Coffee Academy > Panel of Scottie's Q&A

Latte Art "Hey Scottie, I have a question about Latte art. Some say that you should let the milk rest for a few seconds after steaming, and others say pour straight away. What are your thoughts, will it even make a difference? Thanks heaps " from James

Short Blacks"I am such a fussy coffee drinker. Here in Melbourne I will only settle for quality, hence I go straight to the source for a decent espresso shot. Seven Seeds, Omar, and Five Senses. It has led me to wonder, why does the average cafe make short blacks that are actually very long and watery, and have little if any REAL coffee taste. Is it the bean? The Barista? Or the machine? And where can I get the perfect coffee when I'm visiting my friends in Manly NSW. Cheers " from Tess

Dosing and Pouring "Hi Scottie, thanks for the info and advice on the long mac and piccolo latte, and all the others - much appreciated. I have 2 more quick questions that I can't seem to get a clear answer on elsewhere: 1 - Dosing. Say your single shot is 14 grams - your double has to be 28 grams right? not 21 grams? Seems logical to me but I have worked in a few Cafes that have 2 pulls on the grinder for a single and 3 pulls on the grinder for the double. Thus, 14 and 21 grams. ( I think ) It seems the baskets on the group handles are suited to this as well? What is your opinion on this? 2 - When pouring the double shot do you pour 60mls as this is double the volume of a single shot at 30mls or due to the water passing through double the amount of ground coffee, this is what makes it a stronger flavour and thus you only need to pour 30mls for a double shot, but through the double dose of ground coffee? Sorry if these are slightly stupid questions but I keep seeing different things in different cafes. Thanks again for your advice, it's really appreciated again. " from Mick

Long Macchiato and Piccolo Latte "Hi Scottie, Thanks for all the great answers and tips - it's very much appreciated! I have 2 questions - 1 - How do you make a long Mac and what is it served in? 2 - How do you make a Piccolo Latte and what is it served in? We tend to get very different opinions from a lot of people on these 2 in particular. Thanks mate, your opinion is appreciated! " from Mick

Commercial Coffee Grinders"Hi Scottie . I just wanted to ask your opinion on purchasing a commercial coffee grinder. Currently I'm using a super jolly but seem to be getting very inconsistent pours. Instead of the espresso hanging or oozing out like honey it seems to cut off a lot. Could it be the grinder . I've tried grinding my beans on other grinders and then using them on my espresso machine and have noticed significant improvements in the espresso pour. Also the espresso isn't tasting as flavoursome as I believe it should, often tasting either bitter or bland. Could this be related to the pours I've been telling you about. I haven't used another grinder for a prolonged period to be sure. Some people have suggested that it most likely is the machine causing the flavour problem but after seeing the quality of the grind from other grinders I'm pretty sure it's not. Thanks in advance." from Moussa

Coffee Crema "Hi Scottie, how are you going? I really appreciate your patience that you read my long messages and give me the answers. Thank you so much Scottie. Those answers are really helpful for me. I normally don't use click method because it doesn't work properly. I just fill up porter filter, take excess coffee out and tamp it. I always try to do the way you did on those videos (WBC championship), but in busy times it's bit hard. If you can give me any suggestion that would be great. I wanted to ask you when I brew my coffee espresso got too much crema on it. it's like 1/2 crema sometimes more than 1/2. And it goes down after few secs which is very annoying for latte art and I can't get exact measurement for 30 or 60 ml. What I can do about it? And sometimes my espresso got bubbles in it. Is it the result of too fine grinding? Can you pls give me any tip to improve my speed? I work in a busy cafe and I really want to work on my speed. I have been to William Anglius for grinder course few months before, but sorry to say I was not happy with their service. Thanks Scottie for your help :) Oh I forget to tell, now I can do double heart (at least customer understand I tried to double heart) :) Thanks for uploading those beautiful video. Cheers." from Shamsun

