Traditional Coffee Drinks

	Ristretto A very short espresso, consisting of only 20-25ml of coffee.  To make a weak espresso-based drink like a weak latte or cappuccino, use a ristretto instead of an espresso.
	Espresso or short black The espresso is the foundation for most coffee-based drinks.  It consists of 25-30ml of coffee extracted in 25-30 seconds. The surface will be covered with a consistently thick dark hazelnut coloured crema.
	Macchiato Traditional method: serve as per short black but with a dash of hot milk, hold the foam. La Casa del Caffe recommends a short black with an equal amount of hot milk; hold the foam.
	Long black Sometimes known as an Americano, the Long Black consists of about two thirds of a cup of hot water topped with a 25-30ml espresso.
	Caffe latte Traditionally served in a glass, a caffe latte is hot milk topped off with a shot of espresso. Nowadays most lattes are made with a shot of espresso topped up with smooth creamy milk.
	Flat white Add one shot of espresso to a cup and top with hot milk; hold the foam.
	Cappuccino A single shot of espresso and hot creamy milk, topped with a sprinkle of chocolate powder.  The texture of the milk foam should be smooth with no bubbles present, use about 10-15ml of foam.
	Mugaccino A double shot of espresso and hot creamy milk, topped with a sprinkle of chocolate powder.

Tips for making great coffee

Heating/Frothing Milk

Froth the milk by placing the tip of the steam wand just below the surface of the milk, and then sink the nozzle to the bottom to warm and thicken the milk. When the jug becomes too hot to touch, turn off the steam. Bang the jug on the counter several times to collapse the bubbles. To make cappuccino, pour in a little milk with lots of foam. A flat white is the opposite with lots of milk and very little foam, and for a caffe latte pour milk into the espresso and top with a small amount of foam.

Tamping

Hold tamp level and apply firm pressure. When you discard the used grinds, they should come out easily and in one piece. Sloppy used grinds indicate insufficient pressure while tamping, that the coffee is too fine, or that there was not enough coffee in the filter.

Storage

La Casa del Caffe coffee requires no refrigeration, but should be kept in a dry, cool place away from sunlight. Coffee is very susceptible to odours and shouldn’t be stored close to cleaning products, perfumes or other strong smelling items.

The Coffee

Serve it hot but not boiled. Keep the cups on top of the machine, or warm with the machine’s hot water outlet. Make the coffee straight away – if it stays sitting in the group too long it will taste bitter as the heat from the machine may burn the coffee grinds.

Quick Fix:

• The crema should have a hazelnut – dark brown colour. If it is too light than it has been over extracted.
• Keep group handles in the machine when not in use to keep them hot.
• When making a short black there’s no need to fill the cup up to the top, as too much water will make the coffee bitter. The coffee should be about 25-30ml and run through groups for about 25-30 seconds. The crema will flow white when extraction is finished.