Maurizio Marcocci of Service Sphere addresses preventative treatments to avoid an unnecessary trip to the doctor and keep espresso shots tasting on point. Read more
Puretec perfecting water
When it comes to achieving the perfect water recipe to complement coffee, it’s a careful balancing act. Mineral concentrates, chlorine, and alkaline have a large impact on the taste profile of the water and overall coffee outcome depending on which state of Australia you live.
Over the past few years, the coffee industry has seen a large uptake in filtration systems to help purify the water responsible for extracting flavour compounds from beans. This includes reverse osmosis and ion exchange systems that extract ‘the nasties’. But more often than not, Puretec National Food Service Account Manager Simon Read says it comes with compromise.
“Filtration models are typically a double-edged sword. It’s a balance between looking after your customers and producing a great-tasting coffee, or protecting your equipment – it’s one or the other, and that to us, it is not good enough,” Simon says. Read more
Service Sphere’s top 10 troubleshooting tips
Your machine has thrown a wobbly in the middle of service. There’s a line of customers outside your hole-in-the-wall window ready to grab their coffee-to-go, and docket orders keep piling up. This is not the time, you think. You should always have a backup plan in case of a fault, but before you hit panic mode, let’s run through my list of the top 10 common faults found in espresso machines. Nine times out of 10, faults are a result of poor maintenance, care, and user error. So before you blame the machine and call a technician, let’s see how you can work through some common problems and get your machine back working in tip-top shape. Read more
A Storm’s brewing
The start to the Astoria Storm release video mimics that of any major motion picture: background music, landscape pan and slow motion movements of its star protagonists: 2017 World Latte Art Champion (WLAC) Arnon Thitiprasert, 2015 WLAC Champion Caleb Cha, and 2016 World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion Michalis Dimitrakopoulos. These champion baristas from three different walks of life use three different modes of transport to get to their destination: Caleb rides a bike, Arnon walks with his headphones on, and Michalis drives a yellow Fiat. Read more
Eversys’ Cameo appearance
When 2012 World Brewers Cup Champion Matt Perger made a speech about his involvement in the development of Eversys’ new machine at Host Milan 2017, he spoke about the consumer mentality of ‘guilt’ that harmed the sales of 1950s US brand Betty Crocker.
The promising product took a dive when home cooks were unable to admit to partners they baked a cake from a packet mix instead of taking the time to make the product from scratch. Matt told audiences that the coffee industry had experienced a similar ‘guilt trip,’ with industry members conditioned to look at a superautomatic machine and think of “low quality”, and a “non-player” in the market, which has held back consumer support. Read more
Tapping into water filtration
Baristas strive to control each element of coffee production, from processing methods and roasting through to grind consistency and temperature profiling. Water is another element not to forget. If you use the water straight from your tap and let it run through a coffee machine, chances are that rare, expensive Panama Gesha you’ve just added to the menu will be lacking in the flavour profile it deserves. That’s why most cafés implement water filtration systems – to control water’s impact on coffee flavour and maximising the lifetime of the espresso machine at the same time. Read more
Wega’s Urban legend
When Italian machine manufacturer Wega looked to make an imprint on the specialty market, it looked no further than Australia for its influence.
Wega conducted a survey with Australian baristas, asking them exactly what they wanted from an espresso machine, with the responses infusing the creation of Wega’s new Urban model. Read more
Jet Technologies on being the leader of the pack
In the past year, café owners across the country have reassessed the environmental impacts of their processes and products. For many, this has involved buying organic coffee, or a change in paper cup manufacturer or the way leftover coffee grounds are collected. But what about the packaging materials used to sell wholesale bags of beans?
“For companies that want to embody a completely sustainable ethos and reduce their carbon footprint in their operations with a clear environmental conscience, we believe Goglio’s new plant-based bio-laminate is the best way. To our knowledge, it’s the only offering of its kind on the market,” says Jet Technologies’ General Manager Daniel Malki. Read more
Mazzer ZM goes back to the future
In 1958, Mazzer produced its first ZM machine in an old factory near Venice in Italy.
Back then, Mazzer’s Product Manager Silvia Marcato says the ZM was simply a grocery grinder, able to grind from espresso to moka and coarser. Read more
Water hardness made easy
By Dr. Monika Fekete, Founder of Australian Coffee Science Lab.
Water makes a long journey to get to our drinking tap – from its starting point as rainfall over mountains, through the natural environment, treatment plants, and pipes. Along the way, it picks up a little bit of everything it touches, including minerals, rust, and organic residues. Read more