PAULINE CLAIMS BRAGGING RIGHTS

The throwdown last tuesday evening was a close run event. Eight of our finest had fun playing against each other.

But underneath it all, was a determination to do better.

In the end Pauline and Merryn tied, so a play off was organised, a piccolo latte, one shot, one go, winner take all.

No, not a throwdown like that.


So, last months winner is back to practice for another 2000 lattes or so, till next month.
And before 7am the next morning Pauline was back pulling shots and spinning milk into silk, as well.
And practice is what it takes.

The competitors doing the largest amount of work through the month are the ones who do better in the throwdowns.



Debbie did our educational session on what it takes to produce the perfect shot.
Here is her report.
Last Tuesday, our coffee ’jammers’ were reminded the importance of the striving for quality coffee shots as the base for all their coffees they make.

Coffee shots can be assessed by:

Colour
Crema (should be thick, golden/caramel colour)
Great aroma
Taste (well balanced taste which should be sweet but with a slightly acidic taste on the palate)
Counting the extraction rate of your coffee shot from the espresso machine. It should be between 27 – 32 seconds according to latest trends in industry and the new SIT07 Hospitality/Tourism and Events training package
30 mls of coffee shot
A great coffee shot should be able to hold a teaspoon of sugar on the top before sinking

Remember if you don’t see or have these characteristics in your espresso coffee shots, there could be a number of things going wrong!!

Questions to ask yourself every time…..

Do I have enough coffee grind in my group handle?
Is my tamp firm enough?
Does my grinder need adjusting? Maybe my grind is too course or too fine.
Do my grinder blades need changing?
Are there technical problems with my espresso machine?

Once these possible causes are addressed, you should be able to extract the ‘Perfect Shot’ everytime.

Good luck and happy coffee making !!!!!

Cheers,

Debbie MunroHospitality TeacherCQ TAFE MackayDepartment of Education and TrainingPhone: (07) 4940 3312 Fax: (07) 4940 3319 Post: PO Box 135 MACKAY QLD 4740Email: Debbie.K.Munro@det.qld.gov.au
Web: www.cq.tafe.qld.gov.au



John and Jenni looked after the judging.

Right at the start, in october, it was decided that the best coffee had to not only look good, but taste good too.

They were amazed at how many different tastes there were from the same bag of coffee.

Jenni is going to work on tweeking the score sheets so we can add notes and comments for the competitors, for feedback.
We will finish up with a photo of two coffees by someone, who six weeks ago, didnt know how to make this happen, let alone twice in a row.

After some guidance and practice and they are back in their cafe with excitement and skills to show off to their customers.