. Better espresso will be acheived with a warmed up machine as well as warmed cups and saucers. More on that later!

Foam the milk first!

If you are going to make Latte or Cappuccino, you will want to prepare or foam your milk first.
Frothing milk is the fundamental component in Cappuccino, Latte and other espresso based drinks. The pump powered espresso maker is more than capable of producing great foamed milk for drinks so start practicing. Before you start burning litre after litre of 2% milk, invest in one of those great TAYLOR Cappuccino thermometers. It will save you money and a scalded tongue too! Get a stainless steel frothing pitcher. Glass does not work well. Pour milk into the frothing pitcher. Wait! Half-way only! If you fill it up, it will overflow!

Steaming the milk.

Depress the steam button on the Barista (marked as (3) on the photo upper-right). The green light will turn off. Wait a few seconds and the light will illuminate again. With the steam button depressed and the green light on, place the steaming wand just below the surface of the milk and then turn the knob on the left side of the machine. This will allow steam to come out of the wand. It may be loud so watch your ears. Trained baristi (professional coffee makers) can tell a lot about the sound of the milk being steamed.

The early stages of heating the milk are critical. It is during this time that you can control the density of the froth. The best froth is dense with tiny bubbles. When the milk reaches around the 80∫F mark, slip the steaming wand down the side of the metal pitcher, deep into the milk. The milk should start swirling around the wand. Continue heating the milk into the 140∫F - 155∫ mark. If you heat the milk any higher than 160 ∫F, it will scald and be worthy of nothing.

Brewing the espresso!

When you are finished foaming your milk( and it is always important to do the milk first! ), switch OFF the Steaming Switch (3) and press the brew switch to flush some hot water through the empty portafilter and brew head. Some people call this practice Temperature surfing. I call it keeping everything warm and toasty, an important thing in espresso making. Okay. That is enough water through the brew group and portafilter!

Of course you have coffee ground appropriately for espresso making and your coffee is fresh isn't it? Do not expect good results with stale coffee, because coffee is a food product. You wouldn't make a salad with wilted lettuce now would you? Hey, while we are at it, let's identify the two major types of coffee; arabica coffee and robusta coffee. 100% Arabica coffee is generally used in all gourmet blends. Robusta, the cheap stuff, is used in most bad-assed instant coffees and bagged-binned and tinned stuff that you buy in the superstore for $1.99. This stuff will simply NOT make good coffee, so forget about it. Remember, fresh coffee is good coffee and Arabica coffee is the ONLY coffee!

Okay, so you have ground your coffee or had someone grind it to spec for you. I will not go into the issues of ground coffee here. I will assume that it has been ground appropriately for your machine. Spoon the espresso coffee into the portafilter as shown in the photo above left. Before you tamp it down, it should be more or less level with the top of the coffee portafilter. You can tamp it with a variety of gidgets or gadgets. I like the hand-made Reg Barber tamper, but whether this unit is right for you is beyond this basic discussion. Use the device that comes with the unit and if you do not have one, us the bottom of a shot glass or some suitably flat surface.

As shown in the next illustration on the right, the custom Reg Barber tamper compresses the coffee to restrict the flow of water through the coffee and create a consistent and even layer of resistance to the flow of hot water. I will not go into why this is important here. The bottom line is; you do not want the flow of coffee(espresso) to be so quick nor do you want it to be too slow. In a perfect brew cycle, you want to draw 1 to 3 fluid ounces of espresso coffee from the machine into your espresso cup within about 25 seconds after pressing the brew switch on. If 3 fluid ounces of espresso coffee blasts into your cup in 3 seconds then the coffee is either too coarse or it is not tamped hard enough. The coffee, if ground and tamped the right amount, should stream out of the portafilter into the espresso cup much like honey dripping from a spoon. It should at least look intense and slightly syrupy. Nice analogy, huh?

The Barista, and machines like it, have a slight variation in the design and operation of the portafilter. It is fully adjustable during the brew phase. The flow of espresso can be constricted by adjusting the portafilter handle to the left or right. In this way, some pretty fancy shots of cremalicious espresso can be pulled on the fly. Once again, this technique can be something like squeezing the throttle on an old British Motorcycle...Okay maybe that is not a good analogy!

