1. Making Coffee
A Beginner’s Guide

2. 1
Contents
1. Coffee Information - 2
a. How to Use this Guide - 2
b. All About Coffee - 2
c. The Coffee Plant - 2
d. Growing Conditions, Flavour and Caffeine - 3
e. Coffee Processing - 3
f. Where is Coffee Grown? - 5
2. Coffee in Australia - 6
a. Shot Types - 6
b. Types of Coffee Drinks - 6
c. Milk Coffees in Australia -7
d. Black Coffee - 7
e. Iced Coffee - 7
3. Tools of the Trade - 8
a. Espresso Machine Parts - 8
b. Grinder Parts - 9
c. Other Tools - 10
4. Making Espresso - 11
a. Some Useful Starters: Recipe - 11
b. Ratios! - 12
c. Shot Times - 12
d. Grind Size - 12
e. What Happens When you Make Espresso? - 13
f. The Actual Process… - 14
g. Explaining the Process - 14
5. Milk and Texturing - 15
a. Milk Types - 15
b. Portioning - 15
c. Steaming - 15
d. Combining Drinks - 18
e. Latte Art - 18
6. Cafe Essentials - 19
a. Customer Service and Hospitality - 19
b. Greetings - 19
c. Ways to Ask for their Name - 19
d. Conversation Starters - 19
e. Cleaning up After Yourself - 19
7. Glossary - 21

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Coffee Information:
How to Use this Guide:
Purpose:
To introduce you to some of the basic concepts and how-to’s of coffee and particularly espresso
in an Australian cafe context.
Before you come to the 3 hour course:
As a guide, sections in the contents page that are highlighted in red should be read before your
3 hour crash course. These will provide the absolute basics so you can practise during those 3
hours.
All about coffee:
Coffee is a plant. More specifically it’s a small tree-like plant that has a drupe berry fruit which is
called a coffee cherry. Inside this small coffee cherry there is a coffee bean (sometimes one
whole bean or two halves stuck together). It is the bean inside that we’re most interested in
when making coffee. Through various processes, the beans are dried, roasted and then ground
in a cafe before being brewed to make what we call coffee. There are many ways to brew coffee
but this course will focus on the most common form that is found in cafes around Australia -
espresso.
The Coffee Plant:
There are two types of coffee plants grown around the world to brew coffee. The coffea arabica
and the coffea robusta. The difference between the two is important in how coffee tastes and
hiw much it costs.
Arabica is the most commonly grown and is originally from Ethiopia. It prefers to grow in higher
altitudes and has less caffeine than robusta.
Robusta is the second most grown type of coffee. It can be grown in most tropical climates at
lower altitudes and has more caffeine than arabica.

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Growing Conditions, Flavour and Caffeine:
The area and conditions coffee is grown in change the flavours and caffeine content of coffee.
Most arabica coffee is grown above 1500 metres above sea level (MASL). This means it will
grow more slowly without risk of too many pests and diseases. Because arabica is more
sensitive to pests and diseases as well as the quality of the soil the more time it takes to grow,
helps to create more flavours in the cherry.
On the other hand, robusta is far more resistant to disease and pests and can grow at lower
altitudes. It also grows a lot faster because the lower altitudes mean that it is nice and warm.
But why is arabica more sensitive to pests and diseases but robusta isn’t? Caffeine! Caffeine is
a natural pesticide that helps protect the coffee plant from pests and diseases. But this also
affects the flavour of the coffee we drink. This is because caffeine is very bitter. So, although
robusta is easier to grow and produces a bigger crop, it also makes far more bitter coffee than
arabica. That is why nearly all high quality specialty coffee is made using arabica coffee.
Because it takes longer and is harder to grow, arabica coffee is often more expensive. Robusta
is often used in coffee blends to give a ‘stronger’ flavour and boost caffeine content while
keeping the price of the coffee lower.
Coffee Processing:
After the coffee cherries are picked, farmers will process the coffee to dry it out to be ready for
roasting. The processes and reasons for the processes are largely up to the farmers and the
resources available to them. Each process essentially draws different types of flavour from the
coffee by focusing on a certain way to ferment and dry the beans. It should be noted that mainly
only specialty coffee cafes care about the way the coffee was processed as this isn’t as
important when someone dark roasts coffee. However specialty coffee is usually only light
roasted or maybe medium roasted.
The three main processes are:
Washed/Wet:
The flesh of the cherry is completely removed and only the bean is left. The beans are
then washed in pools of water for various amounts of time and then dried on racks. A lot of
Ethiopian, Kenyan and Colombian beans are washed because they have good access to water.
Washed coffee often gives delicate, light and floral flavours.