Cup Sizes and Strong Coffees"Hi Scottie, how r u? This is Shamsun again. Thank u so much Scottie u have replied my first question..thx from bottom of my heart. I'm making coffee in a cafe. There are few things that always bother me. If u could help me out I would be really grateful. 1. Can u tell me dosing technique? When I 3 click for double shot it works perfectly but for a single shot double click make it too full. What should I do? 2. I m always confuse about cup sizes. For 12 oz coffee how much espresso do i need to use and what about 16 oz cup? In my cafe they use 3 shot for 16 oz but someone said to me it's too much coffee. 3. For a strong latte/cap do u use 1.5 shot of coffee? 4. and my last question is what u do with the left over hot milk that u have in your jar? Do u reuse? Thx Scottie..Have a great Easter (if u have any plan to come Melbourne and have a class pls plss let me know) Cheers." from Shamsun

Coffee Machine"Hi Scottie, what do you look for in a coffee machine? I am using and Expobar 2 group at the moment and consider getting a new machine. Naturally the key for me is the quality of the coffee it produces together with ease of operation and reliability. Any machines you can recommend? Also I am using the deeper handles but saw that some coffee machines use even deeper handles and use naked handles. What is your take on that? Cheers." from Patrick

Double Heart Latte Art"Hi Scottie, I am a big big fan of u and your latte art.. they are just amazing. Your double heart art is awesome.. it's just perfect. I was wandering if u run any school or anything.. I am really intersted to learn it. Could u pls teach me.. plss plsss plssssss... " from Shamsun

Barista Champion Coffee"Hi Scottie, I'd like to know, which Cafe do you work as barista? Or are you running a business? I'd love to try your coffee; and actually if I attend the barista course at Belaroma, will you be my trainer? I looking forward to try your coffee soon. Thank you so much. " from Joe

Extraction Time"Hi Scottie, How can you ensure the extraction time is always the same? Even when I make coffee and use the dosing tool I feel that my extraction times vary. It seems that it depends on how much I collapse... We grind on demand and hence the 3 click method with the Mazzer grinder doesn't work for us. Cheers." from Patrick

Espresso Technique"What is the correct way to make an espresso? I've always been told that you use 1 shot (30ml) espresso for each cup of coffee (espresso, cappuccino, latte etc). Put the cup under and use the whole extraction. One of the people I work with says she was trained that the first part of the coffee shot was the bitter part and not to use it, so she uses the double group, starts the extraction but doesn't put the cup under until the bitter part of the coffee has been extracted. I've never heard of this method, but wondered if there was any substance to it? Thanks for your help. " from Vicki

Plungers"We tend to use plungers at home. What's the best bean roast and grain for plungers in your opinion? What Belaroma bean would suit and does the company from Manly Vale or is there a closer distributor/retailer?" from Matthew

Freshly Grind"To make good cup of coffee, is it good enough to have my coffee shop freshly grind my coffee just before I take it home? Or do I have to have a grinder at home to grind the coffee every time I make it?" from Sharon

Latte vs Flat White"Hi Scotty, I am having an argument with my boss, about the fact that a latte is different from a flat white. He is 100% sure that the only difference is that one is served in a glass and one in a cup. I believe that the difference is in the way the milk is frothed and the amount of froth on the top of the coffee when served. Could you please confirm which is right or wrong? Cheers and congrats on the 3rd at the world champs." from Mat

International Barista Skills"What are the 3 most important skills needed to win an International Barista competition ? "from Julian

Cleaning Technique"Just wondering if you could help me out with a quick question. After removing the group handle from making a shot should I rinse water back through the group handle or just purge the head without rinsing the handle itself? I have seen it done both ways and have been given different reasons for each method. Any feedback would be very much appreciated! Thank you." from Alex

Coffee Drinking"How has coffee drinking changed in Australia in the last 10 years? "from Lerida

