Crazieapple talks: Coffee

The Augustdiners love our coffee like how we love our clothes (and bags and shoes) ♥♥♥ *grin*

Coffee is like the petrol in my body, it keeps me running and doing my  daily routines. It's like  my daily dosage to keep me out and about. But a BAD coffee gives me a bad head start for the day, it makes me upset that i can't even enjoy a cup of good coffee and i'll feel demotivated for the rest of the day.

Everyone's expectations of a "good" coffee are pretty subjective as individual coffee drinkers have different preferences in flavor and body and type of coffee. 

Personally, i like my coffee to have a rich aroma, carrying slight bitterness, heavy, full-bodied mouth feel that lingers in your mouth after drinking it, silky foam to top my latte, of course, pretty coffee art adds on more brownie points!! Often, i like to sprinkle some sugar as a habit. Somehow i feel that it kinda brings out the coffee aroma better. Well, that's just my two cents. 

They even invented a machine to draw latte art!! Can someone scream "COOL"??

I've decided to put together some coffee knowledge to share with all you coffee lovers out there.. It's about time that we be educated more on what we love!! =)


The different types of coffee (and many more):

Single: single shot of espresso usually served in a demitasse.

Double: double shot of espresso usually served in a demitasse.

Quad-shot: four shots of espresso in a small mug, bigger than a demitasse.

Affogato: Espresso served over gelato. Traditionally served over vanilla gelato.

Allongé: similar to an Americano, except that hot water is not added to already made espresso, instead, more water is put through the ground beans as the shot is made. This results in a more complex and stronger drink.

Café Latte: espresso + hot milk - equal parts. Milk is poured over the espresso and preserving the order of the espresso going into the cup first is very important.

Café Mocha: café latte + chocolate - equal parts.

Cappuccino: espresso + hot milk + milk foam - equal parts.(topped with cocoa powder or non-traditional cinnamon).

Chai Latte - chai tea + hot milk (no espresso involved)! Chai in the U.S., is traditionally a blend of black tea, honey, vanilla, and spices usually to be served with milk (hot or cold). The word chai means tea in Hindi.

Corretto: coffee with a shot of liquor, usually grappa or brandy.

Flat White: (Australia and New Zealand) One-third espresso and two-thirds steamed milk.

Kennedy: a cup of coffee with three shots of espresso in it.

Lungo: more water (about double) is let through the ground coffee, yielding a weaker taste.

Macchiatto: espresso + milk foam - equal parts.

Latte Macchiato: Essentially an inverted cafè latte, with the espresso poured on top of the milk.

Caramel Latte Macchiato: The milk is vanilla flavored and caramel is drizzled over the top of the foam. This is the form of macchiato popularized by the U.S. specialty and boutique coffee shops.

Mochaccino: cappuccino + chocolate syrup - equal parts.

Flavour
A high quality coffee has high acidity giving it pronounced flavors often described as nutty, spicy, fruity, mellow, chocolaty, caramel, wine, floral, tangy or smoky, depending on the bean and roast. Lower quality coffees have less desirable flavors, often described as watery, chemically, muddy, rubbery or tasting like medicine. Low quality coffee often lack acidity, giving it an overall flat taste.

Milk
I have a friend who used to work as a barista commented on how a lot of other baristas always get it wrong when it comes to heating up the milk, they tend to overdo it. Burnt milk can really detract the coffee's quality and it's the most common mistakes that many baristas make. Texture of the milk has to be dense, silky and full-bodied. Common mistakes are overheating the milk, over or under aerating it and not grooming it enough. (Grooming is fine-tuning it to remove excess air and bubbles before it’s poured). 
We always complain that "the coffee is not hot enough", truth is, a good cup of coffees is NOT meant to be mouth-burning hot. 


 

My voted Best coffee for the moment is: Skinny Latte at Las Chicas

Best take-away coffee- convenient + good: is from Seven Seeds

SO, how do you like your coffee and where do you get it from? =)