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Pulped/honey:
Some but not all of the flesh is removed from the cherry. The beans with part of the flesh
are then dried on racks until the flesh starts to change colour. As the beans oxidise and ferment,
the flesh starts to change colour and get sticky. This process usually brings out most fruity
flavours as well as chocolate notes and is used a lot in Brazil.
Natural/Dry:
The whole cherry is kept intact and dried out for a few days on raised beds, constantly
being turned over. After a few days of fermenting and drying in the air, the flesh is removed and
washed off. This process is commonly used to get the strongest fruit flavours like grape,
pineapple and other tropical notes.

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No one process is better than another - they’re just different ways to get different flavours and
enjoy coffee in various ways.
Where is Coffee Grown?
Because the original coffee plant is native to the Ethiopian highlands, particularly arabica, coffee
is only suited to being grown in similar place around the world. This limits the commercial
possibilities to a few countries around the world. Most high quality arabica is produced in:
Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi
South America: Colombia, Brazil, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica,Bolivia
Robusta is often grown in India, Vietnam and Indonesia as well as the above countries in low
lying areas.

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Coffee in Australia:
Coffee has been drunk in Australia for many years. The espresso style of coffee became
popular after Italian immigrants came to Australia after World War 2. They brought their
favourite style of brewing method with them and since then coffee culture in Australia has grown
and changed. Nowadays, there will be specialty coffee and mainstream fast style coffee
everywhere you go.
Shot types:
There are three main types of espresso shot types:
1. Ristretto: the amount of water is restricted giving a more intense flavour.
2. Normale/Espresso: this is a regular shot where the coffee is fully extracted to give the
most balanced flavour.
3. Lungo: this is an extra long shot where more water is used to extract more from the
coffee, often with light roasts to get extra flavour if necessary.
Types of coffee drinks:
Before diving into beverages you’ll find in an Aussie cafe, it’s helpful to say that every cafe does
things slightly different. So these are general rules of thumb which aren’t set in stone. For that
reason, we will use shots per ounce-sized (oz) cup when describing coffee to milk ratios. An
ounce is about 30mL. In Australia, it is most common to have cups sized in 4oz, 6oz, 8oz and
12oz.
Also, in terms of the difference in froth for flat whites, lattes and cappucinos, it is again very
different from cafe to cafe. However, a general rule applies which is: flat white are the silkiest
and smoothest texture with little to no froth, cappucinos are the thickest and frothiest. Lattes are
somewhere in the middle.
Sometimes you will have people asking for orders you’ve never heard of. This will be because
there is no precise definition for each type of coffee and every country does things differently.
There are some good videos on youtube which go through the different kinds of drinks but
again, things will change from area to area. The most important thing is to simply ask and listen
to the customer to give them what they want.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=93waR1jzoLA
Another point to be aware of is that milk is generally heated to around 60 degrees Celsius. Soy
milk and almond is generally heated to 55 degrees or they curdle too easily. But other
alternative milks are treated like regular cow’s milk.

