We continue to showcase our line up of high-end grinders reviewed late last year and featured in the latest issue of Crema Magazine. Whether you are starting out or planning to up-grade, this review is designed to highlight the features and functions that you should be taking into consideration. 

ECA (Anfim) ‘Best
RRP: Silver - $699.00 Chrome - $769.00 (incl GST)

This unit has the look and build quality of a commercial grinder but with significantly smaller dimensions, which lends itself to the domestic kitchen setting. With its polished alloy exterior and weighing only 8kg, it’s slim and stylish with pretty much all the benefits of a larger, heavier commercial unit. Standing at 38cm tall, it has 500gm bean hopper with a hopper-stopper. It has tempered steel flat burr blades, a dosing chamber and utilises a stepped grind adjustment mechanism.

The Best performed very well and our reviewers were particularly impressed with the speed of operation, even when lined up against the bigger semi-commercial grinders. It showed an excellent consistency of grind and dose. The resulting espressos were excellent, with a consistent flavour profile.

There were a couple of minor niggles which were picked up by the reviewers, the main one being that the increments on the stepping collar were quite big – therefore not allowing for ultra fine adjustments to the grind setting, but in practice, this did not present a problem in setting an accurate grind for espresso. The only other main issue was that the tamping disc on the front of the unit gets in the way – in fact, it is often unscrewed and left off by operators ‘in-the-know’!

The build quality and performance make it an excellent grinder to compliment a high-end home espresso machine while its smaller dimensions make it a stylish and reliable grinder for the home espresso setting.

VERDICT: High performance unit for the serious ‘prosumer’. Recommended for the home espresso enthusiast who needs a grinder to handle a moderate to high volume. Also suitable for low volume commercial use (ie: back-up/decaf grinder).

Height: 38cm

Flat Burr (tempered steel), Stepped, Dosing Chamber

Consistency of Dose: Max variation range of 0.1gm (average dose was 5.0gm)

Speed of operation: 39.2gm in 30 sec
Temp of grinder blades at end of test: 31°C

For more information on this review and to read about other grinders click here. 

El Salvador is nestled amongst some of the world’s best coffee growing countries - Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua - and is roughly the size of Victoria, Australia. Squeezed inside the borders of El Salvador are over 40,000 coffee farms, which cling to volcanos and mountains in the regions of Santa Ana, La Libertad and Usulatan. However, the country’s coffee history has been somewhat shaky due to the civil war (1980-1992) which badly damaged its status in the market. Farms and mills were either destroyed or abandoned, and the remaining coffee being produced at the time was pooled together, creating a poor quality and inconsistent centralised product.

Thankfully, those times are behind El Salvador and the country has embraced sustainable programmes like Rainforest Alliance and fair trade initiatives. They have also been involved in the Cup of Excellence - a highly respected competition that recognises the best coffee a country has to produce - since 2003. Efforts like these are a reflection of how El Salvador is getting back its reputation in the specialty market, and farmers are choosing to produce coffee on small scale co-op estate farms. They are also putting their efforts into growing specific varieties like the low yielding Bourbon and the left-of-field Pacamara, which are able to flourish in its near perfect growing conditions.

So, the next day I made it my mission to get to know my broker’s new girlfriend a little better. With a clean pallet and a bit of focus, I finally figured the El Salvador Bourbon out - it’s all about patience. Her characteristics are well balanced and subtle, demanding your full attention in order to find her true colours; and once you have discovered them she will have you well and truly seduced. The first time you cup this coffee black you will need to take your time to savour the beautiful heady almond aroma, then, with your first sip you will be treated to a sweetness that fills your palate. Beyond this is where her subtleties lie: flavours such as peach, apple and even a little lemon can be found, and as the cup cools a caramel subtext emerges. As a flat white, this coffee has chocolate, almond and caramel flavours, but choose semi-skim milk instead of a full cream, as it won’t drown out the coffee’s flavours.

I truly believe that this coffee needs to be enjoyed as a single origin because this is where the rewards lie, but I find small amounts of Kenya AA will add boldness, highlight the choc notes and add some zing, or the Nicaraguan Maragogype for a citrus pop and acidity.

The Coffee

Origin:  San Emilio
Location: El Salvador
Region: Talnique, La Libertad
Plant type: Bourbon

Cup Profile

Fragrance/Aroma: Almond, cherries
Flavour: Peach and apple
Aftertaste: Clean
Acidity: Low to medium
Body: medium intensity

By Christopher Short

Coffee aficionados love to discuss the elements that make for their perfect cup. Factors often mentioned are their favorite brand of coffee beans, the proportion of arabica to robusta beans, the type of roast and single versus double boiler espresso machines, just to name a few. Interestingly, one issue only occasionally considered is that of water quality. This is odd given that water constitutes 95% of an espresso.

