By Vikram Khurana
Gone are the days when India was considered a market for cheap products or outdated technology. The new shining Indian coffee business - with brands like Cafe Coffee day, Barista, Costa Coffee, Aromas cafe, Cinnabon cafe, Au Bon Pain cafe, Gloria Jeans, Coffee bean and Tea Leaf, Segafredo Zanetti, Testa Rossa cafe, and so on, together with most of the 5-star hotel chains that re gradually introducing semi-automatic coffee machines - portrays a strong demand for the latest innovations in espresso brewing technology, be it an espresso machine or a grind on demand espresso grinder.
If a barista entered the coffee industry as a trainee way back in 2001, he learned his first lessons on espresso brewing on single boiler machine which had volumetric dosing and a simple touch panel. The espresso machine had to be opened to set up the boiler pressure for milk steaming. One had to fiddle with the external pumps to change the water pressure for correct espresso brewing. Similarly, the grinders were a mere simple manual grinder with flat burrs and everything including the grind time and dosing was done manually. Training programs often led to major variations in baristas’ techniques as the elements differed from person to person depending on the manual technique they followed.
Blessed baristas
Compared to those not-so-far-off days the new generation of baristas are blessed with innovations such as individual boiler technology espresso machines which operate with an individual boiler for every group and have a separate boiler for steaming milk which gives a high level of precision and consistency to every shot of espresso and foamed milk irrespective of the volumes.
For instance, the 2 or 3 group Gloria Plus 4 You semi automatic machines from CMA Astoria are equipped with separate boiler technology for espresso brewing and milk steaming and advanced display controls that gives a barista flexibility to control the timing of his shots, change the pressure and temperature of his water as per his understanding of his espresso coffee and blend and ensures energy saving/power saving features.
To sum up, today’s barista can enjoy flexibility offered by a combination of technological advancements, including: minimum temperature difference of coffee water (maximum 1ºC) from the set value; programming the temperature of each group’s hot water tank; programming steam boiler pressure and constant and continuous production of steam tanks to the dedicated boiler.
Plus 4 You fully satisfies the needs of the roaster and the barista thus guaranteeing the client an excellent product in the cup thanks to a machine that can be set up based on the characteristics of every blend or coffee. Modularity is one of the key concepts that identifies Plus 4 You. The steam boiler, the water tanks and the electronic control system allow independent operation of each group.
Innovative controls
Quality is ensured by an innovative control system that manages the single groups in all phases of coffee extraction, from pre-infusion to dispensing. A thermo control device allows Plus 4 You to combine maximum performance with the most suitable temperature. Simultaneously, the system compares the parameters of the single servings with the pre-set optimal values and based on the characteristics of the coffee being used, providing real-time information on the product in the cup. If coffee extraction is not perfect, Plus 4 You suggests on the display the appropriate corrective actions.
Energy savings
In these days of rising fuel and power bills, not to mention environmental responsibility and energy saving imperatives, it is good to know that Plus 4 You incorporates several energy saving technologies.
Energy saving is obtained by: programming of night time electrical energy consumption; programming of possible night time shutdown and self-learning of daytime working routine. The Plus 4 You system distributes the power among the groups based on the actual working needs. This optimizes energy use and results in substantial savings.
By means of the display, the barista can at any time decide how to manage and regulate the temperature of each group. All this provides economic benefits and protects the environment
Grind on Demand
The second most important aspect required for a professional espresso bar setup is a grinder. This has been the most difficult subject for many students, be it the art of grind size adjustment or correct and consistent dosing at all times.
The new Grind on Demand technology introduced by Mahlkoenig in the form of K 30 single and double hopper grinders provide virtually hands-free operations that maximise the speed and enable the barista to control the dosing of a single/double shot precisely by programming the grinder as per his dosage requirements.
The barista can grind fresh coffee on every order as these new generation grinders come with no douser fitted and thus every shot of espresso brewed fresh will have better aroma and flavor because of fresh grinding.
The wastage is minimized as the dispensing spout is fitted to dispense freshly ground coffee straight into the porta filter basket within a time range of 2.5 to 4 seconds or as per the barista’s requirement, which can be set individually. In a standard manual grinder, the new/semi trained barista tends to indirectly waste 7-8% of the total ground coffee which amounts to considerable monthly wastage. This hurts more when the cafe/hotel is using international blends or highly expensive Indian espresso blends.
The new generation grinders are highly reliable and control the dosing/weight of the coffee electronically, thus reducing the inconsistency that occurs with newly trained or inexperienced baristas.
The grind settings are very simple and precise as compared to manual grinders and the barista can produce excellent results every time, provided he understands his espresso coffee.
The speed of the barista can be three times faster using Grind on Demand grinders as dosing and levelling time is cut down and only tamping is required to be done manually by the barista, which the author feels is correct as this should be outside the grinder to help preserve and demonstrate the skills of the barista.
Apart from these espresso innovations available, the need for a barista training is growing. Although a barista is still considered as a low-skilled job in India, many baristas are passionate about their job and about coffee in general. The results can be seen and felt while sipping a good cup of coffee with nice latte art on your cappuccino at espresso bars across India.
The new technology now available to the Indian market is increasingly helping uplift the end cup quality for the gourmet coffee business and is sure to fuel further growth in the promising coffee industry of India.
Author Vikram Khurana is chief executive of Kaapi machines India Pvt. Ltd., the first dedicated coffee equipment solutions company in India. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it