AndyS wrote:Ken, PLEASE calm down, take a few deep breaths, and try to get some rest.

Andy,

I know you have been using your Schomer under the shorter leg on the dining room table. Have you found any other uses for it?

ken

Hi Craig, Hope you enjoyed your weekend. Just got back and saw your posting. Kitten Coffee and Joe The Art of Coffee
emailed me, advising that they were planning to have class(es) in September. I don't have any details yet. As soon as I find out, I will post it on this thread. Cafe Grumpy never got back to me. Kitten Coffee is in Brooklyn and Joe The Art of Coffee has a few locations in Manhattan. All the best. Sol

i have memorized my copy.
i have not yet given in to the urge to quote this book like scriptures. i think its worth a read.

"thou shalt brew espresso at 203.5, or you will experience tremendous pain and suffering"
- schomer 1:15 (made up so dont try to find this)

jon

Ken,
I have to thank you for your excellent post which simplified that which most seek to make more arcane. In my struggles to become a competent Home Barista I done a lot of experimentation, much of it stimulated by things I have read on this forum. The point you made about overfilling the basket was one that had come to me several days before reading your post. I had been experimenting with smaller amounts of coffee in the basket, though I had not gotten to the point of buying a scale (a fault I corrected yesterday).
I have read a lot of Schomer's articles. In one he basically states that it is impossible (or nearly so) to get decent microfoam using a relatively small amount of milk (enough for one serving). I live alone so finding a way to make good microfoam in smaller amounts has been a goal of mine. I have achieved what I think are excellent results, though not yet Latte Art capable. What that has taught me is that Schomer is good, but he isn't God.
I copied your post and added it to my collection of valuable information.
Thank you.
Gene

gitano1 wrote:Ken,
I have to thank you . . .

I have read a lot of Schomer's articles. In one he basically states that it is impossible (or nearly so) to get decent microfoam using a relatively small amount of milk (enough for one serving). I live alone so finding a way to make good microfoam in smaller amounts has been a goal of mine. I have achieved what I think are excellent results, though not yet Latte Art capable. What that has taught me is that Schomer is good, but he isn't God.
I copied your post and added it to my collection of valuable information.
Thank you.
Gene

I would forget about Schomer and concentrate on yourself and your own equipment. Making good microfoam is a function of your equipment, including the machine and frothing tip, the boiler pressure/temperature be it in a heat exchanger, single, or dual boiler setup, the milk you are using, and your own patience. It is something that is very hard to teach in a text based internet post. I have myself made very bad foam in times past, plus good foam more recently depending upon circumstances.

Here is what I have found useful:

(1) forget about Skim Milk; it is hopeless, no matter what you do with it

(2) 2% reduced fat milk is serviceable, especially if you mix in some low fat non-instant milk powder with a high speed blender, a trick that David Lewis (who sometimes posts here) turned me on to.

(3) otherwise just use whole milk; it is the easiest one to use and needs no further preparation. If you keep your cappas at a small and reasonable volume, and have one per day, it will be irrelevant what kind of milk you use in the greater scheme of things.

(4) Ultrapasteurized milk froths better and much more easily.

(5) Use a pitcher that you will half fill up with the milk you are going to froth; it is more an issue of proportion than it is of absolute volume. I regularly use a 10oz pitcher in which I put ~5oz.

(6) you can always put your pitcher and milk in the freezer for a few minutes to make it colder, and it will then froth better

(7) If things go by too quickly, consider reducing the temperature in your boiler which will make frothing easier and better.

ken

Ken Fox wrote:(2) 2% reduced fat milk is serviceable, especially if you mix in some low fat non-instant milk powder with a high speed blender, a trick that David Lewis (who sometimes posts here) turned me on to.

in geico commercial caveman voice... "uhhh , what ?!"

is it still 2% if you add fat to it?

if its powder, how can it be non-instant ?

im having an existential meltdown right now.

j

It is still 2% fat other than perhaps accounting for a tiny increase in volume, since it is nonfat that is added.

Commercial "instant" nonfat milk has a cooked flavor to it. There is a health food type product that is made differently, without cooking (methinks) that David Lewis sent me a sample of once. Since then I have bought a similar product through an Amazon.com marketplace seller (I could find the link if anyone is interested).

ken

We have a local dairy, Clover, that produces milk that makes excellent tasting cappuccinos. The milk from the behemoth super market is crappy for caps. Both of these milks are 2%. Use a good quality milk producer.

Fullsack wrote:We have a local dairy, Clover, that produces milk that makes excellent tasting cappuccinos.

Clover is the best !


and in the SF Bay Area where it is available, it definitely distinguishes a cafe that wants to serve its customers the very best. A bad shot can't be camouflaged by good milk, but mediocre milk can definitely bring down a potentially good cappu or latte.

Susan

I'd like to digress for a moment. I think the nice thing about Schomer's book for a novice is that it gives nice guidelines. It really wasn't meant to be a cookbook. Moreover, there is nothing that replaces practice and hands-on experience. But tools like books, websites/forums, and trips for observing professional baristas are very helpful because it gives you a framework from which to build, thus shortening your learning time. I would tend to think that a professional level course would be for someone who has already been playing with coffee for a while and has learned as much as he can but is still looking for that extra step that he's missing. Personally, I've been playing with coffee using a LP for 6 months. By using the discussed book, and observing his baristas, the quality of my cup and increased exponentially and I'm quite pleased.

With regarding foaming milk here is my observation at Vivace. His espresso machine sits up on the serving counter, thus the customer can observe all phases -- grinding, tamping, brewing, and foaming. After he stretches and begins texturing, he creates this whirlpool. When he describes it in his book, he's not kidding. It looks more like a vortex. The best I can manage on my LP is a little whirlpool (in 5 oz) as has been mentioned earlier. Apparently their machine is powerful enough to foam 12 to 18 oz at a time. At any rate, by seeing and knowing what to look for, I had a goal to shoot for. I'm not there yet, but I'm getting better.