MUMAC Academy Talks, the format dedicated to the stories of Italian coffee professionals is back: the fifth episode presents a journey into the world of ‘Specialty Coffees’.
Jessica Sartiani is the star of the fifth episode, one of the first Italian Specialty Baristas in the coffee world. Together, we discover Specialty Coffee with Faemina.
Her adventure in the Specialty Coffee world began in 2014, when Jessica Sartiani – one of the first Italian Specialty Baristas in the coffee world – became a reference point for the team of the first Specialty coffee shop in Italy. Jessica immediately realized the importance of training for her and her work, not only to improve her skills, but also to create a relationship with end customers by conveying the right message.
This is why she has a background that encompasses the SCA, barista work and brewing, as well as other areas. Jessica also took part in Italy’s first ‘Hydraulics’ course for coffee machines during the 2019 Coffee Technicians Guild Summit held at MUMAC, eventually earning the ‘Coffee Science Certificate’. Her accomplishments include making it to the finals of the Italian Filter Coffee and Brewers Cup competitions for three years and then in 2020 becoming the first Italian coach of the ‘Barista Hustle’ project, which started in Australia.
Today, Jessica guides coffee shops and roasters from their opening to updating their range, training staff and sharing her first-hand experience of dealing with typical Italian customers in the new Specialty Coffee world.
She is the star of the fifth episode of MUMAC Academy Talks, the first format dedicated to the stories of coffee professionals and their professional, technological and training experiences.
The coffee world, partly due to developments in recent years, has changed a great deal. The way coffee is drunk has changed in particular. What is your opinion on this?
“The last two years have tested all the work that has been done in the previous 10 years in the high-quality coffee world. My experience has always involved working with local roasters who were the first to offer single origins and blends composed of traceable origins, up to the first Italian Specialty. In this context, one of the key elements has always been customer relations and communication. With the pandemic, this relationship was almost totally eliminated: words like ‘social distancing’ etc. prevented the customary comparisons and guided tastings. In May 2020, after the lockdown, I returned to work in the coffee shop, adapting to the situation which, in my case, meant ‘takeaway and home delivery’. However, many customers were asking if it was possible to have a cappuccino or V60 delivered. We never offered these choices, but we realised that we could educate customers in a different way by recommending coffee beans or ground coffee and how to best enjoy it at home. Recommending recipes and extraction methods was a small act of sharing during a difficult time.”
On the subject of espresso, what features should a Home espresso machine have to replicate the coffee shop experience as closely as possible?
“The most difficult aspect to satisfy was not being able to enjoy a good espresso at home. Consumers often buy an espresso machine that can barely replicate their cherished coffee shop cup. Obtaining a balanced extraction requires certain basic criteria to be controlled that a non-professional machine struggles to achieve. Two of these criteria are
pressure and temperature. The right temperature determines the solubility of the substances we are adding to the cup: if optimally adapted to the coffee we are using, it allows us to get a good result for both dark and light roast coffee. Faemina makes it possible to control these parameters and provides thermal stability on par with professional machines. All without excessive energy consumption thanks to an automatic stand-by mode that limits energy waste and an insulated boiler that guarantees heat insulation and reduces leakage. These are very important aspects when it comes to domestic use.”
Another area that we should cover, especially with a professional with your background, is alternative extraction methods to espresso. What are the key points to know about drinking this type of beverage?
“Filter extraction methods are not widely known in Italy and there is often a lot of confusion between filter and caffè americano. This can also be an opportunity for us, considering that we can put these alternative extraction methods – which are attracting increasing interest from new generations – on paper. First, we need to choose the type of coffee to use: I prefer single origin specialty coffees that are medium/light-roasted so that the flavour and aroma notes can be fully appreciated, while a roast that is too dark increases the possibility of overextraction and can lead to a bitter and astringent in-cup result. Grinding, just as with espresso, has a major impact on the in-cup result. The grind size is coarser and the consistency of the grind is an important factor; we therefore always aim for a majority of single-mode particles, in other words as much of the same size as possible. Unlike espresso, filter methods require a longer extraction time. For a V60, for example, extraction times vary between 2’30” and 3’30” depending on the type of coffee and roast. With a light, almost Nordic roast, we can lengthen the extraction time without overextracting the coffee. The temperature should not exceed 96 degrees, but if we have a dark roasted coffee we can adjust the extraction using a lower temperature.”
How did you find the user experience with Faemina in this regard?
“One of Faemina’s innovations is that it is not limited to espresso, but allows us to prepare different extraction methods such as V60, French press, tea and infusions. As a filter coffee enthusiast and competitor in the Brewers Cup, I know how crucial extraction consistency and repeatability are in manual methods. With Faemina it is possible to extract a V60 even if you are not a professional barista. All this is done by controlling parameters such as temperature, blooming time and amount, number of pours, and pour time. The quality of the water used for extraction is crucial: Faemina can have a water hook or integrated water softener to ensure water that is suitable for both espresso and brewing. Being able to set the amount of water for blooming allows us to meet the criteria for good extraction: the amount of water must not be less than twice the coffee dose or exceed three times the dose.”
How can Faemina help us to obtain a perfectly extracted filter drink?
“Such a versatile machine makes it possible to prepare balanced drinks and is a winner when it comes to consistency. Thanks to the removable drip tray, in addition to fitting the cone and Brewing server, it also fits drinks such as large latte, americano and long black. In the first case, setting the parameters for my filtrate allows me to focus on service, guiding customers in tasting the filter coffee and telling the story and origin of the single origin or blend. Another practical factor that makes Faemina perform well is that everything is encompassed in a compact machine with an attractive design: this is an added bonus for events, trade shows and showrooms, offering a wide selection of beverages without the encumbrance of lots of equipment.”
We would like to conclude by asking for an imaginative recipe that our readers can easily follow at home.
“I would like to share a recipe that differs from traditional recipes and also give you some historical background. The drink is called Qishr. It is a traditional Southeastern Arab hot drink made from cascara (coffee drupe husks), ginger and sometimes cinnamon. It has been drunk in Yemen for centuries as an alternative to coffee by reusing the skins removed during processing. Before this delicious drink made from the bean was discovered, the leaves and peel of the fruit were used to make an infusion mixed with cardamom and cinnamon.
QISHR infusion
- 250 ml water
- 7 g cascara
- 1 g powdered ginger
- 4 cardamom seeds
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Set the Faemina extraction temperature to 96°C and the tea button to 250 g via the ‘Be Faema’ app. Place all the ingredients into a French press, place the French press under the brewing unit, and press the tea button. Allow to steep for 10 minutes and gently press the plunger, without pressing the ingredients. Pour into a new container and serve hot.”
