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DRINKING coffee can be said to have become one of the lifestyles and daily lives of Indonesian people today. The presence of this drink has become a companion for many generations to share stories with each other, and coffee shops are also inseparable as a place for telling stories.
Coffee can also be created according to individual wishes, and is made by the cold hands of a barista. It seems simple, but it turns out that making the perfect coffee is not as easy as it seems.
The process of making coffee is quite long. Before it can be processed in the machine at the outlet, there is a journey that must be passed.
The first step is seeding, which takes approximately six months, until the coffee tree reaches a height of one meter. Next is the process from seed to fruiting (growing) which takes 4 to 5 years.
After that, there is a process of harvesting or picking coffee directly by hand (handpicking). Coffee farmers only take red fruit, because red means ripe and of good quality.
Further is processing, where the coffee that has been picked can be washed, dried and then sorted or sorted, before finally doing the roasting process.
Roasting or burning coffee beans with heat or hot air. This process is carried out for 9 to 16 minutes depending on the desired level.
After that, there is a cupping process that is used to determine the selling price of coffee beans. Lastly, is the process of brewing coffee with various methods such as manual or machine. The brewing process is carried out for a maximum of five minutes.
After knowing the journey from seed to coffee ready to be processed, now is the time for a new barista to act behind the coffee machine to make espresso as the basis for processed coffee drinks.
For information, espresso itself is a drink produced from coffee extraction with a high brewing method, using a fine grind level and using hot water.
Selected coffee beans are ground using a machine (grinder) to form a powder that will be made into espresso. To make the right espresso, the coffee grounds are weighed to reach 18 grams. After that, the barista performs a process such as pressing the powder before it is brewed using a coffee machine.
The right brewing time to make espresso is approximately 20 to 30 seconds. The perfect espresso will have three layers, namely crema (golden brown), body (thickness and texture), and heart (most bitter taste and heavy texture).
After the espresso is finished, the barista can create the coffee with various other ingredients. If you like the taste of black coffee, you can add cold water to make iced americano. However, if you like a creamy taste, the barista can make creations such as lattes and cappuccinos.
To serve coffee drinks with milk, the barista must know how to frothing milk or the technique of making foam by blowing hot steam into the milk.
There are two steps to making milk foam, the first is stretching, then spinning, so that the processed milk becomes more shiny, has the right foam texture to make art such as latte art.
It takes time and patience to go through a series of processes, before finally a cup of coffee can be enjoyed and become an appreciation for yourself and even served to loved ones. [antaranews/photo special]