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Milk coffees in Australia:
Flat white - the classic Aussie coffee. Milk is textured to be super smooth and silky with little
froth.
1 shot: 6oz
1 or 2 shot: 8oz
2 shots: 12oz
Latte - the middle ground milk coffee with a nice creamy texture.
1 shot: 6oz
1 or 2 shot: 8oz
2 shots: 12oz
Cappucino - the thickest milk coffee of them all, topped with chocolate.
1 shot: 6oz
1 or 2 shot: 8oz
2 shots: 12oz
Piccolo - a single shot of espresso topped up with latte textured milk in a 4 ounce cup.
1 shot: 4oz
Magic - a Melbourne invention. The origins are not fully known so the recipe changes from cafe
to cafe but the milk is textured like a latte and is often a bit cooler (50 degrees)
Double ristretto: 5/6oz
Mocha - recipes for mochas will vary a lot but at their most basic they are the same as a
cappuccino with either chocolate syrup or melted chocolate added between the shot poured and
milk poured.
1 shot:1oz choc: 6oz
1 or 2 shot:1oz choc: 8oz
2 shots:2oz choc: 12oz
Black coffees:
Short black/espresso - either a single or double shot of espresso coffee. A double is also called
a doppio (Italian for double).
Long black/americano - the same as a short black but topped up with hot water
Macchiato - this changes from cafe to cafe but in general it will have either a single or double
shot of espresso plus a small spoon of milk froth on top.
Iced coffees:
Iced latte - simply 2 shots of coffee, ice and milk mixed in a 12-16oz cup.
Frappe - an iced latte with a flavoured syrup and whipped cream on top.

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Tools of the trade:
Like any craft, coffee has tools to make your product. If you know the basics of how your tools
work together, you will be better off when things go wrong. That said, every machine is different
and while there are general similarities, you will need to get to know your individual machines as
you work within your cafe.
Espresso machine parts:
Group head: comprised of a shower head and pressurised water jet where the porta-filter is
inserted.
Steam Wand: Where you steam and texture your milk - usually on the corners of the machine.
Tea water dispenser/hot water spigot: A button operated hot water dispenser.
Drip tray: Where your cup are placed under the group head while making your shots.
Porta-filter: Comprised of a handle, spring and basket. This is where you put your ground coffee
and then where the shot pours out of. Most commercial cafes have a shot splitter on the bottom
so that double shots can be split into singles if needed.

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Milk jugs: where milk is poured and then textured using the steam wand.
Grinder parts:
Hopper: The plastic container on top of the grinder where the coffee is put into. It has a latch
that is opened to allow coffee into the burr camber.
Burrs: These are the things that are connected to the grinder motor and grind the coffee. Good
quality burrs are usually made from a high quality metal.
Dial: This can be adjusted to change the size of the grinds.
Chute/Doser: After the coffee is ground, some grinders will have another ‘container space’
where the grinds are kept before being dispensed into the porta-filter basket.
Scales: Some grinders have specially programmed scales that weigh out doses.
This diagram has some extra features not mentioned above

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Extra tools:
Distributor: A tool used to even the coffee grinds in the basket of the porta-filter to help achieve
an even extraction.
Tamp: some are electric auto-tamps and others require a human to push down. EIther way, a
tamp pushes and compacts the coffee grinds in the basket so the porta-filter is ready to be
inserted into the group head.
Tamping mat: A piece of rubber used to rest the porta-filter on while tamping.
Knock box: Where used coffee pucks are knocked into.
Scrubbing brush: An essential tool for cleaning the shower and the porta-filter.
Blind basket porta-filter: When cleaning a group head, you need this tool to backflush the group
head.

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Making Espresso:
Commercial needs:
Making coffee in a commercial cafe is different to making coffee at home because money is
involved. To be competitive a business needs to have staff that put the business’ goals before
their own preferences. So you may not like the coffee you make at a cafe compared to what you
make at home but you have to try to remember that you’re making coffee for the public, not you.
Here are some helpful tips with that in mind.
Balance: Making coffee that is balanced in flavour is vital. You may prefer more acidic coffee or
more intense flavours but most people like something in the middle. So it is important to keep a
mindset that aims to make a balanced cup of coffee.
Flow: Working commercially often means that making things in a timely, efficient and tidy way
will help things run smoothly. Having a clear idea of the process of making coffee and how to do
that in an efficient way is important for you, the customer and the business. It’s important for you
because it will help your stress levels and enjoyment of the job if you can do things quickly and
well. It will be helpful for the customer because they will get their coffee quicker. And it’s
important for the business as timely coffees mean more customers which means more business
and opportunities for everyone involved.
Patience: In spite of the above, you need to remember that everything takes time. During a
rush, you will make mistakes - even veteran baristas spill milk and coffee at the worst times.
Sometimes your grinder will play up during a rush or you will have to deal with an angry
customer. In all of these situations you will need to be patient and remind yourself that it is
always a learning process.
Some useful starters: Recipe
Making any type of coffee requires a recipe. And with a recipe comes variables, ingredients and
components that can be changed depending on what type of coffee you want to make.
The two most basic and important ingredients for espresso coffee are:
1. Coffee grinds
2. Water
A good cafe will make sure that their coffee is ground up evenly and the water is high quality
because both of these together make a good coffee. We will talk about milk but for now, this
part will focus on the coffee shot for an espresso.
Once we have our water and coffee grinds, we need to know the other components:
1. Dose: the amount of coffee put into the basket (usually between 18 and 22g in Australia)
2. Beverage weight: this is the weight of the mixture of coffee and water after the water has
passed through the coffee puck.
3. Time: How long it takes for the water to pass through the coffee puck and into the cup
below.
4. Pressure: the standard pressure of an espresso machine is 9 bars. 1 bar is the standard
pressure of the atmosphere at sea level. So 9 bars of pressure is 9 times more than that
which is a lot of pressure.