The reason it is not top of the list is probably because few really know what attributes they should be looking for in water and they generally have little choice in the matter. For most of us, it just arrives, normally out of the tap. The reason we should be concerned about water quality is that it does affect the taste of your coffee and it has a significant effect on brewing equipment performance and reliability in many regions.

Water could be referred to as ‘the universal solvent’. It will dissolve almost anything to some degree. As rain falls to earth it takes up airborne gases like car and truck exhaust fumes and industry air pollution. This is why the air smells so fresh after a good rain. Once on the ground the water soaks in, dissolving naturally occurring calcium, magnesium, iron and other elements as well as ground pollution. In addition, water collects particulate matter (commonly called dirt!) that will not dissolve but is carried in suspension.

To improve water quality, public water authorities treat the water to remove most of the dirt particles and to disinfect it. The most common way to disinfect water is through the addition of chlorine, which will inevitably alter the taste of the coffee. Installation of appropriate water filters will remove the chlorine from the water and will ensure that any dirt particles are removed. Some people prefer to use rainwater in their home espresso machines. It is imperative to use a water filter before filling the water tank to remove the dirt particles and, if the correct filter is used, the dissolved air pollution.

Another issue involving water is that of water ‘hardness’ - that is, the content of calcium and magnesium in the water. Higher levels constitute harder water. The reason water gets hard is by the percolation of ground water through calcium and magnesium-laden soils. Water hardness is not removed by filtration and has no health effects. In fact, many bottled mineral waters are exceptionally hard. It is interesting that espresso made from hard water tastes better. The reason is that flavour extraction from ground beans increases with harder water. However, there is a limit - beyond 90 parts per million (ppm) of calcium carbonate, flavour extraction does not increase. This would be fine except that hard water (150ppm and above) causes significant build up of calcium scale in coffee brewing equipment. A way of avoiding this is to use a water softener, which replaces the calcium content with sodium. This is why water softeners must occasionally be regenerated with sodium chloride (common salt), which is the source of the sodium.

Softening water will reduce the problem of hard water scale build up in the machine but it will, to a degree, alter the taste of the coffee. Alternatively, the use of unsoftened (but still filtered) water will enhance the taste but necessitate occasional descaling of the machine. Non-carbonated spring or mineral water can be used effectively in home espresso machines with water tanks. These waters are generally of moderate hardness and are filtered, providing good quality water for espresso.

In summary, for better tasting coffee, moderately hard water is fine but ensure it is filtered and that you descale your machine occasionally.

Christopher Short is Managing Director of Adelaide-based cleaning products company, Cafetto.

 So you love great espresso? We do too - that’s the whole reason for Crema Magazine’s existence. So is it all about spending $2,000 + on a fancy espresso machine? Well it may be, but before you go shelling out all that money on a fancy espresso machine, think about your grinder. In fact, one of Australia’s leading espresso authorities maintains that you should spend almost as much on a grinder as you do on your espresso machine - it’s that important.

Why is this most important piece of equipment so often overlooked and its importance underestimated? Well, it’s just not sexy, is it! The grinder is often the thing that you buy as an after-thought, once you have done all your research and finally fallen in love with the perfect, shiny new espresso machine sitting proudly on your kitchen benchtop. But the fact is, your beautiful espresso machine is nothing without the hard-working services of a grinder - one that is capable of grinding those magic beans finely enough for the espresso machine to extract the sweet flavours of the coffee.

Before we reveal our first review, a few notes and explanations:-

Why is temperature important?
Grinding coffee beans in itself, generates heat. It is important that the grinder blades don’t overheat [as a result of the mechanical friction of the blades, the conductive heating of housing materials or the working of the motor], as this can further expose the coffee to heat. Remember that roasted coffee is a delicate, perishable product and overheating may affect the flavour, along with potentially swelling the bean, affecting the fineness of the grind for a given setting [and therefore affecting the extraction].

Some grinders have dosing chambers, and some don’t.
One of the key things about good coffee, is that your beans should be fresh, and equally importantly, that they are freshly ground! A dosing chamber receives the grinds directly from the grinding mechanism, to be released into the filter basket in measured doses as required. For some people, having a dosing chamber is thought to be a temptation to leave ground coffee in the chamber to become stale, leading to an inferior coffee the next time. The argument against dosing chambers therefore, is that having to hold the portafilter right up to the grind chute of a chamberless grinder - as the coffee is coming out - forces you to grind on demand. That is, you can only grind enough to fill the filter basket for the coffee you are about to make, which of course, means the coffee must be freshly ground!