Australian Coffee Market"Hey Scottie - if you could change one thing about the Australian coffee market what would it be?" from Kim

Crema Colour"I've noticed recently when extracting coffee beans from our expresso machine the cremea is different in colour usually a creamy light brown colour and other times it's a darker brown colour. Why is this so?" from Jackie

Not the Best Coffee"Hi Scottie, is there anyway that I could tell my wife that she makes a crappy coffee without getting into trouble?" from Dino

Single Origin Coffee"Hey Scottie - what is your favourite country of origin and what do you like about it?" from Kim

Cleaning Group Handles"Hi Scottie, how often should you clean the group handles in a busy cafe? What about the group heads ..back flush every hour or what?" from Fiona

Adjusting Commercial Grinders"When training people to adjust the mazzer E grinders, espicaly the minni, should we be teaching them to adjust the time and not the grind?" from Robert

 
 
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Hi James. For me, most of the time I pour immediately after I have finished steaming my milk, this obviously means you have to get the timing of your shot right so that you stop the extraction just before you stop heating the milk, but I have tried to perfect the rosetta. I do find it easier to pour a tulip when I let the milk rest for aprox 5 seconds. I also find it easier to pour using thicker milk and rested for a few seconds when using a pointier tip on the jug and thinner milk poured immediately with a flatter (less pointy) tip. It does depend on the jug you are using and the pattern you are intending to pour. Just to clarify Pointy jug pouring a tulip - thicker milk and let it rest for 5 seconds Flatter (less pointy) pouring a rosetta - thinner milk and pour immediately. Cheers. Scottie

Hi Tess, You are definitely going to great places for coffee, those 3 would be 3 of my fav picks for coffee in Melbourne, try also Padre, Dukes, Market Lane, Proud Mary's, Axil, St Ali to name a few. Why do they pull their shots so long? That's a great question that has puzzled my for some time too, when I ask cafe owners why they do this usually the answer is "I don't know that's how it was set up by the coffee supplier" so then I think "surely the coffee supplier doesn't want their coffee to taste that bad? Then I talk to the coffee suppler about it and they say that they do not set it to run that long. And so I think what happens is, the coffee supplier sets up the dose and shot length, and then over time some things change, calcification inside the machine, the beans change slightly, the grinder blades wear, the volumetric (water volume controller) also has wear and tear etc etc and in the mean time the cafe owner is simply trusting that it has been set correctly by the expert so "leave it alone". I think this is possibly the most common scenario, but there are others such as "I let it run longer because that means I have to use less milk and I don't think my customers can tell the difference", or "I let it run longer because one customer who considers themself an expert tells me to (the strange thing here is that by listening to that one customer they are losing many more customers)" and then in short yes it can be the bean, or the barista techniques or the equipment used, how's that for a can of worms? And we thought coffee was a simple drink! Your second question? Ahhhhh the perfect coffee in Manly? I am sorry but there are some good coffee places in Manly but no amazing ones, I do believe that the Belaroma Coffee Centre Kenneth Rd Manly Vale (not Manly) makes the best coffee in the area but a little trek outside of Manly, this was not the case a couple of years ago but definitely is today. But closer to Manly town centre I would go to Cafe La Bas 19 Pittwater Rd Manly or Bare Foot Cafe 47a Sydney Rd Manly. Cheers. Scottie