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5. Water temperature: Most espresso is made with water between 92 and 94 degrees
Celcius.
Essentially, the only part of a recipe you will need to adjust during a shift is how fine or coarse
the coffee grinds are. All the other parts are either not helpful to change (like pressure, water
temperature) or will be pre-determined and shouldn’t be changed much unless something
drastic happens (dose and shot time).
Ratios!
When baristas talk about ratios, they normally refer to the ratio of the dose to the beverage
weight (or yield). This is measured in grams. So a normal length double espresso shot ratio is
around 2.3g beverage weight for every 1g of coffee you dose. Normally this is written as 1:2.3
Therefore, if you have a dose of 18g, you want your beverage weight to be around 42g.
Why grams and not millilitres? The problem with millilitres is that it measures volume and the
volume of each shot is often very different due to the size of the crema on top of the shot even
though the crema weighs very little and is mostly gas released from the coffee. Grams is a more
accurate measurement for your ratios and for making consistent coffee shots.
Shot times:
Most cafes will have different times for their recipes based on a few factors.
Dark roast coffee (most Italian-style coffees): 18-24sec
Why? Because dark roasted coffee has over-caramelised the sugars in the beans and
so a shorter shot time is needed to extract the flavours.
Medium roast (most specialty blend coffees): 22-30sec
Why? Because in order to extract more flavours, particularly sugars from the beans, a
longer shot time is needed.
Light roast (most single origin coffees): 26-31sec
Why? Because the coffee is only lightly roasted to maintain as much flavour as possible,
more water and time is needed to evenly extract those flavours.
Grind size:
Espresso coffee grinders will normally grind the coffee finely especially when compared to other
brewing methods such as filter coffee. Generally, when coffee grind size is an issue, you will
only need to make small changes.
If you want to make your shot time longer, grind more finely because the finer grinds will be
tightly packed into the basket.
If you want to make your shot time quicker, grind more coarsely because the coarser grinds will
be looser and allow water to pass through more easily.

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What happens when you make espresso?
When you lock the porta-filter into the group head, what actually happens to make a nice
coffee? Basically, a water jet in the group head will shoot hot water out at 9 bars of pressure.
The shower head of the group head will help evenly spread that water so the whole surface of
the coffee puck is hit with hot water. As the water hits the dry coffee it tries to pass through the
coffee because the coffee acts as a barrier. Because of the high pressure of the water, as it
touches each tiny coffee particle, there is an osmotic effect where the molecules in the coffee
are extracted. From a time perspective, the order of molecule types to be extracted are:
1st - Acidic molecules
2nd - Sugar molecules
3rd - Oils and proteins
4th - Fibre molecules
The goal of each shot is to get a nice balance of the first three types of molecules because the
fibre molecules taste really bad. So, if a shot is too short, it will normally be very sour. If it is too
long, it will be very bitter and taste like wood. If it is just right, it should be slightly acidic with
some sweetness and a nice smooth texture.
Because of the high pressure, gases trapped in the coffee are also extracted, and so when the
shot comes out of the splitters under the porta-filter, there should be a light brown foam on top
of the coffee shot. This is called the crema. Some people love the crema and judge a coffee by
the crema but it is just gas and mostly carbon dioxide. The actual nice flavours of a coffee are in
the liquid part.

