For me, making coffee is a bit like cooking a meal. The more feeling you put you into it and the better you understand the taste of the ingredients and the food, the tastier the meal eventually will be.
I don’t follow any rules when I cook a meal and I can’t imagine that the best chefs follow rules and exact recipes either. Surely it depends on the ingredients and many other factors. You can of course follow a cooking book and it will help but will it make the perfect meal? Probably not unless you give it your own ‘touch’.
For me, this is exactly the way coffee works. I don’t really believe that an espresso should be 25ml in 20-25 seconds extraction time with 7-8 grams of coffee. I know many people who teach like this and we often get people who have been trained according to the coffee rules. I don’t think that you can’t put rules to coffee.
Wouldn’t it be better if you really understood what was happening when you are pulling a shot? Really understanding the coffee and knowing what the difference is in taste between 7 or 8 grams of coffee. Wouldn’t it be great if you could simply look at the coffee and totally understand what is happening and what kind of flavours are developing.
Well, that is exactly how we teach people about coffee. We like to teach people, during our barista training, how all the equipment works, what different dosages and amount of water do to coffee and how to control the speed of the extraction. The idea is that you can simply look at the extraction and know whether it’s good or bad. This will make you a more confident barista which will translate into the quality of your coffee.
We feel that when you understand how it all works, that you don’t need any rules and it will be up to you how to make your espressos. After all, you are the barista and it is your coffee. It is simply our job to teach you how it all works and how it fits together.
Absolutely you are right and I agree with your point of view or your believes in coffee. It is not a maths lesson to use a ruler or a calculator. Its a passion between a barista and his beloved”coffee beans” as an ex-teacher I believe that some times the students be better than their teachers.though they taught them.What I would like to say that “give me the candle and I’ll choose my path”
I have just attended another training course in Asia, and noticed that they are using measured glasses, to get 30ml, for example. They were using the auto- buttons for the dosages. But I like the normal one. I couldnt come for the second day ,althugh, I have paid for. I felt as I was with a math teacher not a barista trainer. So I decided to spend the other day for shopping instead of going to the course. Always we learn in the life school. I am with earning the knowledge from anybody and any school or a teacher. Never do what you dont believe in.because when somebody comes to discuss it with you you wont be able to convince him and of coures he will win.
Hi Umar,
I am glad you wrote this. This is how I feel. Teaching people to make an espresso with 30ml in 25 seconds and with 7 grams is not really explaining it in my eyes. I could learn that from a book.
I would want to truly understand coffee if I was to attend a course, and that is what we teach people.
Thanks for your comment Umar,
Youri
This really caught my attention as I am heading upto your place next week for a course which I am so looking forward to and this is really assuring to hear Youri….
All over the net are descriptive lessons in chemistry most seem to be without passion or understanding just a means to produce a cup…..