The Vancouver Indy Coffee Scene

Many coffees have fruity notes of flavour, considering that coffee beans are essentially seeds of a fruit–the coffee cherry. A roast’s acidity is much like a wine’s brightness and is often related to the fruity-ness of the bean.

Author’s note:
Instead of just trying to say it is fruity, try to describe the fruit you are tasting. I always like to try to describe what I am tasting when I attend a public cupping although I admit it can be challenging.

The process of using a steam wand on an espresso machine to make a velvet hot foam usually from milk. Compressed heated air from an espresso machine flows out of the steam wand and into the cold, liquid milk.

A Barista then skillfully uses the steam wand to draw air into the milk until the mixture reaches 155 to 165 F and turns the milk into a mixture of air and heated milk.

Author’s note:
The true art of a barista comes out in the frothing of the milk. It can make or break the drink in my opinion. If the wand is too high the milk will be too bubbly and not velvety, yet if the wand is too low the milk will just be heated and will be too hot to produce any good foam.