Espresso Machines!

Hello!--this is Tara. This Thursday at Doubleshot, at 7 pm, we're going to have an event focusing on espresso machines--the La Marzocco company in particular. I returned from a trip to Italy a couple weeks ago, and the best thing about the trip was getting to visit the La Marzocco factory outside of Florence. So we are going to be talking about that, hopefully seeing some pictures of espresso machines-in-progress, and finally (!) Ely, who is a wonderful machine technician and has taken La Marzocco's class on machine maintenance, is going to open up the Doubleshot machine so we can all get an insider's view on what, from an electrical-technical perspective, is happening in order to produce your perfect espresso, latte, etc.

OK, here's a preview on why it's so important to have a great espresso machine. This passage comes from David Schomer's book "Espresso Coffee: Professional Techniques." His book is very helpful in that it breaks down the factors that affect the quality of the espresso, explaining how each factor may go wrong, and what to do about it. His broad categories are: 1)Environmental Factors (like the weather) 2)Equipment Factors (the machine!, etc) 3) Ingredient Factors (not just the espresso blend but water quality, etc) and 4) Barista Techniques. Under each of these categories come many sub-categories, so it is obvious that pulling a perfect shot of espresso is a very precise process, and never as simple as just pushing a button. In chapter 7 of his book, Brewing Water Temperature, Schomer writes:

"The better you become at making espresso, the more that the factor of brewing water temperature will emerge as the final vexing problem. Brewing water temperature is a very difficult factor to control. But its control is essential to quality espresso making, because water temperature plays such an integral role in the preservation of coffee's volatile flavor compounds. Water temperature is responsible for the quality and quantity of flavors in the espresso coffee."

Reading Schomer's book is fairly daunting, because there are so many things that can go wrong...that is just one example of what your espresso machine needs to do--maintain a stable, optimal water temperature. If the temperature is off but just a couple degrees, the espresso will start to taste sour, flat, or burnt...gross. All that to say, the espresso machine is important! So, come to Doubleshot Thursday, June 11 at 7 pm to learn more about them! Hope to see you there!