207 322
COFFEE
207
July14
Oriole Café and Bar
96 Somerset Road
#01-01 Pan Pacific Serviced Suites
Oriole Espresso and Brew Bar
9 Raffles Place, #01-23 Republic Plaza
oriolecoffee.com
Preparing the milk
The consistency and
temperature of the milk
is critical. Follow these
tips to get it right:
•
Start with a clean
pitcher and cold
milk. Insert steaming
nozzle just below
surface at a tilt. As
volume increases,
s i n k t h e t i l t e d
nozzle further into
t he p i t che r. The
milk should swirl
vigorously, and the
pitcher should get so
hot you can’t touch it
for long.
•
Listen for a hissing
sound. If you hear
s c r e e c h i n g , t h e
nozzle is too close to
the metal pitcher.
•
The whole process
should take about
30 seconds. If steamed too little, your milk will be flat. If too
much, the foam will be dry. The result you want is a creamy,
almost velvety milk (steamed past the microfoam phase).
•
Work quickly. The milk starts to separate immediately, so have
your espresso on hand when the milk is ready.
What the…?
If you get one of these, you may want to
send that cuppa back. Nicely, of course.
BUBBLES
This means the cup has
been sitting on the counter
a little too long, or that the
coffee was ground too close
to roasting. (A week’s break
gives the best results.)
BROKEN
CREMA RING
Your first taste will be milk,
rather than coffee, which
isn’t a good thing.
INEXPERIENCED
BARISTA
In this case, that would
be yours truly. This is my
first stab at latte art – a
rosetta (supposedly) and
evidence that this craft is
not as easy as it looks.
ON DESIGNS, FROM EASIEST TO HARDEST:
Heart, tulip, layered tulip, rosetta (looks like a fern), inverted
tulip (a combination of rosetta and tulip), swan
ON HOW LONG IT TAKES TO MASTER:
Quick learners could produce art worthy of serving to
customers in a month. Others never get it down.
ON WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE BARISTA SCREWS UP
THE DESIGN:
No latte art is better than bad latte art. We don’t waste coffee,
but we don’t serve bad art either.
ON THE POPULARITY OF LATTE ART ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
It’s become a social standard of “good coffee”, though we
all know it’s not.
ON ETCHING VERSUS POURING:
Etching used to be big, back in the day. The emphasis now
is on the barista’s ability to pour the perfect design without
using any tools.
ON ITS DETRACTORS:
I liken it to a chef’s plating. Coffee is about good quality
ingredients
and
presentation.
ON THE LATEST TREND, 3D LATTE ART:
The one popular in Japan, using dry foam shaped into the
shape of cats? Yeah, we’re not into that.