Blog
How to brew the perfect coffee
Have you noticed your espresso shots tasting less than perfect? It could be that your machine needs a service. We can help with your repairs and maintenance but if you follow a simple daily cleaning routine you will be able to avert some major problems from occurring.
Top 5 frequently asked questions about coffee
Does it matter what milk I use? This is a highly contentious topic. In Italy, don't even bother asking for a soy cappuccino, it's full fat dairy milk or have it black! However, here in Australia we are a little more amenable - now you can get soy milk, skim milk, oat milk, almond milk, macadamia milk, hemp, rice, walnut, hazelnut, to name a few.
The high quality of PNG Coffee
Papua New Guinean coffee is packed full of flavour and aroma! Most commonly it has medium body, low to medium acidity, a syrupy mouthfeel with fruity notes.
The ideal home espresso set up
Would you like a professional espresso set-up at home? Those who do, find it very convenient and economically rewarding. Two coffees a day at $4 each will set you back $2,920 per year. For a similar amount you could have your own espresso set up at home that will keep producing cafe-quality coffee for a very long time.
Creating a new coffee blend
Creating the recipe is the first step, this involves tasting or cupping as it is known in the coffee industry, working out what percentage of each coffee works best, what roast-levels to profile and what blending techniques to use. With a little trial-and-error we finally reach a taste we agree on.
Climate Crisis and Coffee - A Work in Progress
There is a push for sustainability in coffee production, the full gammit: from growing it, roasting it, packaging it, consuming it and disposing of the spent grounds. All of these processes have environmental, social and economic issues that are being identified, researched and more environmentally friendly options are becoming available.
Sisters who work together, drink coffee together
The best part of working with siblings is trust. We have each others back, so working together is never a gamble. The worst part is having differences because someone inevitably has to give in, or you don’t get anywhere.
How to choose a coffee that is right for you
Choosing a coffee can be a little over whelming especially when there is so much choice on offer. You know you want something that you can enjoy every day, not just sometimes, it's got to be good every time.
Our waste reduction journey continues...
The war on waste efforts are starting to make a difference in the coffee industry. There are more and more sustainable and recyclable products being introduced including eco-friendly takeaway cups.
5 reasons why your coffee tastes bad
An espresso coffee should have full body, have a crisp brightness and a subtle sweetness with some bitterness. It shouldn't taste overly bitter, sour or have a metallic taste. We've described 5 reasons why your espresso coffee may not taste as good as it should and what to do to fix it.
Why getting the grind right is so important
Getting the grind right for your espresso: if the coffee extracts too quickly, the grind is too course or there may not be enough coffee in the group handle. If the coffee extracts to slowly or not at all, the grind is too fine or there's too much coffee in the group handle.
There's no need to over dose!
Baristas should be getting at least 80-90 cups from a kilo of la Casa del Caffe. If the Cafe Culture guide is followed, cafes will yield approximately 40 cups from a kilo. To put it simply, this is profit leaving your business and going straight into the roasters pocket.
Sustainable Coffee Practices
La Casa del Caffe has a strong commitment to sustainable, and ethically traded coffee products. It's important for us to give back to the industry that we are in, to protect workers’ rights and welfare, including the women and children, to protect the environment for us all, and of course to pay a fair price for a higher welfare green bean.
Are pesticides used on organic coffee when imported into Australia?
Australia has very strict quarantine processes and policies and for good reason but how do you know if no chemicals, pesticides or sprays have been used in the growing, importing or roasting process of imported organic coffee?
Winter Warmers - Part 2
Part 2 of our Winter Warmers with Coffee and Syrups. Try introducing something new with your coffee - Chai Moka, Toffee Moccaccino, Toffespresso Viennois, Cinnamon Spiced Mocha, Peach Irish Coffee, Caramel Latte. All beverages are based on la Casa del Caffe and 1883 Maison Routin Syrups.
Winter Warmers with Coffee & Syrups
Here's a few of our favourite la Casa del Caffe coffee based warm winter beverages using the 1883 Maison Routin syrups.
The best way to store opened bags of coffee beans
What is the best way to store opened bags of coffee beans? In general terms, the best way to store coffee is in an air-tight container, in a cool, dry and dark place. A cupboard in your kitchen is ideal.
How to keep your cafe making a profit from coffee
Your cafe should be making a healthy profit on its coffee sales. A 20g basket is plenty to make two espresso's with quality coffee. There is no need for +30g - this will eat into a cafe's profits and only benefits the roaster. Do your numbers - you might be surprised.
THE ULTIMATE COFFEE JARGON GUIDE
Here it is, a blog to shine a little light on the complex coffee world for those of you who are starting out as a barista or an interested consumer.
Coffee in Belfast, Roma and Barcelona - Winter 2018
The best thing about having family in Ireland is that when we go to visit them we get to travel around Europe a bit .. spoilt I know! So this time we checked out the Coffee in Northern Ireland, Rome and Barcelona.
BARISTA BASICS CHECKLIST
A step-by-step guide to making espresso based coffee for the beginner with a focus on use within a commercial environment, however, a similar process can be followed for a manual espresso set-up at home too.
SUMMER TIME COFFEE RECIPES
Here's a few fun summertime coffee based recipes for you to try at home. The popular espresso martini, espresso g&t and cold brew.
HOW THE KENNEDY'S BECAME COFFEE JUDGES
This blog is about our experience with coffee judging. We thought our readers might enjoy an insight into the process of a coffee competition and how the Kennedy family became qualified to judge coffee.