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The Actual Process…
1. Remove/unlock porta-filter from group head.
2. Purge the shower (run some water) to clean off used coffee.
3. Knock used coffee puck into knock box (hit on edge of basket NOT the handle)
and clean out basket with tea towel.
4. Place porta-filter into grinder holder and grind some coffee into the basket. (You
should have some kind of weighing system in place to know if you have enough
coffee or not).
5. Distribute and tamp the coffee grinds in the basket.
6. Lock the porta-filter into the group head.
7. Select the correct shot button and place cup under the port-filter.
8. As coffee comes out, watch the flow of coffee and time it took.
Explaining the process:
Purging and cleaning out the basket of any old grinds is important because if they are left in the
basket or on the shower head, they will make the new coffee shot taste bad and over-extracted.
Distributing and tamping so that there is a nice even coffee puck is important because this
means that the water will pass through evenly and extract evenly. If it is uneven, some parts of
the coffee will be under-extracted and other parts over-extracted and the shot will taste bad.
Watching the shot flow and the shot time is important as you can quickly tell if the shot you just
put on will be good or not. It the flow is obviously too fast you may have a channel problem and
have to tamp better the next shot. If it is too slow and still dripping after 20 seconds, the coffee
grinds may be too fine. Whatever the problem may be, just keeping an eye on these things can
help you maintain a good flow and be ready to communicate with your colleagues about what is
going on.
That’s it for espresso. Here is a good youtube series by James Hoffman on espresso and how
to make it. It can be detailed at times but is a great overview
https://www.youtube.com/@jameshoffmann/playlists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf_id=5

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Milk and Texturing:
Texturing/aerating/stretching - however it’s called in your cafe (they all mean the same thing) - is
hard. It takes time and practice and a lot of patience. But if you start off well, you should be able
to progress well over time.
Milk types:
Before texturing your milk, get to know what milk you’re going to be using and know how it will
respond to air and heat. Every cafe uses different kinds of alternative and dairy milks for many
reasons and they all texture differently when steamed.
Portioning:
Next is, get to know your milk jugs, the coffee sizes and how much milk you need to put in a jug
to correctly portion control so that you don’t waste much milk.
Steaming:
Finally, after you know how much milk to put in a middle-sized jug for a 6 and 8oz couple of
coffees and know that you’re skim milk is pretty good quality, you’re ready to start steaming the
milk.
The purpose of steaming the milk is to create a rich, creamy and “plush” texture which adds
to the enjoyment of drinking a coffee. Well textured milk should be whole - you shouldn’t be able
to tell where the froth ends and the liquid starts. This is a achieved by creating microbubbles. So
if you see bubbles in your milk, you will need to improve in your texturing. Usually the best way
to do this will be to focus on the first 5 seconds of your steaming and make sure you quickly get
all the air you need into the milk before establishing a nice vortex that mixes the air in well.
Nothing could be worse than ordering a latte and getting something that is super thick and
glupey on top but thin, hot and runny on the bottom.

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The steps:
1. Portion your milk correctly into a jug.
2. Purge your steam wand.
3. Using the spout as a guide for the steam wand, place the end of the steam wand ⅔ into
the milk.
4. Slightly angle the jug so that the steam wand end is now ⅓ from the centre of the jug
(either left or right is up to you).
5. Turn the steam on (and I mean, all the way - don’t slightly turn it on or do it slowly). Turn
it on!
At this point there is a common temptation to move the jug or wand straight away but don’t.
6. Once the steam starts you should hear “slurps.” This is air being sucked into and pushed
into the milk and is a good thing. If you don’t hear anything, your steam wand end is too
deep and needs to be moved out a little. If you get heaps of bubbles too quickly, you
need to move your jug so the wand end is slightly deeper. The right number of slurps
depends on what type of coffee you’re making. A flat white needs the least while a
cappuccino needs the most. The milk you use also changes the slurp ratio so this is a
tricky skill to learn and will be something you learn with experience.