On the other hand, grinders without dosing chambers are inherently messy as the grinds exit straight from the chute, as you’re almost guaranteed not to be able to catch all the grinds as they come out of the dispensing spout. Also, the longer dispensing chute may be prone to clogging, which can cause a back up in the grinding mechanism and seize the machine. Either way, it is important to keep your grinder clean and routinely brush within the chute and grinding chamber if possible.

Flat Burr vs Conical Burr Blades.
Flat Burr Blades: Two metal plates with angled ridges (or burrs) engraved into the facing surfaces - a bit like two dinner plates stacked on top of each other.
Conical Burr Blades: Two metal cones one sitting inside the other with angled ridges (or burrs) engraved into the facing surfaces. 

There is continued debate as to the pros and cons of flat burr blades vs conical burr blades. The basic premise is the same ie: that the beans are crushed between the two burred metal surfaces, the closer together, the finer the grind. However, conical blades have a longer grinding surface and so maintain more contact with the beans during the grinding process - the advantage being that they are able to efficiently grind the beans at a slower speed, thus generating less heat.

Whether flat or conical, as is usually the case, it mostly comes down to quality of production, particularly with respect to the stability of the blade housing and the durability of the materials ie: plastic vs metal mountings. These variables in build-quality are usually reflected in the cost of the grinder.

Mazzer Mini  RRP: $820.00

The Mazzer Mini hails from an impeccable commercial pedigree and has the look, feel and internal componentry of one of its ‘big brothers’. And at an imposing 45cm in height and weighing in at 10kg, you’d expect it to take its job very seriously. The Mazzer Mini is a flat blade, stepless unit with a dosing chamber. The dosing chamber has industrial, hardened plastic windows, which resist discolouration and scratching. The conical bean hopper has a ‘hopper-stopper’ to allow for tidy detachment of the hopper from the grinder and consequently, easy removal of beans (without having to tip the whole unit over sideways). The grind adjustment collar, as with bigger commercial grinders, is stiff to shift and requires its pin to provide leverage to help turn the collar, to make the fine adjustments that are the inherent benefit of a micrometrical mechanism. Operation was impressively quiet, fast and cool, the grind showed good consistency on visual inspection and the resulting espresso shots were excellent with a consistent flavour profile.

Overall, our reviewers were impressed with the build-quality and smooth, commercial-style operation of the MM, and at the high price [RRP $820] you’d expect nothing less. We found it performed extremely well and certainly deserves its place up there ‘with-the-best’ for serious home espresso enthusiasts. It showed an excellent consistency of grind and of dose, but the most interesting attribute was the temperature performance. It delivered the lowest temperature increase of all the grinders. The only word of warning is that it’s quite a substantial unit, so make sure you check where it is likely to sit in the kitchen, to make sure it will fit underneath overhead cupboards.

VERDICT: Top of the range grinder with commercial-level performance. Recommended for the serious ‘prosumer’ who needs a grinder to handle medium-high volume with absolute confidence. Also suitable for mid-volume commercial use (ie: second grinder for a café).

Height: 45cm
Type: Flat Burr, Stepless (Micrometrical), Dosing Chamber
Consistency of Dose: Max variation range of 0.2gm (average dose was 5.4gm)
Speed of operation: 25.3gm in 30 sec
Temp of grinder blades at end of test: 29°C

End Note: We will be releasing one grinder review a week until the issue comes out - for the complete review and side by side comparisons, make sure you check out the latest issue (Summer 2009) due out middle of December! We will then be reproducing the review on the online magazine, in its entirety, early in the new year.

For our recent Winter 2008 issue, Crema Magazine invited Stefano Manfredi, celebrated Australian chef, restaurateur, and coffee lover, to showcase some of his espresso inspired desserts. Above and beyond the call, however, Stefano decided to take it as a challenge to create an entirely new selection of desserts. “Kitchens love a challenge and so the challenge of creating new espresso desserts was a pleasure and one we simply had to accept” said Stefano. The pleasure is, of course, all ours as we bring you one of the four exquisite espresso desserts created expressly for Crema Magazine by Stefano Manfredi.

Espresso, Cardamom and Mastic Pannacotta

This dolce is made up of a layer of espresso pannacotta, a layer of espresso jelly and finally, the mastic pannacotta.
Makes 10-12.

Espresso Pannacotta

375ml of cream
6g gelatine leaves, moistened in water
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp ground espresso
4 cardamom pods

Boil the cream, sugar, coffee and cardamom. Let it cool and add the gelatine, mixing thoroughly. Strain the mixture. Pour in to the serving glasses to fill to about a third. Refrigerate until set - about 1 hour.

