How can I brew a great cup of coffee?

1. Relax.
   
2. Buy two weeks worth of coffee at a time. Buy your coffee where you can get it FRESH, within a few days of roasting. That's when the beans are at their flavor and aroma peak.
   
3. If you really can't find coffee that fresh, do the best you can and don't worry about it.
   
4. Grind your beans just before you brew your coffee. This unlocks the incredible flavor potential and you can capture it in your cup.
   
5. If you prefer buying ground coffee, do it and don't worry about it.
   
6. Use a standard coffee scoop of coffee grounds for each two cups you brew. Some may like more grounds. Brew it how you like it.
   
7. Stir the coffee with a spoon when it's finished brewing. This will insure consistent flavor throughout the pot.
   
8. Enjoy it black or with cream or sugar.
   
9. Remember the best cup of coffee is the one you're drinking that makes you smile. That's all that matters.

What's the difference between a lattè and a cappuccino?

The differences between these drinks are subtle, but significant.

Think of a cappuccino as drinking espresso and a little steamed milk through a "cap" of tons of light, fluffy, shaving cream-style foam. The espresso and steamed milk are sitting on the bottom of the cup, while the huge "cap" of light, fluffy, shaving cream-style foam is on top.

A lattè is a blend of espresso and velvetized foam. A lattè is a little heavier in the hand than a cappuccino because the lattè does not have that huge "cap" of light, fluffy, shaving cream-style foam. Finally, a lattè is a little milder than a cappuccino due to the greater volume of steamed milk and velvetized foam.

How do you make espresso drinks?

All of our espresso drinks follow the same basic four-step process, in the same order. Our baristas (1) load the "shot" of ground roast coffee; (2) froth the milk for cappuccinos, lattes and mochas; (3) brew the shot; and (4) prepare the drink.

"MOUSE'S TAIL" - When the double stream of coffee into the shot cup looks just like the part of the rodent that goes out the door last, our baristas know that the espresso is right.

Timing is important, because a brewed shot of espresso should never sit for more than 15 seconds before it is used! A perfect 1 1/2-ounce shot of espresso should take 20-25 seconds to brew and look like a mouse's tail while brewing. A perfect shot of espresso has a thick, golden crema on top that lasts several minutes.

We always froth with cold milk. Hot milk will not froth. And we always use a thermometer to ensure the consistent 150 degree steamed milk temperature that is crucial to making great coffee drinks.

Heine Brothers' Coffee is committed to serving consistently superior espresso drinks. Every espresso drink served at our stores must be excellent. If there is ever any question about the quality of a drink we have made, we dump it and re-make it! We would rather lose a drink than a customer.

And remember, there is no "x" in "espresso!" 

What are the other espresso drinks?

CAPPUCCINO   LATTÈ  MOCHA    OTHER HOT DRINKS   ICED DRINKS

CAPPUCCINO

MEET OUR BARISTAS: Ann, at Frankfort Avenue.

This favorite drink features espresso and steamed milk topped with a "cap" of tons of light, fluffy, shaving cream-style foamed milk.

Our barista begins by loading the espresso shot. Then we froth the milk to create a dense cappuccino foam with small bubbles. We want tons of light, fluffy, shaving cream-style foam in our cappuccino, so we start with the foam, filling the mug or cup about half-full with foam.

Next, we pour the espresso over the foam in a pattern, "marking" the foam. Then, we pour steamed milk down through the center of the drink. The light, dense cap of foam will rise to the top of the cup. This "cap" of light, fluffy, shaving cream-style foam should last all the way to the end of the drink!

We serve a "dry" cappuccino at Heine Brothers' Coffee because we put so much emphasis on the huge cap of light, fluffy, shaving cream-style foam. Some establishments serve a "wet" cappuccino with less emphasis on foam and serve a drink that is mostly espresso and "thin" steamed milk.

espresso drinks

LATTÈ

MEET OUR BARISTAS: Chance, at Chenoweth Lane.

This is a blend of espresso and "velvetized" foamed milk. We teach our baristas to think "velvetized foam" when making a lattè.

A properly-made lattè will still be foamy on the last sip! You know the lattè is wrong when you have sipped off all of the foam in one or two sips and all you are left with is a thin, milky espresso drink. A proper blend of small bubbles and steamed milk is critical to the "velvetized foam" that makes a true lattè.

To make a lattè, the barista pours the espresso in the cup first. Then in one, steady motion, we pour the velvetized foam into the cup to the top. A properly made lattè will have a beautiful "marbleized" look to the top of the foam.

espresso drinks

MOCHA

Think of a mocha as a chocolate lattè topped off with whipped cream. It features the same "velvetized foam," but the barista begins by putting chocolate syrup in the bottom of the cup. Not too much syrup, as we do want to taste the espresso in the mocha!

MEET OUR BARISTAS: Andrea, at our Bardstown Road store.

We dump the shot onto the chocolate in bottom of cup, give the espresso and chocolate a quick stir to mix them together, and then pour the thick, velvetized foam into the cup, saving 1/2 inch room at the top to add a dab of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cocoa powder. The whipped cream is just the "icing on the cake." Too much whipped cream will cool the mocha too quickly.

The mocha should be a thick blend of espresso, chocolate syrup and velvetized foamy milk. You know the mocha has not been made properly when it is thin and watery.

espresso drinks

OTHER HOT DRINKS

Espresso Machiato : A shot of espresso topped with a large dollop (tablespoon) of light, fluffy, shaving cream-style foam.

Cafe au Lait : A regular-sized cup filled 2/3 with regular brewed coffee of the day and topped off with 1/3 milk steamed lattè-style.

Con Leche : A double espresso in a regular size cup, with lattè-style steamed milk poured on top to fill the cup. This is a drink for the real espresso lover because the espresso flavor is very full-bodied and evident.

espresso drinks

ICED DRINKS

Iced Cappuccino : An iced cappuccino is just that, a cappuccino poured over ice. At Heine Brothers' coffee, we fill a 16-ounce cup 3/4 full with ice ... pour frothed milk over the ice to fill the cup to 3/4 mark, pour a double shot of espresso down through the frothed milk to mark it, and top off the drink with foam and a few ice cubes.

Iced Lattè : An iced lattè is similar to an iced cappuccino except for two important differences: In foaming the milk, we concentrate on creating that lattè-style "velvetized foam;" and we don't top the iced lattè with foam at the end as we do the iced cap.

Iced Mocha : We use a special bell-shaped "iced mocha pitcher" to make our iced mochas, which again, are basically the same as an iced latte but with chocolate syrup mixed with the espresso shot.

Again, Heine Brothers' Coffee is committed to serving consistently superior espresso drinks. Our reputation is based on quality. If there is ever any question about the quality of a drink we have made, we dump it out and re-make the drink! We would rather lose a drink than lose a customer.

espresso drinks