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7. Once you feel you have enough slurps, slightly move the jug up so the wand end is
submerged and no more slurping continues.
8. Through steps 5 and 6, you will have started a whirlpool/vortex effect. Now that you’re
not slurping air anymore, you want to continue that vortex to help mix the air into the milk
and create microbubbles.
9. Once the milk reaches the right temperature, turn the steam off and remove the jug.
10. Wipe down and purge the steam wand.
11. Pour your milk.

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The first thing you’ll notice is that a lot of things are happening in this list and they happen
quickly. That’s why milk steaming is hard and takes time. So don’t worry, everyone had trouble
when they started. Just keep practising and you’ll get the hang of it.
Combining drinks:
Sometimes if you get drinks that are using the same milk, you will be able to combine the milk
into a single larger jug. This is great as it creates a more efficient workplace. However, a helpful
way to make sure the milk is evenly textured for both drinks is the ¾ method. It’s fairly simple.
You simply pour ¾ of the milk from the larger jug into a smaller jug and then pour ¼ from the
smaller jug back into the larger jug. You can then pour your drinks individually.
Latte Art:
Once you’ve started texturing your milk well consistently, you can try your hand at latte art.
There are a thousand videos on youtube to help you here but for now, the most important thing
to remember for latte art is again, if you nail the basics, you’ll be able to do the harder stuff.
Don’t think a simple heart or 3 leaf tulip can’t be as beautiful or acceptable as a rosetta or swan.
The key with latte art is to master whatever you’re doing and to know what you’re going to try
before you start pouring.
And that’s it…it seems simple but it can be tricky. Don’t worry too much though. Just nail the
basics, practise and eventually you will become a latte art champion
A really useful video on the basics of steaming milk well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YMgB61WyvE
Cafe Essentials:

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Customer service and hospitality
Whenever you’re making coffee for someone, it is considered polite for staff to always greet
customers with a smile, ask them how they are going and talk happily to the customer. If
you have time and there aren’t many other customers, it’s even a good idea to try and start a
friendly conversation while you make their coffee. But don’t worry! Just ask a few general
questions and if the person doesn’t want to talk, they will make it obvious. It also may help to
notice anything they may be wearing or if they have a pet with them so you can start a
conversation that way.
Here are some good questions to greet your customers and start conversations:
Greetings:
- Hey, how are you going? What can I get for you?
- Hello! How can I help?
- Good morning, what would you like today?
- Hey, what will it be today?
- Hey team, how can I help?
Ways to ask for their name:
- Can I get your name for the order please?
- What was your name, please?
Conversation starters:
- Coffee time?
- How’s your day been?
- Wow, it’s hot/cold/wet/windy today, isn’t it?
- Got any plans for the day/weekend?
- How has your day been so far?
- How was your weekend?
Remember to listen to their replies and respond to them as this shows you care!!
Another important thing to remember is that some customers will be angry or rude. It is part of
your job and expected in the industry that you will not respond in the same way but politely help
solve the customer’s problem. However, sometimes some people are just looking to start
trouble so if you can’t help them, it’s a good idea to let them know that you will get your
manager to help them.
Cleaning up after yourself:
In Australian cafes, it’s really important that you keep your work area clean and tidy, especially
in a hospitality setting. So this will involve mostly wiping down benches, cleaning and rinsing
milk jugs and cloths, and making sure coffee grinds are cleaned up periodically.
Every cafe will have different policies and processes but this is an important one particularly for
management.
Every hour, you should also rinse and clean the porta-filters and the group head so that the
used coffee doesn’t build up and affect the flavour off your shots. There are a few ways to do
this but here is one way:
1. Remove the basket from the porta-filter.