Espresso Jelly

250ml espresso (short black shots)
80g sugar
4g gelatine sheets, moistened in water

Mix the sugar and coffee. Add the gelatine and mix well. Strain and let cool to room temperature. Pour it into the glasses over the espresso pannacotta layer. Refrigerate until set - about 1 hour.

Mastic Pannacotta

375ml cream
6g gelatine sheets, moistened in water
3 tbsp sugar
4g mastic

Grind the mastic and sugar together in a mortar. Add the cream, put in a saucepan and slowly bring to the boil. Add the softened gelatine and mix well. Strain and let cool to room temperature. Pour it into the glasses over the espresso jelly. Refrigerate until set - about 1 hour. Serve with the banana tuilles.

Banana Tuilles

175g banana puree
200g egg white
30g cream
175g sugar
1g salt
175g flour
30g glucose
175g unsalted butter, melted

Mix all the ingredients together, except for the butter. Once well incorporated, mix in the melted butter and refrigerate for 24 hours. Preheat the oven to 160C. On a non-stick baking surface, spread the mixture in 8cm circles. Bake for 5-6 minutes till golden. Store in an airtight container.

Q. Favourite bean right now and why?

Guatemalan COE Lot# 22 Finca La Perla (only 16 bags produced).
It was a Cup of Excellence (COE) finalist coffee from Guatemala - we were in Tokyo at the SCAJ and this coffee was on the table. When we brewed it (pour over) it had a cloudy apple juice appearance. We tasted it & all just looked at each other and….Wow! A special moment. I was hooked! So much so that we will be getting more coffee from this farm in the coming weeks/months.

La Perla means “Sleeping Woman” in Xamac, a Mayan language used in the Ixil Triangle, where the farm is located, some 38 kilometers northeast of Chajul, in the province of El Quiché. The farm produces Catuaí and Bourbon between 3000 and 6500 feet. Soil is loose, clayey and sandy over a limestone base. Producing quality coffee is very important to the owners of La Perla. They pay attention to detail - from harvesting at the exact moment to wet milling and drying the beans. This is evident in the fact that they have been finalists in the Cup of Excellence program in 2001, 2002, 2006 & 2008.

The lovely thing about the COE program is that the farmer is celebrated and receives the accolade & thus benefits financially; which in turn lays the platform for more interesting and exquisite coffee’s for the future….watch this space!

Q. How is it best appreciated?

I experienced this coffee as pour over /filter & drip. I wouldn’t roast this coffee too dark, as this would take away some of the delicate nuances inherent in this lovely bean.

Q. Flavour/cup profile?

The coffee was clean (as expected of a COE winning coffee) with beautiful apple acidity, nice heavy viscosity in the mouth, just beautifully sweet like honey. Once brewed it’s appearance was almost tea-like or like a cloudy apple juice.  

The Coffee

Farm: La Perla Y Anexos  Farmer: Finca La Perla Y Anexos
City: Chaju  Region: El Quiche  Country: Guatemala
Variety: Caturra  Type of shade trees: Inga  Harvest: October to May
Processing System: Sun and Wet Mill
Climatic Conditions: Average temperature: 18°C, Annual rainfall: 5000mm, Relative humidity: 75%
Type of soil: Loamy (balance of clay, sand and limestone)

Note: The Cup of Excellence is the most esteemed award given out for top coffees. These awards come from a strict competition that selects the very best coffee produced in that country for that particular year. These winning coffees are chosen by a select group of national and international cuppers and are cupped at least five different times during the competition process. Only coffees that continuously score high enough are allowed to move forward in the competition. The final winners are awarded the prestigious Cup of Excellence® and sold to the highest bidder during an internet auction.

Food here is modern bistro with Greek influences, reminiscent of Pireaus Blues, the enduring Greek restaurant on Brunswick Street, which was founded by the same family.  The food is rustic and pleasantly plated - my crispy squid on Vietnamese-style shredded salad with crushed peanuts and sweet roasted chilli dressing ($16.5) hit all the right notes. Coffee is pretty good too, which comes as a bit of a revelation considering the generic brand (Grinders ‘Giancarlo’ Blend); a word of caution though, on the day I visited both the coffee and service out the back - in the ‘family friendly’ area - were not quite up to scratch, whereas out the front it was a different story altogether, where the service seemed to hum, and the coffee was of a noticeably higher standard. 

Still, good food and a great kid-friendly atmosphere provides welcome relief for busy mums, and who knows, maybe you will even hear the occasional ‘howdy partner’ within these hallowed walls?

