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The most important component in making the perfect espresso is the mastery
of an expert.
A coffee meister is thoroughly trained to understand coffee,
the equipment, the espresso method, drink recipes and, most importantly, customer
preferences.
A coffee meister is a craftsman who has reached the zenith
of his profession.
Only apprentices who have completed their education, gathered
experience from other craftsmen and successfully passed their mastership exam
may call themselves Meister.
The coffee meister is the expert behind
the espresso machine who has mastered the craft of making coffee.
Depending
on equipment configuration and customer requests, an experienced meister can make
as many as 100 espressos an hour.
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They adjust the coffee grinder to offset changes in outdoor temperature
and humidity, apply consistent pressure to the portafilter to create an identical
coffee layer with each espresso (ideally 200N of force each time).
Coffee
meisters know how to correctly steam milk, how to correctly apply the sprinkle
of chocolate on the Melange, how to correctly arrange drinks on the silver tray.
And they know that Meinl coffee is only served in pre-heated porcelain cups.
Experienced coffee meisters check the espresso machine to make sure the water
temperature is between 190° - 197° F (88° – 92° C) and the pump pressure set to
130-275 PSI (9-19 bar). At regular intervals they check the dose control to make
sure that .23 - .24 oz.(6.5 - 7 g.) is portioned with each single portafilter.
Coffee meisters know the proper end-of-the-day cleaning routines, are
familiar with inspecting the equipment and identifying and resolving a range of
service issues. Portafilters, showers and steam wand are cleaned at least daily
and the water filter is checked bi-monthly to ensure proper water quality. |
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