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2. Select a shot on an empty group head and using the hot water rinse the porta-filter and
basket.
3. Wipe out the coffee grime from the porta-filter and basket with a clean, damp cloth.
4. Using that cloth, wipe the inside lock-in section around the shower head as there is
normally a build-up off coffee grime in this area too.
5. Put the basket back into the porta-filter and you’re all clean and done ^_^
Glossary:

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Coffee puck: The tamped and/or extracted coffee grinds in a porta-filter basket.
Dose: The amount of coffee put into a porta-filter basket measured in grams.
Beverage Weight: Amount of coffee as a liquid after extraction measured in grams.
Bar (Pressure): 1 bar = 100kPa.
Texturing/aerating/stretching milk: Using a steam wand, adding air into milk to create a creamy
and smooth texture that mixes well with coffee.
Hopper: The plastic container on top of the grinder where the coffee is put into. It has a latch
that is opened to allow coffee into the burr camber.
Burrs: These are the things that are connected to the grinder motor and grind the coffee. Good
quality burrs are usually made from a high quality metal.
Dial: This can be adjusted to change the size of the grinds.
Chute/Doser: After the coffee is ground, some grinders will have another ‘container space’
where the grinds are kept before being dispensed into the porta-filter basket.
Scales: Some grinders have specially programmed scales that weigh out doses.
Knock box: Where used coffee pucks are knocked into.
Scrubbing brush: An essential tool for cleaning the shower and the porta-filter.
Blind basket porta-filter: When cleaning a group head, you need this tool to backflush the group
head.
Distributor: A tool used to even the coffee grinds in the basket of the porta-filter to help achieve
an even extraction.
Tamp: some are electric auto-tamps and others require a human to push down. EIther way, a
tamp pushes and compacts the coffee grinds in the basket so the porta-filter is ready to be
inserted into the group head.
Tamping mat: A piece of rubber used to rest the porta-filter on while tamping.
Group head: comprised of a shower head and pressurised water jet where the porta-filter is
inserted.
Steam Wand: Where you steam and texture your milk - usually on the corners of the machine.
Tea water dispenser/hot water spigot: A button operated hot water dispenser.

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Drip tray: Where your cup are placed under the group head while making your shots.
Porta-filter: Comprised of a handle, spring and basket. This is where you put your ground coffee
and then where the shot pours out of. Most commercial cafes have a shot splitter on the bottom
so that double shots can be split into singles if needed.
Milk jugs: where milk is poured and then textured using the steam wand.
Flat white: the classic Aussie coffee. MIlk is textured to be super smooth and silky with little
froth.
Latte: the middle ground milk coffee with a nice creamy texture.
Cappucino: the thickest milk coffee of them all, topped with chocolate.
Piccolo: a single shot of espresso topped up with latte textured milk in a 4 ounce cup.
Magic: a Melbourne invention. The origins are not fully known so the recipe changes from cafe
to cafe but the milk is textured like a latte and is often a bit cooler (50 degrees).
Mocha: recipes for mochas will vary a lot but at their most basic they are the same as a
cappuccino with either chocolate syrup or melted chocolate added between the shot poured and
milk poured.
Short black/espresso: either a single or double shot of espresso coffee.
Long black/americano: the same as a short black but topped up with hot water
Macchiato: this changes from cafe to cafe but in general it will have either a single or double
shot of espresso plus a small spoon of milk froth on top.
Iced latte: simply 2 shots of coffee, ice and milk mixed in a 12-16oz cup.
Frappe: an iced latte with a flavoured syrup and whipped cream on top.
Washed/Wet Process: The flesh of the cherry is completely removed and only the bean is left.
The beans are then washed in pools of water for various amounts of time and then dried on
racks. A lot of Ethiopian, Kenyan and Colombian beans are washed because they have good
access to water. Washed coffee often gives delicate, light and floral flavours.
Pulped/honey Process: Some but not all of the flesh is removed from the cherry. The beans with
part of the flesh are then dried on racks until the flesh starts to change colour. As the beans
oxidise and ferment, the flesh starts to change colour and get sticky. This process usually brings
out most fruity flavours as well as chocolate notes and is used a lot in Brazil.
Natural/Dry Process: The whole cherry is kept intact and dried out for a few days on raised
beds, constantly being turned over. After a few days of fermenting and drying in the air, the flesh

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is removed and washed off. This process is commonly used to get the strongest fruit flavours
like grape, pineapple and other tropical notes
Ristretto: the amount of water is restricted giving a more intense flavour.
Normale/Espresso: this is a regular shot where the coffee is fully extracted to give the most
balanced flavour.
Lungo: this is an extra long shot where more water is used to extract more from the coffee, often
with light roasts to get extra flavour if necessary.