Hi Mick, No stupid questions only stupid answers! Wow what loaded questions and very good ones, I could write a book on that one so not sure how to fit into one paragraph. Firstly I think you need to understand that many baristas nowadays do not use the 2 pulls and 3 pulls technique anymore, it is becoming increasingly common to Grind On Demand (simply because it tastes better), cafe owners and baristas are purchasing new grinders with new technology which enable them to Grind On Demand for every coffee with ease and speed. In other words the dosing chamber that is set up to measure your dose via 2 chambers/2 pulls, 3 chambers/3 pulls is now empty and the barista turns on the grinder and clicks/pulls many times until the filter basket is full, the barista then controls their dose with a tool of some kind or with their hand, also there are now doser-less grinders available that simple dose your handle by the use of a grinder timer. I tell you this because you are dead right, when the dosing chamber is full the 3 pulls 21 grams and 2 pulls 14 grams does not work, the mathematics is all wrong. The best solution and my advice is to only use double (18 -22 grams baskets) Grind On Demand for every coffee and save the spare shots for Ice Coffee or Tiramisu. The next best solution is to use the 3 pulls for the double and simply manually dose (by hand) for the single and lastly if you have to use the dosing chambers maybe you could set the double for 4 pulls (the dosing chambers are easily adjustable) and the single for 2 pulls. And shot length? If I am pulling a single espresso or a Mac my shot is somewhere between 20ml - 25mls including crema, a single ristretto for me would be 10ml - 15ml including crema and a double is double i.e. double espresso 40ml - 50ml including crema. I change this slightly depending on the drink I am making, If I am making a small strong I would use a double ristretto at approx 20 - 30mls depending on the cup size or a large 12oz T/A I would let it run for a little longer - maybe 50 - 60mls just so that the coffee flavour can cut through in the milk, although the best advice I can give you here is to listen to many people but taste for yourself because there are many opinions as you have discovered, this is simply the subjective nature of flavour and the industry we are in. Cheers. Scottie

Hi Mick, A long Mac is a fairly ambiguous drink because it does not have any traceable history, the humble Macchiato we all know comes from Italy where they do not want to drink a big heavy cup of milk in the afternoon but a stain (Macchiato - Italian for stain) of milk in your espresso is acceptable. The long Mac comes I think from The US, UK and Aussies wanting a bigger version and in doing so theoretically perverting the Italian reason for the Macchiato. There is no historical reference for a correct way to do it, for me I make a double espresso, preferably in a 120ml-150ml ceramic tulip shaped cup (can be done in a glass I just prefer the traditional ceramic style) and add a stain (15-30ml) of milk (yes this is simply a double macchiato), if the customer wants more I simply give them a small jug of steamed milk and they can make it exactly how they like it, if it is a T/A I ask them to tell me when to stop pouring the milk in. In my mind I don't really differentiate between a double Mac and a long Mac I simply let the customer decide because opinions are so varied from one customer to the next, unless the customer trusts me and then I just make it how I like it. Piccolo? 'Piccolo Cafe Latte' in English means 'small coffee with milk', in Italy a 150ml cup is big, so a small to me is 4oz 90mls, can be ceramic or glass, put a single or double ristretto in the bottom and add milk, head should be no more than 5mm. I hope this helps a little. Cheers. Scottie

Hi Moussa, The grinder you use definitely has a big impact on the pours you are getting! From everything you have said I wouldn't be surprised if your problem is solved by replacing the grinder blades on your Super Jolly with new ones. That said there are other issues that will affect your pours, the Super Jolly is not designed for busy cafes and will get too hot that is why Mazzer have the Robur and the Koni, these grinders have a bigger motor and conical blades the bigger motor means the grinder is not working as hard this means the grinder will not heat up as much. Also the conical blades will cut the coffee more easily which also means the grinder does not have to work as hard adding to the grinders ability to stay cool in busy cafes, the conical blades will cut the coffee differently resulting in different shaped grind particles which also impacts flavour. Here are some other things you should trouble shoot, what is the pump pressure of your machine, is it 8.9 - 9bars? Less than this will cause the extraction to hold its colour for longer and more pressure will cause your extraction to hold its colour shorter. What is the brew temp of the water coming out of the head? It should be 92-96degrees Celsius, test this with a SCACE or putting a thermometer in the cake, or simply try purging the water off the head for different lengths of time, when you purge you are changing the brew temperature which will change the colours in your extraction. Cheers. Scottie

