Now a Certified Barista

Anyone who knows me knows I enjoy coffee more than any other drink out there.

I'll drink it black, but prefer Lattes. I'll drink anything though, and enjoy it. Unless it is cheap drip coffee. 

Blech.

Anyways, I also plan to open up a small coffeeshop business, selling gourmet Teas, Coffees, etc. So, For my Birthday in Australia, mom and dad bought me a one day class where I became certified in the creation and serving of coffee beverages! 

There is the machine I used. It was a simple one, but did all the things you need from an espresso machine. On the right, is the grinder. This machine brewed coffee through a pod into which you tamped the coffee. For this reason, the grinder was very important, as it had to be just right so your espresso would brew correctly.

The day went by very quickly. First we learned about the different types of coffe, and how to distinguish them as a bean, and in a drink. We then learned terminology and proper measurement ratios of espresso to milk. We practiced brewing certain amounts of espresso, and controlling the flow of the espresso as well.

After we mastered the control of espresso and got a consistent good tasting shot, we moved onto the milk portion. Steaming milk is the hardest part of a good Latte. To much froth and you get a foamy and airy top, to little froth and you get a milky warm coffee. We spent the majority of time on this step. I was able to get to a point where every other frothed cup was perfect.

After the creation of coffee was done. We had some spare time left over. So, we went about trying to make little pictures in the coffee Crema. I wasn't successful in the least.

When closing time came around, we had a small little ceremony where our papers of certification where distributed. We all had to pass a written test in order to obtain the certificates.

So now, I am certified to make and serve espresso and gourmet coffee drinks.

Not bad for a day's work.  :)

American McDonald's McCafe... Start taking notes.

A few days ago, we went to a mcdonalds here for breakfast because we were kinda under a time crunch, and had only 15-20 min to get breakfast. So, we pulled in and grabbed some Australian McDonalds.

American McCafes need to start taking notes.

A lot of notes.

First, the tea. The tea was served not only in ceramic mugs, but ALSO in little tea kettles, so you could pour however much you wanted at a time. The "McEmployees" ;) also told us how long we should let the tea steep, just in case we didn't know. :)

Pictures are with my iphone, so please excuse the quality. :P

Now, let's get to the important stuff.

The Coffee. 

All the McCafes have full espresso machines with designated baristas to run the machines. Actually good tasting and good quality coffee from McDonalds?

Who would have thunk.

Now, as if the coffee itself wasn't good enough, they served it in a very nice way. Below is my Hazelnut Latte. Not in a takeaway cup either. They have dishes for dine-in, and cups for takeaway only.

It was absolutely delicious.

So there ya go. Australian McDonalds actually have some quality to them. The sausage actually tasted like real sausage (not like at home where it is a pile of grease), and the other food was not to bad as well.

If our McDonalds implemented this stuff at home... I just might be tempted go there more often. ;)