Which coffee type are you? Coffee at the bar, coffee to go or coffee at home?

On the occasion of the launch of the limited edition barista and the brand new machine created by Nespresso I was invited to taste their coffee and get the feeling of how to prepare a latte as a barista with the new machine Creatista Plus.

If you get to try such high-class products the chance that your coffee preparation fails is quite small.
This experience made me think about my coffee habits since I take into consideration buying a coffee machine at home for quite a while. Today I use a small bialetti moka to brew my coffee.

What about discovering our coffee habits?

1. Did you ever try to do a really great coffee with microfoam at home?
2. Do you have the right equipment to make a proper milk foam?
3. Maybe you are just a bit lazy to be concerned about it and prefer to go for an espresso or flat white at your favourite bar on your way to work?
4. Or you don’t have the budget to buy an expensive machine?

I questioned these topics for myself and would like to share with you my thoughts in this article. Further, I want to give you suggestions on available options to find the best coffee choice or equippment for your habbit.

One of my previous articles was all about specialty coffee and where to find it here in Zurich. I share content about grinding coffee beans at home. This plays an important role when making coffee at home. For those who did not get the chance to read it, get it here.
Coffee beans are the base of all that comes after. I love the taste of a flavoured, strong coffee. l want to know where my coffee comes from and how it is roasted and processed.

What speciality coffee is…

Coffee that scores 80 points or above on a 100-point scale is graded „specialty.“ Specialty coffee grows in a special and ideal climate. They are distinctive because of their full cup taste and little to no defects. The unique flavours and tastes are a result of the special characteristics and composition of the soils in which they are produced.

Are you the type that loves to brew your coffee at home or take it at the bar?

If it comes to my coffee habits I know, that I am a mix of both. I am a coffee at home brewer and coffee shop drinker. Waking up in the morning and smelling the coffee notes from the moka machine is how I grew up. The sound of the coffee bubbling is something I cannot think out of my dayly routine. That is why, I personally think, that I could not replace having my coffee at home in the morning.
What I tried out, too, is the nespresso milk foam maker called Aeroccino, (which costs ca. 89 CHF). This product is a perfect alternative to buying a complete machine and making a latte or cappuccino at home.

At weekends I love to stop by at a bar where I know they have specialty coffee. I let my barista prepare the delicious thin microfoam with latte art on my coffee.

Barista corto, barista chiaro, barista scuro – Creatista Plus by Nespresso

Nespresso just previously launched new Limited Edition coffee blends called barista corto, barista chiaro and barista scuro. These blends were specially crafted by Nespresso experts.

The Barista corto creates a Ristretto Nero with an extra-intense taste, thick syrupy texture and marble dark crema.
The origin: Monsooned Arabica from India, washed Robusta from Guatemala amongst other origins.

The Barista scuro is meant for a dark Espresso Macchiato. It keeps its strong, flavourful, full-bodied coffee character when combined with a gentle touch of milk foam.
The origin: Washed Arabicas from Costa Rica and the Cundinamarca region of Colombia amongst other origins.

The Barista chiaro is ideal for an indulgent Cappuccino Dolce or a flat white. It has a smooth, creamy taste and round, exceptionally delicate biscuit notes.
The origin: Unwashed Arabica beans from the Cerrado region of Brazil and washed Arabica from Kenya among other origins.

With these coffee sorts comes a new machine called creatista plus that is designed to help you out at home and give you the barista feeling. The machine is simple in use and the microfoam is really as enjoyable as at the coffee bar. The price of the machine starts from 579 CHF.

This mixes up my habits now! Should I make my flat white at home or go out and drink it at the bar?

Ideally, I would have both options available, but what about the coffee smell that my moka machine giftes me?

You see, I cannot really find a solution to my coffee dilemma.

Anyway, there are options, and that is always good in life, so let’s keep it open.
Depending on the type of coffee habit you have, you will find the right choice for you!

*not sponsered article

Why do I love blogging for food & coffee in Zurich?

We are surrounded by a dynamic world of culinary offers. All of these international people and expatriates living here bring a great influence and trends to our city. It is absolutely inspiring. I have the feeling that every moment either online or offline I am getting in contact with new coffee and food places.
It’s like Alice in wonderland. By talking to people I find out, that we all get more and more sensitive to really good quality food or coffee. Consumers want to know more about where the products come from. It goes even further; we love to have the knowledge of preparing all of this at home, too.

Bean Bros & Beats introduce me a bit to the topic of filter coffee

My first reaction as an Italian is scepticism since I like coffee dark and strong. But I admit, after tasting this coffee at their coffee place I feel completely taken into this new coffee culture. I love the idea to have 2 coffees a day, a flat white in the morning and a filter coffee in the afternoon.

What is really good filter coffee and what is a flat white?

Two complete different coffee experiences! A flat white consists of a double shot espresso and has microfoam on it. It comes in a smaller glass (1.8 dl) to make the taste more intense; it can be nuttier in taste. Here I refer to the Fifty Fifty blend used at Bros Beans & Beats, roasted by Henauer. There are blends that have a taste of chocolate, too. A different machine is used to brew the coffee.

Filter coffee has an other preparation procedure. Coffee is brewed with water, using the right temperature it draws out fantastic flavors and aromas. A real coffee pleasure for your tongue. It is more aromatic and pure, if I may say it this way. The coffee from „vertical coffee” that Bros Beans & Beat prepare as filter coffee is fruity in the taste.

Let’s get a bit more into filter coffee, I researched some topics for you

First: you need some equipment

• Good quality coffee beans. Find some online here
• Buy a French press to start. It’s a cylindrical pot with a plunger and built-in filter screen that presses hot water through ground coffee.

Find some instructions here for your perfect cup of coffee:

• Best French press brewing guide
  or stop by at Bros Beans & Beats and get some professional advice!
• If you like a more professional machine: go for a moccamaster, it’s about 250 CHF. This works all automatic but needs a bit of knowledge. This brand is used at Bros Beans & Beats. A valuable website to find your ideal espresso coffee machine is available here.
• Grind your beans with a manual grinder! You smell an explosion of flavours when you grind the beans. There are two manual grinders I suggest, the commandante C40 nitro blade it is not only fancy in the look but works fantastic or the Hario Mill bit cheaper but good. Both are burr grinders, so they’ll produce a nice, consistent grind, and they’re relatively compact.
• You need to weigh your coffee, so get an electronic scale
• For the Moccamaster you need a paper filter.

Buy this equipment either on amazon or on coffeecircle.com. Get a great choice and good price ranges.

After you have your equipment get familiar with some more information on coffee preparation

• How fine or rough should the coffee be ground?

For the French press or the moccamaster, you would want a coarse grind. Using a simple Moka machine you go for a fine grind. Somehow, find your grinding and play with it!

• Some insights about the roasting of the coffee beans

Dark coffee beans display a lot of visible oils, this is typical of your dark roast and espresso roast blends. The oil simply means the beans were roasted longer than their less oily counterparts.

• Light or dark roast for your coffee?

Darker coffees have less caffeine than lighter roasts. Lighter blends still contain oil, however, the oils are “lighter” and are not as visible since they are contained inside. These blends are roasted for shorter periods giving them more caffeine. For filter coffee use light roasted beans.

• How much coffee do you need for your cup of coffee?

About 3 tablespoons per 3dl water. But play around with how much you use in proportion to how much water you use and you’ll end up finding the perfect combination for your taste.

What else to say? Let’s start playing and explore this world of coffee together. And if all of this is just too complex, stop by at Bros Beans & Beats and order your coffee there!