Be My Own Barista

December 21, 2006 10:35 PM

Any resource recommendations on learning to be my own in-home barista? Where do I buy those syrups?

Can anyone recommend some good sites for learning to make coffee. Also, where do I buy those syrups they use, can't find them in the stores.

posted by benjh to home & garden (12 comments total)

Syrups? You mean Torani? It shouldn't be hard to find in stores (there are two places within walking distance of me that sell at least a limited selection), but if it is, it's pretty easy to order online when you know the name.

Want to learn coffee? The CoffeeGeek guides are pretty fine as a place to start.
posted by majick at 10:40 PM on December 21, 2006

My own coffeehouse uses its own brand of syrup, but most coffeehouses I frequent use DaVinci brand syrup.

The best thing to do to learn how to make good coffee is learn the basics and practice enough to become comfortable with the techniques. At this point, throw caution to the wind and forget everything you read. Experiment, experiment, experiment.

IAAB and while I have found my training manuals and such to be helpful, there's nothing like doing it myself over and over again to know when I have to re-foam the milk for that cappuccino again because goddamnit, it's going to just fall. Also, from working everyday and tasting every beverage, I can figure out exactly what a customer will like in five questions or less if they come in and say simply "I don't know what I want."

Also, I have a good friend with an awesome coffee blog: One Shot Larry's.

Also also: Use good beans. Learn what dark roast really means. Learn why Starbucks overroasts their coffee and why it is so fucking bitter. Learn which has more, an 8 oz. cup of coffee or a 1.5 oz shot of espresso.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 11:26 PM on December 21, 2006

Oh, other equipment you will need to properly make coffee in your home:

Coffee grinder and some sort of brewer. Make sure the grind of beans is correct for the filter method you use. French press uses the coarsest grinds. Learn why.

Espresso machine and milk steamer. Even at my work, I don't manually pull my own shots. This will be one high horse you won't hear anything about from me.

However...

Milk thermometer. Milk should be steamed to 160F. Know why. Know what it means to make a drink "extra hot."

Metal steaming pitcher.

A simple recipe for any drink you could wish to make: Flavor, Coffee, milk. Done!
posted by grapefruitmoon at 11:29 PM on December 21, 2006

(Sorry, I worked too late and I'm tired, but the recipe is specifically in that order.)
posted by grapefruitmoon at 11:29 PM on December 21, 2006

Marshalls and Cost Plus World Market usually have flavored syrups.
posted by sentient at 12:19 AM on December 22, 2006

Along with CoffeeGeek, check alt.coffee.

If you want to learn about good coffee, there is tons of information in the library at Sweet Marias.
posted by QIbHom at 6:02 AM on December 22, 2006

(1) Quality, fresh beans, ground properly (store them in air-tight containers and grind them right before use).

(2) Proper equipment; at a minimum, a pump-driven espresso machine and burr grinder (avoid blade grinders). If you're passionate about espresso, I would avoid popular consumer machines like those from Krups--I've had bad experiences with these machines. They don't really hold up well. If you're at the early stages of the curve, you might go for the Rancilio Silvia as a first machine. I've never owned one, but it has great reviews. Consider stepping up to a heat exchanger espresso machine so you can pull shots and steam milk without water heatup/cooldown delay.

(3) Develop the proper technique for grinding, tamping, pulling shots, steaming milk. Practice, practice, practice. It takes a while to get good. Pulling a great shot is probably the hardest thing of all (and the most important).

Tutorials at Gimme! Coffee, Whole Lattle Love.

CoffeeGeek is great for equipment reviews and formus.

Also check out David Schomer.

These links and more on my coffee page.
posted by onesix18 at 6:20 AM on December 22, 2006

grapefruitmoon, where's the rest of the PGWBB distilled for the non-SBC masses? :)

Grind your beans right before you make coffee. Not the day before, or even in the morning for an evening cup, but right before. You did buy whole beans, right? DO NOT keep those beans in the fridge or freezer. I know what you've heard and seen other people do. They're wrong. Keep your beans in an air-tight container in a cabinet out of direct light. Use good water. If you drink your tap water, great. If you filter your tap water before you drink, use the filtered stuff for your coffee.

grapefruitmoon covered the rest admirably. All I would add is to experiment with amounts of syrup and espresso to get the drink you like. If you want a starting point, a 12 ounce drink should have 1 shot of espresso and 1.5 ounces of syrup, with the rest being steamed milk. A 16 ounce drink should have 2 shots and 2 ounces of syrup; a 20 ounce drink should have 3 shots and 2.5 ounces of syrup. If something doesn't taste right to you, change the proportions.
posted by booksherpa at 8:53 AM on December 22, 2006

booksherpa: PGWBB? Pretty Great White Buffaloes Ballet?

I've been travelling a lot, I am perhaps too jetlagged for acronyms.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 9:24 AM on December 22, 2006

Why not get a part time job at a coffee house?

That's what I did for a few months for fun...

Also, getting a good quality supplies is key too.. I use only filtered water and quality beans in my machine (I use a De’Longhi Magnifica if you're curious)

after that, just read up as said above… making drinks is easier than you'd think....

OH ! and have fun!

- an ex-barista
posted by MathewS at 11:16 AM on December 22, 2006

grapefruitmoon: my training came at a Borders location; it may have been different then the training at standalone SBCs. They taught us the secret to good coffee was PGWBB: Proportion, Grind, Water, Brewing Method, and Beans. All I know is that before training I drank coffee flavored sugary milk. Now I take my coffee black.
posted by booksherpa at 2:46 PM on December 22, 2006

booksherpa: I am in a Borders, but I have to say that my training was um... I think "half-assed" would be putting it diplomatically. I was pretty much just sent on the floor and yelled at about the dress code.

I'm really good at my job, but there are moments where I clearly lack the lingo.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 9:08 PM on December 22, 2006