Got it....

...thanks to the good people at Caffe Bianchi.

But It is quite small. Smaller than I was expecting. Haven't got the hang of pouring in it yet.

Latte Art....

This ain't great, but its my best attempt at a leaf/rosetta in a long time....
I'e only just tried tilting the latte glass at the start of the pour.

Mobile phone photo isn't great either.

What do you think?

Barista training

We attended a Basic Barista Training course last saturday to celebrate my Dad's 60th birthday. It was run by I guy who is an espresso machine technician - who also roasts his own beans. Check him out here, his name is Jason and he is a champion.

Anyway, I learnt a lot. Like, the value of a really awesome grinder and what I had been doing wrong in texturing my milk. We got to work on some pretty awesome machines too!

I think Dad really enjoyed himself - he was chatting with Jason for ages. Hopefully I won't be designated barista next time i go around there!

Gotta get back on the ECM at home and practice, practice, practice!

I am still alive...

...as surprising as that may be given my inactivity in the blogoverse lately.

The coffee tasting course was awesome! We practiced the "art" of cupping with about 6 or so different single origin beans and learnt a little bit about the subtleties and characteristics of different beans.

We walked away with 600g of free coffee, including 100g of Jamaica Blue Mountain, which I must say is fairly disappointing given the hefty price tag.

The highlight of the evening was the mini roaster that they have out the back! It's gold! If anyone is feeling particularly generous this Christmas, I want one!

Birthday presents are cool...

Tonight I am receiving in one of my birthday presents – A coffee tasting session at Toby’s Estate! (see here)
I’m very excited to learn more about coffee from Toby himself. I have been drinking a wide variety of stuff from their roastery for a while now but still don’t feel as though I’ve learnt much about different origins and the subtleties of their blends.
Hopefully tonight will be an eye-opening and educational experience!
We can also expect some tips on brewing the perfect espresso I’m told – way exciting!

Will let you know how we go.