Hi Shamsun, no sweat, don't be afraid to experiment and taste different things yourself too. Yes some grinders can be very time consuming when grinding on demand, unfortunately the only solution to this is buying a new grinder, I recommend the Mazzer Robur (standard or 'E'), BNZ Connical or the Anfim barista, you may already have one of these. You are probably getting such a large crema because your shots are running too fast and maybe under dosed, try slowing your shots down by either going finer on the grind or increasing your dose, experiment with both and taste the difference. Don't worry too much about 30mls and 60 ml worry more about what the shot should look like and stop it at different shot lengths and let taste guide you on when to stop it. To help with speed I would need to see your cafe, set up and systems. Cheers. Scottie

Hi Shamsun thanks for the questions more than happy to answer them the best I can. 1. Have you tried grinding on demand? (Otherwise called grinding to order.) This is the best solution providing your grinder and working environment allow for it. Otherwise only use the doubles because you will never achieve an identical match with the 3 clicks for double 2 clicks for single method because the grind to dose mathematics is not comparable between the 2 basket sizes. 2. For cup sizes the best advice I can give is to taste for yourself with co-workers and make decisions based on what you taste. 12 oz for me I run a double espresso (50-60mls double including crema) check the volume of your shots with an accurate shot glass (test the accuracy of the shot glass with scales and water) 16 oz? I do not serve 16 oz too big we are not cows but 3 espresso (check volume) sounds like a good idea. 3. For a strong latte/cap we use a double ristretto about 20 - 30mls total volume from a double. 4. I have many different size jugs 300ml, 400ml, 600ml, 1 litre and a few of each, that way I can just heat the exact milk I need for the coffee or coffee's I am making but if I ever have any milk left over which is usually very little (a few mls) I tip it down the sink. Please feel free to ask more questions because these are really good questions and finding your answers will help you make great coffee and most of this needs more explaining so for good courses in Melbourne check out William Angliss or The Espresso School. Cheers. Scottie

Hi Patrick , I assume you are talking about for home use? If so you are obviously quite serious in that you bought a 2 group Expobar. If you are considering changing machine I would recommend the Giotto a great home machine that produces beautiful coffee, I don't know how much you want to spend but given that you bought an expobar I would also recommend the La Marzocco GS3 or the Speedstar but both these are very exorbitantly more expensive but certainly the beez neez of espresso machines. Alternatively you could look around at Coffee Geek and Coffee Snobs and websites like these and look for ways to make modifications to the Expobar with things like PID, steam tips, restrictors etc. Deeper handles? I will talk in sizes to be sure. The 2 common sized baskets being used are 18 grams baskets (doubles) and 26 gram baskets (triples) the best gauge is simply to taste the difference between the baskets with the same coffee and see which you prefer. What I have discovered for my palate is that the different basket sizes work better with different coffees and different machines. So choose your machine, then buy the different basket sizes and different coffees and have fun experimenting. Cheers. Scottie

Hi Shamsun thanks for the compliment, Hmmmm, we do have classes here at Belaroma which I occasionally teach, I mostly teach the advanced barista course. And we have been thinking/planning on running a latte art course here for a while now, keep your eye on the Belaroma Barista Courses page on our website for the latte art course. Cheers. Scottie

Hi Joe, thanks for the question, occasionally I work here at our cafe at Belaroma Coffee where I work on Kenneth Rd Manly Vale, you can also try my own blend at a cafe called Paradiso in Neutral Bay Shop 4 202-212 Military Rd Neutral Bay. I do teach the advanced Barista course here at Belaroma. Cheers. Scottie

