Caffè Macchiato

Caffe Macchiato and a Good Read

Caffè Macchiato

Macchiato means "marked" in Italian.  This "marked coffee" is distinguished from plain espresso by being "marked" or "stained" by the milk.  It is usual to have only a little bacio of milk in contrast to the larger milk doses of a latte.

The instructions here are for producing espresso with a "mocha pot" or similar device.  While this lacks the abilities of a machinacaffe, it is rather amazing how close this inexpensive piece of equipment can get.  Keep in mind that mocha pots were the old way of brewing espresso.  What is the difference between the old and new ways?  Well, for starters $550.

The Grind

The grind of the coffee should be finely ground "espresso" grade coffee.  Medium roast coffee works best and the coffee should be ground using a burr grinder.  (If all that is available is a whirling-blades grinder, buy the espresso pre-ground.  Whirling-blades are worse than stale grounds)  If the espresso is already ground, it is helpful to store it in the freezer.

a firm, even tamp

The Tamp

Fill the portafilter just above half-way with the grains and gently tamp with the back of a teaspoon.  The goal is a uniform surface with no air-pockets or stray grains.  The ideal is for the water to pass evenly through the bed of coffee.  If the grains are tamped too hard, the pressure will not be enough to brew the coffee.  If the grains are not tamped hard enough, the coffee will be insipid and no crema will develop.

The Water

Use filtered and room temperature water.  Fill the reservoir to just below the bottom level of the portafilter.  It is important to have this ratio of water to head-space because this determines the initial steam pressure when the water boils.  This steam pressure is the single most important variable in pulling the shot.

Brewing

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Once the elements are in place, open the lid of the mocha pot and set the burner to just below high.  The goal is to bring the water to a clean boil as quickly as possible but not bring it to such a rolling boil that it sends steam through the coffee bed.  Steam through the coffee bed will extract bitter coffee tannins and otherwise ruin the shot.  So the ideal is to quickly achieve and maintain a simmer in the reservoir.  Leaving the lid open allows observation of the extraction.
Pulling the perfect shot should look like this:

1. Sounds of the water heating, no coffee coming from the spout.
2. Right before a boil is reached, black coffee comes in a stream from the spout.
3. Shortly after a boil is reached, caramel colored crema comes from the spout and continues until the shot is done.
4. The final ratio is equal crema and black espresso.  The crema begins to dissipate into the espresso.

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The Milk

milk heating

poured shot, dissipating crema

Heat the milk in a boiling water bath until it is 160 F.  Any colder and the milk cannot be frothed and any hotter and the proteins will coagulate.(use a thermometer)  Heat a whisk to the same temperature and beat the milk until silky. (about 5 mins)  Pour the milk over the freshly pulled espresso shot.

a finished macchiato

Macchiato

A macchiato should taste something like a piece of 70% cocoa chocolate.  Even though there is no sugar added, the lactose from the milk combines with the cocoa elements of the espresso and the crema to give the illusion of chocolate.  Thus, the "chocolate taste" is the best way to know whether the macchiato is well made or not.  This laurel wreath can take a while to achieve ... we brewed 1.5 lbs of espresso over a period of 4 months until the moment was reached.  It is helpful to change only one variable at a time.  A recommended coffee is LaVazza (la vat za) Espresso Blend.

macchiati(1)

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