As I have said, this is not the best machine on the block but it is capable of brewing a shot of espresso with a rich head of crema and it is more than capable of foaming milk to perfection. In summary, your Starbucks Barista or Estro Vapore, Estro profi machine is very capable of brewing great shots of espresso provided you given a turn or two to this simple guide. Ask questions or e-mail if I have missed something or some aspect of this tutorial is not clear. There is a steep learning curve in the world of better coffee and espresso. Do not expect to be brewing perfect lattes, cappuccinos or espressos within the first few hours. Practice, practice and more practice makes for a better experience. Golden rule: Better beans means better coffee! Do not scrimp on the main component. Good coffee and fresh cold water, 2% milk is pretty much all you need. Good luck.

Who hasn't passed by a garage sale and considered buying a coffee maker which shows promise as a source of cheap espresso coffee or cappuccino for the home?
Admit it. We all want a way out of paying for those four-dollar lattes and mochas at the corner Starbucks.

It might be a Salton-Maxim or a Delonghi, a Krups, a Braun, or maybe even a pump powered unit capable of producing acceptable espresso. It might take the name of a Bialetti, Elebak, Vesubio, Bellman, Benjamin & Medwin or Vesuviana, a stove top worthy of any Saturday morning brew session.

Basic Description

A steam powered electric espresso maker generally has a thermal plastic skin with a aluminum boiler underneath, a knob or two, a two-way brew switch (offering the choice of brew or steam), a steam wand protruding from the main housing of the unit, a matching glass carafe, a handled coffee filter holder with a steel filter insert and a relatively robust screw boiler cap on top.

The super-cheap machines, which I hear about every couple of days, come from ebay bargains gone bad or a misguided garage sale purchase. Quite often these units have no brew select switch. If you are lucky your new coffee maker may have an on-off switch and, in some tragic cases, just a plug to put for electricity! Yes folks - some of these machine are so cheap they do not even have a power switch!

Let's look at the basics.

Step one: Fill the reservoir almost to the top with water. Do not fill the boiler with milk! You would be surprised how many people ask me if this is where you put the cappuccino beans and milk!
Screw the reservoir cap tightly in place. Consider a dry run. It's simple - run the unit a few times before even considering using coffee. This will give you the opportunity of understanding the basic functions of the unit and questions like

• where does the water go?
• where does the steam come from?
• how long does this unit take to heat up?
• to cool off?

When you are comfortable with your brewer, proceed.
Plug the espresso maker in. In the event that your espresso maker has no power switch, have all your accouterments ready; fresh water, milk, carafe or suitable container, and mug or cup to capture the espresso coffee upon brewing.

Step two: (for machines with a two-way brew/steam switch)
If you have a machine without a two-way brew switch follow the instructions in step four regarding steaming milk, then proceed to step five below. If you have an espresso machine with a two-way brew switch, it is up to you whether or not you wish to brew espresso coffee or steam milk first.

In my opinion, I would suggest that you steam (foam) your milk first, set it aside, then brew your espresso coffee.

Place finely ground fresh espresso coffee in the coffee holder-filter. I cannot stress enough that fresh coffee, ground fine but not espresso grind, is very important. If you wish to get results approaching drinkable, make sure you have fresh coffee, finely ground. Use some tamping pressure to compact the ground coffee, but not too much pressure.
You have tamped the coffee too much if no coffee comes out during the brew cycle. (This is called choking the brew.

Step three: There should be a brew switch on the front or the side of your espresso maker. The two-way brew switch allows you to switch between brewing coffee and steaming milk. If your espresso maker has no two-way brew switch, then you possess the most basic espresso machine. If there is no brew switch, consider foaming the milk first, as in step four.

As your machine warms up, you will hear a rumbling sound. This is the sound of water approaching the boiling point and your unit is now ready to brew espresso or steam milk. If there is a valve adjacent to the steam wand, turn it. Steam should whoosh out.

Steam warnings!

Be very careful. Steam can scald and permanently scar skin tissue, cause injury and/or death in children and so on. Failure of the 'safety relief valve' of any espresso - cappuccino maker, stove top, electric or otherwise, can create an explosion hazard. I have seen an aluminum stove top espresso maker explode embedding the top components 4 to 6 inches through drywall! There is sufficient explosive force in any steam powered product to injure or harm bystanders or users of these products.

