While coffee is rich in Antioxidants, which are an acid in the form of chlorogenic acids, the question is, how can I enjoy a full flavoured coffee that is lower in acid? Bay Beans Decaf coffee is naturally lower in acid with a higher PH number due to the all natural mountain water processing I use, rather than a chemical process that is more common. Another cother coffee that is naturally low in acid is Forte, mostly due to the soil of the regions it is grown -  the soils have a naturally higher PH and that is carried over into the coffee bean resulting in a low acid coffee. Importantly, Ariabica coffee beans are lower in acid compared to Robusta beans. Another way to lower the acid of any coffee is in the roasting process - very dark roasted coffee, while being less acidic in flavour, will have a higher acid number generally - the acid responsible here is quinic acid, so a lighter roasted coffee will have a lower acid level. 

One last way to lower the acid level (or the PH Balance) of your coffee lies in the brewing process, and its also the most fun!  It's interesting to know that cold brewed coffee will naturally reduce the acid of your coffee and you don't need to invest in any more hardware to start cold brewing at home, if not to lower the PH, but to enjoy a new process! Simply drop 80 grams of coarsely ground coffee beans into a pitcher and fill it with water, cover it and pop it in the fridge overnight. The resulting beverage will be delicious on a warm day, and its low in acid too. 

Coffee companies Vittoria and Lavazza are scheduled to meet in the Australian Federal court in an attempt to resolve a dispute relating to the Italian word 'Oro'.

Oro, not an American cookie, a delicious cream filled cookie that comes with twice the amount of cookie of our Australian Tim Tam (yes, I am easily distracted!) is the Italian word for 'gold'. The word was originally secured by Cantarella, the distributor of Vittoria in the late 1990's who trademarked the word at their own expense. 

Lavazza is an Italian coffee brand while Vittoria is an Australian coffee brand. Vitoria says Lavazza should stop using the term 'Oro' on their packaging. 

This isnt the first time common words have been the point of argument and legal costs between coffee companies - the same company that sells Vittoria, Cantarella, were challenged by Modena (the company behind Molinari Coffee), who claimed they have a monopoly on the word 'Oro' (gold), as well as 'Cinque Stelle' (five stars). this resulted in Vittoria (Cantarella) being stripped of the trademarks, but as the system can be challenged in the High Court, it was subsequently reinstated. 

Are you confused? 

So, what iss the reason behind all this? Yes - it is about money, profits, market share and brand. Sydney based company Cantarella is suing Lavazza for damages and this relates to sales as far back as 2016! Cantarella (Vittoria) claims that Lavazza's profits from it 'Oro' coffee have been lost to them and that their trademark's reputation has been damaged - good luck in determining the value of that!

I think all this can be solved by sitting down at a nice cafe and enjoying a flat white together (and long blacks for the lawyers, of course). 

A lot of love and personal dedication goes into every single bag of Bay Beans coffee. This one is a variety pack, perfect for gift giving or to treat yourself. It has Forte, Espresso Master, Super Crema and Mocha Prince. My personal favorite is Super Crema, but have fun deciding if you haven't already@

Your coffee beans are expertly roasted in our 70 kilo Dietrich roaster - its computer controlled ensuring our roasted beans are repeatable and reliable in flavour profile. 

This bad boy features pre-infusion that is infinitely adjustable, a separate pump for extraction and the service boiler along with style that is uniquely Keyes Van Der Westen! Just watching this machine in action is enough to inspire confidence in the espresso that is bound to be in the cup. You can even configure this machine with a seperate pump per group with dedicated water supplies. The barista has the ability to set a different pressure per group and different water treatments. 

It's not every day you come across a vintage machine in active duty! This Faema e61 from 1961 has been meticulously restored and currently capable of extracting espresso from the gods. Paired with a grinder they both appear to sparkle, like the pearly gates from heaven!

The very retro, very stylish and very capable Atomic Espresso Maker was created in the UK in the 1940's, made in Italy and imported into Australia from the Sydney suburb of Woollahra. 

These machines had no electrical components, opting for a stove-top as the power source to create the steam required for espresso with later models adding a steam wand for milk texturing. 

While they wont be suitable for regular duty and almost any espresso machine today will put these to shame with regards to consistency and quality of espresso, I think they are romantic and nostalgic. If I owned one I can guarantee it would take pride of place in my home. 

Checking under the hood of this beast is both a privilege and an experience! The new addition to the Keys Van Der Westen family is this highly customisable machine named Slim Jim. The options are longer than the accessories list at your BMW dealer and talking about cars, this machine costs about as much as an entry level family car at $30,000 - the fam-bam can catch the bus!

I am in love, its more than a coffee machine, its art!

Have you ever wondered what is the secret to fabulous Crema on your coffee?