Reviewed Nov’08 [PS]

Birdie Num Nums
745 Nicholson Street
Carlton North

But there is an art to making an espresso and all its variations. Even that simple long black demands respect for the espresso machine, and attention to the packing of the ground coffee beans. Without that ‘rat’s tail’ spiralling into the demitasse, your coffee is going to be sub-standard.

Seven steps to the perfect home espresso

Step 1 - Select your favourite coffee blend. You can either use pre-ground coffee or grind your own just before you make your espresso. If you are using pre-ground, make sure it is freshly opened and espresso blend [not filter]. If you prefer, as we do, to grind your own, make sure it is finely ground.

Ensure your espresso equipment is clean and hot, this includes the filter holder and filter basket, where your coffee grounds go. Preheat your cups - espresso cups should be approx 60ml capacity, cappuccino cups about 200ml capacity.

Step 2 - Place coffee grounds into the filter basket using a spoon or preferably a coffee scoop. You must place the right amount of coffee in the basket in order to get a good, strong espresso - one scoop in the smaller (one cup) basket; two scoops in the bigger basket (two cup) one.

Step 3 - Level the coffee in the basket and tamp (compress) the grounds. This will slow the flow of the water through the coffee, so that it can pick up all the flavour (oils & aromas) from the grounds. Check your machine instruction guide as to how hard or soft you should tamp.

Step 4 - Ensure the rim of the filter holder is clean before inserting it into the machine. Activate the water to flush  out any grounds from the inside of the machine.

Step 5 - Insert the filter holder into the machine. Immediately place warm cups underneath and start the flow of water through the coffee. The extracted coffee should pour in a fine stream (the proverbial ‘rat’s tail’).

Step 6 - The result should be 30ml of espresso (in around 25 seconds) with a 2mm golden, hazelnut-coloured crema on top. (The crema is an important indicator of the quality of your espresso.) and…Taste! 

Note: If you get little crema, make sure your coffee is fresh for a start. Try again making sure you have the right amount of coffee, the right tamping pressure and that your machine has been properly warmed up. You may need to experiment with different grinds (particle sizes) - remember you typically need a very fine grind for espresso coffee. As a general rule with domestic espresso machines, make your espresso before preparing the milk.

Step 7 - Steaming your milk. Place fresh, cold milk in a small stainless steel jug (fill between a third and one half of the jug). Activate the steam button so that your espresso machine increases in temperature to produce steam. Once the ‘Ready’ light on your machine goes on, turn the steam on and off to expel any water.

Place the tip of the spout just (about half a centimetre) under the surface of the milk and positioned near the centre of the jug. Turn on the steam wand to full power. You should see and hear air being drawn into the milk, creating a whirlpool effect, making it foamy. When the milk reaches 65°C turn off the steam and wipe the steam wand clean.

Pour the steamed milk to produce the drink of your choice and enjoy!

There are a number of cafes here - including a small makeshift cafe operating out of the organic fruit and vege market (open on Wednesdays and Saturdays) offering good coffee and a selection of yummy cakes - usually to the accompaniment of a folk band and lots of little munchkins running around! The main café is a more sophisticated affair, encompassing a large sprawling wooden complex with a timber veranda overlooking the courtyard and the communal dwelling areas. It has to be said that it’s hard to get a bad seat here - every seat has an interesting view, surrounded by happy activity, no matter where you sit.

The food is good in an ‘all-day breakfast menu’ kind of way. There’s also a number of daily specials, and most items are made in-house using excellent produce. The coffee is good too, with both spaces serving Supreme’s Organic FairTrade Blend which, correct me if I am wrong, has a strong Columbian base which makes for good caramel/nutty and biscuity flavours.  Artisan coffee it is not, but it is still consistently well-made by passionate staff and I’m yet to have a dud coffee here. Plans are underfoot for a new conference centre and a sustainable restaurant, but most folks just come for coffee and conversation, while the kids happily entertain themselves.

Reviewed Nov ‘08 [PS]

Ceres
8 Lee Street
Brunswick East VIC 3057

“Being ardent followers of world politics, we cannot help but admire the man” says Will. And, as Will goes on to explain, Obama’s heritage reads like a list of great coffee growing areas- with Kenya and Indonesia producing some of the finest arabican coffee in the world. “This is an opportunity to recognize this significant stage in history we are currently enjoying with a blend that matches the background” says Will - well, coffee does not get much more cutting edge than that!

Blend Description:
Great depth of character, strong, and eloquent.  This very appealing blend unites coffees from Africa, Indonesia and the Americas.  Formidable middle palate flavours, syrupy, with an uplifting finish. Excellent drink for going forward!