Step four: Open the steam valve on the side of your espresso maker. Heat your milk to 160 degrees (F) and no higher. Higher milk temperatures will scald and ruin the milk. Get a calibrated espresso cappuccino thermometer by Taylor. If you have read my tutorial on steaming milk, you have practiced and become quite successful at the art and science of foaming milk, and now have a suitable carafe of steamed and/or foamed milk standing by awaiting the addition of espresso coffee.

Step five: Put 2 tablespoons of finely ground espresso coffee into the metal coffee holder or coffee filter-holder. Tamp it down with moderate force with a coffee tamper, the back of a spoon, or something of suitable shape. Attach your coffee-filter-holder holder to your espresso maker. Place a clean carafe, mug or other suitable container under the coffee holder to catch the freshly brewed espresso coffee. Flip on the brew switch. Within a few seconds espresso coffee will come out of the holder into the carafe, mug or other container.

After 25 to 35 seconds of coffee brewing, switch off or unplug your espresso coffee maker or the espresso coffee will be bitter and over extracted. Add your steamed or foamed milk to the espresso coffee. Adding foamed milk to espresso coffee creates a cappuccino! Adding steamed milk to espresso coffee creates a cafe latte.

These rules work with all Salton, Maxim, Krups, Mr.Coffee, Braun, Delonghi, Betty Crocker and other similar espresso makers that are steam powered. Golden rule - Be careful!

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Chapter six: The espresso-cappuccino experience is 50% preparation and 50% speculation.

Truth be told, you really never know what kind of espresso shot you are going to get until the liquid is streaming out of the machine into your shot glass or mug.

There is something about this mysterious process, I suppose, that makes it so interesting for so many aficionados. I guess that is why I never get that excited about making a piece of toast. There is nothing to it, right? Okay, I suppose I will get some e-mail now!

In a previous section, I pointed out that heat is crucial. Of course you have let your machine warm up for fifteen minutes or so, yes? Have you boiled a kettle of water? You will need that to warm up your cups. Pull down your breadboard. I told you this would come up. The board is a support for your portafilter. When you are tamping coffee at thirty pounds pressure, you will want something that will withstand the abuse.

Get your coffee handy. As a last check, flip the brew switch on your machine. Make sure that there is a waste cup under the machine to collect the hot water. I have gotten into the habit of doing a boiler flush every ten minutes or so if I am in an extended brewing session. Why do this? I like fresh hot water in the boiler. The coffee tastes better. A fresh boiler, of water, is less likely to pick up off flavors from the boiler wall.

If you are going to be steaming milk, for cappuccino and latte, get ready to do it now. It is standard practice, in the cafe world that it is your kitchen, to steam milk first and then brew espresso. It takes a couple of minutes to steam milk to the right temperature and this is too long for espresso coffee to be sitting. There is a separate article on milk steaming on this web site so go have a look now.

In summary, you should use the same milk each time. 2% milk is the best milk for producing the fluffy topping for your cappuccinos and thick micro foam for your latte art! Always steam milk in a stainless steel carafe. Never heat the milk beyond 165 degrees Fahrenheit because at 175 degrees, the milk is scalded. It is ruined for consumption at this point.

Did I mention that espresso coffee does not like to sit on the counter very long? Black coffee is exactly the same. Oxygen goes to work on coffee and espresso the moment that it is brewed. A person with average taste buds can perceive the deterioration within about 1 minute. I am not kidding. If you have ever wondered why every Starbucks has a minute timer on their machines, this is why. If there was ever a reason for not ordering an espresso coffee, for dessert, in a restaurant, this is it!

Okay, so time is of the essence. You are thinking, What do I look like anyway, a quarterback? ì You will get up to speed on all of this with practice. When I am in the kitchen cafe in the morning, I am not just coordinating the preparation of a cup of espresso. I am making tea, Cafe Americano, toast or assorted breakfast items all at the same time for my wife and I. Time coordination is key and practice is the secret. It took me about six months to master the task of boiling water, preparing espresso, making toast and tea in a fashion that would have it all ready within seconds of each other. One day I might just open a real cafe!