Hi Patrick these are great questions, thanks. If your extraction times are varying its most likely because of inconsistent dosing. To get your dosing consistent you need to have a very systematic and consistent approach to dosing - for every handle you dose turn the grinder on at the same time then click the dosing lever the same number of times, collapse the handle on the same point of the handle and on the same section of the bench or grinder, collapse the handle the same number of times and with the same amount of strength and your last few collapses the mound on top of the handle needs to be a reasonable size mound and then when you sweep with the dosing tool always sweep out the maximum amount the dosing tool will take out. A method I often teach is 1. Turn grinder on and dose coffee into the handle until the coffee is level with the top of the filter basket, 2. Knock the handle on a firm surface 3 times, dose again until there is a small mound above the basket, 3. Turn the grinder off and collapse the handle 3 times on a firm surface, 4. Dose again until there is a reasonable mound of coffee, 5. Collapse the handle 3 times on a firm surface and sweep with the dosing tool. Cheers. Scottie

Hi Vicki thanks for the question and sorry for such a late response. With espresso coffee there are many variables and it is very hard to give you some definitive strict standards/guidelines. These are not hard and fast rules but very safe guidelines for most coffees, the espresso shot 25mls including crema, shot time 25 - 35 seconds, the left over coffee puck in the basket should be firm (not rock hard) and dry, some harder to control variables are the brewing temperature of the water passing through the coffee, the pump pressure, the date range or how old is the coffee from roasted on date. I do not believe the first part of the extraction is the bitter part; from my experience the last half 10 - 15 mls of the shot has more bitterness than the 1st part of the shot. Cheers. Scottie

Hi Mat, for me I love very light roasts for my plunger coffee, when asking a good local roaster ask for coffee that is roasted to just past 1st crack, try a light roasted Yergacheffe or central American - Costa Rica, Columbia. Of the Belaroma range my advice is to try some of our specialty Single Origins from our cafe. These will soon be available on our website. Cheers. Scottie

Hi Sharon, hope you are well, thanks for the question and sorry for late reply. It all depends how fussy you want to be, but in short yes your coffee will definitely taste better if you buy your own grinder and grind your coffee immediately before brewing. From the moment you grind your coffee the staling process is very fast, you can actually taste the difference between coffee ground and brewed immediately and coffee ground 20m minutes ago and then brewed. But buy a decent grinder - do not buy one of those rotating blade grinders these are great for herbs but not coffee, buy a burr grinder. Cheers. Scottie

Hi Mat Thanks for the question and thanks for the congrats. Your question has got to be the most asked question about coffee in Australia (because as you are most likely aware the Flat White is an Australian invention). The difference between the drinks would and could only be found in different size cups, and the only other things that would impact any possibility of there being a difference between the two would be the coffee/blend/coffees being used and the milk being used providing everything else is executed technically correct. Unfortunately there is no clearly objective answer, the reason for this is the ambiguity of our espresso based drinks, what I mean by this is the many varying versions of how each of the drinks on the Australian coffee menu are served from one cafe to the next. 'Bobs Cafe' for instance might serve their cappuccino in a 200ml cup and serve their latte in a 240ml glass, while next door 'Janes cafe' serves their cappuccino in a 180ml cup and their latte in a 160ml glass, so even if both these cafes were serving the same brand and blend of coffee, roasted on the same day, with exactly the same dose and the same length espresso pour the drinks would taste quite different because the milk volume to espresso ratio is different. And this difference between just 2 cafes is multiplied substantially when you look at the many varying vessels that are used for the espresso based drinks served all over Australia. And so the only real objective answer is 'the difference between a Flat White and a latte depends on the cafe in which it is served and the size of the cups they use' Yes very ambiguous! But as far as frothing the milk goes I do not think it should have any impact on the difference between the two drinks, for instance in an 8oz TA cup a flat white and a latte are exactly the same. In the UK however they have distorted the Flat White and use a double ristretto as the base for their Flat White, this came about from the baristas who wanted an excuse to use a double ristretto as the base for a milk based drink because it tastes better. Cheers. Scottie

Good question. 3 most important skills? 1. Thorough knowledge of coffee farming, 2. Thorough knowledge of coffee roasting, 3. Thorough knowledge of barista techniques to get the best out of the coffee. Scottie

