Milk-based coffee beverages such as lattes, flat whites, and cappuccinos have become a staple in many people's daily routines. However, the quality of the milk used in these beverages is often overlooked. Many coffee shops and cafes use low-quality milk in their coffee drinks, which can have a significant impact on the taste and texture of the final product. In this blog post, we will explore the problems with using low-quality milk in milk-based coffee drinks and why it's important to use high-quality milk.

What is low-quality milk?
Before we dive into the problems with low-quality milk, let's define what we mean by "low-quality." Milk quality can be influenced by many factors, including the breed of the cow, the animal's diet, and the handling and processing of the milk. Low-quality milk is typically sourced from cows that are fed a poor diet or are treated poorly, which can lead to milk that is thin, watery, or has an unpleasant taste or odor.
Problems with using low-quality milk in coffee

1. Inconsistent texture

One of the most noticeable problems with using low-quality milk in coffee drinks is the inconsistent texture. Low-quality milk may not froth or foam properly, resulting in a flat, unappealing drink. In contrast, high-quality milk will froth and foam consistently, resulting in a smooth, velvety texture.

1. Unpleasant taste

Low-quality milk can also have an unpleasant taste, which can overpower the coffee's flavor. This is particularly true in specialty coffee drinks like lattes and cappuccinos, where the milk is a significant component of the drink's taste. Using high-quality milk can enhance the coffee's flavor and create a more balanced taste.

1. Health concerns

In addition to the taste and texture problems, low-quality milk may also pose health concerns. Milk from poorly treated cows can contain harmful bacteria or antibiotics, which can be harmful to human health. High-quality milk, on the other hand, is typically free from these contaminants, making it a safer choice for consumption.
Why use high-quality milk in coffee?
Using high-quality milk in coffee drinks can have several benefits, including:

1. Better taste

High-quality milk will enhance the coffee's flavor, creating a more balanced and enjoyable taste.

1. Consistent texture

High-quality milk will froth and foam consistently, resulting in a smooth, velvety texture.

1. Healthier option

High-quality milk is typically free from harmful bacteria or antibiotics, making it a safer option for consumption.
In conclusion, the quality of the milk used in milk-based coffee drinks like lattes, flat whites, and cappuccinos is essential to the final product's taste and texture. Using low-quality milk can result in inconsistent texture, an unpleasant taste, and potential health concerns. On the other hand, using high-quality milk can enhance the coffee's flavor, create a consistent texture, and provide a healthier option. So, the next time you order a milk-based coffee drink, be sure to ask about the quality of the milk being used.

Coffee is a popular beverage enjoyed by millions of people worldwide. While some prefer instant coffee, others enjoy freshly brewed coffee made from freshly roasted coffee beans. If you're a coffee lover, you may want to consider ordering fresh roasted coffee beans online and having them delivered to your home, café or business. In this blog post, we'll explore the benefits of fresh roasted coffee beans delivered straight to your doorstep.

Better Taste
Fresh roasted coffee beans have a better taste than pre-packaged coffee beans. When coffee beans are roasted, they release oils and flavors that give coffee its unique taste. However, these oils and flavors dissipate over time, making coffee less flavorful. By ordering fresh roasted coffee beans, you can ensure that you're getting the best taste possible.

Higher Quality
Fresh roasted coffee beans are of higher quality than pre-packaged coffee beans. This is because fresh roasted coffee beans are usually roasted in small batches, which ensures that they're roasted evenly and at the right temperature. This results in a higher quality coffee bean that produces a more flavorful cup of coffee.

More Nutritious
Fresh roasted coffee beans are more nutritious than pre-packaged coffee beans. This is because coffee beans contain antioxidants that can help protect your body against free radicals that can cause disease. However, these antioxidants begin to break down as soon as the coffee beans are roasted. By ordering fresh roasted coffee beans, you can ensure that you're getting the maximum nutritional benefits from your coffee.

Fresher Coffee
Fresh roasted coffee beans are fresher than pre-packaged coffee beans. When coffee beans are roasted, they begin to release carbon dioxide. This process is known as degassing, and it can take several days to complete. During this time, the coffee beans are still fresh and full of flavor. By ordering fresh roasted coffee beans, you can ensure that you're getting the freshest coffee possible.

Convenience
Ordering fresh roasted coffee beans online and having them delivered to your home, café or business is incredibly convenient. You can choose from a wide variety of beans and blends, and you can have them delivered directly to your doorstep. This means that you don't have to go out and buy coffee beans, and you can have fresh coffee whenever you want it.

In conclusion, ordering fresh roasted coffee beans online and having them delivered to your home, café or business is a great way to enjoy the best-tasting, highest quality, most nutritious and freshest coffee possible. So, if you're a coffee lover, why not give it a try? You won't be disappointed!

A customer wrote to me asking for any advice on how to get the best coffee experience from their new Gaggia Classic Pro espresso machine, paired with a Breville Smart Grinder.

The Breville smart grinder is a grinder that performs better than the asking price and will definitely grind fine enough and consistent enough for your Gaggia Pro. 

The numbers for grind settings are not matched from machine to machine, so use recommendations as a guide only and be prepared to deviate from any settings recommended to you. Some machines may not grind fine enough, but that is an issue that has pretty much now been eliminated at the factory. The Breville fix was to provide a thin spacer that is placed between the lower burr and the motor spindle. Keep in mind that this only affects a small number of machines and give it consideration only if you feel like you're still not obtaining sufficiently fine grinds at its lowest setting. 

