coffee guide
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Posted: November 24, 2021Categories: Coffee 101
Read more »If you’re interested in getting into the world of coffee and mastering techniques of brewing better coffee at home, all the terminology and jargon involved can be daunting.
To help you along, we’ve compiled a comprehensive A-Z list of coffee terms that will assist all aspiring home baristas in navigating the world of coffee. We’ve also linked relevant resources that will help give you a better understanding of a particular coffee term and topic.
Looking for a specific term? Simply press two buttons — Command + F (Mac) or Control + F (Windows) to search for the particular word or phrase.
Don’t forget to bookmark this page and share it with your coffee-loving friends!
A-Z List Of Coffee Terms
Arabica — Refers to Arabica coffee beans from the Coffea arabica plant, which originated in Ethiopia. Arabica is the most popular type of coffee in the world. It is most commonly compared with Robusta coffee. Arabica is usually smoother, with a sweeter taste.
Americano — Also known as Caffè Americano, this is a coffee drink made by adding water with Espresso. Its strength will depend on the number of Espresso shots, and the amount of hot water added.
Aroma — The coffee aroma is created by flavourful compounds released by coffee into the air. There are many different types of coffee aroma, such as nutty, s
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Posted: October 13, 2021Categories: The Tools
Read more »Enjoy a dense creamy froth for all your milk-based beverages with a fully automatic coffee machine. Featuring the De’Longhi Dinamica Plus. Photo from De’Longhi.[/caption] Can’t decide between a steam wand and a milk frother? You can still get your milk-based coffee creations easily. Just pick from De'Longhi's fully automatic coffee machines selection, such as the Magnifica S Smart, the Dinamica Plus, the PrimaDonna Elite, and the Maestosa. You get perfectly frothed milk each time, no skills required and completely fuss-free. Ready to shop for an espresso machine? Enjoy 5% off the De'Longhi eShop when you sign up for De'Longhi Rewards today.
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Posted: September 15, 2021Categories: Coffee 101
Read more »While visiting your favourite cafe to enjoy that morning cuppa is great, you have to admit there’s something magical about not having to step out of your house for a quality cup of coffee.
Be your own barista and follow these eight amazing tips and hacks for the perfect brew right in the comfort of your own home.
1. Buy Whole Beans, Not Pre-ground
It may not seem like a big thing, but you can really taste the difference between pre-ground coffee and whole-bean coffee.
Having a whole-bean coffee means you’re getting the freshest cup possible. If you think about it, it makes sense, too: from seed to plant, coffee beans go through a long process. Once the bean is ground up, it starts to age at a rapid pace.
Whole-bean coffee is generally fresher, has better flavour, and smells a whole lot more impressive.
2. Stick to the Good Stuff
This tip seems self-explanatory, but it’s important to be selective and choose quality beans.
If you’re unsure where one would go for quality beans, look to specialty coffee shops, which are more likely to have beans that aren’t over-roasted. If you’re shopping for beans online, don’t bulk buy, and check for a ‘roasted on’ date and not a ‘best by’ date.
When looking at the roast date, search for something that’s been roasted anywhere from seven to 21 days from the said roasted date. Any coffee in this time frame will more or less be as fresh as it can possibly be.
3. Arabica vs Robusta, Light Roasts vs Dark Roasts
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Posted: August 25, 2021Categories: Coffee 101
Read more »Once you’ve nailed the basics of making espresso, latte art might be your next destination.
Before we start, know that latte art takes a lot of time and practice, so don’t be too quick to give up if your initial attempts don’t go as planned. Even professional baristas don’t get it right the first time, so the key is to keep trying!
In this guide, we’ll give you tips on creating heart-shaped latte art. It’ll give you some ideas on essential techniques used by baristas to create the beautiful latte art that you see in cafes.
Why Master the Basic Heart Shape First?
