Embarking on a career as a barista can be an exciting and rewarding journey, even if you have no prior experience in the field. With a passion for coffee and a commitment to learning, anyone can become a skilled barista. In this article, we will guide you through the process of becoming a barista from scratch, providing valuable insights and practical tips to help you master the art of coffee. Develop a Passion for Coffee: The first step in your journey is to cultivate a genuine passion for coffee. Immerse yourself in the world of coffee by reading books, exploring different coffee beans and ..read more

What is WDT (Weiss Distribution Technique)? Weiss Distribution Technique is achieved by using a WDT tool to rake through the coffee bed with thin needles to break up clumps of coffee grinds (super fine coffee that agglomerates) and redistribute the coffee evenly across the entire bed surface area and depth, top to bottom and side to side. Why WDT? The Weiss Distribution Technique helps improve the evenness of the extraction by eliminating or reducing channelling and increasing extraction which results in higher clarity of flavour in your espresso. Simply put, it just makes your coffee tas ..read more

That’s right, if you’re a two-cup a day coffee drinker, making your own coffee at home can save you more than $1,000 even after the initial outlay for all the necessary equipment, coffee beans and milk! Making espresso at home is an excellent way to start the day. When topped up with hot water, milk foam, steamed milk, or even all three, you can create cafe classics such as the latte, cappuccino, or macchiato. Espresso is made by passing water through ground coffee at high temperature and pressure resulting in an intense coffee approximately 30mL in volume. This resulting drink is often referr ..read more

PID controllers and multi-boiler technology Prior to the introduction of multi-boiler machines with PID controllers, espresso machines often relied on a single boiler with a heat exchanger inside to allow the user to simultaneously extract espresso and steam milk. The temperature control on these machines was analog and rudimentary at best using a pressure-stat (similar to how a thermostat works, but with pressure instead). Basic high school science tells us there is a linear relationship between pressure and temperature. That is to say, if the pressure goes up, so does temperature and vice ve ..read more

Coffee is bitter and there is no getting around it and will always be present in some concentration in your cup of coffee. There are many flavour compounds in coffee that give rise to bitterness, with the main culprit being our very good friend, caffeine. However, if you believe your brew is excessively bitter, there are a number of reasons why this could be. Dark roasted coffee If your coffee is darkly roasted and glistening with oil on the surface of the bean, this is likely why your coffee is tasting excessively bitter and burnt. Over-roasting coffee beans essentially turn the cellulose fib ..read more

If you just bought some coffee beans, storing your coffee correctly is essential to keep them fresh and as tasty as the day you bought them. The four things you want to avoid when storing your coffee at all costs are: Air Moisture Heat Light Let’s take a look at them in more detail. Air I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. Air contains oxygen, and oxygen causes oxidation. Oxidation is the same thing that makes metal rust and the flesh of cut apples to go brown. In case it isn’t obvious, oxidation is bad and will reduce the quality of your coffee dramatically over time. So, the more y ..read more

So maybe you’ve toyed with the idea of becoming a barista one day but are not quite sure if it’s the right choice for you, here are 5 reasons why you should become a barista. Free unlimited coffee I mean who doesn’t like free AND unlimited? Seriously, most cafes will allow you to drink as much coffee as you can handle. Usually when dialing-in coffees in the morning, tasting all the drinks is not only ritualistic but part of the job. Don’t be surprised if you’ve tasted more than 5 coffees before 9 am! Being a barista and tasting drinks all day for quality control can be overwhelming for people ..read more

If you read our last article about the benefits of making your own coffee at home and are now thinking about buying your first espresso machine, you’ve come to the right place. Buying a coffee machine can be confusing and the options out there can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be. I’m here to help. What espresso machine should I buy? What should I look for in an espresso machine? What should I avoid? How much should I spend on an espresso machine? If these are questions that have crossed your mind, continue reading. Whilst this is not meant to be a definitive buying guide (that may c ..read more

It’s common street knowledge that coffee tastes better when the beans are freshly roasted – but did you know coffee tastes better by grinding only what you need, when you need it?  Before we delve any deeper into why you should avoid pre-ground coffee, lets talk about why we need to grind coffee in the first place.  In whole bean form, coffee isn’t very soluble. Try this little experiment yourself, put a few whole beans into boiling water. You’ll see there wasn’t much change in the water. It’ll remain fairly clear, an indication that virtually no flavour compounds ended up in the w ..read more

This post is intended for those who have not experienced one of our Melbourne Barista courses and a primer for our introductory barista course. For many, Arabica is synonymous with coffee and quality, but did you know that this is just one of over 100 coffee species that belong to the Coffea genus? The two most cultivated species of coffee in the world are Arabica and Robusta. Together, let’s explore origins, plants and taste differences these beans can make to your morning coffee (or whenever you choose to have your coffee). Coffea Arabica Arabica coffee is the most popular coffee species in ..read more