The Gaggia is a proven classic italian machine that will give you years of trouble free pleasure. Don't be surprised if it outlasts your demands of it and the only reason to move it on will be a case of upgrade-itis for something that you feel may be shinier or better, but that is going to be very difficult to justify at even twice the price. the coffee obtained from your Gaggia vs a $6000 e61 machine will be hard to tell apart. 
I recommend using the Double basket only - they are already unpressurised. aim for 16-18grams of coffee, extracted over 30 seconds and 60ml of espresso base. Adjust your grind to compensate rather than adjusting your tamp pressure or dose size. 

Any effort you put into the technique of your milk steaming will pay dividends. I've got a couple of blogs and videos on the topic that will help as a guide. Also checkout Youtube. 

Enjoy!

James Axisa. 

My personal Giotto Rocket Espresso Machine is in for service.. current turnaround time is 10 days.

I have backup manual equipment and a spare coffee machine to use, but I wonder if most people skip the annual servicing mostly because of the inconvenience? I know I have done quite a few services myself over the years for that exact reason.

What do you do?

People often say that dark coffee is stronger, with the implication that stronger coffees contains more caffeine. 

One thing to understand is the relationship between the raw coffee bean and the roasting process. Compare it for a moment to your breakfast toast using two different breads. If both breads are both cooked to a low roast level, the flavours of the bread, will shine through. If however, both breads are instead toasted/roasted to a much darker level, the flavours of smoke and the toasting process is the dominant flavour with both breads tasting more like 'well cooked toast', than 'toasted bread'. 

The same thing can be said for BBQ food. and the same is true of coffee beans. 

Caffeine is reduced during the roasting process as it accelerates chemical interactions which also breaks down caffeine compounds. 

Dark roasts are also known as French Roast or Espresso Roast, which relates to the roasting level, rather than the bean which can be the same. 

Thinking about our neighbours in Queensland, Northern NSW and Sydney who are affected by flooding, in some areas severe.

This will affect delivery times to surrounding areas. There are also COVID related delays in some suburbs of Perth. I'll continue to send you tracking information for your deliveries same day as your coffee is dispatched. Depending on services, I may choose to send your delivery by a different method than usual in an effort to reduce any delays.

If you have any questions, or would like an update on your delivery, please get in touch anytime.

Thanks for your patience and understanding.

James. ​

A customer asked me about getting a better extraction using their sunbeam conical burr grinder. 

Andrew wrote:

Thank you very much, James. I have been drinking your Espresso beans, and am very satisfied with the result. My machine is a Sunbeam Mini Barista and the grinder is a Sunbeam conical-burr. I realise the limitations of this setup. For example, when I fitted a non-pressurised filter basket, the coffee has no crema and the taste is nowhere near as good as when using the original pressurised basket, even when I lower the grind all the way to setting 1.
Regards
Andrew


James replied:

Hi Andrew.
Thanks for your email.
You’re on the right track I think - the grinder is grinding a little too coarse for your machine and flavour preference.
There are things you can do without spending money just yet.
One thing you can do is upside your coffee by a gram or two, another is to tamp more firmly. Check that your tamp fits the portafilter fairly tightly - if not, tamping on the edges can be the weak point. To get around that, try rolling the ramp around the edges softly before doing a tamp. It will put pressure on the sides and help with your overall tamp.
The last thing you can do is a modification to the grinder. Sunbeam grinders are all built to a tolerance, so one setting on one grinder can be different to the same setting on another grinder. The end result is your not able to grind to the maximum fineness that the machine is capable of.
Imagine that when you adjust the grinder settings, You are bringing the two groaning burrs closer together. At the maximum setting, the green burrs are still not close enough. The modification comes in to play by doing the following. By removing the grinder Beccaria you will have access to the grinding the main grinding burr. That burr is held on with a hex nut. By removing the nut and also the Berger you can add a thin shim/washer, which one reassembled will force the birds to come closer together at the same setting as previous. Of course make sure your machine is disconnected from the power before attempting to do any maintenance, also be aware that the bird will now be closer, and potentially so close that it will meet the face of the carrier burr, So keep an ear open for when you first adjust the grinder settings from maximum to minimum and back off if you hear any metal to metal contact on the finer settings. There was a Sunbeam technical bulletin about this a number of years ago-if you search Google, I’m sure you’ll find it.
I hope that helps
James Axisa - 0428 555 535. Chief Espresso Officer - baybeans.com.au

You can purchase your coffee beans using Bitcoin BTC and have your coffee beans delivered fast and fresh for free via Courier or Australia Post. Bay Beans has been providing Australian homes, businesses and Cafes with fresh roasted coffee beans since 2006. 

Grab a bag today ! 
https://www.baybeans.com.au/bitcoin-coffee-beans.html

Great news! While Australia Post has experienced delays over the past two months across their network, their workforce is catching up with demand. We should be back to normal again soon.

You may have received your coffee delivery via alternate delivery partners as we will sometimes change partners depending on localised delivery timetable status updates. ​

Thank you,

James Axisa
Bay Beans Coffee Beans

I love coffee and I love my Aeropress - I am also impatient at times, especially when all I want is my morning coffee! Don't get me wrong, I love to experiment and spend quality time alone, but when I'm not in the mood, Give Me Coffee, NOW! 

I’m all for making the Aeropress as simple as possible, so I have settled in the James Hoffman style (recipe). That is to brew standard (not inverted), pour the water vigorously up to the 4th marker without stiring - let the water do the stirring and its one less thing to clean up. I then put the plunger in just a little to create a vacuum and reduce dripping, wait two mins, then swirl  the Aeropress on the cup to agitate the coffee grinds and after 30 seconds go ahead and plunge.
I use water off the boil about 90-95c and get to that by boiling first, then preparing my Aeropress rather than timing anything.
I don’t preheat the Aeropress and I don’t rinse my paper. I don’t use the funnel and I don’t use the stirrer.
Inverted styles I reserve for times when I've got more time to myself, and I am not feeling clumsy. 

What is your favorite method, variation or recipe?

James.