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED, WHERE DO COFFEE BEANS GET THEIR FLAVOUR?
Let's start by saying that this is a complex question and this blog will only briefly touch on the various steps from the seed to the cup all of which have an influence on flavour. Coffee is an agricultural product that is grown all over the world in different temperatures,...
WE'RE ON A WASTE REDUCTION JOURNEY... HOW ABOUT YOU?
Did you see the recent ABC program, War on Waste? If you didn't you would be one of the few. The program announced to the nation that its waste is growing at double the rate of the population with 52 mega tonnes generated a year. Australia is ranked 5th highest for...
WHAT MAKES A COFFEE WORK BETTER FOR ESPRESSO RATHER THAN OTHER BREWING METHODS?
There is a plethora of coffee brewing methods available to us, but in our opinion, the espresso is the best base, and if made correctly, it will provide the most consistent cup. So what makes a coffee suitable for espresso brewing? There are several factors to consider, most notably is...
How to land your first barista job
One of the most common questions we hear from budding baristas is “How do I get my first barista job if I have limited experience?” followed by "how do I get the experience if I can’t get the job to provide that experience?!” If you're in the job seeking...
How to be your own barista at home
Here's a few of our favourite methods of making coffee that can be easily used at home. FRENCH PRESSThe good ole' french press (or plunger or cafetiere) is a favourite of ours. It's so easy to make, yet so highly unrated. It creates a full flavoured coffee, hot and delicious ready...
The effects of climate change on coffee
This is an interesting video on climate change and its impact on coffee farming and the industry as a whole. Research and video by kew.org.
All Natural Decaf
Our Decaf is grown in Colombia and decaffeinated in Mexico using the 'Mountain Water' process and is 99.9% caffeine free. The process of decaffeination does affect the taste of the coffee however when the highest grade of beans are used the core flavour characteristics are maintained. La Casa del Caffe's...
Getting their hands dirty
Photo and content source: coopcoffees.coop We’ve just starting roasting a new limited edition single origin for our Seasonal Organics label. It's an organic Fairtrade from COMSA Marcala Honduras. We thought you might enjoy a story from Cooperative Coffees about the organic practices the farmers of COMSA Honduras use for fertilisation. ...
Serve size - what we recommend!
We are often asked - how many cups should we extract from a kilo of coffee? How many serves from a kilo of chai powder? How much cappuccino chocolate should we use in a hot chocolate? etc, etc. It's easy with a tea bag or a sugar stick you can exactly...
NEW Seasonal Organics for Summer
NOW ROASTING ... We've been having a great time selecting our next limited edition for - SEASONAL ORGANICS. What could be better than sourcing green beans from diverse and unique places and then getting to taste them in their purest form (an espresso), over and over again. We have agreed...
SEED TO CUP PROCESS
STEP 1: NURSERY The coffee the seed will germinate and produce a sprout within 6 weeks of being planted. The young plant will typically stay in the nursery for another 4 months before it is ready to plant into the earth and become a coffee tree. STEP 2: FARMING A...
Trading fairly in the coffee industry-how we do it
We have always had a strong commitment to sustainable, fair-traded, FAIRTRADE, Rainforest Alliance and other ethically traded products. It's really a no brainer for us to give back to the industry that we are in, to protect workers’ rights and welfare, including the women and children, to protect the environment...
From Coffins to Coffee
Way back when we were kids, Dad had a coffin factory - it was certainly different -”What's your Dad do?” - “He makes coffins!” Our family holidays consisted of us jumping in the car and heading off to visit funeral directors all over NSW. We even had an ex -hearse...
The Theatre of Coffee
After over 30 years in the coffee roasting business in Sydney I thought we’d seen it all - the enormous surge of the Italian espresso cafes back in the 80’s in Sydney, the rise of the latte as art in the 1990’s, the fame of the boho baristas through...
Summer time coffee
ESPRESSO TONIC is a shot of espresso poured over a glass of ice and then topped with tonic water. The result is a sweet and citrusy, creamy and effervescent concoction, a bit like a honeycomb lemonade - it's absolutely delicious. How to make Espresso Tonic Ingredients: We suggest the Australian...
Chai-Spiced Coffee
CHAI-SPICED COFFEE Rather than adding sugar and milk to your daily coffee - why not try something a little spicy for a change. Mix one serve (50g) of ground coffee with 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp cardamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/8 tsp ginger. Mix the dry ingredients well and add...
Coffee Cupping at Cofi-Com
Louise and I attended a coffee cupping, or coffee tasting at our green bean supplier Cofi-com Trading hosted by Elizabeth. Coffee cupping is the practice of observing the tastes and aromas of brewed coffee. What a fabulous journey we went on from the winey tastes of Ethiopia, sweet aromas of Guatemala,...
Brazil drought update
Louise and I attended the Australian Coffee Traders Association (ACTA) Annual General Meeting and lunch on 6 November held at the Hyatt on Sydney habour. Catherine, organised a number of speakers to present on current trends and issues, one of which was an analyst from Rabobank Australia. His presentation was...
Getting the crema just right
There's more to the perfect crema than first meets the eye (or lips)! Most importantly is the quality of the coffee beans and lucky for you we have that covered. Then the grind, a single shot should take 20 to 30 seconds to extract, any faster or slower you'll need to adjust...
show us your crema
We've always been intrigued by the patterns that form spontaneously in the crema. FB or instagram your crema pics - be it artistic, psychoanalytical or clairvoyant - X
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