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Posted: August 04, 2021Categories: The Bean
Read more »Let’s face it, online shopping is unbeatable for today’s lifestyles, or what many are calling “the new normal”. Of course, there are plenty of good reasons why many still prefer making in-store purchases; you can see the item, feel the item, and at times, even try the item, thus greatly decreasing your chances of dealing with the dreaded buyer’s remorse. But when it’s not convenient to head out or you’re pressed for time, it’s natural to want to make purchases with a few clicks on the Internet. E-shopping is fast, easy, and you don’t even need to leave home. For hardcore java lovers, you’ll be glad to know buying fresh coffee beans online is 100% possible. You just need to know what to look out for.
Price
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The price of a packet of beans says a lot about its quality/cupping score, so pay attention to that. Photo from Bogdan Carmaciu.[/caption] Price isn’t just a number when shopping for coffee beans. It’s directly related to a coffee’s cupping score. So what is cupping, you ask? It refers to a standardised, globally recognised process in which a cup of coffee is evaluated based on aspects such as flavour, acidity, texture, sweetness – just to name a few. The score ranges between one to 100, and by determining a coffee’s quality this way, a price per kilo can be decided as fairly as possible. A score of around 80 is regarded as pretty decent, but since cupping scores aren’t usually listed on the packaging, you’re better off looking at prices and
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Posted: July 28, 2021Categories: Coffee 101
Read more »Coffee: it’s such a popular drink of choice, and many can’t function throughout the day without their daily cuppa (getting it cafe-standard is easy if you’ve got the slim and sleek Dedica).
But all over the globe, it’s prepared differently, and versions vary from country to country, sometimes even city to city.
Here are some unusual coffee brews you can find around the world:
Kopi Luwak
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Posted: July 21, 2021Categories: Coffee 101
Read more »Coffee lovers — owning an espresso machine at home is like having a ticket to the glorious world of easy-to-make, homemade espresso-based drinks. But first, make sure you’ve mastered how to make the perfect shot of espresso.
From a classic latte to a fancy Dirty Chai Latte, here’s a list of our favourite coffee beverages made using espresso shots. Whichever drink you recreate, remember that it’s important to follow the exact order in which the ingredients are added into your cup.
Latte
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Posted: July 14, 2021Categories: The Tools
Read more »Like everything else out there, from cheese to wine and even furniture, there isn’t just one type of coffee. The beans they’re made from vary greatly, and more often than not, with great variation, comes decision fatigue. With an overwhelming amount of choices out there in the market, we get that a seemingly simple decision like choosing a type of bean to use for your machine might turn out to be rather daunting. Where do you begin with your De’Longhi bean-to-cup coffee maker?
Look at the Colour of the Roast
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The colour of a roast is a good indicator of qualities like oiliness, which matters depending on the coffee machine you’re using. Photo from Jakub Kapusnak.[/caption] Roasting coffee beans at a high temperature is a process (well, some say an art) that helps develop and boost aromas. If you don’t get this step right, the beans may lose their aromas and specificity. Here are some general guidelines: if the roast is very dark, the beans will be too bitter. If the roast is not dark enough, the coffee beans may end up tasting a little too acidic. A light roast is mostly best suited for filter coffee extraction. This is also known as a longer extraction aka slow coffee. With this filter method, what you’ll get is a fruitier coffee that’s more acidic. A medium/dark roast is ideal for espresso machines, and not so much bean-to-cup machines, otherwise, you’ll end up with coffee that’s, again, way too
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Posted: July 07, 2021Categories: Coffee 101
Read more »Got coffee-related questions brewing? Here are our answers to the most common questions we receive from our readers.
Coffee Beans 101
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Posted: June 16, 2021Categories: Coffee 101
Read more »There are many factors that contribute to the quality of your coffee and pressure is a key aspect. Here’s what you should know about managing pressure to get your best brew.
When it comes to coffee, the ‘rules’ are not set in stone. While it’s important to learn the basics, it’s always up to you to make your coffee the way you want it. But what is pressure when it comes to coffee preparation?
In short, it’s a combination of the amount of force the water is pushed into your puck and the resistance produced by the coffee puck. The water pressure is what pulls the oils from the coffee grounds to create the desired taste profile. Together, these will determine how the coffee is extracted from the grounds and how it will eventually taste.
It Starts with a Good Tamp