Hi Alex, thanks for the question. The answer to this depends on different scenarios, are you working in a very busy cafe? Are you working in a cafe or restaurant that only goes through 1 - 3 kg of coffee per day or less or are you making coffee at home? If you are working in a busy cafe my advice is to simply wipe out the basket with a clean dry T towel in between shots (but you should be giving the handles and head a thorough clean every 45 minutes to 1 hour), if you are working in a cafe or restaurant that does not sell loads of cups then my advice is to knock out the cake when you are not making coffee and rinse it with some water through the head and then put the handle back into the head until you have a coffee to make and at home would be the same scenario. The handle needs to be hot always, the handle needs to be dry when dosing not wet from rinsing, the handle and head need to be as clean as possible at all times. Scottie

We now drink good coffee! Well certainly the coffee in Australia served in cafes is much better than most countries, some people may find this to be a surprising comment. But it is easy to accept if you have either, travelled a lot over the last few years, or if you think about the number of immigrants who have come to Australia from countries like Italy, Greece, France etc, in particularly Italy. It took a while for us Aussies to embrace the culture they brought with them but over the last ten years I believe it is safe to say that we embraced much of their food and wine culture and certainly the coffee culture and as a result over the last ten years the espresso coffee served in cafes all over Australia over the last ten years has improved year after year and that improvement is showing no signs of slowing down, in fact it is showing every sign of accelerating as more and more cafes open with their own roaster, as more and more cafes refuse to serve stale coffee or imported Italian coffee but instead opt for a fresh locally roasted coffee, they choose to invest in better equipment and more skilled staff and barista training. Scottie

One thing? Good question! I would have to say I would love to see more brewed ( i.e. pour over filter, syphon, Chemex, clover) style coffees accepted and available to the consumer in cafes. Scottie

Hi Jackie, The crema is a result of a combination of a few things the age of the coffee (from roast date), the grind setting (coarse or fine), the dosed amount of coffee, the brewing temperature of the water in the machine, the pump pressure and the particular single origin or origins (if it is a blend). If you buy a very fresh coffee, grind it fine for espresso and dose correctly you will get a darker crema than an older coffee ground course. For me I prefer a fresher coffee ground fine with an espresso extraction that is poured short and dark. Scottie

Ummmmm, no! But maybe you could buy her a barista course as a present? Scottie

Hi Kim, I don't really have a favorite country of origin, the varying flavours that you get out of one country are far too many to narrow it down to a country. But some of my favourites so far are, Ethiopian Yergacheffe Baloya one os the cleanest sweetest and fruitiest coffees I have ever had with beautiful citrus and berry notes. Another favourite was the 2008 crop Guatemalan El Finca La Perla Cup of Excellence coffee a full bodies clean sweet coffee full of delicate chocolate and deep red wine characters. I could list a few others but these two definitely stand out in my mind. Scottie

Hi Fiona, without chemical I encourage people to clean the group handles and backwash the group head every 45 minutes and with Chemical to soak the handles and backwash the group head at the end of every day. If you have given the group handles and the group head good clean I believe you can tell the difference in flavour after just 15 shots through that handle, so the more often you clean the better. Scottie

*Hi Robert, I believe that when it comes to training people we should be arming them with as much knowledge and skill as possible because knowledge is power so lets empower people, so to answer your question I think we should be teaching people how to adjust the grind and how this effects the dose on a 'Mazzer E' and how to adjust the time respectively, but I also think that at the same time many people do not want to learn about some of the slightly more difficult aspects of espresso coffee. This is a shame I think because some of these things like the adjustments on the 'Mazzer E' are really not difficult at all. And so for these people I guess we need to just teach them to adjust the time and not the grind until they are willing to learn about both, and hopefully we can convince them about the importance of learning more and how that will actually aid them in having happier customers through a better cup of coffee and therefore selling more cups of coffee. Cheers. Scottie.