You’re not alone, it’s a clear indication of the quality and freshness of your coffee, compounded by your preparation technique- and your technique goes beyond your ability to tamp consistently and grind accurately. Have you chosen fresh roasted coffee beans? Have you chosen the fresh roasted coffee beans that exploit crema such as the aptly named “Super Crema”?

The image above is of Super Crema from a Domobar domestic espresso coffee machine. Impressive huh?

https://www.baybeans.com.au/mcrema.html

When you order your coffee from Bay Beans there are a few things you should be prepared for;

1. Your coffee will be fresh roasted to order. 
2. Your  will receive tracking information so you can track your parcel every step of the way.
3. Your parcel will arrive faster than you think.
4. Your coffee will come packed in a box, packaged with love and with a personalised message.
5. Your beans will make the most delicious coffee you've ever tasted!
6. Your friends and family will be at your doorstep weekly to enjoy your fantastic coffee. 

Let me start by saying coffee is a science, but that science is also open to creative licence. It’s an important thing to remember because what works well for me and my taste preference will be different to you and your taste preference, and what you make for your friends and family will be different again. That's why cafe barista's can have such a tough time - they cannot appeal to everyone all of the time. They will appeal largely to the people that appreciate their take on what coffee should taste like.

So, what of this science? Science says that a single shot of coffee is 7 grams and that 7 grams should yield 30 mls of espresso base from your espresso machine. Equally true, a double shot is 14 grams producing 60 mls of espresso base and a triple shot is 21 grams producing 90 mls of espresso base. that gives a coffee grind to espresso base yield ratio of 1:4 (IE 7 grams of coffee grinds producing 30 mls of espresso, that is 4.2x the dry weight, or close enough to 1:4)

That said, the modern interpretation of this has changed somewhat. I prefer to both push the single basket capacities up from 7 grams per dose to 9 grams AND reduce the yield to a ratio of 1:2. That means that a single shot of 9 grams of dry weight coffee grinds in a single basket will now produce 18 mls of espresso base, while a double shot of 18 grams in a double shot basket will now produce 36 mls of espresso base and a triple shot of ground coffee equalling 27 grams in a triple shot basket will now produce 54 mls of espresso base.

It’s important to note here that single, double and triple shot baskets are designed to both hold more coffee grounds as well as dispense more coffee liquid. The volume of the basket increases and so does the surface area of the basket base. When you compare a single shot basket to a triple shot basket, the triple shot basket has three times as many holes in the base for the coffee to extract. That allows for the same overall extraction time of a single shot from a single shot basket as a triple shot would extract from a triple basket.

All things being equal in extraction time, grind size, and liquid volume, you cannot upgrade the basket size from a single to a double (or a double to a triple) without also increasing the amount of coffee you put in the basket. Failing to increase the amount of coffee will result in a diluted version of your espresso base since more water is able to base through a larger capacity basket due to there being more holes in the basket base - it needs the extra coffee to create more resistance.

While increasing the ratio will decrease the yield, you are achieving a more concentrated coffee for the same amount of liquid, but the best part of this is you are getting the sweetest part of your extraction and leaving the more bitter half of your extraction in the coffee puck.

When you mix your espresso base with milk if you enjoy flat whites, lattes or cappuccino - you will end up with a coffee to milk ratio of around 1:5. So a double shot of coffee base equalling 36 grams, will mix with 108 mls of milk - when you add those two together, you will have a drink of 144 mls, perfect for a 150 ml cup.

The same ratio will remain for the different cup sizes, only the espresso and milk quantities will increase.

Another interpretation of the triple basket is to produce a more ristretto (held back) form of coffee base. A triple shot extraction of 27 grams of coffee will usually produce 54mls of espresso base. Holding back the last say 14 mls of that extraction will leave you with an incredibly sweet 30 ml shot of espresso base.

Lastly, if your a black drinker and want to make a great Lungo, stretch you ratio to 1:3 or 1:4 so your 27 grams of espresso base will produce 81 ml or 108 ml of espresso base respectively.

A triple size coffee basket wont fit into standard sized coffee portafilters which is where naked, or bottomless portafilters come in. They will allow you to house any size basket you like without the restriction of the base interfering with the fit. The bonus with a naked portafilter is the benefit of being able to see your extraction in progress - a fantastic training aid that is hidden in a traditional filter. You are able to receive instant feedback on your coffee distribution technique, your tamping technique and discover if any of your coffee puck is separating, or channeling to create pathways for your pressurised water to sneak through, resulting in a weaker coffee than if your water was evenly distributed over the entire coffee puck surface and pushed through the puck, taking an equal amount of goodness through to your cup. I'll write some more about naked portafilters soon.

The most important thing to appreciate after all this is to come back to what I said earlier - this science is open to creative licence. So, if you prefer 60ml from a single shot of coffee, that is perfectly fine. its a personal choice - all this information is so you have a basis upon which to experiment.