In case you were wondering: So, Colin, when I am going to be really good at this?

Fact is, you will keep getting better and better at making a great cup of coffee. You will hear from some of your friends: What is the big deal? It is only coffee!

Well taste this folks. One of the greatest pleasures of gourmet coffee is in the sharing. Like love, coffee is an experience best served for two. There is little that is more satisfying than hearing from a friend or colleague: Dude, I have been on vacation for two weeks. Man, do I miss your java.

These are some of the sentiments that I get in the lab and office. I make daily java for a lab full of techs every morning at ten at morning. They get the best of the best.

There are no corners cut. I do not scrimp on the technique and quality of ingredients when brewing up that critical first pot of the day. Ah, drip coffee. That is another chapter. Let's get back to the espresso.

Review; you have heated up your machinery. You have your ground coffee at the ready. Your cups have been filled with hot water or they are sitting in a saucepan of hot water on the stove. Tamper in hand. Steamed milk, if any, is at the ready. Any rituals or good luck trinkets have been stowed somewhere near your workspace. Letís make espresso!

Unlock the portafilter from the espresso machine. Place it on a stable surface. This is where the breadboard comes in. Dose ground espresso into the portafilter until the coffee is level with the top level of the portafilter basket. With your left hand (if you are right handed), hold the tamper down steady. With a tamper in your right hand, pack the coffee down into the portafilter with all your strength. I use a technique called NSEW when packing espresso.

What does this mean? It means North, South, East and West. This technique is rather difficult to describe in writing so I will not dwell on it if it is not obvious. Simply, I rock the tamper in these four directions applying a bit more pressure on the corners. Does it make a difference? I donít know!

Okay folks, lock and load. Remember, time is of the essence. Every second that the portafilter is out of the machine is a second that it is cooling off.

Lock the portafilter into the brew group. You do not need to use excessive locking pressure if your group gasket is in good shape. What is the gasket, Colin?

The brew group gasket is a large rubber washer that seals the portafilter and the brew group together that water does not fly all over the place when you hit the brew switch. This gasket should last about 3 to 5 years depending how often you put your machine through its paces.

Moment of truth! Press the brew switch. If your machine is like mine, it tends to rumble like a cement mixer. You would be amazed how many people return their machines, as broken, when they hear the ìengineî running for the first time. Some manufacturers even put a sticker on the front or the back stating: ìIf I am loud, I am okay.î

After two or three seconds, one of three things will take place. There could be a flood of muddy looking water into your cup. The coffee was either ground to coarse or you did not tamp it hard enough.

In the event that nothing comes out of the portafilter and the unit starts to sound somewhat ìdifferentî, this is because you have ground the coffee too fine or tamped too hard.

If the espresso coffee streams out of the portafilter spouts like honey from a jar, my friend, you have achieved coffee nirvana in short order! What are the chances of this happening in the first attempt? Well, if you have played around with your grinder and your coffee is fresh or if you have had your local roaster grind it for you, you might just score on the first breakaway. Success is measured in a variety of ways with the espresso shot.

Double or single shots take the same amount of time. Time, what kind of time, you ask? The ideal brew time for espresso is 20 to 24 seconds. Yes, you should have a watch or timer with a second hand or digital display.

Success is measured with the appearance of crema. Crema is the frothy topping that appears on the espresso shot as it is being brewed. Several things can be said of crema.

Crema can hold up a teaspoon of sugar for 10 to 15 seconds, sometimes more. Crema is only produced when the coffee is fresh. It cannot be produced with a steam powered espresso maker, a stovetop espresso maker or any kind of drip coffee brewer.

Some people tend to deconstruct the crema on the coffee to the point of tossing the shots if the crema does not look like tiger tail flecked butterscotch topping. Colin thinks this is b.s.

A lot of work goes into getting the coffee from the farmer to the cup. Waste is never excusable.

As the shot is happening, you may be reminded of several things. Gosh Colin, this stream of espresso looks like a mouse tail! Hey, I have heard that. If you are brewing into a shot glass it can look like a pour of Guinness Beer. You know, where the bubbles are going down instead of up? If you have never been in an English Pub and seen Guinness Beer being drawn, well, that is a life experience you have missed. Read all about that on some other webpage!

I am done! Thanks for reading.